Knock, and it shall be opened to you

One day while taking a walk, I saw a sign of the 'Korean Methodist church' on 115th Street on the Upper West Side. It was under renovation. I was glad to see a Korean church nearby. I Googled the church. My husband focused on the history that this church was a New York hideout for patriots. How many Koreans came to this church established in 1921 and received comfort and help? I looked at the church with warmth.

About 40 years ago, when I came to study abroad on Long Island, there were no Koreans. I went to the American church whenever I felt lonely. One day, as I was praying in the back seat with tears in my eyes, the McDonald couple reached out and welcomed me. Without their comfort and help, I might have gone back to Seoul after one semester. I waited for the construction to be completed, overlapping those memories with the ‘Korean Methodist church.'

After M, my best friend in high school, went to the U.S., we were cut off. I also came to New York after M left. I wanted to find M. During my visit to Korea, I went to the Seodaemun church that M attended and received her contact information. Thirty-four years ago, I met M at a Korean church near Columbia University. We met a few times and then lost touch. She had already settled down, and I was so poor that I couldn't pay for food. At that time, M's consideration came as sorry rather than gratitude, so I didn't contact her. After my situation improved, I wanted to pay back the reunion fee she had paid for me and share a hot meal with her. So three years ago, I wrote an article in the newspaper looking for her.

Just in time, my friend H, who goes to this church, asked me to come to church on Sunday, saying that the church was going to have a service after the construction was over. While waiting for the day to meet H, I remembered that I met M at a church near Columbia University. Thirty-four years ago, I saw a seven-year-old boy who looked just like M at the end of the dark, long hallway that I was running to meet M because I couldn't wait to see her. I grabbed him and asked him, 'What's your mom's name?' The atmosphere at the small Korean Methodist church is very different from the large church M attended 34 years ago.

When I met H at the Korean Methodist church, I asked her. 

"Are there any other Korean churches around here?"

"No, there are no other Korean churches, but a long time ago, the church rented a high school and held a service. Let's ask someone who has attended for a long time." 

When I talked to the introduced person a few words, she quickly remembered M.

'Knock, and it shall be opened to you.'

It was a moment to experience Bible verses. Thank you very much, kind LSH, for giving the contact information of M I've been looking for for three years.