Skip to main content

Haitian orphans are lucky

By Chae S. Sone

Korean orphans during the Korean War and the Haitian children

Korean War - HD-SN-99-03153Image by US Army Korea - IMCOM via Flickr

During the Korean War, when the Korean and American troops retook the Won ju city area, I had chance to brief visit to a refugee house in the city. I saw a group of about 15 children gathered in a small room under the car of a young man who was a Christian refuge himself from the North. He couldn’t stand up in the weakness in starvation. All the children were stood up as I entered the room, all half naked, none was sitting on the floor, with just frightened facial expression as they had experienced the horror in the bombings and the battles and they lost their parents and family members.

Fortunately, they were picked by the American or Korean soldiers up on the roadways or from the fields. They starved in horror. That was why they had but an expression of horror in despair as they could remember only frightening of the brutal war during the communist invasion.

I met an American army chaplain visiting the refugees. Although we saw the sufferings, we had no special means at hand to help them. So I asked him if we could offer a special services for them. He gracefully agreed. In the following morning, he led a special service for the sorrowful group, mostly women. The chaplain preached in the most heartfelt emotional tones for those who in desperate situation. I acted as his interpreter.

The refugees worshipped, sitting on the small yard front of the house, spent the tearful moments during the services. I always remember the chaplain’s, emotional facial expressions and the lamenting worshippers, wailing for heavenly help. Since then, I do not know about their fates but their facial expressions.

Nowadays, whenever I see the disaster stricken Haitian refugees in the news, my old memory recalls me to the half-naked Korean orphans’ images.

But the immediate contras to the Haitian orphans was that the difference between
them is that the Haitian orphans have the timely supply of food and other aids from the neighboring Americans and others and are fed well, and lively, happily jumping around, many of them are hope to be adopted into the American families.

But the Korean orphans during the war time never had any such timely luxury whenever I had chance to see them in the many war torn areas.

Later, in America, I had chances to see the happy faces of the some adopted children under Mr. Holt plan in Oregon and The Welcome House under the leadership of the well known Pearl S. Buck, Doylestown, Pa.

By now, I believe that many of the grown up Korean children in the American adoptive families would be playing very rewarding roles in various ways for this society.

Laura Silsby

Laura Silsby is very characteristic leader for the missionary group, often failed her own business in the recession, but always her heart was to help the homeless or the disadvantaged children over the world, according to news. She seems to be very able person and hastily organized this
Missionary group to help the Haitian orphans at this time. One’s business failure does not necessarily mean any moral defects at all.

Unfortunately her group in Haiti mistakenly ended up in the jail as the suspected orphan kidnappers as they missed some legal steps in confusion of the disaster stricken land. Although they were in the situation very much needed a legal advice and consent from the authorities, they didn’t seem to have had such a timely opportunity in confusion.

During the court hearings, some parents testified that they willingly gave their own children to the missionary goop in contrary to the accusations.

The incident appears not to be in a mutual malice at all but the disconnection in the confusion of the land of the great calamity as if a heavenly strike.

As the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated graciously to the public that the Haitian judicial authorities would determine the case in honor, According to the news, the court seemed to have discovered the truth.
Judge Bernard Saint-Vil has the final word soon on whether to free the missionaries, on the basis of the hearings and Defense attorney’s request.

The judge’s brilliant determination will gladify everyone concerned about them in the world.

In God’s grace, hopefully, Laura Silsby could find a graceful way to continue her inherently passionate instinctive humanitarian mission towards needy people in Christian faith.

We pray for the relief efforts by the American Christians, Mr. Bill Clinton’s quick recovery, Mr. George H. W. Bush, the UN Secretary Ban Key Mun and all the people in good will towards the disadvantaged.

Sincerely, Chae S. Sone


Comments