“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24: 6)
South Korea and War
I am now living in a distant land. Although I have my wife and child with me it isn’t quite like being at home in the States. Being stationed in South Korea, especially at the moment, is uneasy and yet we try to live our lives normally day to day. However, we cannot fully relax because we always are ready to react, at the spur of a moment, knowing we might have to evacuate our families elsewhere. We have plans in place for those unwanted times. jesus want me to alert but not alarmed:
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24: 6).
Rumors create high tension, and with living in an environment that could go to war at any time, it is best to be ready. I knew that there were going to be high tension points at times being where we are, in South Korea but I do feel safe in my faith, in my life in Christ.
I would like to say when I moved halfway across the world to a foreign country, it was harder for my parents and siblings that are stateside than it was for me. Even though with modern technology, the time difference with work hours makes communication inconvenient. I could only imagine those in Biblical times, especially Jesus’ Apostles and Disciples, who travelled to a foreign land without such technology and were also persecuted for their beliefs.
Sometimes location is a key factor. I have been in places where they didn’t want our military assistance, and then in other places, they supported us. Sometimes this could occur even in the same area, one group encourages the support while others are defiant about us being here.
Being far from home, wanting to make a difference, listening to rumors and ridicule is, for me, more challenging than the actual mission itself. The anxiety of waiting, of always being ready for the worst case scenario is harder than the actual facts of my day to day mission as a soldier in South Korea.
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24: 6)
5 thoughts on “A Devotional: Living With Rumours of War in South Korea”
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Could you write about the Catholic faith in South Korea? I have read it is rapidly growing.
Hi Kevin, thank you for your comment. I am working on a topic similar to your request. To give you a brief overview of what I have seen and reviewed is Catholicism is growing, but it isn’t a strong standing religion base compared to Protestantism, however Christianity as a whole is the leader encompassing religion. Much like the states, it’s all about location, one area may only have one Catholic Church surrounded by other denomination churches. In Seoul, which is the 5th largest city in the world, has a large mixing of cultures which has more Catholic options if you will, compared to where I am currently at.
Thanks for your service and your Catholic witness, Brandon. The stress of serving there must be great. I work with a vet who served there during less stressful times and he has told me how our forces were just a speed bump there if North Korea decided to attack the South. Keep the faith, we are praying for you.
Hi David, thank you for the comment. It can be stressful at times, but much like the article, the rumors (hopefully) of war. And, yes, sadly we are a speed bump, but just enough for re-enforcements to come. Of course, with the possibility of war break outs there are other factors that come into play (politics with other countries). I was in Korea in 2004 on a different mission than I am now, the tension is probably higher now than before. Once again, thank you for your comment and prayers.