I have been mentoring James for a number of years. He has been taking baby steps toward reconciling with his family. Reaching out to them brings fear. There is fear of rejection if they don’t reply. There is fear of stepping into reconciliation if they do.
This past week James was ready to face his fear of seeking a face to face reunion with his parents.
James lives with his good friend, Joe, who is also a Union Rescue Mission graduate and has become a man of God. For some time Joe has been stepping into a renewed relationship with his mother. It isn’t always smooth but he has come a long way. James and Joe have been talking and James has been observing Joe’s reunion process and progress. He finally decided he wanted what Joe has reclaimed.
In James Korean culture it is very difficult to return to the family once they have been shamed. In James mind, it is very difficult to try given his own shame. This past week he sent an electronic invitation to his parents to meet face to face to meet them at a restaurant for dinner in San Diego where they live.
James informed me that he was both anxious and excited when his father responded quickly with a simple “yes”.
Last Saturday James drove to San Diego and in the front of the restaurant, as he was walking up, he laid eyes on his father for the first time in almost 14 years. He was greeted with a handshake and a “hello son”.
His mother was inside waiting. Although James father is a man of few words and even less emotion, his mother is a mother. She told him how she had worried for him over the years not knowing if he was even alive. She told him she missed him. He struggled to fight back the tears. Healing has begun for all three in their own ways. God is at work.
Please pray for James and the process of reconciling with his family. Pray for the next steps and the healing to continue. James had a big smile on his face when he shared the picture he had taken with his parents this past weekend.
– Pastor Dan