After Returning from Yanbian Welfare Hospital

This was my first medical mission since joining the clinic.

After packing our equipment late into the night, I arrived early the next morning and traveled to Incheon International Airport with the rest of the JC BITSOMANG EYE CLINIC team.

As I boarded the plane, I felt both nervous and excited. I wondered, “Will I be able to do my job well without making mistakes?” At the same time, I sincerely hoped that I could be of some help to the people we were going to serve.

Because I had barely slept, I fell asleep almost immediately after boarding the plane.

The airport where we were originally scheduled to land was temporarily closed because of military training, so our plane had to make an emergency stop at another airport. After refueling, we continued to Yanji Airport and arrived approximately two to three hours later than planned.

After finally arriving, we encountered another challenge at customs. The officers asked us to open all of our luggage for inspection.

I worried that the medical instruments and intraocular lenses we had brought might be confiscated, but thankfully, we were able to pass through customs without any problems.

We then traveled by car to Yanbian Welfare Hospital.

Although Yanbian is located in China, many of the signs and familiar words reminded us that the Korean ethnic community there shares the same cultural roots. Hearing and seeing a familiar language made the surroundings feel less foreign.

After unpacking our equipment in the hospital’s well-equipped operating room and having dinner, we left to attend a Wednesday worship service.

When we entered an apartment, many people had already gathered there. Worshiping together in a foreign land felt especially meaningful and moving.

On the second day, surgery finally began in cooperation with the surgical team at Yanbian Welfare Hospital.

Perhaps because we were able to communicate in the same language, it did not feel as though we were working in another country. Instead, it felt more like visiting another hospital in Korea to assist with surgery.

The hospital in Yanbian reminded me of Korean hospitals from the 1980s or early 1990s.

I once visited Severance Hospital and saw a display about Jejungwon, Korea’s first modern hospital. It had begun as a small and modest medical facility, yet it eventually grew into one of the country’s leading hospitals.

Seeing that history made me realize that Korea owes a great debt to the Gospel and to the love and service it received from others. God had taken that small hospital and allowed it to grow beyond what anyone could have imagined.

Now, more than a century later, we are able to share that same love with people in other countries.

It was deeply moving.

I found myself thinking that perhaps Yanbian Welfare Hospital might also grow one day, just as Severance Hospital did. I realized how precious even a small seed of service can be, and I felt grateful simply to be standing there and taking part in it.

When I was in high school, I once prayed:

“God, please send me to a place that is poor and in need, like Africa. Let me become someone who shares Your love with the people there.”

I had completely forgotten that I had prayed those words. Yet while serving in Yanbian, that prayer suddenly came back to me, along with the heart I had carried at the time.

I was reminded once again that no prayer is ever wasted.

Although I had forgotten, God had not forgotten my prayer. He was answering it in His own time.

Before I knew it, the third and final day had passed.

I do not know whether I will ever return to Yanbian, nor do I know where I will be standing ten years from now.

Still, this is my hope:

Wherever I may stand, may I stand there carrying the Gospel of God.

Wherever I may be, may I carry His love with me.

May I continue to pray for His Kingdom and live each day faithfully, giving my very best in everything I do.

Yanbian reminded me of the days when I loved God with all the passion of my youth. It also gave me an opportunity to reflect again on the purpose and direction of my life.

I am deeply grateful to God and to JC BITSOMANG EYE CLINIC for giving me this precious opportunity.