28. Language into a new journey!

[말레이]

28. Language into a new journey!

On February 29th, the day before I left ‘Molisha’, I had already cleaned up the house, so I invited my acquaintances to my son’s house for a last meal. It was called ‘open house’. I invited locals who had helped me and been my friends, as well as church members, other Koreans, and neighbors, and it became a huge feast, so the house was bustling. Finally, I thanked everyone and asked them to pay attention to my son who would stay and continue his ministry. Many people were sad about the separation, but I was comforted by the words that my son’s family would continue to live there, so they would come by occasionally and see me again.

And the next day, I spent my last time in ‘Molisha’ like that, and finally returned to warm Korea after waiting for the weather in Korea to get warmer. I held a sending service in December 1995 and went there in January of the following year, so it was my first time in Korea in 34 years. But somehow they knew, a lot of reporters came out to the airport first and waited for me, and when I got out, they all rushed to me. And then they all asked me a lot of questions at once. At first, I wondered how I could get out of here, but then a thought crossed my mind. First of all, in ‘Molisha,’ if I was exposed to the media, there was a possibility that my ministry would be seriously affected, but in Korea, there wasn’t necessarily such a problem. No! Rather, I thought that being known might be more helpful for the work I wanted to do in the future. And when I think about what happened during that time, when I was doing ministry work in ‘Molisha,’ there were several times when I was interviewed by Korean media and broadcasted on television to film programs about Koreans going abroad to help local people, and instead of covering my identity or situation as it was because it was a public broadcast or general newspaper, they covered up the fact that I was a pastor or a missionary and drew the curtain as if I was just an individual helping the locals, and that was reverse discrimination? At that time, I didn’t want to emphasize or expand my missionary work more, but I thought that I should just report the facts as they are. However, most media outlets and broadcasting stations did not do that. So I thought that this was no different from the media and broadcasting stations lying.

However, the situation is different now. Now that I have to report on my situation as it is, I thought that the reporters had no choice but to accept me as I am and report on my story or broadcast as it is. So I suddenly changed my mind. And I spoke to the reporters.

“Reporters!

If so many people ask questions at once in Jung-gu Nam-bang,

How can I answer?

Wouldn’t it be better if you asked questions in an orderly manner?

And this place is where people are entering the country, so it’s crowded,

It would be better to go to a quieter place.”

I said. The reporters agreed and decided to go to a quiet corner to interview me. And he said that it would be better to ask questions in order, starting with those who were curious about the past, if possible, considering the time. Then everyone nodded as if they understood. Then, one reporter started asking questions first.

“I heard that you have lived in ‘Molisha’ for a long time.

How long have you been there?

Please tell me the purpose of your visit and what you have done during that time.”

“Yes!

I have been in ‘Molisha’ for 33 years.

I was sent as a missionary by the church I belong to.

However, it was not a country where you could freely do missionary work,

so I tried everything I could, from social welfare work to cultural work, to find a point of contact for missionary work there.”

“What were the specific things you did?”

“Yes!

First, I established a school and taught children,

and received various items and distributed them! And we have brought heart disease patients to Korea and performed surgeries!

We have built churches locally!

We have established Korean cultural centers and taught Korean language and the Korean language to local people.”

“Then the cost of doing those things for a long time must have been considerable.

Where did all that money come from?”

“Yes!

As you may already know or have guessed,

the cost was mainly sponsored by churches or Christians in Korea,

and sometimes, depending on the purpose, people with no religious affiliation

donated.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have sponsored us.”

“Last year, ‘Molisha’ surprised the world by announcing that it would adopt Hangul as its national language script, and then, at a place to encourage those who worked hard for that, there was a foreign missionary who was the only woman there, and not only that, the president of ‘Molisha’ called the missionary ‘teacher’. What kind of relationship do you have?”

“One of the things I did at ‘Molisha’ was teaching Hangul and Korean, as I have already mentioned,

The current president and first lady of ‘Molisha’ taught me the basics of Hangul and Korean a long time ago,

and when they saw that I had some skills and enthusiasm,

they recommended that I study abroad in Korea, and I came to study abroad in Korea.

The president started with a bachelor’s degree and received a doctorate in political science, and the first lady majored in Korean and received a master’s degree in Korean.

In the process, I also arranged for the two to receive help from Korean churches until they finished their studies.”

“I know that the president of ‘Molisha’ is the male protagonist of the 2019 Korean drama ‘Language of Love’.

Can you tell me if this is related to you?”

“Well,

I don’t know if it’s okay to talk about this in detail,

but since we’re on the subject,

I’ll give you a general overview.

When I first went there,

I recognized the need for Korean language education for myself and other Korean children,

so I opened a Korean language school,

taught with parents,

and taught Korean language to locals through the Korean Cultural Center.

I wasn’t an expert in this,

but I felt the need and taught,

so now I’m a semi-expert.

While studying Korean language,

I came to realize its importance and value,

and I thought it would be good if Korean language was used in a country without a written language.

So I thought about how such things could happen,

First of all, at that time, the Korean Wave was starting to become widely known around the world,

so I thought that if we could introduce Hangul to young people around the world through dramas on TV,

and create a culture of writing in our own language,

and if young people started using such writing methods,

then we could officially write our own language in Hangul,

and I thought that,

and I was looking for a writer who would be dedicated to making that happen,

and I met writer Kim, the writer of ‘Language of Love,’

and I asked him to do that,

and that’s how ‘Language of Love’ came to be.

And when we were filming, we couldn’t find a suitable male protagonist,

so I recommended a male protagonist.

And the protagonist

later became the president of ‘Molicia.’

And as you know, the drama was a huge success,

and while studying Korean, he thought that it would be good to write ‘Molicia’ in our own language in Hangul. And after becoming president, I actually pushed for it,

and in the process, I helped a little bit within the circumstances that I could.”

“Was the Korean government involved in helping ‘Molisha’ in relation to Hangul?”

“When I told the Korean government that ‘Molisha’ was trying to introduce Hangul,

I asked them to support it so that it could actually be decided,

since it would be beneficial to our country in many ways.

And as a result of discussions from various angles,

I understand that the support was decided.”

“I heard that you completely withdrew from ‘Molisha.’

Looking at it from a certain perspective, I think that the situation has become better for the work you are doing now,

but what was the reason for your withdrawal?”

“In doing the work that I had to do at ‘Molisha,’

my identity was too exposed,

and it was actually hindering my work,

so I ended my work at ‘Molisha’ and

withdrew.”

“If that’s the case,

Since my identity has already been exposed worldwide,

I wonder if it would be the same no matter which country I go to for ministry in the future,

If you have any plans for the future, please tell me.”

“Yes!

So now I think it’s difficult to continue ministry in the same way as before.

That’s why I’ve come here after organizing things.

So from now on, I want to completely reveal myself,

create an NGO that helps missionaries,

and raise funds for their ministry,

so that their ministry can be activated,

and I want to play an advanced role in helping missionaries’ ministry.

I need your help, along with many others, for that work, so I ask for your cooperation.”

While asking and answering questions like that, time passed quickly and the number of questions decreased, so I said I’d stop here for today. I went to my lodging and took some time to rest. Then I watched the evening news broadcast of Choi’s interview at the airport today.

And the next morning, as I was preparing to go to the mission headquarters, I saw that the newspaper also had the interview articles from yesterday. If this had been a general report or a program that did not have an issue, I thought that all the religious content would have been taken out. Since it was an immediate news story in a short period of time, I thought it was good that it was actually being reported in the newspaper. In this situation, readers of the newspaper would want the actual story as it was, so it seemed inevitable.

And after leaving the dorm, I first went to the mission office and thanked them for all the hard work and effort they had put in. The mission office asked me what I was going to do next. So I said that I wanted to do a ministry that would help missionaries by working with the mission office and promoting the things I had planned in my heart as a volunteer without being tied down to a full-time position.

So, I actually wanted to make a suggestion to the president of the mission. I asked him to reorganize the mission into a two-tier system, so that the existing mission department would focus on administrative work and another missionary corporation (NGO) would be established to raise funds to implement the things I felt while working and to help missionaries with practical help in their work. In that case, there would have to be financial reserves to establish a missionary corporation, but the missionary society currently does not have the ability or situation to do so, so he responded that it was impossible.

So, I have my own plan for that part, and I asked the former chairman, who has worked hard with great dedication throughout the missionary society, to take the lead in establishing the corporation and take the lead as the representative, and I will work with the practical staff to handle the rest, so I will ask him to do something bigger this time. Then, I will first ask the former chairman, and if he agrees, I will try to attach the agenda to the missionary society’s board of directors and, if it passes, I will try to officially establish the corporation.

After the missionary meeting, I went straight to see the former chairman of the missionary society. In fact, he was a classmate from the same school where we studied theology, but he had recently stepped down as chairman of the missionary society because he had studied theology late and was old. I am sorry to bring this burden to you again, but I thought this was an important matter that could change the framework of the missionary society, so I shamelessly asked him to help me establish a corporation. At first, he said that he was too weak to do anything and that it would be difficult. So, since we are not in a situation to create a corporation on our own, he has devoted half his life to missionary work, so I asked him again that if he would create this corporation and just remain as the representative, we would work hard and create a foundation for missionary work to become more active, and I would do my best for this. He said that if that were true, I would not be able to do anything myself, but since this missionary had the know-how from his field experience in many mission fields and fundraising, I thought it would be good if I created a corporation and became the foundation, so I would do my best one last time. So I thanked him and immediately contacted the president of the missionary society, and he said that he would bring this up as an agenda item at the next board meeting of the missionary society and discuss it. And then, when this work progressed, I visited pastors who could be elected as directors of the corporation and asked them to actively participate in these matters one by one so that I could provide practical support to the missionaries. Fortunately, there were some who came forward to help, even if only a little, so it seemed that it would not be difficult to form a board of directors of the corporation. So I made a list of candidates for directors and gave it to the president of the missionary society to help discuss it at the board of directors of the missionary society. While I was preparing like that, I just waited for the board of directors of the missionary society to be held. In the meantime, this rumor began to spread within the denomination and to neighboring denominations. And I heard from many people who had experience in the denomination and other things that this was not as easy as they thought and that most pastors did not cooperate well in this matter based on their experience, and that this was just an ideal. Some of those who thought this way might be right. However, I thought that what was important was actually persuading the other party by actually encountering it and, more importantly, making efforts and attempts to realize valuable work. Therefore, even if things don’t go well, I won’t regret it, and I thought that it was better to move forward with faith until things happen rather than just happening, so I made up my mind and steadily prepared the necessary things for establishing the foundation.

And on May 10th, the missionary society’s board of directors meeting was finally held, and I was asked to attend as a reference to explain the corporate issue, so I prepared explanatory materials on the corporate issue and the content. First, since there was no special agenda for this board meeting, we went straight to discussing creating a missionary society. First, most of the directors said that they didn’t understand the idea of ​​creating a corporation again when there was an existing missionary society. They also raised concerns that the two systems would clash over the same issues, including the role issues.

So I explained it like this.

“At first, we received grants from the General Assembly as a missionary department under the General Assembly,

but we reorganized this into an independent entity called the Mission Society through the board of directors system,

and this was accomplished through you,

so now there are two bicameral functions within the Mission Society,

and the Mission Society will continue its missionary work as it has done so far,

and the Mission Corporation will collect funds from each church, believers, and Christian businesses,

and if possible, from anyone,

and coordinate with churches, pastors, or donors who have donated for independent planning and missionary work within the Mission Corporation,

and decide on support for the missionaries’ work,

and continuously identify missionary fields, disclose necessary matters,

and raise funds for them, so that the work can proceed,

and in reality, it will be operated as an independent entity.

Therefore, the mission fundraising target and the missionaries in the mission field will receive donations and provide support beyond the denomination.

However, the prerequisite for doing so is that

the donor who is in charge of a project as a whole

can designate a donation target and make a donation,

and the mission field or missionary designated by the donor or the donation organization

will be coordinated under the values ​​of our foundation and will be directed to carry out the mission field project.

Therefore, although this ministry is a corporation that started within the denomination,

other denominations can also participate,

and missionaries from other denominations will also be supported through them,

and the scope of the ministry will be carried out in an interdenominational and intergroup manner.

And in terms of what we are promoting in detail,

Many pastors have been telling missionaries to

consider the situation and reality of churches in Korea,

and to seek independence quickly,

but in reality, missionaries are not in a situation or situation where they can become independent,

so we will consider the size of the monthly dispatch fee for the missionary to be sent to the sending church in the future,

and the period of the dispatch period,

and recommend that 70-80% of the cost be made into a lump sum through a bank loan,

and the remaining 20-30% be supported monthly as before,

and maintain an ongoing relationship with the missionary,

and thereby create the content of the ministry needed in the mission field,

and register it under the names of the missionary, the pastor of the sending church,

and the corporation,

and then completely transfer it to the missionary's name after a certain period of time. Then, there will be solutions to some problems that have been there and have no alternatives, and as a result, a virtuous cycle of missionary work.

And next, in order to create a practical self-reliance mode,

we will have missionaries who know the region well recommend good products in each mission field,

and distribute them evenly for a fee to missionaries who apply for the system and join,

and through fundraising and dispatch expenses,

we will create a 'Happy Sharing Store' in each region that sells special products from around the world,

so that we can increase local staff and receive help for the mission,

and it will also be an opportunity to solve the working visa issue,

and we will lead the way to a model where we can make at least a portion of the mission expenses ourselves and do the mission work.

Next, we will open a ‘Happy Sharing Store’ in the same way among domestic churches,

and have the church members volunteer to run it,

and have the church itself use 50% of the income to help people in need around the church for evangelism,

and transfer 50% to a missionary corporation,

and use it as funds to carry out the aforementioned projects in the mission field.

In addition, we will activate fundraising, various projects, and volunteer systems in various ways,

so that the mission field continues to be alive and moving,

and within that framework and background,

we will create a mission strategy so that the missionaries can actually bring about spiritual change in the local people.

There will be some trial and error in the process,

but I believe that it will ultimately bear good fruit.

If the directors of our missionary society open their hearts and allow this system to be more active and help with actual missionary work, I am sure that it will become a model for other denominations and a good model for the missionary community, and that when we try to do this kind of work together, we will develop to the point where we lead other denominations or bring them together as co-workers. Thank you.”

After hearing this explanation, the board of directors of the missionary society had many discussions about the pros and cons of acknowledging this. However, in the end, just like when we became independent as a missionary society at the General Assembly, the General Assembly only allowed the system, and we do not have to do anything for this, but if we just open the system and do it as a missionary work, it would be better, but even if we do a little, it will be helpful for missionary work, so let’s give them a chance, and they unanimously agreed. Seeing that, I thought that it was really good that our denomination was passionate, open-minded, and decisive in this regard. So, in order to establish a corporation for missionary work, we called it the ‘Barnabas Foundation’ and contacted those who had decided to dedicate themselves as directors to hold a preparatory meeting for the establishment. Here, after explaining the basic direction for the future and discussing the most important name for the foundation, various opinions were expressed, but since the name ‘Barnabas’ was the person who had played the role we had to play, we decided to use the name we had set as the official name of the foundation as it was in the sense that it best represented the work we had to do in the future, and so we named it ‘Barnabas Foundation’. And in the final process of dividing the roles, we decided to appoint the pastor who had laid the foundation for the corporation as the chairman, and for the administration, we appointed the pastor who had the ability and the will to dedicate himself to the foundation with a sense of representation until the foundation grew to the point where a chairman would be needed as a full-time minister. I consulted with the chairman and took on the role of secretary general who would lead the actual work. In addition, we decided to hire five administrative staff members who would work in several departments as needed. As the atmosphere for all preparations was created, I started running around to government offices and doing practical work as if I had to run around and do actual work in order to establish the corporation. How long has it been since I’ve done business by visiting government offices in Korea? When I went to government offices to handle business in the mission field, I thought about the things I experienced as a foreigner and realized that living in my own country was so great! Another thing I felt was that the attitude of government offices toward citizens had definitely become much kinder and better than in the past when civil servants treated citizens with a high attitude as if they were the owners. In particular, the processing speed was lightning-fast, which was a great advantage of Korea. That’s why working in Korea after such a long time felt like a different kind of fun and joy. In the meantime, I went through the procedures to apply for incorporation and waited for a while, and finally, as the end of the year approached, I received the corporate certificate. So I reported this to the chairman and the president, and when I finished decorating the interior of the office, the official work of the ‘Barnabas Foundation’ began. And we invited major Christian media outlets to introduce the work that the Barnabas Foundation will do in the future and asked for the interest and cooperation of many churches and believers in Korea. Then, we conducted internal education for all directors and employees to understand the direction we should take and the work that each of us should be responsible for in accordance with that direction. We also conducted research on our own, presented the results, discussed them with each other, and supplemented them. We also thought about how to conduct ourselves according to our status based on various issues that may arise in the future. And lastly, we had time to strengthen our sense of belonging as team members through activities that unite us as team members in terms of working together.