Korean Connection

My cousin Nadiya (Won San, "Complete Mountain") is a Buddhist monk in Korea. I mean the real thing; she takes the practice of her Buddhist monastic life with the utmost seriousness. After five years of formation and training as a novice she was recently ordained as as a full fledged monk. We have been in touch from time to time over the years, but have been in close contact since I saw her for the first time in a long time just before coming to Sudan in the fall of 2008. From that point on we have communicated regularly. Won San has been a great source of encouragement to me here, in terms of her ongoing lively interest and concern for the people of Sudan and my efforts to serve them, but also by the way she has challenged me through the earnestness and discipline with which she pursues her monastic life.

A few months ago, with the support of her teacher, she arranged a donation of beads, crucifixes, cord and other materials necessary to make several hundred rosaries to send to Sudan. Before the materials could be shipped, however, her teacher died suddenly and tragically in an automobile accident. The rosary materials were then given in honor and memory of Won San's teacher, Dae An Sunim. Please remember her in your prayers.

As Won San was preparing to send the rosary materials, she encouraged me repeatedly to send some religious images that could be silk-screened very inexpensively on polyester cloth in Korea. She was concerned about the devastation of church buildings from the war in Southern Sudan and the lack of religious images with which the people could pray. So I tried to design a number of large hangings (the ones with the pictures are 4' x 5') with images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Bakhita and the Uganda Martyrs, as well as other smaller banners with Scripture quotes. The prints turned out very beautifully, and those who have seen them so far really like them. We will use them in the evangelization activities we have planned for the visiting mission team, and also at Mercy House.

Thank you Won San! Thank you Dae An Sunim! I am very grateful for the encouragement and support that comes from our Korean connection.

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