November 23, 2004

Thanksgiving / Advent / Christmas / New Year

encounter—a chance meeting; to come upon unexpectedly; to meet, especially by chance

Dear Friends,

As we write this letter, the cold, crisp temperatures of autumn have set in, and the leaves are slowly but surely starting to turn from green to bright red, yellow, and orange. Soon it will be Thanksgiving, then Advent and Christmas, and then Solar New Year and finally Lunar New Year. An old year will have passed and a new year will have come. There are many ways of marking time, of course, but for us this change of seasons from summer to autumn has been marked by three dramatic encounters that took place within a period of nine days in the latter half of September.

The first of these encounters took place on September 15 at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, held at the Somang Church in Seoul. We were attending a special dinner for mission co-workers and ecumenical guests. The newly elected moderator was present, as were other leaders in the Korean church. We found ourselves seated opposite the Rev. Dora E. Arce Valentin, moderator of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Cuba and the Rev. Carlos M. Camps Cruell, general secretary. As we talked we found that we had many things in common. Rev. Arce was guest preacher at the Wednesday evening worship service, which followed the dinner. She has long been active in ecumenical affairs as well as theological education. Rev. Camps is a professor of theology whose wife is a professor of Christian education. We discovered that the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Matanzas, Cuba, is involved in a D.Min. program with Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and United Theological College in Kingston, Jamaica. We were even more surprised to know that there is a Korean mission co-worker teaching missiology at the seminary in Cuba. This encounter opened our eyes to an aspect of the worldwide mission of Christ’s church of which we had previously known very little.

He spoke no English or Korean, but with the aid of the Korean mission co-workers we were able to carry on with a mixture of Russian, Korean, and English. He told us that there were many Christians among the military in Belarus and that they gathered together regularly for Bible study and prayer. Through this encounter we learned about a previously unknown arena of Christian mission activity.

The third encounter occurred on September 23 following a concert at the Sori Arts Center in Jeonju. Two professors, one of whom was a part-time lecturer at Hanil University, performed on the piano. Following an evening of excellent music we were invited by one of the pianists, Ms. Chong Eun- Hae, to attend a small reception for their families and friends. In the course of the evening we were introduced to Ms. Chong’s husband, Dr. Kim. As we talked with him he told us that he had just returned from a term of service with the well-known international aid organization Doctors Without Borders. “Where did you serve?” we asked. He replied, “I served in the Dafor region of the Sudan.” He went on to tell us something of his work there as a surgeon in the refugee camps. The conditions there were unspeakably difficult, and he told us that he lost weight because of the poor diet and harsh working environment. We marveled at his dedication when we learned that he had closed his successful private clinic in Korea in order to serve others in this remote and dangerous part of the world. Once again a brief encounter made us aware of how Christian mission is being carried out in the most difficult of places.

These three encounters with Christian brothers and sisters brought to us a new awareness of Christian presence and service in such varied places as Cuba, Belarus, and the Sudan. All three of these encounters took place right here in Korea as we went about our ordinary activities. We did not have to go anywhere or do anything special. All that was necessary was an awareness of others and a willingness to listen and learn. We are reminded of the shepherds who kept watch over their flocks by night. They did not go anywhere or do anything special. But when the angels—the messengers from God came—they were willing to listen and learn. This encounter changed their lives as they hurried to Bethlehem to see the Christ child in the manger.

During this holiday season there will be many encounters with others. May they become opportunities for us to be aware of others, to listen to what they have to tell us about their life experiences, and to learn about the many ways in which God is at work through the worldwide Christian community. And may this be a time when all of us encounter anew our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in whose name we serve.

Faithfully in mission,

Carol Chou Adams / Daniel J. Adams

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 89