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Why did you come to United States?
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Chapter 27 - Why did you come to United States?
When I left my county to go out abroad, was out of envy but was also a hard choice to make. Language and financial problem would not be settled in easy manner. It was a recipe for disaster in cultural shock and basic safety. During that time since the nation’s financial status was not well to have enough ‘dollars’ every family was allowed to have 200 dollars each person. With 4 members by law I was allowed to have 800 dollars to leave the country. But the amount of money we had was only 235 dollars. All the members from YBA and brothers and sisters in Christ were concerned. I got the air plane ticket in debt. There was a policy in the airplane company that I was going to work and pay the ticket cost every month. So I had got a job and worked to pay the ticket back.
When I landed in Hawaii the weather was very hot and humid. Back in Korea the weather in March was quite cold so our entire family had worn underclothing but we were sweaty when we got to Hawaii. It was probably because the weather here was much more hot and higher in humidity. I went to the interview place for entering the country. When the interviewer asked me how much money I had with me I said 235 dollars. The person gave me a very worried look and said how I was going to have a family with that little money. I said in broken English that “God will be helping.” I had children of age 7 and 5 but in a new world really believed that I would be able to live here if I did my best.
I had to ride another airplane from San Francisco International Airport. After some of the members from YoungNak Presbyterian Church who had moved to San Jose came and picked me up. The friends suggest I start my new life here because there was nowhere else to go. About a week later my 2nd older brother who had moved to the United States about the same time from Argentina moved to Los Angeles. My sister and mother who were living in Arkansas visited him in Los Angeles. They called me in San Jose and suggested that I moved to Los Angeles since they were also going to move here and desired to live with all family members. So I had moved again this time to Los Angeles. From there I had worked in hamburger shops and did janitor job and worked in an electronic company to make living.
While down in Los Angeles I was looking for a church to attend. I had called the director of Korean churches who was working with PCUSA. He was the husband of the head of pediatric department doctor who had helped during when my wife was critically ill and needed surgery. I was offered a Presbyterian church in Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. The pastor’s name was HeeSang Kwon. He had come to United States after the Liberation of Korea from Japan with international student visa #2. After graduating from a seminary and worked in the first immigrant Korean church in Hawaii and as well the senior pastor of the first Korean Presbyterian church in mainland USA. When I visited him he was the chaplain in a USC Hospital and at the same time served the Koreans in Los Angeles area. His wife had finished her seminary in Japan. She was the first Korean woman to be a Presbyterian Church minister. Even though she was a pastor, she was teaching at a middle school with many Korean immigrants. She taught English and American history. She must’ve volunteered to help Korean immigrant students.
After a short time attending the church the pastor and his wife took us out on a meal to a well known Chinese restaurant out in Olympic Boulevard. I had thanked the pastor about the meal we were being served. Towards the end of the meal, he had asked me something. Not only did he have a seminar degree, he also had a degree in psychology so it was a simple yet essential to the point.
“Why did you come to the United States?” it was a simple question but hard to answer. So I rambled on and said some reasons. After hearing my reply he said “I had lived in United States for a long time (since 1948) and helped many of the international students from Korea and counseling from many new Korean immigrants I had learned three things and you should choose one to live for.” The three reasons were: “Get a doctorate degree and stay here or head back to Korea”, “make a lot of money and live comfortably,” and the last being “raise up better next generation.”
I had no money to take with me, nor was I great in money making. After rearing up two children, thinking of studying many years for a PH.D was almost impossible. So the only option was to raise my two children in best. I knew first that I had to focus on my children’s education. It was my focus point of starting a new life in US. After the electronic company I was working at had shut down because of Recession, and failing to find a new job I had decided to move back to San Jose (Silicon Valley) where a lot more electronics companies were available. It was only after a year and 8months after moving to Los Angeles. The pastor had asked me till 3 o’clock the next day about this choice but to live I had no choice.
But the thing I’m still thankful about Pastor Kwon was that he had given me a focal point to follow and not wander around in circles.
He was such a kind person but had passed away about 15 years ago. At any rate, he wanted my family to be well. Several years later, precisely around New Years of 1995 my wife needed to head to ER again. This was after I had planted and served in my church for 7 years in San Jose and had moved to Los Angeles again to start another YBA there as well as have a family reunion. At that time I couldn’t have insurance so I had headed to the USC Community Hospital. In the Emergency Room there were a lot of patients but not a lot of doctors since it were New Years. After my wife entered ER there was no more contact after. There was no way to check if she was still alive or dead. It was because there were too many patients and not enough doctors around. I went on early morning but had no idea of her situation till evening. I had asked which room she was transported, but maybe they were so busy the workers there said no answer of the room number. They just said “we don’t know.”
Then I remember that the chaplain in charge of this hospital was Pastor HeeSang Kwon. Even if I had moved to San Jose or moved back to Los Angeles I had continued to have contact with him. Because of worry I had completely forgotten about it! Even thought it was late evening I had called in hurry. After hearing my story he said “Ok I’m on my way soon.” Soon after the pastor and his younger brother elder GilSang Kwon (he wrote the hymns to the entire praise poem I had written) had visited. I was surprised. Even thought the pastor had retired from his chaplain and pastor for many years he still visited with his wife and his brother’s wife as well! I knew at that point that the pastor and his brother had not acted love in word and tongue but in action. I still thank them to this day for their care they had. Of course the wife of the pastor and his brother had visited my wife. But the medical team still couldn’t figure out what was causing the pain. But with their support I was relieved.
(January 2011)
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Moving back to San Jose 
Why did you come to United States?