An Eye-Opening Journey

by Ellen Eun
GLDI Class of 2007
Student, University of Pennsylvania

To be honest, the first week of GLDI was a tough week. Adjusting to a new environment and encountering new faces was not an easy task. Initially, I was disappointed in the fact that GLDI was not what I expected; a long retreat that would revive my dwindling spiritual life. But I am so glad and relieved that our God does not heed to our own personal desires, but answers to our true needs.

I would say that I’ve grown up as a good, Christian girl. I attended church service weekly, I set apart a time each day to pray and read the Bible, I obeyed my parents, I studied and performed fairly well in school, and I had never caused trouble with my friends. As I left for college, I was plugged into a wonderfully grounded church and met great friends. As for my future after college, I never gave it much thought. I aimed for the “Christian American Dream”— a decent job, an adequate house, and a faithful, healthy family in Christ. A constant struggle of mine was a lack of focused passion. Although I had continually prayed to God that I was His to use and mold and for Him to guide my life, it was at GLDI where I realized that I was still holding onto so many aspects of my life. I realized that I had not truly surrendered my life to God because frankly I did not even know what that truly signified. Even though I always uttered the words of complete submission and whole belonging to our Father, I recognized that my worldly desire for a life of comfort and security had been greater in my life. When Dr. Gloria Hammond asked us the simple, yet powerful question, “What in the world are you doing with your life?” my heart was broken and challenged. Moreover, I was excited to understand what it actually meant to surrender my entire being to our Almighty Lord.

God has created me for a purpose that is far greater than the small future I had created for myself; not to be a mere catcher of fish, but to be a catcher of men. Through many of the amazing speakers, my narrow view of life started to broaden and my excitement grew as my outlook on my life began to rapidly transform. I began to understand who I was as a daughter of our Lord and began to embrace His ultimate calling for all His children. I now have a clear purpose of why I must study, how I should invest my time, money and energy for others and how I must humbly serve wherever I am situated in order to reveal the glory of our Lord. It is for God’s glory that I desire to excel in anything and everything I do. I want to be an instrument that God sees and happily longs to use. I want God to know that He can rely on me to be His faithful and diligent daughter to reveal and share the light and work of the cross that Jesus had already completed in this world of darkness.

GLDI has truly been the most challenging and eye-opening journey in my life. It was a time when my weaknesses were exposed, my core beliefs shaken, my knowledge and scope of life broadened, and a time where I was able to network with brilliant leaders, staff and potential global leaders of our generation. My valuable experience at GLDI was incomparable to any prestigious internship or luxurious vacation I could ever go on. I thank Dr. and Mrs. Kim, Dr. Pak and all the other leaders and staff for their dedication and commitment to build up a generation of leaders for the work of Christ. Most importantly, I praise and thank God for this amazing vision that He has placed on my heart and for the fruit He will bear through it.