Denver, Colorado (January 2026)

Kristin went to Amanda's home in Denver, Colorado, on December 23, and I went there on December 31. Until we both returned home on January 20, we stayed there to meet our fifth grandchild, Judah, and spend time with his big brothers, Eli and Gabriel, on top of Amanda and Ray. Now the Smith family consists of five members. 

While we were there, we had a few snow days. Colorado is truly beautiful when covered with white snow. 

When I first held Judah, I prayed for God's grace upon him earnestly. May he become like the Lion of Judah in the bible for the Kingdom of God!

I offered to take Eli and Gabe to their pre-school and pick them up in the afternoon. It was not an easy job, but I was glad to spend time with them through this journey. Both of them were quite handful, but it was a great joy to spend time with them, nonetheless. 

I met up with Kelvin Huh, one of my former colleagues, still living and working in Colorado. 

Also, I bumped into Mr. Joong Kap Kwon, Chairman of H-Mart in Colorado. When I was working for Premier Bank, we made a loan to him to buy the supermarket building. It was a joyful reunion, although quite short. 

 

Another meet-up I thoroughly enjoyed was with Young Cho, now 92 years old, who served as a member of the Premier Bank board of directors. We met at Sonoda's, a Japanese restaurant where I ate Seafood Udon, my favorite food, which I enjoyed while I was working downtown Denver. 

There was a hiking trail near Amanda's house, and we both walked almost every day. The snow-capped Rocky Mountain was always a remarkable view. 

Before we left Denver, we had a get-together with Chuck and Eunice. We are long-time friends. Eunice had a minor stroke, but she seemed almost fully recovered. She has lost some weight. Chuck also had a heart issue, but he looked quite active with a medical mission ministry through GMMA. They have been faithful supporters of SfK Ministries, for which I am deeply grateful.

After a long pause, I had a reunion over lunch with Pastor Brad, senior pastor of Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church. He was one of the professors when I studied at the Denver Seminary.

I had an opportunity to come by to see the house we used to live in. 10746 Dorado Avenue, Englewood, Colorado. Our children all went to school from this house. We had a precious memory. 

Amanda and Kristin get along pretty well, and they look good together.

Gabriel seems quite proud of his baby brother. 

On the day we left, I took a photo with Eli and Gabe, who were wearing the Dinosaur T-shirts we bought at Dinosaur Adventure, which comes next. 

 It is truly joyous to see our grandchildren grow up little by little. What a blessing it is! - Jeffrey

Dulles, Virginia (December 2025)

 

While I was at home to take care of some matters, I made a two-night trip to Dulles, Virginia, primarily to meet up with Rev. Dongho Kim, who was visiting to preach at a few local churches. I played golf with Pastor Kim twice. I was invited to stay at the mansion house of Mr. Hoon Kim, who was a successful businessman in the construction materials.

I had a good meeting with Hoon Kim and his daughter, who was a pianist. Her piano performance was beautiful. I am not sure what the Lord has in store, but we agreed to stay in touch.

I believe in God's providence far beyond our limited imagination. I look forward to witnessing how He works out through this newfound relationship. - Jeffrey 

Orange County, California (December 2025)

While I was in Oakland, California, I made an overnight trip to Orange County to have dinner with Kingdom Fellows to explain about SHINE Alliance. Sam Kim, Donghoon Choi, Christine Kang, Alyse Kwon, Jamie Lee, and Jinsoo Kim were there. Grace Kim was the only one who missed the opportunity to meet up. They are all wonderful colleagues to serve the Lord together with SHINE Alliance.

I also met up with Sangpil An, who was my former colleague. He also retired from banking, now working with a few real estate investors.  - Jeffrey

Oakland, California (December 2025)

 In November, Joyce gave birth to Avery, her second child. Kristin and I shortened our trip to Mazatlan and headed to Oakland, California, to see Avery and help out. He was our fourth grandchild, and so cute and beautiful!

Not only did we hold Avery, but we also played with Myles, Avery's big brother. He had grown up quite a bit. He was able to talk a lot better and more. How adorable! He looked quite mature!

Kristin and I went along with Kyle and Myles to see the lighting of the Christmas tree in front of Alameda City Hall. There was a huge crowd, and we enjoyed a short time there. 

One of the things we did with Myles was take a walk along the seashore, throwing a few stones in the pond. They were precious moments.

We have a long-time friend couple who live in Rancho Palos Verdes in Southern California: Mr. and Mrs. Song. Their daughter Helen, is married and living in Northern California, close to Joyce's. They had a second-year birthday party for their son, and I went along with Kyle and Myles to see them. 

One of the things I enjoyed while visiting Joyce was walking along the seashore on the hiking trail. The birds, the sunset, the sea breeze, the San Francisco city view, and the structures at houses along the trail were all memorable. 

We had a get-together with Young Shim, my former colleague and Kristin's high school alumnus, over lunch. She has agreed to serve together with SHINE Alliance, as Regional Ambassador for the ERD USA Network. I was excited about the joint ministry opportunity! God provides!

One day, Kritin and I made a day trip to San Francisco via ferry. We walked around the city, hung out at the ferry building, and had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant, where we enjoyed a meal sponsored by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

A few companies, including Tesla and Waymo, are experimenting with unmanned robo-taxis. San Francisco is one of the test cities. We saw a few robo-taxis roaming on the city streets.

By the time we returned to Alameda, the sun was setting, giving us a beautiful orange sky.

Our stay was not long, but long enough to miss our home. I had to come home to take care of some house matters, but Kristin had to fly directly to Denver, Colorado, because Amanda gave birth almost one month before the expected delivery date. - Jeffrey