memorizing scripture

My friend Okja, now my Korean tutor on Thursday evenings, has a little plastic pocket she carries around with 52 scripture cards.  They are in English and Korean, and she wrote the Japanese version on the back by hand.  She carries them with her at all times and memorizes one scripture a day, in all three languages.  When she finishes the 52 cards, she starts over.  Personally, I am totally amazed by this.  She memorized scripture in English and Japanese so she can use scripture when she ministers to people in those languages.  Isn't that excellent?  So, the first thing she had me do is memorize Phillipians 4:13 in Korean.  I didn't know all the words in it, but I do now! 

나에게 능력 주시는 분 안에서 나는 모든 것을 할 수 있습니다.     빌립보서4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength. -Phillipians 4:13

This weeks verse is a lot longer, but I have two weeks because next week I'm gonna be on vacation! 

내가 그리스도와 함께 십자가에 못박혀 죽었으므로 이제는 내가 사는 것이 아니라 내 속에 그리스도께서 살아 계십니다. 지금 나는 나를 사랑하시고 나를 위해 죽으신 하나님의 아들을 믿는 믿음으로 살고 있습니다.                갈라디아서  2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  - Galatians 2:20

Okja's perspective is that if I am learning Korean to be a better minister to Koreans, then I should know some useful scriptures in that language, too!  It's really fun to learn from her, because she fires me up!

 

Tonight, I had my new Korean tutoring with my two extra cool friends who offered to help me out.  I love going out to eat with Koreans, because you usually each get a dish that you want and then you all share them.  I got some bean paste soup and they ordered dduk bokki, odang, and kimbap.  We all shared all of it, and it was so tasty.  I also like eating with Koreans because I like almost all of their food.  These two girls and I share the same tastes, too.  After dinner, we got some ice cream bars at a convenience store and headed to the library to study.  I am getting a Korean scripture every week to memorize, and then we are going to go through Korean worship songs, translate them, and learn them.  I am already learning a lot of new words through this, and I will be able to remember a lot through the songs and scripture.  We practice conversational Korean as we eat and through the evening.  It's a lot of fun, and they tell me they are having fun, too.  I am praying that I will get a way out of the last four months of my contract at school so I can go to language school this fall.  We'll see.  I haven't had time to talk to my director yet. 

This week has been rather crazy - a lot of going, going, going.  Today was a little more relaxed, because I had the morning off.  On Monday, I went to visit an English and Chinese language school for North Korean defectors.  It was great.  They just used me for pronunciation help, but I would like to be able to go on a regular basis to form relationships with the people and learn more about North Korea and North Koreans.  I also got to practice more Korean, because most of the people there don't know much English (only people higher up get to learn English, I guess). 

Our English summer camp that our church is putting on starts Saturday and goes through Wednesday.  That's gonna be crazy for sure, but will be fun, too.  The summer team leaves soon afterwards.  We'll miss them!  Clint has decided to stay for an extra month.  We're happy about that.  Some of us are planning on going to the beach next week, right after English camp.  I'm looking forward to that.  Hopefully it won't be too crazy, because we'll be going during peak travel season!

Oh, one fun story...two nights ago, I came out of the subway station to find a fresh gerber daisy in my bike basket!  I have had people leave their trash in my bike basket before, but never anything nice...and gerber daisies are one of my favorite flowers!  I had just been praying for my husband, so it was a very nice surprise.  It didn't come with a phone number attached, but I'll take it as a sign anyway.  :) 

i like this picture of the fun multicolored chairs 

another fun picture on the subway from the courtney files 

birthday

Had a nice birthday yesterday.  It started on Friday, when the owners of my hogwan made a special lunch.  They gave me a nice tea set, some cookies, cake, flowers, etc.  Jason got the same treatment for his birthday on Tuesday.  Our owner and her daughter (who runs the kindergarten) have started coming to church on Sunday afternoons and have been very generous.  They've taken us out to dinner twice (once took almost the whole church out to dinner).  They have a big heart for missions, so they are eager to be helpful in lots of ways. 
 
Yesterday, Saturday, we had life group at the university, and then I went shopping for a few things to make for a little party at my apartment.  People started coming over around 7, and we just sat around and talked.  A few guys played guitar.  That's enough reason for me to keep a guitar at my house...even if I can't play it yet, it's nice for other people to play it for you when they come over.  I made some Korean food and some Ro-tel and Velveeta dip with nacho chips.  We ordered some pizza later, and had plenty of cakes, cookies, and watermelon punch.  Mmm!  Jason said 20 people came.  My little place was definitely full, but still not uncomfortable.  We had a good time. 
 
It's been raining for 40 days and 40 nights, it feels like, but today it stopped.  Many people predicted today was the end of the first rainy season and they were right!  However, now it's just amazingly humid and hot.  I think it's gonna be pretty sticky for a few months here before we get some relief. 

new pictures

These pictures aren't exactly recent, but I got Courtney to burn me two CDs worth of her pictures so far, and these are some of that collection.  I will post more soon.  She takes fun pictures. 

me and parky (that's what we call him) with sparklers on july 4th 

on the subway :) 

a picture of some of the summer team when we still met at yatap for the afternoon gathering 

Dinner last night at my friend Inah's house. That's Kelli, Inah, and MyungJin on the right. 

things to be excited about

Some really excellent things have been happening around here lately. I got into contact with a guy who was raised in Korea, but is from the States, who is in the process of setting up a training center to send people to North Korea. He is in and out of South Korea. Jason and I got to meet him on Monday for lunch and he shared some of his vision with us. It was really good to connect and have some face to face time with someone who is passionate about training and sending to North Korea. He emphasized a lot about the necessity of going in and rebuilding trust, rebuilding community. That's how we'll share the gospel. When the walls do fall, there will be amazing opportunities to rebuild the country based on God!

I also found a school that teaches English to North Korean refugees living in Seoul! I got in contact with a guy who volunteers there and am going to meet him on Monday and go with him to the school. I am super excited about that. It's close to Seoul National University, which I know has a language program to learn Korean, so maybe I could go to language school during the day there and then teach at the school for refugees at night. How excellent would that be? (You can pray with me that God will provide someone to take over my contract at my school so I can start all of these great things!)

I started private Korean lessons last week, because I didn't see any way in the near future to be able to take Korean classes, but I decided that it was too expensive to do private lessons if one of my main goals is to save money so I won't have to work next year. I was talking about this to a Korean friend of mine, who said that she insists I come to her office every Thursday when she gets off work and she will teach me for free. She said she wants to spend more time with me and she will ask God to give her the right way to teach me Korean. Again, how excellent.

A few more excellent things:
I discovered Ritz cracker sandwiches at a nearby mart that have yogurt flavored filling in the middle! Mmmmn, tasty.

There are a few people from the summer team who are thinking about staying or coming back at some point. (Clint is staying for one extra month, at least.)

I learned the word for mold (a popular topic right now, during this rainy season) - it sounds a lot like icky, so it's easy to remember.

I have much more, but at the moment can't think of all I want to write. More later. :)

Daniel Nash, a pray-er

I just read an account of Daniel Nash, a man mostly unrecognized, but who had such an impact on the ministry of Charles Finney, a well-known evangelist. He would go ahead of Finney, two or three weeks, to prepare the way in prayer and keep praying intensely during the meeting. It really amazes me to hear of people who pray like this. I want to be more like this, but I lack so much discipline!

Here are some snips from the article I read:

During the Rochester meetings there are several accounts of these two men in deep agony of soul while praying day and night. Some accounts name Nash, some Clary, others both. It seems they were together in fasting and prayer much of the time, weeping and crying out to God. Sometimes they lay prostrate without strength to stand up. Their concern over sinners being lost brought great stress to their minds and souls. They groaned under the load, they risked health and gave up comforts that the battle of the heavenlies might be won. Sometimes they ”would writhe and groan in agony” over souls. God honored their burden-bearing and sent revival. Privately they prayed and publicly God answered. ”Practically everyone in the city was converted. The only theater in the city was converted into a livery stable, the only circus into a soap and candle factory, and the grog shops (bars and taverns) were closed.”

Oswald J. Smith explains the importance of such strivings in prayer during Finney’s ministry:
”He always preached with the expectation of seeing the Holy Spirit suddenly outpoured. Until this happened little or nothing was accomplished. But the moment the Spirit fell upon the people, Finney had nothing else to do but point them to the Lamb of God. Thus he lived and wrought for years in an atmosphere of revival.”

We refuse to so strive and should not be surprised at the lack of God’s mighty stirrings. Is it not amazing that we have no problem with people wearing themselves out in sports for pleasure, work for money, politics for power, and programs for charity, but think it fanatical to so pray for souls? We would die for national freedom, but never for progress in the Kingdom of God. Is it any wonder we see so little of God’s great working? Nash would pray until he had to “go to bed absolutely sick, for weakness and faintness, under the pressure.” The world would have no problem with such dedication except that it was due to prayer for souls. Why should it be such a strange thing to the Church?

”Someone asked Finney what kind of man this Father Nash was. ’We never see him,’ they said. ’He doesn’t enter into any of the meetings.’
”Finney replied, ’Like anybody who does a lot of praying, Father Nash is a very quiet person.’ Show me a person who is always talking and I’ll show you a Christian who never does much praying.”

“Since you were here I have been thinking of prayer—particularly of praying for the Holy Ghost and its descent. It seems to me I have always limited God in this request. . . I have never felt, till since you left us, that I might rationally ask for the whole influence of the Spirit to come down; not only on individuals, but on a whole people, region, country, and world.
On Saturday I set myself to do this, and the devil was very angry with me, yesterday for it. I am now convinced, it is my duty and privilege, and the duty of every other Christian, to pray for as much of the Holy Spirit as came down on the day of Pentecost, and a great deal more. I know not why we may not ask for the entire and utmost influence of the Spirit to come down, and, asking in faith, see the full answer. . . I think I never did so freely ask the Holy Ghost for all mankind. My body is in pain, but I am happy in my God. . . I have only just begun to understand what Jesus meant when He said, ’All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’
”I have felt a little like praying that I might be overwhelmed with the Holy Ghost, die in the operation, and go to Heaven thus; but God knows.”

Charles Finney gives the account of the homegoing of his co-worker:
“Said a good man to me: ‘Oh, I am dying for the want of strength to pray! My body is crushed, the world is on me, and how can I forbear praying?’ I have known that man go to bed absolutely sick, for weakness and faintness, under the pressure. And I have known him pray as if he would do violence to Heaven, and then have seen the blessing come as plainly in answer to his prayer as if it were revealed, so that no person could doubt it any more than if God had spoken from heaven.
Shall I tell you how he died? He prayed more and more; he used to take the map of the world before him, and pray, and look over the different countries and pray for them, till he expired in his room, praying.
Blessed man! He was the reproach of the ungodly, and of carnal, unbelieving professors; but he was the favorite of Heaven, and a prevailing prince of prayer.”

Thus he entered glory on his knees December 20, 1831, at the age of 56. His body is buried near where he pastored in that former church’s graveyard with a small stone to mark the spot.

beautiful orchids at Moran (yes, you pronounce it moron!) market 

having fun at the norebang (karaoke room) 

Nicole is excited about church in our new spot! 

pictures

A friend in Texas put some pictures to music of the summer team that's here. Check this link out to watch.

July 4th

After I last posted, a friend who's leaving the country (going back to Canada after 4.5 years here!) called and asked if I wanted to go to the bath house with her. She lives in Suji, so I took the bus there, we met and spent a most relaxing three hours or so in the baths, the saunas, the steam rooms. It was great. They have some outdoor baths there, and it was raining, which made it all the more fun. I spent the night at her apartment, met Jim Bob for brunch the next morning, then he convinced me to go bowling with him since we still had a few hours left before we needed to get ready for church. Actually, he bowled and I read and wrote a letter. He was OK with that, because he's interested in getting back into bowling shape. (Writing that makes me smile.)

We went back to Donnie and Shannon's apartment, where all the girls are staying. They had decorated the apartment for the fourth of July, just for fun. We hung out for a bit before church, then walked down the hill in the rain, had some prayer time under our umbrellas while we were waiting for the doors to be unlocked, then got set up for church. Donnie said we had 100 people there! It was full with all the kids, then when the kids went to childrens' church, we had a lot more room. Oh, God, bring us more help with the kids when the summer team leaves! They have been SO incredibly helpful with the kids.

After church, we had dinner at a Korean food court in the basement of a nearby supermarket. Jim Bob and Casey bought some fireworks. We found an open, relatively deserted space not too far from the apartment to shoot them. The rain stopped for the evening, but the ground was safe and wet from three days of rain. It was fun. We were entertained with a bottle rocket war, sparklers, and a few other small scale fireworks. We capped off the evening with smores (Liz brought the makings with her from Texas)and a game of big booty. No campfire, but the marshmallows were almost as good roasted over the gas burners inside. Fun times!

rain, food, grandmas dancing

It's the rainy season, so it's been raining more lately. The current rainy spell started Thursday night when I went over to my co-workers house for dinner with her family. She invited me as a last minute thing and made some excellent food - 된장찌개(fermented bean soup-one of my favorites-kinda like miso soup from japan), 오징거볶음(stir fried squid with veggies in hot pepper paste), 오댕 (flavored fish patties, so yummy!), and Korean omelets as a side dish, plus many other side dishes and rice. It was tasty. It was such a nice rainy night. We ate and I learned how to play a Korean game -오목-played with black and white flat marbles on a grid. Five in a row wins. I played Lucy's son, Luke. He almost beat me, but I won the best of 7 games.

After a brief reprieve from rain this morning, it started again after life group. We walked to lunch in the rain and the Korean guys were worried. We didn't have umbrellas and the Koreans say that since the rain isn't clean here, it'll make your hair fall out.

Treavor and Alina, new friends from Waco who came to work with homeschooling and have joined our church community, came to life group and lunch. They're a lot of fun. They went on a date afterwards, and the rest of the guys went to play Korean pool. I decided to skip out on that. I don't get too excited about pool with the guys. So, I came home to get my bike and shopping bag, then went grocery shopping. I made my shopping list in Korean -된장, 오댕, 우유, 버터, 빵, 닭거기, 당군, 감자, 두부 (bean soup base, fish cakes, milk, butter, bread, chicken, carrots, potatoes, and tofu)and felt satisfied with myself about that, also that half of my list I wouldn't have had on my list at home, because they are ingredients for Korean cooking. Some Koreans kid me that I am turning Korean because I like almost all Korean food and can speak a little Korean.

I rode my bike to the store. On the way, I pass a park where I heard an old woman singing in the traditional Korean style. I looked over to see a group of about five grandmas dancing to the singing under a little pavilion. I stopped to watch for a bit, and thought about going back to get my video camera, but didn't. It was so excellent. These grandmas were just getting down there together in the park!

So, I pulled myself away from the little performance and made my way to the store. It was packed. I didn't stop to think what time of day it was (afternoons on weekends aren't good times to go shopping unless you want a taste of the push and shove culture experience). I made it out without too many bruises and loaded my stuff onto my bike to ride home in the rain. The grandma dance team was heading home from their dancing pavilion under the cover of umbrellas. I'm gonna smile about getting to watch their dance for a good while.

government blocks blogging sites

I haven't been able to view my blog, or any other blogger or typepad (and some other blog provider) sites for over a week. I finally wrote blogger about it, because I can still update, I just can't view. Anyway, they said that the South Korean government has blocked some blog providers. Isn't that weird? South Korea is supposed to be a democracy, I thought, but this makes the government sound a little more socialist. Hmmmn. I don't know why they decided to do this.

pictures

I just got the pictures from my cousin Erin's wedding back yesterday. I got a video camera that takes digital pictures before I left, and have been using that to take all my pictures here so I can share them with you. So, I finally finished off the roll of film from last August a few weeks ago and took it to be developed. I picked them up yesterday in Suji and then took a taxi to where we were having prayer, because I was a bit late. The taxi driver asked me if I could speak Korean. I told him I could speak a little. Then, he told me I was beautiful. I thanked him. He asked to look at my pictures, so I let him even though he was supposed to be driving. He finished looking at the pictures and gave them all back to me except for two. He told me since I have two copies, he should be able to keep those. It was a picture of my cousin Sarah in her bridesmaid's dress and a picture of Erin in her wedding dress. I told him no, I wanted to send those back to Texas. He started kissing the picture of Sarah and wouldn't give it back to me. I finally convinced him to give them back, but he didn't stop asking for them. He asked if I was married and then told me that we should get married. Well, finally we got to the apartment (only a little late, but most amazingly without a wreck because he hadn't been watching the road most of the time). So, Sarah, the offer of marriage is still open for you, I'm sure, since you were the one he was kissing!