SOUTH KOREA,THANK YOU!

BY: FR. WILLY JESENA, CSSR

Last month, as the plane took off for our flight to Manila, I felt sad to say “Goodbye” to South Korea. It was my second home for over 32 years. And so my mind raced back in time to the many experiences of my missionary life there.
During those 32 years, I encountered many people: Koreans and other foreigners. I have celebrated Holy Masses in Korean and also in Tagalog, among the Filipino migrant workers. I have listened to the people’s joys and woes. I have blessed them individually and in groups . I have enjoyed with them celebrations like baptism and other special life events. All these experiences will remain precious memories in my old age. I arrived in South Korea as a stranger. I had no previous knowledge of the Koreans, their culture and their language. After I had been there for about two months, I dared to celebrate my first Korean language Mass. It was in the convent of the Divine Zeal Sisters. The Mass lasted for over an hour. The Sisters were happy to have their Mass but I may have spoiled it a bit with my wrong pronunciation of words. One of the Sisters politely told me: “Simbunim, Father, the word for faith is “fidum” but you said “midum” which translates to dandruff. I laughed with the Sisters Korean foods are mostly spicy.

“I am very grateful to God for making me an instrument of His love in my Korean mission. Missionary life is not only doing big things. It also is many small things done with care and love. These go a long way to a relationship with God.”

The plain and delicious ones are just like our Filipino dishes. Speaking about taste, I remember when one of our seminarians offered me a snack, he had bought from a sidewalk vendor. It tasted like shrimp and only later was I told that it was actually silkworms! With two other Redemptorist companions, a Thai and a Brazilian, we established the Redemptorist community in South Korea. Sadly, we lost several vocations. But today, we have eight Korean priests, two Brothers and one professed student. They are keeping alive the Redemptorist Korea Region. Thank God! Missionary life is not always enjoyable. 

Sometimes there were big challenges before us. One of these was my bout with serious colon cancer. I was nearly at death’s door as I was already disposing blood. When I met the internist doctor, he told me: “Tonight, you have to enter the hospital!” Over a period of nine days, I underwent many medical tests, and on the tenth day, I was operated on. The surgeon generously cut part of my colon to remove all possible infected areas of it. I opened my eyes at the operating table and discovered my left hand tightly gripping the rosary. A kind confrere had put it there. Chemotherapy sessions followed my surgery but I was able to live a normal life after a year. Thank God for extending my life. Oh yes, don’t let me forget to tell you about the Krispy Kreme story! My nephew who was working in Korea joined a photo contest that depicted the Filipino migrant’s life in Korea. He brought me to a snack bar of Krispy Kreme. There, rather spontaneously, he had an idea – to take a photo of me and the tasty doughnuts. He asked me to pick up two Krispy Kreme doughnuts and hold them before my eyes like eyeglasses. Then he shot the photo! The result? First prize – free round-trip tickets from Seoul to Manila and back ! As for me, I was left with two delicious doughnuts!