Stories: Sweet Indeed
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| Korean is a difficult language to learn. I give thanks to the Lord for blessing me with the patience to overcome my pride in learing this difficult language. I still have a long way to go but I know that if I trust in the Lord, He will not forsake me. Much thanks to the Comforter for granting me the strength and courage to face my fear of public speaking. The Spirit guided my companions and I to the those who needed comforting and encouragement. The focus of my "story" though is not on a 2nd generation Korean-American who once struggled to learning Korean, but a Korean family that not only once struggled to learn English, but survive as well.
However, I believe that besides the obvious hurdle of the language barrier, the very idea of starting a new life in a foreign country requires a lot of courage and sacrifice. I once knew a man and his good family, who gave up everything they had in Korea just so that they could all come to America and give the children the opportunity to live in the Promised Land. They willingly sacrificed all they had; a comfortable life of riches, recognition, family, and friends... they gave it all up to drink of the bitter cup...there is a saying in Korean... A classical Chinese proverb actually, which roughly translates into something like this: "What was once bitter will become sweet in the end." (go jin gam rae)
Technically it translates into: bitter(go) + ends(jin) = sweet(gam) + comes(rae)
Whether the "sweetness" comes from adaptation or acceptance or indifference to the bitter...I don't know, I suppose that it depends on the person's general outlook on life...on whether or not they have partaken of the sweet and glorious fruit of the Tree of Life or the fruits of this world...
The family I am refering to, the Si family who came to America about 4 years ago, full of hopes and dreams, only to have them shattered by the greed of a few unscrupulous men who took their money and simply, "disappeared" (This is not doctrine, but merely an interseting side note: For those who have read Dante's Inferno, the innermost ring of Hell, the greatest suffering is reserved for those who have betrayed their benefactors in life...the two Dante uses in his book are the among if not the most notorious: Brutus and Judas of Iscariot)
Anyways, the family ended up having just enough money in their pockets to find an apartment and live for a month, but there was still the problem of sending the kids off to school, groceries, transportation, paying the bills, paying for the costs of their education and whatever medical bills may come their way due to unexpected illness. Keep in mind that they were not permanent residents with a job, but immigrants who didn't have the benefits and security of a job and insurance...
How do I know all this? I met them the day I "arrived on the scene"(field) as a "greenie"...the very first day I officially put on my black name tag and went out to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In short, they were my very first investigating family...throughout the mission years, they have been on my all my weekly yellow planners, before and after their baptisms. (Interesting side note: The weekly planners in Korean are printed out on yellow paper, the ones in English are printed out on blue...irrelevant, yet somewhat interesting)
Most people I know would turn back and be left with bitter memories, a bitterness that not even the most expensive mouthwash would be able to get rid of. A bitterness that would make most people honestly believe that their God had forsaken them. Most people I know would have forsaken their dream, calling it a silly pipe dream, and would have walked down the dreary and forlorn path of surrender. But not this family. Their will, their resolve, their faith in the Eternal God was unbendable and unbreakable.
The Si family persevered and now they prosper in a land that once brought them to their knees in despair. They still fall upon their knees, but now it is different. Now, they fall not out of sorrow or exhaustion, but to give thanks, pouring out their souls in prayer. Life is not some silly fairy tale or Hollywood movie where the protagonist overcomes one seemingly insurmountable obstacle and rejoices while never again having to face adversity for the rest of his or her life. Life itself wouldn't mean much if it was really like that...no, the Si family still continues to have many trials and bitter days. The storm rages on...but now they have a refuge...not one made out of the hands of men, but refuge in their God...in that we all should all humbly give thanks...as King David once said somewhere in the Book of Psalms, in that let us all rejoice! |
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