Why Koreans are my newest heroes
For the last three months I have been wavering between switching from my Iphone to Samsung's S3 smart phone. It is becoming obvious that the Android phone is a better deal and value than my trusted Apple phone.
This however, is not the reason why Koreans are my newest heroes.
For two years Pastor Enoch has been inviting me to speak at his Bible school somewhere in Taytay, East of Manila. Pastor Enoch who is South Korean is part of Hap Dong (United) Presbyterian Church, a large Korean church that has a strong missions call.
I have respectfully declined and endorsed other teachers whom I felt were more apt. After all I'm really not very good at teaching in a seminary setting. I don't have a degree in theology or missiology.
Finally this year because of his insistence I accepted the invite. I was so glad I did. What I found was a team of Koreans on the ground in the Philippines serving in the poorest places in my country. There were over two hundred Filipino pastors and leaders who came to the one day marathon teaching on discipleship.
The church we were in was tucked in the heart of Manila's shanties. Leaders from all over the country who minister in the most depressed areas came. They were an impressive bunch. It was encouraging to see that these Korean missionaries were not just making sure that their theology was right but were empowering them to go and make disciples.
Their Korean wives cooked and served everyone with a spread of Korean barbecue, noodles, rice, fruits and let's not forget kimchi. And if you have not tried Korean barbecue grilled in aromatic wood coals, you are missing something.
Over lunch I found an entire team of Koreans who have dedicated their lives to the mission of reaching the poorest of Filipinos. Pastor Enoch himself has been living in the Philippines for more than 15 years with his family.
I also met Rev. Park and his wife. He is the veteran of the group. He had just retired after being in ministry for over 40 years in Seoul. After retirement, he and his wife decided that the best way to spend the next season of their lives was to move to Manila to give another 15 years of their lives reaching the marginalized of the country.
In the afternoon after I finished my sessions I met Pastor Lee. He and his family have been in the country for the last 20 years. They are presently living in Lucena, 4 hours South of Manila. During our brief talk he said, "I love your church in Lucena. Many of our people stay in my church but their children move to yours because your pastor is younger and I am so glad because you make disciples."
I thought, "What a spirit, here's a man who's main concern is to turn people into disciples and not about growing his ministry." As I drove home exhausted from the heat and multiple sessions I was equally refreshed and encouraged by the work of these men and women. I prayed that I will be as committed to the mission of spreading the Gospel as these Koreans even in my old age.
As far as my digital world is concerned I'm staying with Mac for my computer but I think I will finally end up using a Samsung S3. To be clear that's not the reason why Koreans are my newest heroes.
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