Mission Haven Update
December 2023
REMEMBRANCES: Betty & Hugh Linton
In 1953, after the Korean War, Betty & Hugh Linton, a young couple in
their mid-20s, departed the U.S. for South Korea as missionaries of the
Southern Presbyterian Church.
Hugh toured the remote islands and mountainous areas, planting more
than 200 churches. While preaching the gospel via jeep on a bumpy
country road, his black rubber shoes often wore out and had holes in
them, so his nickname was ‘black rubber shoes’.
In 1960, he and Betty came home on furlough and lived at Mission
Haven for a year. At the time, they had five children; the older two had
attended Korean schools. The teachers at Winona Park (near Mission Haven) thought they didn’t know
any math. Actually, they knew it, but only in Korean!!
After returning to South Korea, Hugh secured about 160
acres of land through reclamation projects and distributed
them to the poor.
Meanwhile, in addition to raising six children, Betty was
instrumental in creating a tuberculosis (TB) treatment
program which served the war-torn Korean countryside. She
directed the program from Soonchun, treating approximately
two thousand outpatients and operating two TB rest-homes in
conjunction with her clinic.
Together, the couple served for over 30 years to battle TB.
After Hugh’s sudden death in 1984, Betty remained in Korea,
continuing her fight against TB until she retired in 1993/1994.
At her retirement, Betty moved to Black Mountain, North Carolina, but continued to visit Korea. In 1995,
she and her children helped initiate a charitable mission program for the purpose of ministering to the
people of North Korea (DPRK). Christian ministries, instituted by the Linton family for the DPRK, have
continued, supported both by South Korean and American churches. Betty received local and national
recognition for her medical ministries through the years, including a special award: the acclaimed
Samsung Ho-Am prize.
Betty died September 7, 2023. Her wishes were to be buried in Korea next to her
husband, so her body was flown at Korean Air’s expense because of the family’s
long history in the country.
Merry Christmas! 메리 크리스마스!