12. Disciple training!

[말레이]

12. Disciple training!

Many students have come to study Hangul and Korean. Among them, there were many who studied but never improved at all, and there were many cases where they would come to study Korean for a while and then get tired and stop coming. However, there were students who quickly grasped the structure of Hangul and Korean and learned pronunciation well, and learned easily.

Also, these days, among the local young people I occasionally meet in the city, I often see friends who say they learned Korean by watching Korean dramas and who speak Korean quite well. Of course, most of these people end up working in places that sell products to Korean tourists. However, I thought that if I taught friends who learned Korean quickly to have a solid foundation in Hangul and further developed them to be able to speak Korean well, I would be able to achieve good results.

After that, I closely watched my friends who were studying Korean. Among my friends who were studying Korean, there was a very pretty girl named ‘Nana’ who was learning Korean very quickly. So at first glance, it seemed like if I trained this kind of friend well, it would have a positive influence in many ways. However, I thought that even if I studied Korean hard from now on, it would take a certain amount of time, so I thought about whether there was a better way, and then suddenly the name of that friend came to mind. That friend's name was a male friend named 'Sam'. When I first came here and started teaching Korean, that friend who came to me to study Korean was not only quite smart, but also when I occasionally volunteered to teach and guide children at Somang School, I saw that he was quite good at handling children, and he was a sincere and hardworking friend who worked hard at everything. Maybe that's why Sam's Korean skills improved day by day, and after studying for about three years, he could speak Korean quite well. And eventually, he became a full-time staff member at Somang School and worked with the children as a teacher. Not only was he good at his native language and English, but he also had leadership skills among the teachers and was good at handling students, making him a rare friend. So after a year, I gave him the role of principal and entrusted him with the practical management of the school. As a result, the atmosphere at the school improved, and the students followed this teacher well and studied harder. Sometimes, I would go to the church where his mother was a pastor and pray with him, and sometimes I would go to his house and sing hymns and have dinner with him. Later, I found out that his father had previously served as the deputy prime minister. So once, a container arrived and I sent my friend to clear it, and the person in charge asked him if his father had previously served as the deputy prime minister. I simply called him ‘Teacher’ by the last part of his name, but in fact, the names of the people of ‘Molisha’ do not have surnames, and the names of the children are called by the father’s name before the name, so I asked him if his father had served as the deputy prime minister when I saw his name. So when this friend said that, he asked what kind of container this was, since he was someone who used to work under his father. He said that he worked for a Korean NGO, and that they set up schools to teach children for free, and that they also distributed sponsored goods to the needy for free. He simply cleared the container through customs. However, his father, who had been the vice prime minister, was in poor health and passed away from an illness. After that, his mother studied theology and became a pastor. After working there for about three years, one day, his mother was having a hard time at the church she was pastoring because there were no workers, so he had to resign because he had to help with the church work. He was 27 at the time, so he would be about 37 now, 10 years later. But I was curious about how he was doing now, and I wanted to ask him to learn more Korean again, so I went to his old house, and when I visited his house after a long time, it was still the same as before, but it felt a little more worn out as time passed. The house welcomed me warmly. Sam, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, was now a full-fledged adult, but he said he wasn’t married yet. And his mother had gotten old, retired from the church she had been pastoring, and was now spending her time at home doing chores. After sharing various news with his family, I suggested that we go to the quiet park in front of his house to talk for a bit. He readily agreed, so we sat in the park in front of his house and asked him how he had been doing. He said that he had quit his job and was helping his mother in her ministry at church, but five years ago, his mother retired, and he was recommended to enter politics by a former colleague of his father who was in politics. He joined the opposition party, the Christian Party, and worked as an action team member to handle practical matters under him, diligently learning politics. Then, last year, there was an incident where some ruling party politicians embezzled state money as slush funds, and the opposition parties rose up in protest. While leading the protest, there was a clash with the police who were suppressing it. At that time, there was a minor accident with the riot police, and as a result, he was arrested by the secret police and tortured severely. As a result, his health had not been good for a while, and he suffered from mental as well as physical pain. And after resting for about a year, he said that his health has recovered a lot. However, he was threatened by the secret police that he would have to pay a greater price if he entered politics in the future, so he said that he had to think about what to do in the future. So I suggested that since he must have forgotten a lot of Korean, why don’t he study Korean a little more and then go to Korea to study more about what he wants to do in the future? He said that he would think about it a little bit and consult with his coworkers and pray before deciding what to do. So he asked me to let him know when he made a decision and returned to the office. And then the year changed and the new year of 2010 dawned. About three months after I made the suggestion to him, he contacted me saying that he wanted to meet me. So I told him to come to the office any time, and he came running right away. Then, he thought a lot about what I had said, and he said that he was in a situation where it was difficult for him to do anything in this country, and that there was no other way to do it even after discussing it with the Christian church members, so he said that it would be best to stay quiet for now and calmly prepare for the day to come. So, as I suggested, he said that he would first show them that he was studying Korean diligently without any political involvement, and then he would go to Korea to study abroad, and if he had the chance, he would come back and work for the country and its people. I encouraged him, saying that he had thought well of it, and told him that if he first forgot about politics here, studied Korean diligently, and focused on his studies based on that, a good opportunity would surely come. He said that he was grateful and that he would study Korean diligently again, and that he seemed to have some peace of mind now. And he started studying Korean right away the following week. First, I checked how much of what he had learned so far he had forgotten, and it turned out that he had almost forgotten it due to the 10-year gap. So the teacher himself was flustered and didn’t know what to do, but I encouraged him by saying that he would learn Korean much faster if he started studying again. Then the teacher’s mind seemed to have calmed down and he started studying Korean calmly without thinking too hastily.

In order to properly study Korean again, he started from the beginning by learning the alphabet, consonants and vowels. At first, he was frustrated by the shock of forgetting everything he knew before, but he comforted him by saying that it was natural and taught him Korean. As expected, the teacher recalled what he had learned in the basic Korean course and learned Korean much easier and faster than when he first started. Moreover, since he was in a position where he could not and should not worry about anything else, he focused only on learning Korean.

In about 6 months of studying Korean, he completely mastered the basic Korean course and started the Korean course. However, the problem was that his skills were too different from those of the other friends who were already studying in the same class, even though they were at the same level. So I separated the teacher and Nana and taught Korean to them every day, especially for the two of them. And not only that, I had them practice writing down the words ‘Molisha’ as they were pronounced, and after studying for about a year, they reached a level where they could even write down ‘Molisha’s’ words in Korean. After studying Korean like this and finishing the intermediate class, it became virtually impossible for me to teach them any further with my Korean ability. So I asked the two students if they wanted to go to Korea to study more at a Korean language school and then study more in their fields of study in Korea, but they questioned whether they were at that level. However, since the two students already had enough skills, I encouraged them and started preparing them for the reality of studying abroad.

First, I contacted the professor of the Korean language school at ‘Korea University’ who I had met during the Korean language course and asked to recommend good students as scholarship students so that there would be no worries about tuition, and asked him to guide them well since there was a good student, and I received a reply that he would send them. Then, in order to resolve the living expenses, I contacted the pastor of ‘Shinpo Central Church’ in Gangnam where I was working as an assistant pastor, told him about the situation, and asked him to open an English service and an English class at the church so that these two people could successfully complete their studies in Korea, and to provide them with living expenses as a gift. He said that it was a program that was definitely necessary and beneficial to the church, and he agreed to do so. In this way, the basic issues regarding studying abroad in Korea were resolved, and I headed to Korea with the two people. First, I met and greeted the pastor of ‘Shinpo Central Church’, and he gave them a practical opportunity to live in the dormitory prepared by the church, where they could guide the students and study. I thanked the pastor and this time I went to the Korean Language University to see the professor who was in charge of the Korean language department and asked if they had the skills to study as scholarship students. After several tests, both of them were found to have the skills to do so, so the university agreed to provide them with a full scholarship and to guide them to study advanced Korean. Then, their problem of studying abroad in Korea was finally solved and finalized.

And then I couldn’t leave the place any longer, so I had to leave them in Korea and return to ‘Molisha.’ So I left Korea again after telling them to persevere and study Korean well, no matter how difficult it may be, so that they could study hard and achieve their goals. After returning to ‘Molisha,’ I prayed earnestly that they would adapt well to life in Korea, complete their studies well, and grow into good leaders who would do great things for ‘Molisha’ and exert a positive influence of faith.

In 2011, they started studying abroad, and after a year, they successfully completed the advanced Korean language course and entered the main course in March 2012, and began studying late. Despite this, both of them bravely challenged themselves, and ‘Nana’ entered the Korean language education department and ‘Sam’ entered the political science and diplomacy department. While they were studying and researching their respective fields of study, I went back and forth between Korea and ‘Molisha’ several times, and each time, I asked them if they had any difficulties living in Korea and if their studies were going well, and I still kept in touch with them. Fortunately, the two of them supported each other and supported each other. However, when they were in their second year of college, an incident occurred where Sam collapsed in the library while studying. When I heard the news, I was very worried, thinking that he might have some serious illness. However, I sighed in relief when I heard from the hospital that he collapsed due to malnutrition. It must have been hard studying at such a late age, but he didn’t eat properly and was too focused on studying. I thought he was a person who could handle it. So I asked Nana to take good care of him until he recovered, and told him to study while thinking about his body. Fortunately, he recovered without any problems and got up and started his school life again. Time passed like that, and they completed their college courses well and graduated from ‘Korean University’ in January 2016. I went to the graduation ceremony to congratulate them and told them that they had worked hard studying, so I guided them to a delicious restaurant and while we were eating, Nana hesitated and suddenly said that she had something to tell me. When I asked her what she meant, she said that the truth was that while they were studying, they had become close and had a crush on each other, so they decided to date rationally. So I asked when it happened, and she said that it happened while she was nursing her when her teacher collapsed. When I heard that, I joked to her that she must have faked illness on purpose, and I was really happy that it turned out well, and I told her that she had a lot to celebrate today, and that they would make a good family. Then she said that she wanted me to officiate the wedding when they got married, and that she definitely wanted me to officiate the wedding. So I happily promised her that she and Nana were a great couple and that I would definitely do it. After that, the two of them went back to graduate school to study more deeply. This was by no means an easy task for them, but they were able to do this because they had a clear goal. While studying for graduate school again, Nana grew into an expert in Korean who was no less than a Korean, and the teacher was also no less than her in Korean, and she studied hard in her major, political science, and decided to return to her home country and devote herself to developing and growing her home country, ‘Molisha’, and studied hard and researched.

After studying and researching so hard, in the summer of 2018, they graduated from graduate school and received their master’s degrees. On the day of the graduation ceremony, I headed back to Korea to congratulate them. And on a day when snow was falling heavily, they received their degrees side by side at the same graduation ceremony hall at the same school. I thought they looked very manly as I watched them from the side. In particular, Nana majored in Korean language education, and remembered that I had asked her to transcribe the word ‘Molisha’ into Korean as it sounds, and while writing her graduate school thesis, she titled her thesis “Korean transcription of the Molisha language” and studied it to organize a transcription method for the word ‘Molisha’ in Korean, thereby successfully passing the thesis review process while taking advantage of its unique and unique content.

It is truly meaningful that a local person has organized a method for transcribing the local language in Korean. In order for a Korean person to do this, they must know the language and characteristics of the country well or have studied it in depth, so a Korean scholar who has studied the local language with basic preparation would be able to do it, or for a local person to do it, they must have accurately studied Korean. This time, it was very meaningful that a Korean professor who had studied Korean in depth and was in charge of it came up with a transcription method for the word ‘Molisha’ in Korean.

Not only that, Nana had finished her study abroad in Korea and was planning to return to ‘Molisha’ as promised and become a professor at ‘Sabi University’ to teach Korean to her country’s students, and Sam had decided to stay and finish his doctorate in political science. As a result, their marriage was delayed even though they were already quite old. When I asked them what they were going to do, they said they would get married after Sam received his doctorate. In order to convince them that it would be better for them to get married first, I said that I would buy them something delicious to celebrate their passing their thesis and graduating from graduate school. They said that they had received a lot of help in various ways so far, so they could be where they are today, but today, they would treat them to a meal. So, anyway, let’s go eat something delicious, and I happily went to a restaurant that was famous for its Korean food. The two had also developed a taste for Korean food, and now they enjoy eating kimchi and other main dishes of Korean food. I tried to persuade them while eating. Since they were both of their age, he advised them to get married first and then study for their doctorates. In the end, they understood the meaning of the words and decided to do so. So, they first went back to their hometowns to have their wedding and spend their honeymoon period resting for a while. Then, the teacher came back to Korea to complete his doctorate, and in the meantime, Nana decided to teach and guide students who were studying Korean diligently for another goal until her husband returned from college. And finally, the wedding day arrived. Following the local custom of holding the wedding in the bride’s hometown, the wedding was held at Nana’s country house. As promised, I gave my wedding speech, urging the couple to not only form a happy and exemplary family, but also to do great things for their country and neighbors and to become a couple with a positive influence. After the wedding, all the relatives and neighbors gathered for a two-day reception. However, Nana came from the rural area of ​​‘Molisha’ to study abroad in Korea and became a university professor, and the groom also studied with her and received a doctorate, and he will return to his home country and become a leader who will lead the country. The villagers were all happy and said that it was a great event for the village. In particular, the family members were really

“The reason they were able to grow like

this is because of ‘Pastor Lee’!”

and expressed their gratitude,

but they also said,

“God guided this first,

and they worked hard to make it happen, so

we should give glory to God first

and congratulate them.”

and

“The two of you will do great things in the future,

so I hope your family and hometown

people will help you a lot.”

After the wedding, the two of you came to our house after a few days of honeymoon. They talked about the process so far and encouraged the two who had overcome difficulties, and the two of you expressed your gratitude for the help you had given them. And then, as I listened to what they were saying, I finally had the feeling that this was going to happen. This is what they were saying.

“Teacher! It’s just that

While we were studying Hangul and Korean,

We felt something deeply

As you know, in our ‘Molisha’

We have a language but no letters

So we used the English alphabet as an alternative to express our native language.

But now that I think about it,

If we express our native language in Hangul,

It would be much more beneficial,

And going forward,

Korea is leading the way in cutting-edge industries such as computers, the Internet, robots, and artificial intelligence,

As well as various cultures and fashions,

If we express our native language in Hangul,

Our people will learn and express the language much more easily and quickly,

And we will be able to express our thoughts and intentions more easily by expressing them in various ways.

I think that. Then, by learning and accepting Korean more quickly,

we can learn and learn about Korea's advanced civilization and culture,

and apply it to reality,

and then 'Molisha' will grow and develop much faster.

So please help us to do this well."

After listening to them, I was surprised that they had thought about this aspect while studying in Korea, and I thought that it was a good thing to help them study in Korea! So I said this to them.

"You two really saw it well.

If we can do that,

both Korea and 'Molisha' will benefit from the increasingly fierce competition between countries,

and we will be able to develop together even more.

However, doing that is a 'cultural revolution.'

Historically, revolutions are not that easy.

There are big obstacles to the success of the ‘letter revision’.

Some of the people of ‘Molisha’ will have considerable opposition to changing the language notation system they used because they lose their interests,

or because they are afraid of changing from the advantages of the letters they used before to a different notation system that they are already familiar with.

Therefore, it will take a considerable amount of time to prepare thoroughly, and it will be possible to gradually and naturally develop the cultural and academic foundations, and then push forward strongly when the opportunity comes.

And even if it is successful, it will be necessary to initially use both letters in parallel, and at some point,

decide on a policy to use only one.

However, if we are not careful, this could cause conflicts

and differences of opinion among people in the country,

depending on their interests, so it is something that must be pushed forward well.”

He told the two people about the situation

and its meaning, saying,

“Nana is laying the foundation academically or culturally in the academic field,

and when the teacher becomes politically influential,

we should inform them that the culture and academic atmosphere that Nana has built up so far will be more beneficial to the country

and the entire nation politically and economically,

and after creating an atmosphere through many public hearings and discussions,

we should make sure that it can be confirmed at a critical moment,

and after that, we should conduct large-scale national education so that

people can quickly accept and use it,

and after about 15 years, which is the time it takes for kindergarten or elementary school students to finish college and enter society, they will be able to fully settle in,

so if they make up their minds

and prepare like that, they will succeed.

Then I will also try to support them in various ways as much as I can.”

After they left, I thought that what I had been thinking about was now slowly entering the preparation stage. If this comes true as expected, Korea will first benefit greatly economically and culturally, and this benefit will in turn be a great support for creating cutting-edge technologies and culture in the future. Then, Korea will truly establish itself as a world leader. And ‘Molishia’, which uses such characters and culture, will also become a springboard for a new leap forward based on Korea and grow greatly. And if neighboring countries that see this and have their own language but no characters like ‘Molishia’ also rush to adopt Hangul as their writing system and change it, Korea will become a driving force for even greater growth in the future and will make a big mark in history as a leading country in technology and culture that advances together. However, I thought that for this to happen, the atmosphere must be heightened so that the Korean Wave, which is currently exerting some influence on neighboring countries, can become the foundation for this work. To do that, we need to create an atmosphere by creating a cultural code that is fun and enjoyable like the current Korean dramas, and institutions such as the Korean government or Korean language schools should invest in materials and request professors who majored in the language or experts who came to Korea to study Korean to create a system for each language to be written in Hangul, so that not only the languages ​​of each country that do not have letters, but also the five major languages ​​that are currently doing well, can be written in Hangul. Then, we should create a system for each language so that each language can be written in Hangul, and we should provide various support to the other country so that it can be gradually used in reality. If it becomes practical, it will be the starting point for Koreans to quickly learn the language of that country and for the people of that country to quickly learn the Korean language, and mutual emotions will become closer. If an era comes in which mutual emotional communication between countries is easy, technology and culture will complement each other, and even greater changes and developments will occur. And if that happens, it will become an important foundation for the things that I, many missionaries, and God’s mission have tried to realize to naturally bear fruit.

To do that, changes must come from Korea now. First of all, if all those in charge of Hangul and the Korean language open their hearts and do not rely solely on the existing ones but study and improve the direction and methods of Hangul and the Korean language, then these things will happen in reality in the near future. In other words, it is absolutely necessary for Hangul and the Korean language managers and organizations to study these things more, and for such organizations and the country! And furthermore, for the Christian community in Korea to step forward and actively invest in them. This is because Hangul is the most basic asset and an absolute asset for all of us that is more valuable in reality than any technology or culture that will grow and develop in the future. If we utilize this asset well and invest in it to maximize it, the fruit will be that much greater, but if we do not know its value and just leave it, it will be useless to us, just like the Bible says, if you give pearls to pigs, they will just trample them with dung, and as a result, we will miss out on a great opportunity.