Jim and Nanci Long, Missionaries to Indonesia
We have come to see that the Light of the World…
… shines through us, even when we are unaware of it, which makes sense since Jesus also said, “You are the light of the world.” Our light comes from him, of course, as the moon’s light is from the sun. When we were still in Karawaci Nanci had discovered that the Korean expats in our building were largely unchurched and began a bible study/English class that took off like a rocket. Some of these women and their children were baptized at PAC (one by the visiting Primate of Australia!) and joined PAC, but as time passed, many returned to Korea.
Nanci asked me if we could spend our vacation visiting them there. I agreed and we learned a great deal and made some new friends as well as encouraging our old ones. As we planned the trip I recalled that I was in contact with a Korean couple we had known back in Queens, N.Y. They had been newlyweds at the time, struggling along through college, and although they were not Christians per se, they had bee invited to our church and had attended regularly. I shot them a message via FB, but never heard back until just before the trip. Jung, the wife, informed me that she and Bart were very keen to see us. She seldom looked at her FB and had just seen my message.
Thus, we added a stop in their hometown of Seoul, and they met us and made such a fuss over us that I could scarcely believe it. They remembered so many things we had long forgotten. I had visited the hospital when they had their only child. They had named him America, and I had given them a flag, and they still had it. Among their fondest memories was the invitation I had extended during the holiday season to visit my parents’ home and spend the day eating turkey and dressing and all the trimmings. I had forgotten that entirely, but to that young couple alone in New York City it had meant the world. Bart was no longer a struggling student now, but a big shot in his international company, and they treated us to a lovely dinner and gave us gifts that were entirely over the top. We talked over spiritual things of course, and I discovered that they are still not baptized, but at least they have had the chance to experience the light and love of the Savior. I pray they find a point of that light there in Seoul, so that we’ll be sure to see them again.
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