Photos from the Journey

1957 · Oklahoma

Robert and Mary

Robert and Mary Majors on their wedding day — the marriage that started the story.

Easter 1967 · Oklahoma

Easter 1967

Mary with children in new Easter clothes — purchased with Bud's uncashed check.

c. 1970s · Oklahoma

The Grandparents

Sarah Majors + Jetty and Clarence Maxwell — three people who showed what steady love looks like.

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Early 1970s · Wichita, Kansas

The Day I Found My Father

Bill, Bud (father, right), Uncle Marvin — and the red VW Beetle. The day he went to ask his father why he left.

c. 1978 · Oklahoma

Steve White — Near High School Graduation

Bill and Steve White — friends since the 9th grade. They weren't acting funny — they were funny.

Summer 1980 · Chattanooga, TN

Joey Kim — College Roommate

Bill and Joey Kim in Chattanooga during their first summer of college together.

1979–1982 · College Years

A Boy in a Tree

Bill climbing a tree during his college years — still a boy at heart.

1982 · Chattanooga, TN

Forty Years of Prayer

The missionary prayer card given to Millie Winget in Chattanooga before Bill's college graduation. She kept it for forty years.

1982 · Chattanooga, TN

College Graduation

Millie Winget, Steve White, Mary, and Bill at the Chattanooga Choo Choo after graduation.

August 1982 · Korea

First Summer in Korea

Bill teaching English to Korean teachers — just weeks after arriving on June 1, 1982.

November 1982 · Korea

First Birthday in Korea

Joseph Cho presents the gift. Elder John Song applauds. Five months after landing.

1983 · Korea

The Family That Took Him In

The retired one-star general's family who housed Bill during language school.

1985 · Korea

Planting Rice for the Children

Barefoot in the paddy — the orphanage rice field that fed the children.

Chuseok 1985 · Korea

Chuseok at the Orphanage

Bill in hanbok at Hwarang Children's Home — celebrating Chuseok, Korea's harvest Thanksgiving.

1986 · Korea

Agape Baptist Church

Rev. Chung and his wife — the church plant where Bill served as volunteer youth pastor.

1986 · Korea

The Ensemble — 4 Members

Four members now. Jakyung is next to Bill — she had entered the story.

1987 · Korea

Sungshin Children's Home

Ceremony at Sungshin Children's Home — Colonel Ray Shaw (2nd uniformed soldier).

1987 · Korea

The Ensemble — 3 Members

The singing ensemble — three members remaining. Jakyung is on the left.

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November 1987 · Oklahoma

Wedding Reception

White tuxedo and golden hanbok at Western Oaks Baptist Church — two worlds becoming one.

December 1987 · San Diego

Honeymoon by the Pacific

Bill and Jakyung on their honeymoon — newlyweds at the edge of the continent.

Summer 1990 · Japan

CBMC Japan Conference

Bill holding infant Sarah (b. March 5, 1990) at the CBMC conference in Japan.

1990 · Korea

The Translation Booth

Korean/English simultaneous translator at the National Prayer Breakfast.

1990 · Seoul

Youngnak Church

The translation room inside Youngnak Church — one of Korea's most historic sanctuaries.

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1992 · Seoul

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Bill at the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace — the city he now calls home.

1993 · Korea

Sarah and Anna

Anna wants Sarah's ice cream. Sarah is savoring every last lick. Some things are universal.

1993 · Oklahoma

The Two Sarahs

Grandmother Sarah Majors holds her namesake. Bill holds Anna. Jakyung beside him.

1995 · Dallas, Texas

The Majors Family — Dallas 1995

Bill, Jakyung, Sarah, and Anna — studio portrait in Dallas after rehab, before graduation.

December 1995 · Dallas

M.A. Graduation

Bill in academic robes with Mary, Bob and his two children, Jakyung, Sarah, and Anna.

Mid-2000s · Korea

Mary's Last Visit — On the Grass

The family lying on the grass — Mary's last visit to Korea.