awww... how cute...

see.. it's not just jody and me. :) thank you, lauren. i couldn't resist.. it was just too good.

i want to honor my friend karen! she is a college friend (christa's roommate - see 2 previous postings). i admire and honor karen for her servant's heart. she is currently serving catholic campus ministries at william & mary and working on her master's. karen's heart beats for people and serving them in very practical ways. i would also like to comment that this quiet, unassuming girl always pulls out the most ridiculous behaviors.... like, "so christa, where's karen? i haven't seen her in a few days." - "oh, she's gone on a cruise to portugal." - "WHAT?! and she didn't tell us?!" - and "hey, where's karen this weekend?" - "uhh, she went to help the katrina victims this weekend." -"UHHHH... wow. when did she decide to do THAT?!" so yeah, karen's pretty amazing. i love her. praise God for people like karen who love Him and serve people in practical ways.

and now i just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of one month and the beginning of another! i was reading in ecclesiastes, where it says, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven... He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts..." (ecclesiastes 3:1,11a), and i have been thinking about this season in my life. it has a purpose - an eternal purpose. year 2 for me in korea. meeting jody. agreeing to marry him. preparing for marriage in practical and personal ways. this bout of laryngitis. preparing for the wedding. preparing to go to europe in september. preparing to return to korea for another year. having few clear answers. only the promise that the Lord is going to take care of us and sustain us. not just desiring to, but actively seeking to make decisions that are pleasing to God as we lay a foundation for serving Him wherever He wants.

i praise God amidst these challenges. i pray He is molding me and making me more like His Son through this season.

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (matthew 6,31-34)

still resting...
it has been almost a month since i lost my voice, and i am glad to say it is getting better... however slowly. to those who are praying for me, i want to thank you. i am finally feeling more peace about the situation and i know the Lord will heal me when He decides this season is complete. after wracking my brain for every possible reason why and what i can do to get better, i am finally resting my heart. God knows and He's in control. i have been able to do a lot that i would never have been able to do if i had been working - like making dinner in time when jody gets off work. it's so much fun... and with a little oven our cooking possibilities are endless!! :) this picture was of our taco dinner. YUM!


i finished reading in the presence of my enemies, by gracia burnham - the bestselling book about the american missionaries who were kidnapped by the abu sayyaf (a terrorist group associated with bin laden) in 2001-02. the book is excellent and i recommend it. one of my friends here in korea - john - is gracia burnham's nephew. small world, huh? thinking of how they spent that year in the jungles just trying to stay alive, i am humbled and reminded that i am called first to love Jesus and trust that He's in control.

weather: MUCH WARMER! spring has arrived - truly. and jody gave me these beautiful tulips. :) i love tulips.


brittany sent a care package.... and it has a HOODIE, a shirt, chocolate, hand sanitizer, and - get this - a bridal magazine. LOOOOOOOOOOL. i had to laugh- can't avoid the bridezilla mentality halfway around the world. still, i am so happy and so thankful for brittany's kindness. thank you, my friend!

and i just wanted to post the following picture because it's HILARIOUS. our friends john and sarah captured this picture one sunday at church. this is how korean babies respond to us. LITERALLY. we are like monsters to them. it's pretty depressing. poor jody. i console him with the knowledge that it's not just him- it seems to be all white people.

and the honoring of friends continues...

/this is my dear and treasured friend christa. i met christa early on freshman year at william & mary. we were suitemates junior year and in the same bible study for most of college. but it was not until senior year that the Lord brought christa and me closer together. i had the privilege of seeing her become a totally different person through a powerful work of God in her life. she is now a chemist in philly, and i want to honor christa for her courage. she is courageous in the face of fear, bold and fearless in tackling challenges - academic, athletic, emotional, and spiritual, and full of freedom and life. i praise God for such an amazing friend, who has been faithful.\

/ this is christy, ben, and luke. christy was one of my small group bible study leaders in college. i had the privilege of being at her wedding.... i want to honor christy for her heart for those who are not christians and her gentle, loving spirit towards those around her. she was a faithful friend and encourager during college, and when you are an underclassmen, the encouragement of upperclassmen cannot be overrated. i praise God for her support during those years. may God bless and keep her and her family! \

/this is my other small group bible study leader, anna, with her husband dan. anna is a frank and genuine follower of Jesus Christ. right now she is working for prison fellowship international (www.pfi.org), and she and her husband are looking into serving the Lord with YWAM (youth with a mission). i want to honor anna for honestly seeking to serve God in practical ways, for desiring to be real in her faith, and for opening up her dorm to underclassmen and providing a haven for us during the eventful college years. i praise God for anna and bless her and dan! \

/ here are my dear, dear friends emily and daniel. i met emily a year and a half ago at my old church - jiguchon kyohwae - in bundang. she is romanian and came to korea to study at an international seminary in seoul. there she met her husband daniel chang. they married post-seminary. i want to honor them, as i love them dearly. i honor emily for her quick wit, amazing grasp of english (and now korean, too!), her love of God, and her desire to serve Him. i honor daniel for his gentleness, his embodiment of godly manhood and servanthood, and his desire to serve God outside of his culture. i praise God for their friendship and love for me, and i am so thankful for them receiving jody as a friend alongside me. emily and daniel leave next month to serve God in romania with operation mobilisation (www.om.org). they really have a heart for the gypsy people, who desperately need basic care, as well as the knoweldge of Jesus Christ's love for them. daniela nd emily's webpage is http://danuca.ibbun.net/. (you might have trouble reading it, because some of it is in korean and your computer will probably not recognize the characters.. but still!)

jody and i cannot wait to visit them in romania on our honeymoon in september! \

/in that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds
in which you transgress against Me;

for then I will take away from your midst

those who rejoice in your pride,

and you shall no longer be haughty
in My holy mountain.
I will leave in your midst
a meek and humble people,

and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.\ zephaniah 3,11-12

i am reading in the minor prophets these days... habakkuk, zephaniah, malachi... and i marvel at the deep work God is doing in my heart.

i have a lot of free time these days. a lot of time to think. a lot of time to pray. a lot more time than i had ever imagined. in case you did not know, i lost my voice on the 3rd, and it hasn't come back fully yet. i have not taught a full day of classes since monday april 2nd. this is the longest break i've had ever. and i'm learning a lot about rest. about trusting God. about fully surrendering myself to His sovereignty and knowing that He is on the throne.

at first, mrs. kim cautioned rest, and we tried to get korean teachers to cover my classes. a week passed. i went to the doctor three or four times, as they only prescribe medicine for a few days and ask you to return soon. then he recommended i go to an ENT nearby. the ENT specialist took pictures of my throat and vocal cords. thankfully, nothing was wrong. he recommended voice rest and said i should recover in a few days. if not, to return to him. i did, and still nothing wrong showed up. so then i was referred to the university hospital in suwon. mrs. kim took me yesterday morning. i had explained to mrs. kim the history i'd had with laryngitis, so she relayed that to the doctor. the possibility of it all being due to stress is entirely possible, the doctor said.

meanwhile, mrs. kim seems to have come to a place of peace about the whole situation. we have talked and prayed about the place we're in, and we are trusting God to provide the solution. my classes are on temporary hold (until may 7 - after the middle schoolers finish their huge exams). i have 3 weeks of meds, and if my voice does not return, i will return to the hospital for a voice exam next month.

so what am i doing? i'm reading... sleeping... cleaning the apartment... making dinner so when jo finishes work, we can sit down to a nice meal.... i think i'm starting to settle down and have time to process these big decisions we are making.

please pray that the Lord will accomplish whatever He chooses through this time and that He will bring healing in the right time. i am often thinking how i can position myself best to be moved by His hand. it is a good place to be, and i'm trying to make the most of this quiet time. and may He bring healing soon!

/now i want to honor the man i'm marrying- jody been. when i think about timing, i think how i have been preparing a long time to serve God overseas. the Lord has been working on me, grinding away at weak points. i have long adjusted to the idea of being away from america. and i had a whole year to adjust to korean culture (i.e. nearly die of loneliness and frustration about every conceivable difference between cultures) before i met jo when i returned for my second stint here. he, however, has only been in korea 8 months. and he met me only 7 weeks after arriving. the first few months he said he'd sworn off females (i chuckled inside) and that he would date a girl at least a year before considering marriage (i remember thinking, 'oh boy!')... but this man from texas, who takes his time in coming to a decision, proposed in a few months. what happened?! and with every week i see him growing into such a godly man. i praise the Lord for him. i want to honor jody for being willing to obey the Lord and step out in faith and to marry someone as ridiculous as i am.\


i guess we both are.... being ridiculous. the koreans have an obsession with making the heart with their arms. it's a love of all things 'cute'.

easter morning at church

i don't know what we're doing....

ahhh.. the crowning glory. let it settle in..... jody and i received compliments galore from koreans (and they were serious, too) on our amazing outfits.

thank you. thank you. i think we out-koreaned the koreans.
::contented sigh::

/

people. faces. pictures. love/part 2

as mentioned in the previous posting, i wanted to honor those people whom i love and deeply care for. you are worth time and attention... in case nobody has reminded you of that recently, i wanted to do so. you are loved of God and precious in His sight.

several of you sent in your pictures, and i wanted to thank you for them. if you are late and missed the previous post, or you thought you would be the only one sending it in and were therefore too embarrassed to send me your picture, i forgive you completely and offer a second chance (clearing the throat).....

///they are posted in random order////

/to you people, who are loved and treasured by the Lord/

/this is sam and hannah. they are precious and dearly loved friends, currently at seminary in california. sam is gentle, kind, with the heart of a father for people. his insight into people is a gift that could only come from the Lord. i honor and respect him for the incredible, eternal impact he has had on my life. i pray that one day we can work together in the kingdom... in some way.
i want to honor his wife hannah, a dear and faithful friend and prayer supporter. hannah is incredibly sensitive to the needs of others and is a great listener. she loves to build others up and put their needs above her own. i respect her and hope to be like her as i grow. i am indebted to her.\

/this is my dear friend lauren, currently studying to become a physical therapist. i want to honor lauren as a young woman who loves to learn and who loves to give. lauren is a student of herself and others, always desiring to know how she can grow and become better. that is an amazing attitude towards life. i respect her for it. lauren also loves to give. she is such a giver.... it brings her joy to give to those in her life. i praise God for lauren.\

/this is lisa. lisa is a friend from middle school. i love lisa. she is currently a teacher in hungary, and she's just cool. i want to honor lisa for being so free. lisa has such a heart to love and serve God, yet she is honest about her struggles and fears. i honor lisa for her love of people, no matter where they are in their walks with God (or regardless of one), and i love her for her randomness, her silliness, her fun, adventuresome spirit. i praise God for a faithful friend, who writes me letters in korea thanking me for my friendship. someone who takes the time to sit down and write a note in this fast-paced age of email. i love and honor you, lisa!\

/this is my sister rebekah, her husband bryan, and their three children - micah, nathan, and chloe. i want to honor rebekah as one of the most influential people in my entire life. rebekah is my childhood friend, my older sister, my prayer partner, my support, my challenger, and in many ways, an anchor for me. i honor rebekah for her deep and abiding love for God. i honor her as a woman of God. i honor her for her amazing gifts as a wife to bryan and as a young mother to three children. i honor her for embracing the changes of life - from college student to wife to mother, to owner of a home, to being mother again... and again... all so quickly. and with such grace and dignity. and without forgetting her family. rebekah is a role model and support. i cannot begin to express my admiration and love for her. i praise God for you, rebekah. thank you for being my friend. thank you for loving me and not letting me be a burden to you. i honor you.
i also want to honor bryan for being a godly man, a wonderful husband, and a gentle father. i honor him for working so hard for his family - faithfully putting in ridiculous hours so that the needs of a growing family could be met. he is a role model of young men who faithfully serve God and put others ahead of himself. i praise God for you, bryan. thank you for loving my sister and loving God.\

/this is aaron and jimmy, who are studying and working in california. aaron is a young woman who loves to serve God and people around her with the gifts that she has. as a nurse, she is an extremely capable and hard-working young woman. i honor her for her diligence and her desire to serve. i honor her husband jimmy, who loves a challenge and wants to serve God in training pastors overseas. \

/i want to honor amber. amber is a friend from growing up in richmond, va. currently she is serving the Lord and reaching out to mexican young women, praying for them, loving on them, and trying to challenge them to live lives pleasing to the Lord. i continually marvel at the people who have reached out to me since i left the states almost two years ago. amber is one individual who has gone out of her way to be kind to me. i honor her for her care for me.\

/this is sarah. sarah is my younger sister, and i want to honor her. sarah is a junior in high school, which is a challenge in itself. she balances school, homework and work, all while participating in church activities and serving my parents and family. sarah has a deep and abiding love for our family, and she loves nothing more than for all of us to be together. sarah has also faithfully worked with handicapped children and the 3 year olds at our church. i praise God for sarah's desire to obey God in every area of her life, and i want to honor her. may she continue to grow into a godly young woman, exhibiting grace, peace, and the fullness that can only come from knowing the heart of God. i love you, sarah.\

/this character is courtney. courtney is hilarious. courtney is wonderful. she is a college friend of mine, and i want to honor her for her honest approach to life and yet her desire to please God by excelling in the business world. i love courtney. God loves her, too. more than me. He thinks she's pretty cool, too. i'm sure of it. yay for courtney!\ /this is anna, my youngest sister, who is in middle school and the coolest gymnast and animal sitter in town. i want to honor anna for her refreshing approach to life. i honor her for her ability to see and perceive things around her in a way that others do not. i appreciate anna for her enthusiasm, her love of containers and animals, for her entreupeneural spirit, and for her desire to hear and know the voice of God. anna is amazing and funny and wonderful. i love you, anna!\

/here is a dear friend jacque. i would like to honor jacque as a woman of dignity and quiet grace. she is an amazing listener, and she loves to ask lots of questions without providing pat, oversimplified answers. that takes wisdom. jacque has also proven to be consistent, a quality not to be underestimated. her character has remained true in the six years i have known her. i honor her as a godly friend, wife, and soon-to-be mother. congratulations! i love you, jacque.\
/this is lindsey and her brother brandon. i am honored to know lindsey. she is a lifelong friend and my college roommate. i want to honor lindsey for her love and faithfulness towards me. she is a high school history teacher and so she has to be full of patience, wisdom, and brains - to keep ahead of the tricks high schoolers play these days. she must be pretty cool. and she leaves me the best voicemails ever. they leave me laughing. alone in my apartment. and i'm okay with that. because lindsey is just ridiculous like that. and wonderful. i love lindsey. (did you read that, chikin?)\

/this is liz. liz is currently serving the Lord in russia. i want to honor liz for faithfully walking in the path the Lord has called her and for serving the orphans and needy in st. petersburg. i am thankful for her faithfulness towards me since college days, and how she has held me accountable and challenged me to seek the path that God has for me. i know her service and love for the Lord will produce great and eternal fruit. i praise God for her. i love you, liz.\

/this is melissa. melissa is a 3rd grade teacher right now. i want to honor melissa for her childlike love of God. she has the amazing ability to understand a child's approach to life, which i know makes her a great teacher. i want to honor her for her desire to follow God... she has grown so much - into such a godly young woman - in the time i've known her. i praise God for melissa! i love you, my friend.\/this is shannon and clark. shannon is currently working for a church in va, and i want to honor her as a friend and sister in Christ. shannon and i became friends in the wonderful college years, and she was a shoulder and comfort for me when i was struggling. i praise God for her genuine love and care. i honor her for her desire to please God in all areas of her life. and although i do not know clark, i want to honor him for desiring to capture this amazing young lady's heart. may God prosper and bless them both. may He shower His love and care on them. i love you, shannon.\

/this is stephanie and jarrod. stephanie is currently studying for her nursing degree, and jarrod is an english teacher here in korea. i want to honor stephanie as a lifelong friend and dear sister in Christ. i honor her for her desire to serve God and follow Him wherever He leads- whether it was honduras, korea, virginia, or wherever. i honor her for spurring me on in my own faith and supporting me in my life here in korea.
jarrod, too, is an encouragement, and i want to honor him for eagerly desiring to encourage and challenge everyone he meets to know God and follow Him. jarrod's earnest striving for the heart of God is a blessing and encouragement. i am honored to know this couple, and i want to praise God for them.\

and more to come... send your pics in... ruth.clementson@gmail.com

people. faces. pictures. love.

in coming to korea i was forced to face the korean mentality towards beauty and a person's inherent value. koreans constantly size me up based on my appearance here, and, i have come to realize, they rather harshly size one another up, as well. there is a relentless standard imposed on everyone. in korea, i pass simply because i have a "thin" face, big eyes, and a high nose.

there is another challenge, as well. and that is personal space. koreans do not see the need to give one another space. they cut in front of me and each other without losing step or batting an eye. they shamelessly run, walk, or shove past you and think nothing of it. i have come to realize that it is not necessarily intentional rudeness on their part. it is rather, a complete lack of awareness of those around them.

it does make one think.

today as i was walking to the doctor's i passed a man in a business suit, carrying a briefcase. he was an ordinary, older gentleman. i pass many like him all the time. but this man was different. he was smiling. his face was alive with light. and he acknowledged me. it was just a nod. and a smile. but he was admitting that i existed. that i am alive. that i am another human being. and i could sense that it was not because i was a white girl. i have received plenty of that attention. this was different, and i loved it.

i found myself nodding back at him. and smiling. and even mouthing a 'hello' without thinking of it. i felt proud to be acknowledged.

and so, because i am learning about this wonderful gift we've all been given - the gift of being a wonderful human, created in the image and likeness of God and deserving of respect and dignity - i wanted to honor it. and not just that... but that Jesus came to the earth and died... for you and for me. He seemed to fully believe that each one of us was worthy of His heart and love. that is absolutely amazing.

and so, i wanted to ask you to send me pictures of yourself. yes.... YOU. or you and your spouse. or you and your children. i want to post them on my blog. and i want to write a little something about you.... and say where you live and what you do. or not say, depending on what you prefer. i want to do this because i love you and care about you. and you deserve to be known. and acknowledged.

so please send them to me: my email is ruth.clementson@gmail.com and then give me time, so that i can put them up. hopefully, depending on the response, i can have them up within a week or so of you sending it to me.

it's spring....

so now it's warm... sort of.

with yellow dust coming from china and gusts of wind that blow your face off, we are finally entering spring here in korea. there are flowers blooming, however scraggly. and the sun is starting to shine for longer periods during the day. there is still reason to hope, i encourage my heart!

however, i have had a little bit of a rough week. monday i started feeling itchy, tired eyes - a sure sign of oncoming sickness. tuesday morning i woke without my voice. slept a lot, piddled. wednesday was the trip to my friendly doctor, who said i have an upper respiratory infection and prescribed 4 pills and one liquid medicine. in korea you have to take at least 4 pills to be getting healthier. no less is acceptable, i've decided. more sleep. more rest. chugging tea and water like nobody's business. last night jody bought a humidifier.

awesomeness.

my room now feels like a sauna. how cool is that? where is vicks?!?!

and as of now (thursday evening) my voice has yet to return full-force. i went in and tried to teach my first class today... mrs. kim sent me home. i'll go back to teach my 3rd, and then i'm done for today. i feel like such a slacker, but i don't know what else i can do. without my voice i'm really quite useless.

i know that the Lord has some purpose in everything. the fact that He allows things like laryngitis to be in my life shows that He is doing something. please pray for healing and that i can learn what He wants me to learn through it.

"Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." Micah 7,7

a few overdue pictures from brittany's last tuesday night bible study at my place....

brittany, i love you. and miss you loads.

ddung-chim
(this is what little children do to everyone... yep, they poke you in the butt. it is the most violating thing ever. i renounce it. we have discussions about how this is unacceptable. and still, they think it is the funniest thing ever. please tell me why. i will never understand.)

jeff and grace's birthday... our celebration at church.

jody's and my birthday presents to them. lol

moses and ashley. congratulations to moses on finishing grad school!! hang in there, ashley!

and these are my dear college girlfriends from last fall. i wasn't there for homecoming, but dear lauren (on the far right) sent this card to me, so i have it hanging on my cupboard door.

i just wanted to take a moment to thank God for the friends He has put in my life. i am so thankful for His goodness towards me.