October 7, 2009

This is not a return of the gift, but a gift that keeps on giving.

Dear Friends,

During the General Assembly Mission Council meeting of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Louisville, the delegation from the Yodogawa Christian Hospital (YCH) in Osaka, Japan made a gift of $208,577 to PC(USA)’s World Mission.

During the preparation for GAMC presentation.  From left: Simon, Dr. and Mrs.  Mukubo, Ms. Soga, and the Rev. David Hudson, area coordinator for Asia and the Pacific.

In 1955, Presbyterian Women gave their Birthday Offering to a clinic that had just been opened by a Presbyterian missionary doctor, Frank Brown. The Birthday Offering was started in 1922 to celebrate the blessings in the lives of Presbyterian women. The entire sum of the offering in 1955 went to a project to help poor people without adequate healthcare living near the banks of Yodogawa River. $208,577 was the seed money for the 76-bed hospital, which opened in 1956. Fifty-three years later, YCH is planning a entirely new campus less than half a mile from the current site. In the midst of planning for the new campus, leaders from the YCH traveled to Louisville to make their presentation to the GAMC. This event was covered by the Presbyterian News Service here.

Throughout their history, Presbyterians started and developed medical and educational institutions in every country that God sent them to. Many of these institutions went on to become renowned institutions. Very few of these institutions, however, maintained their mission roots. As they became large and successful, they drifted away from the church, partly to compete with secular institutions and partly because the church did not provide the best management structure for these institutions. Yodogawa Christian Hospital, however, stayed within the mission structure, and the Christian witness of its motto, “Care for the whole person,” is an important principle. It is obvious that their decision to stick with their Christian roots did not suffer hurt them in secular measurements: this year’s survey of medical institutions ranked YCH as one of three top private hospitals in Japan. Deep faith does not have to compete with quality, even in the secular world.

As part of my work with the Japan Mission, I have been working with the leaders of YCH, and I have seen the truth of the often-heard phrase “A Christian lives in the world, but is not of the world.” Such Christians do exist and indeed serve as the salt and light of the world. I have the honor and joy of working with them during the next three years as they build the new campus.

When a journalist asked why the gift was given to Presbyterian World Mission rather than, say, to the Presbyterian Women, the answer came back quickly and with clarity. “This is not a return of the gift,” said Dr. Mukubo, the superintendent of YCH, “but a gift that keeps on giving. Presbyterian Women planted a seed in Japan, it grew and is bearing fruit. The best way to thank PW and honor God is to replant the seed in another place of need and nurture it to health growth.” I can only say amen to that.

Later this month, Simon is traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) to work with the office and local partners. The records on the yellow card show that some of his immunization shots are over ten years old, which means he’ll need a fresh round of shots. It also means our initial journey to Congo was more than ten years ago. Malaria prophylaxis pills are back in the regimen. This trip will once again remind us how easy living conditions are in Korea.

The call for Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) in Korea for next year just went live on PC(USA)’s “One Door” Web site. We hope to be answering many inquiries, and we ask you to share the opportunity with young adults in discernment. Haejung is back in school and plans to complete her graduate work before the young folks arrive in Korea next September. Pray for her as she prepares to serve as the site coordinator for the YAV program in Korea.

Talk to you next month.

Simon and Haejung

The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, 120