이 부족 마을로 돌아와 처음 보내는 영문 글을 나누고 싶습니다.
이 글을 읽으시는 동안 하나님의 은혜 안에 거하시는 시간이 되시기를 기도합니다.
Greetings to you from the high mountaintop of the Mihi tribe in PNG.
We trust you are encourage in the Lord as we are encouraged in HIM.
What a friend we have in Jesus! And in you! We are so blessed to be able to share what we are experiencing at this time! I wish I could sit with you face to face to share my heart.
What a wonderful and memorable moment that we all had with the Mihi tribal people on Friday, the 14th of March. It is hard to describe, even using many words, how the Mihi tribal people had welcomed us as we came back to the Kora village so long after Seong’s thoracic aorta operation. There were so many Mihi people waiting for Seong at the helicopter pad near our house. The people rubbed the black, white and brown colored mud all over their faces and their heads to show us their heart of lamentation; it was an ocean of wailing with a mixture of feelings of mourning and joyful tears. We are overwhelmed with hearts of gratitude. The people let Seong sit on a sedan chair made out of rough bush timber. Showing their respect for Seong, with their hearts full of gratitude, four men carried him down to the house on their shoulders.
Nevertheless, my heart has carried a heavy burden since we had a meeting with the NTM doctor and one of the Highland HQ leadership members at the NTM Clinic, followed by a meeting with the Highland leadership at the Highland HQ office, the day before we came in to the bush. The doctor’s questions and his opinions are still spinning around the rim of my ears.
The meetings were in preparation for the possibility of Seong’s death.
It was not easy for all of us as we had to answer our thoughts regarding the steps to take at the time of Seong’s death in the future, were it to happen in PNG.
The Australian doctors have given Seong a go-ahead to return to our Bible translation work after his recovery from Thoracic Aorta Aneurism. However, the NTM doctors are reminding us that because Seong has had two near-death emergency evacuations in the past, due to aneurisms, and his descending aorta has tears at this stage, it is very risky for us to live in a remote and isolated location again. AND, there will be no NTM chief pilot for medevac flight this year, as he goes back to USA in May for his furlough. Hence, NTM doctors have mentioned that it would be better for all of us to prepare for Seong’s death.
We need to prepare our hearts for what to do with Seong’s body if God took his life in the Mihi Tribe.
* Will Seong’s body be buried in the Mihi Tribe or taken out to Goroka town?
* If Seong wants his body to be cremated in Goroka town, NTM staff should find out the place to cremate and find out how to carry the box ashes to Australia where our sons are or Korea etc…..
* Ready a death certificate
* Apply for funeral insurance, as the doctor has suggested we should do.
*Prepare the big plastic zipper bag to carry Seong’s dead body.
*We should let our sending church, our sons and family know about these matters.
It was a very sad discussion, leaving us with heavy hearts.
I was holding my tears during the meeting but the conversations were unbearable for us. My sorrowful heart burst into tears when the doctor said to prepare the large plastic zipper bag, to carry Seong’s dead body.
Of course, it wasn’t easy for Seong himself talking about his death as he is still young at age 62, wishing to live longer if the Lord’s willing. Seong wrapped up this meeting with a joke, “Thank God! God has spared my life and has blessed me, so I can prepare my death when I am still alive. I am a blessed man.
We had some very difficult decisions to make in a hurry, knowing that we have our family to consider when making some of them.
Days go by with bursts of tears, flowing tears of sorrow, for Seong these days, and had sleepless nights. Daily living is often filled with unexpected dangers. We never know what lies ahead as we begin each new day; daily security is having an unwavering confidence that God is in absolute control and personally involved in every detail of life. We pray that we must be willing to accept His help and remain close to Him wherever He leads.
On Saturday, the 15th of March, it was such a beautiful and peaceful morning; the village people were still in their hut warming themselves by the fire as they cook in the ashes their staple sweet potatoes. I stood on our back veranda, as the beautiful sun rose, looking down over the thick jungle trees, the clouds sitting on the mountaintop, wind blowing the leaves, morning dew hanging on the spider webs in the trees, leaves shimmering like crystal, thinking of
Psalms 42:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs His love, at night His song is with me-a prayer to the God of my life. Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
I felt as God was holding me and hugging me with His gentle arms, and softly said,
“It is a new day and new Seong. Do not wait for Seong’s death but wait on Me as I am holding his life for each day. Be thankful and with a joyful heart while Seong is beside you moment by moment and day by day.”
Seong will say, as David in Psalms 118:17-21
“I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The LORD has not given me over to death. He has opened for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD, this is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. I will give You thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Yes! My LORD! Thank you for letting Seong stand beside me here among the Mihi people.
My worry and sorrow have gone.
I will not think of Seong’s death but think of God’s mercy and grace upon him.
I will be joyful to see him doing wonderful deeds in the name of Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow has not come yet!
I will continually look forward to seeing You LORD, how You hold Seong’s life each day to bless us, to see Your grace that saves the Mihi people.
One day at a time with my Lord, Christ Jesus, I will keep thanking Him for His grace and will keep pressing on our daily journey with Him prayerfully and peacefully.
The Words of God are with us daily to comfort and support us.
One thing we can have comfort in is that no matter what we do with our physical bodies when our spirits go to be with the Lord, I meditated on Psalms 90:1-17
“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”
We have assured our supporters and NTM leadership that we believe that God would have us return to Kora. We are praying that God gives us the time we need in the Mihi Tribe to bring the gospel to the people and help them establish a lasting church to fellowship in and minister from.
NTM doctors thoroughly checked Seong and they were pleased to see the report of the doctors at Cairns base hospital. An NTM doctor said that he would not allow us to come back to the field if we were young couple. Young missionaries must consider their children, family and their church prayer partners, but we are old and surly NTM doctors know that our desire is to be with the Mihi people for their salvation. And the doctors thought it would be great for Seong to come back to the field as Seong feels God spared his life to continue ministering until He calls him home.
Looking Ahead:
Seong must check and record his blood pressure 3 times a day and then Seong must report it and his sugar readings through email to the doctor once a week. Seong must come out from the bush to see the doctor once every 3 months; he should go to Cairns base hospital once every 6 months or once a year, it depends on his health condition, to take CT scan, ECG etc… to check the enlargement of descending aorta. Now true lumen is quite narrow and stable at this stage, but it can be burst or ruptured if Seong’s high blood pressure goes up without knowing that Seong is in danger.
We have a lot of work to do to get ready to prepare for the teaching of Creation to Christ, so praying for our mental and physical well-being; it is hard to think through so much when we have a heavy heart and physically challenged.
Praise God that He has spared Seong’s life
Praise God that He has opened the door to the field of harvest.
Prayer points:
*Pray that God meets our needs financially. We must to bring materials into Kora by 206 Cessna small plane, fly in and out of Kora by NTM helicopter and tickets to visit Cairn’s base hospital for Seong’s regular medical check.
*Pray for email system.
Thankfully we have been using email system through codeless two-way radio without electric power in the remote area. We need to update this service.
But it isn’t simple and easy to send and receive our emails via two-way cordless radio, as we get interference with radio reception by bad weather. But times have changed, last year, new Tech knowledge has reached our village with the new waves.
The bush people still live in primitive area but, believe or not, we can use a cell phone; however, we must hike up to the high mountaintop of our village to call out— not able to receive calls at all at this stage.
Digicel Company in PNG has started to set up the high tower antennas in the remote areas of PNG mountains. Actually, now we automatically get the benefit of it through this phone company in the remote area. We have heard that these days, other NTM bush missionaries use a new email system in the remote areas; it is the same internet system they use in town. If we can set up this system, and buy some units on the phone card, we won’t need to rely on the two way cordless radio for using email. We are praying that God would provide the new email system to report Seong’s health rapidly without hindrances, so there will be no struggling and no delaying to reach NTM doctors for Seong’s monitored record. It will also be great to report for pre-checking our Bible translation with back translation in English for the Bible translation consultants. And it would be great to send you the stories of the Mihi tribal people’s salvation easily through email from the remote area—even though we still can receive and send only limit of 100kb.
Our earnest request is that please keep Seong in your prayers.
Thank you, again, so much for your part in our lives and His ministry. Thank you for praying and keeping us on your minds and in your hearts daily. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Thank you for understanding my rambling letter.
Only by God’s grace can we face tomorrow!
Seong and Mina
According to Acts 20:22-23
“God has compelled us, we are here in the field for the Mihi tribal people’s salvation, not knowing what will happen to us here. We only know that in every place, the Holy Spirit warms us that hardships are facing us. However, we consider our lives worth nothing to us, if only we may finish the race and complete task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
ONE DAY AT A TIME.
One day at a time, with its failures and fears,
With its hurts and mistakes, with its weakness and tears,
With its portion of pain and its burden of care.
One day at a time we must meet and must bear,
One day at a time to be patient and strong,
To be calm under trial and sweet under wrong,
Then its toiling shall pass and its sorrow shall cease,
It shall darken and die, and the night shall bring peace.
One day at a time – but the day is so long,
And the heart is not brave, and the soul is not strong,
O Thou pitiful Christ, be Thou near all the way,
Give courage and patience and strength for the day.
Swift cometh His answer, so clear and so sweet,
“Yea, I will be with Thee, thy troubles to meet.
I will not forget thee, nor fail thee, nor grieve,
I will not forsake thee, I never will leave.”
Not yesterday’s load we are called on to bear,
Nor the morrow’s uncertain and shadowy care,
Why should we look forward or back with dismay?
Our needs, as our mercies, are but for the day
One day at a time, and the day is His day
He hath numbered its hours, though they haste or delay.
His grace is sufficient, we walk not alone,
As the day, so the strength that He giveth His own.
Annie Johnson Flint.
