My last blogs have written of some heroes of U.S. and international adoption. Now I’m going to tell you of a hero whom I have actually met.
I’ve spoken before on how awed I was by the commitment, community and faith shown by the staff and foster mothers of Eastern Child Welfare Services in Korea.
Eastern’s founder, Dr. Kim Duk-Whang, is one of my heroes. Born in what is now North Korea during Japan’s 35-year occupation of Korea, he was studying in China when World War II broke out. He later escaped to North Korea, only to see that become Communist as well. His dissent made him a target and he was forced to leave many family members and escape once more, to South Korea. He served as a government official for health and welfare in South Korea for many years. He also went to seminary for two years and became a deacon in his church, somewhere finding time to write several books on Korea’s history, religion in Korea, and other matters.
Upon Dr. Kim’s retirement from government service he founded Eastern Child Welfare Society, serving children through domestic and international adoption and schools for disabled children for nearly 35 years. (The agency’s name has since been changed to Eastern Social Welfare Society since it has undertaken initiatives to serve senior citizens and persons needing vocational training as well as children.)
Meeting Dr. Kim (now in his nineties) was actually a spiritual experience. I just felt a spiritual presence or force of personality (though very gentle) coming from him. I’ve heard a few people tell of such feelings when they met Mother Teresa; now I may understand what they’ve been saying.
Dr. Kim’s humble spirit permeates the staff at Eastern, who pray and eat together daily. Everyone we met was eager to help us. The caregivers at the baby home were busy all night long. They made sure each child was held for at least part of the feeding, and massaged after each bath and change. And I’ve written before about the foster mothers’ devotion.
Eastern also provides vocational training to birthmothers and others, and to disabled children who will likely not be adopted. Eastern is also heavily engaged in encouraging adoptions within Korea, where adoptions are usually still so secret that the adoptive mother pads her stomach. A vocal group of Korean adoptive parents do not hide their family’s beginnings and work with Eastern to spread the word. Their hope is that someday Korea will welcome all its children, but in the meantime they are humble enough to welcome us adoptive parents from the U.S. as well.
Link to
Traveling to Our Daughter, Part Two
A Sampling of Overseas Child Welfare Efforts by U.S. Adoption Agencies