The Been Briefing

Migeum Station, the Korean Subway System....

Here I am at Migeum station in Bundang after church this past Sunday. Behind me - on the 8th and final floor - is my church Global English Ministry (GEM). It is part of a much larger Korean church of 10,000 in the building behind this one. In case you can't see, there is a good deal of English mixed in with the Korean on the signs. Not only is it because I think Migeum has a lot of English schools (and hence, a lot of foreign teachers), but it's also because most Koreans want to speak English very much.
Within the past few days the temperature has dropped considerably. Last week I could wear a long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans comfortably, but now I'm having to put several layers on, along with my coat and scarf if I want to keep the wind from cutting through me!

If I want to go anywhere via the subway, I take Bus 11 from Suji to Migeum, and from there I can go all over Seoul. Believe it or not, the subway system here is easy, clean, and very efficient... much to my relief. Before I came I looked at the subway map in horror. The DC metro scared the bejeepers out of me, but I find that this is a piece of cake. And while it isn't the most exciting thing to be underground, it's a cheap and a lot less dangerous than dealing with Korean drivers! Here is one of the signs... If you go to the Korean subway map, it's the 3rd from the last stop on the yellow line (down at the bottom).

http://www.smrt.co.kr/english_smrt/cyberstation_smrt/cyberstation.jsp

I finally remembered to bring my camera to church with me, but I forgot to take pictures until the service had been over for a bit. Wish I could have gotten more of the crew, but I'll try again soon. Here is Amanda, Laura, and Kelsie. I don't know Amanda well, at all, but I have found Laura to be a true kindred spirit. And Kelsie is quite the fireball. I love teasing her about being from Alaska: the state that's not really part of the union... it always gets a rise out of her! The joke is not mine originally, but from another foreigner who when he met Laura (from Wisconsin) and Kelsie, turned to Laura and said, "Oh it's so nice to meet another American!" Kelsie was shocked that he didn't so much as acknowledge her and said as much to us, "What? Doesn't he know Alaska is state number 49??"

Friday night after work I went over to Maria's place to watch Little Women with her, Laura, and Kelsie, but we ended up taking a taxi to Samsung Plaza because the girls were desperate for fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts. LOL. Unfortunately, Krispy Kreme is not open all hours of the day and night here in Korea, so at 11:30pm it was closed. Instead we went to a chicken place, where we told the server we just wanted some nachos with cheese. Five minutes later we had our nachos...... preceded somehow by 4 cold steins and an overflowing pitcher of beer. How we came to order the beer (4 young American women with almost no understanding of Korean) will remain a mystery, but it definitely brought a lot of laughs!

On Saturday I visited an orphanage with Maria and three men from my church, including the pastor Bob Kim. This orphanage is actually a woman's apartment, where she and her husband care for 14 orphans. It was such a powerful experience for me that it's a little hard to put it all into words. The children's ages range from 6 months to 15 years (a girl named Sofie with pretty good English), and they are all desperate for love and attention. We took off our shoes at the entrance in keeping with Korean custom (amidst the sea of children's shoes) and within two minutes of sitting down on the ground, a little girl had inched her way into my lap and was holding my hands in hers. They wanted touch, but they were also "greedy" in that they reached for anything we had. It was an odd experience, but it made me want to give them all I have and more.... It also reminded me of when I was growing up - the times of not having a lot of material possessions but ever so many kids in the same house. I am praying about helping out on Saturday mornings/afternoons as the church develops a plan of action for reaching these little ones. Already I am praying for opportunities to love them with the wonderful love of Jesus Christ.

On another note, the past week and a half was pretty rough. All last week was difficult not just for me but for everybody at ERC. On Tuesday during a warm-up game of 'Simon Says' Dennis kicked off his shoes amidst his regular uncontrollable behavior, and one of them hit Min in the face. Her nose started bleeding and she started bawling. A few days later two boys from ERC (not in my class) ganged up on another student on the bus. These situations and the overall atmosphere at school reminds me that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood..." (Ephesians 6,10). Every day I am mindful to remain in prayer. Is not our God bigger than anything, and does He not eagerly wait to answer the prayers of those totally submitted to Him and hungry for His hand in their lives?

And for me, I confess that the cultural adjustment continues. Some days I love being here, and other days I feel so wonderfully American... and it completely clashes with the Korean way of life and thinking. I am trying hard not to be impatient or condemning of myself, but after a while it gets exhausting. The Korean work ethic puts Americans to shame, but sometimes it borders on such legalism that it can be suffocating to me. I am praying for God to restore all joy.

It is late and I need to get to bed. (Holy mackeral it's 1am. What am I doing still awake?) Thank you all, dear friends, for your love and support. I ask for your prayers... and I point you to Jesus. He alone can sustain us, fill us, and enable us to live victoriously. Amen!