Buena Park, California (September 2024)

After our three-day stay in New York City, we flew to LAX to stay in Beuna Park for five days. We still have many friends in Southern California and it is joyful to get together with them. Some of them we met up with included Gary and Cindy Moon.  They were planning to travel to Thailand the next day to work on a construction project that was underway. They seemed a lot healthier than in the past. 

We visited the home of In and Julie Kim because they were tied up babysitting for their daughter Irene. It was a great joy to meet up with them and to see their two daughters: Irene and her partner Tess and Michelle and her husband. Michelle is also pregnant and expecting to give birth to a baby in March 2025. It is always a joy to see grandchildren.

We got together with Kristin's second brother with his wife. His wife was shy of being in a photo, but we enjoyed our fellowship over lunch. They live in Buena Park and it has been a routine to meet up whenever we come to Southern California. 

Donghoon Choi is starting up a new meta-verse entity, Ploma. He is one of the lecturers for SfK BMT with excellent communication skills. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that he has gotten together with GMMA to work together on certain aspects of the ministry. I am looking forward to witnessing how God is using his new business for His Kingdom.

I visited the Hanmi Bank Fullerton Branch to meet up with Yang Rae Kim, SVP and Branch Manager. He used to work for Shinhan Bank America and moved to Hanmi Bank last year. I felt sad to hear that his oldest son has a mental disability and his wife went through cancer treatment.  SfK ITAM USA is banking with Hanmi Bank and Alyse will have to use this branch for banking transactions.

I also met up with Alyse Kwon, but I forgot to take a photo. She is laying and strengthening the foundation for SfK ITAM USA Inc., a marketing agency that aims to serve Korean companies and small businesses in the region. 

The greatest joy for us was our visit to Laguna Beach, which provided us with a fond memory. We sat down at the famous Las Brisas, a Mexican restaurant, and walked along the beach. It is a beautiful place and whenever we come our hearts get warmed.

Kristin also got together with Mindy Song separately. I see many challenges that California faces in various aspects, but it is a place we used to live and remains a place for us to want to visit once in a while. - Jeffrey

Sujin's Wedding, New York, New York (September 2024)

After the Camino de Santiago, I traveled back to New York via Madrid on September 20. Originally, I was planning to visit Azores Island after the Camino. Because Sujin's wedding was scheduled for September 21, I had changed my schedule to before the Camino, which ended up being canceled due to all air travel fiascos. 

Sujin and Daniel's wedding took place on a chartered boat that circled around Manhattan on the Hudson River. It was such a long time since we were on the Circle Line boat. It was a fond memory and experience to take part in the wedding on a boat.

As the sun fell over the horizon, Manhattan started turning on the lights to brighten the city. Manhattan or NYC is the best at night. Beautiful!

I am sure Sujin and Daniel were the happiest people on the boat. After them, I would say Sujin's mom probably was the second happiest person. Her big smile indicates her joy.

Daniel's parents would have been very happy, too. They looked very gentle and decent. We would have enjoyed getting to know them more had we had time to do so.

Their siblings were together and they looked very happy, too.

The boat was cruising on the Hudson River during the daytime passing by many buildings and landmarks. The most significant and outstanding landmark would be, of course, the Statue of Liberty. 

As the sun started setting, the horizon was turning its color to orange. The Statue of Liberty seemed to get more prominent during the sunset.

While the boat was cruising around, we dined and drank at our pleasure. Everyone has shared the joy of the wedding.

Sujin and Daniel joyfully shared their love story. We all enjoyed how they met and overcame a few challenges together over the past eight years. They were cute and lovely.

Before we boarded the boat at 5:30 PM, we were hanging out at a cafe, waiting for all invested guests. We took advantage of the occasion to get dressed up and took some photos of our own. The family photos were all nice and pretty.

It was 9:30 PM when we got off the boat. Kristin was struggling with her hip pain and we ended up taking a taxi to return to our hotel in Jamaica in Queens. It was a long day for her.

Kristin's oldest brother, Kwang Sung Won, and his wife were originally scheduled to travel to Korea when Kristin initially contacted them. Due to a family member's illness, however, they had to cancel their plan and were in New York. So we were able to get together over a meal. It was joyous.

Kristin and I had an opportunity to meet up with her friend Hee Ok Lee who got married late in her seventies over a meal. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo. 

It was a short three-day trip to New York, but quite eventful. - Jeffrey