October 2, 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

Based on the frequency of email queries regarding Simon’s whereabouts, we believe it is about time for us to write. Simon wrote in early July that he returned to Daejeon, Korea, trying to get back into the rhythm of missionary life.

Several months have now passed since I (Simon) was interim director of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), giving me sufficient time for rest and reflection on that work. Now I am back in my assigned role of assisting partners as needed. The six-month detour as a staff person responsible for a part of the church’s ministry was a growing experience in many ways. I learned the necessity of humility when others needed our help. Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar/Burma, the earthquake in China, the flood in the Midwest, the famine in North Korea—all these were only a few events that called upon PDA to respond.

PDA has to provide help not only to the survivors the disasters, but also help members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to effectively and appropriately share their compassion. Humility was needed to quietly serve as a part of an ecumenical body rather than raising the PDA logo too high. This attitude was easier to maintain as a missionary whose task was to assist, not lead, partners in their ministries, but PDA was the visible lead office to respond on behalf of the larger Presbyterian Church community. We always tried to look to God for confidence and humility when the needs were great and the people looked to us for help.

Working in a large office setting in Louisville, where I did not have much prior experience, the priorities for many tasks were affected by events and others’ schedules. While my assignment as a mission co-worker has me wearing many hats, depending on the partner needs, the work for PDA required continual multi-tasking. There was paperwork with deadlines, reports to committees, and responses to urgent requests for help. In many ways, the items that rose to the top of the pile were the ones with visible consequences and short deadlines. It was difficult to concentrate on the items that will be truly important in the long run, such as building relationships and the basic system of sharing God’s love.

I have no regrets that I worked hard and to the best of my ability to communicate the urgent needs of God’s children who survived various disasters to fellow Presbyterians and then deliver their compassionate care to God’s children in need. Of course, questions remain whether our efforts have been the effective and or even sufficient, but I have no doubt that the dedicated staff at PDA did their best. As Barak Obama said, the President needs to multitask, but so do PDA staffers who need to respond to many disasters concurrently.

I did learn a lesson in the process of multitasking. It is the priority thing again. Since Haejung and I were living in two different cities 13 time zones apart, I could devote most of my waking hours to the tasks. When I needed to travel across the oceans, the time differences allowed me to avoid missing many workdays.  For example, if I were to leave Louisville on a Saturday I would arrive in Korea, Thailand or Indonesia on Sunday evening and I could work with others on Monday. On the return trip, I would leave an Asian city early on Sunday arriving in Louisville late on the same day. On Monday. I would show up in the office very early in the morning. I crossed the Pacific or the Atlantic twice and did not miss a day in the office.  During the six months working for PDA, I did this seven times. However, not missing a day in the office meant missing two Sundays of worshiping God with fellow Christian brothers and sisters. What is the cost of missing fourteen Sundays in six months?

I now know the plain truth that my time with God is not one of the tasks in the multi-tasking, but one that sits apart as a “non-negotiable” foundation for my spiritual and physical health. I probably was the only one who was blind to this truth, so I will not elaborate on this. I thank God for helping me see this after six months and return me to the task of humbly assisting and waiting.

We have a few items to share on the family front. John and Laurie (Bohler) became husband and wife on September 29, 2008. While we wish we could have been there at the wedding, we are grateful to God for keeping them in his arms and blessing their union. We plan a special celebration in May 2009 when all the family members can get together in Clearwater, Florida. In the meantime, we thank you for your prayers for the couple and the family. You can see some photos on the Web.

Kevin and Sariah have launched their women’s fashion line, SARIAH, and Sariah is getting good press coverage. It is a struggle for young designers to establish themselves, but the SARIAH brand is showing encouraging signs. Kevin is busy putting their work on the Web.

Haejung is planning to spend a few weeks with the children during the Christmas and New Year holidays. It will be a good time for her to have quality time with daughters-in-law without Simon itching for different activities.

We are doing well, learning to appreciate God’s blessings in routine life, enjoying his presence and sharing our presence with the Hannam University community.

God bless.

Haejung and Simon

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, 101