Chingu.

Chingu is Korean for friend. We've now been to our Sokcho parish 4 times. We actually were early this morning and so we sat on the first floor (usually, if you arrive late you have to sit in the balcony, where you can't see what's going on in front). We have met a few folks there who speak English, but most of the members just politely smile at us. We did meet one woman today, Ethel, who speaks pretty good English.
But last week a kind gentleman named Jong Mahn approached us and began to speak excitedly in English. It turns out that he'd spent significant time in the States and in England (he went to university in Nebraska) and has one child that lives in California. He's quite energetic and introduced us to several members of the congregation, including the priest. He was very eager to make us feel welcome, which we extremely appreciated.
Well today he found us again at the post-mass coffee hour and invited us to lunch. If a Korean invites you to lunch, that means the Korean plans to pay for lunch. He took us to a buffet spot close to our apartment, which ended up having really great food. "You can come here when you don't want to cook--it's close by", he said. We sat there for 3 hours, talking of America, education, and traveling, and food. It was a great time, and we were very pleased that he took the time out to visit with us and show us around Sokcho. These are the relationships that we are hoping to form more of here--friendships with local Sokchoans :) At the conclusion of our lunch, he gave us his number and told us we could call him if we ever have any problems. We are very grateful for our new chingu, Jong Mahn :) These interactions are so valuable when you're far from home. I'm definitely realizing how little time I've spent in the past getting to know members of other nationalities in the churches I've attended. I can't fault the Koreans for not talking to us when so many times I haven't been welcoming to foreigners in American churches. I'm hoping to retain this and other new perspectives when we return.