My Personal Testimony
In late October, 1996, my wife, Young, and I took a vacation for several days to Northern California including Yosemite National Park. Originally we planned to make a trip to Europe for two weeks to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, which we had to cancel due to the need for my time and attention at my business in Beaverton, Oregon. One of two high-tech businesses I had in Oregon was going through serious difficulties, primarily impacted by a business relationship established with one of the largest Asian companies in 1992.
We decided to take a three-day vacation, instead, including one day in San Francisco where our daughter, Jinny, lived. We spent the second day in the beautiful Monterey bay area, and then a third day in Yosemite National Park. Since Young and I were taking a Bible class on "Experiencing God" offered at our church, we took the course materials with us so that we could study while on vacation to avoid falling behind the class. After seeing the wonders of God's beautiful creations such as Monterey Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the incredible formation of rocks at Yosemite National Park, we were full of God's spirit. We thanked God for His wonderful creation, as well as the quality time we were having on a short vacation, even though the originally scheduled trip to Europe had to be canceled.
For the third night of our trip, we stayed in a Shilo Inns, Oakhurst, located at the south entrance to the Yosemite National Park. That night, during my prayer, God gave me an idea of a new product which became the basis for V-Link Internet software and terminal. He personally spoke to me regarding the idea, and gave me the inspiration with the following words: "Chong, let go of the complex business you have with many problems. You did not seek my help when you initiated the business. Take this idea I am going to give you, and follow my words and direction. I will make the business successful, under one condition: You need to follow my direction all the time, and ask for my help always, and solely depend on me. You need to glorify me by using the results the business will produce. I will make you and your business blessed in my love, but I want you to use the resources the business produces to expand my Kingdom."
Returning from the trip, I started thinking and planning the V-Link product after office hours. Then, in the spring of 1997, I initiated a new business, Veicon Technology, to develop and market a special Internet access device called V-Link. In April, 1997, we filed a patent application for V-Link technology with the United States Patent Office.
Six months later, in October, 1997, we have installed V-Link Internet terminals at some major hotels such as the Hilton and the Sheraton, and initiated discussions with many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) around the country. In addition, we have been getting inquiries from potential distributors around the world and many articles have been written by industry trade publications regarding the V-Link products. In January 1998, V-Link product and technology was selected by two leading high tech companies, Wyse Technology and Citrix Systems, as success stories for the applications of their products. I made myself Executive Vice President of Marketing and Operations instead of President to constantly remind me that I need to ask God's direction and wisdom to run the business of Veicon Technology. I pray constantly for this business and seek God's guidance and help on a daily basis. We also started a weekly prayer meeting in our office every Thursday on a voluntary basis.
I know God is working in our office, directing and controlling the business, especially our minds and spirits. God has blessed us with a special event in mid September, 1997. Between September 12 and 14, God has sent Dr. Stanley Tam, President of United Plastics Corporation in Lima, Ohio, to Portland to speak at a dinner banquet as well as to the Bible Fellowship Hours at Village Baptist Church where I belong. Dr. Tam is a living example of a successful businessman who dedicated his life and business to God's work.
He is also known as the author of his book, "God Owns My Business". Now he contributes in excess of $3M per year, every year, for God's work around the world, and has dedicated more than three hundred churches. I am sure that God sent Dr. Tam to Portland (and to me) so that I could personally learn how Dr. Tam dedicates the resources his business generates for God's work, by spending two full days of time with him.
God has blessed me in the past twenty years by taking me through difficult times, which included the closure of a business. However, because he loves me so much, he gave me the necessary endurance, tenacity, positive attitude, as well as the passion to continue on with my life and new business. He has also given me a wonderful wife, Young, and two children, Jinny and Robert, whom I love so much and am so proud of. God also allowed me to build strong, on-going relationships with my immediate family members including my parents (who accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior in 1995, forty years after being Buddhists) and brothers. God has given me wonderful church and the fellowship with Christian brothers and sisters. God has blessed me with the most loving and caring family I could ever have dreamed of. Even more important, God has given me stronger faith in Him and a closer relationship with Him. Now I really understand that God gave me all these hard tests to make me stronger, and then to eventually lift Him up, not me. I am so glad that I did not become successful in my previous business which I founded when I did not know God. If I had succeeded in the business then, I am sure that I would never have had a chance to know my Lord this well. Thank you God that You made me fail with the business I started when I did not know you well!
In my recent re-dedication service in the form of Baptismal service in my Church on October 5, 1997, I made the following statement: "Christ Lord has forgiven all my sins and gave me a new and eternal life. Now I belong to Him, and He leads me to have a new life in His love."
The future of Veicon Technology is in His hand and the only thing I need to do is to continue praying for His direction as an obedient steward. The resources and growth the business generates will be primarily used to glorify Him. I remain as Vice President of the business, and continue asking for His words, wisdom and direction.
Hallelujah! God bless you!
PS: The author is a member of the Village Baptist Church in Beaverton, Oregon, USA, where he is actively involved in God's work at the church including a small (care group) ministry in the Korean Fellowship. The Korean Fellowship, under the leadership of Dr. Sooyoung Lee has grown from 15 people to 180 people in the past four years. Having been a church goer for seven years since 1987, he accepted Christ as his LORD at a Village retreat in May, 1995. Born in a Buddhist family in Korea, the author came to the United States in 1970 for his post-graduate education, and held technical, managerial and executive management positions at NCR Corp., Tektronix, Inc., Metheus Corp., Computervision Corp., and Samsung Electronics. He can be reached at Veicon Technology, c/o Phase Three Logic, Inc., 19545 N.W. Von Neumann Drive, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, U.S.A.
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:8)
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night" (Psalms 1:2)
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23)
"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (James 1:22)
"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:25)
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." ( II Corinthians 9:8)
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this" says the LORD Almighty, " and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" (Malachi 3:10)
"So neither he who plants nor he waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow" (I Corinthians 3:7)