A letter from Sue Makin in Korea
December 7, 2009
Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
I Corinthians 15:51, World English Bible
Friends,
The season of Advent is upon us, and once again I enjoy waiting for the coming of our Lord, and also waiting to hear the immortal music of the Messiah written by George Frederick Handel. This particular verse from I Corinthians tells of plans in the future to which we can look forward as Christians. I always associate this verse with a bass recitative heard in Messiah.
Having traveled back and forth across the Atlantic to and from Africa numerous times over a 20-year period, I thought I was a seasoned traveler. My humility has been restored this week by a recent trip across the Pacific. Up now I didn’t know you could arrive at your destination before you started. I left the international airport in Incheon, South Korea, on Friday afternoon for a 10-hour flight and thought I would be arriving in San Francisco on Saturday morning. I had told my friends I was to visit in California that I would be arriving on Saturday morning and was somewhat dismayed to discover that it was Friday morning in California. Fortunately they were indulgent and just said it was great that we had more time together.
Dr. Samuel Cheon, Dr. Simon Park, Dr. Sue Makin, and the Rev. Dr. Dal Lee, university chaplain.
Humility would be the key word for me, as I have just received royal treatment and rock-star attention, having been presented the Linton Award from Hannam University in Daejeon, South Korea. Dr. William Linton was a Presbyterian missionary who was instrumental in starting this prestigious private Christian university in 1956. The university presents an award in his honor every year to recognize humanitarian service.
It was quite an experience from start to finish. I was very fortunate to be able to meet Simon and Haejung Park at the San Francisco airport and join them on our overseas trip to Korea. Being old China hands, they introduced me to the joy of Korean fast food at a rest stop on the interstate—delicious hot noodles. Once at their house I was introduced to the exquisite pleasure of electrically warmed toilet seats.
Dr. Linton’s home on the campus of Hannam University.
The next morning we attended the award ceremony where I was presented with the Linton Award, a beautiful written document in a purple velvet folder, an impressive glass trophy weighing as much as a macrosomic newborn baby, and a handsome check. It was an experience of a lifetime. After that, it was on to 48-hours of exotic and delicious lunches and dinners. In South Korea, most of the meals have 20 to 30 dishes. Not being familiar with this custom, I was eating too much at the beginning of the meals and wasn’t able to do justice to the last 10 dishes.
I must say it was wonderful to be recognized for my mission service in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Malawi. However, I am not a saint. I would like to quote from a wonderful book, Half the Sky, by Nicholas Kristof. Mr. Kristof tells the story of Dr. Catherine Hamlin, a gynecologist who, with her husband Dr Reginald Hamlin, started the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia where more than 25,000 women with vesico-vaginal fistulas have been cured. Dr. Hamlin said, “I love this work. I’m not here because I’m a saint or doing anything noble. I’m here because I feel God wants me to be here. I feel I am doing some good and helping these women. It’s very satisfying work.” Honestly, I could not have said it better except to add that I could not have worked in Africa without the support and prayers of faithful Presbyterians.
Dr. Sue Makin
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 44
