Dog-like MOM Missions

A while ago, I was asked a favor from an acquaintance. The MOM (Messengers of Mercy) Missions was holding a mission expo in the New York area and asked me to do an Indian mission report and arrange a network with people who were interested in the area. I rejected the offer since I hated flying and worried about losing a few days’ work. While considering the offer, after being asked a second time, a typical characteristic of people from Gaeseong that ‘If you fall, at least you got to pull a weed before you get back up.” It seemed to be a waste of time to fly out for just that single reason, and I needed to have another one. I racked my brain about what I should do in New York if I go there. Last time when I visited New York, I was considering going to Broadway to watch a musical. It wasn’t attractive going alone to the theatre. I kept thinking, “Well, there was something I wanted to do when I go to New York…”

Then it dawned on me that I wrote a story of serum run in “Caleb’s Cry” four years ago that saved many people by transporting medicine in Alaska through a dog-sled team. I also remembered for whatever reason that a statue of the dog was in Central Park. I made a promise to myself at the time that I would see the statue of Balto in person someday. That day had come. I hurriedly reserved my flight and arranged my schedule. Calming down my excited heart, I headed to NY taking my camera and extra batteries.

It was already passed 10:30 p.m. by the time the meeting was over. I was planning to go back to the hotel to take a rest and then take a bus and subway the next day for the trip but I had an unexpected change of schedule when one of the hosting staffers said, “Since we can’t miss this valuable opportunity, let’s…” Since I was a guest, there was nothing I could do and so two hours passed. When I came back to my hotel, it was already very late, but the speakers from Michigan and Georgia were asked to gather in the lobby this time. After I had finished all those meetings it was 3:00 am. After I came back to my room, I talked with my roommate, Dr. Choi, who was teaching education about this and that ministry and his research, and it became 4:20 a.m.

In the morning after I woke up, I wanted to carry out the plan I had set for a long time but the time didn’t work again. I was so sorry that I had to give up. I talked to the front person and it seemed possible time wise if I used taxi. Since I couldn’t go back without seeing Balto, after I had come all this way, I called for a taxi. The taxi that arrived was a limousine used for weddings. I bargained with the driver and made a deal at a cheaper price than a taxi. Thinking upon myself, who was going to Central Park to see a statue of a dog by taking the luxurious limo that had a bar and a TV, I thought myself hilarious. Though I didn’t notice when I was bargaining the price, the driver was very bad at speaking English. He understood the word ‘Central Park,’ but didn’t know what ‘statue’ was let alone ‘Balto’ and pointed at all the passing dogs asking whether that was the right one. It seemed like we had circled the park 6 times. So frustrated, I myself asked a horseman who was passing by and heard that it was located where 67^th street and 5^th street crossed. Since there was no parking space, I told the driver to pick me up after circling the park a few times and then got out. I ran because I knew if I made him wait too long the price might go up. While running, it came into my view: the statue of Balto that I had wanted to see for four years.

MOM and Balto deliver the medicine that saves people. Dr. Choi Soon-Ja (Pediatrician, the director of MOM), who makes all kinds of sacrifices to carry out the task given to her without realizing how much helpful the work that they do really is to the recipients, was really like Balto. Last year when I invited her and had a dinner meeting with a few people, the way she ran to the goal single-mindedly was that of Balto. And Sister Rhee, Ji-Young (an engineer, missionary, local representative of MOM), and Mrs. Ashley Choi, Professor Ike Cho, etc. reminded me of Togo and 150 dogs who faithfully pulled the sled.

The musher, who led the sled, couldn’t open his eyes while going though the heavy snow that made his own hands invisible in the cold of minus 40 degrees. In the situation, where aircrafts were grounded, the only hands of help that would run 1000 km were 20 teams of dog-sled. Of course, Balto was not the only dog that accomplished the work. But Balto and his team members became heroes because they ran two lanes consecutively that two teams should have run to deliver the medicine to the doctors which saved many lives.

My oldest son Joo-Hyeong accompanied a medical team that was dispatched to the Amazons of Brazil when he was just seventeen years old. When I look closely into mission organizations that are involved extensively in works like sending great amounts of medical supplies to North Korea, Africa, South America, poor countries in South-East Asia, Mexico and Central America, as well as helping with the education, agriculture, small business training and investment, I can see that though there are great leaders like Balto, there are far more members who do not take the lead but follow from behind, and I learn many things from them. In this generation that thinks taking the lead and becoming a leader is the best thing, I want to applaud MOM members who handle the hard tasks behind the scenes.

While sharing my ministry at the mission expo, I learn many things and was challenged by the other speakers and churches. My trip to NY this time was especially awesome because I finally met Balto.