well, i'm back in suji... jeju was a marvelous time. lauren must be credited for taking most of the pictures (as her digital camera and photography skills are far superior to mine). i i will try and post pictures soon.

i did want to show you my new dryer: ^-^ the floor. since korean custom asks that we leave shoes at the front door, my floor stays relatively clean (apart from the annoyingly consistent dust bunnies, which i faithfully sweep or wipe up).... and so i have a clean conscience about using this method during the cold months. drying outside takes 2-3x longer and they are stiffer in texture.

i dearly love a cup of coffee or tea and a book. currently i'm reading a biography of amy carmichael, which my dear sister rebekah sent me. i have begun taking it with me when i go to work out, and i read it on the bike. the beautiful coffee mug is a gift from my beloved bonquisha. bon bon, i use it all the time!
and here is my christmas stocking (from lauren). it's just too cute to put away, so i've still got it hanging on my bathroom door. :)

and not to forget my christmas tree... still standing (or shall i say 'leaning'?) in the corner of my room. it stands a whole 8 inches tall.... and i'm prodigiously proud of it. it reminds me of my family's christmas tree from the christmas of 2001 - the year of the fire, the rental house, rebekah's wedding preparations, and one of josh's hospitalizations. what a difficult time that was! anyway... we had a mini christmas tree that year, and i think we still have it back at home. such a vivid reminder of what is important in our lives. Jesus... and those He has given us to love and serve. :)

last week, in honor of solal (the chinese new year), ERC held a competition for all the kids in the 6:40 and 8:00 classes learning a song by Westlife called My Love. honestly, i'd never heard of the group before, much less the song, but by the end of the week i think i could have sung the song backwards and forwards in my sleep. here are the kids all crammed in my room practicing the lyrics, with the song blasting from a burned CD playing on my laptop. what fun!

and here is a present from

amy in my first class: three different types of wafers. they remind me of some i had in slovakia. yummy!

some of the kids love my hair. they are amazed at all the twists and "curls," even when i tell them it takes me a whole 2 minutes to pull it up. :)

the pictures from this past weekend at jeju will take up a whole other post, so i wanted to fill you in on everything else... the superfluous, yet fun, details.

a good deal has been changing with my classes. wendy has moved up to my first class, and i am so encouraged by her progress. many of the children in my second class are advancing enough that mrs. kim and i have spoken of gradually "graduating" them to my first class. caleb continues to improve both in heart and academics. he is becoming one of my dearest children. when we had a new student (tony) come into my second class today, i encouraged all of my kids to be kind and loving to tony. throughout the class i saw caleb trying to be the bigger brother and show tony the ropes ("here, only english! you listen to miss ruth and then write the words down," etc..). he even gave tony a piece of gum. i was so proud of him, and told him so. what is so interesting is that his (caleb's) older brother stephen is absolutely uncontrollable. the other teachers don't want to take him, and gina (stephen's current teacher) has been known to walk out of the room in distress "i just can't control him!" ... but i just look at caleb and remember how uncontrollable he was 5 months ago. now that wild, undisciplined and rebellious little one is showing love and kindness to others, staying behind to finish his homework early, and improving his handwriting because he knows i'll tell him to rewrite it and rewrite it again until he gets it right. he's learning! and when i see the change, i can only praise God. He has worked a miracle in this boy's life... as for tony, we'll have to see if he can stick it out in my class. he didn't say a word during the class and seemed rather subdued compared to the impudent behavior i have usually seen in him in the lobby.

my step 3 has also undergone a most dramatic change in the past few weeks. one of the students from esther's class (the highest level taught by a korean teacher, level 10) graduated to come to my class: gabriella. she's a dear heart with a teachable spirit. there's definitely room to grow, but she's got the right stuff to make it, i think. she made student #6. annie and jackie are middle school students, and i hope they will continue beyond their winter vacation. in the past two days i have gotten two younger boys - both having learned english overseas. one boy, alex, spent 7 years in texas, but he's still only 9 or 10 years old. he might be a little young to be in my class. another - justin - just came today for the first time. he lived in singapore for 4 years and seems to be a most capable young man (11 or 12 years old). anyway, i'm curious to see what the dynamics are going to be like with 4 boys and 4 girls ages 9-14.

please be praying that the Lord would be present in my classes, filling me with His Spirit, giving me wisdom in how i teach, and drawing all my students to Himself. may they know Him! pray for love, peace, and order to reign. pray my children's hearts will be softened towards me and one another, and that they will desire to learn english and that indeed they will progress rapidly. pray for life, joy, and the freedom of Christ to be there.

BIG NEWS: my washing machine is fixed. hallelujah! no more dancing machine in the laundy room. ^^ and guess what i have discovered? the heated floor makes a wonderful dryer. :) will post pics later.

my quads and hamstrings are killing me from my workout. arrghhhh. ^-^

tomorrow mrs. kim and i need to take a trip to the suwon immigration office to reconfirm that i am legally allowed to be here. thankfully i still have my original diploma. apparently, a few months back the korean government sent a fairly large number of english teachers back home, who were not qualified to be working here. many hogwans, eager to have foreign bodies standing in front of their classes, will sign on anyone who looks foreign. (financially their businesses will do much better with foreign teachers. parents like their children to study with foreigners.) anyway, the korean educational system makes america's look like the most ingenious invention of all time. :)

on saturday lauren and i are flying with mrs. kim and her son to jejudo (Jeju Island - a tropical island south of the mainland) - from saturday to monday for solal - the chinese new year. the holiday is actually a bigger deal here in korea than our new year. everyone returns to their hometown, and i hear there's lots of deep bowing to the grandmothers. more on that later.... we only get a 3 day weekend, though. bummer. :p everyone here in korea wants to go to jeju, so i am honored that mrs. kim would invite me and thrilled that i get to have lauren along.

will post pictures and exciting things when i get back. please continue to write, email, and skype. i love and miss you all!!

Will not the End explain

The crossed endeavor, earnest purpose foiled,

The strange bewilderment of good work spoiled,

The clinging weariness, the inward strain;

Will not the End explain?

Meanwhile He comforteth

Them that are losing patience; 'tis His way.

But none can write the words they hear Him say,

For men to read; only they know He saith

Kind words, and comforteth.

Not that He doth explain

The mystery that baffleth; but a sense

Husheth the quiet heart, that far, far hence

Lieth a field set thick with golden grain,

Wetted in seedling days by many a rain;

The End - it will explain.

-amy carmichael

"oh marilla, i'm in the depths of despair!"

(silence, a raised eyebrow from marilla)

"have you ever been in the depths of despair, marilla?"

"no. to despair is to turn your back on God."

anne of green gables

oh my broncos! (a ragged sigh escapes my lips)

in mourning. and yet consoled by the fact that i'm not amidst the empassioned frustrations of the family at home. i can hear dad and luke now... i can just hear and envision it all. take heart, guys! there's always next year. (a supressed sob)

btw, linds, your grieving ecard nearly sent me over the edge. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

my broncos are playing the steelers tomorrow at 7am (korean time.... 3pm sunday afternoon mountain time in colorado), and i'm already biting my nails and praying.

really wishing my tv actually worked. (it's currently taking up space in my closet.) .... so i'll have to content myself to "watching" the AFC Championship game on the NFL website, which updates the games play-by-play.

hey... terrell davis is rooting for his old team. .... it gives me comfort.

ok. it's late and the washing machine repairman is coming in the morning.

goodnight mittens.
goodnight mouse.
goodnight bears sitting in chairs.
goodnight stars.

goodnight moon. :)

I have become the Journal Proofreading Fiend. I am amazing! (lol)

Here are some examples from the journals (before I tore them apart) ahahahaha!:

I went to the dental surgery, because I have an irregular set of teeth. (age 9, maybe)

and

Today my uncle brought the turkey from the country. The turkey was living. Soon the turkey killed my uncle. I think about a poor turkey, and the turkey eat the my grandfather. I think the turkey is too poor.

what?!?! lol


my cell phone died on tuesday, because i accidently didn't seal the lid to my water bottle. i found a puddle of water on my floor (from my workout bag) and my cell sitting in the water in my bag. oh joys! that is why i am refusing to become addicted to a cell even here in majorly-technologically-hooked-up korea. so right now mine is at the cell-phone hospital. it's kind of nice not being on that leash. ;)


and i think i need a new washer. mine is wild and crazy. not to be trusted for actually washing my clothes. or spinning afterwards to actually get the water out. LOL.


the other day in a spare moment i heard wendy say, "alrighty then..." wendy is 6 1/2 years old. i nearly keeled over. who says kids don't mimic their elders? LOOOOOOOOOOOL. i stared at her in shock and started laughing. she repeated it a couple more times for the effect.


caleb continues to be ridiculous. i found out that he really doesn't like his picture to be taken. i got one by stealth, though.


my step 3 kids are learning passive voice right now, and i've never heard so much sighing in all my life. you would have thought they were facing the chopping block. i decided to have a little fun with them tonight, so i sat in my reading chair, had them spread out a warm blanket on the floor, and i read them some Little Critter books. just like my kindergartners. hehee.


have i ever told you that koreans whine? well, they do. all ages. when i get back to the states ask me to imitate it for you, okay? lol.

Here's a Mile High Salute to my beloved Denver Broncos. 

They defeated the Patriots this past weekend 27-13! Kudos to Champ Bailey for that nice return and to all those on the special teams for making good on those turnovers.

We've made it to the AFC Championships!!!! Home field advantage (Make it loud, Mile High fans...) against the Pittsburgh Steelers, next Sunday!!!!!

Oh.. I hear from my mom that my brother Chris called home to gloat. Apparently he may be getting tickets for the game. I could strangle him now.

As for my world (far far away from the American football frenzy that I know is taking place in the Clementson household in Midlothian, VA) this weekend was a bear, but it is driving me closer and closer to the Lord. There have been such moments of desperation for Him lately! The word I am reminded of constantly is in 1 Samuel 30. The Amalekites had invaded and taken the wives and children of King David and his men.... and so they were all in great distress.

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. (1 Samuel 30,6)

What a profound statement! what amazing faith David possessed! That amidst such despair David chose to take heart and remember who His God was and who he was in his Lord. Although I have not been attacked by the Amalekites or lost wives (good heavens, no!) or children, I recognize the need to, like the author of Lamentations (probably Jeremiah), recall to mind the wonderful things God has done in my life and be encouraged in Him. While my circumstances and feelings are constantly fluctuating, He does not change. Praise His Name!

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

(Lamentations 3,21-26)

So what happened this weekend??? Saturday morning Mrs. Kim and I met at Little John's English Bookstore in Suwon (about 5 minutes from Lauren's apartment). We shopped for textbooks for my first two classes, as well as vocabulary books for all the kids. The Mercer Mayer Little Critter books are such a hit with all the younger kids that we got all the books we don't have already. As for actual English "textbooks" .... it's a real challenge to find quality reading books, but we finally settled on one that I hope will work for both my first and second classes. This next week is a trial run. After that, Mrs. Kim and I drove to Migeum, where I introduced her to TGI Friday's ... quesadillas, fajitas, nachos! YUMMMMM! She asked me, "Is this traditional American food?" I almost started rolling. Do we have traditional American food? 

Afterwards I met up with Laura and Grace (a Korean friend from church) and we went to Kyobo bookstore in Gangnam. I have wanted to go for a while. It has a rather large selection of English books and I bought two classics: Cervantes Don Quixote and Tolstoy's War and Peace. They were the largest books I could find, so they'll keep me busy for a while! Plus, I'm tired of hearing and seeing allusions to quixotic behavior and not understanding what it means. lol. Then we took the subway to Yangjae station to visit the Onnuri church's Saturday night service. A Messianic Jew and his wife were visiting, and he led a wonderful time of worship. It was so great; he sang Psalms that he's been putting to music in both English and Hebrew... and an accomplished violinist accompanied him playing on a 200 year old violin. WOW. It was a wonderful time full of God's blessing and presence.

Yesterday afternoon a bunch of us girls took the subway to Seobingo station (1 1/2 hours on the subway to the northern part of Seoul) to visit the main Onnuri church, a place I have also wanted to visit. It was really great to visit. There were quite a few foreigners, which was cool. I'm always shocked to see them, forgetting that I, too, am just as foreign as they are!

Well, I have a great deal of grading to do.. and morning is coming soon. I hope this finds you well and encouraged in the Lord. He is faithful. May we call upon His name, knowing full well He hears the cry of our hearts!

An Update

• I just got back from my first Korean lesson of the New Year. Nancy kindly took me to a Korean restaurant for brunch, and we ate and studied together. I fear I lack the motivation and energy needed to be truly successful in the language.... but she was encouraging. She said I read almost like a Korean, so just maybe there's hope.

• Today I'm testing my Step 3 class on our last A to Z Mystery book.

• Sent out monthly update last night.

• Meeting Andy (GEM worship leader) tonight in Migeum to start practicing the song I'll be singing for Diane and William's wedding next month. Apparently it will be the processional song, and he said it is for an alto. Why this strange foreboding....? lol.

The guests at a certain hotel were being rendered uncomfortable by repeated strumming on a piano, done by a little girl who possessed no knowledge of music. They complained to the proprietor with a view to having the annoyance stopped. "I am sorry you are annoyed," he said. "But the girl is the child of one of my very best guests. I can scarcely ask her not to touch the piano. But her father, who is away for a day or so, will return tomorrow. You can then approach him, and have the matter set right." When the father returned, he found his daughter in the reception-room and, as usual, thumping on the piano. He walked up behind the child and, putting his arms over her shoulders, took her hands in his, and produced some most beautiful music. Thus it may be with us, and thus it will be, some coming day. Just now we can produce little but clamor and disharmony, but one day the Lord Jesus will take hold of our hands of faith and prayer and use them to bring forth the music of the skies.

(Author unknown)

Christmas Eve at the Orphanage. The Pitmans. Teaching.

i confess i'm thorougly exhausted, so i just wanted to post some pictures! here is lauren in all her christmas eve glory. :)

at the orphanage... there was lots going on, as we were all coming in and bringing the gifts that GEM members provided for the children. sorry for the blurriness! in the center of the shot is the orphanage "momma." she's a rock.



here's intaek kim playing with one of the boys. i have found during my visits that the surest way to win their hearts is to tickle and rough-house. they need a horse, they need someone to chase them... they need someone to play with them in a way that does not involve performance. please continue to pray for wisdom for the most effective way to reach these little ones.



markus and david. markus is the 2nd oldest at the orphanage, and the most gentle boy ever. so kind and capable. like a big bear! yesterday he told me he wants to be a neurosurgeon. i immediately began thinking of ways i could help make that possible.... if anyone has contacts with dr. ben carson or somebody, just let me know. there's a boy here in korea who has a dream. david is a graduating senior here in korea and a member at GEM. great guy!



here i am with kim yaesl. she was the first to reach out to me and climb into my lap my first time to the orphanage. isn't she absolutely beautiful? those eyes. of all the younger children, she shows the most interest in singing songs and writing her ABCs. we haven't quite moved to the stage of systematically practicing english, though. we really need the Lord's direction for how to best use the time we spend there. most of these kids show little interest in learning english, and i certainly don't want to force that on them. other than that, we just play inside with them, and even that can be hard with 20 people crammed in a small apartment.
i apologize for the bad lighting and overall poor quality of the pictures, but our visit was not long, and the pictures were taken in haste.



i am sorry to say that i don't remember her name, but here i am with the "momma." she's so amazing, this woman. and did i mention she has a beautiful voice? also worth mentioning... the shawl i am wearing is a gift from sehwan and phil for christmas. at first i didn't know what it was! if i were to wear it in the states i would be taken out of fashion city and stoned, but here it's actually quite fashionable. i figure i'll get my use out of it while i can. :) and the cards that the boys wrote to go with the present were priceless. lol



christmas eve. dave played christmas carols on his saw for us. pretty amazing, huh? yeah... i love dave and winnie so much!


the starbucks travel coffee press is an absolutely heavenly gift from rachel, my starbucks shift from back home. thank you, rach. i use it all the time and love it! the card is from danny in my first class - in the same font (comic sans) that is used for english on all cards and stationery here in korea. :) the tangerine is basically like our clementine, as i mentioned in the last post. i LOVE them (as my roommate linds would say, like nobody's business)! and this drink is a peach juice, which actually has peach chunks in it. i was a little surprised when i took my first sip!



i love my pencil sharpener. i'm considering smuggling it home with me. my kids know i love using it, so they've taken to giving me their pencils so i can sharpen 'em for them. lol. and to think i thought it was hideous when i first saw it. amazing how something can grow on you. :)



here's esther in my pajamas. :) cute, isn't she? we're about to watch the first half of the long Pride and Prejudice, complete with subtitles. i was impressed... really impressed with her level of understanding. we have yet to finish the second half. but that's for another sleepover!



wendy is absolutely engrossed in watching a bug's life on my laptop while waiting for her dad to come pick her up. i have seen tremendous progress in her english since she started 4 months ago. i love this girl!



there's only one word for this boy. ridiculous. but you have to admit, he's a pretty smart kid. btw, the sign he painstakingly prepared for me reads, 'miss ruth! on friday i will go on a trip. but i'll go to ERC.' not bad for a 6 year old, eh?

ok, i'm falling over in my chair. goodnight.

my thoughts

there's a weird noise coming from my washing machine. i think there's something wrong with it. and it still hasn't finished the washing cycle that began this morning. it always stops and this red light starts blinking. i'm not sure what's wrong with it, or why it's started to do that. i haven't changed anything! arrrrrgh!

• my jar of peanut butter is getting low. it might be time to go to cosco again.
•  i'm addicted to the barley bread at paris baguette. for w1600 i have the most heavenly-smelling bread for the week. 
• the tangerines in season right now here in korea are one of the best things they have going for them. easy-to-peel, no seeds. sweet and juicy. emily and i have been known to consume four or five apiece without blinking an eye.
•  i love nutella.

tonight i asked mrs. kim how many students are at ERC now, especially with the flood of traffic this past week. 130, she said. when i arrived at the beginning of september there were maybe 70 students, so it has almost doubled in four months. and the capacity level for our small facility is only 180! for having been in operation only six months, God has truly blessed ERC here in suji. may He continue to guide us, strengthen us, and give us wisdom and love to teach these children. oh, i forgot to mention. i have two new students in my last class. two girls named annie and jackie. they're precious. i hope they don't just fade out... i really like them.


so what have i been doing lately? i've been holed up in my apartment every available moment reading first a book that my friend alex sent me called peace like a river, by leif enger. excellent book. i highly recommend it. also reading a book my sister sent me on amy carmichael of dohnavur. wow. powerful stuff. i find myself so identifying with her and her struggles. but more on that later, perhaps. i just finished a trilogy set by ted dekker that my mom sent me for christmas. the books are called black, red, and white. :) ... i just finished reading the third book not five minutes ago, and now i'm feeling the familiar mix of satisfaction and sadness - satisfaction on having finished reading a great story, and sadness that it's over (until i read them again!). i think i finished the three books in a record 15 hours (broken up by sleep and working full days, of course). let me record a few of my thoughts from the previous nights.

"ruth, you really need to get to bed. it's almost 2am."

"i know, i know. but i just can't stop now! thomas is in the village and chelise just might consent to drown in the red pools! it's just getting good..."

"okay, okay. but only this one chapter. then you need to turn the light out and GO TO BED. you'll pay for it in the morning."

"i know! but what if this chapter is short? ... OKAY already! i know you're right. my eyes are burning."

ok. bedtime. :)

9:42pm

so i just found out from mrs. kim that our school is not doing a winter program. Hallelujah.. halle - hallelujah! LOL.

however, a few new students have joined my classes for the month of vacation, so i may have to divide the classes by ability... we'll see how it all pans out. anyway, i'm SO thankful that mrs. kim didn't succumb to the societal pressure to have a winter program just so that our hogwan looks like we're a happenin' place.

10:00 am

the other night on the subway with lauren i began thinking aloud... why is it that some people face struggles and they overcome, while others crumble? part of it could be the nature of the struggle itself. or is it the character of the individual?

the reason for these thoughts is twofold. my freshman year of college i took my first ESL course, during which i was required to research ESL in a certain country and prepare a 10 week sample lesson plan. i chose south korea. since ESL is a new field, one of the few places to find resources is on the web, but when i began looking i found perfect horror stories from teachers who came to korea. i did my research, prepared my lesson plans and presented my tri-fold board to my professor, but i had pretty much made up my mind that i would never teach ESL in south korea. LOL. you have to admit, the Lord does have a sense of humor.

since coming here, however, i have seen a mixed bag of experiences. some love it, some have very nebulous feelings and aren't sure if they want to stay longer, and still others (a fair number, actually) don't even make it through their 12 month contract. why is that?

and the other part (remember, i had two reasons.) was when i saw the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe on new year's eve. i thought a lot about the children's individual attitudes and the way they responded to the repercussions of their father at war as a reflection of their personal character. lucy had that wonderful childlike faith, but edmond was sullen and chose to take offense at everything. in comparing that to korea, it would be very easy for a westerner to look down on korean ways of life. even to be sullen at being bound to this culture while living and working here under contract. and while i understand completely some of the cultural challenges being difficult, i do not want to have the edmond-like character qualities in facing those differences.

so all these thoughts were in my head as i went to church yesterday morning. pastor bob spoke from joshua 1.

5"No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7"Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 9"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

i am reminded to take heart and be strong and courageous here in korea. to take heart and to spend more time meditating on the Word. i love the conditionality of God's promises. (ok, so it's a slight digression, but bear with me: God is incredibly logical. if you repent, I will forgive you. if you read my Word and do what it says, I will bless your life. incredibly logical. i love it! everything makes such sense!!) anyway, pastor bob also spoke on numbers 13, which narrates the story of the 12 spies who reported to moses and the people of israel on what they'd seen in the land "flowing with mild and honey." only joshua and caleb spoke with courage: we can overcome these people! the other ten did not believe.... and so did not see the Promised Land. only joshua and caleb lived to see their people subdue the land and live there.

may i not be like the other ten, who did not have faith, but to be like joshua and caleb (whose name, btw, means "bold")... please pray for me to have eyes and a heart of faith while i am here in korea, that i would grow in all the ways the Lord desires and that i would have an overcoming spirit. and please pray that my times with the Lord would be incredibly rich with His presence and His Spirit.

thank you!!!

today i start back at teaching. bummer. LOL.

Happy New Year!!!

lauren, sooyeon, and i had a wonderful evening... we ate two dinners :) and watched The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

now lauren and i are camping out in my apartment and deciding our new year's resolutions. hehe

Yay!

2006

when i'm reading a good book it's so hard to hold out for the ending. when i used to read the hardy boys and nancy drews, i was always so tense to know how they would finish... haha.

how about you?
do you wait until the last page, or do you flip there beforehand?

Ruth's Vacation from Teaching Commences...

For 5 days. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I do believe I hear the Hallelujah chorus in the background....

Tomorrow Mrs. Kim, Hannah, and I are going to visit the Yeongtong branch of ERC. That means I will get to observe a class or two of Lauren's (yay!). Mrs. Kim also mentioned a special 'galbi' dinner. Sounds marvelous. More Korean delicacies. Wooohooo. I'm sure you can hear the excitement in my voice.

I had a really great Christmas weekend, by the way. Dave and Winnie hosted Lauren and me for Christmas Eve dinner, a movie, a sleepover, and after church on Christmas Day for lunch, the 2nd half of Ben-Hur on TV, a much-needed nap, and the most scrumptious dinner. I am so thankful for their overwhelming love and support. They are now off to Mongolia for a week and half with their son Marvin and his girlfriend. How cool is that? Mongolia.....

And to you all: thank you all for your packages, emails, and cards. I love them so much and have read them over and over again. They have meant a great deal to me, especially with the difficulties of last week. I was feeling so guilty that I didn't send out presents or cards, but I realized that I was so incredibly overwhelmed... that I would have to content myself with the consistency of my blog being my gift to you all. It requires a fair amount of time, and while I love to do it, I feel it is the best way I can show you I love you... by allowing you a snapshot of my world here in Korea.

Oh yes... skype, anyone? It's free. Let me know if you want to talk.

Did i mention it's free? ^-^

www.skype.com

Merry Christmas!!!

this precious little one is danny, in my second class.
right now it's late friday night... and i feel like i've been run over by a mack truck. several times. i did not know it was possible for the muscles in my back and neck to be so tight ... and this even after esther spent a few minutes after dinner tonight working on some knots.

i must confess this past week has been an incredibly stressful week for me. perhaps one of the most stressful weeks since i've been here in korea. mrs. kim was busy hiring and training two new teachers (part-time i think), especially in preparation for the rush of winter students who attend hogwans during their winter vacation. and since i am the sole foreign teacher at this school, my class is a huge magnet for parents and their children students. i feel a good deal of pressure to perform well - especially on the days we celebrate holidays. i had to buy all the decorations for the school, as well as goodies for my classes' Christmas parties. today we didn't do any "work" ... just eat lots of unhealthy food and have fun. :) who ever knew having fun could be so exhausting?

here are danny and amy, from my first class. their mothers are friends, and they attend another school together. both these children are at the top of their respective classes, but i must honestly say that i am often heartbroken at various displays of pride and self-entitlement. they are precious children... i just think too many people tell them they are smart. the less than godly part of me wants to give them a lesson in failure. but oh dear, that will never do! if i would ask for prayer, it would actually be more for their mothers, who are too competitve for their child's progress. mrs. kim and i are of like mind: it is more important to us that the children are emotionally healthy and they know we love them. once that is accomplished, learning english will be fun and come far more naturally. 

i did not want to neglect to update you on little andy, who was causing me such grief only a few weeks ago. mrs. kim and i had decided on an ultimatim: if he did not show much progress on an emotional level by monday (two weeks ago now), she would refund his mother and he would be free to leave without much loss. monday last week he showed up to class and was a perfect angel. mrs. kim and i shook our heads in amazement. "what happened?!" since then andy has become one of my most endearing students, racing into my classroom with an excited voice full of anticipation "hello, miss ruth!!!" a few times since then i have seen that lower lip start to quiver, but he has stiffened himself and held those crocodile tears in with amazing self-control. now he is writing complex sentences and using fairly difficult english words CORRECTLY in those sentences. not only that, but andy's MOTHER is no longer hovering. in fact, i rarely see her now, and mrs. kim says that apart from her initial concern about andy's emotional abilities in my classroom she has voiced no complaints. praise God!!!!! this really is a situation the Lord has completely redeemed for His glory, and i know that no one else can receive any accolades for it. still, i do want to thank all of you who prayed for this little bump in the road. 




so last night after work i went to bundang to crash at dave and winnie's place with laura. she was picking up a 5:30 bus for incheon airport to head back to the states for christmas. i arrived at their doorstep feeling slightly less than 100%... (i forgot to mention that i had my first big emotional breakdown the other night, on top of consistently feeling sick no matter how much sleep or good food i get.) we prayed for each other and sang a few christmas carols... then promptly fell asleep. 

today was basically parties... the mothers really chipped in, which took a huge load off of me. we had 2 cakes!! and with mrs. kim and i buying snacks we were loaded with the goods to keep these kids happy. :) many of my children gave me the cutest and most hilarious cards... i think i will keep them forever. and the parents (especially of the kids in my 2nd class) are so supportive of me. over the past 4 months they have begun to see how much i love their children, and how much their english abilities have improved. i am thankful for their encouragement, at least... because sometimes i wonder if these children (or their parents) know how much i love them. they could never guess how much i care for them. how much i pray for them how much i pour myself out for them.... of course there are definitely moments of great achievement, like tonight when i read sehwan's christmas card (signed "your ridiculous student sehwan") .... ahhhhh, he's learned the most important word in the english language. yesssssss! i could die happy!!! or when phil writes "Merry Christmas Miss Ruth! I liked your class very much (seriously)." LOOOOL. or when john hands me a bottle of starbucks mocha frappuccino. yay! so these kids DO listen to me in class.. hehehe

during my last class a really exciting thing happened. i was just going to show The Princess Bride to my students, but when the students from the other classes saw all the food we had in our classroom they began trickling into my class... and in the end most of them stayed to watch the movie and pig out on the food. it made for a delightful night.

mrs. kim seemed thoroughly pleased with how the kids responded to the "movie night" in my class, and she seemed most intent that it be repeated more often in the future. in hindsight, i think this must be what it's like to "birth" something into existence. but let me explain. for the past few weeks now i have been incredibly burdened with a dissatis-faction for the way many koreans do not know how to rest. while some people are taking winter vacation, korean hogwans offer special programs for english improvement on top of the normal schedule, which leaves the teachers like me working an insane number of hours and the poor kids never have any time just to be kids and play. so i was stressed all week long, but when i saw how the kids really seemed to let loose tonight and have a great time eating and talking and watching the movie.. and seeing how well mrs. kim and the other teachers responded to the whole situation, just maybe i can help encourage mrs. kim as she develops ERC's approach to english-learning here in suji. i pray that coming to ERC will not be a burden for these children, pushing them to an unhealthy extreme like most Korean hogwans. 

all week long i have been listening to Christmas carols (America's 25 Most Popular Christmas Carols - sent from home!), and the words from some of them pierce my heart and bring me to my knees.

O Holy Night
O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees,
O hear the angels' voices!
O night divine,
O night when Christ was born
O night divine,
O night divine,
O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need; to our weakness is no stranger.

Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!

Christ is the Lord!
O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!

what a wonderful, magnificent God i serve! that He who is the Creator of the world did not cling so tightly to His throne, but took on human flesh... became that baby in the manger.... that He might die for my sins and i might know Him, have a deep relationship with Him, and full assurance of eternity spent with Him.
merry christmas, my dear friends...

Christmas decorations ensue.....
As I mentioned before, we did a little decorating at school. I have yet to make that second run to Lotte Mart (I think that'll have to be tomorrow), but here's our little tree in the lobby. Isn't it cute? It looks much better in real life, I think.... :) Mrs. Kim is forever expressing concern that the lights are going to cause a fire. I have had to reassure her on several occasions that with careful attention such a disaster is not likely to occur.

I have made a friend, I believe, with a "halmoni" (grandmother) who lives in the apartment across from mine. She can speak about as much English as I can Korean, but it began with two pears she gave me. I returned the gift with several tangerines. And just yesterday my doorbell rang. She was bringing me kimchi. Oh joy! What am I to do with it? I don't know yet. So while I decide how I'm going to dispose of it, it is stinking up my refrigerator. :) I love my grandmother friend. She's so precious!

I have spoken often of Dave and Winnie Pitman, the missionaries with SIM. Here is a picture of them at their apartment. They have become such a blessing to my life. The past two Saturdays we have done very American movie nights, complete with pizza, pepsi, doritos, pringles, hershey's chocolate, and popcorn. After a full week of Korean food, it's a fun change of routine. Last night we watched an old black and white chick flick Christmas in Connecticut. I've never seen it before, but it was hilarious. Then we watched White Christmas. Oh soo good. I was reminded of my college girls' annual Christmas party. Dear Melissa Seybold was always a proponent of the musical. :)

Dave must be telling a most ridiculous story. He is always cracking jokes. :)


The ladies' mouths are full of chocolate. Hence the less than flattering picture. But we do have a grand time!


Dave... teasingly recommending golf as a delightful sport to watch. And one we should consider more often.... Alas, I'm hopeless.


I am getting ready for Christmas..... prepare Ye the way of the Lord.
Here are shots of Migeum at night. It really is a beautiful place at night - with all the lights and the Christmas decorations.

I am thankful for Bundang. It is not overwhelming like Seoul is, but a comfortable level of busyness. Without a doubt, Saturday traffic shows it to be a well-travelled place, but it lacks the oppressive traffic and busyness that characterizes Gangnam station in the center of Seoul. And that my church should be only a busride away is truly a gift.


I have forgotten to mention- Laura has actually decided to return to Korea after a two week trip back home. She met with her recruiter some weeks ago, and they negotiated several much-needed changes with her school. Apparently her school is altering its' schedule, so she will be released from her contract in June instead of November, as originally intended. I am thankful that she is coming back; she has become a wonderful friend to me in my time here.

Upon walking home from the bus last night, I noticed the beautiful church nearby all lit up for Christmas. As you can barely see, the church is topped by a red cross. If I have not mentioned it before, all the churches here in Korea are marked by red crosses, so at night you can see them all across the town. It's really quite an amazing sight, and if I had enough height, I should love to capture a shot of it for you to see.
Overall update: Doing well. Missing you all muchly, though. Playing the CD my brother Daniel made for me and Mom sent. Smelling the heavenly candle my sister Rebekah sent me. Posted pictures of her, Bryan, and two of Micah and Nathan on my cubbard door so I can see them all the time. Praying for what I should do (something special) with my kids for Christmas.
My thoughts are all in a tizzy right now... much on my mind. Don't know why.... pray that the Lord will be close to me. Always needing more of His presence.
Love to all of you. and as we are in the midst of the holidays, may the Light of the world Jesus Christ dispel all the authority of darkness in your life. He is Light and Life!

Christmas Decorations

I have to race off to school in just a second, but noteworthy events have happened!

Mrs. Kim gave me W100,000 to buy Christmas decorations, so I went to Lotte Mart yesterday morning after my workout at the Y and bought a small-medium sized artificial tree and a few decorations. Christmas is not a big deal in Korea, so it is hard to find a big selection. Anyway, I took everything to school and the teachers joined me in the mini decorating. Quickly we saw that I didn't buy enough. A second trip is in order.

This morning I had my second tutoring session. "Session" sounds like such a dreadfully dull experience, but actually I have been loving it. My tutor is a woman, whose English name is Nancy. She is, I'm guessing, around 50 years old... and when she told me that she had lived in Frankfurt, Germany for 5 years with her husband and two sons (b/c of her husband's business), I knew she was handpicked by the Lord for me. :) I have really enjoyed spending time with her, and I think she with me. We go to the Suji Jiguchon church (the Suji branch of the church I attend in Migeum) and study in the church cafe. Afterwards, both last Thursday and today we have gone to Emart and done some shopping. It's been great fun! She has no daughters and I think has already begun to see me as a sort of daughter. :)

More later.... gotta run!

"If only you could know Him..."  

On the bus back to Suji tonight I was thinking of Betsy ten Boom in The Hiding Place. Amidst the beatings, the horrible conditions, and the hatred in Ravensbruck (a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, where they were sent for hiding Jews in their apartment during WWII), she and Corrie showed such love to the broken, bitter, confused, wounded, and angry women in Barrack 28. The sisters returned evil with good, praying for those who beat them, and thanking our precious Lord Jesus for everything- even something like the humiliation of nakedness in front of cruel and arrogant guards. They took His clothes, too, when they nailed Him to the Cross. In the power of His love and Spirit, they brought Jesus' light into the deepest darkness of that place.

The words echoing in the depths of my heart right now are Betsy's broken cries to the women who mocked them: "If only you could know Him..." 

I, too, pray that for you. Whoever reads this... may you know Him and find that Truth and Life are found only in Him.

A few snapshots of my teaching
 

Wuan jang nim (Mr. So) gave Lauren permission to come and observe my classes on Thursday, so Lauren was happily snapping pictures the entire day. She said nothing makes a better portfolio than pictures of happy students. I thought you might enjoy a few of these!

We have been going over the same simple words during dictation for the past week and a half. "How do you spell 'who'???" "How do you spell 'is'???" "How do you spell 'that'???" The kids yell back the spelling, and usually they get it right, but when it comes time for them to be tested on the dictation, some of them still spell the words phonetically. Oh, these precious little ones! And dear Dennis (he wants his name to be Caleb now) is the weakest at dictation. Please pray for him. He was almost in tears on Friday... he wanted so hard to do well, and I want him to succeed. (In case you're wondering, the white thing on my cheek is a ranbow/cloud sticker - a gift from one of the kids. hehe)

Min, after begging me for several days in a row, is now called Cara. So Cara loves the song "She'll be Comin' Around the Mountain" ... and she really gets into the clapping and the foot-stomping. It's absolutely hilarious. Here she is standing on her chair and getting into the song. LOL. Gotta love it, huh? :))

I have no idea what some of these faces are for, but some of my kids call me "wild teacher" because I exaggerate my expressions. Not only do the kids think it's funny, but it also helps for basic communication. They know when I'm happy, sad, disappointed, angry, surprised, etc. And they love it... every bit of it. Sometimes half the fun of class is talking "kid talk." It makes no sense, but it's fun and they get to use the same words over and over again.

(EXAMPLE) Danny: "You're funny, teacher." Miss Ruth: "I am?" I'm not funny, Danny!!" Danny: "Yes, you are. You're funny and wild, teacher." Miss Ruth: "I am NOT funny and wild. I am a very quiet and serious teacher." Danny: "No, you're not. You're not quiet. You're loud!" And so it goes on... for forever, if I allowed it. LOL.

The details of teaching these little ones are exhausting sometimes. They require so much energy, but I do love it. Apparently one day last week, some of these kids' moms asked Mrs. Kim if I could "teach" the children for a few hours in the morning. Mrs. Kim said that ERC is not an English kindergarten! I am so thankful she stood up for me, because as dearly as I love the children, four more hours every morning would kill me for sure! I can see why some women are kindergarten teachers for 20+ years... it's so much fun. But it does help to have all the resources to develop a thorough curriculum. Here, unfortunately, all the things that make for a stimulating learning environment are not at my fingertips.
My kids absolutely love playing the "thumb war." At first I beat them without mercy.... so that their victory is all the sweeter now when they "beat" me. Clara (who now wants to be called Wendy) is determined to defeat me. I let her win. :)

And here the two girls are in heaven. They have both beaten Miss Ruth at the thumb war. I dare say I shall never live it down. He he!

It was very helpful for Lauren to come, and I think Mrs. Kim may arrange a time for me to visit the Yeongtong campus - to observe Lauren's and Carlos' classes, to learn from them and to exchange teaching ideas. I think it will help to keep our lesson plans from getting boring. There's nothing more frustrating than disinterested students, especially kids who I know spend their lives in school and doing homework. It's a real challenge to teach these children without burning them out. Unlike a public high school - where I could assign homework out the wazoo and not feel one bit guilty about it - being a hogwan teacher requires I remember that this is a business, where children leave the moment they or their mothers are not happy. Most Koreans will themselves admit their education needs serious reform. I confess myself I have misgivings about working for a system that undermines the development of the Korean public schools. I pray that one day Koreans will no longer feel the need to put their children in 4 successive English afternoon academies and send their children (as young as 12 years old) to an English-speaking country, away from Mom and Dad, so they can get ahead by learning English. Surely it is not the best way.