Before we met with Grandma and Grandpa, Jiea made a round of calls to anybody who would answer and asked if they had any questions they wanted answered from Grandma and Grandpa. Before we asked each question, we told them who it was that asked it.
Hannah: When was the first time you knew you were in love with each other?
Grandma eagerly answered, when they met for the first time with the intention to marry. Remember, they were matched by their parents. Grandma said he was handsome, tall, had a good family and a good heart. She liked everything about him. When I asked Grandpa, he said, at the time, whatever the parents asked of you was obligatorily "yes". But at the same time, he was really happy that his parents approved of the marriage. Grandma wanted to add that back then, no one really showed affection outwardly to each other or even to their children, especially because they lived with their elders (their parents). The Korean tradition was to always put your elders first, even before your own children.
Uncle Peter: If you had to remarry, would you choose to marry the same person?
Grandma immediately replied with an emphatic NO! Grandpa explained, your Grandmother did everything she needed to do and more, after she married me. Basically, he explained that she had it rough. She took care of her mother-in-law, brothers-in-law and her grandparents-in-law and all the domestic duties. "She lived sacrificially," said Grandpa, "so, if I said no too, I'd be in big trouble!"
Lena: What do you miss most about your childhood?
Grandma: "I miss going to church with my mother when I was younger. We would walk about 30 minutes to church, and I would carry my siblings on my back. My mother would express her appreciation. I really enjoyed walking to church and back."
Grandpa: "My father, when I was younger, would take a net to the river to catch fish. My father was very stern with me, which was common in that age. But somehow, he took me with him to the river. Even though his parenting style was very rigid, I assume that he must have loved me to have taken me to the river to catch fish with him. I experienced his love through that."
Joshua: Which one of your kids gave you the hardest time?
Grandma and Grandpa burst out laughing with this question. Grandma said, "I can't tell you that." When I reworded the question as "In what situation were you the most distressed?" Grandpa stated that it's the most distressing when they witness conflict within our family, whether it is between parents and kids or between husband and wife.
Aunt Angie: Throughout your life, what was your most difficult moment?
Grandma: "Even if we don't say, your mom should know very well, Jiea."
Uncle Peter: What was your most happiest moment?
Grandpa: "I was the happiest during the transition from being one who didn't believe to one who believed in Jesus. I got to do so many things in my life, but nothing was as fulfilling and enjoyable as that stage in my life."
Grandma: "I was the happiest when all my children began attending church. No matter how much they had in their pocket, they would give it to the Lord."
Aunt Chu: What's your favorite scripture in the Bible?
Grandma: "Psalms 92:12-15. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The LORD is upright.'"
Grandpa: "Rather than a favorite Bible verse, my favorite person in the Bible is David. He was so loved by God and he loved God much. When I look at the struggles he faced, the struggles that I have seem like nothing. When I was distressed with my children, I looked to David and how his own son looked to kill him. What I face is nothing compared to that."
Grandma's favorite character in the Bible is Joseph. I agreed, he is my favorite too. "Joseph faced much hardship, and yet God was with him through it all. He loved his brothers and forgave them in the end," said Grandma.
Danny: What is one negative and one positive of the first generation that came here. And what can the second generation learn?
At this point, Grandma and Grandpa marvel at the difficulty of questions and exclaim, "These girls are worse than newspaper reporters!" They had a hard time with this question and Grandpa said that both our generations have the same problems.
Grandma thinks it a great strength that the first generation keeps the Sabbath holy.
Grandpa began to discuss the positives of the second generation - the advancement of technology and lifestyle. At the same time, he got quite worked up talking about the negatives of this generation, not specific to our family. "The current generation of young adults are not getting married and not wanting kids. There is something called ethics and morality that does not seem to exist today... We are all sexual beings but if people are not getting married, it only leads to promiscuity. I see it all over the television. This is one thing that I can not understand about this generation. There is a reason why God created families. Yes, the generations and the times have changed, but God is the same God and a time of judgment will come."
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