After we completed an almost month-long trip to Colombia, we returned to the U.S. The remaining cities to visit were New York and Southern California.
In New York, New Jersey area, the primary purpose of our trip was to meet people: supporters, Kingdom Fellows, prospective partners, and friends.
We had a joyous reunion with Pastor Minsong Ahn and his wife. They came all the way from New Jersey to Elmhurst to pick us up and go to Kum Kang San Restaurant in Flushing. Their two children have been married and have two grandsons, one from each. They are still young but they have been blessed with their children as well as their ministry. Mrs. Ahn received hip replacement surgery and she looked healthier than last time.
I met up with Ji Bae in Manhattan. This year was a productive year for Ji since he got married with a pediatrician doctor and hurriedly had a baby girl. He was excited about having a new baby but also struggling to manage the night wake-up he has to manage. Ha... growing pain. Ji has been one of most steady Kingdom Fellows with full commitment to helping SfK Ministries whenever needed. I am so grateful.
Alex was supposed to meet up together, but he got sick and could not join us. Later, I met up with him at his office, with a fantastic view of Manhattan skyscrapers We had a lengthy discussion about how to engage him with SfK Ministries short term but also long term. For short term, we decided to develop SfK Enterprise Network Database System or SfK SENDS. I need to supply him the database fields for him to design.. He was still working for Lloyds Bank New York as VP of IT.
I met up with Mr. Sung Eun Hong whom I met while I was running Shinhan Bank America. He was the one who was riding with me when I made a hole in one at New York Country Club. He informed me about Nam June Paik's video artwork exhibition to be held at Korean Cultural Center. He purchased a lot of Mr. Paik's video artworks before Paik died so he has been lending these artworks to many places around the world. His story of taking care of his injured wife from a car accident in Belize is inspiring. For more than 12 years, he has been taking her to look for any effective medical remedies around the world.
I had dinner with Mr. Yeunho Suk, former Chairman of KOCHAM and CEO of Hyosung America for decades. He is now running a consulting firm to help Korean SMEs to enter into America. He is also helping with SfK's marketing endeavors of the products of missional businesses. His welcome has been always warm.
I had lunch with Tae Ok Park, CPA to talk about preparing for 2019 tax. My college alumnus and an old friend.
I also had a meeting with Hyun Yu, an architect working in Manhattan and engaged with Center for BAM and JES program. We met in Lahore, Pakistan this year.
I had a meeting over dinner with Elder Alex Ji and his friends, Elders Lee Wanjae and Kim Soojae, and a newly eleced Elder Huh, responsible for missions at Beautiful Church of Long Island. Elders Lee and Kim were in their '80's and still passionate about world mission. Wow...
Pastor Seonil Oh used to serve at this church, but has been engaged in workplace ministry for the past 2 years or so. He had a scheduled ministry in Manhattan so he could not join us with Alex Ji. So I was able to manage to carve out a time slot to meet up with him while I was in Manhattan. I am still trying to figure out what we can do together. We might pursue to meet up the people he trains in May or July 2020 when I will visit the U.S. We will see.
I met up with Yeonhee Han and SJ Lee, my former colleagues. Yeonhee shared a good news that she may get promoted to Chief Credit Officer since her former boss left the bank and the current CEO asked her to succeed him. Congratulations! SJ continues working for Pacific City Bank, managing its New York LPO.
Kristin and I met up with Kwangho Cho and Myung Hee Kim in Fort Lee. Myung Hee is Kristin's college friend and we have been in contact regularly. Mr. Cho is retired from his international trade business and now finishing up his M Div degree. He was wondering whether he should be ordained as Pastor or not.
As usual, we had dinner with the couples of Kristin's two brothers living in New York and New Jersey. They meet only when we come, but we are grateful for the role we play in maintaining the relationship and contacts.
We had a joyful reunion in Fort Lee with the Jaesup Choi couple and Jay Yoon. His wife could not attend because she had a cold and was afraid of being contagious to Mr. Choi who is still fighting the lung cancer through chemo treatments. It is always pleasant to recollect the travel memories, particularly in Africa, and we agreed to discuss more when we come in May next year. They are people of warm heart and we feel warmly welcome whenever we meet up with them.
Manhattan is called New York City although technically New York City includes other boroughs like Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. That much, Manhattan is the New York. Its scenery always carries significant meaning.
We left New York on Sunday so we attended a community church in Elmhurst, called Elmhurst Baptist Church, and this cosmopolitan church of small but international congregation members welcomed us. It could be one of the churches for us to worship in New York.
Our journey to New York was short and the weather was cold. But moving around the area through public transportation was not that difficult. I am grateful for the opportunity to visit this Big Apple City or the World's Second Home City. - Jeffrey
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