September 2024 KCGM Newsletter from John Chae (www.kcgm.org)

My Dear Wonderful Friends, ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??

? ? ? ? ? There is a rumor going around that we have the friendliest, sweetest kids of all the orphanages in Korea! Of course, there is a chance that I may be the primary source of the rumor, but I stand by my biased opinion, as it is corroborated by many other volunteers, mission teams, and supporters who have had the chance to visit our home and mingle with our delightful children. In fact, we have a group of new college-aged volunteers right now running Vacation Bible School for our children, and the very moment they arrived, our kids were already jumping into their arms and climbing onto their shoulders. One of our four-year old boys decided one of the volunteers had an inviting lap to take a nap on, and he proceeded to fall asleep on her instantly. Our preteen girls untied their hair before the program even started, and immediately insisted that the ladies (they just met) braid them up again. There was no feeling out process at all. Nobody was shy. Our kids acted like they had known the volunteers for years!

? ? ? ? ? This inherent friendliness is not always a good thing. For example, I have a fourth grade boy who has a habit of striking up conversations with strangers in the park on the way back from school. He will just go up to an elderly man and comment on how pretty the flowers in the park are looking, or how hot the weather is. We’ve warned him about stranger danger, but he just can’t help himself sometimes. He is always the last to get home from school, because he will just leisurely stroll back taking the time to stop and observe every bug and flower he runs across, and talk to whoever happens to be near him or takes an interest in him.

? ? ? ? ? At other times, this tendency is very endearing. I have a sixth grade boy who met his American sponsors for the first time in his life when they visited Korea. It was just a couple of weeks they spent together, but when time came for the sponsors to leave back to America, the boy started bawling. He clung to them like they had been together for years. He would not let them go. It seemed he simply could not bear the pain of separation. In fact, we all started tearing up a little seeing how heartbroken he was, and I could tell it really had a profound impact on the sponsors too and how they understood their role in the boy’s life.

? ? ? ? ? Our children are so sweet like this. Our children are quick to love. I adore this quality in them so much, and quite frankly, it is what makes it easy and fulfilling to care for them. But, I also know a lot of it stems from how desperate they are to be loved and be paid attention to. It is one of the lasting scars of being orphaned and abandoned. More so than other children, they crave being cared for and being approved of. This is why we consider LOVING them (and not just rearing them) to be the true purpose of our orphanage work. We know that if they don’t feel loved enough, then they may look for it elsewhere. We know that they may go out into the world and hastily get mired down and trapped in toxic relationships. We know that out in the world, they will be prone to being easily manipulated by others. We know they will always be at risk of being taken advantage of and scammed. It has happened a lot to the children who have aged out of our home, so we are not blind to it.

? ? ? ? ? So, love is not just a word we carelessly throw around. It is serious business with serious consequences. At the same time, we also know that no matter how much we love them, it will never be enough. We know that no matter how hard we try, it will be inadequate. We understand that truly filling the void in their hearts is something that we cannot achieve by ourselves. I’ve always taken to heart that Blaise Pascal quote, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.” So as much as we try to surround our children with loving and truly caring people, we believe that only Jesus can truly quench their thirst for love! So our greatest desire and hope for the children in our home, is that they authentically experience the love of Jesus while they are with us! This is our daily prayer for them, and we want you to know that this is also our prayer for YOU. If you ever feel alone, know that you are not! As much as I firmly believe that God loves all our children even though they were abandoned and neglected by the world, I certainly know that He loves you too regardless of what you may be going through at the moment! Always remember that someone is out there praying for you! At the very least, we are praying for you (I literally read down through the names on our mailing list and pray for you). Be encouraged!

?“For He satisfies the longing?soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things” (Psalm 107:9).

Yours because of Calvary,

John?Woosik Chae