2015.03.19 18:19
Is it because of global warming? Usually
we worry about the cold at the end of the winter, but instead we are worried
that it is too warm. Our lifelong friend
Pastor Kim Young Heon visited Saemter from Gwangju and brought along Deacon Lee
Seong Yeon and his son Paul. They installed folding windows before they left.
After a long time, it was a joy to hear their sweet southern dialect. Pastor
Kim’s irony always made us perplexed and Deacon Lee was all-powerful as an
engineer. We had a drought- there were no EMT’s since Yoondeok, at least not
until our new EMT friend Paul arrived. With a tall stature and a bright face,
Paul is handsome, but whenever he opened his mouth, sweet dialect shot out and
we wanted to laugh, but we couldn’t laugh to his face, even though we felt like
dying. Anyway, the three guys left with nice folding doors installed, bam! They
left their traces behind. Now the ground floor café shall be called “Storyhouse II.” Storyhouse
in Gwangju could be called the main branch. Anyway, Pastor Kim said he will
make a wooden signboard saying “Storyhouse II” so we are waiting.
Steadily, helping hands have come inconspicuously to Saemter. Banseok
helped his father with electric work. Seeing the electric wires extending like
a spider web, we imagine the beautiful scene of a father and son working
together. When the house is finished, if you could see the invisible inner
parts, you would agree that they are more beautiful than the visible parts. When
Daniel and his wife Priska from Germany visit Saemter, he helps with
construction and she helps Mama Song with Korean paper crafts at the Gongbang
house. Before and now, Daniel seems like a cute, kind elementary school
student. This guy, already married, brought his blue-eyed wife to visit his
homeland.
Since the end of last year, we have a joyful day every month at
Saemter. It’s just a day for eating and playing. The Frontiers and four
neighboring families have decided to go beyond solidarity and be united. So
once per month we will take one day to eat and play together. In front of
Gongbang we made a pot of boiled country chicken soup. Personally, I don’t like
boiled chicken soup, but this time it was really sweet and delicious. We celebrated
Nona, Yeongyeong, young Surin and also other members, and when we cut the cake
that Sunhwa brought, the children swarmed like zombies and all hell broke
loose. The cake was fresh and big and everyone ate their full and had a joyful
good time. (The cake was from German Bakery,
of course, and it was really big.) Last week at Prayer for the World, we heard
from brother Sohn In Bae about his peace tour in Northern Ireland, which has the
scars of long conflict with England. We had question and answer time until late
at night talking about what kind of meaning for reconciliation and unification
we can find in their conflict and troubles, divided between north and south.
Prayer requests: 1. For Saemter to be a peace community: for
whoever may be suffering 2. That our community members can proactively
respond to conflict
from the pain and sadness of conflict and troubles
(whether it is our members or others),
that Saemter community can experience
reconciliation and peace.
places in the world.
3. That
Saemter construction can be completed safely.