Beka in Korea

August Update

2009-08-22T19:50:00.006+09:00

Once again I need to apologize for not updating my blogger often enough.

Matt and I have been back in country for about three weeks now. Our first week back we taught the little kids at our church's VBS and we went to school a few times to prep our classrooms before orientation. We began working August 10 and the students started back Wednesday.

As you may know, a lot of our teachers (if not all of us) have more responsibilities than we would normally have due to being short staffed. Most of us are teaching an extra class or two. I have picked up a history class that I proctor. Matt is now teaching three ELD classes, 7th and 8th grade English, and 7th and 8th grade Computer and PE. He's basically teaching two and a half teacher's jobs. There are quite a few demands on us this year so please pray for time management and sanity :0) for us this year.

Volleyball practice starts Monday. Our 6th grade teacher, Bethany, has decided to volunteer her time to be my assistant coach this season. This is the first time that I've been a head coach of anything. It's very humbling- especially because I have to ask A LOT of questions.

Speaking of humbling situations. I decided to retake the Praxis II this summer. When I was hired to come to Korea, I hadn't passed the test yet and I didn't need to, to be able to work at my school. I prayed about it quite a bit and decided that it was time for me to retake it again this summer. I dedicated most of my summer vacation studying for that test. It was humbling because this test is something I should have passed five years ago. But honestly, it was my teaching experience that really helped me with taking it this time. There were questions on there that I never would have known had I not taught it before. Anyway, to end the suspense- I got my score on Thursday night and my score is high enough for me to get a license in any state that requires that test. It is still easiest at this point for me to get an Ohio license- but my score was significantly higher than what was required of me. That's a huge PTL for that!

Our intent forms for the 2010-2011 school year are due at the end of November. Please pray for us as we finalize our decision for that.

Until next time...

If the Lord leads you to donate money to my ministry the directions are as follows; and thank you if He does. Please make checks payable to NICS and put my project number in the memo section: 001807 (Please do not write my name on the check). You will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Make sure you include a note with your check including your name, address, phone number, and e-mail if you have it. Mail to: NICS (Finance Dept) P.O. Box 1260 Southaven, MS 38671 Please contact NICS with any questions at 1-800-997-6427

Something fun. Wordle

2009-03-25T21:02:00.001+09:00

    title="Wordle: NICS in Korea">    src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/687770/NICS_in_Korea"
    alt="Wordle: NICS in Korea"
    style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

Tired, Discouraged, and Weary

2009-02-09T20:02:00.004+09:00

For those of you who actually keep up with my blog (potentially better than I do), I am asking for prayer.

I have hit a point where I'm tired of the way things are going in my workplace. I'm disappointed that people who call themselves Christians aren't acting like it. There should be no cliques or a feeling that one is holier than another or that they know more than someone else (and aren't afraid to let that other person know). It just stinks that people aren't really living out what they believe. We're supposed to be examples for students- yet what are we expecting of them when we're no different than the world, or we handle things no differently than the world.

I have become very weary in enduring all that is going on around me. I come home from work just frazzled because of the things that go on. There seems to be so much secrecy this year. There are also many divisions which is difficult too.

I don't even really know how to put into words what's going on in my head.

Please pray for the favoritism and partiality to die away. I really thought that when I took a job working with Christians that there would be no politics in the workplace. It's just as prevalent in the Christian circles as it is in the secular circles. Aren't we supposed to be different? To think, live and even work different?

Office politics are something I would expect from and have experienced (a lot) in secular circles. Why have Christians let it penetrate their workplaces?

To give you an idea of just how much we are around our fellow co-workers a day tends to go like this: Many of us either live with another teacher or live very near to other teachers, we all ride into school together, we work all day together, we all ride home together (sometimes this takes about 45 minutes- if not longer), then we go back to live with each other. We also almost all go to the same church, share a lot of the same friends, are involved in other activities in and out of school that require us to be together.

So, when there are divisions within the staff, there are cliques formed, or partiality is shown it hurts the group as a whole.

If you'd like to know more specifically what's weighing me down, I will tell you- I just don't feel it needs to go up here.

Pray for me, too, because I've hit the point where I love what I do- but working where I work is extremely difficult. It's usually a challenge to get up every morning to go to work. Matt and I are both signed on for next year and I just keep praying- that at least for me- that it wasn't a mistake.

Pray for strength, wisdom (especially on which issues need addressed and which I need to just let rest), and encouragement from outside the workplace (because it's definitely not coming from within it), and anything else that God lays on your heart to pray for us about.

God Bless.

January Update

2009-01-27T10:45:00.001+09:00

Greetings, to our precious family in Christ.

I'm writing this on an unusually snowy day on a thankfully long Lunar New Year weekend. As it's a time for frequent travel, we are staying in and enjoying a low-key holiday. In all seasons, we are constantly reminded of His goodness.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support.

Our return to school after a three-week break transitioned well. It always brings a smile to hear students say "I was bored. I'm so glad to be back!" I hope and pray we teach to His glory.

February will be designated as "Random Acts of Kindness Month", a school wide event. We will teach and recognize acts of kindness in the school, and then in the community and home. Our prayer is to teach a biblical basis and biblical principles behind kindness. We also hope and pray that we can model service to Him and right attitudes without seeking reward.

We have also assembled a group to go to India during our Spring Break. I'll have the opportunity to lead a group of four teachers and four students as we help with Vacation Bible School at Priority One Ministries. We are raising money for the trip and praise Him as He continues to provide. We also seek Him for the remainder needed for the trip. He has great things planned, and we are excited to slowly see His plan unfold.

In closing, thank you again for your prayers, encouragement and support. God bless as you continue to serve Him.

In His service.

Christmas or just another day?

2008-12-15T22:40:00.001+09:00

Eleven days out and still December 25 seems like just another day.

I look around at friends (those who haven't rushed back to the States to be with their families) and I see gifts from family (not in Korea) around their tree and more than just a helpless Charlie Brown tree.

How is it Christmas without family? I know presents shouldn't be a big deal, and don't get me wrong, they're not, but there's not one under the tree. There hasn't been for three years. There's not a Christmas card from a family member anywhere. There hasn't been for four years.

I know people say I have Matt and that should be enough. Or, we haven't been married long enough to fully detach from our families for the holidays- quite frankly- I hope we never get to that point.

Christmas right now is looking like just another typical day off from work. The sun rises, the sun sets- just another day.

Maybe the real reason Ebeneezer Scrooge was so unhappy wasn't because he was a crotchety old man- maybe it was because of a secret Mr. Dickens was hiding from us- he had family on another continent.

Community

2008-08-27T07:49:00.005+09:00

Lately I've been struggling with the idea of community. The setting of my life right now is far different than it would be if I were living stateside. My coworkers were my roommates, are my friends, my support system, my family overseas. We travel to work together both in the morning and in the afternoon (and often make plans to hang out in the evenings on these rides). We coach, direct, and lead together.

But it seems as if there's still an oddness about it. The community I am a part of is mainly singles. Now, as a single in the community (as I was for about two years) I did not feel out of place- even when hanging out with married women.

There was a Bible study that I was a part of, when I first arrived in Korea, that was comprised solely of married women. At first, it was a little odd- but they did not view me any differently than they did anyone else in the group.

I just find it odd that now that I am on the other side of the line- I tend to feel more excluded. I'm not sure if it's just because of the numbers- there are only three married (women) teachers and three of our office staff- but if you think about the ratio: 17:3 we are a little outnumbered.

I also don't know if the feeling is coming from greater emphasis being put on being single than there has been in the past or what.

I know it may not mean much to the single ladies- but having been on the field and single for two years- There is a purpose to it. God has placed us in our situations and circumstances as we are for a reason. Singleness is a gift! If you cannot see that and if you do not embrace it while you have it, you will miss out on possibly some of the greatest opportunities God has for you. Try not to see it as a burden and try not to live in the future. Embrace it and see where you can be used in your circumstances. And, please don't treat us married ladies any different because we're married. We still need and want that female interaction (come on, we live with a guy). We're not really all that different.

July Update

2008-07-26T05:13:00.001+09:00

This is the e-mail Matt sent our when we returned to Korea. He's much better at the updates than I am.

Greetings to our precious family in Christ.

We just arrived at the end of our visit to the U.S. It was a whirlwind, but a good visit nonetheless. If we failed to see you at that time, we apologize as our time was short.

I (Matt) had the opportunity to attend Pre-field Orientation (PFO) towards the end of June. By the end of that time, I had met teachers from Indonesia, Kungming China, Nairobi and Argentina, to name a few. It was a blessing to hear how God is working and plans to work in the lives of other International Christian School teachers.

We were also blessed to be supported by Beka's home church, Grace Baptist. We know God has blessed us to be a blessing, and I pray that we can do that.

God also blessed us with a vision for ministry. During the course of last year, we began to have a heart for those who are usually overlooked in successful societies. Through help from staff and leadership in our school, we were able to visit a Grandma House (much like a nursing home) and an orphanage. We plan on visiting the same places in order to estabish relationships. Thankfully, we were able to develop a small group of students willing to minister to others in this way.

Our plan for next year is to have one event involving Community Service Outreach every month. This will involve scheduling, which is not my (Matt's) primary skill. We trust and pray that He will give wisdom in this matter. We thank God for His vision and blessing, and pray for wisdom as we plan for this coming year.

I (Matt) am also planning a Bible Study focused on the topic of worship. I had the opportunity to do a word search over the summer, which yielded a wealth of information. Pray that God gives wisdom as I organize the scribblings in my notebook. I pray that we learn more of Him, and less of our own opinions.

We also praise Him that He continues to take care of us. When we arrived in Korea, we found that the locks on our door had been tampered with. We had to stay in a hotel for the night as we were unable to get in. Thankfully, the locks were changed the next day. When we got in, we found everything as we had left it. Thanks be to Him for His goodness.

In closing, thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support. God bless each of you as you continue to serve Him.

In Christ,
Matt and Beka

Does anyone know how to fix this?

2008-03-14T09:32:00.000+09:00

When I first signed up for Multiply, I clicked something to import my blogs from my Blogspot page. I'd rather not have to the two linked. Is there any way to undo that? Help.

No time to say hello; goodbye...

2008-02-29T21:09:00.004+09:00

It seems like there's always quite a gap in my blogging. It always seems like forever since the last time I wrote. I'm not sure if its because I don't do it often or because I'm not really into writing updates. I'll make an attempt at an update...

There never really seems to be much new news to tell about life around here. The school year is just as challenging as ever. There are more challenges this year than I ever would have thought. The attitudes of some of the students have been less than desirable. Please just pray for the attitudes of them and for the rest of the school year.

Matt and I and another teacher from the school are still planning on going to India over spring break to look at a facility for future mission trips. Matt and I already have our visas and, as far as I know, Alexa has hers too.

Please pray that we find affordable tickets to India. We haven't been able to find anywhere to give us airline prices yet. One (of the two affordable places here) told us they wouldn't have prices until the middle of March (and spring break is the second week in April), plus, they won't give us our whole flight. She said we could just pick up our connecting flight off the internet.

Matt and I are hopefully going to check out ticket prices from somewhere else. We're still exploring options with some other travel agents in Seoul that friends of friends have used.

School is school and being the high school English department is a tedious task. I don't have anyone to run ideas off of or to ask questions to. It's also intimidating that next year, I'll be the senior staff member of the secondary group. Scary...

The school itself is in constant need of prayer. We still have eight of the ten positions open for next year. We've got basically our entire elementary school open along with three secondary positions and our art position. We could be in serious trouble if we don't get these positions filled. We need all the prayer support we can get, pretty much because we can't offer the benefits and the perks that some of the other schools can. We're just a little school in the middle of a rice paddy. There's little incentive for people who are looking for perks on the mission field.

I guess that's about all the updates I've got for now.

Just thoughts spurred on from a book I'm reading.

2008-02-16T18:51:00.001+09:00

Sometime during my junior year of high school Christianity became a fad. Sadly, in order to have been a part of that fad crowd you had to attend a certain church and a certain youth group.

It is so sad to see that the people that were so influential in helping bring people to Christianity (but unfortunately, not necessarily to Christ) had pretty much all turned their backs on the faith. It just saddens me to see it.

Maybe they discovered that following Christ isn't all roses, daisies, and frolics in easy fields. I have lots of thoughts on this issue but I'm not sure how to express that. Devastating is probably the correct word.

I've been reading a book lately that deals with issues like that and like what many churches are like in the states these days. People are definitely suffering from spiritual suburbia. People live in complacency instead of truly listening to God's voice and calling. They just want what's comfortable, not what's real.

Get out of the burbs, take some risks, and live for Christ!

(The book is Plastic Jesus: Exposing the Hollowness of Comfortable Christianity by Dr. Eric Sandras. A challenging and highly recommended read.)

Current Feelings

2008-01-11T20:22:00.000+09:00

So, lately I've been reading through Psalms and some verses have been really sticking out. This one hit me tonight. It pretty much explains the entire school year so far and just the way things have been going.

Take my side, God—I'm getting kicked around, stomped on every day.
Not a day goes by
but somebody beats me up;
They make it their duty
to beat me up.
Psalm 56:1

As usual, people in general need lots of prayer support and friendship and for some reason both seem to be lacking this year. I have to keep remembering that there is a reason for all the hardships we go through (even our month plus with no hot water). There just seems to be a lack of community for younger married couples in our church and our school. It's really difficult to now be viewed differently because you've gotten married. Two years ago when I came to Korea there were a decent number of couples in the school which made for a great support system around them. We don't get that at school because there really isn't anyone else. The one other newly wed couple I think is feeling similar effects to getting married too. It just makes for a difficult time.

I'm not sure how to put that any better, but when I read verses like the one that I listed I definitely feel like that's me. Right now I'm just heavy burdened, don't really have any network to share it in, and am in some severe need for prayer.

Amazing story about one of our students!

2007-12-06T17:21:00.000+09:00

ICS has been very blessed this year by having an extraordinary student at our school. Pretty much everyone can learn a lesson in humility from this guy. He's a senior this year at our school and has also decided to play on our basketball team, where he's not even a starter. Not being a starter doesn't bother him though, he's content being one of the first guys off the bench, he goes out with a smile every time. This is just a testament as to how cool God is and how cool the students are that we have at ICS. Here's the article:

Northwestern Lands a Top-10 Recruiting Class for 2008

Wildcats receive commitments from Jae Han Chun and Sam Chien

Nov. 19, 2007

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern Director of Golf Pat Goss has announced the signings of arguably the best recruiting class in program history. Jae Han (Eric) Chun (Ansung City, South Korea/International Christian School) and Samuel Chien (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel) have signed National Letters of Intent with the Wildcats.

According to the latest Junior Golf Scoreboard ranking, Chun is ranked 11th nationally and Chien is 24th, giving Northwestern one of the top-10 recruiting classes in the country (according to the Junior Golf Scoreboard ranking). Chun also is ranked eighth in the 2008 class by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and 18th by Golfweek/Titleist. Chien is listed as the 28th-best player by the AJGA and 30th by Golfweek/Titleist.

"The signing of Eric and Sam represents a very strong recruiting class that will be competitive with the best recruiting classes in the country," says Goss. "Equally impressive as their results in the U.S. are the competitive successes and experiences they have both had internationally. These experiences will serve them very well in college golf."

Chun was a first-team AJGA Rolex Junior All-American (one of 12 players to receive this honor), finishing first in two AJGA events this past summer. He played the entire summer in the United States. In South Korea, Chun finished first in two other events in 2006.

Born in Seoul, Korea and moving to Malaysia at the age of 5, Chun became the top-ranked junior in Malaysia by the age of 12. He would go on to win six amateur opens and one national junior open by the age of 14. Chun then moved to Australia where he posted a 70.24 stroke average in 2004 to win the New South Wales Vardon award. In 2004, he won the Cronulla Amateur Open, Penrith Amateur and finished second at the Mastercard Junior Masters.

In 2005, Chun racked up 13 Australian Junior titles, including the NSW Junior Championship.

"Eric is one of the most impressive players I have seen in junior golf in my 12 years," says Goss. "His game is very mature and polished and his results have matched. I anticipate Eric will make an immediate impact in college golf."

Chien is a 2007 honorable mention AJGA Rolex Junior All-American. Placing first at the AJGA Ping Phoenix Junior, Chien was a medalist at U.S. Juniors Qualifier, and also qualified for Match Play at U.S. Juniors. He was a team member of the victorious West Canon Cup squad (junior version of the Ryder Cup).

In 2006, Chien placed first at three separate events. Once again, he earned AJGA Rolex Junior All-America honors. He also was a member of the 2006-winning Jr. America's Cup Team. In addition, Chien was a semifinalist at the Polo Golf Junior Classic, which is one of the most prestigious events in junior golf.

"Sam has won national junior tournaments each of the last two summers and has displayed a great consistency in competing with and beating the best players in the country," says Goss. "This summer he also stepped up his game posting rounds of 69-67-65 to win the AJGA Ping Phoenix and 68-69 to qualify for the U.S. Junior. To shoot 65 the final day while playing in the final pairing in Phoenix shows great competitive heart."

The pair will begin their Northwestern careers in the fall of 2008.

http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/111907aaa.html

Matt's prayer e-mail update

2007-11-26T20:57:00.000+09:00

Greetings to our precious family in Christ. I apologize as it's been so long since we've last sent an update.

Beka and I continue to lead a life after high school discipleship team for juniors and seniors. There is at least one unsaved member in our group, and all of the students plan on attending a secular university when they graduate. Please join us in prayer that we can be the examples and give His wise advice, not our own.

We continue to learn names of God in our elementary and high school chapels. This week we learned that God sees, and He sees our hearts. I pray that the teaching will take root.

A group of teachers and high school students will go to the Philippines this coming April for a missions trip. The decision to go there came after much prayer and discussion. God will bless, and we thank Him as He provides for this trip.

Also after prayer and discussion, Beka, myself and another teacher have decided to go to Priority One India to experience and report back on the ministry opportunities there. This would be at the same time as the Philippines trip.

Beka and I have felt God's pull toward India for some time now, and He seems to be providing an opportunity to go. Our prayer is that we continue to seek His will and provision.

We cannot get an exact estimate on plane tickets from travel agencies this early, but the closest estimate so far was near $1000 for one ticket. We are currently praying for the amount of at least one ticket. As we say this, we know and trust God can provide above and beyond our needs.

Please join us in prayer and prayerfully consider if God wants you to help in this short-term ministry. If He has laid it on your heart to give, please send us an email and let us know.

In closing, thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support. God bless as you continue to serve Him.

The Type of Church Satan Loves

2007-11-14T20:33:00.000+09:00

I saw this on a friend's site and couldn't help but share it. There is so much truth in this.

Sit in pews and wait for the sinner to come to you
Preach about God but prove you don't know Him
Preachers and teachers aren't a Voice, just an echo
Stress membership but not relationship
Doesn't make repentance and righteousness necessary to follow God
Spend more money on themselves than the poor
Spend their time convincing themselves they are OK
Lives don't really have to change
Aren't known for prayer and fasting
Known for programs and ad campaigns
Don't believe in healing or miracles
The only fellowship is looking at the back of heads and a handshake out the door once a week
Exalt individual ministers
Forget the priesthood of all believers
Spend lots of money on average Christian entertainment
Don't seek a move of the Holy Spirit
Focus on the cares of this life
Feel impressed by the famous and wealthy
Don't expose sin
The women do all the work of the Church
Where the opposite sex are not brothers and sisters but potential suitors
Where you do not work out your salvation with fear and trembling
Where you will not learn a new song but squeeze to the old ones
The scripture is not read
Missionaries are not sent
Leaders are not raised up
Discipleship is delegated to a Sunday School class
Men have no integrity
Women have no purity
People have no modesty
You laugh at sin instead of weeping

The devil loves that kind of church!

In need of prayer/ sorting things out

2007-11-08T05:56:00.000+09:00

Lately it seems as though everything has been crashing down around me. There are so many things that I've been dealing with; from my aunt and her heart problem, anxiety for a physical (really just the blood test part of it), feeling like I spend more time on school then my marriage, feeling extremely isolated and cut off from just about everyone, to feeling extremely disrespected by people that I would have never thought would make me feel that way, to downright wanting to quit my job.

The last on the list is probably what upsets me the most. Never, in the time that I've been here, have I even contemplated quitting teaching at ICS until Tuesday this week. The chain of events that has gone on has proved to not be good.

Please pray for me as I have some confronting to do within the next week. Pray that I say what God would have me to and NOT what I want to. I know that what I want to say would come out with a much sharper edge than what should be said. I will be addressing issues of disrespect with some of my students and that is very difficult for me. Again, it's difficult because I'm constantly fighting my mind to say what is right instead of what I want.

Also, please pray that I'll make it through whatever this is that's going on. There seems to be SO much and dealing with it is extremely difficult.

Rant

2007-10-28T21:23:00.000+09:00

During my first year we were told that the Korean government mandated that all foreign workers have their health insurance program. I found this interesting because after talking with other foreign workers, they said they have never heard this. So, if this really were government mandated, wouldn't every foreign worker know this?

So, last week at work we found out some surprising news about our Korean health insurance. We found out that this mandated insurance also includes a mandatory physical (which includes a mandatory blood test among other things). If we don't do this, the school gets fined $10,000.

I spoke with another friend of mine today and asked her if she has to go through with this physical too. I was informed that the Korean insurance is no longer mandatory. I asked another foreign friend of mine, and she said that the physical is optional for them.

I'm so confused and really quite upset. I'm not really sure where my HUGE fear of needles came from but I'd rather be dropped off the insurance than go through with this physical. It's so dumb too, we've got American insurance which once we cover our deductible, the insurance pays for the rest. All that to say, there really is no need for us to have this Korean insurance.

Also, get this... we have to fast from midnight or so the night before (which kind of makes sense because of the blood test) and a fast from water from about that point on. Does it make sense that these doctors think that drinking water will really effect a height, weight, heart, eye, or ear test, blood pressure (which mine will be sky high because of the needles), chest x-ray or urine test (which by the way; how are we supposed to do that if we don't have any water in our system?)? Urgh. Sometimes it's so easy to get frustrated with the way things go when you can't communicate directly.

It's bogus that we've got to do something that we're told is mandatory which really isn't.

Maeby

2007-10-20T08:24:00.000+09:00

Matt and I recently decided to add to our family... We got a puppy! :0) Through translation we were semi-able to figure out what breed she is. The lady at the store told us that she's a Pekingese, but she's a short hair. So we're a bit confused. Or, looking at it maybe her coat hasn't filled out.

The best part is... Koreans treat dogs like they are children. They do everything from dressing them up, to carrying them around in strollers, baby carriers or nice little puppy carriers, to dyeing their fur.

All that to say that since Maeby is all white, they dyed her cheeks pink.

I know, enough of me, on to the pictures. :0)

These are pictures from Maeby's first bath. Doesn't she look funny?

Matt's update letter.

2007-10-08T15:33:00.000+09:00

For those of you who do not receive it; this is Matt's prayer/ update letter that he just sent. Enjoy!

Greetings, to my precious family in Christ. I
apologize as it's been a while since we've sent out an
update. It's been a busy few months as we started
teaching our classes and getting used to routines once
again. In everything, God is good.

I'm (Matt) enjoying my new job as I'm still teaching
English as a Second Language to elementary students,
only with a more structured system than that of a
haukwan.

Beka is enjoying teaching her third year of English
Literature, and her second of Speech and drama. She's
planning a musical with the music teacher. They're
still searching for the right one to do, but since the
musical will be in the spring they have time to work
with.

Beka and I will begin a life after high school
discipleship group for juniors and seniors this week.
We currently have eleven students signed up for the
group. Please pray that we will work together well and
be the guiding influence He would have us to be.

Next week will be our Spiritual Emphasis week. A
musical group called station two will visit during
that time. Our prayer is that the gospel will be
preached and that students will be challenged to trust
in Him as Lord and Savior, or to draw nearer to Him.

I was excited to hear about two baptisms in our
church. I've been praying for a member of my college
group, Paul. He had been quiet about it, but it turns
out he made a decision to follow Christ a couple of
months ago. He talked to our pastor and was baptized
at our church's retreat on Wednesday, October 3. Beka
and I were unable to attend the retreat because we
didn't have this Korean holiday off. Still, I rejoice
that God continues to answer prayer.

The second baptism was another member of the college
group, Soo Ik. He had grown up in the church, but
hadn't made a decision to be baptized until now. He
hated the attention, but I told him how a public
confession of faith is important.

I thank God for the work He has done and will continue
to do in our church and school.

In closing, we thank each of you for your prayers,
encouragement and support. God bless each of you as
you continue to sere Him.

In Christ,
Matt and Beka

Eventful Weeks

2007-10-06T19:20:00.000+09:00

A lot has happened over the past few weeks.

First, there were two possibilities for our mission trip this year, the Philippines and India. The mission team decided that the Philippines was the best choice for our group of kids this year. This was a tough decision for me to handle since I was the one with the Indian contact. I really don’t feel the pull to go to the Philippines (and really, neither does Matt).

Matt and I have decided to go to India to see what the program is all about and how our team may fit in, in the future. Right now, we’re still trying to figure out if we’re going to go during spring break (when VBS will be going on in India) or if we will go at Christmas break (when we’d have more time). Please pray for us as we try to make that decision. Pray for us too as we determine whether or not we need to ask for support for this trip (since airplane tickets to India are around/ over $1,000 each).

In the past week Matt and I have had three adventures too, to the hospital. Last Saturday morning, I was getting breakfast ready when my thumb decided to get in the way of the knife I was using to cut. Matt called our high school principal first since he’s a former EMT. He came over, wrapped it and went home. My biggest fear at this point was that I was going to have to get stitches. The slice in my thumb was pretty big. I waited about half an hour but the bleeding hadn’t stopped. So, I called one of the Korean ladies from school to take us to a hospital. We went, and I ended up getting two stitches in my thumb.

This is a picture of what it looked like today after I got the stitches out. I cut it from where you can see it to about the middle of my fingernail.

I know it doesn’t sound like much, but your fingers and toes are some of the most sensitive places on your body. Before I start this, let me remind you that I am practically terrified of needles. They gave me two shots in my thumb which was supposed to numb it. Apparently since I did cut my thumb and it was close to the bone, what they numbed was not what they stitched up. I will admit, I am a baby when it comes to needles.

Not being able to feel my thumb for a week (because it was wrapped) made pretty much everything an interesting task. Because of the stitches I couldn’t get my thumb wet. I really don’t know what I would have done had I still been in a roommate situation since I was totally dependant on Matt.

Speaking of things getting cut, I cut my hair even shorter. I’ve been looking at this hairstyle for about a year but I didn’t get it cut because of the wedding. So, this week, Matt and I went to a place called Miss Piggy’s (yes, that is the real name) and I got it chopped off again. I have received some very nice compliments about it which is reassuring.

As for school things, our discipleship program starts up this week. Matt and I are leading a group of about twelve 11^th and 12^th graders. The topic of our group is “Life After High School.” This will be my second year leading this group and Matt’s first. The size of the group from last year has over doubled in size and Matt and I can tell that the Lord really has some cool things in store for our group. Please pray for productive and fruitful meetings with our students.

More to come as the year progresses.

Ruffling feathers

2007-09-03T19:54:00.000+09:00

The following is complied of bits that I wrote up while I was sitting at the coffee shop at the top of the mountain at Seorak.

It amazes me that there is a possibility of an international school opening in North Korea. The work that a specific group is doing up there is amazing. They have gone in as businessmen. The odd thing is that the government knows that this group of businessmen are Christians.

The government is actually allowing this group to work along side of them. The gov't is also considering the suggestions this group has made about improvements they can make. One of the major suggestions being that since the N. Koreans want to begin making their country an international country, they will need schools for the children of the internationals living in the country. To this, the gov't has actually agreed. With the connections already made, it very well may be an Oasis school.

This group is doing the ground-breaking that is necessary to make connections and relationships with the government. This is just amazing. The visions this group has for their business and for the country of N. Korea are a true testament of the wonders of God.

We were recently given a glimpse on just how spiritually dark the country really is. Every morning at 7am, the N. Koreans begin by singing songs (much like hymns and praise songs) to their leader. This is immediately followed with time to journal about what this song time meant to them (again, much like the quiet time Christians set aside to worship God). This country is being brainwashed into worshiping a man, a human. Ick.

The possibilities amaze me. The potential and likelihood of an international community in North Korea, the Koreas re-uniting, and even an international school in N. Korea is possible. From the inside, the people are hoping for a regime change within the next five years or so. That may or may not happen in that time frame but it's highly possible either way.

The similarities between N. Korea and America amaze me sometimes. The North Koreans are fed nothing but propaganda from their government.

Although the Americans aren't given messages from their government that they believe, they are being fed propaganda daily from the news industry. Just in the same sense that the N. Koreans believe the propaganda that's being spoon fed to them, the Americans do the same thing with the news. Most believe whatever they hear from a news source; not realizing that the news company that they are so devoted to tells everything from a biased slant. These news channels shove their agenda down their "loyal" viewers throats. With this, most people don't take the time to compare sources to see what the real truth may be.

Most Americans are made to think that their country is invincible and that no one can do any harm to it. It is the world superpower, but it is still vulnerable. It has many enemies; it is a target.

More importantly the Americans have abandoned the foundation on which it was built, a foundation of Truth. A godly foundation. A hope to have a better, freer chance to worship God that what was set before them in England. A chance to worship God only and not the idols and statues that the churches in England had set before them.

The foundation of America is Christianity, regardless as to whether or not it is recognized. America has walked away from its foundation. Anything without a foundation collapses or is at least easier to destroy.

Some Pictures

2007-09-03T19:00:00.000+09:00

These are just a few of the pictures from the Seorak trip.

This is a view from the Mt. Seorak Natn'l Park.

This is just what you would want "guarding" your hotel.

Yup, I definitely rode to the top in this.

These are just a few shots from one of the hikes at the top of the one mountain.

And, just one more for fun. I saw this on our way back from Seorak today in Osan. Gotta love Engrish.

Random Thoughts

2007-09-03T18:29:00.000+09:00

This weekend was our annual staff trip to Mt. Seorak on the East Coast. Most of it went fairly well. It rained just about every day, but we still got hiking time at the mountain in.

Sunday we thought we were headed to the beach, when it turned out that we were going to a lighthouse first. Let me preface it with, we were dressed to go to the beach (including footwear), it was raining, and the steps that led up the hill to the lighthouse were metal and slick. I was wearing my cheap $2 Wal-Mart sandles and on the way down, fell and slid down about ten of those steps. This of course bummed me out because our next stop was the beach (as planned).

I ended up spending most of my time at the beach on the bus. One of the other teachers came back to the bus shortly after I did to avoid the rain.

I love the conversations that she and I have, especially ones like we had yesterday. She's really been dealing with a lot lately, a good portion of which revolves around her ex husband.

Talking with her about some of the things she went through with her ex was like looking into a time warp of what my life may have ended up like if I had stayed with the guy I dated before Matt.

It still boggles my mind that women so easily are attracted to men who do nothing but manipulate. Why? What is the charm about them?

Daily I am shown blessings from having a godly husband. Matt has been great with helping since I fell. My body is completely sore, even to the point of breathing hurting when I was laying down this morning.

Crazy. The only thing really to do is to train our youth (young women and men) how to treat each other, what to look out for, and how to avoid putting themselves in situations where they will be manipulated.

August Update

2007-08-27T18:22:00.000+09:00

So, it’s been quite a while since I’ve written an update.

Matt and I had a great, but busy summer. The wedding went off pretty well. My dad’s accident put a bit of a strain on things. Getting out of the hospital about an hour and a half before the ceremony can cause some extra stress. Anyhow, it went really well. The dresses that everyone the girls chose all turned out well. The guys in their own suits went off well too.

We still haven’t seen the pictures yet, but that’s what happens when you have to leave less than a month after the wedding.

Our time in New York with Matt’s family was great too. Not only did we get to spend time with them, we got to go to Lake Placid and to NYC.

Our trip back to Korea was fine too. We only had about two days until we got back into the school to do work. We were working on getting Matt’s classroom busy because he was going to have ELD testing during orientation. We got his room pretty much set up before our open house which was a good thing.

Now, almost a week into school, we’re starting to get into the swing of things. The school year is busy as usual. The staff is having our annual Labor Day trip to Mt. Sorak. For some reason I am not really looking forward to it this year. Matt’s never been up there so we’re going.

There’s not really a whole lot else going on right now. Like I said, we’re getting the school year underway, so I have no doubt that things will pick up quickly.

Until next time…

Time flies, or something like that.

2007-03-31T08:07:00.000+09:00

I did not realise that it’s been over two months since I’ve written a blog. I guess that’s just a testament to how busy things have actually been. It’s seemed like one big whirlwind after Christmas break.

We just had the Science Fair at the school two days ago; which consumed most of my time because of reading and grading papers. It was the first fair for both secondary English teachers and the Science teacher.

The Science teacher decided to do the fair in a less conventional way and it turned out pretty well. The ninth grade class was the only class to actually do an experiment. The biology class did something very interesting (and something we could never have gotten away with in a public school), they were refuting the theory of evolution, even as far as theistic evolution (which is a load of lies too). The physics students wrapped it up with their topic of “It’s not Magic, it’s Physics” by demonstrating all kinds of things that represented different physics principles.

Along similar lines, the pastor at our church did a three week series in how theistic evolution is not possible because believing in one means you are disbelieving the other. Meaning, you cannot believe in something like the Day Age Theory and believe in the Bible, those beliefs contradict each other.

Pastor Larry did say something that I wish I would have had in college for one of my essays on creation verses evolution. He pointed out that by the terms of evolution this world we live in should be getting better; the people should be getting better, the planet should be getting better, etc. Conversely, if someone is to really examine the human condition it is clear that things are not improving, they are getting worse; thus proving the account of Biblical creation and the fall of man. God created a perfect world. Once sin entered everything started to decay, death entered the world.

I’m sure most people have heard that scientists often use canyons to help prove their theory. Which is a canyon was formed after water running in the same place for millions and millions of years. If one were to go look at the Grand Canyon for example they would observe that the layers of rock are fairly flat and straight. If the scientist theory is then correct, why are the layers straight? Why did they not erode away and become jagged and uneven? The answer is simple: it does not take millions and millions of years to create a canyon. This was seen by the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, May 18, 1980. A canyon was formed as a result of water, ash, and lava flowing over it. Are people then to assume that the only way canyons form is over millions and millions of years when this was formed in a very small window of time? Is science not about logic and being able to prove things? If a scientist discounts that, then where is the logic?

I would like to challenge you to look up the definitions of “fact,” “theory,” “truth,” “science,” and “religion” and form your own judgment.

I had no intention on going off on this when I first began writing this. This does happen to be a subject area of which I am extremely passionate. No, I do not have all the answers, but I am firm in my belief and have evidence to support it.

On the flip side to things, Matt and I are doing very well. He got hired at ICS next year as our Elementary ESL teacher (which is really nice because that means we will be on the same working schedule). His boss has agreed to allow him to continue to work until June (which is awesome too). And, the best thing yet, he does not have to go to PFO (training to work at our school) this summer since the last day of that is the day of our ceremony.

Until next time. . .

In need of prayer

2007-01-27T09:04:00.000+09:00

To make this a plain and clear as possible, my school needs prayer. I cannot go into too much detail other than telling you that our enrollment is 20 students short of where we need to be to make budget, therefore we've had to make a lot of cuts in things from classroom budgets to salary.

It is a trying time and we know that God has a purpose in all of this, but it does weigh down on us. All of the teachers will be receiving their first pay check of the lesser amount this Friday. Please pray that we can all budget accordingly (since some of our housing and bills can be quite pricey).

Also please pray for our enrollemnt. It seems like everytime we get one new student, we lose two. Hence the student shortage.

Our student shortage is quite a surprise to most of us as well. We have been told for several years that enrollement would not be a problem with the military moving most of their troops to the Army post and Air Force base in the area. Unfortunately, that has not worked to our advantage. We are, however, the least expensive school in the country.

Again, please pray for more students, discernment (especially for the leaders of the school, if the enrollment drops any more then they will have some major decisions to make), patience (as we wait for more students), and just our needs to be met in general.

Learnin' lessons...

2006-11-29T20:52:00.000+09:00

Hindsight...

Listening to the preaching at church last Sunday I was really hit with what was being said.

The sermon was a continuation of a series on the book of Proverbs. This week was on fools. Fools in the biblical sense, what God deems as a fool.

Every word that the preacher said described someone specific. Then it hit me, as it has many times. The Lord's grace is wonderful. He saves us from ourselves if we're willing to give ourselves up to His purpose.

There were two kinds of fools specifically that really hit home. One was the Self-Confident Fool, and the other the Scoffing Fool. The words that were used to describe these two fools were very similar; so much so that these Fools seemed to blend into one.

The Self-Confident Fool thinks he knows everything, is very stubborn, and has a big mouth (Proverbs 12:15, 14:9, 15:5, 27:22, 10:14). This Fool is full of himself. He doesn't want to learn, quick to argue and defend himself. This Fool believes that he is wise and that Christians are irrational and illogical. He is close to destruction.

Right next to him is the Scoffing Fool. He mocks morality and authority. Basically, this Fool has no respect for anyone or anything; especially morality (Proverbs 14:9, 9:7-8, 13:1, 29:80). This Fool:

mocks sin
mocks morality
despises correction
hates the one who tries to correct him
is the god of his own life
is arrogant and proud
is a trouble maker, meaning when he is around everyone argues, usually because they have been provoked by him
loves to express his opinion but does not listen to others

Praise the Lord he has given specific ways to avoid being the fool. Those ways are what a wise man (person) does. A wise man (all verses are from Proverbs):

fears the Lord (8:13, 9:10)
seeks to understand (1:5, 1:7, 18:2)
gets [wise] advice and counsel (15:22)
plans ahead (6:6-8)
accepts criticism—the wise man loves criticism because he can learn from it (9:8)
is disciplined—the wise man has control unlike the fool who is out of control (25:28, 29:11)
has good relationships (12:26, 13:20)

Another point that was made based on "a wise man has good relationships" was the reminder that you become who you hang out with. It is more often than not that you change rather than the person/ people you are hanging out with.

Again, this is just the "big sister" in me speaking out too. With two cousins who are both 18 (one in high school and one in college) and 10 other younger cousins, I'm voicing my concerns.

There are some that I am more worried about than others too. Regardless, it is very easy to hang around with a person/ people who are like the Fools mentioned above. I'm not quite sure what it is, probably Satan, but the Fool and the Fool's lifestyle can seem very appealing. It is an easy thing to get wrapped up in.

When we start to hang around with the people who are the Fools, we become like them. We may never be as imprudent as the Fool we are hanging around with is, but we come pretty close.

These Fools mock morality and authority in an appealing fashion. They make it seem like their way is best, they know better, and you should live like them. They are devious and supercilious enough to watch and even help you throw everything to the side to be likeminded with them.

Again, my hope is here that someone can learn from this, and maybe even my experiences, and not make the same mistake. My prayer is for the younger ones in my family to see what my mistakes did to the family and RUN away from it! They need to be firmly rooted in their beliefs and unwavering no matter what the cost.

It's really cool when you can go to church, hear a sermon, and get that much out of it. Praise the Lord that He can pull us out of any mess that we get ourselves into. There's always such a blessing in doing His will instead of our own, which is usually so much more than we could have ever imagined!

Some writings from October (warning: long)

2006-11-02T21:34:00.000+09:00

October 11, 2006

So, boredom for me leads to writing and a test of your endurance to read my ramblings.

I had the day off work today because a friend of mine got married. This day off has been both relaxing and busy all the same. It's been physically relaxing but my mind has been racing all day. It's funny that when my mind is flooded with thoughts, the only one that stays firm in my mind is that I'm content. I'm not necessarily comfortable though not in despair.

My contentment has really been challenged this week with all the stuff going on in North Korea. Yes, they're doing their thing. Yes, I'm directly south of them. YES, I trust the Lord and His plan for my life. What do I think about the stuff going on? I think I need to keep my trust in the Creator, not in man. I know that I have not fulfilled the Lord's purpose for my life yet, and until He does, I'll be here on earth. It doesn't matter where I will be; when the Lord says my time is up, it's done. I am essentially at more risk every day when I cross the road here or when I get in a vehicle here.

More thoughts…talking to parents. What a crazy concept. There's been a lot of that in the past week. All good.

Plane tickets… Got that taken care of, but not in the times that we would have liked. The greatest part of that though is that we do indeed have tickets. Matt and I are meeting the families at Christmas. Bring it.

School = job = work. I'm a little behind where I would like to be, but that happens. I'm doing much better this year than I did last year with it though. Christina and I begin our discipleship group on Friday, Life After High School. It should be interesting. I'm hoping that we'll be able to answer most of the questions that the kids have from the Christian perspective. I'm also hoping that the experiences that Chris and I share will help impact the kids in a way where they will avoid the stupid stuff that we weren't able to and life fully for Christ.

I'm very content with my situation at the moment. The Lord has me in a period of waiting for certain things, but that is only making them stronger. I'm constantly learning about the godly woman and what it means to live like a godly woman (which I pray never ceases).

So, with a partially cleared head I must get to grading.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Philippians 4:11

October 24, 2006 These are just some verses that have been hitting home lately. These have been a real comfort to me to reassure me that the freedom in my life the Lord has given me is SO much better than the bondage that I was in before.

These are all from the book of Proverbs:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. 1:7

My son, do not walk in the way with them [the world]. Keep your feet from their path, for their feet run to evil and they hasten to shed blood. Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net in the sight of any bird; but they lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives. 1:15-19

Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. 3:25-26

Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it , do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on. 4:14-15

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. 4:23

He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out. 10:9

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all trangressions. 10:12

Doing wickedness is like a sport to a fool, and so is wisdom to a man of understanding. What the wicked fears will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. 10:23-24

The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. 10:27

The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. 12:15 (I wish I would have learned this one before I had to be the fool.)

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. 12:26

He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Adversity persues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity. 13:20-21

He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick tempered exalts folly. 14:29

The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves one who persues righteousness. 15:9

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and turmoil with it. 15:16

Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice. 16:8

As I was typing the last blog, a few verses stuck out again to me and they need greater emphasis than just being typed out. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and turmiol with it. 15:16 Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice. 16:8

Why might these stick out a little more than others? Why would these verses speak to me specifically?

Because at one point, my priorities were totally backwards. At one point I didn't trust the Lord to provide for my needs because I thought I could do it on my own. I thought I had my future all planned out and it would be like a modern day fairy tale.

Riches sound nice. The thought of being well off sounds nice too, but it's not everything. It's not worth it if you're sacrificing your beiliefs, values, family, friends, God. It is NOT worth it.

Satan tries to get us to flee from God the minute we become a believer. He puts a stumbling block in front of the complacent. He feeds doubts to the doubter. lies to the vacillating, wispers in the ear of the wanderer.

I, for one, am thankful that the Lord is bigger than all of that. He can take us from a situation where we think we have it all figured out and put us where we need to be.

He has taken me from a place where I thought I had my life all planned out, which did not include Him (which was dumb) to a life of servitude. I was fooled into thinking that in my situation I would have comfort in my earthly riches and could live life apart from Him. Thankfully, he has taken me from that situation, changed my outlook and is providing for me in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

The Lord is the only true source of happiness. I was miserable in what I thought was the ideal situation. The Lord has shown me what the ideal situation really is, what it really means to live the fulfilled life. There is no greater satisfaction than to live for the Lord. One must die daily to themselves to live for God.

October 26, 2006
So I'm really struggling tonight to be patient in the areas where the Lord has told me to wait. Sometimes it's so stinkin difficult to listen to God. Eventhough I know what is best -listening to God- I still want to do my own thing.

The Lord's timing is perfect. We don't wait on Him; we wait with Him. We wait with Him because His timing is perfect. If we were merely waiting on him that would imply that we do not really believe that all things work out for good for those who believe in Him.

Why is it that it's often the times that we wait that get us in the most trouble? Why is it so difficult to be content even though we know God has things under control?

I know the Lord will work everything out in His time. I have faith in that, and I believe that, but it gets so hard sometimes. I am by nature a very impatient person which makes times of waiting so difficult. I have to keep reminding myself that there is indeed a blessing in waiting on the Lord's timing, and that things will turn out sweeter and far better than I could have ever imagined in the end.

Praise the Lord for the final result. Praise the Lord for the lessons we learn while we wait with Him.

So much for clearing my head...

Sigh...

Here's a really cute picture of Matt and I too. A little something to make you smile since you've made it this far.

Under Attack

2006-10-02T11:03:00.000+09:00

Last week was ICS's Spiritual Emphasis Week, where we had a group called the Genesis Strength Team come in to speak. So much happened that I'm not even really sure where to begin.

The Genesis Strength Team (that came to our school) consisted of three men, two body builders and one youth pastor. These men are incredible testimonies of how the Lord can change anyone and use anyone for His glory. Not only did Paul and Mike (the bodybuilders) share their lives (and Phil) but they did amazing feats of strength. They did all this to show the students the grace of the Lord. All ends of the spectrum were covered between these three men: from riches, fame, jail, the "happy" life, contemplating suicide, to living behind the mask of Chrisitanity and not being who you are supposed to be. Which led them all to the same conclusion, they can't do anything without the strength of the Lord.

There is so much more to be shared but unfortunately I don't have the time to write it all right now. I am hoping to be able to post more in the next few days though.

Please continue to pray for me and for my school. We are still down in enrollment and we keep losing students. We've already had to make cuts in areas too. We need more students. We are probably close to 15 under what we need for budget at the moment. Pray for us, and our administrators to not be discouraged by this.

For His glory!

Support

2006-09-12T15:54:00.000+09:00

If the Lord leads you to donate money to my ministry the directions are as follows; and thank you if He does.

Please make checks payable to NICS and put my project number in the memo section: 001807 (Please do not write my name on the check). You will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Make sure you include a note with your check including your name, address, phone number, and e-mail if you have it.

Mail to: NICS (Finance Dept) P.O. Box 1260 Southaven, MS 38671Please contact NICS with any questions at 1-800-997-6427

This time, this place

2006-09-12T15:31:00.000+09:00

Sometimes it's difficult to believe I've only been here a year, and sometimes it's difficult to believe that I've already been here a year. I fear that words are not going to do it much justice tonight.

My school is still struggling to meet our minimum enrollment for budget purposes. Currently we are only six students under, which will soon turn to nine when a prominent family moves. It's been very discouraging lately because I've had to deal with a lot of people who have the mentality that a small school does not matter much for anything (sports, academics, and the like). We're just a small school that is unable to provide the luxuries that some people think we should have. Despite all of that, however, there is no where else I'd rather be than sitting in my classroom in the middle of the rice paddy.

The truth is, yes I work in the smallest of our three ICS schools in Korea, and it's perhaps one of the smallest international schools in the country, but we have a staff like no where else in the world. Most of us fear what would happen if we became larger and would have 500+ students in the high school rather than under 200 for the entire school. The staff would risk loosing our tight-knitedness as well as our personal relationships with a lot of students.

Anyhow, so how is life really going? Things right now are insane! It seems like all I ever do is try to make up for lost time, constantly grading every waking minute. I have recently been given a new challenge on the job, which is to teach essentially two classes in one. I have a class of 15 students where one of the 15 is a grade ahead. Which means I have to teach the 14 and the one and keep them all on task all at the same time. This is something I could definitely use a lot of prayer for.

The other aspects of life are going really well. The House is still staying strong. I'm now teaching Sunday school every other week (to elementary kids...). I'm pretty sure in my last post that I mentioned that I have tried kegoggie (dog) soup. I will put pictures up soon. The real bummer of things is that my camera is broken, so now I can't even use it. Newer pictures will probably be scarce.

We're still searching for where in Asia the Lord is leading for our spring mission trip. If you have contacts of any missionaries or missions organizations that are in Asia and would like a team of students to come and work with them in April, please let me know.

Please continue to pray for me as I continue to seek out the Lord's will for my life. There is plenty of decision making ahead of me for various things. Please keep that in prayer.

Until next time...

New Beginnings

2006-08-28T06:12:00.000+09:00

The new school year is underway. As a result I haven’t been able to keep up on my blog like I should. This year is looking like it’s going to be a great year, full of challenges of course.

This year I’ve moved up to teaching high school English and Speech and Drama. I absolutely love these subjects, but it does mean more work. The content is thicker which means I need more time to prepare. Please pray for my time management skills, as I’m trying to get that under control so I can be an effective teacher.

Also, my school in general needs lots of prayer. Again this year, we haven’t gotten the number of students enrolled that we need to keep our budget rolling smoothly. We, again, are just under 200 students. We need at least 200 for budget purposes.

Other things in general too… please pray for me as I deal with a confrontation this week with someone who manages the Speech and Debate tournaments. We, as a school, have run into some conflicts with this person. Since I am the Speech and Drama teacher (and the coach for the tournaments) I have to confront this person at the meeting we have on Thursday.

That is about all for now. Things in general are going well. Matt and I are doing well. I’ve got some pictures of some of the crazy things we’ve done that I will post when I get them on my computer.

Thank you for all your prayer support.

More things I've learned in Korea

2006-06-13T10:39:00.000+09:00

This is a continuation of a post from October or so. Living in a foreign country a person can learn many many different things. To add to the list of things I have learned are:

· Be careful when you try to order a meal in Korean, you may just end up with a Coke or two. :0)

· Elephants however cute, are stalkers! If you are getting stalked walk slowly away and HIDE!

· Thailand knows how to have a water fight.

· Praying for patience is not really as ghastly as people make it out to be. The rewards for asking for and being patient are far better than blowing it off.

· This is a hard truth to many, but as Christians in this world, we are not meant to fit in. We are not meant to mesh with the ideals of the world. We are to be set apart by our actions not to condemn the world but to show them that by the grace of the Lord we are different.

· Directing a play is much more difficult than it looks, but with the right group of students it can look stellar!

· It is such a blessing to be teaching somewhere where I can be more than a teacher to my students. I can not only be a mentor but I can also be a friend. I know that doesn’t sound very good, but think about it. I have the opportunity to really earnestly get to know my students. I get to know what makes them tick, what they like, what they dislike, what their interests are, who they really are. In the same I get to have the opportunity to impact them in a far greater way than a teacher would in the states. In the states, a student would never hang out with a group of teachers, teachers would never be able to hang out with their students (without a lawsuit following), teachers would never be able to have students to their house for a sleepover or just to hang out. I know it may sound odd, but I have the opportunity to touch lives here in a way that I never would be able to in the states.

· Students will be surprised when they discover that you like the same kinds of music that they do.

· Students respect you more if you admit when you make a mistake.

· Don’t ever take Drew and Norm to a place where they serve shrimp that still have eyes and legs because you’ll get a show. Ninja shrimp anyone?

· Korea has a way of domesticating people. I now cook, carry a purse and I bought a skirt for myself in Thailand. Yikes! :0)

The Long Awaited Pictures...

2006-06-12T21:20:00.000+09:00

The Long awaited pictures of Matt and I (or just Matt) have arrived!

(Again there is a ton of dead space, but bear with me.)

This picture would have been really cute had Steve not been Steve, but I would have expected any less.

Us being us at nordaebong (aka Korean karaoke).

A picture of us that I found in the many pictures of Thailand.

I had to put this one in. I know it's not Matt and I but it is Matt dancing with Norm. :0)

Palace Pictures

2006-06-12T20:56:00.000+09:00

So, I have a ton of pictures that I need to post. I've tried a few times but this never seems to want to work. So here we go. (You'll have to forgive me, there's a ton of dead space in here that I just don't know how to get rid of.)

I was just having some fun with the camera at one of the many palaces in Seoul. The center picture is of a palace gate through a palace gate. To the right are just some of the many rooftops of the different buildings in the palace.

These are just some fun shots, again just playing with the camera.

Here are more for your enjoyment.

These are more "creative" shots.

These are shots of a gazebo inside the palace walls.

Missionary Life

2006-05-26T16:50:00.000+09:00

I know that there are people who think that what I am doing here in Korea is pointless, careless, and worthless, a waste of time and money etc. I like to take this time to just say that that statement could be no further from the truth.

I interviewed for a job in a country that I didn’t know anything about. I didn’t know that my school was located in the middle of a rice paddy, or that it is the smallest of the three ICS schools in Korea. I didn’t know my boss, my coworkers, where I would live, what I would eat, if I could communicate. I didn’t know anything.

I know most people would account that to foolishness. I see it as following the will of the Lord.

If you are one of those who doubts my reasons for being here, please be assured that the Lord has carefully placed me in Songtan, Korea. He has called me to a specific ministry. The missionary life is not often glorious in the world’s eyes. I live in a foreign country, half way around the world from my family. I make almost less than half as much money as I would if I were teaching in the states. I live with two people I hadn’t met until I arrived in Korea.

I know that as long as I am doing what the Lord has called me to, and serving Him, then He will supply all my needs. That’s what the Bible says right? Why should I not believe it then? The Bible says that He shall supply all our needs The Lord has allowed me to live here and not go hungry and not go without anything I needed for almost an entire year. I trust that He will do it for the years to come, whether it is in Korea or another country he has called me to. not all our wants (like some like to take that verse to mean).

I like the Mooney’s slogan they close things with. Missionary to Songtan, Pyongtaek, Korea, and the rest of the world. That’s how I feel. The Lord will place me where He wants me and will keep me there until I have served His purpose. In the same, He will also give me direction for my future and tell me where to go next, if I am supposed to go.

Was supposed to be posted May 23, 2006

2006-05-26T16:48:00.000+09:00

I could have never guessed one year ago where I would be today. One year ago it seemed as if my life had no purpose. I had hit my rock bottom. I had no where to go. I could not go anywhere. I could not improve my situation and I definitely could not go on with it. The only thing I had left, my only option other than give up, was to hand it over to God. Since then, He’s showed me the mistakes in my life and showed me how to correct them.

As I stood in the church one year ago today at a stand still, I was reminded of the power of prayer. I told God that I could not do it anymore. I couldn’t be selfish and rebellious anymore. I could not continue on in the relationship that I was in and I certainly could not end it; so I gave it to God. Little did I know what God had had in mind when I repented of my stupidity and truly rededicated myself to Him. I had no clue that in less than 24 hours later the relationship would be over, I would have the interview that would change my life (on what would have been the two and a half year anniversary nonetheless), offered a job half way around the world two days later, and less than two months later I was in Korea.

The Lord is amazing! I just wish that I could tell all the single young women and girls the lessons I learned the hard way, and have them truly learn from it. I always thought I would learn through other’s mistakes so I did not have to make any on my own, boy was I wrong. I want to instill in them (especially the ones closest to me) the importance of dating a Christian man/ young man. I am not talking about the fence riding, mediocre Christian that never takes a stand for anything. I am talking about a true man of God; one who wants to do nothing more than serve the Lord and follow the path He has laid out before him. Excuse the cliché, but it is like night and day dating a non-Christian as opposed to a Christian man who has dedicated himself to doing the Lord’s will. It is so important to be able to share that aspect of your life. If you cannot share your faith with the one you are dating, there is no way you can successfully share anything else.

I speak from experience when I say that it is absolutely amazing to stand (or sit) next to the person you’re dating and praise the Lord. It is awesome to know that both of you are doing the same thing. Things are so much easier when there are common goals and a shared, God driven direction. The Lord is gracious.

It is so amazing to be treated with earnest respect without any motive. I could have never dreamt nor expected what the Lord has blessed me with.

One year ago, I could have never imagined being on the mission field serving the Lord, and being more on-fire for Him than I ever have been. Praise the Lord for what He’s done for me, what He’s saved me from, and what He has planned for me.

A Site I Respect

2006-05-22T17:23:00.000+09:00

Check out Britt's Blogger. He raises a lot of points that I agree with. His TICFITB section is very interesting.

http://www.mbrittm.blogspot.com/

A Slower Thought....

2006-04-27T15:10:00.000+09:00

I really should have thought about this when I put up my last post, not even ten minutes ago.

I was talking with Matt last night, when I was reminded of something. I was reminded of the very first Bible verse I ever memorized which is:

Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then said, "Here am I. Send me!"

It's incredible how God sets up things in our heads. I would have never thought when I was in the 6th Grade Girls Vacation Bible School Class (with one other student and Darlene Pickens as my teacher) that this would essentially become a life verse for me.

After I went to Mexico in high school on a missions trip I began to feel the tug toward missions for a career. I never told anyone though because I thought no one would ever believe me. I discussed it with God for quite a while, and then passed it off as just a phase. Truth is, it wasn't a phase; God was preparing me for something. At that time, I had totally neglected the calling because I thought that God would never want me for something like that. Boy was I wrong.

I guess I was just hit with the revelation that God really does set up things very intricately for us. The irony and the blessing in the situation can only be explained by God's grace and love.

Life Long Learner

2006-04-27T15:03:00.000+09:00

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

This is one of the many verses that has spoken to me recently. It’s amazing how God will show us many different verses that are all about the same kind of thing, or we will hear repeated messages in sermons, or a combination of the two.

Patience is not a lesson that anyone really wants to learn, although it is a lesson that most of us need.

God has really been showing me a lot lately about patience and how that correlates with His timing. He has shown me that if we are patient, then the blessings and rewards that we receive are so much more than what the “blessings” would be from living in the moment.

His plan is perfect, and it will be done. We have the choice to either faithfully follow it or to rebel against it. What I’ve learned though, is even though we may rebel, God will still get us to where He wants us; the journey may just not be as smooth.

I have also recently been amazed at just how awesome God really is. The fact that He rewards repentance from stupidity still leaves me awestruck. His love is amazing, steady, and unchanging. Praise the Lord for his loving and forgiving heart. Praise the Lord for an empty cross and a risin Savior!

Return from Oz? Oh, Thailand...

2006-04-24T15:46:00.000+09:00

There are so many things that happened in Thailand that I don’t even know where to start. Telling everything that God did on the trip would literally take days to explain.

First I would like to say “Thank you” to everyone who donated money so I could afford to go on the trip and donated toward the building fund.

We left Songtan at 5am on Saturday morning (4/8) and got to our hotel in Mae Tang, Thailand around 9pm-ish. When we arrived in Thailand we met up with Belinda, Able and Carol and their family. They hosted us all week. Belinda and her family that were visiting are Australian; Able, Carol and their family are Canadian – mostly. What I mean by that is Able is Filipino who grew up in Canada. He and Carol have two kids of their own and the youngest two they adopted from China (and they are adorable!). Basically, we got to listen to really cool accents all week.

The next day, Sunday, we attended a very small service attended all by Thai’s with the exception of us. The preaching was done by an Australian and translated for the Thai’s.

After church that morning we went to a Buddhist temple. It was beautiful and yet very disturbing at the same time. Thailand is beautiful, yet the people blatantly deny God. They go to temples like the one we went to (which are ever where – just think about how spaced out McDonald’s restaurants are in the states and you’ve got the temples in Thailand) and there are so many different things they believe they must do out of worship. It’s such a spiritual battle zone there. There were signs cautioning the slippery floors when it rains when there really needed to be signs warning people that they are walking into a spiritual war.

After the temple we went to another church service. This one was actually in English. Attendees in the service were mainly Brits and Aussies, with the sprinkle of Canadians and Germans. It was amazing to be in a church service where there were literally people from ALL over the world attending. The preacher was British, so I got to listen to a Brit accent for the service. :0)

Monday we began work at the Mae Tang Tribal Children’s Home. We worked with Thai workers for two and a half days building a wall on the parameter of the property. We were told that we built more wall in the two and a half days than the Thai workers usually do in three weeks.

At the Children’s Home we also built a patio/ walkway in front of the house where the missionaries live. The team we took last school year leveled the area out, but during the rainy season it becomes one giant mud puddle. We also built a garden in front of the window on one side of the house to prevent children from climbing on the bars looking in at the missionary. We also cleaned a little in the Bible College on property as well as moved the library and reshelved it.

On Friday we went to a village. We got to spend time in fellowship with the people and the students pretty much conducted the Good Friday church service. The students performed one skit and played and sang numerous songs. We had three guitars, a violin, and a harmonica. The villagers loved the violin so much; many of them had probably never seen one before.

God was really showing people things on the trip; especially me. Through the events that happened before, especially during, and after the trip, He really showed me the importance of His timing.

There was a certain issue that I had been praying about since January that the Lord really revealed Himself through on the trip. I was shown/ reminded the importance of God’s timing and waiting on Him, also the importance of patience (which I possess oh so well…). God showed me through the things that happened that if I would have been impatient, my usual, then I would have missed out on amazing blessings. He really can bless the stubborn person who finally breaks and prays for something they know they need to, like patience.

The Lord’s grace, mercy, majesty, comfort, and loving-kindness were really revealed to me through this trip.

Again, I would like to say “Thank you” to the amazing people whom the Lord led to donate money for me and for the trip. It was a true, genuine blessing.

More pictures are to come...

March Update: Musical, Missions Trip, and more!

2006-03-01T15:30:00.000+09:00

Hello Everyone!

It’s been a while since I’ve actually updated on events of my life here in Korea. Here it goes.

Auditions for the Spring Musical are finished! We (Pam, Becca and I) got together last night at The Coffee Tree to assign parts, and we posted the cast list this morning. Practices will begin next Tuesday (after the Speech and Debate Tournament and the Choir Competition). I will then be down to only one planning period at the very end of the day, but it is well worth it.

Another thing that is well worth my time is the Missions Trip the school is offering during Spring Break (April 8-16) to the Maetang Tribal Children’s Home in Chiangmai, Thailand.

On this trip we are supposed to be building the fourth and final wall around the parameter of the Home to protect the children who live there. The wall is needed because right now anyone has easy access to the Home and the children residing in it, which means it is very easy for children (especially little girls) to disappear. This wall is vital for the safety of these children.

Please pray for finances and the people going on the trip. We need to raise $5000 just for supplies to build the wall. We are doing all we can at the moment to try and either raise money or ask for donations, and so far we have nothing. We are looking into fundraisers that we can actually do here in Korea. There are so many things out there but very few things are actually plausible in country.

Please pray that the Lord will soften hearts and that people will give joyfully (even if it is only a little). Please pray for us as we ask churches and individuals for donations. If we do not receive the money we need, we are still planning on going to the Children’s Home, but we will not be able to build the wall.

Also, please pray for the adults going on the trip: Andrew Calamaro, Gwenn Pettitt, Julia Hazen, Amber Divers, Tad Romsa, Matt Miles, and myself

Please pray that we will be the leaders that we have been called to be on this Trip, that the organization and execution of everything goes well, and that we continue to serve the Lord and follow His will in our lives.

As well as the students: Joseph Cho, Michael Jun, Christine Rumph, Anna Smith, Shin Kim, Danica Auman, Casey Peterson, Anton Erne, and Livingstone Cha.

Interest has been waning in some of the students and we have already had two tell us that they are no longer interested on going on the trip. Please pray that these students will listen to the direction that the Lord is giving them. Please also, pray that the students (and the teachers) will continue in preparing themselves for this trip.

If the Lord is leading you to donate to the trip or if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

Blessings,
Beka

Ramblings

2006-02-24T11:01:00.000+09:00

So, I'm so close to getting a computer that actually works that I can taste it. I saw it yesterday but there was something wrong with the screen, so we had to send it back... ugh!

I have successfully made it through my first birthday away from NE Ohio. Aimee actually came down to visit me from Seoul. Amazing, I know. :0) We had a great time together. I showed her around my area and we even went into Pyongteak to do sticker pictures (which I will scan an post when I get my computer- they are really cute). She finally got to go to the House and meet all of my friends that I've got down here too. She bought me the sweetest necklace too. It says 'chingu' (in Korean) which means friend. My roommates bought me a practice pad (a nice one- complete with stand), so I think God may be using His 2x4 again.

The weekend after Aimee was here I went with a group of friends to Suwon. We went to dinner at the Outback Restaurant. I've never been to a place that serves you food while you wait; especially one that serves steak bits with rice. That was interesting. There were actually 12 people who showed up to help celebrate (or maybe they just wanted Outback).

After dinner we went upstairs in the mall to Spice (the arcade). We managed to shove 9 people into a sticker picture booth, that was total craziness (I'll put those up too when I get my computer). I got whooped up on by Em in DDR (Dance Dance Revolution - at least that's the American name). I played some Tetris - crazy Tetris- with Matt who proceeded to beat me in that and in the car racing games. I've come to discover that one of my favorite games is one that simulates WWR. You sit in a 'raft' with a paddle with someone else in front of this gi-normous screen. It actually almost feels like you're rafting. I would love to raft again, that would be great.

Almost time for lunch duty. Until next time...

Some Verses on My Mind

2006-02-06T14:45:00.000+09:00

There are so many times in life where hindsight has makes our inadequacy in the Lord's eyes shine back in our own. I was really hit with some verses last night at the chapel service. These are verses I grew up knowing, yet I didn't listen. I am stubborn enough to think that I could do things on my own, without God or anyone else. Man was I wrong.

Proverbs 31:25
Strength and dignity are her clothing,And she smiles at the future.

Proverbs 4:23
Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

2 Corinthians 6:11-18
11Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.
12You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections.
13Now in a like exchange--I speak as to children--open wide to us also.
14Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
15Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are he temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 17 "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord."AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;And I will welcome you.18"And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.

I am very thankful that I am not the only person who was foolish and did not follow this. Although unrealistic, I hope that I am the last person to have done this as well. I let the very core of me almost totally die away because I was too busy being selfish and not caring about what God had for me.

Praise the Lord we sometimes get in situations so deep where all we can do is take it to Him. All we can do is tell Him that we cannot continue the way we are, yet we are not strong enough to end it, and that we give it to Him. God is just, merciful, and loving. The moment we recognise that, He says 'Okay' and it is done. That's how it was for me.

Many people have been asking how I ended up in Korea; so here is the story.

I had gotten to this point in my life that I just wrote about. I was in a situation so deep, and I knew it was not a productive or Godly situation, yet I didn't have the strength to continue it. I was standing in church on May 22 (mind you, this was probably the third time I had been in church in about two years consistently), I do not remember the message that was being preached, because God was working on a totally different area of my life; my heart. I got to the point that morning where I broke. I was standing in the pew in church praying and I told the Lord that I didn't have the strength to continue on in my situation. I couldn't go on, and no matter how much I knew I had to, I couldn't end it either. I just wasn't strong enough. I told Him, to take it and do what He wanted to do with it. I knew what I thought I wanted with it, I wanted to keep myself in the situation, but God didn't want that. Not even 24 hours later, around 8:30AM, May 23, my situation was resolved; it was over. That was all God, there's no way that was anything else, not a coincidence, just the grace of God.

After talking with Aimee about the time I was having job hunting, she told me that the school she had been offered a job in had a High School English position open and that I should apply. I tossed it back and forth in my head for a while and I finally applied. By the time I was done with the application process, the position had been filled.

Mr. Peterson (my principal) had called my parent's house and my cell phone twice each on the night of June 6 to set up an interview with me. My interview was the next day, June 7 (which was a significant date with situation that I was previously in, you may ask for more details if you are curious) , I was offered the job two days later and accepted the position on June 10.

Honestly, God grabbed a hold of me on May 22 when I walked into church. I was not expecting to have some sort of major God-experience when I went to church. It was truly God at work that morning. He was doing something major to get me where I am today, where I should have been a long time before now.

Praise the Lord for His graciousness and love. Praise the Lord for the strength He gives me when I am weak; for in my weakness, He is made strong. Praise the Lord for the trials he has put in my path to refine me and renew me daily. Praise the Lord!

:0) Superbowl Goodness

2006-02-06T12:17:00.000+09:00

WAY TO GO PITTSBURGH STEELERS! 21-10 PITT WINS!!!

It's dead...

2006-02-05T23:05:00.000+09:00

So, I thought the laptop recovered, but it was a false recovery. It is as Charles Dickens puts it in A Christmas Carol "dead as a doornail." Man, I've been struggling with electronics lately. So frustration, but the Lord is good and is bigger than any computer problem.

The Lord is AWESOME

2006-02-01T13:42:00.000+09:00

Those of you that I have talked to over the past weekend know the issues I was having with my laptop. For all intensive purposes it was dead; never to be powered up again. I explained the situation in an earlier post. But last night about 11:30 I was sitting in bed thinking, 'I really should give this one last try and see if it will work.' So I said a quick prayer (yes about the computer working) and pressed the power button. Much to my surprise it went past the two start up screens into a system check. It ran the check, then turned on! It is still a little picky with things so I have to be careful, but at least it works! The Lord is awesome.

Attached as well are some pictures from STOMP this weekend. (The guy in the picture above to my right - with the mohawk- is one of the musicians from STOMP. He has been performing with the group for ten years and is currently retired from playing. He said the retired group gets together about three times a year and performs all around the world.)

Giving to My Ministry

2006-01-29T23:35:00.000+09:00

I have recently read Aimee's web site which breaks down how to give money to her. If the Lord leads you to donate money to my ministry the directions are as follows; and thank you if He does.

Please make checks payable to NICS and put my project number in the memo section: 001807 (Please do not write my name on the check). You will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Make sure you include a note with your check including your name, address, phone number, and e-mail if you have it.

Mail to: NICS (Finance Dept)
P.O. Box 1260
Southaven, MS 38671
Please contact NICS with any questions at 1-800-997-6427

Living in the World of Electronics

2006-01-29T14:57:00.000+09:00

So, it’s official. My laptop is officially dead. Please do not be expecting regular updates for quite a while.

I went to see STOMP in Seoul yesterday and left my computer turned on. When I returned home, the machine was still on but nothing was happening and the screen was dark. I tried to turn it on, but no avail. This morning I tried to turn it on again and got further than I had before, the Windows start up screen (but no farther). When I tried it later this morning I got the IBM screen then the machine turned off then back on then back off… I now have an epileptic computer.

So until I can afford to purchase a new computer I will not be able to post on a regular basis. I wonder what kind of a mess it would make being hurled off the 5th floor balcony. J I’m joking, I could never do that.

As for the missions trip, praise the Lord that people are willing to help out and donate money so I can afford to go. I did not get a final number of how many students signed up to go on the trip but I know that I am for sure going. I know that the Lord wants me to go and He will provide a way for me to go financially.

Also, please continue to pray for the trip as a whole. The heater in the school is repaired so we now have heat. We are still looking to fill positions for next school year, so continue to pray that God will prepare the people who are supposed to be here and give guidance to those who are leaving. And, please continue to pray for me.

A little Spirit Week Wacky-Tacky flare from my roommates.

Fresh Out of Banter

2006-01-16T19:10:00.000+09:00

2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

These few verses grabbed my attention this week. I've had a few large trials since my return to Korea a week ago. They've been nothing but lessons that remind me that I'm not in control.

Unfortunately, relinquishing control is not something I do well. So God is using trials to show me that there are many things in my life that I cannot control. There have been some interesting moments, some rocky places...

Trumping Kings

2006-01-01T13:24:00.000+09:00

New Year's Day, the day when people sit around and ponder what they have done over the past 365 days, since the last time they pondered this. People sit and think about good and bad times, failures and accomplishments, lost and new relationships, things they should have learned, things that they should have learned sooner, and lessons from which life educated them. People look back on the circumstances that made them grow as well as the ones where they seemed to recede in age.

Looking back, 2005 provokes mixed feelings: those of regret with those of joy, those of sadness with those of happiness, those of disappointment with those of hope. Less than half of my year was spent in the last paragraphs of a long and complex relationship. About half was spent in the states; learning lessons that I did not exactly want to learn but am better off for it. And the past five months have primarily been spent in Korea, a place that I would have never thought I would go.

The relationship, although defunct, had a significant impact on how I am today. I am stronger, more audacious, more secure, and more certain of myself that I was before. A good relationship takes work, compromise, and cooperation from both parties involved, not just one. I now know how women get in relationships that they initially think are good, discover that it is not, and how feel like they are stuck, dependant, and reliant on the man. I know what it is like to get the proverbial 2x4 to the face and realize what is going on, and while gasping to regain oxygen and focus feel like there is nothing you can do about it. I know what it is like to invest all your time, effort, and feelings into something that you know will never have the outcome you wish for in the end. I know what it is like to look into that person's eyes and just know that both of you know it is over but neither says anything to that effect. I know what it is like to watch him finally break, and see the stone in his eyes when he says it's over. I watched him look so absorbed in himself that even after two and a half years not one tear was shed by him. It felt like it did not matter. You were just another name on the list.

On the opposite side to that; I also know what it is like to be the prodigal son and have to face the parents whom you have abandoned. I know what it's like to realize that your parents and God are not the ones who have moved or whose hearts have been hardened, it was you and your own. I have experienced the celebration of what it is like to return home after the 'journey' of doing your own thing. I observed my family's suffering as I did my own thing, and I watched my their faces light up when they recognized that my days of running from what is right were over. I saw the joy from them the day I turned my life around and also when I told them I accepted a job as a missionary in Korea. I've seen the hope and joy from them when I left in August and when I returned for break and I know I will see it when I depart again.

I truly know what people mean when they speak of God's grace and loving-kindness. I know what it is like to feel Him tug at heart strings and still ignore the call. I know what it is like to have to turn back and admit that I was the one who was wrong. I know what it is like to know that God was always there and all I had to do was realize that. I know what it means to have a God, the God, who loves me. I know what it means to have a God that sacrificed for me because I am special to Him. I know what it means to have a savior.

I bid 2005 and all of it's many amiable, imperfect, and dreadful adventures adieu.

Unexpected Blessings

2005-12-06T15:31:00.000+09:00

(So you all know, I am not intentionally leaving out paragraph breaks. For some reason when my writing gets published, it takes them away. I don't understand it, but it is very frustrating.)

These past few weeks have had their ups and downs. The heater at school has decided that it wanted to produce substantial amounts of carbon monoxide along with the heat for our building. The temperature has dropped finally in Korea too leaving it somewhere around 0 degrees C and below. Needless to say school has been quite chilly since last week. The students and staff have been exposed to considerable amounts of carbon monoxide which resulted in major headaches and other side effects. Please pray for wisdom as the owner of the building and workers try solve the problem as they attempt to fix the system.

There have been some major blessings in the past few weeks as well. Open positions at my school are posted for the 2006-2007 school year. If you were to check out the web page you would see that my current job is listed as needing filled. Do not fret. This does not mean that they have fired me or I am being deported or that I quit. This simply means that for next year (and however long I am here after my initial contract) that I have my ‘dream’ job. Next school year I will be teaching high school English and a Speech and Drama class. That’s right! I GET TO TEACH BRITISH LITERATURE AND THEATRE!

I have really been shown the importance of waiting on God’s timing for things. I am not the most patient person a lot of the time. I have been shown that multiple times since I’ve been here (hence the job teaching middle schoolers). The position for next year is a true blessing and testament to God’s grace. It has shown me that if I follow what He wants me to do (event though it may not be my first choice) I will eventually be blessed with the things that I desire.

He has also shown me this through financial matters. It’s not easy being on a missionary salary, living off the economy in a foreign country, and saving money for plane tickets home twice a year. It is especially frustrating when you do not have a set date that things like rent come out of your pay (it is around the first of the month but you never know exactly which check it is coming out of). With this in mind, I did some much needed shopping for things around Thanksgiving and left enough money in my bank account to last me until my next pay. When I went to the ATM to withdrawal the money I needed I realized that my account was so low that the machine would not allow me to take money out. That was Wednesday of last week and I’ve had to pay for expenses since then too. Today after the final bell of the day rang, my friend Laura (who was the head volleyball coach) came and gave me money that was from the school as a ‘bonus’ type payment for coaching. This could not have come at a better time. I owe my roommates money (since we’ve had things we’ve had to pay for since last week) and I hate owing people money. Now, I can finally pay them back! What a blessing.

Everything I've learned, I've learned in. . . Korea?

2005-11-03T14:54:00.000+09:00

I've recently learned that sometimes things 'end' in a draw, meaning it's not over yet.

God does things for reasons, some we know and some we will find out. But it's often the period of waiting to figure it out that gets us in the most trouble.

People are put in our lives for sentences, paragraphs, or even chapters often times for reasons we may never know.

I miss real steak.

I cannot wait to get home to actually shop and buy American convenience items.
Americans take SO much for granted- myself included- that it's often difficult to live without some of the luxuries.

Sometimes the bridge isn't burned to the point of no travel; it just needs some repairs from us.

Restored friendship -if it is genuine- can be one of life's greatest gifts.

Making friends knowing that one or both will inevitably leave is very difficult, but there is such a blessing that comes from those people in that short time.

No matter how much we say that we will never have a stupid period in our lives, we lie. We all have them at some point to some degree.

No matter how much we NEVER want to be like our parents that is also inevitable.

Nothing can ever replace the personal friendship with God. We are never complete without it.

Squatty potties are NO fun.

While in Korea, do not go in the bathroom in the Outback Steakhouse and play with the buttons on the toilet unless you know for sure what they do (and do not stand in front of them when you do decide to play with the buttons). Look out for the free shower.

Starbucks in Korea is an AMAZING comfort of home to have (even if I do have to go to Suwon or Seoul to get it).

Even when one of your best friends lives in the same country (that is about the size of Florida) as you do- you still NEVER see them because both schedules are far different from each other. :0)

There really is a McDonald's (and Burger King, Popeye's, Baskin Robins, Subway, and Pizza Hut) everywhere in the world.

I want to see my family more than anything. Christmas is going to be awesome because I get to see everyone again!

I am a professional. I am no longer an undergraduate student in a university. I have my own job, my own place (with my roommates of course) and my own bills to pay. I should have appreciated the free living more when I had it.

This is one experience that I will never forget. I am thankful for all the faithful support I have received from family and friends.

My relationship with my parents is only going to get better from here, and I miss them the most. :0)

Tis the (end of the) season (volleyball that is).

2005-11-03T14:26:00.000+09:00

It has been quite some time since I've written in here last. Today I am catching up on it merely as a vice for procrastination. Life in Korea to this point has been very interesting.
Our volleyball tournament was last weekend in Pusan (which is on the Southeastern tip of the country). God took that weekend to show just how amazing He really is. Our girls constantly sang praise songs all weekend long. They did not care who was around to hear them or where they were.
On the bus on our way to Camp Hialeah from the subway our girls started singing (they sang on the train, bus, in the showers, during games- quietly of course, and on the way home). It was amazing too because it was evident that God was working in the situation. A few girls from the other teams on the bus (there were two other teams with us) began to sing with the girls, a few began to mock the girls, and a group even turned on a radio to try and overpower our girls. Of course the radio didn’t work though; the team was just too loud. It was obvious that praise songs were doing something in the hearts of the other girls if they were battling it.
The tournament was a double elimination tournament. The team had lost their first game, meaning if they lost another they were done. Every time after that when the girls were struggling they wanted to pray and ask God for a clear head. We ended up playing six games in all for the competition. Sadly every team we ended up beating left crying. The girls managed to pull their game together and they made it to the championship game against one of our sister schools. We won the first set of the game but lost the last two with an awesome fight. When we lost the girls were excited to have made it to the number two seat in the tournament. It was awesome because the first thing almost all of the girls said was “Praise God.”
It’s awesome to see how God was using our team to be a light to all the other schools.
There are things I miss about home, yes. But I am at peace knowing that I have an opportunity that most people would never get. I get to affect lives in a way that I never could have dreamed of.

This is only the beginning. . .

2005-09-11T14:35:00.000+09:00

Attempting this I suppose means I fell into the trap of students and staff in Korea. I'm cool now, I'm blogging. I'm going to attempt this as a way to keep everyone up on what is going on here in Pyongtaek since I am horrible at remembering to e-mail.

So far so good though. This past week was super busy. I made the mistake of having two classes turn in projects (that of course they wanted graded before progress reports go out tomorrow) and two sets of rough drafts due- all in a 4 day week, not to mention the week of our first set of volleyball games. Talk about crazy.

I did however, strictly due to the grace of God, got everything graded that I needed done before I left for our game on Friday.

Our volleyball teams are good this year. Our boys team so far is undefeated 3-0 and our girls lost their first game to ICS-Seoul, putting them at 2-1. We have a game this week at Osan Air Base which means, not only do I finally get to see a military base, but we get to eat REAL American fast food greasyness. It's apparently the event of the season, so I'm looking forward to it.

Homesickness has come in a different form than it typically comes to most people- from what I've been told. I miss my family and friends and home church and I really wish I could just move them all out here. I am really enjoying Korea even though the language barrier can be a discouragement sometimes. I have become a regular in a fellowship group that reminds me of my times at Late Night at Kent. It's a ministry run by a couple at school that is geared mainly for military but there are ICS teachers there as well as locals. We meet every Friday and Saturday night for food, fellowship, and worship. So making friends has not been that difficult.

I'm just thankful for the relationship we are allowed to have with our students here. We are allowed to freely talk about the gospel without fear.

Well, I had finished this at one point, then I went and screwed it up. Basically it said that I am thankful that God basically slapped me upside the head and said 'I want you in Korea, and back to doing what I want you to do, not whatever I want you to do.' I had mentioned that it's amazing how God works everything out if we'll just put our trust in Him. Looking back I always knew that He had something cool for me to do. I became interested in missions when I went to Mexico after my sophomore year of high school. I knew though, that I never had a desire to be a 'traditional' missionary and start churches. This is probably typical of anyone my age, but I've always wanted out of Ohio- I just never thought getting out meant half way around the world. I have always been interested and respectful of Asian culture courtsey of my Aunt Yumi and Janet. I was put in an ESL science class for some of my observations in my fourth year of college basically because they had no where else for me to go. That class immediately sparked my interest. Also, student teaching I had one ESL student in each class. And now, here I am in Korea teaching classes of students who are basically bilingual and Korean, not English is their first language. It's amazing. God is amazing.

Like I have said before I do dearly miss my family and friends but I am content here. I am content here because I know this is where I am supposed to be. I get to go home for Christmas and hopefully for part of summer. I have the awesome opportunity to serve God in a completely different culture and environment than what I grew up in.

I, again, just want to thank all of you who are praying for me. I greatly appreciate it. It means a lot knowing that people are supporting you through their prayers.

Until next time...
Here are pictures of some of the volleyball players (Becky, Sophia, and Jeeyoung) on the team I help coach, and a sunset- taken from a moving van- on our way home Wednesday from the CCS game.