I’ve never attended the wedding of two medical doctors.
And I’ve never even heard of a wedding in which both the bride and groom were older than eighty, and the bride was getting married for the first time.
But I have now.
Dr. Suni Choi, longtime member of CPC, and Dr. Chung Shik Kim were married this past Saturday evening. Linda and I had the privilege and honor of being a part of both the rehearsal and wedding festivities.
It was simply amazing.
Some day I’ll know more of the story of this friendship that began in Korea over sixty years ago. When I do, I’ll share with you whatever details I can.
But I can tell you this: the times of celebration were full of joy and happiness, marked by expressions of love and appreciation for these two wonderful people, and a hilarious delight in how God has brought these two people to this moment of being joined together as husband and wife.
During the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception, many marvelous stories were shared. Some made you laugh. Some made you cry. All of these stories left you in awe of the God Who loves us and leads us step by step, sometimes in pleasant places, often through difficult circumstances, until suddenly we arrive at a place we never anticipated, where God inundates us with His unexpected blessings and pleasures.
These stories were delightful and entertaining. But they were also filled with memories of terrible suffering, excruciating pain and unimaginable loss.
Chung Shik’s father was a Presbyterian minister in Pyongyang, who during the Korean war was imprisoned and eventually executed by the communists.
Suni’s father, serving as a missionary to China, was also executed by the communists.
At the time of his father’s death, Chung Shik was a student in Seoul. Chung Shik’s mother and six younger children managed to escape from Pyongyang. Two months later, they arrived in Seoul, having completed a tortuous journey of some 150 miles.
Early last year, Chung Shik suffered the sudden loss of his wife to whom he had been married for almost fifty years.
Suni has lived alone most of her life. For many years, until she was in her sixties, she had prayed for a husband. She stopped praying that prayer, convinced that God’s plans for her did not include marriage. And if that was God’s plan, she would be content.
Many of the stories shared this past week were told in recognition of God’s providential care, the simple faith of a man and woman who over a span of more than eight decades learned to be content in any and all circumstances, and the delight of this particular moment in time.
It was an amazing weekend. Truly amazing. A weekend spent in celebration of God’s amazing grace.
Suni still owns her home here in Chattanooga. Therefore, even though they will officially reside in West Orange, NJ, we hope to see them regularly, especially when the temperatures begin to drop and the snow begins to fall.
Pastor Caines