May 16, 2007

Family month

Greetings from Korea!

May is the “Month of the Family” here in Korea. May 5 is “Children’s Day” and May 8 is “Parents Day.” Many families have special activities during May, and the government puts on special events as well.

This year, the city of Seoul organized a big event on May 11 for all the shelters for domestic violence survivors and for government-supported low-income families. Most of these families have separated from their fathers. The event was meant to encourage these families through ceremonial events, a picnic, and other activities.

The story of Won Hee Kim

The city selected mothers from these shelters who have adjusted to their environment well and called them “role models.” Ms. Won Hee Kim (not her real name), who came to our shelter, was one of those women selected to receive this award from the city of Seoul.

Won Hee (right) with her daughter Soohee and Sook Hee Bae after winning the "Family Month Award" on May 11.

Won Hee knocked on the door of our shelter in January this year with two children, a 4-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son. She seemed to have no hope. Won Hee had been abused by her husband physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Won Hee is from Jeju Island. When she was a child her parents divorced. She was raised by her grandmother until she graduated from middle school. She doesn’t remember her father, but when she became teenager, her mother remarried and Won Hee lived with her mother and stepfather. Won Hee didn’t get along with her stepfather, and she was not happy.

Later, Won Hee met a man who came to Jeju Island on vacation, and they got married without an official process. He seemed like a good man, but after the honeymoon Won Hee found out that he was very lazy and irresponsible. He refused to work during the summer because it was “too hot” and didn’t work in the winter because it was “too cold.” He was totally dependent on Won Hee. They had serious financial problems, and her husband started to abuse her physically and became cruel to her. They had two children. Won Hee tried her best, working at a restaurant to support her family. Her husband had no job. Whenever he needed money, he came to her work place to get it from her.

He became worse, and Won Hee could not stand the abuse. Once her husband got mad and cut her hair off, making her practically bald. He threatened her with worse. Won Hee decided to leave Jeju and come to Seoul. She was guided to our shelter by hotline staff.

When she came to our shelter she was very frightened and had no desire to live. Through counseling and warm care from our staff she started to open up. Since Won Hee has been staying in our shelter she has been attending early morning worship services every day and Sunday worship. Before she came to our shelter Won Hee had never had a chance to attend church, had never seen a Bible, and didn’t know Christian life. Finally, Won Hee accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior, was baptized, and became a born-again Christian! Good Lord! It is God’s grace to save Won Hee’s spirit and her life. Currently she is learning new job skills through a vocational program and is looking forward to a new job that will raise the quality of life of herself and her children. Won Hee became a new person. She has a positive mental outlook and is trying to achieve new goals. We recognized the changes going on in her—hope for new life, a positive attitude, and a challenging spirit, and we recommended her as a recipient of the “Family Month Award.”

I am grateful to God for Won Hee’s new life. I thank God that Won Hee accepted Jesus as her Savior. I am sure she is happy with God’s Spirit and planning for her new life.

I would like to ask for your continuing prayers for my ministry with women—not only to take care of needy people here in Korea, but also to lift up downtrodden spirits and lead people to Christ.

God bless all of you.

Peace,

Sook Hee Bae

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 247