An American Uncle
Forty years ago, while preaching in Florida, I had the opportunity to teach the gospel to Paul Lee, an electronics engineer from Seoul, Korea. Only two months after his baptism, Paul moved to Maryland, where he eventually fell away from the Lord. For several years he drifted from one denomination to another before returning to Korea. There, he became the Director of Research and Development for an electronics company near Seoul.
Nearly ten years passed without any contact. Then one day, a letter from Korea arrived in my mailbox. Paul was reaching out for help. He had grown weary of denominationalism and longed to return to the Lord’s church. We began corresponding regularly. Unable to find a sound congregation near his home, Paul expressed a desire to establish one himself. After several weeks of sending sermon tapes and written materials, I felt compelled to answer what could only be described as a modern‑day “Macedonian call.”
In May of 1991, I traveled to Korea for a two‑and‑a‑half‑week visit to assist Paul in establishing a congregation in the Hwagok district of Seoul. Unfortunately, the effort did not develop as we had hoped. Hwagok is densely populated, with streets constantly filled with people. Yet, despite the crowds, Korean culture places great value on privacy. Homes are considered personal sanctuaries, and public gatherings inside them are generally viewed as inappropriate. As a result, holding church services in a private home proved extremely difficult.
Undeterred, we continued our efforts to teach the gospel. Before our first Sunday worship service, we distributed 500 flyers advertising the location and times of services and Bible classes. We also posted signs around the neighborhood, including on the wall and gate in front of Paul’s home. Hundreds of people passed by each day, and many stopped—or at least slowed down—to read the signs.
Each evening, we stood at the open gate and invited passersby to come in and study with us. Although hundreds walked past, only one man entered the house for a study. Several others paused briefly on the street to talk with us.
Throughout the week, we expanded our outreach efforts. We visited a large public square surrounded by high‑rise apartment buildings and handed out flyers explaining who the Church of Christ is and inviting people to study the Bible. Paul served as my translator as we tried to engage people in conversation.
At first, the response was discouraging. Adults accepted the flyers politely but hesitantly, offering little conversation. The children, however, responded very differently. One by one, they began following us—first a pair of friends, then a child on a tricycle, followed by boys on skateboards and scooters. Soon, a small crowd of children surrounded us, asking Paul who I was. He explained that they had never seen a white man in their neighborhood and that I was likely the tallest person they had ever encountered. He even pointed out that my mustache fascinated them, since most Korean men cannot grow thick facial hair.
Through Paul’s translation, the children asked me to count to ten in English. When I finished, the group—now numbering forty or fifty—jumped, cheered, and applauded. Then they asked me to recite the alphabet. When I finished with “XYZ,” the cheering erupted again. One child even asked whether I was an American movie star or rock star. As we continued walking, the children began skipping and chanting. I asked Paul what they were saying. Laughing, he replied, “They are calling you ‘American Uncle.’”
Soon we noticed that the adults nearby were smiling and laughing as well. Their demeanor changed completely. Now, when we offered flyers, people accepted them gladly, smiled warmly, and bowed respectfully. Before long, we ran out of flyers.
I wish I could report that Paul’s neighbors became eager to study the Bible with us. Sadly, the only ones who gathered outside his gate were several of the children.
If only their parents and grandparents had shared the same eagerness. Perhaps this is the kind of enthusiasm Peter had in mind when he wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:2–3). Anyone who has seen a hungry baby cry, kick, and reach at the sight of a bottle understands the intensity of desire Peter describes.
Jesus Himself witnessed such hunger for God’s Word. After the Sermon on the Mount, “the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28–29). Though many religious leaders rejected Him, “the common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:37).
The apostle Paul also experienced both rejection and receptiveness. When he preached in Berea, Luke recorded, “These were more fair‑minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
May we pray that this generation will likewise “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).
— Daniel R. Vess