pics to come later.

hello all. i just wanted to connect with you and let you know that jody and i are officially moved into our new place and gradually getting settled in. it has been a whirlwind of a couple of months, but we are hoping that with the end of the spring semester at denver seminary in the next few weeks that life will settle down enough to get everything in its' proper place at home.

really, the move went extremely well. i took off work last thursday and friday and so spent those days painting, vacuuming and moving in the kitchen, pantry and as many of the small items that i could. thankfully, nothing broke as i haphazardly threw dishes and pictures in boxes in the back of my car and drove through SNOW from the apartment over to the duplex. crazy colorado weather! anyway, saturday morning we rented a truck and had help from seminary and church friends (THANKS, GUYS!!!!!) to move all the big items. it took one trip and probably 3 and 1/2 hours to get it all moved in.

Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.
2 samuel 22,50

BIG PTLs (Praise the Lord):

1. we are now living in 1 place - not straddling 2 different places
   
2. we have gotten to paint the place with fun colors and there is so much potential to fix the whole place up... a little at a time! (i'm already thinking... a few new light fixtures, landscaping the little front yard!!!!!)
   
3. we have a second room that we are using as an office - for jody to get some quiet if he needs it.
4. we are right next to the church... stressful commute, i know
5. the change doesn't affect my commute to work at all (same amt of driving time)
6. we get to reach out and love on some new neighbors in englewood. pray for breakthroughs for us!
7. we are closer to the House of Prayer Englewood (HOPE), where God is doing good stuff in uniting the Body of Christ in englewood.
8. there is a small backyard.... i am excited about getting the englewood youth over for BBQs.
9. eu-mi has taken to the adjustment well and is often perched on the back of the sofa to look out the windows. :)
10. jody can get more work done for englewood and doesn't have to stress as much about traveling time back and forth between school and the church.

Please be praying for us to get settled into the new place and for us to stay healthy with our busy schedules. We love you all!
xox
ruth (and jody)

our man-dog

i just wanted to share this picture with you... because it's absolutely hilarious to me. our dog eu-mi is such a funny thing. she has taken to randomly standing on her hind legs as she waits for us - to throw her a ball, to feed her, to do anything... it is an expression of ultimate waiting. jody and i have taken to calling her 'man-dog', because she's started doing things a human should do. like open and close doors with her nose, open up cabinets... and now stand on her hind legs. it's ridiculous.

i love the euminator, and if you got to hang out with her, i know you would, too.

jody and i

golden, colorado

8. april 2010

Stef's Visit

Last week was a very exciting time, because my dear friend, Stefanie came to visit me and Jody. Now why is Stefanie so special, do you ask? Stefanie is special for more reasons that I can think of, but the first that comes to mind is that Stefanie has seen me struggle over several years and she still loves me. Stefanie was one of my first friends in Korea. We met in early 2006 at an English ministry of a large church in Migeum station, about 15 minutes drive from Suji, where we both lived.

As I thought about our history, I realized we have been through a lot together and kept in touch even when apart. (Move your mouse over the following paragraph, and you will be able to click on the links to see when I wrote about those experiences on this blog.) 

We were friends when Korea was crazy over the World Cup. She encouraged me when I arrived back in Korea for my second year and cried like a baby in her and Brittany's apartment. She was there when Jody and I first met and became friends... and when we went hiking together... and the shirt I'm wearing for my first 'date' with Jody is hers.... Stefanie is also the first person I told when Jody had proposed... we were, after all, heading over to her apartment that Friday evening when Jo popped the question. :) Stefanie was a consolation during our Tuesday night Bible studies, where we confessed struggles, prayed for one another and encouraged each other to keep pressing on. She was there the day of our wedding... and back in Korea when we returned to Korea for my third year. She has celebrated Thanksgiving with me in Korea. She introduced us to Life Church, where we had community and developed wonderful friendships with amazing people. I praise God for Stefanie!

And so, last Tuesday, Stefanie came to Denver and visited Jody and me. Sadly, Jody received a jury summons - and was selected. So he was gone most of Stefanie's visit (bummer!!!), but nonetheless, we girls had a great time together. We ate Korean food together, took a walk to downtown Littleton, visited Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, and visited the Coors Brewery in Golden. It was a wonderful time together, and I praise God for faithful friends like Stef.

i love you, steffers!

.asleep on the couch.

.personal renewal in Jesus.

once again the house is quiet, and i can think enough to sit down and write. yesterday was good friday, and tomorrow christians all over the world will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. i must say that this year has been a different experience than past celebrations of this wonderful holiday. why? you ask... i have been asking myself this very same question, and after much contemplation, i believe the reason i am so thankful for easter, is because i have a new and greater understanding of my own sinfulness.

at our church i have met many people who have come to the Lord later in life. they grew up without a relationship with the Lord, and after making mess after mess, these people came to the Lord with an obvious awareness of their depravity and their incredible need for the Lord. i, however, came to Jesus as a child. this, i have found, is both a privilege and a challenge. the advantage to this kind of upbringing is that i have been walking with the Lord a long time, and i have seen His hand in me and through me over many, many years (though i am still young). the disadvantage is, i have found, that i can often hold my salvation in contempt. i grow callous to my own sin. i rationalize how my sin isn't as bad as others. spiritual pride isn't as bad as lust. condemnation and arrogance aren't as odious as rebellion and stubbornness. and the list could go on and on.

this past year has been a very humbling experience for me, as seminary has strained our finances and my own faith in the Lord's provision. jody and i have had to work on our communication and ask for forgiveness often - more often than i would have ever imagined. neither of us is close to family, and as i've mentioned before, establishing new friendships is hard work and can be frustrating and discouraging. i think through what i've noticed through all of these struggles is that i can no longer make excuses for my own sin. i am less inclined to want to make excuses for it, or give sin a fancier or more spiritual-sounding name. my sin is just downright ugly and it's just as ugly as others' sin.

so i confess that it is with great joy and humility that i come to the Cross and the Tomb this easter... more so than ever before. i NEED the Cross. i see my need greater and great. without it i am hopelessly lost, and i cling to it with gratitude and a changed heart.

truly, i am a sinner, and i serve a great, great Savior. thank You, Lord for being obedient, even to death on the cross (philippians 2,8).

happy resurrection weekend!

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God!

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down!

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,

Spreads o’er His body on the tree;

Then I am dead to all the globe,

And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.