The Been Briefing

my new little ones
sophia took my kindergarten kids, and i have started out with a new group of little ones. they are - overall - very well prepared to be in my class. their grasp of phonics is excellent, and i find them a good deal less taxing than my other group of munchkins. the only problem children seem to be anthony (not pictured... he was hiding from the camera under the table), who sometimes gets stubborn and refuses to do anything at random times, and jason, whose attention span is about 3 seconds... before he starts staring off into space or pointing the finger at anthony and saying what sounds like 'don't speaking korean!!!" in the highest pitched voice i've heard in a long time. oh dear... but no... i am enjoying the class. God give me wisdom and grace to teach them well. and i must not forget david, who is meticulous and always worried, as he carefully writes each letter. "wait a minute, please, teacher! wait a minute!" (heaving a deep sigh) to his credit, he gets most everything right. and jake is very good. may i just say how nice it is to have a decidedly good student? one who tries his best and does well and is conscientious. ahh...

bryant, jake, hannah

david, bryant, jake

hannah, jake??, brett, jason

the ubiquitous peace sign

caleb update: he has been moved to a lower level (level 3 in gina's class)... and while his speaking and listening comprehension is good, he still doesn't know basic grammar concepts or how to write well. i am not despairing, though. i love that boy and desire for him to succeed. pray he will try hard to focus so he doesn't have to move down to the most basic level and start from the very beginning all over again.

this past weekend

laura and i went into seoul - first to a little coffee shop called seoul selection, where used books are sold, and foreigners can see korean movies with english subtitles, etc. it was a nice little place. afterwards we wandered around itaewon (the foreigners area in seoul) looking for a bookstore called 'What the Book?" ... we asked people where it was, and always we got the double-take. laura realized she had to take special care how she annunciated her words, so people didn't think they were being cursed at. it was really quite hilarious.

and after that we went to hapgejeong to the foreigners cemetery, which was really fascinating. i loved seeing the gravestones of missionaries from america, canada, germany, denmark... people who gave their lives to korea for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

and while i do not (at least not long-term) feel the calling of God to korea, i am eagerly awaiting the Lord's clear direction for where He is calling me in particular to serve Him. what joy there will be in going to that country and learning their language and giving my life for them... that they might know and experience the love and power of Jesus Christ.