Chee Nu recently lost his best friend and his health was poor. However, a simple conversation about tomatoes with a friend unexpectedly guided him towards discovering the Adventist faith, embracing a healthier lifestyle, and serving at a Hmong church plant.
Chee Nu would have never guessed that a conversation about organic tomatoes would lead him and his family to the Adventist faith. He met a Seventh-day Adventist at his job and they often ate lunch together. His new friend noticed that every time they went out to eat, Chee Nu threw his tomatoes to the side, so he began talking to him about the value of nutrition and health.
“I just lost my best friend, I was just in a really tough place. Health-wise I was in terrible condition.That’s when I met one of my very good friends today and he shared with me the health message.”
It wasn’t long before Chee Nu was studying about health and the Sabbath. His family began keeping the Sabbath by going on walks and having worship in nature. They did this every week.
Hickory, North Carolina, was once a textile town that developed a large immigrant community who came to work. One of the largest groups was the Hmong from Southeast Asia.
When manufacturing jobs moved overseas, a large number of workers left Hickory. However, the Hmong population stayed. The Hickory Korean Adventist church’s numbers had dwindled. The few members left noticed their Hmong neighbors, and decided to plant a church. The goal was to eventually give their space to a future Hmong congregation.
“As I was between jobs I was doing interpreting on the side, I received a call from a pastor at the Korean SDA Church in Hickory asking for an Hmong interpreter to teach them how to speak Hmong.”
So Chee Nu’s family attended an Adventist church for the first time.
“It just felt like a breath of fresh air. It just felt like just this immense pressure just taken off. It was like my spirit felt so free that first time that we were able to worship.”
“Even just the Korean church members that were there, their character actually reflected Christ because they were so friendly and so kind and welcoming that we just felt like we belonged there. And it just felt like it was right. It was where our family needed to be.”
The family had always been active members of another church. They continued to attend both churches for a while. Eventually, Chee Nu and Gina were overwhelmed.
“We had a lot of connections, a lot of friends, and we were leaders of a small group, and we didn't want to just leave them behind.”
Chee Nu and Gina earnestly asked God to reveal where they should be.
“And first thing we said was if anyone ever asks us to choose between one or the other, we know. We know where we need to be.”
The next day their former pastor asked them to hurry up and come back full time to the church.
“We kind of just looked at each other and said, Thank you, God for the answer.”
The Korean elders believe God is calling them to help plant a Hmong congregation, and they are committed to supporting in any way possible. Church Elder Daniel Kim, a recently retired electrical engineer, and his wife, Miyang, have moved away to Georgia to care for her parents, but they drive the 6 to 7 hours round trip every Sabbath to support the Hmong church plant.
“We feel like a part of something important. So because of that, you know that sense of mission that we have, the vision that we have, the call that we have. So because of that, we don't feel like it's a long drive or hard drive.”
“We were just drawn in by their Christ-like character from the very beginning, their friendliness, their willingness to help, and really their desire, their selflessness, and their desire to help the Hmong community and I think for us that, that passion is very contagious. And for us, being Hmong, of course, there's just a big burden, a big responsibility, we feel, to share the good news with those around us that haven't heard the message.”
All of Chee Nu and Gina’s kids play a role in the church. From helping teach the children’s Sabbath school, to running the audio visual system, everyone is involved. Even Cadence, the youngest, turns the lights off to watch Mission Spotlight and back on afterward.
There is still much work to do for this Hmong church plant in Hickory. We invite you to pray as the work continues.
“One thing to pray for is really for them to really come to know who God is, a loving God and a merciful God, and a God that is willing to heal, not only physically, but spiritually.”
Thank you for supporting mission and planting churches around the world!
