Relying on God’s Intervention

A Letter from Myoungho Yang and Jiyeon Yoo, serving in China

November 2020

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I greet you with Apostle Paul’s words:

“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (1 Tim. 1:1).

People all around the world are going through a difficult time. We are experiencing what we have never imagined before. We can no longer enjoy the things that we had previously taken for granted. We have been reminded that talking together, eating together, shaking hands, and breathing was a blessing. Going to the church freely and worshipping with others freely were special blessings we enjoyed without realizing these things were blessings.

It has been more than nine months since February when we were first required to wear masks in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has been very alert to any possible danger of infection because of their bitter experience with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that arrived in Hong Kong in March 2003. It cost Hong Kong society dearly. Only three months after the outbreak of SARS, 299 people had died of the disease.

When I first came to Hong Kong in 2014, I thought they were overly sensitive to anyone who was coughing. One winter’s day, I sneezed at a market. A woman who was more than 10 feet away from me quickly covered her little daughter with her body as she glowered at me. I was embarrassed and thought she was sensitive over nothing. But later, I could understand her reaction after I learned about Hong Kong’s bitter experience of SARS. After seven years, I respond to the current pandemic in the same way everyone in Hong Kong does.

Online Class

In a positive sense, Hong Kong’s bitter experience of SARS has been a preventative lesson. People in Hong Kong voluntarily accepted the inconvenience of wearing masks early on. Since early March, they have accepted the temporary closure of schools and churches; and the cancellation of activities. Currently, Hong Kong has no confirmed cases of local infection, although there have been a few imported cases. However, all people are still willingly enduring difficulties and inconveniences for the sake of public health. These inconveniences have become our “new normal” not only in Hong Kong but also everywhere in the world. Walking, talking, singing, praying, laughing, and listening while wearing masks are not only inconvenient but also painful. While it is often said that the current restrictions are our “new normal,” these are still “new” to us, and we are not ready to accept it as our “normal.” Anyhow, now we must learn to live with this wicked virus.

Last semester, I was not able to see students physically. All classes were conducted online. All school activities were canceled. Students had to leave the dormitory, so Jiyeon and I have been staying in a very quiet dormitory with a few other teachers since last Spring. The new semester has begun, but we can still only meet students online. Students from mainland China, Taiwan, Myanmar, and Thailand were not allowed to travel to Hong Kong to attend the Divinity School of Chung Chi College. Fortunately, they have been able to join their classes online. One of my students is taking my class from Thailand. We have been enjoying the development of technology, but it seems that human knowledge may not be sufficient to put out the flame of the virus. We must rely on God’s intervention.

We are very grateful for your prayers and support, which enables us to continue to minister in Hong Kong. Please continue walking with us. Let us continue asking for God’s mercy for the world in this challenging time of pandemic as we remember the Word that God said to Moses: “… I am the Lord, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).

Grace and peace in Christ,

Myoungho and Jiyeon