English Compass - bringing christian fellowship to korean americans

On the Road with Pastor Hong

I was driving with Pastor Soon Ho Hong, when we heard a sudden clunking sound from the bottom of the car. We both looked at each other with alarm and dread. A long black rubbery cable was dragging from the bottom of the car. Pastor Hong pulled up his sleeves, popped open the hood, and gave me his diagnosis—there was an issue with the belt that runs the motor, and battery. I already had a car appointment for service, so I thought that I could bring the car to my local garage the next day.  

While driving Pastor Hong to the church parsonage, the car started to shake and a few minutes later, different icons started lighting up on the dashboard. I realized that I was not going to make it to the church and started to look for a place to stop. All the functions of the car stopped working, including the steering wheel and brakes, as I slid into an empty spot on the sidewalk. Thank God that we just happened to slide into this spot, and that the car didn’t just stop in the middle of the highway! I shudder to think how bad it would be, to have an accident on the highway and worse yet, to get Pastor Hong into an accident. I was grateful that I was with Pastor Hong—he was a car expert, spiritual mentor, and more importantly, a former mixed martial arts master. I was thinking to myself, if someone tries to rob or attack us, is Pastor Hong going to give him a Bible study or wrestle him down? Either way, I am covered!

Pastor Hong asked me whether I had roadside assistance. I told him I didn’t. I was trying to save money so I had let my AAA membership expire, a decision I really regretted. Pastor Hong told me that in Korea, free roadside assistance is included in the auto policy and suggested I check with my auto insurance. I thought it would be a total waste of time, but with lack of better options, I called my insurance company. Surprisingly, the representative let me know that indeed I do have roadside assistance with towing included. Praise God that I didn’t have to pay a towing fee! We just needed to wait for the tow truck.  

After a while, the tow truck rolled up. Out hopped a guy with a crew cut, muscles, tattoos, and an attitude. He asked me where I wanted to go. I want to go to Poughkeepsie, my home town which was about an hour away. He says, “Well, your policy doesn’t allow for that distance. But I can say that you were stuck on the highway and you had to go to Poughkeepsie. I’ll take care of you—(wink, wink).” For a split second I was tempted to take him up on the offer but remembered how Pastor Hong refused to cheat on a contract in his mission field, and was rewarded by God. I told the tow truck guy to take us to Yorktown Heights, which was where my church was located, thirty minutes away.   

The tow truck driver alerted me that there were no seat belts.  He was really antsy—doing ten things while he was driving—fiddling with the radio, texting, eating mints, shifting gears, looking at GPS, calling his family. When I mentioned that he was driving in the center of the road, he said, “It’s alright. I have a big truck—the other cars will get out of my way, haha!” It was a thirty minute drive but felt like two hours, as I was pinballed back and forth in the truck. Thank God that I didn’t ask him to drive us to Poughkeepsie. I literally don’t think that we would have made it, in one piece.  

As we were driving, I apologized to Pastor Hong for putting him in this situation. He was supposed to speak the very next day at FAMBAM, so he probably had a lot to prepare. And if he didn’t have to prepare for the sermon, at least he should be resting and at peace, not being in a tow truck late at night. I felt terrible. But instead of sounding the least bit put out, he was gracious enough to apologize to me for having to drive him around, and thereby getting us into the situation. I was so thankful that he didn’t show the least bit of annoyance or anxiety. His biggest fear seemed to be that I would have to spend a lot of money on fixing the car!  

After dropping off the car at the garage (praise God that it was still open—it was supposed to have been closed thirty minutes earlier), the tow truck guy offered to drop us off at my church where I happened to have a spare car. It would have been a thirty minute walk in the dark, from the garage to the church, so the tow truck guy turned out to be a lot nicer than I took him for.  

When we got to the church, Pastor Hong said that he actually always wanted to ride in a big American truck, so it was actually an enjoyable experience for him. Even for me, something that could have been a scary and dangerous situation turned out to be a memorable adventure. I really felt God’s angels watching over me and my precious passenger. I was reminded of the passage, “For he shall give His angels charge over you. To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Psalm 91:11-12. 

As I look back on this past year, I am reminded that this incident was just one of many events that shows how God was looking out for me. That despite the uncertainty of the future and pernicious evil surrounding me and my loved ones, I can feel safe in God’s protecting arms. What a gracious and powerful God we serve, who cares about the big and little worries in my life.  Every morning when I rise, I am filled with gratitude and love for Him because each day is a testament to His loving care, undeserving as I am. His love and strength gives me courage to look forward to each day. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41: 10 

The lines from the hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness come to mind as I reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. “Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.” 

Praise God that in this sinful world, we can trust Him who says, “ For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

Jane Chung is a deaconess at Westchester Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York.  She is married to Eric Chung and has four children - Victoria, Christian, Faith and Matthew.