A Special Going Away

On Wednesday night our Home Team hosted a going away party for our good friend Yangeun Yu who has been a member of our group for over two years. Yangeun and his family will be moving back to South Korea next week. He has been attending UPenn as a visiting scholar in their dental school.

Because of Yangeun’s love for CCV and the relationship he established in the church he had hoped to stay in Philly area and practice dentistry. Although this dream has not been currently realized, he is hopeful for a return trip and a permanent stay in the years to come.

Yangeun and I met a couple years ago during my commute into Philly. The evening before we met I had attended a HT meeting at the Pottstown Diner during which we were encouraged to invite some new people out to the group. My initial thought was how difficult it would be to find anyone in my area willing to come out to the group, since it took almost an hour to get there. The next morning as I was standing on the train platform a man whom I did not know ask me when the next train would arrive, this turned out to be Yangeun. I responded I was not sure and that was the end of our initial meeting. But in that moment I could sense God's Spirit prompting me to strike up a conversation, but I quickly squelched that thought and when the train arrived I sat as far away from him as possible. As I got off the train we queued up an in a line, as I looked up I was shocked to see Yangeun standing in front of me and he was holding a Bible. At that moment I said to God, okay, and began talking to him and invited him to our HT meeting. To my great shock he was interested and began attending the Men's Home Team that meets on Wednesday evening.

Yangeun and I have become great friends; he has been a constant encouragement and support to me and my family. He also has been an active member of the Men's Wednesday Night group. We have been through a lot together, from Bible studies to baseball games, from serving at the soup kitchen to sharing meals in each other's home. Through it all Yangeun has demonstrated a thankful heart for the friends he has made and his connection to CCV. For him the biggest challenge in moving home is leaving the church he loves and the relationship he has established. You can not have to talk to him long before you realize the special bond he has formed with those in his small group.

On Wednesday evening we threw Yangeun a party to express the love and affection we feel for him. We went back to Vince and Tony's, the location of his first HT team meeting. We had cheese steaks along with great conversation, a cake and Philly souvenirs as a way for him to remember his time with us. That evening each of us realized how special it is to be part of Jesus' church and the blessing of building new friendships. As I look back at our time together, I know we have been blessed to have been a part of Yangeun's life and while distance may separate us, the bond that has been established will carry into eternity.

Yangeun’s leaving has forced me to look back on our relationship. I am reminded of the lyrics of a song that goes something like this, “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.” So whether you lead a group or are a member, take a minute, look around at the relationship that God has put in your life. Be grateful for what you have and realize that as we love one another as Jesus did, we will prove ourselves to be authentic Christ followers (John 13:34-35) and we get the chance to experience a small slice heaven here on earth.

Thanks for listening
Jeff