What one day can hold

Annyong haseyo everyone! Also, Happy Fourth of July!

I am writing this blog post with a very happy and full heart. I feel like I have a new family (again). It is truly amazing to me the way the body of Christ extends beyond all cultural and language barriers to unite people with one single thing in common-the passion for God's glory and the spread of His fame. How true the verse is in the Scriptures that tells us if we give up family and friends for His sake, he will increase our family one hundred fold and more. I am humbled and grateful to our Lord for being faithful above and beyond to His promises and providing me with so much more than I dared to ask or think.

Today I went to Dongshin Church for my first Korean lesson. My lesson last week went well but this one was even better. Everyone there had their own tutor who provided them with correct pronunciation and a conversational partner. My partner's English name was Gloria. She was very nice and told me that I was doing extremely well. She asked how long I had been in Korea and if I had already had some lessons and was amazed that I had only had been in the country a little over two weeks with only one lesson. We learned the alphabet sounds again and then how to ask a person's name and how to give ours. We also learned how to say "It's nice to meet you" and "It's so hot!". After repeating the alphabet sounds a few times, my tutor said "Ah, you learn so fast!" so then she taught me a few other phrases like "How much is this?" and "I like it very much". After the lesson, we exchanged numbers so that she could call me or I could call her and we could dialogue and review the things I learned.

Then, as I was getting ready to leave, Gloria asked if I would like to go to lunch with her and another ENT named Rob who was there at the lesson as well. I gladly agreed and we walked to a Pop-Eye's to have fried chicken. While we were eating, I found out that she and Rob were going with a lady from another church in Daegu to an orphanage on the city's outskirts to give free English lessons. They asked if I would like to join them and of course I said "Yes, I'd love to!" So we met the woman whose name was Clara (English) and rode to Ansim district. The orphanage was clean although very spartan, and the children seemed happy. I helped tutor a little boy whose Korean name I cannot recall, and he was so tickled about the funny English words and the funny English teacher that he kept cracking jokes and bursting into spontaneous laughter. I couldn't help but laugh too, especially when Clara translated what he was saying to me! All in all, it was a great time and I loved every minute of it. Then, when we were done, Clara gave me a ride back to the church to go the Bible study there. She also gave a ride to a young woman from her church who was also going to the Bible study. Her name was Young-Shin and she spoke English fairly well. Young-Shin is only a year older than I am with a very friendly personality. We conversed in a limited way in the car and I hope that we will become friends in the future. I gave Clara my phone number so she could call me about the orphanage again and then Young-Shin and I went to the Bible study. Grace, the lady who welcomed me so warmly last week is the moderator of the study and she was so excited that I came. It was a very good study that lasted over 2 hours. We talked about the 17th chapter of Acts and Paul's approach to Evangelism. I actually added quite a bit of input and they expressed appreciation several times for what I had said. They were curious to learn the methods of evangelism in the US and also how I believed reaching young people was possible. I said that I believed that young people needed to be shown that following Christ was not about following rules or what they could or couldn't do or should and shouldn't do. Evanglism is about showing Christ to be the greatest treasure that they could ever find; the One that fills the void of their hearts; the only way to obtaining supreme happiness and joy and peace in this life and in the life to come. It was truly a wonderful time of fellowship and discovery. I have had a longing for good Christian fellowship since I got here and I sensed today that sweet scent of the body of Christ which filled that longing.

After we were done, Grace took me and another Korean girl, whose name I cannot remember in English or Korean (because I learned so many today!) to a Korean place and treated us to dinner. It consisted of kimchi mandu, gul mundu, tuna kimbab, kimchi kimbab, and anchovi soup. So good! During dinner, they told me about the college age service at the church which is in Korean but has many young people there who speak some English. So I decided I would go to that as well tomorrow so as to absorb more Korean and then to the small groups afterward.

When we were done, we parted ways, they going back to Grace's car at church and me to the subway. I stopped off in downtown and wandered around a bit. I found the Daegu train station which is helpful and also went to a coffee and waffle house where I had what I consider to be the best cup of joe I've ever tasted and this amazing waffle that was topped with strawberry and lime ice-cream and lots of fruit, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle. I wish I had my SD card for my camera so I could've taken a picture. But I'll probably be going back so not to worry!

All in all, this has been an extremely good day for me and the week before wasn't bad either. I am now using what I learned in Florida to good use and playing my guitar for the kids in class. They LOVE it! They were so excited when I brought it in to class and repeatedly asked "Teacher, guitar....teacher, guitar?" When I said yes, they all went "Ahhh" and then "Play?" I said yes again and they all went crazy and started cheering and jumping up and down! Of course, when I took it out of the case, they all wanted to touch it and strum the strings. So far, I've used it in all my classes and have sung "If you're happy and you know it" "Looby lou" "The more we get together" "My Bonnie" "Is there any cookies in the cookie jar" and "Row, row, row your boat". I also had to learn and teach "Let It Be" by the Beatles to my high level class. That was quite interesting. All the Korean teachers are eating it up and asking if I can play every class. I told them "Sure thing! I think I enjoy it almost as much as the kids do!"

Well, this has been a very long post but I can't help saying PTL for all the goodness He has given to me here so far. I also want to say thank you again for all your prayers! They are availing much!

Annyong i kesejo! (Literal translation-Please be safe and healthy at home)

Sunday and the day that follows

Now that I have access to a computer, I intend to be more frequent in my updates. However, if you are worried that I might start an avalanche of information...not to worry. I've never won any awards in the area of good communication and I don't think I'll be up for one anytime soon. I just wanted to relay a good piece of news from Sunday.
I googled churches on Saturday night and found a few with English speaking services. One in paticular looked promising so I thought I'd go and try it out. It is located just to the north of downtown Daegu, about a forty-five minute subway ride as I had to transfer on to the other line. I got off at the right stop but I took a wrong turn (as the streets were narrow and winding) and ended up having to ask a very nice Korean lady where Dongshin church (kyoyo) was. Turns out she had just come from there but as she didn't speak English and I didn't speak Korean, she very kindly and obligingly took me personally to the church. So I got there but about 20 minutes late. The worship part had just ended and the sermon was starting. It was on faith and was from the book of James. It was good but kind of long and even though the content was sound, the preacher (who was American) was not the most natural speaker in the world. But I enjoyed getting to hear the preached Word again-in my natural language. Afterwards, I got to meet alot of the people who were there and most of them happened to be ENTs just like I am. I also met a Korean woman named Grace who was extremely welcoming and kind. She introduced me to the Korean pastor who was also very nice and then as she walked me out, she told me about different Bible studies they had. Then she mentioned that they had a Korean class which met on Saturdays. She said it was very little cost and that it would be great for me. I was explaining that I had already signed up for another class on Saturdays when she pulled the associate pastor over and he began to excitedly give more details. Turns out that this class has several tutors instead of just one instructor and who are more than willing to give one-on-one time with the students, even over the phone during the week. He said it would have alot of the ENTs who were at the service and that it would be a good opportunity of bonding and fellowship as well. SO, seeing as how I've only signed up for the other class and not paid for it, I will just return my books and tell them I changed my mind. He was very excited and so enthusiatic and warm that I couldn't help feeling the same way. I really feel like this will be a good place for me as I start my new life here.
Now it is Monday and very late. I was dragging at the school today but then I got wound up as soon as I got back home. Hmmm...not a good pattern. Anyhoo, just thought I'd share that and let everyone know that I sincerely appreciate all your prayers, love, and support. It really means a lot to know you have that at your back.

Cheers!

First Blog Post From Korea

Well, Hey to all of you who read this blog...which is maybe one, two perhaps? Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Getting over jetlag and getting used to the crazy schedule of teaching has taken some time but I think it's getting better. I am in the Dalseo Gu (or district) of Daegu, South Korea which is towards the outer perimeter. I am right by several mountains, one of which I am planning on hiking soon, but even being on the outskirts of Daegu doesn't mean a lack of "citiness". From what I've observed, Korean cities are so much more brightly lit. I mean, they use almost every color imaginable in their shops and signs. When you walk down the streets in the evening, neon lights blink and flash everywhere. And you've got all these little street vending things and fruit and vegetables laid out along the sidewalk. I walked out tonight and got some apples from a fruit vendor and "bul mandu" (boiled mandu-korean dumplings stuffed with yumminess) from one of the myriads of tiny shops. There's not a lot of big shops here, but you will have smaller shops devoted exclusively to one thing or brand like the Adidas shop, or the Nike shop, or there was one shop which sells boyfriend and girfriend matching t-shirts (its both fashionable and a statement like "he/she belongs to me". I find the Koreans seem to like just walking around shopping, talking and being together. I don't usually see people walking around with a lot of bags.
Anyways, about my school. It's located on the 2nd and 3rd floor of a building right across from the apartments where I live. It takes like 2 minutes max to get there everyday. I am one of four ENTs (English Native Teacher), the other three being guys, two from Britain and one from the US. There are five KTs (Korean Teacher) who work with us teaching one half of each of our classes. I have six classes altogether which take place about 3 times a week. 3 are on M, W, F...2 are on T, Th, F...and one is on M,W, Th. I teach either the 40 minute session before or the session after the KT. Its fairly easy to teach the material, the main problem is classroom control. Maybe problem isn't exactly the right word...it depends on the class you have. One of my classes, R2, has two boys and four girls, all of which are fairly smart and always want to answer all the questions. They get so hyped up and excited about getting points (they get points for right answers and winning) and playing games. I have to frequently quiet down the incessant cry of "Teacher, Teacher!!" when I'm asking questions and tell them to sit back down when they get too worked up. But they are a fun class. Oh, let me explain about the names of our classes. All of the classes are assigned a letter and number so my classes are A1, R2, B3, T4, T3, and C3. T4 has the opposite problem of R2. They are so quiet I have to practically force the answers out of them. Last time though, I got them slightly animated with a game of sticky-ball tic-tac-toe. C3 is the highest level class at the school so the students are more advanced in their English skills and yet it seems that I have the most trouble with them speaking Korean during class (mostly the boys though). One girl in paticular named Sue is very smart though and has a lot of potential. In fact, most of the students in that class are smart and funny too. Its hard to keep a straight face at Bart and his antics. All in all, I really enjoy all of my students and they seem to like me too.
I went for my first Korean class today in downtown Daegu. It was funny to be with all these grownups making such weird sounds and faces. I got a start on reading the Korean or Hangul alphabet. Its really fairly simple and I found myself being able to make out a few of the words on shop signs. I found out my name in Korean is 바 네 사, literally "Bah-Neh-Sah". Aftewards, I went to the downtown shopping district and wandered about for a good bit. Then I took the subway back (I used the subway for the first time and it was crowded like expected but fun). To give you and idea of how big Daegu is, it takes about 20 minutes by subway just to reach downtown and thats only halfway down the subway line! The Koreans take every opportunity on the bus or train to nap so half the people on the subway were dozing.
I've been keeping myself well stocked with milk so that my stomach doesn't do what it did in FL. So far it seems to be working. Even with all the spicy food I've been consuming, the tummy seems to be doing just fine.
As for finding a school at which to continue my Taekwondo, I have been frustrated and discouraged. I can't seem to locate any schools that are the Chang Do Kwan style I was learning back in the states. None of the Koreans I've met so far have been able to help and research on the web hasn't come up with anything either. I know there is a big school in Seoul but that's two hours away by the KTX train which isn't practical at all. I guess I'll just have to keep on trying.
Well, I better wrap this post up. I think its long enough to justify my absence and satisfy all (if any) curious minds.

갈채하다, 환성을 지르다; 기운을 북돋우다 !!!!!!

Last post in the USA

Well, its really late and I should be in bed right now but I wanted to post one last time before heading to South Korea. I don't have anything earth-shattering to share, just that I will miss all my family and friends very much and want them to know I will be thinking about them. The travel tomorrow will be hectic as I have to be checked into my flight for South Korea 2 hours ahead of departure and I won't even be getting in on my domestic flight to Dallas until 2.5 hours before. So I'm praying everything goes smoothly and that I can connect without any trouble. Then I have to purchase a bus ticket once I reach the airport near Seoul and make another trip of over four hours to reach Daegu. This means by the time I get there I will have been traveling for nearly 24 hours straight. Jet lag I'm sure will be loads of fun!
Well, until I get to the other side.

Cheers!

~~~Well, this is fun...the internet died while I was typing this post so now I might not get to post it after all. If you don't see it till some time later, know it WAS written here in the US~~~~

Firmly in place

My plans and travel schedule are finally in place. I have an itinerary which has me leaving on Tuesday morning at 7:15 and arriving in South Korea at 3:05 p.m. on Wednesday. Talk about a long trip! Its roughly a fourteen hour flight from Dallas to Seoul so I'm planning on taking some sort of sleeping aid with me to combat my usual inability to sleep on planes. I might need one of those travel pillows as well.
The reality of being gone for a whole year really hasn't set in yet. I just have so much adrenaline and excitement flowing that I can't really feel anything else. I feel bad for people here who are already sad about my leaving but I'm sure it will kick in for me eventually, probably when I'm over there and all alone. So take comfort all you who must think I am a cold, unfeeling person who doesn't care; I shall get my just rewards.
Well, I guess that's all for now. I might write one more post before I leave or the next one might just be written from a far off place.

Visa at last!

I made it to Houston today by plane instead of by car as originally planned (due to parental concern about lack of sleep, etc.) I arrived in plenty of time for my 2:30 interview which went very well and was thankfully fairly brief. I was then told I could come back at 4:00 and pick up my passport which would contain my Visa. Talk about fast! I was shocked and kept thinking they meant 4:00 the next day but she said no, today. So, here I am sitting in a hotel room that I didn't really need after all, knowing that I have to wait all day tomorrow until 7:00 to fly back. Frustrating but unavoidable because you really can't plan these things ahead, just have to make the most conservative plans possible, which is what I did.
I also received an e-mail today from the director of my school in Korea saying that he had booked a flight for the 16th of next week. It is a direct flight from Dallas, TX to Incheon International Airport near Seoul. I think I read that the flight was about fifteen hours long.
I am extremely thankful tonight for the way things are falling into place. I just can't wait to get home and organize and pack (not!). Seriously though, PTL for answered prayer!

Today I set up the visa interview with the Korean Consulate in Houston, TX. I will leave at about 2 or 3 in the morning and get there in plenty of time for my 2:30 interview. Hopefully the visa will be processed by the next day because I am staying at a hotel and I only booked it for one night! I let the director of the school in Korea know because he was wanting to try and book my flight right away. Things are moving very fast now and I am getting very excited. It's hard to grasp that I could be halfway around the world by this time next week!