Christmas 2006

Dear Friends,

As one reads and rereads the Christmas story one is struck by variety of people who make up the story. There is the priest Zechariah, his wife Elizabeth, and their son John. There is Mary, and a carpenter by the name of Joseph, and the baby Jesus. There are shepherds tending their sheep on the hillsides. There is the innkeeper who arranges a manger bed when all the rooms are booked. There is the Roman emperor Augustus and the Syrian governor Quirinius, who give a sense of history to the story.

As the story develops, wise men from the East appear and they consult with the priests and rabbis. King Herod plays a part in the story, as do the unnamed hosts to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus during their time of exile. And there is the angel Gabriel and the heavenly host. Even Herod’s son Archelaus makes a brief appearance. Simeon and Anna play their part when the baby Jesus is presented in the temple. The cities and towns of Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem provide a background. Countries involved are Palestine, Rome, Syria, Egypt, and probably Persia, thus including the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The Christmas story includes all kinds of people, in all kinds of circumstances, living in several different places, and representing a multitude of countries, nations, and ethnic groups. All play their part so that what emerges is one of the most wonderful stories of all time—how God became incarnate in a little baby named Jesus.

Christian mission is like the Christmas story in that it too includes a variety of people, places, cities, countries, and even continents. We represent a bit of diversity ourselves. Dan was born of an American father and a Canadian mother. Carol is a Taiwanese, but we live and serve in Korea as mission co-workers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), having previously served in Taiwan, with a brief period in Hong Kong. Our supporting churches are found in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Hanil University, where we teach, has recently signed agreements with theological schools and universities in the United States, Germany, Thailand, and Myanmar (Burma).

One of those schools in Myanmar is Lorraine Theological College in Yangon, the official theological college of the Mara Evangelical church, a Reformed denomination founded in Burma in 1907 by the Rev. and Mrs. R. A. Lorraine of London. The Mara people are one of several ethnic and linguistic groups that make up the Chin tribe. They live in a mountainous jungle region that lies above 4,500 feet and borders on India and Bangladesh. The area is largely agricultural and is isolated due to a lack of roads. There are no highways, railroads, or airports. Travel is mostly by foot on mountain trails. Since educational opportunities are limited, Hanil University has signed an agreement with Lorraine Theological College to provide graduate theological education for their faculty and exchange students and faculty from time to time. Hanil faculty will visit Myanmar every other year to lecture and teach intensive courses. This has all been made possible because people from Europe (England), North America (United States), and Asia (Korea, Taiwan, and Myanmar) have become part of one story.

Two people with significant parts in this story are Van Kung and Hmo Sa E, pastors in the Mara Evangelical Church and members of the faculty of Lorraine Theological College. Van Kung received his master of theology from Hanil Univeristy in 2005, and Hmo Sa E is currently studying for his master of theology. Both are able to study at Hanil University because Korean churches have provided scholarship funds. Today Korea has become a leader in offering opportunities for graduate theological education for church leaders in the developing world, and Hanil University has provided graduate theological education for over 20 pastors, professors, and missionaries in Myanmar. We rejoice that Van Kung and Hmo Sa E are professors and missionaries in Myanmar. We rejoice that Van Kung and Hmo Sa E are actors in this story telling the Christmas story to the Mara people.

We rejoice that you too, are part of this story. Through your faithful giving and financial support, fervent prayers, and continued interest in the global mission of the church, you are making it possible for us to remain in Korea and serve on the faculty of Hanil University and the Asia Pacific Graduate School of Theological Studies. Recently we took our students on an outing to a local art museum. As we introduced the group to the curator of the museum, we were amazed at the number of countries represented—Korea, Taiwan, the United States, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Madagascar. Christian mission today is an exciting story, and the people who make up this story come from the four corners of the earth. Like the angels who sang at the birth of Jesus, the people in this story of Christian mission join together to sing: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”

May God grant you a joyous Christmas season and New Year filled with God’s grace and blessing, as together we tell the story of Jesus Christ to the world.

Faithfully in mission,

Carol Chou Adams/Daniel J. Adams

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 249