A letter from Joe and Hannah Kang in Russia
November 9, 2009
Dear Friends,
Privet, uvajaem darogie druzya! (Привет!Уважаемые дорогие друзья; Greetings, dear friends!)
Our five-months stay in the States this past summer and fall has been a long and busy one. It began with our mission interpretation in the Bay area and southern California and was followed by the New Wilmington Mission Conference at Westminster College in Pennsylvania in July.
Joe and Hannah Kang (left) with the Rev. Dr. Kang-Yup Na, the main speaker Kang at the New Wilmington Mission Conference, and his wife Amy.
Next we attended the annual missionary sharing conference in Louisville in August, and then World Mission Challenge from late September until October 20. For the Mission Challenge, Joe was assigned to two Korean-American presbyteries—Mid-Atlantic Korean, and Hanmi Presbytery. Between visiting these two presbyteries, Joe went to Toronto to lead a one-week missionary training program for the Korean Presbyterian Churches Abroad (KPCA).
Hannah cancelled her plan to accompany Joe to Toronto because she had to make an emergency trip to Korea to attend to her ailing 86-year-old mother. After Joe’s itineration in the Mid-Atlantic Presbytery we were going to drive to Toronto for the KPCA’s missionary training event and back to Washington, D.C. for the flight to Los Angeles, but Hannah’s abrupt trip to Korea forced Joe to make the long, lonely drive to Canada and back by himself. Looking back, however, every event and all the presentations were wonderfully refreshing experiences in which Joe also learned a lot. We are both especially and deeply grateful for meeting with so many new brothers and sisters in Christ who are so eager to engage in our Christian mission despite the stressful economic situation.
Mission Challenge gathering of Hanmi Presbytery.
Because of our imminent return to St. Petersburg, Hannah could not stay long by her mother’s hospital bedside and had to return to the States to pack for our return trip to Russia. Ten days later, Simon, one of Hannah’s three brothers, called from his hospital office to tell her that their mother had just passed away. The funeral was arranged and taken care of by Hannah’s brothers in Korea while we remained in the States. Joe had two preaching engagements prior to our departure. As a result, we decided to have a memorial service at our son John’s house in San Clemente, California, on Sunday November 1, just a day before our departure. Considering how Hannah’s mother had lived and touched so many underprivileged people, especially through her long involvement in prison ministry, we decided to make our memorial service a celebration rather than a mourning ceremony. Joe arranged for our two children, John and Ruth, their spouses, and our six grandchildren to participate in the service by reading Scripture, dedicating their piano and harp music, dedicating flowers, and by telling their own stories of their personal experience with the deceased great/grandmother. Besides our immediate families, our in-laws, relatives, and other close friends joined the service as well.
Our flight to St. Petersburg was trouble-free. We were so pleased to be welcomed back by seminary students and staff, who even decorated the corridor to our apartment with balloons and a welcome note. It was very exciting for us to find five new students who will study Biblical subjects with Joe. Since the fall semester started two months ago, Joe will be able to teach only a part of the Pauline writings and theology during the remaining weeks. During Joe’s absence, Elena Bondarenko, Joe’s Russian assistant, has been extremely helpful in teaching an introductory course to the new students and wisdom literature to existing classes.
During our stay in the States, ELCROS (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States) elected the Reverend August Kruzee as the new archbishop to lead the wide spread Lutheran communities in Russia. He is going to work with his predecessor, the Reverend Edmund Ratz, for some time. The theological seminary is well recognized as the center of theological training within this traditional church, and we are working in an extended partnership between the PC(USA), ELCROS, the EKD in Germany, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Please accept our huge “thank-you” for your prayers and support of our ministry! In this season of thanksgiving and hope, we both continue to pray for you all to be in good health and with fruitful and blessed ministries.
Da svidanya (До свидания! Bye for now!)
In Christ,
Joe and Hannah
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 177
