Pastoral Letter: The One Who Does Not Change
Dear SUMC Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
By God’s grace and through your prayers, I arrived safely in South Korea. Thank you for remembering me while I am away.
It has been eleven years since I last walked the streets of my homeland.
Some places welcomed me as if no time had passed. Others took me by surprise. New buildings stand where old memories once lived. Familiar streets now carry a different rhythm. Yet every now and then, I turn a corner and find something that quietly reminds me of the years I once spent here.
One thing that has surprised me more than I expected is language.
Everywhere I turn, Korean words come to me so easily. Signs, conversations, announcements, and ordinary words on the street do not have to be translated in my mind. I can receive them with my eyes, my mind, and even my heart without effort.
That made me realize something I had not fully noticed before. For many years, even in ordinary daily life, I have been spending a kind of unseen energy to understand the place where I live, the language around me, and the people I am called to serve. I had become so used to it that I did not always feel it. But being here has helped me see it again.
As I continue this journey, I realize that I am not only rediscovering my homeland. In many ways, I am rediscovering myself.
Walking through these familiar and unfamiliar places, the words of Ecclesiastes have stayed with me. Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time for everything: a time to plant and a time to gather, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to search and a time to let go. (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8)
Time has a way of changing almost everything.
Even the places I first thought had never changed began to reveal the gentle marks of passing years. Then I realized that perhaps the greatest change was not around me at all.
Perhaps it was within me.
Over the past eleven years, God has allowed me to experience joy and sorrow, unexpected blessings and difficult lessons. God has led me across countries, churches, and seasons of ministry. Looking back, I find myself thinking less about what I have accomplished and more about how God has been shaping my life through Jesus Christ.
That thought brings me to another familiar passage of Scripture.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
The streets have changed.
The city has changed.
The years have changed.
And I have changed.
But Jesus Christ has not.
Looking back, I realize that God never stopped holding me through Jesus Christ. Even while I was changing, learning, questioning, and growing, Jesus continued to walk beside me. God has faithfully led me to this day, and I trust that God will continue to lead me wherever the next season may be.
Perhaps that is true not only for me, but for all of us.
Each of us is living through a different season. Some are enjoying a well-earned time of rest. Some are spending precious days with family. Some are preparing for a new beginning. Others continue to carry responsibilities that no one else can fully see.
Our seasons are different.
But Jesus, who walks with us, is the same.
As we continue through this summer, my prayer is simple.
May the Holy Spirit open our eyes to see Jesus walking with us in the ordinary moments of life. Whether we find ourselves in familiar places or unfamiliar ones, may we remember that the God who has called us continues to go before us and walk with us through Jesus Christ.
I miss you all, and I look forward to worshiping with you again soon.
Until then, please know that you remain in my prayers every day.
Grace and peace,
Pastor DH
Simsbury United Methodist Church
sumct.org
pastordh@sumct.org