7 year olds are funny

I have been trying to enforce an English only rule in my classes at the hogwan where I teach. (A hogwan is an after school institute where you go to get extra teaching in some subject. Obviously, I teach at an English hogwan.) I have been trying this after I met some of the students of another friend who were only 10 years old and could communicate in nearly perfect English sentences. Anyway...part of this new campaign of mine is to make the kids say "bathroom please" for the younger classes and "can i go to the bathroom" for the older classes. (This is instead of just holding themselves and pointing, or saying the Korean word for pee.) So, I have the cutest group of 7 year olds. (They are about 6 in American age.) There are 9 of them and they are my favorite class. One of them, who used to be one of the biggest trouble makers, is now a dedicated student and is always trying to please. He got the phrase "Can I go to the bathroom?" mixed up with some other phrases, I guess, because the past few days he has been saying "Teacher! Can I do it in the bathroom?" I almost start laughing when he says it, but then I try to correct him instead. He gets it right when he repeats it after me, but then the next day he reverts back. Yesterday, I was telling my other teachers about his special sentence and I started laughing so hard I cried. Oh, I love those kids!

worship

One of Renee M.'s friends from Birmingham, Alabama is here with her daughter to help us out with worship for a month. So, we had live worship (we usually use CDs made into a playlist on the computer) today at both gatherings. It was excellent. Please keep praying with us for a worship leader! There are many, many musically talented people in Korea, they just haven't started coming to our church yet! Lord, bring 'em in!

Thinking of other things I can update you guys on...
Friday, I start work at 12:30 and work straight with no breaks (other than enough time change my materials from class to class) until 7:30. It's my least favorite day of the week, and Fridays are supposed to be days we look forward to! Anyway, I did something different this past Friday. I got up and took a little jog in the opposite direction than I normally go, just for a change. I went down to a local fruit and vegetable market, about a 15 minute walk from where I live. This place is huge, and full of mostly old people. They sell all the fruits and vegetables in season in Korea - in huge quantities. If you want to buy garlic here, you have to buy at least a whole grocery sack full, if not more. They have rows and rows of people who just sell garlic, more rows of people who only sell onions, etc. I had been to this market a few times before, but this time I got all sorts of looks. Maybe it was because it was early in the day...I don't know why I got more looks this time than normal, but it was amusing.

I bought some fresh Korean rice noodles there, they're about as thick as my thumb, called dduk. When I got home, I made dduk bokki for lunch and took it to school. Everyone was so impressed that I had made Korean food, and they all wanted to try it to see how I did. Mr.Moon, a guy who works at our school, said he would invest with me to open up a street stand to sell it to kids after school. :)

listening to Misty Edwards

She's a girl from IHOP Kansas City. I got to experience worship with her leading when I visited last summer. She recently released a CD that is really amazing. At first, I was a little disappointed in it, partly because I really wanted one particular song on it that wasn't there, but it has really grown on me. Tonight, I have been just praying along with it while I am singing along. Really powerful stuff:
Let your fire burn consuming me! Let your jealous flame come take away everything! Let your fire burn consuming me, let your jealous flame come write your name upon my heart, until all that remains is the light of your countenance. And, I will be satisfied, when I awaken as a lover of you!

We got news yesterday that one of the girls (an American teaching English here) in our church has cancer in her thyroid and is gonna have surgery to remove it. For some reason, that news really frustrated me. She's young (a year younger than me) and away from her family. We have been praying for her since she's been going in for testing to see what was wrong. It seems like God should have answered our prayers and everything should be ok. Does that sound really juvenile of me, to expect God to work my way? Of course, I know God answers prayers in lots of ways, not always the ways we want or expect. Now that I am a church planter, I feel this sort of responsibility for the people in our church. I want everything to be peachy for all of us. Like that's my job? Anyway, pray for her. I know God has her in the palm of His hand and He will work this out for His glory. Praise Him!

On another note, my apartment suddenly looks really big in comparison to another friend's who I helped move in yesterday. Seriously, it is more than twice as big as hers. That is really scary! I love my apartment!

More from Misty's CD:
I'm in love with a man, I'm in love with a stranger. I'm in love with my Maker, whom I have never seen. I'm in love with the Lamb, I'm in love with the Lion. I'm in love with my Savior, whom I have yet to know. Oh, won't You let me love you more? This is all that I desire!

gasp!

I got on the subway on Sunday morning and a girl, maybe 11 years old or so, looked at me and gasped. It was really funny to me. There is no way I can be inconspicuous here. I just laughed out loud while the little girl's dad gently admonished her for letting her emotions show so freely. It's so funny to me that I could get such a reaction even though there are quite a few foreigners in Seoul. Granted, it is unique to be in a subway car or any given place and see another foreigner. When I see one, if it's not easy to stop and say hi, we at least usually give a smile that means something like "hey, I see you and I identify with you."

fajita

I tried the new fajita (they don't have the "f" sound in Korean, so it's actually called a hwa-hita) at Burger King tonight. Note to all of those living in South Korea...don't get your hopes up! What looks like steak-type meat is really just a burger patty, cut in half. It does have pretty good bell pepper strips and something resembling hot sauce in it, but not a fulfilling meal. Thought you needed to know.

i love this place

Today, Saturday, we had our college age life group at Kyungwon University. In the girls group, there were 6 of us. We talked about Jesus - a prophecy from Isaiah and then two or three scriptures that show how that was fulfilled in the New Testament. It was slow going at first, because unfortunately I forgot to bring more copies of the scriptures and no one brought their Bibles. But, we had some really good talk time. One girl had a question - is it really true that no matter how big our sin is, it's really that simple to ask for Jesus' forgiveness and He makes it okay? We talked a bit about consequences of sin and repentance, and then told her that it really is a simple thing if you trust in Him to change you. It's so cool to talk with people who are so eager and open to Christianity! One of the girls who comes every week was close to tears for most of the time we were talking. I'm not sure why she had the tears other than that I know God was working in her. She joined in prayer with us at the end and then told us: "I just feel so happy today! These tears are good." For some lighter discussion, I brought up the question..."what do you think of when you think of Jesus?" We had the standard answers of faithful friend, loving, peaceful, etc. One girl said she thinks of how handsome He must have been..."not in a Tom Cruise sort of way, but just a really classic way." :)

Five of us got to go to an amusement park after life group because one girl had free tickets. We were there about four hours and got to ride two rides (the crowds were amazing!) and see one parade that was pretty cool. They seem to be much more imaginative in their characters and decorations. Maybe it just seems that way because it's different. We didn't take part in the full Korean experience by buying a bag of fresh roasted and shredded squid, but we did have a good time.

I went to Lotte Mart on the way home to pick up some stuff to contribute to our lunch tomorrow after church. I'm gonna make dduk bokki, one of my favorite (easy to make) Korean foods. I asked a lady for help in finding something, and she was very helpful even though I got the syllables switched in the word I was trying to say. After she helped me, I went on to find the rest of my stuff. The same lady came over to look in my basket a few minutes later, all the way across the store. She told me (in Korean, so I only understood a little bit) something like, oh, you need to change this for something better, hurry over here! She showed me that I needed to change what I had for a better deal. In big stores here, they sometimes have free stuff taped on to certain products to get you to buy them. So, she showed me the bucket of red pepper paste that had more free stuff taped to it. I told her thank you and she said, "oh, I want to thank you, too!" When I was checking out, she appeared again and told me "this is so fun!" It really was cute that she was having so much fun helping me.

dreams

I just listened to a message from Jacob's Well church online. Somehow, I stumbled across this site - I think as a link from the vintage faith site. Anyway, it really spoke to me about hearing and following God's dreams for me and for our church here in Korea. One of the things he said was that we've become good at holding each other accountable for our sins. Maybe it's equally important to hold each other accountable for our dreams. I want us as a church, as Christ's manifestation to our neighbors here in South Korea, to be compelled by the vision God gives us. I want to dream big, to hear God and jump at the chances He shows us to impact the world.

I have been thinking lately: do I shrink back from big vision? Do I only bite at small, attainable goals and leave the big dreams for bigger fish? In one sense, I can answer no, because I did jump at the chance to join a team to start a church. In another sense, I think I do shrink back because now that I am here, I know God wants to keep stretching us and growing us as a body, but it's easier to keep doing what we've become comfortable with. (You're probably thinking, how can they already be comfortable in only 6 or so months of being a church? Well, it happens!)

I had a dream the other night that I was organizing a birthday celebration and I had come up with these really strange, elaborate plans to have a bunch of cellists playing music as they were going down a water slide. It was going to be so excellent, but then one of my more musically inclined friends told me that I had given some of the cellists viola or bass music instead of the cello part. That made me really frustrated, because they had already practiced this wrong music and were ready to go with it. (I don't know if this dream was meant to have meaning, but I think it was, because I asked God to give me a dream before I went to bed.) Anyhow, could this dream mean that I am in a place of leadership I am unqualified for? (Yes.) Could this mean that God wants me to dream big, but listen close so that I get the parts right? Could this mean that He wants me to dream big and strange dreams and if I mess up, it's ok, because His grace is sufficient? Hmmm. Want to comment?

weekends

It turns out that weekdays, even though I have a full-time job, are more restful than weekends here. Most Saturdays start with team meetings in the morning, then on to life group at 1pm at Kyungwon University, then we eat with the people there at some restaurant nearby. After life group, we usually hang out with people or do something else while we are out in Seoul. (This past Saturday, we went to a worship rally then to Costco.) Sunday mornings, we get the apartment ready in Suji (usually also busy with making food for lunch together after church), then we have our 11:30 church gathering. People stay for lunch, then we sometimes have an hour before we have to load up and take off for our second gathering at the church building we use on Sunday afternoons. We start that at 4 pm. Afterwards people stay for cookies and coffee, then we go out to dinner somewhere with whoever wants to join. By the time I get home, it's usually 8 or so. So, weekends are enjoyable, but pretty full of stuff.

I did get to go to the sauna (bath house) on Friday night after work, with two North American friends (Canada and Idaho). That was really nice. The sauna we went to has excellent massaging baths, warm and cold, sleeping rooms, hot rooms with herbs hanging from the ceilings, a room with small heated pebbles at least 6 inches deep that you just lay down on (that's the greatest!), a human oven that you crawl into, a small cafeteria where you can order fresh fruit juice, ramen, etc, a room with ice on the walls to cool off in, and that's just the beginning of all it has to offer. I don't know if Americans would buy into this whole experience if imported there, but it's really incredible!

laundry

I had a fun experience when I went to pick up my coat from the cleaners the other day. (Note to all those moving to a big polluted city and buying a coat...sky blue shows all the dirt possible.) The man that owns the cleaners said "Oh, Lih-la!". (He asked me to write my name and number in his little record book when I dropped it off.) While his wife went to get my coat, he pulled a note out of his pocket written in English. It said: "Dear Lela, you are always our welcome customer. Thank you. Please visit again." I'm not sure what I did with the note, so that's a paraphrase. He had obviously consulted someone who knew English, or looked up how to write it, because he doesn't speak that much English. It was so cute! It made my day.

ordering in

Today was a beautiful day. After winter dumped a whole mess of snow on us last week, it's beginning to look like spring again. I only had to work three hours today. (Tuesdays are my easy day). After work, I picked up my shoes that had been falling apart from the shoe shine/repair shop (a tiny little building that you can't even stand up in), picked up a a few things at the market and came home.

I decided to try ordering on the phone for delivery. When I come home, there is always a new flyer, sticker, or magnet advertising some food you can order. I called and asked the guy if he spoke English. He didn't, so I ordered and told my address in Korean. I wasn't sure how successful I would be, but it turned out great! Twenty minutes later, there was the delivery guy with hot tahng soo yook (fried pork with sweet and sour sauce on the side.) It was about 6 bucks, and more than enough for two people. Jacquie, my American co-teacher came over and we shared it. Yum. I felt a sense of accomplishment that I had finally ordered for myself in Korean over the phone, no hand gestures, signs, or pictures to help. They bring it over in a metal box with a handle (by scooter) and it's re-usable plates wrapped in saran wrap. When you are finished, you leave it by the outside door and they come back to pick up your plates. Sort of like room service, I guess.

winter is jealous

There's a saying here in Korea when it should be getting warm but it's not. It means something like winter is jealous of spring, or jealous of the flowers. Not sure which. So, people are saying that these days. I, for one, am enjoying the rest of winter. I love the snow. It makes everything so beautiful.

Today we had our life group at Kyungwon University. We had a good group. Our girls group had lots of questions as usual, ranging from "why does a good God let people go to hell?" to "why did Jesus have to die on the cross?" Renee and I were trying our best to discuss in English simply, and then we got help from our friend Li-eh who is a grounded Christian. She did a great job (the other Koreans told us) of explaining in Korean.

We went to eat at a Korean food court (kimchi fried rice for me...yum!) and then went bowling. I demonstrated my bowling prowess by getting a 76 and an 87. Wow. Now, I'm at home doing laundry. I finished washing dishes and did some vacuuming (with my vacuum from the trash! it works most of the time.) Now, I need to get some lesson plans done for next week. I also need to practice guitar. I bought one for about 80 bucks this week just to have something to learn on. I just wanna be able to play simple songs to help lead worship in small groups, nothing fancy. Pray for me!

SNOW!

Wow, today it started snowing at about 4:30 and it's still going at 10pm. I'm still not used to the snow.... I just get so excited when it snows! Today after work (fortunately I was wearing my long, warm coat) I went for a walk around some parts of my neighborhood I hadn't explored yet. I just wanted to be out in the snow. Then, Scott called from Chili's (yes we have that in Seoul and it's only about a 15 minute walk from my apartment) where he was meeting some friends. I went to join them, then walked back home in the snow. It was excellent. I stopped for some coffee on the way (what is more delicious than sipping a latte while you're walking home in the snow?) and the girl at the counter complimented me on my Korean. That really makes me happy. She asked how long I have been here and I told her 7 months. She acted like "oh, how can you know Korean so well in only 7 months!" Of course, I really barely know anything, but when you can say anything more than hello and thank you, they think you're a genius. Anyway... all that makes for a most excellent night.

discovery

We (CCC Korea) had our first discovery evening Saturday night. It turned out to be really good. We had maybe 30 people come to learn more about some of our basic beliefs, eat dinner together, and talk. Since we talked about becoming a Christian, baptism, and why we do cell groups (we call them life groups), I got to know more about some of the girls who are coming to the Kyungwon university life group on Saturdays.

We learned more about baptism in Korea...it's almost always done by sprinkling water (and sometimes just the motion of sprinkling water, not actually water!), and sometimes you have to take a test in order to be baptized! One girl, after watching a video clip about baptism and hearing a bit of teaching on it, asked when she could do it. We clarified that you do it after you make the decision to trust Jesus with your life, and then she said she'd have to wait because she hasn't made that decision yet. Interesting that she wanted to take part in the act of baptism so readily, without even knowing fully what it means.

When asked what is different about our church, one guy responded that he feels true love when he comes, and when he feels that, he doesn't need anything else! That's encouraging to hear. Thank you, God, for giving us people so ready to hear and respond!