In a moment, Dong Yun Yoon lost his entire family on Monday when a military jet crashed into his home here in San Diego, killing his wife, two infant daughters and his mother-in-law who had recently come from Korea to help care for the newborn.
How does a person live through something like this? During this interview on CNN, Dong Yun Yoon, surrounded by his church community, reveals his deep faith in Christ even as he reveals his broken heart. When his voice breaks and he talks about his daughters, it is utterly crushing:
I can’t believe they’re not here right now.
We were driving back to SD from LA when we heard the terrible news of a military jet crashing into a neighborhood near home. Our first thoughts turned to family and friends throughout the area, and we were relieved to hear they were safe. However, we have grieved over the news about Dong Yun Yoon and his family.
As Eugene Cho writes, this news would be horrific and tragic no matter to whom it happened. As a husband and father myself, I cannot even begin to imagine the shock and terror of losing my family in the middle of what should have been an ordinary day. However, there’s something deeply personal about the story of the Yoon family for our Korean American family. When we hear their story, we understand why the grandmother made the long journey across an ocean to care for her newborn granddaughter. When I hear Dong Yun’s voice, I understand the inflection and the heart of what he’s saying. In the faces of those surrounding him, I can see the pastors I have known and loved. I see the families weeping alongside them, literally crying out to God in prayer.
The Korean American community in San Diego is very small. Although we didn’t know the family directly, it wasn’t even a day before we found out how the Yoon family is connected to people we know here.
Dong Yun has displayed remarkable faith and grace in the midst of this tragedy. He does not blame the pilot of the jet that killed his family, even asking others, “Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident.” We will continue to pray for Dong Yun Yoon as he navigates the dark days ahead, holding onto the psalmist’s hope:
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
headsparks* 
crushing. that’s all I can say. EVERYTHING taken away in a second. I don’t know what I would come home to (literally) and what grace would be needed to carry on…
Grace, Father, much grace for him… :(
daniel: can you shoot me an email if you find out some info about a memorial fund. numerous folks on my blog are interested in donating in some way.
sigh.
sigh.
sigh.
Wayne — Yes, it’s too much for me to even imagine what I would do in his situation. Let’s continue to rally around this brother in prayer.
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Eugene — I am currently trying to get in touch with the EM pastor from their church. As soon as I get word, I will definitely pass it along to you. All of our hearts are heavy.
honestly, i don’t think i would be able to handle something like this with as much grace and faith as him. when i read the article, it reminded me of the reaction of the Amish community after that horrible shooting a couple years ago. i found an article with this line about the Amish from a michigan researcher, “”The hurt is very great,” Huntington said. “But they don’t balance the hurt with hate.”
Rich — I think the connection with the Amish community is a great one to make. I know I can gripe about 1st gen churches, culture and faith but Dong Yun Yoon’s faith is a beautiful example of what can be good about the Korean immigrant church.
The more i think about this story the more my heart is broken for Don. I too don’t know what I would do if my two boys, my wife and my mother-in-law were taking in an instant like this.
Todd — Thanks for dropping by and commenting. I am with you. When I tried to imagine what I would feel if that happened to me, I was completely overwhelmed. It made me go home and hold my family even closer to my heart.
Even tho I’m mexican, living in Mexico, I have been moved so deeply by this tragedy. But, among the sadness, I can find a valuable lesson. Specially in this hard economy time, we shuold focus on what we have been blessed with. On what really matters. For me that’s our loved ones. Nothing in life can’t compare to the joy of having our families complete, alive and healty. Everything else, comes and goes. I pray to God for this man’s grace.
Marian — Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. I agree: suffering, if we allow it to, can amplify those things in our lives that are true and good. The suffering itself is still awful, but perhaps something good can emerge from it if we hope and trust in God, and continue to carry one another.