Church Events
December 31, 2004 - Amy Barrett, the first full-time missionary in the one hundred year history of SS. Peter and Paul Church, spent part of the summer of 2004 on a mission to South Korea. She also works for the Orthodox Christian Mission Center and lives in Florida where the OCMC is based. Amy has sent to us the following photo report. Her extensive narrative about her experience in Korea precedes the display of photos which she took. In her own words, Amy relates the following:
"My time in Korea was priceless. The experiences I had, feelings I felt, and lessons I learned will forever remain in my heart. We worked hard - usually painting from 8:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. with a lunch break. We accomplished much. By the time we were through, each of ten pillars in the Church was painted and ready for its fine detail work. The altar was largely done and the professional iconographers thanked us for helping them to keep their project on schedule. The Church will be completed next summer."
"As with my previous mission trips, I didn't know what to expect in Korea. I didn't know why God had chosen me to go on this particular mission of what I'd learn. I know we'd be helping an iconographer to paint a Church, but now I know He didn't want me to learn about brush strokes and paint colors - He wanted to teach me a lesson about love and its power."
"I first saw the power of love through the gentle actions of the iconography team we were to help. When I first walked into the Dormition of the Mother of God Church in Jeonju, Korea, I was amazed by the beauty of the icons being painted. Now, to say I am unartistic is an understatement - I felt intimidated and overwhelmed by the task at hand. As I sat there staring open-mouthed, the head iconographer, Zozos, came up to me with a brush and paint in his hand. He brought me over to this column where I was to help do some detail work. I stared aghast at the curves and circles he expected me to paint. He showed me the proper technique and watched as I tried it, quite unsuccessfully at first. Patiently, he stayed with me and taught me and before I knew it I was actually painting and painting well! Each day we spent at least eight hours painting and never once did Zozos lose his temper or get frustrated by our team's lack of painting prowess. Instead, he always treated us with patience, love, and respect. He was a beautiful example of Christian virtue and the power of love."
"Another example of love I was blessed to witness was between His Eminence SOTIRIOS and the little children in Pusan. The little children love His Eminence. They flocked around him pulling gently on his robe calling out "Shimboonihm" (Spiritual Father), all hoping that he would scoop them up and give them a blessing. Even the smallest bowed low to him to indicate their respect but there was no fear in their eyes - only amusement and love. He smiled nonstop, thoroughly enjoying himself as the children crowded around him. His Eminence loved the children as well. Yielding to their desires, he scooped them up, patted them on the head and kissed their little cheeks. He praised them for good behavior and reached out to the shyest making sure everyone was included. He was truly a proud father of his flock. It was one of the most beautiful examples of a loving family in Christ that I have ever witnessed."
"Perhaps the most powerful example of love I witnessed, however, was the love the Korean people showed us. Everywhere we went there was at least one person who volunteered to take care of us. People such as Yanni from the Dormition of the Mother of God parish in Jeonju, Nektarios from the Annunciation to the Theotokos parish in Pusan, and Michael from the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Seoul who not only worked side by side with us but also took us to the grocery store, translated for us, showed us around the town and basically made sure we were taken care of. People like Julia in Seoul who showed us the warmest hospitality we could imagine at her restaurant. These people and many more showed us the true meaning of Christian love by the giving of their time and energy to help us - a group of people they had never met before. I was humbled, to say the least. Koreans are notoriously busy, even more so than Americans, and I know it was no small sacrifice for these kind souls to do what they did for us."
"It was truly a blessing to be selected to go on the OCMC team to Korea. The good times, hard work, and genuine love I experienced will stay with me always. I would like to say "thank you" to all of my donors who made my mission trip to Korea possible, especially the National Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America (FOCA) and SS. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church in South River, New Jersey. Thank you for seeing the importance of mission work and for supporting your sister in Christ. You were with me every day in my heart and in my prayers and I cannot express how much your love, support, and prayers mean to me. I extend to you all my sincerest gratitude."
Above left, Amy cleaning her brush after painting at the Dormition of the Mother of God Church in Jeonju, Korea. Above right, Amy on scaffolding, painting one of the ten pillars in the Dormition of the Mother of God Church. Below left, a view of the Iconostasis and icons being painted at the Dormition of the Mother of God Church. Below right, the Korean Mission Team (OCMC) consisted of six Americans: Father George Liacopulos of Egg Harbor, N.J., Jason Houck and Dejan Gality (seminarians at Holy Cross Seminary and St. Tikhon's Seminary), Zen Kozey of Canada, Ron Moore of Michigan, and Amy Barrett. The OCMC Team joined a team of six iconographers from Greece.
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You may click on both photos immediately below and on the photo above right to view enlargements.
In photo above left, His Eminence SOTIRIOS, Metropolitan of Korea, poses with the children of Annunciation Church in Pusan, Korea. In photo above right, His Eminence SOTIRIOS and His Grace IGNATIOS pose with the OCMC Korea Mission Team in Pusan, Korea. Photo below shows a view of the Dormition Church. The dome, shaped more like a mountain than an onion, is indicative of the blending of traditional Korean culture with the traditions of Orthodoxy.
In the photo above left, we see the Sunday School students in Pusan doing a Korean dance. Above right, we see one of the columns that the team was painting. The design was inspired by the Creation, so there are the ideas of flowers and vines, the sun, and so forth. Below left and right, the photos show the progress in the writing of the icon of St. John the Baptist. Note how much progress was made in the lower right photo relative to the lower left photo.
In photo below left, we see another column design. In photo below right, we see another column style. Note the flowers and leaves in keeping with the theme of the Creation.
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