Christmas Party with the Teachers

Last year, I had some of the teachers over to my apartment for a little Christmas party. I was really looking forward to using my nice, spacious apartment this year for another party with them. Unfortunately, they've been extremely busy this year. So, I decided to just bring the party to them and invited them to my English Classroom instead. We still had a nice time, although I think I enjoyed last year's party with them a little more...


Just before the teachers came to my classroom for the Christmas Party =)


Christmas party with the teachers



They seemed to enjoy it all quite a bit! I think they weren't quite sure what to think about the nagatolis (Italian cookies from my Nana) though... apparently the anice flavoring is used in Korea with some kind of fish soup to ward off the bad smell of the fish. lol.

Christmas at School

After being in Korea for 16 months together, Sara was finally able to come to my school to watch me teach a couple of lessons. The timing was great! She got to see my Christmas lesson, which was fun.




I taught them the song Away in a Manger - just like last year. Although this year, there seemed to be a little more controversy over the song. Some of the teachers didn't think it was popular enough to teach to the students because they'd never heard it. I didn't realize that it wasn't a well-known Christmas song since I've been singing it for as long as I can remember! It was a good song to teach the students, though. If I had taught them a fast Christmas song, it would have been much too difficult to catch all the lyrics. It all ended up working okay...


Co-teaching with Teacher Min; giving instructions on how to make Christmas cards to send back home =)


In the middle of teaching, I guess...


Merry Christmas to Teacher Holly's family! This student definitely didn't want us to see his face... lol - a typical Korean student!


I laughed so hard when I read this!
To all:
Christmas coming.
I wish White Christmas. Do you have girlfriend. boyfriend?
I wish you have boyfriend. girlfriend before Christmas.
Happy Christmas
- From SJ -
(next to the illustrated gift it says, --> in boyfriend. girlfriend.)


With my lovely and amazing co-teacher, Lee Hye Eun! Gonna miss her next semester, for sure!


At my desk in the teacher's office =)

Midnight Disturbance

Sometimes living alone can be scary...

I always lock my door when I leave my apartment. Always. So, I was really surprised and a bit shaken when I returned home one evening a few weeks ago and realized my door was unlocked (totally not realizing that I'd left it that way). I found myself gingerly walking inside, leaving the door open before checking to make sure no one was hiding inside any of the cabinets/loft/bathroom. It was kind of scary... but then I saw that I had some cash still lying on my desk and realized that it wouldn't still be there if someone had tried to break in. So, thankfully, everything was fine and my apartment was left undisturbed. Even so, it took me a little time to settle down.

Sometime around 12:30 that same night, I woke up from a lovely, peaceful sleep with a jolt. The door handle on my apartment door was clearly jiggling and I heard someone trying to punch in the numbers to get in - unsuccessfully, thankfully! I was so extremely disturbed and found myself panicking and praying at once (not quite sure how that combination works theologically...).

I have a nice function in my apartment that allows me to see who is outside of my door. So I very carefully checked the camera to see if someone was indeed outside. I was horrified when I saw that there definitely was a Korean MAN attempting to get into my apartment! I had no idea what to do - screaming didn't even come to my mind as an option. I pressed all the buttons I could and heard some kind of alarm going off. I'm not sure if it scared him away or not, but I kept watching him through the camera, praying for God's protection. Then I noticed him look up. He must have finally realized that he had the wrong door. He left quickly and within seconds I heard my neighbor's door open and close. With incredible relief (and anger at the same time), I realized that it had been my neighbor - drunk and trying to get into the wrong room.

Needless to say, I couldn't get back to sleep right away. I'm pretty sure I was shaking for awhile...

Even though I realized it had been completely unintentional, just the thought of it all had really scared me. It took a lot of praying and singing softly until I could settle down. At some point, the Lord gave me peace to sleep, helping me realize that He is my GATEKEEPER and Protector. Twice in the same day, He protected me and my apartment. Even though I'd left it unlocked all day, He stood guard and protected everything. Then, even though someone had seemingly tried to break in, he continued to keep me safe. The following promise allowed me to finally settle down, knowing that He was guarding and protecting me.

I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8

Final Anguk Small Group Meeting

Well, we're officially on a break from small groups for the semester for the next month or so. It's been an awesome semester and I'm so thankful for the many things God has done in and through our small group members...



I Chronicles 16
⁸ Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

⁹ Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

¹⁰ Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

¹¹ Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

¹² Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

¹³ O [Anguk SG members], his chosen ones.

About Korean Weddings...

Since I was able to go to two weddings this month, I decided to make a list of the cultural differences I noticed between Korean weddings and traditional weddings in the States. This is what I've observed (which may or may not be typical for all Korean weddings):

• the wedding is usually announced somewhat last minute, perhaps a few weeks ahead of time (often times you don't even know that the person was dating until the wedding is announced)
• the engagement pictures are taken with the bride in numerous wedding dresses
  
• teachers generally are at work the day before their wedding (not kidding!)
• the wedding usually takes place in a Wedding Hall (four or five other weddings may be taking place in the building at the same time, in separate halls) unless it is a Catholic wedding
• as I mentioned before, people get to see the bride before the wedding and get their picture taken with her
• when you arrive at the wedding, you should turn in an envelope with money before you can get your meal tickets (you can't eat the wedding meal without meal tickets). people normally don't bring gifts
• there is a separate guest book for the bride's guests and the groom's guests
• the groom walks down the aisle before the bride
• If the father gives the bride away, it's quite brief and I didn't notice him saying anything about it (although the father does walk the bride down the aisle/runway)
• there are NO bridesmaids/groomsmen... and generally no flower girls/ringbearers, from what I understand
• immediately after the kiss, a song (or a few songs) are sung to the bride and groom
• I noticed at least four or five photographers crawling on the stage like ants during the ceremony
• I didn't notice a unity candle
• the ceremony itself is very FAST - get the job done and get it done quickly!
• both the bride and groom wear gloves
• one woman (generally the bride's best friend) is pre-selected for the bouquet toss. she stands apart from all of the other friends to catch the bouquet while all of the friends are posing in a picture clapping
• due to seating, lots of people stand in the back during the wedding ceremony (and talk, talk, talk)
• at the end of the wedding ceremony, both the bride and groom bow to their parents. The groom bows all the way to the ground.
• a somber, traditional, intimate ceremony is performed immediately following the ceremony between the bride, groom, parents, and siblings
  
• the reception is super-quick (as soon as the guests are finished eating, they go home)

Who knows? There are probably even more things that I'm missing. It's possible that I made some generalizations that are not completely characteristic of all Korean culture, but I did my best to research and ask questions from my Korean friends at the weddings. =)

Wedding #2: Jeong Hye-Jin & Seo Hyuk-Jin

Wedding #2 took place the following weekend. My dear friend and co-worker, Jeong Hye-Jin was married on December 12, 2009. We have been friends since I first started teaching at Cheongryang. Our love for the Lord bonded us together so quickly! Over the past year and a half, we have met in the mornings (along with a couple of other teachers) before school to pray for our school, teachers, students, and the nations. Earlier this year, we nicknamed ourselves the "Shining Sisters." She also has a heart for missions and has gone to Tanzania & East Timor on missions trips since I've been in Korea. (Each time, she's brought me back coffee... she knows me well)!^^


I was so incredibly blessed to attend the wedding of my dear "Shining Sister." She was absolutely... shining... dazzling... sparkling... radiating...~^^~ It's traditional in Korea to see the bride and get your picture taken with her before the wedding. So we visited her little bridal room and saw her sitting like a princess on this little stage.


The wedding was at a Wedding Hall, not a church (quite common in Korea). She walked up to the stage on a runway.


Exchanging vows


Dinner afterward. Typically (from what I understand), wedding meals are either buffet style or galbi tang (an amazing meat kind of soup) is served. Galbi tang was served at this wedding. =)

Wedding #1: Kim Kyunghan & Moon Seongpil

'Tis the season... for weddings!!! I had the opportunity to go to TWO Korean weddings this month.

The first wedding was the marriage of my dear friend and former co-teacher, Kim Kyunghan and her boyfriend, Moon Seong-pil. (I met him in February when they took me to the Deaboreum festival. I also wrote about Kyunghan during Thanksgiving my first year in Korea...). Kyunghan has been a dear friend and I was so honored to attend and celebrate her wedding. It was especially meaningful because I remember when her and Seong-pil first started dating! So fun...


Waiting for the ceremony to begin (yes everyone got to see the bride before she walked down the aisle!)


The lovely couple


friends of the bride and groom (we are in the upper right corner)


amazing friends...


Wedding dinner - buffet-style!


Immediately following the wedding ceremony, the couple changed into traditional Korean clothes and had a special, intimate ceremony with only their family members. Here they are, eating their wedding dinner after most of the guests had already left. It was a rather quick affair (like just about everything else in Korea...). Although, since Kyunghan and Seongpil had a Catholic wedding, the actual ceremony (which was quite similar to Catholic weddings at home) was much longer than regular Korean weddings, as I quickly found out the following weekend at wedding #2...

Thanksgiving in the Classroom

I think cultural lessons are sometimes my favorite lessons to teach. My students always seem to enjoy them the most as well. I got to experience the joy of being a second year teacher this Thanksgiving... and got to do some lesson recycling!!!!!!! Ah, simply marvelous!!! After sharing briefly about American Thanksgiving history via revised PPT, I handed out the same turkeys to my students that I used last year and had them write down the things they are thankful for. It was fun to see what they came up with:




The background for this pic is SO perfect...


Hiding behind her work of art.
Note: she's thankful for several K-pop bands. Yes, Korean students are obsessed about bands like 2NE1, Big Bang, Wondergirls, Girls Generation, etc.


This is Sae-gyull. He is in my perfect Wednesday afternoon 1-4 class. He makes me smile so much... probably one of the most respectful students I've ever had (and probably will ever have)!

SO thankful for my students...

Thanksgiving Celebrations

Earlier, I mentioned that my Korean "parents" invited Sara and I to their place for Chuseok in October. Since Chuseok is somewhat similar to Thanksgiving, we decided to invite them over to my place for an American Thanksgiving meal (or as close as we could get).


We didn't have turkey, but the rotisserie chicken worked out just fine. =)
My Korean oma (mother) brought along some delicious japchae (sweet potato noodles mixed with veggies and pork... SOOOO amazing) and kimchi (the Korean trademark food - fermented cabbage in hot pepper paste... [not] my favorite)!


Another pic with my Korean family =)


American Thanksgiving Korean style - on the floor

Also, I promised a long time ago to post pics from our OEM Thanksgiving Banquet. Here they are... finally!!!

With Liza and Jackie. I'm so thankful we could meet through Korean class!!!


With Susie, Sara, and Kristen


me and Sara =)

*Special thanks to my sis, Emma, for being my outfit designer (via Skype). I had quite a time figuring out to wear, but she very patiently helped me figure something out, which I think ended up working out pretty well. =)

Overdue...

Dear friends, I apologize for neglecting the upkeep of my blog so terribly over the last month or two. Life has definitely been busy! I don't have time to catch up on everything right now, but I'll give you a preview of what's to come (accountability for me to post and something for you to hopefully look forward to):

• Thanksgiving celebrations
  
• Korean weddings vs. western weddings
• Small Group Semester End
• Drunk Neighbors & Midnight Disturbances
  
• Nutcracker Ballet
• Christmas Eve Party & festivities (note: I successfully baked homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch!!!)
  
• Princess Emma Byun
• Answers to Prayer

I hope to get things back in order soon! So, please stay tuned (if you're still reading)...

~Holly

There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. ~C. S. Lewis
(Seems appropriate with the new year 2010 upon us!)

Good News

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

I had this thought on the bus this morning, as I was contemplating homesickness and all... you know, I'm pretty sure Jesus understood homesickness better than anyone else. I mean, after all... he left His real HOME and Loving Father for 33 years! I truly am thankful for the life we have in Him because He made that huge sacrifice - giving His life, suffering through homesickness, desiring to be re-united with His Father once again, loving His disciples (though they weren't always strong and dependable, especially when He needed them most)... Come to think of it, I don't think anyone else understands that kind of homesickness and isolation better than our Lord!

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16

This morning, I was comforted knowing that He KNOWS and understands and has been there. Truly, this is a time to celebrate the message of the Gospel, the GOOD NEWS. He is my Wonderful Counselor (good news since so many of my counselors/sources of wisdom are back home), my Mighty God (good news since I'm so weak and frail...), my Everlasting Father (good news since I'm separated from my earthly father), my Prince of Peace (good news since I'm so prone to anxiety and worry). Yes, this is a hard season, but a good season. Hard because of the emotions that come along with it all. Good because of what this whole season means. Yes, HE is the reason for the season (cliche, I know). We celebrate His birth because it is GOOD NEWS. His Birth means salvation. This is the Gospel! For this reason, we can have hope... even in the midst of unsteady/uncomfortable emotions, HE is who He Is - Emmanuel, God WITH us! Now that, is GOOD NEWS.

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1:23

Success!

I am pleased to report that I managed to successfully made homemade chicken noodle soup tonight (for the first time ever)!!! Many thanks are due to my dear friend Alison, for her inspiration and recipe!

*More life and picture updates are coming. My apologies for the delay...

A Challenging Week

I think this week has been the most challenging week I've had over the past three months.

Discipline Challenges. One of my co-teachers struck almost every student before they entered my classroom on Monday. (Yes, it's legal for teachers to hit students in Korea - a completely different world than what we're used to in the US). They were late. They're typically a difficult class, so I can't say they were completely innocent, but I wasn't at all comfortable with the discipline that took place. Several of my students entered class crying. I wanted to cry too. I'm thankful that he's being more supportive in the classroom, but I did mention that perhaps we could work on finding some non-violent discipline methods in the future.

Had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a teacher I've been praying for over the past year. During English Bible Study, we looked at John 6, the Bread of Life discourse. She understood everything pretty clearly, but rejected Jesus... Words can't completely express how I've been working through this. I'm thankful God's been reminding me that this story isn't over yet.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I think being away from home during Thanksgiving last year was actually harder than Christmas... already I've been feeling more homesick. I've been doing pretty well for the past three months... I guess it's bound to happen from time to time. I love teaching my students about Thanksgiving, but I wouldn't be surprised if the repeated lessons contribute to the homesickness.

My co-teachers have been extra busy and there's just been a heavy atmosphere at my school lately. I know so many of the teachers are burdened with a lot of extra work. I've been trying to remind myself that their busyness (therefore our lack of communication) doesn't mean that they don't care. Quality time and conversations are so important to me.

Also, I think the cold weather just makes me more easily irritable and sad. It's so much harder to be motivated to exercise too. Instead, I find myself just wanting to stay wrapped up nice and warm in my apartment with hot chocolate.

Although it's certainly been an emotional week with some tear-filled moments, I would be remiss if I neglected to praise God for the following blessings:

• My 1-7 Class (usually the worst 1st grade class) behaved phenomenally this week. My co-teacher and I were in awe. I'm so thankful that God answered my prayer of desperation on Tuesday. I knew I just didn't have the strength to face this class on my own. It was nothing short of a miracle.
  
• Random conversations with co-teachers during lunch. I SO value our time together!
  
• God has been demonstrating His provision for our Small Group - providing some much-needed wisdom and just some really great times of sharing.
• Friends with listening ears
• Time to clean my apartment
• Wisdom with my Thanksgiving Lesson. I had really wanted some input from my co-teachers, but they weren't available. God reminded me that I could talk things over with Him and He gave me some great ideas that seem to be working well.
• Promises and encouragement from Luke 1.

I've also been really encouraged by the songs, Good to Me & Your Faithfulness this week. How good He is! I'm so thankful that the Jesus I know and love is ALIVE and GOOD and so merciful... He is truly all I need.

Reading, Reading, Reading!

I've been blessed with a decent amount of time to read recently. As of late, I've read:

1. Daring to Live on the Edge: The Adventure of Faith & Finances by Loren Cunningham - an excellent read. Definitely broadened my perspective of faith, generosity, finances, missions, and God's undeniable faithfulness.
2. The Shack by William P. Young - I wasn't a big fan. There was a lot of theological stuff I didn't agree with. However, I appreciated his attempt to make God seem more personal... also attempted to flesh out the three persons of the Trinity more and displayed their interdependence a bit. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book to a new Christian... and not to a teenager, either - not unless they are pretty solid theologically.
3. Get Married by Candice Watters - Definitely an interesting read. One of my friends passed it on to me. Lots of good things to think about. Although I didn't agree with everything, I was encouraged/convicted to pray more boldly!
   
4. From Wheaton to the Nations by David M. Howard - The story of cross-cultural missionary outreach from Wheaton College. Definitely fueled my excitement and eagerness to prepare (Lord-willing) for Wheaton eventually... to prepare for missions!
5. Teaching Cross-Culturally by Judith E. Lingenfelter & Sherwood G. Lingenfelter - A more scholarly read on how to teach and learn incarnationally in a different culture from your own (kind of obvious from the title). Certainly a beneficial read for my current employment status!
6. The Little Woman by Gladys Aylward with Christine Hunter - I may have mentioned this in a previous post. Basically an autobiography of Gladys Aylward, missionary to China. Certainly challenging and faith-building!

I feel like I may be forgetting a title or two... but I am certainly thankful for the extra time I've had to READ this semester! I have several books just waiting on my shelf for me to savor. I'm having trouble deciding which one to read next. We'll see... I generally find myself reading a few different ones at the same time anyway.

Overdue Posts from October

So, I had several posts that I meant to publish in October and never got around to it. I'm on a blogging kick now, so I'd best do it while it lasts!


Lotte World is Korea's version of Disney World. The castle brought back a lot of memories of my family. Was sweetly reminded of my Dad and how he called me his "Belle" when we were in Disney when I was 17 years old. Thought about Zac and his internship in Disney right now. Got excited for Mom and Dad's 25th anniversary trip to Disney (which I think they thoroughly enjoyed!).


One of several bouquets that I received from friends when I was baptized on October 18, 2009.


On my birthday, my co-teacher surprised me with choco pies, candles, and a rendition of Happy Birthday with my first hour class.


Sara made HOMEMADE cupcakes and satisfied a craving I'd had for awhile. (Also served homemade bulgogi that night...).


Was blessed to have so many friends come to my place to celebrate my birthday. I was excited that my place can accommodate 18+ people somewhat comfortably! What a change from last year... never would have been able to manage it!


We had a marvelous time and played Apples to Apples as a whole group.


Sports Day at my school. I ran in a relay race against teachers and students. I happened to be the last runner and actually crossed the finish line first! It was a first... and probably a last! lol...


Made s'mores with Sara and witnessed an unexpected show of fireworks right outside my window on a lovely October Saturday evening. It was certainly an evening to remember and cherish!

Mask-uh!

This morning, my vice principal (in her somewhat broken English) told me that I must wear a mask at school now (due to the H1N1 flu frenzy). I'm not sure if she meant to come across as harsh as she did. It seems like such a small thing - to wear a mask. For me, it's quite challenging for a number of reasons.

I wish I could say that I immediately responded with joyful obedience. But... I asked a few questions, attempting to persuade her that I don't need to wear a mask. I even told her that we don't wear masks in my country! NOT a good idea!!! [I am so ashamed that I used that line...]. I don't think she was angry... I think there was just a lot of misunderstanding.

After our uncomfortable conversation, I escaped to my classroom for a little bit of time to think and pray. I couldn't believe how much her words affected me emotionally! It seems so silly to get upset over a little mask... but I think it was about so much more than that - a lot of it having to do with my pride, I think. Anyway, I decided to comply with her demand/request. She IS the authority that God has placed over me at this school (Interesting sidenote: Pastor Eddie mentioned submitting to authority in his sermon just this past week). When I returned to the teacher's office, there were two disposable masks waiting on my desk for me.

Later on in the day, I talked things over with my vp. I apologized to her for not saying "Yes, okay" right away. She explained that she was just worried about my health and wants to make sure I don't get the flu. (She really does genuinely care for me a lot). I then asked her if it was okay for me to not wear the mask in the teacher's office when I'm sitting at my desk. She said I can have "free choice-uh!" I was shocked/relieved by her words.

I realized that when she originally told me that I "must wear a mask," I misunderstood her. As my co-teacher explained it, in Korea, they don't often say things like, You might want to consider... Have you thought about... It might be a good idea to... Instead, they say, You should... You must... You better... I knew these things before, but I forgot about that until this most recent encounter.

Ohhhhh, the challenges of cross-cultural communication!!!

Swine Flu Frenzy

It's no doubt that the H1N1 flu has swept across the globe.

Since my return to Korea in August, I've noticed the following changes in Seoul:

• One week quarantines at home mandated for all Native English Teachers (like me) who work for the government and have traveled outside of the country.
• Hand sanitizers prominently placed in each subway station. (Before hand sanitizer was almost impossible to find in this country)!
• Mandatory temperature checks for each student entering our school building. (Mind you, the thermometer is only wiped with the same napkin in between each student.)
  
• More prominent hand-washing. (Signs are even posted next to sinks in subway stations now).
• Even more limited physical contact. No more hand-shakes or high fives at church for now...
• Numerous events canceled due to swine flu concerns.

Last week, I noticed that The Korea Times posted these two headlines on the same day:
S. Korea Raises Flu Alert to Highest Red Level
Public Advised to Be Calm Over Flu Alert

Although I've found the seemingly hyper-sensitivity a little over the top, there are people that are really being affected by this. One of my English teachers came down with H1N1 and was out of school all week. One of the second grade classes at my school was canceled for the entire week because 15 of the students were absent on Monday, due to H1N1. I believe the public was shocked even more when Korean actor Lee Gwang-gi's only son died from H1N1 over the weekend.

It's not an issue to take lightly...

Definitely a Loser...

Oh my! This has certainly been an adventurous week!!!

I went to Yongsan to get a new adapter for my computer with my friend Kristen, bought some dinner at EMart, then took a taxi to visit my friend, Alison (who just broke her ankle and is confined to her house for now). All three of us had a lovely time together.

Before heading back home on the subway, I stopped to get an iced green tea latte (my current favorite) for the long ride home. As I went to pay for my drink, I realized my wallet was missing!!! Inside my wallet, I had my bank card, ARC card, keys to my apartment (my only way to get in right now - see my previous post for details on why), and other miscellaneous items. So, it appeared that I might be homeless for the night...

This was around 9:30 p.m. I had no cash on me. Only 1,000 won on my T-money (transportation card) - not even enough money to get home if I wanted to. Fortunately, I still had my cell phone on me.

I went back to Alison's house to check for my wallet. No luck. We prayed together, asking God to make His name famous through the situation and to faithfully take care of my needs. We also reflected on all the other things I've lost this year. God's been faithfully to restore each one of them!!!*

Demonstrating His faithfulness once again...

Alison had some friends staying at her place for the week (one of them, Winnie, speaks both Korean & English fluently). She started making phone calls for me. We decided to cancel my bank card right away. She checked to see if any additional purchases had been made - nope.

Five minutes after calling to cancel my card, I received a phone call from the bank. Someone had contacted them and turned in my check card! They gave us the number to the Yeoido police station. Winnie and I grabbed a taxi and headed to the station.

This is how amazing my God is...

Upon arriving to the station, my wallet was restored to me fully and completely!!! EVERYTHING was still there - even the 6,000 won cash! Both keys were there, along with my ARC & bank cards! I was so completely in AWE of God's provision. He answered our prayers SO QUICKLY!!! Even though it was late, I hopped on the subway and made it home safely a little after midnight. I was so thankful to sleep in my own bed!!!

There's no doubt about it... I am a loser - so gifted at losing things! The great thing about it is that my God is mighty to save and so eager to demonstrate His loving faithfulness and provision to me! I truly can't imagine life without my Gracious Redeemer and Restorer. I'm so unworthy... yet He continues to overwhelm me with His love and compassions.

Psalm 121
¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Praise the Lord, O my soul. With all my inmost being, praise His holy Name!!!

**I wrote a post back in July about losing my wallet for the second time in Korea. I kept forgetting to post the good report. Upon arriving back to Korea after my visit home in August, that wallet too was restored to me. Yeah... my God sure watches out for this absent-minded, ridiculous, cherished daughter of His!

Batteries

On Tuesday night, I found out that my keypad is battery-operated and that those batteries eventually expire.

Yep, I unknowingly locked myself out of my apartment.
Since I had gone for a run, I left my keys and cell phone in my apartment (as usual).

To make a long story short, a kind pregnant woman in the beauty shop next to the maintenance office helped me make a phone call. We were able to communicate with my very limited Korean and her limited English.

I waited.
Maintenance man came.
Exclamations in Korean.
More waiting.
Two locksmiths came.
More unknown Korean exclamations - a little more gentle this time, though.
Door opened.
They collected 20,000 won.
I learned that the battery was dead.

I didn't even know my door was run by batteries - let alone that they would need to be replaced...

An Amazing Promise

Psalm 112

¹ Praise the LORD.
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.

² His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

³ Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.

⁴ Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

⁵ Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.

⁶ Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.

⁷ He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

⁸ His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

⁹ He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor.

¹⁰ The wicked man will see and be vexed,
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

This psalm has been such a blessing and encouragement to me as of late... and has guided a lot of my prayers. Reading this psalm has been especially meaningul, in light of my recent baptism and Pastor Eddie's prayer over my life. I'm so thankful for my life in Jesus. Truly, Praise the Lord!!!

Baptism

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! - Galatians 2:21

On Sunday, October 18, 2009, I was baptized at my church. It's kind of a long story how it all came about, but basically God had really been placing it strongly on my heart recently. Although I was baptized as an infant and then again (of my own will) in 4th grade, I didn't really know Him personally and I didn't have an understanding of His GRACE at all. Although I've walked with the Lord most of my life, I didn't come to realize how much I desperately need God's grace until my sophomore year of college. This was a huge paradigm shift for me!!! I hesitated for a long time to go forward with baptism, mainly because of pride and being concerned about what other people would think, since I've been a Christian for so long. However, God made it quite clear recently that He wanted me to take this step of faith and be baptized.

It was such an incredible blessing and honor to make this public declaration of my faith and growing understanding of God's grace. I was blessed to have the opportunity to share a portion of my testimony and had some wonderful friends there to support me in it! It was exciting to have them there to witness such a special occasion. It was certainly a time of being overwhelmed with the love and support of the community of believers here in Seoul.

Here's a video clip of Pastor Eddie's prayer:

The prayer that Pastor Eddie prayed over me when I was baptized was total re-confirmation of God's call upon my life to be a light in dark places. The Lord has been re-affirming this over and over again recently, which is exciting, but also calls for much prayer and courage!

Random Public Transportation Encounters

I will be completely honest. I don't like talking to random foreigners. In fact, I usually find myself avoiding them on the subway and/or bus. However, over the past couple of weeks, I've had two very interesting encounters.

Bus
On the way to school one morning, I noticed an American girl (Steph) sitting on the bus. I felt compelled to say hello and we started a little conversation. We saw each other a couple of other times on the bus randomly and then I bumped into her and her husband at Home Plus (our neighborhood grocery store). We ended up being at the same school district meeting a couple of weeks ago as well. Since that time, we realized that we are neighbors - just one building away from each other. I've been getting to know Steph and Jon a little bit better as time goes by. I found out that they are Christians and have been looking for a church to join. Yesterday, they came to church with me and had a great time, I think. I'm thankful for this new friendship and looking forward to how the Lord continues to grow and stretch me through these random connections!

Subway
Last Sunday, I was on the subway on my way to church. I was so engrossed in my reading of The Little Woman (a biography about Gladys Aylward, missionary to China from 1932-1950s) that I hardly noticed the blonde girl that sat next to me. I'm not sure how long she was sitting there until I noticed her, but as soon as I did, I felt like God wanted me to start up a conversation with her. It was the last thing that I wanted to do. I was really enjoying my reading and was almost finished with the book. But, I had just been reading about how Gladys Aylward was so sensitive and obedient to God's voice. So, I begrudgingly decided to be obedient and God provided a way for the conversation to begin. As I chatted with Karen, an Irish lassie, I found out that she's been wanting to join a church for quite some time now. (You can imagine how surprised I was)! We chatted for quite awhile and decided to meet up the following week to go to church together. We exchanged contact info before parting ways.

Yesterday, Karen also came to church and brought one of her friends (who has also been praying about joining a church recently) with her! We had such a wonderful time together and I could tell that Karen and Laura were excited to be there.

God is clearly at work. I'm thankful for what He's doing and the new friends that He is unexpectly bringing into my life - through public transportation, of all things!

Happy Chuseok!

Chuseok is a Korean harvest festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month every year. It's kind of like Korean Thanksgiving. This year, Sara and I were really blessed to be invited to the home of my Korean "parents" for a Chuseok celebration.

As soon as we arrived, my oma (Korean for "mother") rushed us into her bedroom to change into some beautiful hanboks (traditional Korean dress). We felt like princesses!




Me with Oma


Sara with Abba

We also got to make songpyeon (traditional Korean rice cakes)!


Oma and her two sons, Geum-ho & Geum-won.


Sara and I learning how to make Songpyeon.


The rice cake gets filled with some sort of sesame seed mixture.


After getting rolled and filled, the Songpyeon were steamed with pine needles (for flavor & scent, I think).


Delicious!


An amazing spread of traditional Korean food!

After dinner, we had a bit of a "performance time." Sara did some dancing, Oma played her harmonica, and I did some singing. It was fun to sing a couple of Korean songs, and even an Italian opera song with Geum-won, the eldest son. (It was Se tu m'ami, the same song I sang several years ago for my Soup Nana before she passed away.) I also enjoyed singing All in All in English while my Korean father sang the same song in Korean. It was pretty sweet to praise the Lord in a couple of languages at the same time!


Family Photo^^

Sara and I were so blessed by the warmth and hospitality that my Korean "parents" shared with us. It was truly an honor to be invited into their home, especially during Chuseok!