July 15, 2005

Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set
Proverbs 22:28 (NKJV)

Dear Friends in the United States:

There have been a number of 100th-anniversary celebrations lately and several inquiries to our mission office related to mission history. One church wanted to name their related missionary from 90 some years ago as their founder—only he arrived in Korea three years too late! Art was invited to speak last year at the centennial celebration of Chong Myong Girls Middle and High Schools in Mokpo and to give and receive a plaque and greetings at Soong Eui Girl’s School, which for its centennial also dedicated a new campus and buildings in Seoul. In Mokpo Art spoke on including the new while warming up the old. Today Korea’s president wants to move the capital south from Seoul but there are many voices against it.

Samuel Moore is not only remembered for planting 25 churches along the Han River, but also as the one who began to evangelize the outcast butchers of Korea and helped them gain the right to be recognized as fully human citizens of Korea whose men folk were then permitted to wear the traditional horsehair hats.

Starting from January this year Art became adjunct professor working with the chaplain’s office at Yonsei University, so Sundays now see him helping with the global worship of the University Church where four pastor-professors have a team ministry. In addition to serving as advisor for Yonsei International Christian Fellowship for the 15th year, Art added a class on the Bible and Christianity to his usual course in religions in Korea. But facilitating the Inter-Presbyterian Mission Office and being a co-worker at the Presbyterian Church of Korea is still his main assignment.

The Lighthouse Welfare Foundation gets approval to ship directly to North Korea items such as the IV’s and medical supplies worth $45,000, half provided by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and half by Lighthouse to help within a week after the terrible explosion in Ryongchon in North Korea. Another big item was shipping the mobile eye hospital donated by the Siloam Eye Hospital in Seoul to Pyongyang’s Red Cross Hospital.

The soy milk plant had a new, improved location in June and Sariwon City asked Sue to support a different orphanage from the one she had been helping. This one has 270 children aged one to five. Almost all the children are smaller than their peers in South Korea. Sue praises God for his goodness that allows her to help the North Korean children.

Mrs. Kinsler also gives God glory for the wonderful job of making women’s clothes that the physically challenged workers at Koinonia in Seoul do. Sue visits at least once a week to advise on new designs and to share about God’s design. From May 14 to 17 the workers and staff visited South Korea’s east coast for a retreat which brought them together in the Spirit.

We covet your prayers as we return to the United States for our home assignment for six months, beginning August 1. May God bless each of you and Christ’s work through the people of God where you are.

Yours sincerely,

Art and Sue Kinsler

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