Seasons come and go, years come and go and so are many things in life. There is time for everything; a time to welcome and a time to say goodbye. As a pastor in an expatriate church, I have had the privilege of welcoming and bidding farewell to many brothers and sisters from around the world. Yes, as much as I have enjoyed welcoming, I have also agonized in saying goodbyes. It takes times to get to know each others but the nature of our stay in Korea (wherever for the case of an expat) is such that just about the time we get to know and enjoy each others' fellowship, we must move on. Life has to go on and certain things must be left behind in order to move forward in life. Friendships and fellowships are also victims of such a state in life. Having had the opportunity to befriend many, I can only count a handful with whom I still enjoy this deep sense of fellowship long after they moved on from here. Thanks to the world of social media; I can still see some glimpses in the lives of others that are still connected in that medium. Maybe I am equally guilty of not pursuing active fellowship with friends that have found themselves in other parts of the world doing what God intended them to be doing. I guess a few of these friends appeared to be glad to have gotten rid of me so that I would not poke my nose into their business.
My heart is also filled with joy for the friends that have stuck with me quite sometime now in this city. I think they have nearly discovered my strength and weakness and have decided to tag along with me as long as I stay here and that means a lot to me. The privilege of worshiping the Lord together; to read his word, to preach and teach his word in the company of these friends have enriched my social and spiritual life more than I could have ever experienced without them. They have tolerated my inadequate knowledge of the western world/culture/language. They have taught me that in a country like Korea, racism can be overcome and prejudices can be corrected. I hope they stay with me until I leave this place.
But today, my heart is deeply moved as we have to say goodbye to a few committed members of our fellowship. Katie has been with us a long time now. When she came, she had friends with her but they all kept moving but she remained faithful in our fellowship, sang in the choir and she always brightened the face of our worship. Saree and Male made our fellowship much richer with their unwavering faith in the goodness of the Lord and their indomitable spirit of love and joy in serving the Lord by serving his church. Ever since they were willing to lend their hands, never once did they shy away from fulfilling their responsibility, never did they complain for not having a friend. When Saree first came to our fellowship, I did not notice anyone particularly befriending her. She sat and stood alone a few weeks but that did not stop her from serving the Lord. She stepped forward and began to build friendships. When Male came in, Saree took her under her friendship as she did to many others. Once she leaves, there is going to be an empty hole there in our fellowship. We are glad that Male will still be in Korea and hoping her to visit us once a while.
Change in inevitable and change is better than stagnation but at the same time it can be challenging and fearful. May the Lord continue to guide the steps of these precious sisters in the Lord so that they may live their lives for the glory of God. May the Lord open doors for them and make ways before them. May the Lord bring right kind of people to fill in the gap they will be leaving behind.