Missions

A few nights ago, I randomly decided to browse through my journal that I wrote in while I was in China last summer. As I was reading through the different entries I had written before, during, and after the trip, I was, metaphorically, transported back in time and a flood of memories gushed forth. It was a good solitary time between me and God, as I was being freshly reminded of different experiences and convictions from the Lord.

Last night, my roommates and I went to check out a local church's missions banquet. The church, Open Door Presbyterian Church, is a Korean church that gave birth to an English congregation that meets independently. Though they are two entities, they often times interact very closely, as is the case with their summer missions trips. During their missions service where in which the 7 summer missions teams did a presentation as well as the pastor gave a short sermon, I was blown away at this church's commitment to missions. This was a church that not only talked the talk about going to the ends of the earth; they were wholly committed to the evangelization of every people group.

This church, like I said early, sent 7 summer missions teams comprising of more than 100 people of its Korean and English congregation. They also have sent out long-term missionaries that are serving faithfully in Africa and Central Asia, as well as financially support many others. One of their teams that went to an East Asian country had the opportunity to enter into a closed country, not only to missionaries but to most citizens of the world. When they showed pictures, I felt God was reawakening my heart to the work of missions. And during the prayer time, it was one of the most refreshing prayer times I've had for a long, long time.

I'm going to attend the church on Sunday to see what it's like on an average Sunday and to see if this is the church for me. The only reservation I have is that it is predominantly homogeneous in its makeup, with a few non-Koreans. But in terms of the one value that I refused to compromise on, this church is all that I could've wished for in its pursuit of reaching the nations. We'll see what happens...

The Start of Something New

The past two days have been spent at American University's School of International Service Orientation. Having just arrived in the Washington DC area, I had very little time to adjust to my new home. And so these past several days have been really hectic, and something tells me that the situation is not going to get any better once school starts next week.

However, I am officially a graduate student now that I have completed my orientation and have loads of reading already waiting for me. It is at times exciting but also, at times, very overwhelming. One thing that was repeated quite often throughout the two-day orientation was that I could no longer operate with an undergraduate frame of thought. I have two years to complete my program and not nearly enough time to just dabble in different interests. There seemed to be a tepid warning to us, masters students, to quickly find a professional passion (as one professor called it) and dive right in. So far that doesn't bode well with me, one of many professional interests in the field of international relations.

Aside from that, I am seeing God's hand at work in my life. A few things show me that God is seeing me through this new chapter in life. A few months ago, when I realized how expensive the total cost of graduate school would be, I became desperate in trying to find anything that would pay me (at the very least to put some dollars in my pockets). I had applied for faculty assistantships that were available but had not heard from the school, and so I feared the worst. However, a few weeks ago, after leaving Ann Arbor, I received an email indicating that I, in fact, did receive a faculty assistantship position, and that the faculty I would be assisting is the current dean of the school and whom I had talked to briefly before. The pay is not all that awesome, but the mere fact that I get to work closely with the dean of the school counts for something.

Another area in which I see God orchestrating things is in the way God brings international students into my life. I'm trying to learn how to be more outwardly social in gatherings, and during orientation, one of the unsaid things is to go and meet your classmates and professors. Often times, fear would hold me back from just introducing myself to a bunch of strangers, but somehow I got to interact with some international students from Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Korea, and Japan. I don't know what it is, but I had always had an affinity towards international students, particularly those from East Asian countries. And that affinity followed me all the way to Washington DC. I'm trying my best to build relationships with these students. One thing I want to refrain from is to approach any relationship that I may build in the next two years on an agenda. It will undoubtedly be a challenge to share my faith with my classmates, but first and foremost, I want them to see Jesus in who I am.


Overall, although I am exhausted from the past two days, I am excited on the start of a new chapter in my life. As cliche as this may sound, I feel like the possibilities are endless. To a certain extent, perhaps what they say is right, that one person can make a difference. I hope that by the end of my graduate studies, I will be ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work in solving one or more problems. But until then, I do not wish to repeat my first year of undergrad when I completely blew off my classes. I'm excited to hit the books again and learn the theories and the practicals of international politics.

Appreciating Greatness

The Olympics is a showcase of the world's best athletes in action, and these Beijing Games have certainly not disappointed in individual and team achievements. By far, the most captivating headline of these games is Michael Phelps' pursuit of an unprecedented eight gold medals. As of today (8/15/08), he is seven for seven, the last gold coming in a thriller of a finish, out-touching Milorad Cavic by a hundredth of a second. With that victory, he tied Mark Spitz's Olympic record by capturing seven gold medals in a single Olympics, and Phelps has a chance to break that record when he races in the 4x100m medley relay.

As I've been admiring this man's athleticism and pursuit of glory, I've encountered many people who are vehemently wishing that Phelps does not break the record. I understand that Michael Phelps' character is lacking by account of eyewitnesses. I understand that he is rather proud. I understand all the knock on his personality. But these are the Olympics, and what Michael Phelps is doing is ridiculous. The guy has thirteen gold medals in two Olympics for crying out loud. He's breaking records as if it were his job. And with one more win, he'll set one more, one that seems almost improbable to break (although that's what was said of Mark Spitz's performance in the Munich Games).

I think it's time for people to get off their moral high horse and appreciate greatness when it is seen. This is a once-in-a-lifetime type of event, and it is sorry that many people are ruining the moment by wishing ill will towards a true great Olympian. Again, this is not to condone his lack of character or his immense pride issue. But the dude is good at what he does, and at the end of the day, he deserves the success he's getting after all the hard work and training he's put in all these years. I hope he gets that record; I hope to be able to say that I saw him set that record in my lifetime.

Update 8/16/08
He did it. The dude is amazing. I don't care what all the haters say about Michael Phelps. He is amazing. It was pretty disgusting to watch him tear up the last 50m on his leg of the medley. He is a freak of nature. And he deserves the glory of winning an unprecedented 8 golds. Congratulations to Phelps.

Nationalism

The highly anticipated Beijing Olympics are underway. Michael Phelps' pursuit of eight golds dominate the storylines, as well as the pageantry of the opening ceremonies. There are rags-to-riches stories as well as athletes exceeding expectations. The Olympics have the special ability to bring together the world in competition, even in the midst of war and conflict. It's amazing to see how countries of all sizes rally around their athletes as they compete for a medal.

That's been the case for Koreans. Park Tae Hwan became the first Korean to medal in a swimming event in the Olympics when he won gold in the 400m freestyle. Immediately, every Korean beamed with pride as the eighteen-year-old rose to the podium to receive his gold. The small country came upon a new hero right from the start, stirring up even more nationalism.

As a Korean-American, I'm torn as to which athletes to root for. On one hand, I feel an affinity towards South Korea, the place of my birth. On the other, I've been raised most of my life in the United States. Perhaps this is the heart issue for most, if not all, immigrants to America. Does one stay loyal to his/her country of origin/heritage? Or embrace the country to which they have come to live in?

When I watch the Olympics these days, I've learned to embrace both aspects of my culture, as a Korean and as an American. I cheer on the Korean archers as they dominate the bow and arrow; I cheer on the American basketball team as they trounce helpless teams. But if ever the two countries would go head to head, I believe I would have to rally behind the Koreans. Perhaps it's because Korea is the Davids among the Goliaths; perhaps it's because my parents have succeeded in indoctrinating Korean pride. I don't know what it is, but Korea is where my heart is when it comes to international sports competition.

Community

Finding a biblical community was definitely not something I expected to do when I first moved out to Ann Arbor to begin my college career. I had plans to take a break from the church scene and live a hedonistic lifestyle. I wanted the "American Pie" kind of college experience minus the sex. And for the first year and a half, I had no desire to do anything church-related. I partied. I tried to study. I lived for myself.

It was only when a lot of things began spiraling out of control did I consider God again. When my grandfather's bout with cancer took a turn for the worst, I had nowhere else to turn to. When my friend, the first person I met from HMCC, invited me to come out to her small group for the millionth time, I finally agreed to check it out. These Christians genuinely welcomed me and loved me for who I was. And I found myself opening up to these strangers about my issues, and they prayed for me in a way I had never known before. When my grandfather finally succumbed to his illness, it was this small group that helped me cope and helped me realize that God provided these people to show me how much He loved me and cared for me. I was hooked and recommitted to Christ that year.

Over the seven years that I've been part of this church, I'm so grateful for the small groups that I've been a part of. Each one, whether in the academic year or in the spring/summer, have all played a significant role in my growth and taught me unique lessons. I quickly learned that Christianity was not meant to be done alone. Each leader and member added things to the group that would teach me how great of a sinner I am and how great a savior God is.

And not only did I love the small group community, but I loved the bigger church community. From married couples to children's church and everything in between, I was affected in small and big ways. They were my mentors, disciplers, members, brothers, sisters, and friends. Whether I knew them for the duration of my involvement in HMCC or I just got to know them recently, they've all impacted parts of my life. They've taught me, inspired me, encouraged me, trained me, rebuked me, loved me, and everything else imaginable to get me to where I am today.

It is sad that I will no longer be part of this community. I've been told that this kind of community cannot be replicated. I believe the people who've told me that. These brothers and sisters in Christ are special. And I will sorely miss them. So for all the people that have poured into me, thank you for your patience, your compassion, your love. Only God knows if our paths will ever cross again, but at least you know that your labor i n the Lord was not in vain. Please keep in touch, and wherever we are, may we continue to love God and love His people.