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By Kathy Rappleye
Editor’s Note: The author’s
husband, Lloyd, is a former Korean Missionary (1968-1970).
Because of this, the couple were invited
to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the dedication
of the land of Korea for missionary work. Lloyd’s 84-year old-mother, Avonell Rappleye and his nephew,
Jesse Barrett, joined them on the journey. Jesse had just returned
from his Korean mission in February.
Korea is often called the Land of the Morning Calm, probably
because of the beautiful pastoral scenes that are a part of its
agricultural heritage. Or perhaps the name came because morning
— when people are still asleep — would be the only time of calm
in a land whose population of almost 50 million is crammed into
a space that is half the size of Utah.
Whatever
the reason, the name belies its history. With China and Russia on its northern border and Japan a short 90 miles from Korea’s shores, it has often been used as a doormat — a place
to conquer on the way to bigger conquests.
In
Korea’s early years, China had the most influence and control, followed by dynastic
emperors. From 1910 to 1945, Japan conquered and held Korea in a cruel and repressive occupation. The Japanese
were forced out with their defeat at the end of World War II. The
communists overtook the North (down to the 38th parallel)
in 1945, while the United States occupied and protected the South. In 1948 the country
was divided, much like Germany, into two nations. The communists were in control in
North
Korea, and a republic with an elected government ruled South
Korea.
Only
two years passed under these circumstances. Then the United
States withdrew and the communists swept down from the north.
Korea was again at war. For three years from, 1950 to 1953,
one of the bloodiest wars ever, raged through the land. One million
civilians were killed and more than 580,000 U.N. and South Korean
troops were killed, wounded or missing. Several million Koreans
were left homeless.
Almost
all parts of Korea were heavily damaged. Crops and farmland were ruined
and industry destroyed, causing serious economic problems for many
years. The early missionaries to Korea talk of a land with no grass or trees, barren and desolate,
and a people suffering through crushing poverty.
But
like so many other countries, out of the desolation came humility
and a softening that opens the heart to the light of the Gospel.
The first missionaries were the LDS servicemen. Many of the first
mission presidents and official missionaries were first there serving
in the war.
Among
the first Korean members was Ho Jik Kim,
who was converted while earning a doctorate at Cornell University
in the United States. He was baptized in the Susquehanna River by a college
mate in 1951. After coming up out of the water he heard a voice
say to him, “Feed my sheep. Feed my sheep.”
He
became an influential leader in the Korean government, serving as
vice-minister of education, and did much to pave the way for missionaries
to enter Korea. His wife and children suffered greatly in his absence
during the war, but were baptized when he returned on Aug 3, 1952.
He served tirelessly for the next eight years until he died of a
stroke in 1959. The Korean Saints have great respect for this pioneer
of the Church in Korea.
The
Land of Korea was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel August
2, 1955 by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith. Elder Won
Yong Ko of the Second Quorum of the Seventy
(who resides in the Asia North Area of the Church), said
that the gospel “promised peace and happiness to a people who were
suffering from the pain brought by the Korean War.”
click to enlarge
The first four missionaries to Korea, who served in the mid-1950s. The man on the left is unidentified. The others are Newell Kimball,
Dean Anderson and Don Powell.
Don
Powell, the first official missionary to Korea (1956 to 1959) describes conditions in a talk he gave
at the area conference:
This is the first time I have returned to Korea since my mission in 1956. What I have witnessed here
is a miracle of the Lord. He has touched the lives of the people.
There were no highways [when I arrived here]; this was truly a
land of desolation. The first real missionaries wore helmets,
uniforms and boots, and carried an M-1 rifle.
There were 64 Saints at that time and many faithful servicemen
who not only carried their rifles, but also their Books of Mormon.
Conditions were harsh; no running water and no electricity. We
had to be careful what we ate and drank. There were no printed
church materials — nothing was translated into Korean. We virtually
taught by the Spirit. I could never have dreamed what it has become
today.”
click to enlarge
Lloyd Rappleye, shown here in 1969 with
his companion, Tae Ho Cho.
My
husband, Lloyd Rappleye, served in Korea for thirty months, 1968 to 1970. There was no language
training at the time so he was given an extra six months to learn
to speak Korean.
“It
was a young church at the time” I served in Korea, he said, with only “about 3500 members. There was
only one endowed couple in the country — In Han Song and his wife.
There were about 15 branches, some presided over by missionaries.”
Lloyd
said he was given two striking spiritual gifts as he served in Korea — “the gift of tongues, and the power of the Holy Ghost
in the conversion process.”
Apparently
many other missionaries have received similar gifts because the
growth of the Church in Korea since those early days has been phenomenal. “The overall
growth of the Church is in fulfillment of a prophecy by Elder Bruce
R. McConkie, who said in 1969 that the
‘Church in Korea would grow by tens of thousands in the coming decades,’”
he recalled. “The entire country has been blessed. Korea is no longer a third world nation.”
click to enlarge
Shown here in 2005 are
former mission companions Lloyd Rappleye
and Tae Ho Cho.
During
his recent trip to Korea, Lloyd met two old friends from his days in Korea. One was a former companion, Tae Ho Cho.
The other was Woo Young Lee, “who was a student and later a missionary
when I knew him. He now presides over the Seoul East Stake.”
click to enlarge
At left is Woo Young Lee in 1968. Lloyd is in the background on
the right.
President
Woo Young Lee, who served his mission from Jan. 1970 to Dec. 1971,
said that serving a mission in his homeland was the happiest time
in his life. During the course of his mission he converted himself,
made many friends, and grew closer to God.
click to enlarge
Former student
Woo Young Lee, shown here with Lloyd, now presides over the Seoul East Stake.
President
Lee is impressed with the people of his country, who have worked
hard and grown up in the spirit. Speaking of the temple, he recalled words from the dedicatory
prayer by President Gordon B. Hinckley, which was given in December
of 1985:
This is the first such house of the Lord ever constructed on
the mainland of Asia, this vast continent where through the generations
of the past have lived unnumbered hosts whose lives have not been
touched by the saving principles of the gospel.
Today,
President Lee said, “I can testify that those lives are now being
touched. We were blessed to attend a temple session during the conference.
We did the work for Koreans who had been born in the 1750’s — a
long time to wait for the saving principles” of the temple.
click to enlarge
The sign at the entrance of the Korean Temple identifies the building
in Korean and English.
The
impressions of Lloyd’s nephew Jesse, who served in Korea from 2003-2005 showed that
his experience was vastly different from that of his uncle. However,
the people are just as loving now as they were when Lloyd was serving
decades before.
When
he served, “the Church [in Korea] was very similar to the Church in the States,” he
recalled. “Of course it was full of Koreans, and because of that
I saw how devotion, hard work and focus can really help the Church
grow. [The Church here] has grown to the point that each ward has
its own building. The members have the opportunity to visit a temple
often, every family has a home teacher, and every member has a calling.
Lots of people have given up long kept traditions and customs to
be a part of this great work.”
During
his mission, Jesse was most impressed with the love shown to one
another and to the missionaries by the Korean members. “I felt
like everyone here was my brother or sister because of the way everyone
loves and respects each other,” he said. “This is the way the world
should be. If I ever felt lost, all I had to do was ask Koreans
for help and they would go out of their way to help me. In the Church
it is the same way. It’s not as big here as it is in the USA, but the Korean Saints work as hard to make up for
it. Going to church each week always brought great joy because I
liked to see the love the people have for each other.”
He
added, “Coming back just reminds me of how peaceful this nation
is, it is a nation I feel no hostility
in. I saw lots of investigators instantly love what the Church teaches,
because a lot of Koreans already believe it. Families and their
importance have set the standard of living here in Korea. The Church has only helped in that aspect. As love
and learning increase in the homes of a nation, the better the economy
becomes. I believe what President Hinckley said about the Saints.
‘The Lord has blessed you, and has blessed this land because of
you. There is security and peace; the well-being of this nation
rests on the righteousness of the people. If the Saints will live
the gospel they will be spared from war and other afflictions.’
That was a statement from the Prophet’s lips, and I believe it whole-heartedly.”
Just
as his uncle had done, Jesse was reunited with a friend from his
mission during his return to the country for President Hinckley’s
visit. He was delighted to catch up on his friend’s life, and to
learn he is actively serving in the Shin Dang Ward.
Jesse is shown
here with a former mission companion.
The
city of Seoul has a great subway system. Our group used it extensively
while we were there, because it is a cheap and fast way to get around
town. The youth we observed as we were traveling are very fashion
conscious; the girls especially are very into clothes and make-up.
It seemed that all of them had a cell phone stuck to their ears
at all times; they were very worldly. In this respect they were
not too unlike American kids.
But
in contrast, the LDS youth of Korea — although nicely and cleanly dressed — had a different
demeanor. The Light of the Gospel could readily be seen shining
in their eyes and faces. They put their hearts and souls into their
performances for the cultural night, even with the disappointment
of the Prophet not being there.
The
families who attended were typically Mormon, happy and with lots
of children. As President Hinckley said, “The land has been blessed because of
you” — not only spiritually but physically as well. Where
the land was desolate after the war, now it is beautiful and green.
The crushing poverty is mostly gone and the country has a prosperity
and freedom unknown to earlier generations of Koreans.
The
story of the Church in Korea is the story of the Church anywhere else in the world.
As the light of the Gospel spreads through the land, the name, The
Land of the Morning Calm, becomes more of a reality. It has been
an awesome and life-changing experience to travel to Korea and see for ourselves the fulfillment of the prophecy
that the Church would roll forward and fill the whole earth.
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