Esther's Last Act of Kindness

      
      When you read stories and news about those who were in tragic accidents such as this, you may get sad in the moment and then keep moving on. Unfortunately, Esther and her family will never forget the day they lost their young daughter and playful little sister. We never thought that something tragic that you see mostly online or on TV could ever happen within your inner circle, let alone your own home. 

       The tragedy occurred on June 20, 2019 and around  4 o'clock P.M., Esther's entire family was hit and rear-ended by a box truck on I-476, near Allentown, Pennsylvania. Esther Park, the 5 year-old who had just finished Kindergarten at Maple Glen Elementary,  was the only fatal victim who died at the scene. Esther's parents, who serve as Pastor and leader at the Korean Methodist Church in Ambler, PA, were admitted to the hospital and discharged the next day. Her older siblings were admitted as well and are receiving extensive treatment for their injuries. 

         That day, Esther and her family were returning from a 3-day visit in upstate New York. Esther was a considerate child who loved being active and playing outside with her older siblings. So when her older brother didn't want the middle seat, Esther was happy to switch to make her beloved brother more comfortable. After all, he did play with stuffed animals with Esther WHENEVER she asked! 

          Let us show you what Esther was like: Esther Park was a young 5 year-old who was learning about Jesus Christ in Sunday school, had just attended and applauded her big sister's 5th grade graduation, lost her SECOND front tooth, and  graduated as a member of her Kindergarten Class of 2019! Esther was a complete Momma's girl who would be shy at first, but once she got to know you, you were her best friend! She  adored her first teacher and was friends with everyone in her class.  Esther and her toothy grin was always asking to play outside with her family and friends. She loved eating her Mom's home-cooked meals, and had started to crave and enjoy spicier foods! She also loved to do anything with her hands, and found joy in drawing, coloring, making pizzas (really just putting plops of pepperoni and sprinkling cheese), baking cookies and cupcakes, and a whole lot of crafting. 
          
         Esther also had her own language consisting of trills (she would trill with her tongue- we never really knew how she even learned how to do it), and used it to communicate with certain people, such as her Uncle Phil, who, oddly enough, knew what certain trills meant (???).  She also loved getting her nails painted by her favorite Aunt, who was the one she was visiting in New York. While these few paragraphs revisit many good memories, it still only shows a small picture of what Esther was like. Honestly, I believe that her kindness and love could change any hard heart and mind.

         This only shows a very small part of what Esther Park was like.  Esther's family was so blessed and loved to have her as part of the family during her 5 years here on earth. While Esther may have joined Jesus in Heaven, we will never forget the impact that she had made on our lives.  


By donating to this page, you contribute not only to her funeral costs, you also contribute to help pay for treatments for her siblings-- the last act of kindness of Esther. #TeamEsther <3 

                   We hope that you were moved by Esther's story and that it moves you to help her siblings.
                                                                  Every dollar, penny, thought, counts.
         Thank you for taking the time to learn a bit about Esther Park and help an amazing, loving family.

Link to the tragic accident NewsStory: I-476 Accident-June20.2019

**** Please know that it is not known how much medical costs will turn out to be. The "Goal" amount is just a predicted guess.****


6월 20일 목요일 저녁, 저에게 친동생이나 다름없던 아이 한 명이 하나님 곁으로 떠났습니다. 작별인사도 없이 그냥 떠났네요… 그 아이는 언제나 해맑았습니다. 처음 만났을 때 저를 호기심 많은 눈으로 바라보던 것을 잊을 수가 없습니다.

이제 막 다섯살이 된 그 아이는 초등학교에 입학할 것을 누구보다 기대했고, 주일 학교를 열심히 다녔으며, 자기 두번째 이빨이 빠진 것에 기뻐했고, 언니가 초등학교를 졸업한 것을 자랑스러워 했습니다. 세상 그 누구보다 엄마를 사랑한 그 아이는 자기가 받은 사랑을 베풀 줄 아는 아이였습니다. 학교 선생님 그리고 친구들을 본인이 사랑받은 만큼 사랑했죠.

여느 평범한 다섯 살 아이 답게 좋아하는 것도 참 많았습니다. 엄마 아빠를 가장 좋아했고, 이모네 놀러가서 네일 아트 받는 것도 좋아했고, 언니 오빠와 놀 때 가장 행복해했고 그리고 친한 교회 언니 오빠와 비밀얘기 하는 것도 좋아했습니다.

언제나 활발하게 놀던 그 아이는 이제 기억에만 남겠죠. 지금쯤 아마 하나님 옆에서 편히 쉬고 있을 거라 믿습니다.  

그 아이에 이름은 박지효 입니다.  박치호 목사님 그리고 정수희 사모님의 가장 사랑스러운 막내딸이자 지민이와 지후의 가장 예쁜 동생이었습니다. 이 가족을 위해 저는 처음으로 낯선 사람들에게 도움을 청하려고 합니다. 이 페이지에 기부를 하시면, 여러분의 소중한 마음은 지민이와 지후의 치료비, 그리고 지효의 장례식 비용에 지원이 됩니다. 지효가 가족들에게 마지막 선물을 줄 수 있게 도와주세요. 감사합니다.