A letter from Sook Hee Bae in Korea
April 15, 2010
Greetings from Korea.
Blessing to each of you in this spring time. Last winter was unusually cold and long. The temperature here in Seoul is about 25 degrees and chilly even in the middle of April. But spring flowers are blooming as a sign of new life in this Easter season.
I received God’s calling to serve and was assigned to the Women Ministers Association (WMA) to empower women ministers in Korea. This is my tenth anniversary of serving in this ministry, and I am so grateful to God for his grace and love, as well as for all the supporting churches of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and World Mission staff. After 10 years in this important ministry, I can see many fruitful results of what God was planning for this mission to women in Korea.
When I arrived in Seoul, Korea, in 2000, it seemed like I came to a foreign country even though I grew up in Seoul. Everything had changed and there were so many cars on streets. The traffic in Seoul is even worse than New York City, and I was really afraid to drive around city of Seoul. Then I faced a situation in which I needed to drive to the domestic violence shelter and help a family escape to another shelter.
This is what happened. I am sharing the story of Ms. Suh and her family. In April 2001, I received an emergency call from the Sister’s Welfare Center, and they told me that an offender of a domestic violence victim had traced down his family. He had called the shelter and wanted to bring his wife and children back to his place.
I rushed to the Welfare Shelter and met Ms. Yeon Hee Suh (not her real name) and her three daughters. Yeon Hee was frightened because her husband was coming to the shelter to find her and her three daughters. The director of the shelter told me that Yeon Hee must be moved to another shelter before her husband came. So I called the Good News Shelter that WMA runs for domestic violence survivors and explained the emergency situation. The Good News Shelter was only 20 miles away from the other shelter, but it took me almost two hours to get there. I picked up Yeon Hee and three daughters and drove to the Good News shelter. They were scared to death, and I also was scared to drive the new and unfamiliar roads. I don’t know how I managed to arrive at the Good News shelter! While I drove, I saw that the Yeon Hee and her daughters looked shaken and frightened, but as soon as we arrived, I saw a sign of relief on Yeon Hee’s face. At that time Yeon Hee was 32 years old, and her daughter Seolgi was 12, Sunyoung 7, and Jeesu 5 years old. They settled down at the Good News Shelter and started a new life. The shelter arranged schools for the three girls, and Yeon Hee started to learn a skill as a physical therapist. The three daughters grew up as fine girls and attended Yeji church at WMA. Now, Seolgi has begun college at KangWon Providence, Sunyoung is a high school student, and Jeesu is attending middle school. Yeon Hee is working as physical therapist and has regularly attended Yeji church for many years. I am seeing many women from the shelter who are experiencing the love of God transforming their lives and enabling them to live as Christians. Yeon Hee also learned the love of Jesus and enjoyed church activities with other domestic violence survivors.
Ms Suh Baptism, April 2010.
Last Easter Sunday (April 4), three women were baptized at Yeji church which is a women’s Ordination Memorial church where I serve. Yeon Hee was one of the women who finally accepted Jesus as her Savior and was baptized on Easter Sunday. Praise the Lord ! I’m so grateful to God and so happy to help this family. Two of her daughters celebrated the baptism of their mother and it was joyful moment. Seolgi couldn’t come for this occasion, but she is working hard in her studies and planning for her future. Whenever I see the successful life story of domestic violence victims, I praise the Lord for his caring and love.
After Baptism Ms. Suh with her daughters.
I’m happy to be working with WMA staff, and as I wrote in my last newsletter, WMA runs the women ministers’ leadership development center and this program is very active. Many young women ministers participate in this program: leadership seminars, group meetings and other activities. I hope this program can provide a foundation for women ministers to establish an equal opportunity in the Korean church community.
KJ and I are going to go the States for our Interpretation Assignment from April 22 to September 25. We will stay at Stony Point Center in New York. KJ and I would like to visit many churches and share our ministry here in Korea.
We also will attend the General Assembly meeting of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as Missionary Advisory Delegates in July and the Sharing Conference in August. We are very excited about the upcoming Interpretation Assignment because this is the first time that both of us can join together and visit churches. We would like to ask for your continuing prayers and support for my ministry. While we feel ready for our Interpretation Assignment, we are still quite busy preparing for it. I hope we have an opportunity to meet some of you during one of our church visits, or at the General Assembly meeting, or at the Sharing Conference.
Peace and Grace,
Sook Hee and KJ
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 138
