생일 축하합니다!

It's a blessing to have a fun celebration for my birthday in my hometown that I was born and raised in. What I didn't plan on when coming to Korea was to be able to have a big celebration here among great friends. One thing that's truly been beautiful about my time here is that it's really been home. The people I've met have become family and I haven't gone without.

On my birthday, Chelsea and Jeremy graciously opened their home for a Mexican Fiesta! They created a photo booth, and Este brought props. The food was amazing, and I had three desserts! The food might have been a bit too amazing. Unfortunately three people got terribly sick that night and the following day. Eek! The party itself was wonderful and they assured me that it was worth it.  

Here are some pictures from the evening courtesy of Chelsea & Jeremy: 

The fun hosts, Zeke and me! 

This is what teaching kindergartners does to you. 

I may or may not have asked them to sing.

My Geoje chingus! 

Yoga in another Language

November was a long month in terms of teaching days. We knew we had to do something to help us through. We decided months prior, that we would have Yoga November. There is a hot yoga studio in Jungok, about a 10-12 minute walk away. A friend connected us with her Korean friend that attends classes there and she helped the process of trying it out and purchasing a month. While there were a few poses that I like to call Asian yoga poses (aka-there's no way you'll find me doing it!) we really enjoyed the class. Did I laugh at myself? Yes. Did I get laughed at? You bet. Sometimes it's hard to be corrected and perfect a pose without a language barrier let alone not being able to converse at all. However, the instructor was great and truly wanted us to do well. She would talk to us after class (through our new friend and translator, Faith) and explain poses and ask if we had questions. They all seemed shocked that we were able to do what we could do and asked about our yoga history. While we loved the class, we only went for about a month and a half. The reasoning will sound absurd, but we're honestly too exhausted to go the standard amount of times you pay for: 3 or 5 times a week. Good thing walking is part of our lifestyle here.

Soul Sisters Unite!

Exactly one week after I said goodbye to my mom and grandma, Beka and I headed to Busan to pick up Sarah. As with my family I couldn't really believe it until I saw her walk through the door! We headed to our hostel and chatted a bit before 

heading to bed to rest for the next day's hike.

Although we took a cable car part of the way, our hike was still a whole day ordeal! 

Sarah was a trooper hiking through jet lag!

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful hunt for Seokbul-Sa temple. We had planned on 

taking the cable car back down, but due to the extent of the hike, time wouldn't allow.

Right before this, we met a nice Korean man to make sure we didn't make a wrong turn at the last minute. He let us pet his golden retriever and feed him a moonpie. Yep, moonpie. 

He pointed us in the right direction and told us we were almost there.

On the way down we enjoyed a beautiful sunset 

overlooking nearby gardens and the view of the city. 

That night we walked along Haeundae Beach, and the next day we visited again. 

We checked out Nampo-Dong shopping district, and went to the Busan Tower. 

We were thankful Sarah came over Chuesok. This allowed us to have 

time to take a trip to Jinju for the lantern festival. It was a blast! 

Finally, we explored our hometown a bit, walking along the rice fields and attempting to talk the locals about farming. Afterwards we headed to the restaurant that's a few feet from our place to have a traditional Korean meal: bori bap. We were mistakenly calling it bi bim bap. Bori bap has barley and rice instead of just rice, with vegetables, 

delicious hot paste and sesame oil. 

 Harvesting Rice





Our town, Soobi




Bori-bap!

On cinco de octubre we held had drinks in a pouch and went to a noraebang.

 We played an intense game of Jenga and sang our hearts out. Man, was it fun! 

We ended our trip back in Busan with shopping at Shinsegae, purchasing matching ajuma pants (you know you love 'em!) and having a fashion show at our hostel.

As I said in my blog about my mom and grandma, it's truly so amazing to have friends and family visit when living abroad. I'm so glad Beka and I could share our experiences and show her our life here in Korea! Until next time, soul sister!

Characteristics of Christ

Instead of having days of Thanksgiving, Beka had an idea to study attributes of God each day. It was great to look through the word and study His countless attributes. I encourage you to do it do!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The first of November:
Patient
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

The second of November:
Protector
Psalm 5:11-12
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

The third of November:
Faithful
2 Thessalonians 3:3
The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

The Fourth of November:
Merciful
Exodus 34:6
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."

The Fifth of November:
Healer
Psalm 103:2-3
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.

The Sixth of November:
Trustworthy
Psalm 93:5
Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.

The Seventh of November:
Holy  
1 Peter 1:15-16
But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

The Eighth of November:
All Knowing 
1 John 3:19-20
By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and he knows everything.

The Ninth of November:
Savior 
Psalm 25:4-5
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

The Tenth of November:
Gracious
Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.

The Eleventh of November:
Counselor 
Jeremiah 32:18-19
O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.

The Twelfth of November:
Friend 
John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

The Thirteenth of November:
Forgiving
Colossians 1:13-14
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Fourteenth of November:
God the Father
Psalm 68:5
Father of the fatherless and protector of the widows is God in his holy habitation.

The Fifteenth of November:
God the Son
Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

The Sixteenth of November:
God the Holy Spirit
Luke 3:21-22
Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased."

The Seventeenth of November:
Good Shepherd 
John 10:11, 27-30
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep...My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.

The Eighteenth of November:
Judge
Ecclesiastes 4:16-17
Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.

The Nineteenth of November:
Servant
Philippians 2:6-8
Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The Twentieth of November:
Lamb of God
John 1:29
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

The Twenty-First of November:
Alpha & Omega 
Revelation 1:8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

The Twenty-Second of November:
Love
1 John 4:7-8
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

My Family in Korea!

For those of you that have ever lived away from home, you'll be able to rejoice with me as I give a recap of my mom and grandma's visit to a land far far from Kansas.

It was such a blessing to have them visit. To tell someone about your experience and to show someone your experience are two completely different scenarios.

They arrived Saturday evening, and despite having traveled more hours than one would like to count, their trip wasn't over yet. We had some difficulty trekking back to my island but lo and behold, we made it! My mom braved the morning so that she could go to church with me. 

Their first big adventure was experiencing first hand where I spend most of my time, at school! They joined us for a Korean lunch with my director, principal, vice-principal, Teacher Beka and Teacher Ethan. Kim-Chi and rice and tofu- oh my! Honestly, it was homemade kim-chi that my principal made and it was really good! That was the first and perhaps the last time to eat it. Throughout the afternoon they visited all of my classes and quickly realized why it's such an exhausting job.

Their first adventure led to their second adventure. My principal asked if they would like to join us for our field trip the following day to a vineyard. It was awesome that they could join me for two days of school! 

We also saw a traditional Korean home. 

It reminded me of Cowtown, Korean style!

We walked around my city, and I took them to my favorite restaurant, Dehli. 

Who knew I would come to Korea to crave Indian food?! 

One day while I was working, Cherrel took them to 

Tongyeong to shop and to go to the pearl museum! 

Over the weekend, we went to Busan. Here's a picture from 

inside the tower and in front of the tower and flower clock.  

On Sunday we went to a temple on the coast. Little did I know that it would still be typhoon season when my family planned their trip. Needless to say, a typhoon was coming and we made it a fairly quick visit.

We went to the Busan Aquarium to get out of the wind and rain! 

Due to the typhoon, we had Monday off work! We stayed home, relaxed, and played card games. 

Tuesday and Wednesday night my mom and grandma stayed at a pension, 

which would be similar to renting a beach house. 

Emily and Michael went to lunch with my mom and grandma one day! It was hard to work knowing my family was in town, but I'm thankful for amazing friends that spent time with them and showed them around! 

My director picked them up when they checked out of the pension. He took them on a tour; they visited a pebble beach and saw lots of rice fields! 

Friday night we went to eat bibimbap, a popular Korean dish. It was a traditional experience with new food, chopsticks, and floor seating. 

And then before I knew it, they were heading to the airport. Having them visit was the best gift! Thank you again, mom and grandma, for traveling so far to visit! I love you! 

My Birthday!

Hello!!! I know, I know, it's almost been a century since I've posted. This blog will be sweet and to the point and hopefully sooner rather than later I'll post more.

My birthday is coming up! December 8th to be exact. If any of you would like to send a gift and have yet to purchase anything, please consider supporting my friend, Sharisse instead. She is doing the World Race and is currently with her team serving orphans in Swaziland. Here is a link to learn more: http://www.theworldrace.org/

She needs to raise $2,200 by December 1st. 

Here is her blog link: http://sharissemeyer.theworldrace.org/
On the left hand side you will see a link that reads HELP! (Thank-you!)
Simply click there and it's easy to support her! If you are unable to help financially, she most definitely needs prayer support too!

I apologize for the short notice. Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator.

I'm studying the book of James with my women's Bible study and fittingly, I'll leave you with this verse:

James 1:26
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Thankful!

I'm thankful that God has created a clean heart and a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10, Ezekiel 36:26) I'm thankful that although my flesh and my heart fail, God is the strength of my heart! (Psalm 73:26)

I'm thankful that Beka and I were sent here together! I wouldn't have made it this far without her. 

I'm thankful for our co-teacher, Ethan. He's one of the most positive people I know. 

Heading to Taiwan!

I'm beyond thankful for my amazing church in Okpo, Korea and the incredible people I've met there. I didn't really know what to expect to find for a church when I was preparing to come here, but I surely didn't expect this! It's a great community and I love the fact that I've met and bonded with people from across the globe. 

Thanks to Amanda for this picture! 

She set up a fun photo booth for Derik's birthday party.

I'm thankful for the beautiful sunsets on the bay! 

I'm thankful for my family, friends, and church family back home. It's a blessing to be able to stay connected through technology and snail mail!! 

The cards I've received in the last 6 months. 

I feel the love!! 

I'm thankful that Beka and I have family and friends that are not only willing to visit but are able to visit! Dave visited at the end of July and Beka's mom and sisters visited in August! Next month my mom and grandma are visiting!! In October, Sarah is visiting!! I'm elated for our upcoming visitors!

I'm thankful for the lovely rice fields! Maybe it's because I'm a Kansas girl and I'm used to seeing wheat fields. The fields help make a connection between Korea and Kansas and has allowed me to enjoy them. 

I'm thankful for my job and my kids. My patience is tested everyday but I love them! 

Sarah's birthday! 

Have I ever mentioned I'm thankful for food? Oh man I've never appreciated food so much in my life! I'm grateful that friends and family have sent and brought food and that we have a few foreigner's marts here. With that being said, I do like Korean food heaps more now than when I first arrived. I think I'll even miss some of it when I leave. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.