This
being Sunday I accompanied the family to church. YongSun, InSook’s older son, is in the
process of becoming a Methodist minister.
Finished with his formal studies he is now half-way through the 3-year
period of operating a congregation. I’m
not at all sure how the process works – whether he must actually begin the church
or whether he moves into an existing church.
In any event there were primarily family members in attendance. InSook had made the effort of translating
much of the service and a sermon summary into English so I could participate as
the others were using Korean. The
service started with Praise Songs, sung in English, accompanied by guitar. The other hymns were also sung in English (I
think in honor of my attendance) with computer electronic music as
accompaniment. Special music was
provided by HoSun’s (InSook’s younger son) daughter and her flute and then his
entire family singing a hymn.
The
service was then followed by a full Korean meal served in the church after a
table was set up and pews moved around a bit.
Lots of good food, mostly prepared by YongSun’s wife although others
participated as well.
I
was able to do some laundry at InAe’s house in the afternoon before InSook came
over to get me so we could meet Hong Taik Choi.
I sponsored Hong Taik through Save the Children in the 1980’s and had
visited her as a middle schooler in her home village of Yanggu in 1982. There was a period in which we (and she and
Insook) had lost touch, only to be reunited through the good offices of Save
the Children and a TV station that does an annual telethon on which Hong Taik
and I were featured in 2011. She is now
about 50 years old and has three daughters of her own, the youngest one still
in high school. It seems as if she has
had a very difficult life (she calls it a "drama") with an abusive husband who is no longer in the
picture thus making her current life better. Since I
last saw her, about 4 years ago, she has lost weight, cut her hair fashionably,
and appears so much happier. I am SO
glad.
Returned
to InAe’s to deal with my clean laundry and plans for tomorrow.
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