Pastoral Letter: From Homeland to Home

Dear Simsbury United Methodist Church Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

Before I knew it, my month in Korea had come to an end.

This past week was filled with the practical tasks that needed to be completed before returning to the United States. I found myself visiting the Korean DMV, banks, insurance offices, and several other places where paperwork, waiting, and one more document always seemed to be part of the process.

If you have ever spent a day taking care of those kinds of errands, you can probably imagine how busy—and at times exhausting—this final week has been.

It took much longer than I expected.

As a result, there were several things I had hoped to do before leaving Korea that I simply did not have time for.

Instead, I found myself packing, unpacking, and packing again. Little by little, I was preparing not only my suitcase but also myself for the journey home.

Packing is a curious thing.

The things I thought I would surely need stayed in my suitcase the entire month. Meanwhile, the things I packed almost without thinking became the things I reached for every day. As I slowly organized my suitcase, I felt that my heart was becoming more settled as well.

Then I remembered something I had heard many years ago.

"The joy of every journey is that there is a place to return to."

Only now, at the end of this journey, did those words truly settle into my heart. This journey was more than a trip back to Korea. It was a journey to my homeland—the place where I was born and raised, where my family still lives, and where so many memories remain.

Yet as I prepare to leave, I find my heart growing more excited about returning.

Returning to my own bed and pillow.

Returning to the familiar rhythms of everyday life.

Returning to people I have missed.

Returning to the people God has entrusted to my care.

Most of all, returning to the place where God continues to call me to serve.

Then I realized something.

Somewhere along the way, the meaning of home had quietly changed.

Korea will always be my homeland.

It is the place I will always love and long for.

But Simsbury has become the home where God has sent our family.

Now, when I think of home, I no longer think first of comfort. I think of the place where God has called me, the people God has entrusted to me, and the life God continues to shape each day.

Here in Korea, the summer holiday season is still in full swing. As I think of all of you in Simsbury—and those who are traveling this summer—I realize how much I have missed you. I already find myself looking forward to the day when we will worship together again.

By the time you read this letter, I hope to have arrived safely back in Simsbury through God's gracious care and through your faithful prayers. That has been my prayer as I write these final words from Korea.

Soon we will gather again to worship the Triune God.

This summer has been different for each of us.

For some, it has been a season of rest.

For others, a season of healing.

For still others, it may have been a season of simply persevering one day at a time.

Yet God has been with us through every season.

God has continued to speak.

When we gather again, we will do more than share stories about our summer. We will share how God has been at work in our lives, often in ways we did not recognize until we looked back.

And as we listen to one another, I believe we will once again discover how rich and abundant God's grace truly is.

My prayer for us is simple.

Wherever this season finds us, may the peace of the Holy Spirit remain with us.

Whether we are still traveling or returning to the rhythms of everyday life, may we continue to hear God's voice and faithfully follow wherever God leads.

May God gather us together again in worship. May God renew our strength for the days ahead. And may we continue growing together as the body of Christ and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, sharing our stories and walking together in the story God continues to write among us.

I look forward to worshiping with you again soon.

Peace in Christ,

Pastor DH
Simsbury United Methodist Church
sumct.org
pastordh@sumct.org