Donate in Memory of Ji Han Park

My friend, Ji Han recently passed on 11/11/23, leaving behind his wife and 2 children. Jihan was a wonderful brother, Father and friend who touched lives of those around him.

Please help us raise money to support his funeral cost and to support his wife and Children.

A letter from Friends of Jihan,

In preparing for his tribute, I want to take the moment to share some things about Jihan which were personal to me, and various attributes that represent what his close circle of friends knew about him, which I would love cherish and hold onto throughout the time we spent together.

Jihan and I’ve been friends since the 1st year of high school, when he was quote/unquote “fresh off the boat.” That makes it about 2/3 of our life that I spent being close with him. This is longer than I’ve been married. Much longer than I’ve been a parent. Longer than many many things in my life…

Back in our high school days, there’s something which I’ve never actually told him. I considered him my rival. He was smart, athletic, witty, and most annoyingly, very good looking. He had the whole package. And even though I was always adamant we were the same height, he was actually about three quarter inch taller than me. Not a full inch.. but three quarters.

As can be evidenced today by everyone gathered here and the outpouring of love, he was very much loved. He made friends everywhere his life passed through. A Korean phrase better expresses how I would like to describe him. 좋은 사람... 지한이는 너무도 좋은 사람이였습니다. His heart imbued an innocence of a kid. The genuine love within his core was something you could feel if you shared just a moment with him. He was the ultimate gentle soul with a heart of gold. He is a great loss for this world. A great loss for my world.

On TV and movies, there's one cliche phrase which feels so cheesy it makes me cringe every time I hear it - "he was like my brother." Today my heart now fathoms its true meaning. The throbbing ache in my heart speaks loudly to me I have lost more than a friend. I lost a loved one. I have lost a brother.

Only just a few weeks ago, over a pint of beer, we randomly landed on the subject of heaven. I personally have a skeptical nature. I like scientific and logical proofs. He also knows this about me well. I told him, my mind has trouble grasping the concept of heaven. It doesn’t make logical sense to me. He responded to me “I believe with full conviction heaven is real. It may not make sense to us, but I know for sure it exists.” This fool has now convinced me what thousands of church visits, hundreds of books, and the entire internet was never able to do.

As he is watching right now, I would like to say a couple things to him directly. He may not want to believe or hear this after living in the states for 30 years, but his english wasn’t very good so I will speak to him in Korean.

지한아…

너가 나에게 말해준 천국이 어떤곳인지 참 궁금하구나

언제 기회가 되면 나에게 들려주렴

다른 사람 말은 안믿어도 내가 너말은 잘 믿었자나

훗날 아름답고 평안한 그곳에서 다시 만날 날까지 우리 모두 지켜봐 주렴

사랑한다

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.