Jody in Nepal

Jody's off to Nepal!

I just got back from the airport, having dropped Jody off with a team of 11 from Southeast. He is heading on a mission trip from Nov 3-16 to serve alongside an organization called MountainChild at work in the remote areas of the Himalayas. We learned about the organization from our time spent in Korea, as our pastor who started LifeChurch in Korea, Jack Reid, also founded the organization.

Since Jody and I returned to the States and I have been working at Southeast, I was able to introduce MountainChild to the SE Missions/Outreach department. It has been a divine connection, and I'm thrilled to see how God has strengthened the growing partnership. I am sure it has everything to do with a mutual love of the mountains and the deep desire to see God's Kingdom expand to the most unreached of peoples.

In fact, these villages MountainChild is trying to reach really do bring a whole new meaning to the word 'remote.' For some of these peoples, it takes a long bus ride from Kathmandu to a stopping point, and then several days trekking just to get to some of these villages. Incredible. I love MountainChild, and I'm so glad my husband is up for the adventure!

We started marketing the trip at Southeast back in May/June, and I knew from the very beginning that Jody had to go. I mean, it includes all his favorites:

Jesus.
Our friends from Korea who are living in Nepal.
Friends here in Colorado.
Hiking/Trekking.
Mountains.
Did I mention mountains?

Mid-July he made the commitment, and we began the process of preparing him for this trip. God was incredibly faithful, and Jody was able to raise all the support he needed, including covering the cost of the equipment he needed for trekking (though he had a lot of what he needed already from our various adventures over the years). We are humbled and grateful for everyone who has stepped up to support us. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!

I am very excited about this trip from a professional and a personal standpoint (in ministry it's really hard to separate the professional from the personal, because isn't it ALL personal?!), as the team will be doing several things. First, they will be constructing a bio-sand water filtration system at MountainChild's newly acquired School of Frontier Missions right outside Kathmandu (seen in picture below).

Then, the team will be trekking into the remote village of Gatlang to assess the needs of a clean water facility there, as well as do an assessment of any other long-term needs there. Thirdly, there will be a soccer camp for the children in the slums of Kathmandu, using awesomely indestructible soccer balls that we purchased from One World Futbol Project.

As always, our heart and MountainChild's mission is that through such tasks as providing clean water, hygiene and sanitation training, and ultimately through all of MountainChild's 5 CORE ISSUES (Health, Education, Trafficking, Child Labor, and the Environment), that the Gospel might be preached and the name of Jesus would be heard and proclaimed to people that have never heard of Him!

Here's a few glimpses of the awesomely precious faces they'll see when they trek in to Gatlang.

Please be praying for Jody and for the team. And for me and the dogs and chickens... that we don't get too lonely around here. ;)

Glimpses of God's Bigger Plan

Do you ever wonder what God is up to, and if He really knows what He's doing? I know I have. I like to say that sometimes I've got some really great ideas about how things should turn out, and that maybe He should listen to me. (Ha!) But usually those plans end up biting me in the butt, and I am reminded that God is on the throne; He knows what He's doing, and He really does have a 'Big Plan' that He's working out. Sometimes He even allows me glimpses of what He's doing behind the scenes. And - in the meantime - I must exercise faith and wait upon Him and His timing.

2007
When Jody and I returned to Korea in 2007 as a newly married couple, we settled in an international church called LifeChurch at the time that met at in international school in Suwon. The founding pastor of the church, Jack Reid had also founded an organization called MountainChild that serves the unreached people groups of the Himalayas. At the time, Korea served as his home base, and several teams from LifeChurch went on trips to Nepal to work alongside the organization. The church - now called The Nations International Church is still alive and kicking. Several of our friends still go there (We miss y'all!) 

But I digress... Back to MountainChild. So, a couple whose lives often intersected with ours in Korea - John and Soyon Thompson - ended up moving to Kathmandu and serving with MountainChild full time. The backstory on our friendship with them is here.

Fast forward a few years....

2010

I had been working at Southeast Christian Church, in Parker, CO for a few years, and I begin to see that the driving force of Missions here at Southeast seemed to align quite well with the work of MountainChild. I asked John and Soyon to send me some promotional materials for the work of MountainChild. They did, and those materials sat on my desk for probably a year, as I waited for the right time to present them to my boss Steve as a potential partnering organization for Southeast.

2011
Last fall, I finally felt peaceful about handing those promotional materials to Steve, praying that if it was right, God would make it clear if MountainChild would be a good fit.

2012
Jack and his family were in Denver for a short spell, and I was able to connect him with Steve and two young men in the church who are interested in the work of MountainChild.We had lunch and were able to hear from Jack all about the work that MC does in the Himalayas.

This November we're sending a small team to check it out. Yay!

I am excited and humbled that God would use me to intersect lives and ministries in His Kingdom. We'll see if it goes anywhere... but in the meantime, I am excited and slightly jealous. So wish I could go, too! :)

.mosaic.

our wonderful church in korea - lifechurch - opened up a beautiful new cafe near jeongja station in bundang a few weeks ago. if you are in seoul and looking for a relaxing place to hang out, this cafe is wonderful! and the coffee prices are much lower than the surrounding shops in jeongja. also, the cafe is a good place to hold bible studies or small group meetings.

jody and i were at mosaic for the 'grand opening' on august 23rd. it turned out to be a fabulous night. jody had fun talking and i had fun behind the counter helping the staff make the drinks and teaching them how to steam milk to perfection!

Saturday Get-Together

One Saturday a month Jody and I spend time with the Suji members of our church. It is a wonderful time to see good friends and to encourage each other. This past Saturday, Jody and I went over to Brad and Belle's place, where Brad and Jo did some talking/playing games, and Belle and I did some talking/home-baking. It was so wonderful. Little by little, others trickled in, and we played a game of tumbling monkeys and Billionaire, the card game. For dinner we all headed out to a good duck restaurant. All in all, it was a big group of us - with some new faces in there.

One couple, Dorothy and Mike (in the second picture - the redhead and the guy with the green jacket) came up from the south of Korea and they later spent the night at our apartment. It was so exciting to be able to host people and to know that they had everything they needed!

here's the duck being grilled for all of us. the numbers of side dishes was out of this world. phew!

here were my side dishes. that red paste is really yummy. and all the side-dishes can go on a leaf, along with some of the duck and kimchi, which you can see cooking on the grill (along with mushrooms and slices of potato). it was a light meal, but very tasty!

Yay for spending time with friends!

happy easter!

jody and i celebrated a wonderful easter this year. it was a wet and gray day, but it was full of love and joy! we went to church and heard the message that never gets old. Jesus has saved us from our sins. He is no longer dead. He is RISEN! it was so encouraging to be with such a wonderful body of believers and to celebrate. now, more than ever, i am thankful for all that God has done in my life.

the children performed a special song during the service, and i wish the video feature was working on blogger, because i was trying to upload it. but alas, a picture will have to do. their message was perfect:

God so loved the world,

that He gave

His one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him

will not die
but have everlasting life.

i couldn't have said it better myself!

after the service, there was a baptismal service in the swimming pool (the perks of having church in an international school!), where three people shared how they decided to follow Jesus Christ and how they wanted to make a public confession of their faith in Him. it was so wonderful and exciting! what amazes me is that it never gets old. everyone's story is different. their struggles vary, but i am always encouraged to know that God is alive and actively working the lives of people. yay!

after the baptisms, there was a buffet lunch. good times, but i had to admit - it was a strange mix of korean and 'western' food. ha!

i know jody would dearly love for you to appreciate his korean bling. yes, the tie does sparkle. and yes, we match (sort of).

after that we went and saw a movie at the CGV movie theater in the shinsaegae mall in jukjeon (just a subway stop away from suji) with brad and belle. we got a few pictures out on the roof of the building in honor of the easter tradition of taking family photos.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Matthew 28,5-10

Praise the Lord, He is Risen!