This last time, when Terry went home overseas,* she had a whole new experience sharing the Gospel.
Terry came to the US on her own when she was 15 and came to Christ at age 17 after she started attending church with her host family—a family she met through a campus sign-up for airport pickups. In college, she did “a few things with the Navs,” but it was the life-long mentoring relationships that began then that have carried her through, first, helping her walk through her hurts and anger, and today, dealing with her “singleness issues.” Over time, she has learned to see “God as more complex, and people as more complex.”
One thing that was particularly hard was learning how to share her faith. In the early days, Terry “aggressively shared the Gospel” with her mom, who did respond (and threw away all her Buddhism books). But for a long time, Terry was “not sure” about her mom’s walk with God. It was not until Terry began to forgive, love, and respect her mom that they began to read the Bible and pray together. Dad’s initial response to Terry’s faith was, “It’s your religion,” but now (since mentioning seminary), things have gotten rocky! “What about medical school!” Dad did not mind faith being an “add-on,” but interrupting career plans has caused a rift.
The first time Terry went home to Korea, she “was not very mature (chronologically or spiritually).” The lack of community and schedule, as well as a lack of good use of that time, led to some poor decisions. “There was not much people could look up to!”
But this last time she went home was different. “The younger generation (cousins and ½ brothers and sisters) seem very open.”
What’s made the difference?
A big part of the change was Terry. “Today, I just have more peace; I’m able to work through hurts. I guess I’ve grown up a bit.” The past ten years have brought “major healing! Learning to trust. God providing through a TA-ship. Allowing God to provide and not demanding from others. Today, it is easier to forgive! Now, I’m able to pray together with people, including my mom. It just takes time. And work!”
Resources
Terry’s story is not a “model.” But it does provide some perspective and prompts a few questions:
- What is it like for you to go home, either to your family, old friends, or old places?
- To live your faith well (and share it with others), what kind of help do you need? If you are going back home, what do you need to do to get it? (Find fellowship? Find a friend? Get time alone? Something else?)
- If you are getting that help, where would you say you are in the process: just getting started, somewhere in the middle, ready to help someone else? If you are alone, is there someone you can reach out to?
- Are there things that are hard to trust God for?
For a written resource on “living and sharing the Gospel,” Dean Storelli (part of the Resheh team) has written a short book, Talk: Sharing the Gospel through Listening, Learning, Loving and Laughing with the People Around Us Every Day.
