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.