Sunday is my best day!

Sunday for me in Korea has always been a tiresome day.  In my early days in Korea, I used to travel from one city to another to help begin Nepali Churches; there are now three such congregations and all of them I ministered by travelling every weekend.  In those days when the weekend came, I felt two kinds of emotions; on the one hand I was excited to meet new people with whom I would spend long hours to share the love of God and also with the believers to teach from God's word.  But on the other hand, I had to leave my family behind since it was not practical for them to travel with me for long distance every week.  I wished for the day when I would be able to go to the church together with my family.

From this year beginning though, my wish came true.  An English Church in Daejeon asked for my service while the Nepali Church in Seoul was also wishing for my return.  I choose Daejeon and finally we all could go to the church together; well not together.  The thing in Korean Church is that a minister must be present in the Church from wee hours of Sunday and remain in the church until the midnight.  Fortunately for me, the church asked to come only from 7 in the morning to attend the staff meeting and then plan for the International worship and go home whenever it was done!  So, even if we cannot go to the church together, we can at least come  home together!  This has also helped us grow spiritually and by the time we are home on Sunday, I feel a great sense of satisfaction and achievement.  Unfortunately, not many Korean pastors and ministers can have the luxury that I have to spend time with my family.  They are there in the church all the time while the spouse and children create their own kind of existence at home.  I have met many individuals who are so tired of being a pastor's wife or husband and the same thing goes with the children.  How true is God's word that if we fail to take care of our own home, how can we take care of the family of God?

Pastor's job is not without challenges, but for me, I would not give up this calling for a world of other things.  It is in this calling that you get the privilege of entering in the world of other people where there is sorrow and joy, loss and gain, tears and cheers.  When I see someone being touched with God's word and smile coming back on their faces, my mission is accomplished.  In my early years, I never knew that what I say would make a difference in anyone's life, but may be the kind of experiences I have come from has accumulated something in me that finds resonance with those who are hurting in some ways.  Even after staying years in Korea, I can never get hold of Korean language, but am so grateful to God for opening an opportunity where I could minister to Koreans and foreigners in English.  Sunday has finally become the best day, not just for the ministry but also for the family!

It has bee a while

For those friends who were looking for us as what we are up to, sorry to say that for the last few months we really had no time for the blogs and things like that.  Life seems to have its own seasons in which you have time for everything and then suddenly you freeze in the business of this world.  Once this business gets on the way, even the mind does not have words to put forth.

Yesterday my wife reached Nepal and today she is ministering in the church.  Me and Martin, two men without a  woman in the house seem to have a lot of time but only to make the house dirty.  Whatever we cook, tastes terrible and I could not sleep the whole night...got up in the morning to find my head splitting with aches.  I never knew that I was this much dependent on my wife...can't imagine life without her.

It will be another few weeks until she comes back and wonder how we are going to manage...in two days we have already started the signs of panic in the kitchen.  But the good thing is that Martin has begun to take things seriously, he makes his own bed, even made breakfast for me.  Poor fellow, he can't sleep late in the morning because he has taken up the responsibility of looking after two dogs and two cats along with one hamster for his teachers who are on a long summer vacation.  Every day twice he has to take the dogs for walk out in the woods and then change the litter for the cats and feed them.  Sometimes I too accompany him to see those animals and how sad to see that even the animals feel lonely and depressed...unless Martin stays there, one of the dogs won't eat...when I see these pets, I am upset with their owners...why did they buy in the first place if they can't be with them always?  Poor animals really feel abandoned...wish they knew that their owners will surely return.  So, if the animals have the right to feel lonely, I think I have more to do so...only thing is that I know my wife will come in a few weeks, but wonder if these animals are so sure.  They may have waited a few days thinking the master is returning, but now it is already two weeks and they have kind of given up hope and are just happy to see at least Martin coming to see them twice a day.

This feeling tells me that life is all about relationships and even God is a Trinity, indicating that he is also a relational God.  The very reason he chose a human heart to reside also tells us how much God values our relationship with him.  My body is the temple of God where he dwells by his Holy Spirit...it is God's temple and I must treat it well and take care of it, keep it clean so that God can make me his dwelling place, so that I can feel his presence in my lowly body.

Ok, with his I hope to be posting few things daily in here and let the friends know that I am here and doing well even though am missing my wife.  Tomorrow is Sunday and I must be ready for the service but since tonight Korea is playing, I might stay up late once again.

A friend of mine left this car with me; an old DAEWOO but after repairing twice, its now running well...hope it does for a while.  We always wanted to visit surrounding areas of Daejeon and hopefully with this car, we can do that as a family...but the mileage is terrible!