Testifying of God’s Plan ahead of, during, and through Prague

This is God's story.

Back from Prague & I'm ready to share all about it.

Not My Plan

I’ve spoken about this before. The odds of me going to Prague were low, yet God brought me there twice. I have a list somewhere of the many reasons why it was odd for me to go to Prague and how I got there, but I’ll just hit a few.

For 2025, there was another opportunity in question where some of my closest friends were already going, yet I couldn’t help but feel drawn (by the Holy Spirit, no doubt) to “Prague Sports Camp.” In the preparation for, time during, and reflection after the trip, I learned my obedience would result in much fruit for the mission and even for myself.

Side note: I planned to write so many stories from Prague 2025, but I never felt inspired (and was frustrated by this). Instead, I reflected on and practiced a hard season of my life that has added much to my testimony of God’s sovereignty that I could share with the Prague students. God’s plan. Not mine.

For 2026, I was very hesitant for round 2. Don’t get me wrong, because I loved my first trip so much. I wanted to see my friends in Prague again. Besides all the irrational fears I needed to overcome through God, I also had practical reasons for not going. But God’s plan. Not mine.

Practical Obstacle

My biggest obstacle was my health. In the past year, I had strange fluctuations that doctors still have yet to explain, and I struggled in new ways, which have taken a toll on my body. It was June, and I was still recovering from January. Honestly, I was not confident in going and feared my body and mind would not be good enough for ministry after travel. 

God's Plan

It was not until I saw God providing for the trip that I felt like He would also supernaturally provide for my health… or He would show me how I could glorify Him in other ways. Regardless, when I was confident God was opening all the doors for me to go, I knew that it would be more pleasing to God for me to go to Prague instead of staying back.

***I want to clarify that I am not and do not recommend taking the liberty of saying God will bless me when I want. If that were the case, and God were a genie, I would not have had such a hard year physically. As we could never earn God’s favor as sinners but could only accept His gift of grace to receive salvation, we as Christians still cannot pray or fast or serve enough to earn wishes from God. When we pray or fast or serve, we do so in faith that God, God’s power, and God’s plan are greater than us. When we do things for the Lord, we do them in submission to His will, aiming for the ultimate spiritual rewards: heart change now (sanctification) and heavenly treasures later in eternity.

Romans 8:28

Back to the main topic: Honestly, I still feared that my health would suffer and that God would teach me a lesson somehow about His plan through my inability. I was preparing myself for a hard lesson of surrender and patience. Romans 8:28 is still a hard truth for me to accept when I’ve had seasons where I’ve had to pull back from the ministry I wanted to do in order to seek physical rest and healing.

God has provided supernaturally for my health in the past. Some of these cases are my personal tangible evidence that God is real, God is for me, and God keeps me. There have likely been times when it was not as noticeable, but I clearly saw this in my 9 weeks in Arizona and my 2025 Prague trip. I have truly learned that the best place to be is where God wants me. There is no better place to glorify God. Therefore, I reasoned that if God has provided everything else, He would provide this one last thing. If God wanted me to go to Prague, He would provide logistically, financially, spiritually, physically, and all the rest of the -ly’s. God’s plan. Not mine.

Fruit of Faith

Wow, I was proven right, and God was proven great. My health circumstances were even more challenging this year, and God clearly provided even more strength than I could fathom. I know for a fact that, without God’s hand, I would not have lasted for even half of camp on my normal endurance.

This brings me to how I see God using me and my unfortunate circumstances to bring me to Him first and then bring others to Him through me. As they say, “God saved you on the way to saving someone else.”

Again, not my plan or idea or desire, but by God’s will, I shared my testimony again this year on Friday. It has become crystal clear to me that God has fashioned my story, my ability to deliver my story, my spiritual growth, my personality, and etc. in a unique way to relate to this niche group of Ukrainian refugee teenagers.

European Context

The context of the Ukrainian refugee teenagers is full of despair. They have been at the mercy of war and of strangers. Many things have been sacrificed, such as their home, their families, their pets, and even their lifestyle and childhood. Specifically referring to my testimony, God hasn’t taken away those necessities from me, as I never had a chance at birth. Instead, God blessed me with those things, and He took away other things from me that the teenagers still have (to an extent).

The Lessons We Shared

The theme of the week was “Stop Climbing Babel’s Empty Levels,” which I trust sounds better in Russian. In the Bible studies and sermons, the students learned and discussed what the world offers versus what God offers. They ranked necessities and wants. This tied in perfectly with what I could share with them from experience.

As a Christian, I’ve already decided to tear down the weak tower I was building up for myself and start over with God. Although I have committed to ‘lay up my treasures in heaven,’ I’m still in a war between my flesh and the Spirit. I still try to wedge in building blocks that don’t quite fit. I still try to depend on things that I thought I needed in order to have purpose. In mercy and love, God removes those from my life so He can continue to build something more beautiful than I could fathom.

My lesson through one of my hardest seasons was what I wanted them to learn: if you don’t have God, you have nothing. You cannot depend on anything in this world. If you surrender everything to God and you only have God left, you have the one thing that lasts. The treasures in this world are nothing compared to the riches God has waiting for you in heaven.

I began with Romans 8:28.

The Testimony I Shared

[Transcribed] “

‘And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.’

Romans 8:28 is a highly quoted scripture, yet for a long time, I put it in the box of Christian beliefs I found hard to believe myself. However, it's in the Bible, so I had to trust God on that one.

I can believe that God can use different difficult circumstances to bring people to him. That's what happened to me. As I shared last year, my life began pretty hopeless. I was born in China and abandoned as a baby.

You can assume what this means. No place or people to call home. I had no control over my well-being and was at the mercy of strangers. But God had a plan to give me hope and joy.

A year before I was born, a couple in America had a 19 year old son, due to a mistake he died. It was very hard for them because they loved him and he was their only child. But God guided them to a different path.

Just a few years later, they agreed to adopt a random Chinese toddler. But this was not random to God. Through lots of sacrifice, they crossed the ocean to rename a girl Hope Joy, to reflect the hope and joy that I would bring to their lives.

Growing up, I was very aware of this, and it gave me mixed feelings. Of course, I was very thankful and happy that 2 strangers took me in as their own.

But I also struggled with this. How? Why?

Out of all the millions of orphans around the world, why was it me? It's not fair that I was given this chance at a new life while many others were left abandoned.

Because of this, I tried to make up for it by doing good things. I felt like I owed it to my parents, and for the most part, I was a good child.

But I still struggled with this. What was the difference between me and living in China versus the US? Yes, my life would be difficult in China. But many parts would be the same. Eat, sleep, breathe, and one day die. Was I just adopted so I could do all these things in a different place? What was the purpose?

In truth, the evilness of China and the death of a child are crucial to why I'm able to stand before you today. God used imperfect people in terrible circumstances to change the course of my life.

And I don't only mean my physical life was changed, but my spiritual life was completely turned around. My parents loved me and taught me about God. I definitely believed something was out there that was greater than me, but why does that matter?

I have always strongly believed in efficiency. I hated the idea of wasting my life. I wanted to do good with the 2nd chance that I had been given.

However, I couldn't be at peace with that; no matter how much good I could do, no impact would matter. My impact would be vanity. What's the point of doing good if we all just die one day? I could have easily just lived, done good, and died in China. My adoption seemed like vanity and without purpose. 

One day, the solution hit me. It didn't come in a dream or words on the wall or a big thunder. It came because I finally gave up my pride and admitted I was wrong.

After years in the church, my eyes finally opened to the truth about God. I can't earn my way or create ‘levels’ to reach what I thought being good meant. No matter my efforts, I would still fail. Even if I succeeded in doing good, that doesn't really help me or others at the end of our lives. 

But God sent His son to live an innocent life, pay for the price of my sins, die on the cross, and defeat death by resurrecting.

Only through this, God made a way for me to heaven where He is. I only needed to admit that I couldn't make it on my own and seek Jesus to be my solution. This way, I could truly make my adoption and my whole life purposeful.

Looking back, I honestly cannot tell you the exact moment I became a Christian. However, I can tell you, I know that the Holy Spirit is inside of me because of my life after.

For example, I have overcome many stressful things outside of my control because of God. I have hope and joy even if friends abandon me, or I don't know what comes next.

Romans 8:28.

‘And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God.’

I still have control issues. God has helped me take out the parts of my heart I don't need and replace them with something more beautiful.

For example, I had a time when I really struggled with my health, my emotions, and even my mind. I was mad at God, because why would he allow these things to happen when I was already choosing him?

In truth, I likely would not have outlived these circumstances without knowing God's love. Where I once labeled these as unfair, I now label these as ways God has used to bring me closer to him. 

The Bible teaches in 2 Corinthians 12:

‘God's grace is sufficient for me. For God's power is perfected in my weakness. Therefore, I can be content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, and difficulties with Jesus. For where I am weak, I become strong.’

You can have the same power over any situation, but you must first recognize you cannot control everything. In fact, we are weak, but Jesus is enough. You must have faith that Jesus is strong enough.

Maybe you're looking for a special moment or a miracle, but it doesn't matter how you find the treasure, but that you find it. I believe in the power of God's love, and that the American team crossing the ocean may become a small piece of some of your stories.

On the screen is a design I made specifically for you. We teach all week of God's love, but it's not enough to only love God for one week in the mountains.

You can take this message of God's love beyond the mountains, into the fields, down in the valleys, to your country, city, and home.

I mean for everyone to have these stickers I made as a gift to you as a reminder of God's love. Please see me if you don't have one yet, or even if you lost yours.

With God's love, I love you all. Thank you.”