The Marks Chronicles: Small But Significant
I scanned the following from a newsletter from Campus
Crusade for Christ staff member Gary Ramm. I received it in the mail in
February 1996. It is self-explanatory. I am humbly honored at the part
God allowed me to play in this wonderful happening. What a rush!
To: Myungsook,
A TRIBUTE TO JAEKYU HA my son in the Lord Jesus Christ
The story begins before I met Jeakyu. Our family had
recently moved to Seattle to begin a new ministry of reaching grad students
with the gospel. Our second day here we were engaged by the enemy into
spiritual warfare. We didn't fare too well, but trusting in the Lord, we
recovered and began to claim enemy ground for the Lord. One of the first
believers I met was a Christian professor, Dr. Robert Marks, who stepped
out, I believe in faith, to give me a list of Electrical Engineering grad
students.
Dr. Marks had prayed God's blessing on the list prior
to sending it to me. I began calling each one to speak with them about
the services we offer to grads. Some were interested, others were not.
Jaekyu was just the next name on my list. On March 31, 1995 we met for
a standard interview. He recounted for me how he, his wife and two children
had come from Korea for the purpose of gaining a Doctoral degree.
In the weeks and months following the interview we
talked of many things. I learned that he had no concept of God and the
Bible was just a book, but meant nothing to him... "just words on
paper. " He talked of his wife going to church due to a family tragedy
and that now she was taking him to church. Just a year prior he began asking
the probing question, what is the purpose in life? Coming up blank, he
turned to God for an answer. This led to searching the Scriptures which
prompted question to me like, "Gary, why don't the Christians in church
live like the one's in the Bible? and why do they do the same bad things
as non-Christians, I see no difference. "Why do you have so many denominations
and each one claims to be right?" We dealt with lots of these questions,
slowly and carefully as Jaekyu needed to know the why's and have complete
understanding before moving along.
As time went on we became good friends and talked about
everything, wives, kids, school and laughed about so many things. I eagerly
looked forward to each time I would be with my seeker friend as we continued
to seek the spiritual answer to life. Changes continued to take place in
his life as God's word became clearer. I remember him saying one day, I
see now that everything in the Bible is true.
I remember the day in his sincere passion for truth
he said, "Gary, what I don't understand is how a person becomes a
Christian like the ones in the Bible." He wanted to love God with
his heart, mind and soul.
The next time we met, at our usual place in the Student
Union Building, Jaekyu came with his usual smiling (countenance, only to
tell me he had just come from surgery and was sent home to die. And in
nearly the same breath, as if he knew my question, he went on to say that
this did not change his search to know God! That day I think we talked
for hours on end, I can't remember. That day he understood and said he
wanted to become a Christian like the ones in the Bible. We talked. He
bowed his head in humble prayer for what seemed to me to be an eternity,
his hands clasped tightly together, turning white with the intensity of
his prayer.
At once, the bond between us was immeasurable. I welcomed
him into God's forever family and as my spiritual son in the Lord. We talked
about spending eternity together regardless of how his physical condition
would turn out. The joy and peace of that moment still grips my heart.
We only met a few times after that, as we studied the
words of God, his understanding of Scripture was beyond anyone I have ever
discipled in all my twenty-five years of ministry. Jaekyu knew Jesus.
Very near the end , he asked me, "Do you know
why I always meet with you for our appointments?" No, I don't. "The
only reason I met with you is because you are a Christian. I didn't want
to talk to anyone but you. " At that I nearly cried and praised God
in my mind for bringing us to Seattle.
Sitting there looking at my new son, my thoughts flashed
back to the day we met when he told me his life's goal was to be financially
secure, and now contrasted with his new goal, to know God personally.
Now I think back on that 16th day of August, 1995 as
Jaekyu went from spiritual death to spiritual life. I am in awe of God.
God in his marvelous grace changed my circumstances to bring me to Seattle
- brought a young doctoral student from half way around the world to study
at the UW - moved on the heart of a professor to give me a list - arranged
for Jaekyu to meet me - bonded us as friends from our first meeting - graciously
allowed me to lead him to Christ - to see change in his life as I have
never seen before. For this I bow low and praise God.
Today, my son in the Lord is in the presence of the
Lord. I never thought one of my spiritual children would precede me to
greet our Father. The loss is great, the gain is greater.
When Myungsook called, I knew it would be to tell me
of his death. She told me that just prior he said, "Jesus is holding
my hand". Thinking him confused she said no, it is the pastor holding
your hand. "No, it's Jesus, His hand has holes in it."
One of the things I'll remember about Jeakyu would
be the intensity of something he said perhaps the last time we met. "Gary,
what I want most in life is to leave a spiritual heritage." And that
he has done.
Jaekyu Ha Physical life: March 22, 1955 to January
13, 1996 Spiritual life: August 16, 1995 to eternity
I look to the Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven and
earth, my Lord Jesus Christ and praise Him until I too enter into eternity
to see my spiritual son.
My love to you,
Gary Ramm