Busan Trip - Saturday

We're back!!! What a great trip. Sara and I spent four days and three nights in Busan, South Korea over the Lunar New Year. It was an incredibly refreshing time and I'm so thankful for the opportunity we had to go. I have so many pictures and stories to share...

KTX to Busan
We took the KTX (super-fast train) from Seoul and arrived in Busan within 3 hours. When we bought our tickets, we were informed that the only tickets available were for standing room only. However, we were just thankful to actually be able to reserve tickets, especially after some teachers informed me that it would be nearly impossible due to the Lunar New Year traveling. So, when we found a couple of small seats in the standing-room-only section, we were delighted. =)

Our Accommodations: Blue Backpacker's [Hostel]
We stayed at the Blue Backpacker's Hostel for a very low and reasonable price. I am not sure that it can exactly be called a hostel though... it was quite different than what we expected. We paid for a single room with bunk beds and then shared a common area (living room, kitchen, and bathroom) with eight other people in an apartment. Although the apartment was not super-clean, a little smelly, and we had a few noisy neighbors, we got to stay for pretty cheap. The first night, the heat wasn't working, so we froze most of the night (not a pleasant experience). However, after informing the owner of the problem, we enjoyed two nights of comfortable warmth, which we were so thankful for!

Haeundae Bus Tour
After getting settled into our apartment, we decided to take a city bus tour. We actually had the bus to ourselves most of the time - things were really quiet because of the Lunar New Year. We took advantage of the following stops:

Busan Museum of Art

The entrance to the museum. The most interesting thing I learned: People in the Shilla dynasty used to make themselves beautiful by pulling their teeth forward and pressing their foreheads back. We got to see three different skulls - a normal skull, a skull with purposely pulled forward teeth, and a skull with a flattened forehead. It's interesting how each culture and time period defines beauty in strikingly different ways...

APEC Center
In 2005, about 30 world leaders gathered together in Busan for the Asia-Pacific Economic Coorporation. President Bush attended along with his wife. We didn't get to spend a lot of time visiting the APEC center, but it was really neat to see pictures of several world leaders gathered together. Also, the APEC Center is located next to the seaside, so we were able to enjoy some lovely scenery along the way.




Several of the world leaders wearing traditional Korean robes.


A sweet world map with time zones (Sara was thinking of her dad when she saw this...)


The room where the meeting was held.

Haeundae Beach
Visiting the beach was SOOO refreshing! Although it was cold and windy, the visit was well worth the trip! Being near the soothing waves again, walking along the sandy shore... it was all so good for my heart. I've been missing New Zealand a lot lately (I was there this time last year on my Pac Rim trip) and we visited lots of beaches on that trip. So, getting to visit a beach again was especially meaningful.


Yes... those are mountains in the distance!


Two very happy girls.


A humorous no-smoking sign with graffiti.

Gwangalli Beach & Gwangandaegyo
After some sweet and sour chicken at a Chinese restaurant (also reminiscent of my Pac Rim trip), we soaked in the beauty of Gwangalli Beach and Gwangandaegyo (I was told daegyo means "big bridge").


Gwangalli beach at night


Gwangandaegyo


A few buildings on the coast

After a very eventful day, we decided to relax at Caffe Pascucci's before heading back. Sara and I both enjoyed hot chocolate while overlooking the bridge on the second floor of the coffee shop. I began reading Corrie Ten Boom's Tramp for the Lord and Sara had some time for writing. It was the perfect ending to a lovely day.

Busan Bound!!!

It's Lunar New Year this weekend and Sara and I are headed to Busan (a big city on the southern coast of Korea)!!! We've been here for five months and haven't really traveled outside of the city much at all. This trip was a bit impromptu (we just decided to go on Tuesday), but we realized if we don't go now, we just may not have any other opportunities to take trips together this year with the school schedules and all. We've got to take these opportunities while we can! Praise God, we were able to reserve train tickets and accommodations pretty easily. It's kind of a miracle... nearly everyone travels back to their hometowns during Lunar New Year, so reserving tickets can be nearly impossible! Fortunately, God has provided some wonderful friends to help us make arrangements (Bok ja, Sung hee, and Kang Meesuk). I feel so loved and cared for by them... and Him.

Just tonight, as I was typing up an email to my mom, I began to realize why five months in one place seems like such a long time. Over the last two years, I haven't lived in the same place for more than five months:

Jan 2007 (4 mo.): Bethel - Tuckey Hall
May 2007: Grandma & Grandpa's
Summer 2007 (10 weeks): VA Beach
Fall 2007 (4 mo): Bethel - Egle Apartments
Spring 2008 (3 mo.): Pac Rim - almost constantly traveling
Summer 2008 (4 mo): Home
Fall 2008: Seoul

I guess that explains the restlessness, huh? Well, I'm packed and ready to go... rest assured, I will probably dedicate at least 3-4 blog posts to Busan upon our return. =)

The Happy New Year greeting - wishing fortune and health, I think:
say hay pok mah ni pa deh say yo!

Convicting

Now dear Christians, some of you pray night and day to be branches of the True Vine; you pray to be made all over in the image of Christ. If so, you must be like him in giving... "though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor"...
Objection 1. "My money is my own"... Answer: Christ might have said, "My blood is my own, my life is my own"... then where should we have been?
Objection 2. "The poor are undeserving." Answer: Christ might have said, "They are wicked rebels... shall I lay down my life for these? I will give to the good angels." But no, he left the ninety-nine, and came after the lost. He gave his blood for the undeserving.
Objection 3. "The poor may abuse it." Answer: Christ might have said the same; yea, with far greater truth. Christ knew that thousands would trample his blood under their feet; that most would despise it; that many would make it an excuse for sinning more; yet he gave his own blood. Oh, my dear Christians! If you would be like Christ, give much, give often, give freely, to the vile and poor, the thankless and the undeserving. Christ is glorious and happy and so will you be. Remember his own word, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
- B. B. Warfield, quoted in John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life


Just last weekend, we (OEM) took some blankets to Seoul Station to give to the homeless. I had just finished reading Piper's book right before going to the homeless outreach. There were over 300 homeless people, but we only had a meager 40 blankets with us (other groups had more blankets in different locations). It was really sad when we ran out of blankets (it took all of fifteen minutes to give them out). I think we learned a lot and will probably do things differently next time.

As a group, we later reflected on different people's reactions. Some were grateful and couldn't stop thanking us. Others came up to us and just expected them - as if they were entitled to our gifts. Some chided us for coming without having enough blankets for everyone. Rather than feeling indignant/frustrated with their reactions, I finally started to see a glimpse of my own heart. How often have I acted as if I was entitled/deserving of the Lord's favor? How often have I expected things from Him without even stopping to thank Him, forgetting that without Him, I am nothing? How often do I "trample" Christ's blood? How often I'm tempted to life my life for myself...

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
Mark 8:34-35

Lord, thank you for your blood. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for giving me LIFE. Thanks for reminding me that it doesn't belong to me anymore... It's so easy to forget.

STUDENTS

Today I taught my diligent winter vacation students how to write acrostic poems. We wrote one together (using the word STUDENTS) as a class before they wrote their own poems using their English names. The poem they wrote as a class:

Students are stressed.
Tests are terrible.
Usually they feel
Doomed.
Especially the
New Students.
Teachers
Slug them.

Quite a poem, huh? I couldn't believe how depressing it was. Se had lots of fun compiling the poem together and had lots of giggles... However, there is no denying that this poem is a rather accurate snapshot of Korean education. It's rather sobering.

Korean students are often stressed... and have LOTS of tests. (Education is ALL about testing here!) New students usually are not treated very kindly. And yes, the teachers DO "slug" them... often! Corporal punishment is used quite liberally here. I wanted to write, "Teachers are So kind." But they were quite adamant about the last line. I told them that I would lose my job if I ever smacked a student in America. Even gently touching a student's arm could jeopardize a teacher's job in the U.S., I think! My students were shocked when I told them about this.

When I told one of my co-teachers about the poem my students wrote, she said something about how sad of a reflection it is upon the Korean education system. Indeed.

Encouraging Happenings

Happy things that have happened recently:

• Last week I had an awesome lunch with one of my co-teachers. We had several problems last semester, but I think we're going to become good friends. We talked for nearly an hour after lunch - just enjoying each other's company! What a sharp contrast from last semester! Definitely a tangible answer to prayer...
  
• Went to the third Fire by Night English Ministry prayer meeting in Seoul last Saturday. It was SOOO refreshing for my heart! I need to pray more.
• I found out that I really am going to get an English classroom after all!!!! My OWN classroom!!! It should be finished by the time the new semester begins in March. One of the classrooms at Cheongryang is currently being remodeled. On Monday, I got a sneak peak... it's going to be BRIGHT and COLORFUL! My Classroom Rules are already posted and the teachers have been asking me what else I want in my room... Oh, and I'm going to have a smart board! (I don't even know how to use those things...) I'm excited!!!
• I'm currently taking two classes at OEM: a Membership course and a Strengthfinders course. I'm excited about both of them. I only have one week left before I will complete the Membership course. I'm eager to commit to membership! And the Strengthfinders class is quite interesting. I'm learning about my God-given strengths and talents... and how to use them to serve the Lord.
  
• I've gotten to see several of my favorite teachers lately (which has been a treat since most of them are gone for winter vacation). I can't believe how excited I get when I see them!!! I feel so much more alive when I'm around people that I can talk with. (I'm realizing more and more these days how much I need people!) It's been hard being in the office for hours on end with people that I can't really converse with.
• Got cookies last week from my uncle and then a special package in the mail yesterday from a dear friend... Great surprises! =)
• Sara and I have decided to take a trip to Busan this next weekend. We haven't done much traveling and we have a couple of extra days off next week with the Lunar New Year. I can't wait to travel again and get outside of Seoul!!!
  
• Randomly saw Bok ja yesterday when I was on my way to the subway station. I hardly ever run into people in Seoul! It was such a special treat... and such a blessing because she helped me figure out how to purchase tickets to go to Busan. =)
• Listened to some encouraging words from John Piper today...
  
  
  You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
  Your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
  none can compare with you!
  I will proclaim and tell of them,
  yet they are more than can be told.
  Psalm 40:5
  

Winter Vacation Class

I've completed the first two weeks of my winter vacation class and have seven more teaching days. It's been quite an experience. It's definitely a different pace than what I'm used to during the regular school semester. This schedule certainly makes me appreciate my regular semester when I only have to prepare one or two lessons for the entire week! =) I teach the same students for 3 hrs. every day. Then I have the rest of the afternoon for prep. It's a lot of preparation, so it's been challenging for me. There's been times when I've felt overwhelmed with the task... and wishing I had more training. But I've found lots of helpful websites and I'm definitely growing as a teacher! I also realize that the experiences God has given me in the past have prepared me for this time. I just have to keep reminding myself of that sometimes...

I've been primarily focusing on literature and writing with my students, which has been a lot of fun. I find myself thinking about my high school creative writing class often - good memories. Anyway, we just finished reading Cinderella last week and I showed them the (Disney) video in English on Friday. (Yes, one of the reasons I chose Cinderella was because it was my favorite story as a kid...) I think the kids enjoyed it... they've been working so hard. I'm proud of them.

I only have seven students, but they seem to be highly motivated and most of them come to class 10 - 15 minutes early each day! Although it takes more time to prepare for this class, it's really a privilege to be able to KNOW my students a little bit more. I'm learning a lot about them... and realizing that I have a unique platform with them. I have especially enjoyed giving them journal/writing assignments and challenging them to think critically about things. I think all of us are stretching and growing! =)

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Well, it's been awhile since I've updated. Things have been seemingly uneventful... yet I feel like a lot has happened at the same time. It's hard to explain all of my thoughts... So, I'll just share a few quotes that perhaps sum things up...

Because your love is BETTER THAN LIFE my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:3-4

It's amazing to me how easy it is to forget this truth...

Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. II Corinthians 5:5

It's refreshing to be reminded that He has a PURPOSE for all my days...

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the Light of His glory and grace


God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life, that I may burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.
- Jim Elliot

Believing greater things are yet to come... and so thankful that His truth is constant regardless of my faltering emotions!

So thankful for Jesus. So thankful for His grace. So thankful for His love. So thankful for life in Him. So thankful for His faithfulness even when I am faithless. So thankful for His friendship.
~a sinner saved by the blood of Christ