Memorial Service One Year after the Tsunami

Choson Daily,  12 March 2012 (A25)

The Most Revrd Uematzu Makoto, the Primate Bishop of Japanese Anglican Church, is preaching during the service remembering the victims of the earthquark in East Japan one year before. In a side altar are pictures and cinerary urns of three members. In the small picture is the tent church built on the shore of Hukusima.

It looked like a huge vacant lot where the village was. When I was walking on the blue vinyl mat, I could hear sound of footsteps of wet sands for the water of Tsunami is still remaining. The Bishop Uematzu and the families of deceased meet together for memorial service. Every Sunday ten church members regularly come to this tent for Eucharistic Service. The St. John’s Church has one hundred year’s history. The building is cracked and slanted during the earthquark.

“The diocese of Northeast meet 101 year’s anniversary with painful heart, but we, peoples who are linked in the Love, have found the hope to build a new world on the remains.” When the bishop was saying a story of the family of Minoru, there were sobings among the bereaved. The body of Mr and Mrs Minoru were found on a seashore in 10 km from their house four months later the Tsunami. Ms Zunko, the daughter of them, met the big beachcomber in a van carrying eight kids to the school. When the car stopped after banging an wall of a second floor of a house, she lifted the children up to the rooftop. They were saved, but she died for exhaustion and depressed bodytemperature.

In Shinzimachi, one hundred were died among eight hundred and seventeen villagers. The tidal wave rushed 100m in 12 second, and washed away 3km over the shoreline. “The horizon suddenly changed into black wall and overtook”, Miake, a member of the St. John remembered. The bishop held and prayed for the members, one by one, who were sobing during the Holy Communion.

… In a land of despair, lots of volunteers from Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist and Shinto are feeding the hungry and comforting peoples who are lonely.

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/03/11/2012031101620.html

Thanks for I could do small things in the field of disaster

Choson Daily 12 March 2012 (A25)

Rev. Lee Chanhi, a Korean pastor in Northeast Diocese in Japan,  is carrying water and food for the sufferings

“When I visit aged or handicapped living in prefabs, they say thanks to me, but actually I am more thankful for I have the least strength to be with them.”

Pastor Lee is one of nine priests in the Northeast Diocese in Japan which has twenty three parishes in six prefectures including Hukushima, Miaki, Ywate, Yamagata, Akita and Aomori. Wide area over 500km in this area were badly damaged by the Tsunami and earthquark.

He was sent from Daejon Diocese in Korea in November 2011. He has come here and been doining pastoral ministry in Sendai. His wife and two childeren of thirteen and ten returned to Korea after the earthquark, and he remained alone. He is helping the sufferings for one year in this area.

The church members brought food to share, for which they had been in queues for three or four hours to buy. Aged mem and women, having never seen before, brought food and water to him. He visited living-alones who could not go to aid stations. He drove to many places in the area and continued to celebrate Eucharistic Service. He celebrated at a church in the city of Hukusima in last Christmas. It was outside of the off-limits around 20km from the nuclear power plant, but the exposure to radiation is 10 times or 20 times than the city of Sendai.

“I am also anxious, but it cannot covercome the joy of being with the people who are rising from the chaos. Worry cannot prevail the pleasure of worshiping and blessing with them.” His concern is comforting the body and soul of the living-alones in the area of the disaster. “They are living three or four in prefabricated houses. They lost families. They have no place to return. I visit them to massage. I give them warm wather for feet-bath. They are so happy that I cannot stop visiting them.”

There are 19 pastors from Korea who are doing pastoral ministry in Japanese Anglican Church. In spite of the disaster, none of them returned to Korea.

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/03/11/2012031101616.html

Dominic Shin is going to Mongolia

Thanks for your prayer for mission in Mongolia. Dominic Shin and his family are preparing to go there, following Joseph and Susanna Lee who has been sent from CMS Seoul Center to Ulaanbaatar in January 2010.

This was started in 11 March 2010 when Gamaliel Kim visited the center from Mongolia to find a partner for his new project. He served with program concerned illiteracy over eleven years in this capital city. He is preparing an NGO for bringing up ecological alternatives in housing, fuel, lavatories, agriculture and so on. Dominic is getting VISA as a student who studies Engineering, for setting an NGO may take time.

He has just returned from three month’s service to build the center building. They pile up long nylon sack filled with sands to build the house. The family will move to Mongolia during this autumn. I post his letter asking for your prayer and support.

Dear partners in mission,

I greet you in His love and grace. There were not few changes in steps of my family – the place to go is altered totally. I have prayed with wish to go to India for three years. It was happy time longing to go to Varanasi, but now I feel that He is leading me to Mongolia than Varanasi. I am going back to the first time when He called me, and discerning the steps which I would make.

I listen to a voice from inside of me. ‘Lord, if you allows, I am willingly to go.’ It is not easy to think about going to an unknown land, giving up a place which is getting familiar. The same throb and fear is in me and my family as the time of longing for India. Pray for me to go with courage.

I remember that Paul changed the way of his journey when he got an invitation to Macedonia during the night. (Act16:9-10) I pray for myself to be steady in choosing His plan and in giving up my own desires. Your prayer will make the steps firm toward the mission in Mongolia.

Love and bless you.

Dominic, Hyon-A, Hyon-Gyun and Se-Un

From the wilderness

Rev. Peter Lee is going to Tian-Jin in China in 1 March 2010. He is the third sent from CMS Seoul Centre, following Rev. Zinkoo Han to Cyprus and Rt. Rev. Joseph Lee to Mongolia. He is going to be trained by Jin-Hua Foundation which would arrange a school for him to teach in China. This is summary of his speech in a meeting of the ‘Lovers of Jesus’ in 22 February.

“My story starts in 15 June 2000, when South Korean president visited P’yang, the capital of North Korea, to meet Kim Jong-Il. I was studying at the Anglican Seminary in Seoul, praying for evangelism of North Koreans. Then I heard a voice inside me reciting ‘China’, and it was so clear that I studied about China relating to North Korea. It was surprising to find that China could be the key for future development of mission to North Korea. China is deeply related to the economy of North Korea. It is said that 80% of business of the country is already owned by Chinese companies. North Korean political leaders may take reference from Chinese model when they open the country, particularly about the policy on religion.

I withdrew from seminary for a year to visit China. I tried to obey His willing that had shown me the vision to China. I finished M Div, when I return back to seminary in one year. The thesis was ‘Thought of Bp. Ting in China’. Then the Rt. Rev. Matthew, bishop of Seoul, encouraged me to go to China for study. He recommended me for scholarship to an ecumenical conference. I came to know the application was failed, a day before leaving to China in August 2002. I managed to live with money from selling my flat in Seoul.

I could finish the study by your support. ‘Lovers of Jesus’, a lay group which started to support Jesus Abbey, an intersession prayer mountain which was found by Archer Torrey, an Anglican pastor from US. When he died in 2002, you decided to follow his way committed to mission as the last missionary to Korea. You decided to support me for four years with KW 14,000,000 ($12,000) for tuition.

In January 2006, I have got Ph. D. from Nan-Jing University with thesis on history about ‘Sun Yat-Sen and Yo Un-Yong, famous democratic leaders of modern China and Korea’. I met Chye-Ann when I served a Sharing-House as a deacon. CMS recommended me as a faculty for Nan-Jing seminary, and helped me a trip to visit bible schools. I found time was needed to get relationship of mutual trust with Chinese church leaders to teach young leaders as a foreigner.

Phil Simpson, Asia director of CMS, introduced Jin-Hua Foundation, when he met me in 2009. He consulted me to be steady in trying possible alternatives successively. As the name of ‘building up China’, the foundation has their mission to offer good teachers, nurses and social workers from abroad to China. I wish to serve the country by teaching history and language to Chinese young people. I will do my best to serve them within my ability and the area given to me. I will not do hurry in the starting point, but build confidence with the people.

I am meditating the verse of Jesus’ going to desert to be tempted by Satan. It was lonely place, but I found that he was not alone. He was accompanied by the Holy Spirit. I imagined that his mother Mary was praying for her son, Jesus. My first trip to China could be a wilderness, which is needed to stay to do His works. I found there was the Holy Spirit and peoples who prayed for me.

I am going to the second wilderness, apart from the land of families, friends and you. Jesus encourages me with the Bible passage, that I will not be alone in any place for His presence and prayer of peoples. I think there will be one more wilderness to North Korea, according to the voice I heard when I was studying at the seminary ten years ago. Even though I do not know what will be the ways to pass, I will follow the voice to go and to remain steady and sincere.

Some Christians try to help North Korean churches. Some people find no way but to build church buildings there. In the long run, the key may be in discipleship. One small gate is opened to me by CMS, and the way looks monotonous. The thing needed for pilgrim is to walk following the voice to go forward. Thanks for your prayer and co-work in this way of obedience.”

CMS and KIM send Peter Lee to China

 

Committee for Mission in Korean Anglican Church met in 8 February 2010, and approved to send Peter Lee as an MP by partinership with CMS. He will leave to Tianjin to study Chinese language and pedagogics. He is expected to be sent to school to teach Korean language and culture after finishing the course.

Bp. Paul Kim, the bishop of Seoul had reported about Korean International Missions, during clergy workshop in 3 February in Kyong-Ju.

KIM was started when the Executive Council of Korean Anglican Church decided in January 2009. He said the English name of it was given from Phil Simpson, Asia director of CMS. It fount it was interesting that the most of staffs and himself shares the same surname, Kim.

He summarized KIM’s works with four areas: Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam and China.

1. Myanmar. Anglican University invited three people from Myitkyan Diocese, and offer them courses to study IT, Social Science or Theology. The diocese has sent $7,000 (about ￡4,438) for schools of the diocese to support their dormitaries. Encounter trip is organized last year. Three teams of seminarians, lay leaders and members of the Mother’s Union. These will be continued in this year.

2. Philippines. Pastor Paul Lee were sent in 4 May 2009 for social works to support returnees from immigration.

3. Vietnam. KIM, by coorperation with KCRP,  is preparing to open a Reconciliation Centre for Laitaihans – half-Korean-and-half-Vietnamese born during the war. Korean Conference on Religion and Peace was found in 1986, and includes some Protestants, Budhisists, Won-Budhists, Confucianists, Chondoists, Roman Catholics and various Korean religions. As the first step, a vocational school were set up in August, and 120 peoples are lerning English and coumputing skills in the school. This project is lead by Joseph Mai, an Episcopal pastor who once was a refugee from Vietnam.

4. China. There were trials and errors for Korean missionaries, for there have been a tradition requiring Chinese mission by Chinese. Peter Lee said that the CCC had declared the vision of building up Chinese theology. KIM has sub committee to prepare sharing theology and exchange programmes  in the future when they are needed from both sides.

He sumarized that the KIM is a result of reflects of clergy, who have concern on mission abroad, to find a way to do sustainable and responsible mission. He expect a new model succeeding the Sharing House and Shalom House, which could be be an alternative to materialist ways of some mega churches.

The reason of going to Mongolia

A translation of Bp. Joseph Lee’s writing on the Connect Korea, The reason why a retired bishop is going to Mongolia.

I and my wife, Susanna, is leaving to Mongolia in January 2010. I suppoese the willing of God is pushing us to there. We also wonder how we came to decide it.

I will live in a flat in Ulaanbaatar, which Pastor Abraham Park once stayed when he was preparing mission work as the first mission partner from Pusan Diocese. It needs repairs, but I think it will be finished before I get there.

I will learn the language in Huree University in the city. I will teach the students English. Fortunately, the university formally appoint me as a faculty, I and my wife could get long term VISA.

I can continue the works of mobile bible school for church leaders during the vacation in January, June and September. The government does not allow religious activities in campuses, so I may open bible study groups in my house or some other place. I pray this may give chance to meet future leaders of the church, or to do enhenced workshops on pastoral ministry.

As a clergyman, I will regularly do prayers and services. For example, I would celebrate Eucharistic Service in English on Sundays, in my house or other place. Church member in the city may come, or at least, I will seek for people to come among regidences of offices from abroad. Evangelism and minstry for the local people may be posible in the future.

The best wish is to set a seminary in Mongolia. It will be started by theological training for local leaders of  house churches, and come forth leaders to do qualified ministry among local congregations or parishes.

For these visions, I will give my whole mind and effort as long as my health allows.

Opening the Window of CMS North East

Hi,

Welcome to North East.

I want to share my honest records of daily works here around me and this CMS centre in Seoul.

I wish you may get glances and share stories of this region.

Thanks,

Simon