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!

He Leadeth Me

One of the things that God made very clear to me on my first night in Korea in August 2008 was the fact that He is holding my by his HAND... holding my HAND in his... etc. This was a theme during my first year in Korea and continues to be a theme this year.

He has recently been reminding me of how great a Shepherd He is. This too has been an ongoing theme over the past year since my psalm for the year has been Psalm 23 (since I am currently 23 years old).

On Tuesday morning, I woke up with a dear old hymn on my heart: He Leadeth Me.
The verse on my daily calendar: Psalm 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
Psalm of the day: Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel... Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us.. [Ps. 80]

He Leadeth Me
He leadeth me, O blessed thought! O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
What e'er I do, where e'er I be, Still 'tis God's HAND that leadeth me.

He leadeth me, He leadeth me, by His own HAND He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be, For by His HAND he leadeth me.

Sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom, Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom
By waters still, o'er troubled sea, Still 'tis God's HAND that leadeth me

Lord, I would clasp they HAND in mine, nor ever murmer nor repine;
Content whatever lot I see, Since 'tis God's HAND that leadeth me.

And when my task on earth is done, when by Thy grace, the victry's won,
E'en death's cold wave I will not flee, Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

Over the past two months, God has really been restoring and refreshing my soul after a very long and draining spring semester. I am so thankful for this season of restoration... and so thankful to be lead by the Marvelous and Good Shepherd.

How good it is to be in His hands...

Apartment Pics - with furniture & decorations!~~~

Just wanted to share a few pics of my updated apartment - complete with furniture and decorations now. I have thoroughly enjoyed turning it into a little "home."

Kitchen


Fun little built-in shelf


Bed, Books, Map, and Pics
I posted some pictures on corkboards. The frame in the middle of the wall has some "pre-Korea" pics. The second frame has a bunch of pictures from my first year in Korea.


Desk
The theme of the picture frame above my desk is my summer visit home in August. I could have probably filled up two or three more boards with pics just from that!


My lovely new sofa

Outside of the window is a marvelous view of the mountains. Sometimes I can even see the sunrise in the morning... definitely breathtaking!

So thankful for my little "home"...

Anguk SG

Recently, we started a new small group semester at OEM (my church). For several months, we had been praying, asking God to provide 1) a new place to meet and 2) a praise leader. God answered both prayers within the same week and brought several new members! I've found myself standing in awe and amazement once again of God's amazing provision and faithfulness. I love seeing how He is knitting our group together and giving members such a deep hunger and desire for more of Him. That's something that only the Holy Spirit can do!


Last weekend, several of my small group members came over for an afternoon of hiking, followed by a potluck dinner and Apples to Apples. (It was such a blessing to finally have a place large enough to have people over.)We had such a great time together!

Good & Perfect Gifts from the Amazing Giver

I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. ~Psalm 69:30

Since I moved in to my new apartment, there have been several things that I've needed. I made a list and asked God to provide for me. Shortly after that, my teachers asked me to make a list of the things that I needed...

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ~Matthew 7:11***

I recently received a sofa from a fellow Cheongryang teacher. When he heard that I was looking for one, he just so happened to see someone getting rid of quite a nice one in his apartment building. So, he decided to drop it off at my apartment. When I tried to pay for the delivery, he refused and told me it was a "gift from God." He also dropped off a hot water pot so that I can save money and boil my water instead of having to buy it all the time.
*Both my co-teacher and I were completely in awe of the way God provided for me through this dear Christian teacher. I think we had our own little worship service to the Lord over the phone as we went on in amazement of how God provided for me in such an incredible way.

Another co-teacher heard that I needed a microwave and spent over an hour and a half cleaning out her old microwave. She then hauled it to school for me and kindly taught me how to use it. Still another teacher blessed me with a lamp (that just happens to match the sofa perfectly) and iron. Even more, my school is letting me borrow four chairs, a table/desk, full-size mirror and bookshelf for my apartment this year.

To be honest, I was so overwhelmed with all of these gracious gifts, I was practically beside myself (being able to sit and read on a couch was one of the things I missed most last year). The Lord quickly reminded me that my worship is to be directed to HIM, the GIVER of these wonderful gifts - nothing else! I'm also thankful that I can use these gifts to practice hospitality with the people that God has placed in my life here.

In addition to all of the physical/material gifts that the Lord has provided, I've noticed a lot of other gifts from my gracious King and Father. I had several random conversations on the bus with a girl whom I found out is my neighbor. Her and her husband are quickly becoming good friends. God has also been blessing me with some encouraging conversations and interactions at school. There have just been so many reminders recently that this truly is a season to cherish. I'm thankful that He's been giving me extra time to soak in His presence, time to feed off of His words of life, time to rejoice in song... truly the Lord is my Shepherd and HE restores my soul!

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ~James 1:17

***I am not, in any way advocating the prosperity gospel. I only want to praise God for His generous provision that He's demonstrated to me during this particular season of my life.

Lovely Lisa

Last week, as I was leaving school, I saw one of my 3rd grade students, Lisa. She told me that she would be making "mayonnaise cookies" after school. I told her I'd never heard of them before. I was a little skeptical about the taste. She assured me that they taste wonderfully and promised to bring five cookies for me the following day.

Lisa made good on her promise... and even added a special note!

The note reads:
Hello~~
I am Narnia class Lisa~
I am pretty girl.
You too.
I love you very much.
I miss you [tears]
Thank you <3 -Lovely Lisa


I absolutely love having Lisa in class! Although she's by no means fluent in English, I love that she's not afraid to make mistakes and has a great sense of humor. She's definitely found her way into my heart (even before the cookies)!

So thankful for encouraging students like Lovely Lisa...

Loans Celebration

My dear friend, Sara Nelson treated me to an evening of celebration last Friday night, due to the fact that two of my college loans are completely paid off (one BIG one left to go)! Praise the Lord! I was treated to a delightful dinner of delicious kalguksu noodles, followed by Starbucks, a lovely walk through Jamsil, and a movie (My Sister's Keeper) with popcorn. She also surprised me with a few small gifts and card to commemorate the occasion.


Definitely cherishing this season of life with this girl...




It was definitely one of those types of evenings that I will cherish for years to come!