The First Supper

There is a saying that when people who love each other are far apart, an invisible yet infallible string ties their two hearts together to span the distance. Well, Joel and I have many such strings that now reach the distance between the US and Korea. Although stretched, those strings will never break. They are only strengthened every time a new string is added. Since our arrival here in Korea, it is clear that there are many strings yet to discover.
After travelling by bus for five hours from Incheon Airport to Gwangju, we were greeted with no small amount of fuss by the congregation welcoming committee. As the meeting had just ended, many of the brothers and sisters popped by to meet us and escort us to David and Olivia Jo’s house, where we will be spending the next few nights. Nine of us chatted for several hours over pizza, and before you could say kimchi, I started to feel at home. They are a remarkable group of people – in the group were two MTS graduates, a couple who had worked where the need is greater in Malaysia and New Zealand, and several other brothers and sisters who made room in their lives to walk through the open door to expanded ministry.
It’s difficult to describe the level of hospitality afforded us. It makes one a bit uncomfortable to be treated with such honor when in the past directions to the nearest bus stop would do. It made me even more eager to do all that I can to draw closer to these brothers, to study this Lydia-like mentality and emulate it.
Today, we are off in service for our first time here, accompanied by a tour of our new city. We arrived at night, so it is somewhat difficult to formulate a solid impression, but from what we have seen so far, the city is clean, modern, and lively. More on that later!
Azure