October 24, 2007

Dear Friends,

No news is good news, right? Well, to a point. We have not written for almost three months! We started several times and got pulled away to meet more pressing deadlines, and some of the work we are engaged in should not be discussed prematurely. We are already half finished with the fall semester, and Simon has been on the road a lot. Simon made two trips to the States, is preparing for the third, and squeezed in trips to Pakistan and Japan in between.

Welcome dinner for the PC(USA) group given by President Sang Yoon Lee of Hannam University. From left: Mr. Chang MH (PC(USA)’s Korea office), Chris Valentine, Vice President Choe, President Lee, Linda Valentine, Insik Kim, and Simon and Haejung Park.

No complaints, just glad to be serving where the church needs us. On October 20 we had the honor of greeting the Executive Director Linda Valentine (of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s General Assembly Council) at the Inchon International Airport as she entered Korea, the final stop of her Asian tour. It was a joy to meet Chris Valentine, who came to Korea as the ”trailing spouse” just as Simon is staying in Korea thanks to Haejung’s appointment at Hannam University. Chris and Linda’s trip was guided by the expert hands of our area coordinator, the Rev. Dr. Insik Kim. Since all other PC(USA) missionaries who serve in Korea are in the States visiting churches as a part of the Mission Challenge ’07, our bid to come to the airport was successful.

Simon had met Linda before, but it was the first opportunity to spend some time together and discuss topics of our mutual interest, mission. One of Linda’s questions was what should be the role of a missionary from PC(USA) in places like Korea where the church is so strong and the economy is vibrant. Simon’s answer was that his mission is to be lubricant to help many of our historical partners to cooperate and work together in mission—not lubricating, but being lubricant.  Linda asked, “Being a diplomat, rather than exercising authority?” Simon replied, “Perhaps more like being a doormat.”

We remember our good friend and the past moderator of our church, Syngman Rhee, telling us that mission is building bridges between people and Christ and between believers and non-believers. Simon’s mission is shoring up the bridge among believers, our partners. Syngman continued to say that in order for a bridge to function it must be firmly anchored on both sides of the divide, and the bridge must be walked all over to serve its purpose. We pray a doormat serves a similar purpose. Linda’s visit was a visible support of our partners in Korea. Hannam University had the honor of hosting the entourage with a welcome dinner. President Lee of Hannam thanked the Church for opening of the school 51 years ago and for continuing to support the university with prayer to this day.

Simon has been assisting the leadership in Louisville as they study ways to deliver relief and development ministries effectively and efficiently while helping our partners to strengthen themselves so that they can eventually handle the challenges themselves. At the same time, the folks at PC(USA) headquarters realize the desire of its members for hands-on mission at home and abroad. The challenge that faces the leadership is to design and carry out the denomination level mission in such a way as to encourage and support both grassroots, hands-on mission of PC(USA) members and our partners.

Simon learned during the past several months that the true and only way to support our partners is to address the root causes of the pain: poverty and injustice. Being cured of a sickness is only the first step in the journey to an abundant life. The journey starts with the hope of abundant life and seeing the possibilities. Next come physical and spiritual nourishment, harmonious relationships with other people and the environment, and the ability to chart and walk the path towards the abundant life. There is a place for everyone to help. The local partners themselves, individual members, congregations of our church, mission fellowships, and the denominational staff all have their place to serve. At the end of the day, we must seek ways for the children of God to manage their own pain with the grace of God. Our work is only to assist in the journey. Many of our fellow missionaries visiting churches around the country during this month are telling their own versions of this story.

We want to be the lubricant for the dynamic relationship among the parts of our church to bring love and peace to suffering communities, including parts of our own Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We shall start in the immediate community where God put us for now. Pray that we would be the faithful and humble servants to bring peace into our immediate neighborhood.

Beginning on December 11 we will be spending about five weeks at the Stony Point Center in New York. We will be a part of a team to transform several mission visions put forward for the Center into specific operational plans. These plans will be presented to the mission decision-making body, the General Assembly Council, for review and approval. Stony Point is a national conference center of the PC(USA), with a rich mission history. It used to be the primary missionary training center and home for many missionaries on home assignment, including us. It is an honor to be a part of the team to envision and shape the new mission for the Center. We hope to see some of you during the time of our stay at the Stony Point Center.

Perhaps next year, we can share more details of our work in Korea and elsewhere. We hope to write again before Thanksgiving.

Grace and peace,

Haejung and Simon

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, 259