Friday, September 24, 2010

Mission Trip: Day 2


Day 2: Prep and departure for Wang Chun.
The morning arrives and we have worship/quiet time and then breakfast. Today we will prepare our teaching materials for the Wangchun Love House Orphanage and travel there. Jae Young and I are going to teach the special needs group of kids. We prepare ABC flashcards with awesome illustrations by Jae Young and also some command flashcards. After finishing up, our group heads out for lunch at the local burger/fast food place and then return quickly to pack up and depart for the town of Wang Chun. It is a two hour bus ride through the countryside of north China and we pass by locals traveling in carts pulled by tiller tractor and cattle. Finally, we arrive at the hotel we are staying in, and unload our baggage quickly so that we can go out to the orphanage to meet the kids and have a look around. Pastor Jeon, who is the director/father at the orphanage, comes to take us out to the Love House in their van. It’s a small van made for about 10-12 people max but our entire 19 person group crowd in, the kids riding on the adults laps and everyone very close and personal with each other. Still, everyone sees fun and adventure in the ride instead of discomfort and hardship.
In ten minutes, we are at the orphanage. The kids are waiting out in the yard to meet us. We pile out and are immediately greeted with a chorus of “Annyong haseyo, annyong haseyo!” It’s a bit overwhelming at first to be surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces and hands, all smiling and wanting to grasp your hand and shake a “Waekukin’s” (foreigner’s) hand. Some of our crew start blowing up balloons to give to the kids as some of them have barely ever seen, let alone possessed them. I introduce myself to at least a dozen kids and adults in my poor smattering of Korean and am relieved that most can get the drift of my greetings. They tell me their names too, but of course with all the activity and adrenaline flowing through me, I forget most of them right after. A time of slightly awkward interaction follows, with the usual reciprocal getting to know each other conversations. We are shown the rooms we will be using the next day for class and then the pastor invites some of the teachers into his room to tell us about the orphanage and the kids who live here.
Pastor Jeon is the pastor of an underground church in Wangchun and recently took over the orphanage in 2007 from the pastor who was running it before. He is a man who is filled with the joy and love of Christ, constantly smiling and praising God for what has taken place at Wangchun Love House. He tells us that he and his wife, along with their children, used to live in Russia. They were part of a Russian-Korean community there, which his family had been in for 3 generations. He and his wife owned and operated an inn there when they received the call/invitation to go to China. They sold the inn and have used almost the entire proceeds to fund the orphanage and the senior citizen building (that is unfinished due to lack of funds to complete construction). He recounts his story simply, taking no pride in the great sacrifice he and his family have made. He is more eager to tell us of the children and what God has done in their lives.
He calls in the first, Kim Gil-Young, a small boy who looks his 9 years in body but older in his eyes. Pastor Jeon holds his hand gently as Gil-Young sits beside him, looking bashful. We are told that his mother is North Korean, who married a Chinese man who was mentally handicapped (we are told this is the case with many North Korean women because often their mother had been across the border 7 times before she was caught. He came to the orphanage 2 years ago and had been angry and moody at first. “When he came, he was angry and sometimes fought with the others. But not now. God’s love has changed him. He is full of passion and love for God. He wants to return to North Korea one day as a missionary and preach the gospel.” Pastor Jeon smiles broadly. He pats Gil-Young’s hand and hugs him, then tells him to fetch the next one, “your brother” to come to the room.
Next is Gi-Hong, a small boy of six, full of energy and an authority not to be taken lightly. Again, his mother is North Korean (as is the case with the rest of the kids we meet) and his paternal grandparents had been caring for him since the time she disappeared into North Korea. Even though he is young, Gi-Hong had ruled his grandparents like a tyrant. He was allowed to dictate everything and soon became a violent and dominating child. One day, he became angry at his grandmother and stabbed at her with a garden tool twice, striking once and drawing blood. After this, they knew they could no longer control him and appealed to Pastor Jeon for help. Once again, he holds the little boy’s hand and strokes it as he describes how “when Gi-Hong first came, he was violent and would fight all the time with anyone. He acted like a little tyrant and always wanted to be served and have his way. But not now. God’s love has changed him. Now he is gentle and doesn’t fight anymore. He helps his brothers and sisters and is always a good boy. He loves God and loves to pray.” We see again the same broad smile and hug, then the dispatch to fetch in the next child.
And so on it goes. I wish I could record everything as he introduces Seung-Kuk, a boy whose mother had risked crossing the border 11 times just to visit her son before she was finally caught. He had been melancholy and withdrawn in his first days at WLH. Hong-Ha, a girl who had found her handicapped father after he had committed suicide by hanging himself. She had cried every day and would not participate in anything during her first year at WLH. Yoon-Nan(sp?) a tomboyish girl who had stolen copiously and on numerous occasions in her beginning time. But the theme remains consistent throughout all the stories. “They were like this. But now they are not. God’s love has changed them. Now they are happy and love God. Now they play, and participate, and don’t steal anymore. Now they are full of love and joy.” He gives no credit to anyone else but God for the change. And rightly so, though I can’t help but wonder what would have become of these children had Pastor Jeon not been willing to be the conduit of God’s love and mercy into their lives.
After Pastor Jeon finishes the stories, it is time for dinner. We do not know this at the time, but the staff at WLH has prepared a special dinner in honor of our coming. Usually they eat very simple meals, with one or two side dishes and rice mixed with corn. But for us, they have prepared about 5 side dishes plus rice. We all eat together and then one by one, as the kids get up to leave, they give a little bow and say a Korean phrase that means “please eat a lot”. It’s so cute and sweet, I just want to hug them. When dinner is finished and everything is cleared away, Pastor Jeon tells everyone to gather round for formal introduction. Pastor Daniel then proceeds to introduce our team, but when he comes to me and I stand up to give my bow and “Nice to meet you”, he asks the kids in Korean, “who wants to shake the Migukin’s (American’s) hand?” Several eager hands are raised and I then shake each on in turn with a little bow thrown in. But then he asks “Who wants to kiss the Migukin?!” Little Gi-Hong raises his hand and when I bend down, he plants a big wet one on my cheek. It is a precious yet funny moment. Everyone laughs loudly. When we are finished, it’s time for us to head back to the hotel for the night. All the WLH people walk us out to the van where we hug and say dozens of good-byes. Even though, we know we’ll be back in the morning, it is still tough to leave. They wave to us till we can’t see them. As we ride towards the hotel, I am already thinking about tomorrow and looking forward to all we will do.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Mission trip: Day 1





“There is a lifetime of learning done in certain times of our lives. It is these experiences that shape us to be who we are and what we become”. Anonymous

There was a certain point in my recent mission trip when I told my friend Jae Young, “I feel like I came to teach and minister, but I am the one being taught and ministered to instead.” That was the feeling of the whole team when we reached the end of our week long journey. To have learned so much in such a short amount of time is a bit overwhelming and intimidating, but I remember the words of one of my professors in university. He told me regarding short-term mission trips “They will be so radically different experiences for you that you will feel overwhelmed by what you learn and what you want to do. Sometimes people feel so overwhelmed they end up doing nothing. Don’t let this be the case for you. Pick one or two things that you can do, and do them well. Acting on what you have seen and heard during the mission is just as important as the mission trip itself.”

So, one of the ways I am going about my action is to tell others about the experience so that they can learn and grow as well. I’ll divide the mission trip in one day blogs to make it easier for me to retell and hopefully simpler for everyone to follow.

Day 1: Departure and Arrival in Yeongil

The mission team meets at the extremely early hour of 2:30 am in order to leave Daegu at 3:00 and arrive at Seoul/Incheon Airport by 7:30. I have met the majority of the team at the preparation and prayer meetings that we had in the weeks before departure. Now, as I watch the young kids stumble around sleepily with their luggage, I have the feeling that I will be getting to know everyone on the team much better in the coming days. We gather in a circle to pray by the light of the bus headlights. Afterwards, it’s a scene of good-byes as kids bid parents farewell and the parents watch their children board a bus that’s bound for a slightly dangerous destination. The mission team consists of: Pastor Daniel Kim, a joyous Christian who spent 6 years pastoring in Canada and has a great sense of humor. Pastor Yoon, who joined the team at the last moment and is a great addition. Missionary Ji, a South Korean who lives in Canada and heads a mission society there-he will lead our trip. Four Korean teachers, three of whom are the moms of kids in our group. The kids, Jae Bek, Hyun Jung, Soung Ha, Yae Dam, Ju Eun, Da Eun, Hwan Ni, and Eun Hae. Richard and Renee, Korean Americans who attend the English service and have servants’ hearts. Jae Young, a girl who has spent the past 8 years in Canada and now attends university there majoring in art. She is a phenomenal person and will become a translator/roommate/great friend over the next few days. And myself of course. It is a team that comes from different backgrounds, cultures, and languages, but we all have one common goal. To share God’s love with those we come in contact with on this trip.

We settle in for the long bus ride to the airport. Most of the adults try to sleep but some of the kids are too excited. After a brief stop and breakfast on the bus, we arrive at Incheon Airport. Pastor Daniel assigns each one of the kids with an adult. We are to stay with them at all times while traveling, ensuring everyone’s safety and well-being. My partner is Ju Eun. She is a sweet 12 year old who is shy at first with me but quickly becomes a great traveling buddy. At the airport, it is quite the ordeal to get a group of this size all their tickets, luggage checked, etc. but we manage to get it all done and arrive with time to spare at the gate. The flight is short and uneventful. I am brimming with anticipation as we pass through customs and gather up our luggage.

Our guide is Pastor John, a South Korean who lived in Canada for a number of years but answered God’s call to serve in China. The city is Yeongil, a fairly large and bustling metropolis. It is situated about an hour and a half north of the North Korean border and is the base for many people who minister to North Korea. Our host in Yeongil is Pastor Jo, a South Korean woman who has ministered there nearly twenty years. With a group of 19, we are a bit stretched for space, but no one minds. Soon after we arrive, a delicious lunch is prepared for us.

It is healthy and vegetarian, perfect after traveling. Following lunch, we gather for a time of worship and prayer in preparation for the work we will do in the coming days. It is a wonderful time of hearts being made ready. We go out to see the downtown market area of the city and then have dinner at a Korean restaurant which has amazing food.

Someone remarks if we keep eating this well, we will all gain 5 pounds while we are here! Heading back to the pastor’s house, we gather again to worship and to hear a missionary from North Korea who has come to speak to us. His name is Brian Kim and he is a South Korean who was born in North Korean and whose father was shot by the soldiers before he was even born. He moved to America 25 years ago and just recently returned to the land of his original birth to begin a ministry there. His story is so amazing and inspiring. He and his wife have used almost their entire personal savings to fund the construction of a noodle factory in North Korea where they make corn noodles. 100% of their product is given away to the poor of North Korea. He does not receive any profit from his factory. He lives in the factory and pays his workers wages from his own pocket. It’s a ministry that sounds crazy to most and to others ineffective. But the sheer knowledge of his sacrificial work and lifestyle is to the North Koreans a sermon in and of itself. This was the gist of his message to us “I don’t preach. I don’t lead a church. But I teach with my lifestyle. And I offer my free corn noodles with God’s love. That’s what I know and what I have been called to do.” I talk with him afterwards and glean some tips for ways to minister in North Korea. It is an awesome and challenging encounter which I will never forget.

Later in the evening, the adults have a teachers’ meeting where Pastor Daniel outlines the next day’s plan for us. This will be the first of these meetings which we will continue to have every day. Then afterwards, we all head to bed quickly in order to be well rested for the next day, which starts at 6:00 am for us. I fall asleep reflecting on how much we’ve already experienced and how much we have yet to do and see and learn.