“Annyeonghaseyo”! Hello. That’s the only word I can speak in Korean. And according to my beloved daughter, Faith, I don’t pronounce it very well.
Faith knew that she wanted to live in South Korea when she graduated college. It was during her sophomore year in high school that she got exposed to, and bitten by, the K-Pop bug that accelerated her interest in the Korean culture altogether. From that moment, she watched videos and K-Dramas, enrolled in a Korean language class in a local church (Yes, she was the ONLY African American in that class!) and began, almost feverishly, studying the language and culture as if she were on a mission. By the time Faith reached her junior year in high school, she had her eye on Binghamton University in New York, which offered Korean Culture courses that would lead to a study-abroad opportunity in South Korea. That was all she needed.
Fast forward to today, K-Pop having been abandoned long ago, and having earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Linguistics, Korean Studies and TESOL….Faith is now living her dream and mission: she’s an English teacher in South Korea…now. (NOW?) She is experiencing her new adult life on the other side of the world during, what promises to be, perhaps, one of the most unprecedented moments in our world’s history witnessed by our generation. By the time Faith completed her master’s program this past December, she was already waiting for all the paperwork she submitted to her host language program to be processed for a February, 2020 start. And it had come through effortlessly! Not at all like the snafus and hold-ups in May and June of 2019, when her paperwork was held up. When Faith was told in June that she would not be able to start in August, but rather, have to wait until February of the following year, she was heartbroken. It was only as the summer progressed and she became privy to the death and dying process of her maternal grandmother that she saw God’s hand on timing. Timing. Now it all made sense. So when Faith was cleared by both governments to leave for Korea in February, all paperwork and documents approved, she braced herself for the new adventure in her new “home”. At the time, we honestly had no idea what else was about to take place.
At the beginning of 2020, the world was beginning to change due to news coming from China. Then, subsequently, news from South Korea. The COVID-19 virus was spreading en masse in China and had just begun it’s spread in the Seoul and Daegu areas of South Korea. OK. Faith was due to leave in a matter of days, and she was faced with the decision again of delaying relocation. As her parents, we asked if she would consider postponing this trip again? (Fat chance.) She didn’t hesitate: “nope”. Now, if she were 17 or 18 faced with this decision, as her parents, we would have pushed our parental authority and said “wait”. But she’s an adult now. We don’t have that authority anymore…we just advise. So…….she left. And amidst our own grief of having her leave us for, at least, a YEAR, the additional challenge was the anxiety of this virus spreading in the land Faith would now make her adopted home.
I was doing fine for a few days after Faith’s departure. Not one to get caught up in the news, we stayed in contact with her several times a day. We monitored the Flight Tracker, she had registered with the American embassy in South Korea before she left, and she navigated traveling…ALONE…to her destination like a pro. As soon as she entered the country of South Korea, she was taken aside for a medical screening. Right away. She was then joined by her team of teachers for orientation before moving into her new apartment. That was when I had my own mini panic attack. The fire of excitement in moving into her own place was quickly doused by the condition of the apartment.
When we video-chatted with Faith, she had just moved in, discovering the apartment filthy and unheated. No doubt due to the previous teacher’s neglect. (Who had moved on without cleaning it first, mind you.) The thought of our daughter in a cold, filthy apartment halfway around the world, with a pandemic spreading in the country now broke me. The news stories were coming in fast and furious by this time, and good-willed friends and family were reaching out to us asking how Faith was doing, and “are you SURE she should be in South Korea NOW”? When I saw my daughter sleeping in her coat in her new place, I got on the floor, on my face, and began praying. I had been praying all along, but this day my prayers were both desperate pleas along with desperate questions to God. “Why, Lord, would you allow her to go to this country, NOW, knowing what was about to happen?” “Can I really trust you, God?” “Please take care of her. Please don’t let my faith and trust in you be put to shame!” I was praying, desperately believing and desperately fearful at the same time.
The very next day, Faith’s co-teacher and school responded to her request for help in cleaning the apartment by having a cleaning crew and repairmen in her place. By the end of the day her place was cleaned; a few days later, new furniture was delivered and repairs to the walls were made. Faith’s place had begun to become a place of comfort and warmth (they have heated floors, y’all!). She was starting to shop in her community, navigating and communicating with locals comfortably. By the way, EVERYONE wears masks. EVERYONE. EVERYWHERE. They don’t play. Teachers are provided with masks, thermometers and access to healthcare. Businesses are open, but due to widespread COVID-19 testing (over 290,000 people), emergency alerts are texted to phones to inform of locations of all positive testers. If that infected person was in a store or establishment, it will shut down for cleaning and disinfecting. Most importantly, people who are informed can avoid those areas and continue social distancing. Because of the aggressive way South Korea had moved to contain this virus in it’s own country, I felt a sense of safety and confidence that officials were doing all they could to ensure the safety of those within their borders. Which helped decrease our anxiety about Faith being there. God had shown me that he was faithful to His Word. I didn’t need to be anxious and have panic attacks worrying about her there.
On the contrary, perhaps I should have been having panic attacks worrying about us here in the U.S., as the virus started spreading steadily throughout the country since February. While I initially worried about our daughter getting sick in South Korea, I began to succumb to flu-like symptoms that kept me sick for weeks. Needless to say, as my symptoms worsened, I tried to get tested for COVID-19…on 4 separate occasions, but was refused testing because I had not come into contact with anyone who tested positive. (How would I know? They haven’t been tested!!) My own country doesn’t have enough tests, so there are probably thousands of infected people walking around not knowing their medical status, infecting each other. My doctor advised that if I DID have the virus, better to be quarantined in my own home rather than in a hospital risking further illness or using a necessary bed. Therefore, I have been quarantined for nearly 2 weeks. So while I was worried about Faith being sick with this virus because she is living in South Korea, it was I who became vulnerable to it right here at home! Go figure! (Do you think God is trying to tell me something? Remember that scene in “The Color Purple”?)
Faith has been living abroad for over a month now, and if you were to ask me if I want her to come home now, I, too, would say “Nope!” The U.S. has been crippled by this disease that is spreading here like wildfire, and sickness and death is being reported daily. Lack of tests. Lack of protective gear for hospital staff. Lack of respirators and ventilators for patients. Lack of hospital beds. Social distancing should be lifted because we need to keep working to maintain our economy, thus putting more people at risk….again. Our nation’s leaders are perplexed, confused, divided and anxious in how to guide a country through this bizarre moment in time. But, on the other side of the world in South Korea, there appears to be a steady hand that is beginning to see a decrease in infection, hospitalization and death. There is little panic. And why should there be? They were better prepared for this. Faith is better off remaining in South Korea than being here right now. Go figure…..
God’s timing. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense at first. Not to us, anyway. But if we trust Him, He will, in His time, show us He had it worked out all along. I don’t know what will happen on this side of the world, but given all that I am witnessing……I choose to trust God. Especially now. I think He’s got a better handle on this thing than we do. “…Then you will know that I am Yahweh; those who put their hope in Me will not be put to shame” – Isaiah 49:23
Stacey Genenne 