Part Three: Love is Enduring - My Family
	25. My First Daughter, Young Joo, Born with a Talent in Painting
	Young Joo was always kind and gentle ever since she was a child. She entered elementary school when she was seven years old. One day, I gave her 200 won for her to spend on her class trip to the countryside. There, Young Joo ate only the lunch and fruits that I had packed for her and with the money, she bought a binyu (a traditional Korean hair ornament which keeps women’s long hair neat) for our housemaid. Upon receiving the gift, the housemaid ran to me and said, “Mrs. Yeu, there has never been such a good girl as this child. She didn’t buy snacks like the other children. Instead, she bought a binyu for me and she is only seven years old. She will surely be blessed in the future.” Our housemaid was very impressed. Young Joo studied well and went to the middle school affiliated with Gyeongbuk Teachers College, which was then the most competitive school in Daegu. One of her classmates had been absent from school for a long time so Young Joo visited her house. She found out that her friend’s parents had taken refuge in Daegu from North Korea during the Korean War, but were now sick, and that her friend couldn’t afford to study any more. Her classmate had just then returned home from selling sweet potatoes in the open market and when she saw Young Joo she said feebly, “I cannot continue to study because of my situation.” Young Joo had much compassion for her and began to help her so that she could finish middle school. Later, when everyone entered high school, Young Joo withdrew her savings from the school bank to help her friend with her tuition. A teacher found out what was going on and was greatly moved by Young Joo’s good heart. She recommended that my daughter receive a prize from the principal for her consideration of others. Her friend continued her studies and eventually went to university. When we moved to Seoul, she wrote a letter to Young Joo which began, “Dear Young Joo, your love is higher than the sky and broader than the sea.” That girl might have lived as a sweet potato vendor in an unfamiliar city with no relatives if it hadn’t been for Young Joo’s help. Now, she has become an accomplished woman. Also at the age of seven, Young Joo started playing the piano in Daegu. She received her piano lessons from Professor Ki-uk Kim, a well-known pianist. Later in Seoul, she played under Mrs. In Bok Kim, the mother of Dae Wuk Lee, a famous pianist. Mrs. Kim recognized Young Joo’s eminent talent for playing the piano and advised us to let Young Joo apply to a music college, but Young Joo told me, “Mother, now that I’ve already spent a lot of time playing the piano, I want to major in painting.” Since elementary school whenever Young Joo painted a picture and helped a friend beside her in drawing, both of their paintings were always chosen to be hung on the backboard. Since Young Joo had a talent for painting, I thought that it was a good idea for her to major in painting and agreed when she wanted to apply to the College of Fine Arts. As a senior in high school, she studied panting a little bit by herself. The time came for her to apply to university. Her art teacher in high school strongly objected, however, to Young Joo’s desire to apply to the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University. He said that it was nonsense for her to apply there because it was a very competitive field and Young Joo hadn’t received any private lessons. I asked him to allow her to do so, saying that I would take all the responsibility if she failed. Young Joo filled out and submitted her application form. She took the entrance examination. Young Joo got the highest mark among all the candidates. It was a great honor for the Ewha Girl’s High School. Her art teacher was ashamed. We realized again that Young Joo was born with a talent to paint and we thanked God. After she graduated from the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University, she went to study in America for graduate school. She was accepted into the Cleveland Institute of Arts in Cleveland, Ohio. There, she received many prizes at school contests, surpassing her classmates. A year later with recommendations from her school, she entered the Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Bloomfield Hills in Michigan, which was one of the most famous art schools in the United States. It is located in a beautiful suburban area near Detroit. There, was to be an exhibition soon after she entered the school. Critics were invited to view the 100 paintings on display. Two of Young Joo’s paintings were chosen first and sold to collectors. Then a lady, who very much wanted to buy one of those paintings visited Young Joo’s studio and asked her to paint another picture exactly like the one that was sold. To this Young Joo replied, “Since it isn’t a photograph, I don’t know if I’ll be able to paint it exactly as the one before.” The lady asked her earnestly to paint another one for her anyway. Cranbrook Academy of Arts was located in a wealthy town near Detroit where the Ford automobile company was. There, the rich families were collectors of paintings done by famous artists. The wives of this town began showing interest in Young Joo’s abstract paintings. Her professors were surprised and a bit envious. One of them said, “You may become a millionaire soon this way. Though I have been teaching a long time, I have never sold any of my paintings in this town.” Young Joo was also popular among her fellow students. In such an international, competitive school, Young Joo excelled in her studies. When she became a second year student, one of her professor asked her to help in choosing students for the next admission. She found out then how selective the school was in admitting students--as few as one out of 400 candidates from all over the world was admitted. She said that it was a miracle that she could even have been admitted there and thanked God for it. Many wealthy ladies loved her and invited her over to their houses, asking her to do some paintings that would complement the interiors of their homes. Since she had so many orders on top of paintings to do for her classes, she sometimes only slept three hours a day. Her dissertation for her master’s degree was so well written that a copy of it was sent to the University of Toronto, Canada to be kept there. When Young Joo graduated from Cranbrook Academy of Arts, she held her first big solo exhibition at the Rubiner Gallery in Royal Oak, Michigan. She invited my husband and me to the event. It was perfect timing because my husband was going to the States on a business trip so I accompanied him. I longed to see her for I was so grateful that she, our daughter, was graduating with honors from such an international environment and I was also proud that she had made Korea shine brightly through her many wonderful works. There was one family among all the other collectors who especially loved Young Joo’s paintings: the DeVaults in Bloomfield Hills. Mr. DeVault was a successful businessman. His family loved Young Joo dearly. Every weekend they invited her to stay with them and provided her with a guest room. During her vacation, they had Young Joo move all her luggage into their house. Since they had two daughters, it was a nice house for a young woman to stay and rest. When our second daughter, Jung Joo, went to study in the United States, she also stayed with them for several days before going to school. Mrs. DeVault spoke highly of Jung Joo as well telling her that she had good manners and that she spoke English better than others who have lived a long time in the States. While Young Joo was in America, her first brother, Young Tae, also visited the DeVault family during a business trip. Having met Young Joo, Jung Joo, and Young Tae, who all were well behaved and had good character, Mr. and Mrs. DeVault kept telling them that they would love to send their two daughters to Korea after they graduated for me to educate them. Just as they said, the DeVault family visited Korea several years later and we had a joyful time together. When we arrived in the States for Young Joo’s commencement, Mr. and Mrs. DeVault came to meet us in a big van. They had assumed that since we were well off, we’d have lots of luggage. Upon seeing that my husband and I each had only one trunk, Mrs. DeVault said to Young Joo, “Your parents really know how to travel.” They wouldn’t hear of us going to a hotel and they drove us directly to their house. It was beautiful and clean. They even had a waterfall in their big garden and a freshly cut lawn. After we had rested, I heard what the DeVaults had done for us. I felt so sorry towards our hosts. Mr. and Mrs. DeVault had sent invitations two weeks ago to 100 guests from their neighborhood to party to honor us, the parents of the painter. But due to my husband’s business schedule and the late issuance of my visa, we arrived two days after the party. That night Young Joo and Jung Joo had to be the guests of honor instead of us and welcomed all the guests. In their beautiful dresses they received many compliments. The DeVaults told me that the guests said, “What beautiful and elegant young ladies they are!” We would very much like to meet the parents who have raised such fine daughters.” Mr. and Mrs. DeVault, who had collected eight of Young Joo’s paintings, proudly showed those guests their display. I was truly grateful for their kindness. The DeVaults had two daughters: the first one, Nicole, was majoring in music, playing the harp, and their second daughter, Danielle, who was then in high school, later studied business administration at Boston University. When I sat at the dinner table, I couldn’t help but to be impressed at the table setting prepared by Mrs. DeVault without any help from a maid. Her eyes were filled with tears, seeing how glad I was to be with my daughter again after our long separation. She is a compassionate, beautiful Italian-American. The next day we attended Young Joo’s graduation ceremony. The school’s site was about 400 ha. and a river that flowed through campus. There was also a lake with a hill beside it. In the garden, trees grew beautifully. According to Young Joo, the garden was designed by a famous Swedish architect, Mr. Solinen. The lawn was green all year round and a variety of flowers had been planted in the garden, so that there would always be something blooming in every season. The landscape’s arrangement was so well done that it remained spectacular anytime of the year. The school also had a cultural exchange program with Swede. I was told that while Young Joo was studying there, the princess of Sweden had visited her school. Although it was a big campus, there were only 140 students all together. This was a place where the most talented and brilliant art students gathered, selected among the many qualified candidates who applied from all over the world. More than half the students received scholarships from the school. The college was supported by a strong board of trustees, and many businessmen and their wives in the neighboring industrial city. The founder of the school, a famous newspaper tycoon of 1920s, invested his fortune in the purchase of this site and built the school. The buildings were beautiful and the church across from the campus was also very lovely. The garden of this school was in itself a work of art, well-arranged to inspire the creativity of the students. I imagined that the school’s commencement would be a very fancy affair, but it was very simple and refined. I went to the ceremony in a light yellow Korean dress made of a traditional Korean material called sukosa (thin silk for summer wear). People seemed to be seeing a Korean dress for the first time. Since I am 5 feet 6 inches, Young Joo advised me to wear high heeled shoes, so I did. The ceremony was held in an open auditorium. The various traditional costumes of different countries that people wore were truly remarkable. Afterwards, a reception was held at the Dean’s residence and the way to his house was exquisite with trees growing on both sides. It made us feel like we were in a deep forest. There was also a flowing brook, a green hill, and tall pine trees, and it seemed that every creation was praising their Creator, our Lord God. The magnificence of the Dean’s house denoted the wealth of its original owner. The walls were made of carved teak wood and numerous precious antiques decorated the rooms. We greeted the Dean, the professors, and many guests during the luncheon, which had a wide selection and a great quantity of food. The garden surrounding the Dean’s house was especially breathtaking. Many elegant sculptures were displayed on the neatly kept lawn, each in its proper place. I could see God’s blessings in the beauty and order in the household of the descendants of a nation who believed in Him. “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all the precious and pleasant riches” (Proverbs 24:3-4). As mentioned in Proverbs, I could see God’s wisdom, , in that place, as I thought about how the founder’s family had inherited the beautiful school and majestic house with the precious antiques. They in turn could pass them on to their descendants. I realized once again that we would also be able to inherit the blessings that God promised our fathers of faith if we spent all the wealth entrusted to us for the glory of God, having faith in Jesus Christ, and living in fear of the Lord. After the party was over we saw the school’s art gallery and also Young Joo’s solo exhibition. Every single one of her paintings was so beautiful that I found myself in deep contemplation looking at each one of them. I marveled at her works of art and understood why so many people desired to collect her painting. She had many large pieces on display. I patted Young Joo on the back, seeing how she had worked hard to paint and study at the same time. I thanked God for giving her such a tremendous talent. On our way home, we had a tour of the city. The next day, we were on our way out when Mr. and Mrs. Zanzikee, who lived next door to the DeVaults, invited us over. We refused their invitation politely because we had no time, but they insisted we then visit in the morning. I accepted their invitation, not being able to resist any longer. Early the next morning, the Zanzikees’ second daughter came over to bid us good-bye, saying she was sorry to see us go. She said that because of her summer job, she wouldn’t be present for breakfast at her house. She was very polite. Mr. and Mrs. DeVault, Young Joo, my husband, and I went over to their house and sat at the lovely table, which Mrs. Zanikee had sincerely prepared until late the night before. It was a festive party. Mr. Zanzikee had graduated from MIT and was the vice-president of a large company. Mrs. Zanzikee was very beautiful and kind. Their large house was built after the style of an Armenian house. They also had a large collection of antiques. I could tell at one glance that the Zanzikees also had a loving family relationship. I wore my pink Korean dress made of sukosa and an ornament called norike. The breakfast table was prepared with much care, Mrs. Zanzikee using her precious silverware. The food was delicious. We talked about the history of Korea and spent a very lovely time. We gave them a bamboo fan as a gift, which they put on display. They admired it. We all took a picture together and had a wonderful time. That day, after having spent four days in Mr. and Mrs. DeVault’s house, we left for Ann Arbor where Jung Joo was studying. Mrs. DeVault was a kind, cheerful, loving woman, and she stood crying while she said good-bye to us. It made me feel like crying also. In the car, I prayed, “Dear Lord, I couldn’t have taken care of my daughter in this far away country if it weren’t for the DeVaults, I thank you for the DeVaults with all my heart; they have taken care of my daughter like one of their own. Lord God, bless them abundantly for their kindness.” We spent three days with Jung Joo, in Ann Arbor. Michigan State was really beautiful; we understood why it is known for its green spaces. We had many blessed invitations and meetings in that city. Since Jung Joo had already registered for summer school, we only took her with us to see Niagara Falls. It rained often in the town near Niagara and of course it was drizzling when we arrived. Nevertheless, when we went to see the Falls the next day it was a clear day, which was seldom seen there. How God provided for us! The strong powerful currents that fell were the color of jade under the brilliant sun. It was a splendid sight to look at. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant on the border of Canada. The restaurant was built near the river, which flowed into the Falls, on a beautiful spot in perfect harmony with the whole scenery. We had some tea there. The restaurant didn’t sell any alcoholic beverages, so this gave me a good impression of Canada. We then went to New York where our niece was living. Her husband was a medical doctor. They came to meet us at the airport with their car. Since Young Joo was an artist, we visited all the museums. There I saw Helen Frankenthaler’s paintings. She is known to be one of the best painters in America. Young Joo asked me, “ Mother, She’s the best painter in America. She even studied abroad in France. Can you compare my works with hers?” I looked at the canvases for a long time. Frankenthaler also did abstract painting. I said, “Dear Young Joo, I’m not a professional critic and I cannot comment on that. All I can say is that her paintings are quite different from yours for example, she uses a lot of black in her art. That’s all I notice.” The next day we were invited by our niece and her husband to attend a concert at Lincoln Center. When we got there, we saw on the front wall a huge painting of Joan Miro’s. I told Young Joo, “The painting is very similar to your schemes. I get similar feelings towards this one as I had towards hers. Then Young Joo said, “Mom, he is a very famous painter.” I told her that I was very happy because the mood of her paintings is so similar to his. Young Joo received many orders from her collectors there and she wanted to continue her career as a painter in America. “Well, you are of age to get married, I think you should return to Korea,” I told her and she did so. She married Hyun Jung Shin, M.D. and lives happily with a son and a daughter. She continues to paint whenever she finds time. Young Joo was baptized with the Holy Spirit in 1974 just before she returned to Korea. Ever since then, before starting any painting, Young Joo prepared herself in praise, meditation of the Word of God, and prayer. She then dedicated them as her praises to God. Young Joo has come to personally realize that all the talents God gave her should be used solely for the glory of God. Whenever I step into her studio, I see it filled with praise and glory. Every canvas she paints overflows with the full grace of the Holy Spirit. In 1980, she had her second solo exhibition soon after returning to Korea in a large hall at the Sejong Cultural Center. Her paintings with titles from Genesis to Revelation in the Bible, resulted in many artists accepting Christ through this exhibition. Her large paintings received much favorable comments. Jung Wan Kang and Eung Won Pyun, both famous painters, came to believe in Jesus through Young Joo’s witness at her solo exhibition. When she had another exhibition in Paris later that year, we saw the Holy Spirit work miracles every day. Minister Shin Jo Kang, working at the Korean Embassy in France and now a member of the Parliament, accepted Jesus in his heart along with some 20 Korean painters studying in France during the three months Young Joo held her exhibition. After returning home, Young Joo built a beautiful gallery similar to a miniature of the Louvre Museum on the second floor of her house. She opens its doors frequently for the purpose of evangelizing. I pray with firm assurance that Young Joo may effectively share the Gospel with the world through her paintings. I also pray that wherever Young Joo’s paintings are displayed, they may bring glory to God and joy to anyone who admires them. Young Joo is serving the Lord as an elder at Young Nak Presbyterian Church. She had served as world vice-president of the World’s Woman’s Christian Temperance Union from 1983 to 1989. I always praise the Lord for endowing Young Joo with such a talent for painting. Hallelujah! Young Joo’s daughter, Jung Hee, entered the Christian Studies Department at Ewha Womans University and serves Ducksoo Presbyterian Church through her prayers and leading Bible studies. She’s dedicating her life to being the Lord’s servant. Young Joo’s son, Myung Chul, entered Business process Management Department at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana in the U.S.A. My Daughter Young Joo A princess among princesses, a noble among nobles From your childhood, your kind heart Helped many friends in need. Having gone far away to America, Nails in your hands, devoted to your painting, you are an artist. Your incomparable noble nature is a beautiful mystery. (March 17, 1973)
	22. My Husband, Soo Keun Kim, a Successful Businessman
	23. My First Son, Young Tae, Dedicated to God
	24. My Second Son, Young Min, and His Temperate Lifestyle
	25. My First Daughter, Young Joo, Born with a Talent in Painting
	26. My Second Daughter, Jung Joo, Dedicated to Jesus Christ
	27. My Third Son, Young Hoon and the Cross
	28. My Last Daughter, Sung Joo, a Businesswoman
	29. My Mother’s Advice
	30. My Conviction for Children’s Education

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