You and I are truly blessed to the degree that if we got serious about admitting how God had taken care of us and our families over the years that we would fill up this newspaper with true thanksgiving. I know that bad things happen to good people and that some lives seem to have more than their share of heartaches, but I also know that even among those of us to whom these things happen, that there are many, many untold blessings.

To me one of the greatest blessings is the way Almighty God sets up "divine appointments" for us His children. When someone comes to Him and receives the blessings of salvation, three things happen. You first have a "willing witness" this is you and I. This is someone who is unashamed of the Gospel of Christ and is "willing" to share their faith. Secondly, there is the "seeking soul." This is the person who is seeking salvation who comes across your path. Thirdly, the "divine appointment" of salvation takes place. This is where God reaches down his hand to us, and offers to receive us into His kingdom, and the seeking soul reaches out and takes God's hand.

I was the post chaplain in Yongsan, Seoul, Korea from 1984 to 1986. As you remember, the Olympics were in Seoul in 1984. At the South Post Chapel in Seoul it was for me truly an exciting ministry. We had five choirs, hundreds in Sunday school, three services a Sunday, a Christian school and on and on. God truly blessed as worshipers from all different Christian denominations would put their denominational differences aside once a week and worship Almighty God. It was the sweetest fellowship I have ever witnessed in my 27 years as a pastor. It was what I feel heaven would be like.

It was in this setting that Pail Wrightsman rode into my life. When I say "road" into my life, I literally mean "road" into my life. Paul was a retired major who had married a wonderful Korean woman named Sue and was living there in Seoul and was working as the housing officer for one of our very large military leased housing developments. I was in my office when I heard a roar outside the parking lot and as I looked up and saw this distinguished, intelligent looking grey-haired man straddling a huge, really sharp motorcycle with all the whistles and bells. As he rode up, he revved it several times and the mufflers did what they were supposed to do and echoed the initial roar. I believe many of us secretly admire the men and women who climb aboard these hogs and roar down highways.

Paul strode in and knocked on my door and said "chappy" (I hated to be called chappy) got any coffee?" I said come on in and we introduced ourselves and an immediate friendship began. Paul Wrightsman is a man with many talents and a good mind. He is the only American I knew who had literally mastered the Korean language. He was fluent and could speak it for hours and I don't mean a few phrases like some of us learned. Within five minutes I asked Paul if he had any appointments Sunday morning at 9:30. He said that normally he was asleep on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. I further told him I needed someone with his talents to be an usher to deal with the crowds that were coming. He looked at me and said "okay I'll try it." Paul was there bright and early on his motorcycle Sunday and all the rest is history. Pail later made a glorious profession of faith, and we baptized him in the Han River. Paul and Sue returned to the States and they attended Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Texas and then finished at Golden Gate Seminary in California. God has used Paul and Sue in a marvelous way as they pastor a church and minister to the Korean-American marriages here in the United States.