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Mrs. Ruth Brown and Elder JaeMyung Kim
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Chapter 32 - Mrs. Ruth Brown and Elder JaeMyung Kim
The year 1990 was when my son Max Samuel Lee started Air Force academy. For a parent of immigrated family, they would use all the opportunity to have their child to have the right education and to grow. But there are conflicts and gaps between the reality of it and the vision. To fill this empty space someone else must come in to help. What are more, there needs to be a correct path to choose from God, or expect there will be no change at all. Lastly the helping of each other is needed to steadily grow.
If I see young adults now days, I sometimes reflect on the days when I was lost with God and was wondering aimlessly. I remember I had no purpose. I still recall the days when I slowly grew and matured with knowing God. Someone had given me courage and gentle challenges. What’s more is with God’s words I was able to face my failures, frustration, defensive, and the senses of inferiority. With God in me I was able to discover and have a purpose in life, and with God’s lead to leave a great impact on people’s life instead of great success. I wished the young adults around me would have the same experience. I resigned from the church because; it was so that the young adults in this area would be lead with God’s words.
In September after I resigned in 1990, I had spoken with the senior pastor of the American church which we rented, Reverend Jon Martin, about getting a place to gather for young adults.
Between San Francisco and San Jose is the town of Redwood City. So I had asked the reverend if he knew of any churches there, and there was. It was on the same denomination as his church. He called the other church and scheduled an appointment to meet. I didn’t prepare any files as I might not get the place rented. Also because I didn’t know what kind of files they needed.
When I met with the pastor of that church he was delighted. He said “We are the ones who should evangelize the immigrants but I see Reverend Lee is willing to step in and do this.” So he had rented a large room in the church’s gym right away so we could gather every Saturday evening free of charge. Not only that, “since you will be requiring a lot of support I will ask the evangelizing team of how to support.” This kind of things is extraordinary for an American church. Americans usually have many steps and procedures of renting. As Korean I think of this kind of progress slow and frustrating, but it makes no mistakes. When the expected expanse of the ministry was made around October, the church had supported us for $200 per month. I was able to meet and greet with the evangelizing committee leader and had fellowships. This church also rented me a good room to have a bible study with Korean young adults. Some of the American church’s members would come and have testimonies. Also Reverend Jon Martin’s church’s woman evangelizing team was made especially for the Youth Born Again Mission and had a question and answer session. His church also supported me with $150 for the transportation needs. This was the first received funds for the YBA Mission in America. I had received a lot of grace by attending that church. An example would be Mrs. Ruth Brown.
Even thought she passed away 19 year ago she used to sing the special hymn during offering time.
First few Sundays I thought she was in charge of the offering hymn. But she was still there. Even though the church had a full choir team and had a lot of young adult’s members as well. If someone wanted to join the church choir team there would be a class to take. So there would be plenty of members to sing hymns even thought she looked past 70. I had asked the church leaders why Mrs. Ruth Brown still stood there and the response was “she was in the choir team for a very long time, but she had cancer and is losing health, but she wants to continue singing hymns until her last.” So they gave her a chance she was “allowed to sing hymns during offering time until it was her last.” Surely enough every month passed her body grew weak and her voice started to shake a lot. After hearing the responses of the members of that church I grew very somber. I had felt my heart grow in flames whenever I heard her hymns. After I thought “I should live like her.” Praise God until my last breath like the last verse of Psalms.
I had another thought like this while I was the high school Sunday school teacher back in Korea. Every Sunday I had to go to the morning service at 7o’clock or I had no other time available. Immediately after the high school bible study I had to lead the young adult bible study group. During the winter times I had to wake our children up and have them wash their faces and try to have some warm clothes on and took a 40 minute bus ride on a cold nearly empty bus to church. If it was very cold in the morning I would hold the older child and my wife would carry our youngest and passed the icy road in the most careful way to get to church. However sometimes I pass by people whom I do not wish to pass by so quickly. One would be elder JaeMyung Kim. Whenever I see him I would end up following behind him in very slow speed. It was rude to pass by an older person so quickly and also because he was about 90 years old. Even with his age, he would slowly walk through the snow and ice to get to the 7o’clock morning service. He was lacking strength at his age and had a cane. His bible and hymn book would be slung like young children of rural town, with the bible and the hymn between his shoulder and stomach and walked with his cane. He would have ropes made of grass on his shoes to prevent slipping and very slowly moved step by step. I would follow quietly behind and think “I want to be like this great elder, who lives for God and if I live to be that old I will still follow God like him.”
In order to grow in God one would need his words, prayers and to evangelize, and to be obedient with God’s words. But I also should add that seeing a person like those mentioned above would also be necessary, as sometimes seeing then hearing will be easier. I think it was God’s plan to show people like them so I can follow their footsteps and be awestruck. God had helped me during these tough times with the American reverends and the church members. Now I cannot really show the gratitude but I still hold them dear to my heart and thank them deeply. Mrs. Ruth Brown and elder Kim had passed away long time ago and is now in God’s place. They would probably not know me. But their passion for God and their walks with God showed me the steps I take through their praises and encouragements.
I thank all the fellow Christians and the adults who had helped me.
(January 2011)
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Epilogue 
Mrs. Ruth Brown and Elder JaeMyung Kim