The Been Briefing

/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::

/