A Whirlwind of Emotions May 15, 2018

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. 
Edmund Burke

I want to start by thanking the people of Gwangju who met with us today and apologize ahead of time for names that I have left out.  They all were so very kind and spoke many complimentary words about my father, Arnold Peterson, and Uncle Betts Huntley.  There were three families of which I am aware, that stayed in Gwangju during the People's Democratic Uprising in May of 1980.  They were represented by the husbands, Arnold Peterson, Betts Huntley, and John Underwood.  I started this blog entry with the quote from Edmund Burke because I think all three men would say that what they did was not heroic, as some have said, but just the right thing to do.  If you see evil and do nothing, evil prevails.  These three men, the people of Gwangju, and many others refused to do nothing.

Today was a whirlwind of emotions.  Meeting with people we haven't seen since my childhood, reconnecting with family that we aren't related to, and speeding from meeting to meeting.  The people of Gwangju were so welcoming and kind today that I don't know quite how to say thank you enough.

We first met up with the Huntley family whom we hadn't seen in 30+ years.  For those of you who haven't been blessed enough to serve on the mission field, it can be a bittersweet experience.  Your family uproots and moves to another country, leaving behind loved ones and precious family members in the United States.  But you are then blessed with an extended family of 100's of other missionaries from multiple denominations.  Everyone is an Aunt or Uncle and we are all one big family.  The Huntleys have a special place in our family's heart.  Aunt Martha, Mary, Jenny, and Jenny's husband and two of her children have come to Gwangju to participate in this Asian Forum.  It was a reunion and homecoming rolled into one.

Kwanshee and Barbara

We all went out to lunch at the Kim Dae-jung Convention center and were able to meet with several pastors and leaders in the community.  But most importantly we were able to meet up with Kwanshee and her son Jun.  Kwanshee worked for my parents for a year, but was our grandmother more than anything.  She helped raise us, and when my mother was in a car accident, was an angel for my mother and a grandmother to us children.  I grew up playing with her son Jun and Micheal Huntley.

Martha, Barbara and the Mayor

We were then taken to the town hall building to meet with the Mayor of Gwangju.  This was a great surprise to be able to meet with the mayor.  He is a genuinely kind and generous man and gave us time out of his busy day to speak with mom and Aunt Martha.  He thanked our parents for their contributions to the city and we came away with some beautiful gifts.  We were then ushered to another part of the building for an impromptu interview on camera with the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).  Mom and Aunt Martha were able to tell their stories of Gwangju with eloquence.  If I can find a video online of these I will post them.

Martha and Barbara Press Conference

We were then taken to the 5-18 Foundation's Headquarters and where we had a press conference.  Surprisingly, they wanted all of us at the table.  I thought I would be able to stand in the back and take pictures of the interview, but the room was full of reporters, well over 20, and I was sitting in the front with mom.  They asked a lot of questions and both mom and Aunt Martha were eloquent as usual.  What would you expect from life long missionaries?  One reporter asked mom what she thought about Former President Chun Doo Hwan calling my father satan in his memoires.  My mom said it best when she replied that Chun didn't know my dad, she did.  I will admit to being quite upset about it when it first came to light that Chun had attacked my dad.  But honestly, who really cares what he thinks of dad?  Who really cares what he thinks about anything?  Paraphrasing my younger brother Chris, when a man of Chun's ilk calls you satan, you must be doing something right.

We ended the evening by enjoying dinner with friends.  Pastor Park was a seminary student of my fathers.  His mother also started the first church in Tamyang village and worked with my father.  Pastor Park invited us to dinner and graciously had his daughter in law their as a translator.  Her English language skills were excellent, but she said mom's Korean language skills were up to the task even after 30 years.

Left to Right: Brant, Mr. Seo, Victoria, Mr. Park, Mr. Son, Barbara

We were able to see Mr. Son who also was an angel for my family in Gwangju.  He took care of everything for mom when dad was out planting churches in the countryside for days on end.  I remember as a young child riding on the back of his bicycle as he went to the post office or the bank.  Apparently this was such a regular occurrence that one time my mom went to the bank with me and the ladies in the bank were so happy to meet Brant's mom.  Mom asked how they knew me and discovered that I had been tagging along with Mr. Son whenever possible.

We also were able to meet  Mr. Seo Chae Wan, who was a student protestor during the uprising in 1980 in Gwangju.  He had been jailed and persecuted as a student during this time.  Both Pastor Park and Mr. Seo were part of the events in 1995 when dad and mom returned to Korea so that dad could testify as to what he had witnessed.  He was so complimentary of dad and mom.  I could feel his love and respect for my parents in his every word.  I have so much respect for someone willing to put it all on the line for something that he believes in so deeply.  After trading stories of Gwangju, I think we may have discovered that he was marching in the peaceful demonstrations in front of the large hotel in Gwangju when my dad and I were watching from the top floor at the beginning of the uprising.

So at the end of the evening it really felt like a return home.  We met with new friends and old friends, reminisced, and absolutely enjoyed each others company.