지난 주간에 캐나다 여행을 마치고, 주일은 미국 중남부에 있는 달라스라는 도시에서 보냈습니다. 그곳은 함께 여행을 하는 문장로님의 아들이 공부하는 곳이자, 제 오랜 친구이며 파푸아뉴기니에서 성경번역 선교사였던 안지영 목사님이 목회하는 곳입니다. 또 가까운 곳에 신현우 목사님이 공부하는 곳이 있기도 합니다. 그곳에서 2박 3일간 신목사님 가정을 만나서 교제하였습니다. 우리가 방문할 소식을 전하자 곧바로 유의정 사모님은 흥분해서 기뻐하기 시작했고, 신목사님은 어떻게 맞이해야 할 것인지 염려하기 시작했다는 후문입니다.
그리고 이번 주일에는 마지막 방문지인 로스앤젤레스로 갈 계획입니다. 거기에는 한국 사람들이 가장 많이 사는 곳인 만큼 만날 사람들이 많이 있습니다. 그들 중에 여러분이 관심을 가질 분들, 바로 우리와 함께 사역했던 노성현 목사님과 송병주 목사님이 있습니다. 그 두 가정을 만나서 2박 3일 정도 여름휴가를 함께 보내게 될 것 같습니다. 제겐 사람들이 살던 흔적보다는 자연이 더 볼만한 대상임에 틀림이 없습니다만 전에도 말했듯이 사람을 만나는 일이 가장 중요하게 다가옵니다.
지난 주간에도 시애틀을 출발해서 샌프란시스코로 내려오면서 혹시나 하고 한인주소록에서 발견한 전화번호로 제가 아는 한 권사님에게 연락을 드렸더니 남편인 장로님이 받으셔서 반색을 하셨습니다. 사실 포틀랜드에 가면 이분들을 만나리라고 생각을 한지 십년은 넘었습니다. 물론 옛 전화번호로는 연락이 안 되어서 한인주소록을 뒤진 것입니다. 다행히 제가 아는 정보는 남편이 골프용품점을 한다는 것이 전부였습니다. 그러나 기적처럼 연결이 되어서 만났습니다.
점심을 함께 하면서 꼭 하룻밤 자고 가라고 준비를 다해놓고 기다리고 있어서 예정만큼 달리진 못했지만 거기 하루 묵기로 했습니다. 이분들이 처음 이민을 와서 영적으로 갈급할 때 제가 서울 어느 교회에서 전한 사경회말씀을 통해서, 이후에는 설교테이프를 통해서 큰 힘을 얻었다고 합니다. 사실 장로님은 저를 만난 적이 없었는데도 제 음성을 알아볼 만큼이었기에 서로간에 친밀한 교제를 나누었습니다. 특히 장로님은 시편 23편의 말씀을 통해서 큰 은혜를 받았으며, 권사님은 제가 서울 개척교회에서 목회하는 것을 안타깝게 생각해서 밤낮없이 부르짖었다고 합니다. 그때 꿈에 제가 많은 사람에게 복음을 전하는 모습을 보았고, 울산교회로 이동한 소식을 듣고 기도의 응답이 된 것으로 믿고 감사했다는 이야기를 처음으로 들었습니다. 이처럼 저는 어디서나 영적교제를 허락하신 하나님께 감사하며 지내고 있습니다.
After wrapping up our trip to Canada last week, we spent the Lord’s Day in Dallas, a city in south-central United States. It is where the son of Elder Moon, who is traveling with us, is studying, and also where Pastor Jiyoung Ahn—my longtime friend and a former Bible translation missionary to Papua New Guinea—serves in ministry. In addition, it is near the place where Pastor Hyunwoo Shin is pursuing his studies. We stayed there for three days and two nights, enjoying warm fellowship with Pastor Shin’s family. We later heard that upon hearing news of our upcoming visit, Mrs. Uijeong Yu was overjoyed and thrilled, while Pastor Shin began fretting over how best to welcome and host us.
This coming Sunday, we plan to head to our final destination, Los Angeles. Being the area with the largest Korean population, there are many people to meet. Among them are those you would especially care about—Pastor Sunghyun Noh and Pastor Byungju Song, who previously served in ministry alongside us. We expect to spend about three days and two nights of our summer vacation with those two families. To me, nature is undoubtedly far more captivating than the lingering traces of human habitation; yet, as I have mentioned before, meeting people remains the most precious and important pursuit.
Last week, as we drove down from Seattle toward San Francisco, I took a chance and searched a Korean business directory to call a kwonsanim (senior deaconess) I once knew. Her husband, an elder, answered the phone and welcomed me with immense delight. In fact, more than ten years had passed since I first resolved to visit them whenever I passed through Portland. Because their old telephone number no longer worked, I had combed through the directory. Fortunately, the only detail I remembered was that the husband ran a golf supply shop. Yet, like a quiet miracle, we were connected and reunited.
Over lunch, seeing that they had prepared everything and were eagerly waiting for us to stay the night, we decided to lodge with them, even if it meant driving fewer miles than planned. When they first immigrated and were spiritually parched, they drew great strength from the retreat messages I had preached at a church in Seoul, and later from cassette tapes of my sermons. Although the elder had never met me in person before, he recognized my voice so clearly that our fellowship immediately became deeply intimate. The elder had received profound grace through the message of Psalm 23, and the kwonsanim, heartbroken seeing me minister at a fledgling church plant in Seoul, had cried out in prayer day and night. She told me for the first time that in a dream back then, she saw me preaching the gospel to a vast multitude; when she later heard of my move to Ulsan Church, she gave thanks, believing it to be the answer to her prayers. In this way, wherever I go, I live with a heart overflowing with gratitude to God, who graciously grants such deep spiritual communion.
Nadat ons verlede week ons reis na Kanada voltooi het, het ons die Sondag deurgebring in Dallas, 'n stad in die suid-sentrale Verenigde State. Dit is die plek waar die seun van ouderling Moon, wat saam met ons reis, studeer, asook waar ds. Jiyoung Ahn—my jarelange vriend en voormalige Bybelvertalingsendeling na Papoea-Nieu-Guinee—in die bediening staan. Daarby is dit naby die plek waar ds. Hyunwoo Shin studeer. Ons het vir drie dae en twee nagte daar vertoef en hartlike gemeenskap met ds. Shin se gesin geniet. Ons het later verneem dat mev. Uijeong Yu dadelik opgewonde en vol vreugde was toe sy die nuus van ons besoek hoor, terwyl ds. Shin homself begin kwel het oor hoe om ons die beste te ontvang.
En eerskomende Sondag beplan ons om na ons laaste bestemming, Los Angeles, te vertrek. Aangesien dit die plek is waar die meeste Koreane woon, is daar baie mense om te ontmoet. Onder hulle is diegene in wie u sekerlik belangstel—naamlik ds. Sunghyun Noh en ds. Byungju Song, wat voorheen saam met ons in die bediening gestaan het. Dit lyk asof ons sowat drie dae en twee nagte van ons somervakansie saam met daardie twee gesinne sal deurbring. Vir my is die natuur ongetwyfeld baie meer aanskoulik as die spore van menslike bedrywighede; tog, soos ek voorheen gesê het, bly die ontmoeting met mense vir my die heel belangrikste.
Verlede week ook, terwyl ons vanaf Seattle suidwaarts na San Francisco gery het, het ek op 'n goeie hoop 'n telefoonnommer in 'n Koreaanse gids nageslaan en 'n sekere diakones (kwonsanim) wat ek geken het, probeer kontak. Haar man, 'n ouderling, het die oproep beantwoord en was oorstelp van blydskap. Om die waarheid te sê, was dit al meer as tien jaar gelede dat ek my voorgeneem het om hulle te besoek wanneer ek in Portland sou wees. Omdat die ou nommer natuurlik nie meer gewerk het nie, moes ek die adresgids deursoek. Die enigste inligting wat ek gelukkig onthou het, was dat haar man 'n gholfwinkel besit. En tog, soos 'n wonderwerk, is ons verbind en kon ons mekaar ontmoet.
Terwyl ons saam middagete geniet het, het hulle aangedring dat ons beslis die nag moet oorslaap en alles reeds reggekry, sodat ons besluit het om daar te oornag, selfs al kon ons nie so ver ry as wat beplan was nie. Toe hulle destyds pas geëmigreer het en geestelik dors was, het hulle groot krag geput uit die konferensieboodskappe wat ek by 'n gemeente in Seoel gebring het, en daarna uit kassetopnames van my preke. Al het die ouderling my nog nooit vantevore ontmoet nie, het hy my stem dadelik herken, en ons het 'n baie innige en hegte gemeenskap gedeel. Die ouderling het veral groot genade deur die boodskap van Psalm 23 ontvang, en die diakones het, met 'n seer hart oor my vroeë bediening by 'n sukkelende nuwe gemeentestigting in Seoel, dag en nag in gebed uitgeroep. Sy het vir die eerste keer vertel dat sy destyds in 'n droom gesien het hoe ek die evangelie aan 'n menigte mense verkondig; toe sy later van my beroep na Ulsan Gemeente hoor, het sy dit as 'n verhoring van haar gebede beskou en die Here gedank. So leef ek daagliks met 'n hart vol dankbaarheid teenoor God, wat sulke kosbare geestelike gemeenskap oral waar ek gaan, aan my skenk.