A Little Update in the Beens' lives...

At the moment, Jody is in Osaka, Japan. He has gone on a 36 hour run to get his visa, and he should, Lord willing, return this evening. I saw him off to the airport limousine here in Suji yesterday morning and heard from him when he'd gone through customs at the Incheon airport. Apparently Americans can only stay in Korea on a tourist visa for 30 days, not 90 like we had thought. Woops!

The trip should be a tight one for him, as it takes 24 hours to process the visa. I hope he will not have to miss his flight and catch a later one.

Once he has his visa, Jody will start working on Monday, the 3rd. He has yet to observe any classes and knows only that he'll probably have to wing it those first few days. Also, it is very Korean for things to change last-minute. So nothing is set in stone, as Westerners tend to think. We talk and negotiate, we decide and shake hands on the deal. The deal is done. Finished. And your word is everything. If you don't fulfill your promise, you are not trustworthy. Here, it is not the same. Jody's boss has thrown him some curveballs already, and so we're praying for grace and wisdom, as well as favor in this beginning phase of his job. Pray for him.

I, on the other hand, am plugging away at my teaching. My first class is 6 children all around 9 years old. And they're as silent as the grave. We're working on getting them to talk and to be more creative. Please pray for creativity. Children in Korea are robots and do not know how to think creatively at all. It is the greatest tragedy, and I'm desperately in need of new ideas.

My second class is 9 children - far more advanced in speaking and understanding - and much more confident in their English. My old students Danny, Nina, Bryant and David are in there. The five other children are from Korean classes. These children are almost out of control. I am praying for wisdom in dealing with their behavior, because they are so unkind to one another. They are concerned only with being #1, and they will laugh at each other's mistakes. It breaks my heart. Mrs. Kim and I are discussing what should be done.

The third block is planning time for me, and I desperately need it. Usually Jody will meet me for dinner at the Korean restaurant downstairs (yay!) and then I return upstairs to grade or type up tests/quizzes, etc.

My last class is my Step 3 advanced class. I have 7 children, ages ~11-13. There are 5 boys and 2 girls. As time has passed and they adjust to my system, they are doing much better. Summaries are slowly improving, quiz grades are decent, and conversation in general is becoming more congenial. I am praying for victory with these children, as well.

Please pray for both Jody and me as we seek to be lights and truly effective teachers in our schools.

So that is all for this update. I should go and get ready for school. Love to you all.

Happy Thanksgiving (a little late)!

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

- Psalm 69,30

So a Belated Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, our dear friends and family! I hope this finds you well and enjoying the goodness of God. We have so much to be thankful for.

Jody and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration at our home this past Saturday. We invited friends who would be missing home and family to come and enjoy some good food with us. It was a potluck meal, so we didn't have to buy the food for everyone. In the end, about 18 people came... and there was more food than we knew what to do with. It was wonderful! We ate, played Scategories, ate, talked, and people got to meet new people. God is soo good!

stefanie, naomi, danielle, and hillary

WE HAD TURKEY!!! YAY!!! and mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberry, and PUMPKIN PIE. most of which is very hard to come by here in the koreas. :) God is SOO GOOD!

christan

john

ji yun, a sweet young woman we've met through her boyfriend, jb.

dan and carrie buller, new friends at our church

then everyone decided to play a few games of scategories...

with chris and alex, whom jody used to work with at AEI. they were teachers in taiwan for a few years and are here to save money before they embark on their trip around the world.

dana and naomi, the serious team

soyon and john

christan, yorda, and jb

and that is all for the pictures from our thanksgiving dinner this year!

meet the newest member of our family, dona

that is, prima dona!!!!!!!!!!!!

after years of treading the sidewalks of korea and watching multiple pairs of shoes bite the dust, a few weeks ago jody and i decided to invest in a hyosung rally prima!! now we own the streets and strike fear into the hearts of those who mill about on the sidewalks. this 50cc beast is more than a sufficient steed.

next time you're on the sidewalk and you hear what sounds like a swarm of killer bees.... WATCH OUT. it could be dona.

The Long-Awaited Tour of the Been Casa

Suwon Fortress... and a Seafood Market

This past weekend Jody and I met up with some friends from our new church (Suwon Life Church) for an adventure. :) Chris and Dana Sikkens are from Canada and Barbados and are starting their second year in Korea. We went hiking around the Hwasong Fortress in Suwon and then we meandered through a market along the road. It was a beautiful fall day, and if there had been any wildlife in Korea, I'm sure they would have been prancing all about. But they've all been eaten, so they weren't.

Oh, before I forget... Jody finally landed the job he's been waiting for! Tonight he signed a contract with an English academy in Suji called SEI. After making a quick trip to Japan to get his visa, he will start working the first week in December. So... we'll be home for Christmas '08! Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying for him. We have been very prayerful and slow in the decision-making process, so we're excited to see what the job holds for him.

Ok... here are some snapshots from the weekend.