Hitting the ground running

After the ten and a half hour flight without any real sleep, it was a big welcome around 3.30pm with flowers and a lot of familiar faces from the Immanuel Church. Dongsik and I were driven off with Pastor Kim, our luggage taken care of by others. We were dropped off at Ji Hee's home, meeting her mother who I recognised as having visited Kingston (and later her father), they being my hosts for this part of the visit. A quick shower, then off to Pastor Kim's for a typical Korean meal prepared by some of the young women of the church, though they decided I didn't look good for eating at the low table sitting on the floor. They also used cutlery in my honour! Then a speedy departure to the Cultural Centre for a concert by the Prime Philharmonic featuring a striking first performance followed by a range of folk songs and light opera by 4 fine (at least one very well-known nationally) soloists.  More than ready for bed afterwards, and a bit groggy from the flight.

Comfortably and fairly well rested, Korean-style breakfast with the option of chopsticks started the day at 7.20 and we were out walking to join the church 3 coach party about to be on the road at 8. There's going to new shortage of food, and I'm bought 2 drinks at a services - green chai latte, and an iced coffee that was saved for later. We stop two and a half hours later at the Saemanguem barrage which at 33 kms holds it's place in the Guiness World of Records. It has been arranged for us to go up an observation tower not normally open to the public on the grounds of the visit of a distinguished minister visiting from abroad! It's a beautifully warm day now. Then on to the Henry Appenzeller Memorial Church that commemorates the American Methodist missionary who did so much to translate the scriptures, the complete bible becoming available in 1938 long after he had drowned when 2 ships collided after the turn of the century while on his way to a meeting about scripture publishing. The church houses 2 displays, about Appenzeller's work generally, and showing the early, and subsequent translations - also bibles from around the world - a labour of love by the Presbyterian minister who had made contact with the family in the States resulting in them visiting and handing on the archive. The location of the memorial church was determined by proximity to the place where Appenzeller's ship had gone down.

We had held a service in the church where I as preacher had exceeded Pastor Kim's expectations in terms of length. A happy occasion which made it clear how much my visit is appreciated, and how much we at John Bunyan have contributed to their story. Then it was lunch that had been brought with us.