Q&A WITH DAVID PARK

Q&A WITH DAVID PARK

PACIFIC ASIA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

Tell us a little about your background.

I am Sanguk ‘David’ Park. I was born in Incheon, Korea. When I was 12, God called me to preach the gospel. I have followed his calling step by step, including evangelism at campuses, hospitals, on the street and in the countryside. After that, I preached the gospel to foreign tourists in Seoul and then made short-term mission trips to Japan, the Philippines and Fiji.

I went to Fiji as a mission worker after my university graduation and military service. I taught at a vocational school and junior secondary school. Later, God called me to work with people from many different cultures. So, I went to an interdenominational seminary in the US to study mission, Bible, and theology in English. After that, I joined SIM.

Tell us a little about your family

Wanjai and I will celebrate our silver wedding anniversary in March next year. We have three precious daughters, Yerim (22), Sarah (19), and Lisa (13). Yerim is in her senior year at Tufts University in the US; Sarah is in her sophomore year at the College of the Holy Cross, also in the US; and Lisa is in the seventh grade at Korea Christian International School.

How did God lead you into SIM?

When I was studying at seminary, a mission worker took a summer intensive course with me. He wanted to visit the SIM USA office, so I offered him a ride. On his visit to the office, I somehow got to meet Steve Strauss, Fred Ely and Les Unruh, then SIM USA director, deputy director, and church network ministry department head.

What are the key things you hope to achieve in your time with SIM?

I would like to contribute to God’s kingdom by participating in the great commission and taking it to the next level in the way we send more people to unreached communities by cooperating with local churches around the world.

To accomplish a significant task like the great commission, all of us tend to focus on securing the best people with the best resources. However, the best methods sometimes come from efforts to help people in challenging situations. When we walk with people and churches in their various needs, SIM is able to develop the best ways to reach unreached communities.

What inspires you when life gets difficult?

I remember God’s steadfast love poured on me during my cross-cultural service in Fiji in 1997. Even when I lost my two short-term workers in the ocean, God was with me intimately in the song from Lamentations 3:22-23.

What do you do when you’re not working?

I run three or four times a week and I like to walk and think. I enjoy reading historical stories about individual figures, migrant families and dynasties.

What is your favourite Bible verse and why?

I like Psalm 16 because it helps me get back to basics after day-long ups and downs. Through these verses, I can ground my spiritual life in the right place.

How can we pray for you and your family?

I would appreciate your prayers for Wanjai and I to remain in his love (John 15:9) all the time while we do our best in our lives and ministries. Please pray for Wanjai’s parents and my mom, all of whom will soon be aged over 80. Pray also for our three daughters that God will continue to guide them closely so they can be firmly rooted and established in God’s love.