A Sweet Saturday...

Meeting up with Bok ja...



Here Sara and I are standing with Bok ja at Hanyang University. We made contact with Bok ja via the Gorham's in Arizona (some of our very dear family friends). Bok ja and her husband just arrived back in Seoul last Friday after spending four years in the States at Arizona State University. They have 2 1/2 year old twin daughters. We didn't get to meet their girls today, but hopefully soon.

Bok ja was incredibly hospitable toward us! She took us to a restaurant at the university where we had bibimbop, a traditional Korean dish, which I enjoyed very much! I think Bok ja ordered my dish to be less spicy, but I'm not for sure. It was delicious - an over-easy egg mixed in a bowl with rice, lettuce, noodles, and other stuff (not exactly sure what it was).

The conversation was also wonderful. Bok ja radiates with love for the Lord and is so kind! She took us to visit the Navigators group on campus. I think she came to know the Lord through Navigators and is still involved with discipling students and such. Sara and I are going to be visiting church with her next Sunday, which we are very excited about. Bok ja also invited us to join her in Bible Study!!! It was also incredibly encouraging for me to see a group of college age women rehearsing a song/skit for church tomorrow. The last verse they sang in English and ended with something like, "Here am I, Send me!" Almost brought tears to my heart... It's so exciting to see God's work among the nations!!!

Coffee Break

I've been surprised to find numerous coffee shops all over Seoul. Sara and I decided to stop for coffee after saying goodbye to Bok ja. It was a nice "debriefing" time, reflecting upon the week. This coffee shop is just around the corner from the Co-op, my apt. building (It was decorated in a very classy red, black, and white theme and totally reminded me of Jana Alexis!). My visits are going to have to be limited... the coffee is certainly not any cheaper than the U.S.... maybe even more expensive! So, it's just going to be reserved for "Date Night with Jesus." (When I was in VA Beach last summer with Campus Crusade, we had Date Night with Jesus once a week and it was such a sweet time to look forward to... and I think it is a tradition to continue here in Seoul...)

Overwhelmed... AGAIN!


I checked my email this afternoon and found a message from my co-teacher, Young Chae. She told me that Kang Meesuk (the Christian teacher that I had lunch with yesterday) was going to be stopping by my apartment to drop off some kitchen supplies for me. Unfortunately, I missed her by just a couple of hours! I took a picture of everything she left for me. I felt like it was Christmas again! Two serving trays, cooking utensils, a measuring cup (metric system), kitchen towels, coffee mugs (one of them says, "Coffee Lovers Only" which is SO perfect!), bowls, plates, cups, a knife & cutting board, calendar, storage containers, a knife and cutting board, and a random device that I don't know how to use (it is pictured in the back... and has lots of holes in it). If anyone knows the purpose, please let me know! Now the challenge is going to be finding space for all of these things! The Lord continues to amaze me with His faithfulness and provision - beyond what I could have imagined!

After unpacking all of the goodies from Meesuk, Sara and I went to search for the nearest grocery store - four subway stops away. The first man we asked directions for sent us on a wild goose chase (although Koreans are VERY kind and helpful... they don't like to admit if they don't know something... so they'll give directions even if the directions are completely incorrect). In this case, we walked for probably a good 20 minutes unnecessarily. But we got some good exercise and saw more of the culture and found an Italian restaurant that we hope to visit in the future. Two other people helped us find the LOTTE Mart. One man gave us wrong directions at first, but then ran after us to tell us the right way to go and even walked a little bit with us to make sure we were going the right way - so kind.

The Lotte Mart was HUGE and CROWDED. We only visited the main floor where most of the groceries were. I'm not sure how much cooking we'll actually do in our apartments. I think it might actually be cheaper to eat out most of the time. We'll see... I was excited to find wheat noodles and spaghetti sauce, peanut M&M's, and cheese... although I didn't purchase very much because we have orientation all next week (hopefully I will still have Internet access).

It was a good first Saturday in Seoul...