5 Questions With...Stacey Jung

1.How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? When I first attended FPC (a long time ago!), I did not know anyone there. A few friendly brothers and sisters came to talk to me. They brought me to their fellowship and we had a good time. I really appreciated that they could accept a newcomer to join them. After that, I started to attend David and Linda Ludwig’s community group at their cozy home. I also served in the Sunday service as an usher and got to know many people.

2. What do you do from Monday to Saturday? I am a P.R., marketing, and advertising person. I do integrated marketing communications work. After work, I like to practice yoga, swim in the summertime, and hike in the winter.

3. What is something people might be surprised to know about you? I like learning. It is probably because of my job requirement, I need to learn many new things in a short time. I try to be a quick learner. This year, I plan to learn Adobe Premier, Final Cut, and After Effect software.

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? I assume that because the global economy has not been doing well in recent years, some people like me have not had a raise in their salary for more than 10 years. Job criteria are getting higher and higher every year. As a Christian, I am sometimes struggling for giving money to the people in need, to the ministries, and to the outreach for the gospel. I would rather save money at a bank since my retirement fund is small. May God give me and all of us the courage to give money generously.

Another issue that I find also very challenging is that some national leaders’ policies confuse me and some other people. For example, some countries recently have been attempting to change their policies in a way that is not according to God’s teaching. Furthermore, their decision is based more on the desire to win the vote and leave a mark on their country’s history, rather than on what is good for the nation. May we have the wisdom to figure out what is right, and the courage to do it.

5. What is your favorite book of the Bible, and why? It is the book of Psalms. It makes me feel that I can bring all of my concerns, my hurts, my emotions, and my joys to God. After reading the book of Psalms, I always like to praise and thank our God. It can be referred to as “The Book of Praise.”

I also like the book of Philippians. It reminds me that God’s command is to be joyful whatever the circumstances I may be in. The concept of joy or rejoicing appears sixteen times, reminding me to live joyfully no matter where I am. When I rejoice and worship the Lord, I am making a declaration that my God is bigger than my problem! The word “rejoice” in the original Greek is chairo, and it is actually a verb, an action word. This means we can choose to rejoice with our words and with our actions, despite the initial feelings that we may have.