Jay in Korea

Mission Accomplished!

2010-06-21T23:47:00.002+09:00

Wow! It's hard to believe my 14 months at my academy are finished. It was a life changing experience for me, and I thank you all for your support in words of encouragement and prayer during this time.

I am currently on vacation for a few days before my flight back to the states. I was in Seoul this past weekend to see friends and had an awesome time. God is working mightly through the English ministries in this country, and it's not going to be easy to leave behind....though I'll still be quite active through prayer and podcast listening....... I've seen tremendous spiritual growth and awakening in Gwangju at my church, and several churches in Seoul are alive and seeking the power from on high with all their heart. The joint prayer meeting I attended on Saturday night was excellent. I cannot begin to thank God enough for the spiritual blessings in this country.

If you worry about South Korea and the threat of war with the North, always remember that this country is a praying nation. Read Ephesians 6, and remember that prayer changes things in the spiritual realm in mysterious ways. Pray for Korea as well to be sure.....but rest assured that God will protect his elect. His hand of protection is on them.

Last night and today, I visted my friend John Kim and the Global Christian school where he works in the small town of Eumsong. Then, I took a bus back to Seoul and flew to Jeju Island. It was a short 1 hour flight, thanks to Korea's small geographic area. But the plane was large and almost full. And the service was excellent. Korean Air is the way to go if you can ever fly that airline. They are very kind and helpful and I really appreciated it.

I'm here at Jeju Island for 4 days. I'm at a very nice guest house, with mostly Korean people. I will do a tour bus tomorrow of the East Coast of Jeju with the West Coast to follow on Wednesday. Then two more days here before returning to Naju Friday evening. I'm looking forward to relaxing here, on Korea's Hawaii!

What this year in Korea has taught me the most is the power of prayer, to live life one day at a time, and that the love of God is incredible and needs to be shared. The love of God can break even the hardest people. The last day at my Hagwan, a fifth grade boy that has given all of the teachers fits told me, " I'm sad." When I asked why, he said, "You go to America." I mentioned that the previous days he had been "happy" for the same reason. He said, "I lied." Later, he patted me on the back, and I gave him a hug. If you know this kid, you'd say it was a miracle. I wanted him kicked out of the academy many times. But thankfully, the love of God won out. Mission accomplished!

The Love of Christ

2010-06-10T01:07:00.003+09:00

What exactly is the "Love of Christ?"

I can recall sharing the gospel with a young man at South Dakota State University prior to coming to Korea. After I shared, I remember he asked me why he should believe me that Christianity was true? I wasn't really in the mood for "apologetics,"so I responded, "How in the world can I look you in the eye, a human being I've known only for a few minutes, pat you on the back, and say that I love you? That makes no sense." He had no answer for me. And I could tell he hadn't experienced a genuine love like too often in his life.

I remember being amazed, that night, at how powerful the love of Christ came out in me. I was struggling myself, at that point, just to survive in some ways. I was working a part-time job, trying to discern what I should do next, etc, fighting through lingering bouts of depression. But God gave me a taste that night of something special.

When I came to Korea, I prayed that the love I had for college students in the states would be real with my younger students as well. I remember praying this prayer every day for months on end. I would see small results, but it didn't seem to stay consistently very long.

Yet the longer I stayed in Korea, the more the love of God became more real to me. My time in the mountains............my time alone wandering, etc. God showed me his love, and continually affirmed that he alone was the source of my identity and my strength. Through that, and fellowship from my fellow believers, I began to spill over more and more to my students.....

These past couple of weeks, my eyes began to open and I am seeing how all those prayers have come true. Many of the children come to me for a hug, a pat on the back, a word of encouragement. That same supernatural love.....followed me around the world. It took prayer to learn to surrender myself enough to allow it to come out. And it takes prayer each day to stay in the right spirit. But it is there. It is real. I don't ever want to lose that love, regardless of where I live.

I was teaching my grammar I class the other day and looked over at one of my students books. On the cover was a bunch of writting and a picture, written with a white-out pen. As I looked closer, I saw this:

"Jay teacher is King. Jay teacher many many many many many happy."

Tears came to my eyes, just as they do as I write this blogpost. I've wept several times as I thought about that experience.

I am privilged that that little boy thought of me as a king. What I believe he really saw and wanted was the power and love of the King. That little boy hated coming to our academy a six months ago. Now, there's a smile on his face every day. I remember thinking he wasn't all that lovable when I met him and he was fighting with anyone in sight. But neither was I, when I was dead in trespasses and sins---and Christ still loved me and extended grace for my salvation.

The love of Christ takes prayer, but its worth it. Experiences like the one described above allow me to lay my head down in peace at night, knowing that this life was not wasted.

Goodnight from Korea.....

Jay

It's June

2010-06-06T19:45:00.002+09:00

It's June! I will be back in the states June 29, Lord willing as that is when my plane is scheduled to arrive back in Sioux Falls. I certainly have a lot of emotion---both leaving Naju and coming back to family and friends. I think that is a good thing, though.

Not everything is settled job wise for my future, and it is in some ways you could say it is a time of uncertainty. Yet I've been here many times before. One day at a time and God's masterful plan is revealed. The past couple of months have really helped me to better understand "The Fear of the Lord." This fear leaves me in awe of him and helps me see my life and my circumstances under his sovereign control. It's a much more comforting way to live than being fearful of the future. I'm just a pilgrim passing through this life. Korea, America, or Timbuktu, it really doesn't matter.

I look forward to seeing you all soon! I've got a lot of pictures I will post at some point. The plan now is to hit up Jeju island before I go and that should result in a few more.

If you get the chance, pray I stay fearing the Lord, for his providence and protection for my remaining time here, for peace as I leave and arrive back, and for providence for my future. Thank you for your prayers. God bless you from Naju.

-Jay

An ordinary rainy day?

2010-05-18T22:25:00.004+09:00

It was just an ordinary rainy day in Korea today. I was finishing up a conversation with a friend by phone as I headed out of the apartment. After descending the four flights of stairs and scurrying out of my apartment building, I realized that my umbrella was still resting on the dresser beside the door to my apartment. The rain showed no signs of relenting as I walked along the stream towards my destination: Kenya Coffee for a mocha and some reading before I went to work.....a good 15 minutes away on foot.

I finished my phone conversation and tried to "glide between the raindrops," which by this time, were becoming more frequent. Suddenly, a man came up behind me and offered to let me share his umbrella. He was a middle-aged Korean man, dressed nicely in a suit and tie. I took him up on his offer reluctantly, feeling like a bit of a fool. Honestly, it wasn't that cold (nearly 70 degrees) , and this wouldn't have been the first time I got soaked. But I was grateful for his thoughfulness.

The man asked me where I was going in Korean, and I mumbled an answer. I still felt a little embarassed. I must have kind of appeared like a dumb foreigner to him! We turned the corner heading in the direction of the coffee shop. Then, suddenly, he motioned me to follow him across the street. Upon are arrival on the other side of the street, he marched into a small men's clothing store. I thanked him, and turned to walk in the direction of Kenya Coffee. He said something to me I didn't understand, and motioned me into his store. There, he gave me an umbrella to take with me. Again I thanked him and bowed politely, before exiting his small store.

As I walked out the door, I looked up at the sign above his store, so that I could return the umbrella the next day. I do not recall what exactly the sign said in Korean, nor much of the rest of my walk to Kenya coffee. What I do recall, quite vividly even 11 hours later, was the English word "Grace" written in bold letters above the store.

Sometimes, God shows up in our lives in small ways.....but just enough to show that he cares. Maybe you've wondered how I've survived 13 months in small town South Korea. In one word, my answer is "God's grace." (I guess that's two words....). "Tis Grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home....."

Such a small gesture.....yet such a resounding impact. God's grace and providence are still as strong for me here as when I stepped off the plane. Yet they never fail to leave me in awe, even on a rainy day. Look around you, today. Who needs "an umbrella?"

Mid May Thanks

2010-05-15T20:12:00.002+09:00

Wow. It's May 15. The weather is nice, so my spare time finds me outdoors a lot more than in.

I am both excited and sad that my time in Korea is coming to an end. I'm excited to see all my friends and family come the end of June....but it will be very hard to leave these students. 14.5 months in Korea appears to be God's plan for me....and I have just 1 month left to teach with a few travel days to conclude before flying.

A year+ in Korea was never something I really considered until right before I came.......but as I have said many times, it really has been a blessing to me. I feel a deep inner peace in my soul as I prepare go back to the states now. I know that God is leading my life, and I need not worry. I feel more settled as a person....and confident in the giftings I have been given. The realities of God's love and sovereign control over my life continue to leave me in awe and fear of him.

Details on job, vacation here before I leave, etc are still being finalized. I look forward to living them out....as well as my last weeks here as a teacher in Korea.

I praise God for his perfect work into making me into the man he wanted me to be. And I thank you all for your supporting prayers of love. Bless you and goodnight!

Jay

Latest happenings......

2010-04-28T22:13:00.003+09:00

Wow. It's been an interesting last few days. Sometimes, it's hard to know if this many interesting things happened the entire time I was here, or if sometimes it just hits me how truly remarkable things can be in my life here.

I taught my kids an old camp song I learned at Camp Judson in the Black Hills a few summers back: "Pharoah Pharoah." It's funny, because back then, we got really sick of all the kids singing the song because it sticks in your head. Even though it's these kids second language, it stuck in there heads too! I couldn't get them super excited about the actions though......

One of the girls names in my English time 2 class is Kim. This is fine, except that Kim is a very popular last name in Korea. What that means is when she westernizes her name, her name becomes Kim Kim. Also, I jokingly called her Kimbap---which is a popular seaweed-rice roll in Korea, similar to sushi. That stuck with the other kids. My bad, Kim! When I suggested we give her a different name, I started with my grandmother's name. She was not of fan of "Florence," however, nor did she take to my mother's name: "Elaine." The older of my two younger sisters is Anita (which sounds Spanish) so I skipped to Joanna, my youngest sister's name. Kim said, "banana" and shook her head.......it struck me as funny, because my youngest sister has been teased many times the same way. I finally gave her the name Luann, because back in the day, my Sunday school teachers were Kim and Luann. It seemed fitting to just switch to the other. However, a day later, she decided to just stick with Kim. I told the class there was to be no "kimbap" talking. That worked, until today in the last five minutes, I said, "Kimbap, sit down." Woops. Better just take Luann, Kimbap......

This morning, I was getting ready to get dressed when I heard my apartment door open and "Jay" in that unmistakable voice that belongs to my director. When I first came to Korea, I was a bit intimidated by the woman, because of her aggressive, strong willed personality. Now, I merely said, "what?" She proceeded to tell me that a Korean Pastor was visiting from America and that he'd be staying in my apartment. She appologized for not telling me the day before he'd be coming. I was tempted to be upset---mostly because I hadn't cleaned up much. But this was part of the deal when I came. I got a 3 bedroom apartment to my self----with drop in guests possible. Between Somonim and myself, the place was fine within a few minutes anyway. All part of the experience. Funny how now I just roll with it.

Then there was today. I've had a weak lower back for years and have been working on trying to strengthen it. One of the other teachers has training in physical therapy, and during our break in the office, she showed me how to do a stretch. I was trying it out--and was rather shocked when Somonim came over and yanked my belt upward to try and get my belly higher......Wow. Granted, she was right----I wasn't quite in form yet. Apparently my eyes bugged out of my head and the others in the office roared with laughter. I could only laugh too. This was priceless.

I gave a quiz on basic prepositions in Grammar I. One of the questions was "draw a picture of a fish under the water." One student drew a picture of fish under the shower head. Another drew a picture of a fish literally under a fish tank. Wow. I couldn't count them wrong.

Hope you are having a good spring!

Jay

Sunny days.........

2010-04-23T22:06:00.003+09:00

Sunny days have been rare this spring here in Naju. We had one today, though. I walked to my favorite spot in the mountains, which I haven't been to in two weeks! It was beautiful with all the flowers. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny as well......which is awesome! I'm pretty excited.

As I wind down my last two months in Naju, I find myself taking a bit of a different approach to life. Suddenly, I realize that this amazing time at this academy in this city of Naju is coming to a close. I am beginning to feel like a tourist again in some ways----knowing that I don't have that much longer here. Just today, I realized there are so many things I have not taken pictures of yet.

It's easy to overlook all that I've learned.....until I think about what went through my mind the first time I set foot in Young Gong Hagwan where I work. At that time, I was in awe of the students---and thought Korean children could do no wrong. Soon enough, I found out "kids are kids." Some days you love them, other days you survive.

While I do not feel my longterm job will have me working with elementary school children, a year+ working with them has been very special. I look forward to being a father someday. I look forward to teaching children in Sunday school, church camp, or wherever else I can. And I look forward to looking back on the pictures from this year and smiling as I think of all the memories.

It's been 375 days away from America....kind of hard to believe. I look forward to what lies ahead. But for the next 2 months, I'm content to relish each day......and choose to see the "sunshine" even when it is rains.

Goodnight from Naju--

Jay

The Secret to Living Life.....

2010-04-13T22:21:00.003+09:00

About 10 days ago, I found myself muddled in a whirlwind of thoughts. What should I do with my future? Should I go back to the states, should I stay in Korea? What should I do? Talking to people, while encouraging, often results in more confusion.

At times of crossroads, Proverbs 3:5-6 is really the only way to proceed: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." But...how do we trust in the Lord?

We have to learn to receive God's love for us. All of our earthly fathers, no matter how good or bad of a job they did, failed in some way. They were/are men. They are imperfect. Because of that, we tend to struggle to trust God as being a perfect Father. We fear rejection. We fear getting beat over the head for a wrong move. Or we fear abandonment.

As children of God, we must realize God's great love for us. If you understand salvation the way I do, you realize God literally had to change our hearts before we could even make a decision for him. We all choose sin, because of our own nature. God loves us enough to save us from ourselves. And he isn't going to stop loving us now. Phillipians 1:6-- "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

There are so many scriptures that talk about God's love for us. These are not "fluff" scriptures. These are where we need to get our identity--so we can obey the so-called "hard" scriptures. The best way to overcome any sin or lack of obedience is to focus on the love of God, not on self denial and more "religion."

I posted a list of "I am" scriptures a few weeks back. I finally took my own advice and began meditating on that list over the past week+. I am going to again today. God is grounding me through these scriptures.

I am the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13)
I am the light of the world (Matt 5:14)
I am a child of God (John 1:12)
I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ's life (John 15:1, 5)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 15:16)
I am a slave of righteousness (Rom 6:18)
I am enslaved to God (Rom 6:22)
I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father (Rom 8:14, 15; Gal 3:26; 4:6)
I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him (Rom 8:17)
I am a temple-a dwelling place-of God. His Spirit and His life dwell in me (I Cor 3:16; 6:19)
I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him (I Cor. 6:17)
I am a member of Christ's Body (I Cor. 12:27; Eph 5:30)
I am a new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18, 19)
I am a son of God and one in Christ (Gal 4:6,7)
I am a saint (I Cor. 1:2, Eph 1:1, Phil 1:1; Co1 1:2)
I am God's workmanship--His handiwork--born anew in Christ to do His work (Eph 3:1; 4:1)
I am righteous and holy (Eph 4:24)
I am a citizen of heaven, seated in heaven right now (Eph 2:6, Phil. 3:20)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3)
I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life (Col. 3:4)
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Col. 3:12; 1 Thess 1:4)
I am a son of light and not of darkness (I Thess. 5:5)
I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling (Heb 3:1)
I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life (Heb 3:14)
I am one of God's living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (I Pet. 2:5)
I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession (I Pet. 2:9,10)
I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live (I Pet. 2:11)
I am an enemy of the devil (I Pet 5:8)
I am a child of God and I will resemble Christ when He returns (I John 3:1,2)
I am born of God, and the evil one--the devil--cannot touch me (I John 5:18)
I am NOT the great "I am" (Exod 3:14; John 8:24, 28, 58), but by the grace of God, I am what I am (I Cor. 15:10)

As I began to read these scriptures, my problems did not all get solved.....but I became a whole lot more content. I can embrace God's love, and let it transform my life. I can cling to who he says I am, and his love for me.

I'll finish this post with a quote from Simon Guillebaud and his book "More than Conquerors."

"I am immortal until I die."

I am immortal until I die. And so you are you! But we can't live this reality out until we really embrace God's love. I'm done with sinful fear. I hope you are, too! To God be the glory.

Signing out from Korea--Jay

Spring Time Pics

2010-04-05T21:42:00.001+09:00

The greatest of Love of all.....

2010-03-30T22:17:00.002+09:00

I am nearing my one year anniversary for my time in Korea. Last year, I came to Korea on Easter Sunday. Due to all the excitement of the upcoming adventure, not to mention the jet lag, I didn't really get to celebrate Easter.

This year, I was asked to lead worship on Sunday evening at an Easter get together for church. It will be my first time leading with guitar, so you can pray for that.

There is something very special about this Easter though. This past year in my Christian life, God has taught me a number of things. Yet the one thing he seems to be driving home to me day after day is his great love for me.

"How deep the father's love for us.....how vast beyond all measure. That he would give his only son. To make a wretch his treasure."

"The Love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches too the lowest hell."

These song says it all. The Lord gave his son for us. He made him to be sin who knew no sin. His love is immeasurable.

Christian, get on your knees until God makes this real to you. The enemy is a master at making us forget these realities. I'm having to do it everyday. There is no way I can show love to the kids I teach unless I am assured of God's love for me. I can't love my family, friends, or people I meet correctly either without Christ's love. I cannot be obedient to God's commands without understanding his love. Having gotten a taste of it, I simply cannot go back to living without it!

The days I live out of the love God has for me, I am an incredible weopon for the Lord. And so are you when you are living in the Spirit. "Onward Christian soldier, marching as to war. With the Cross of Jesus, going on before." We have been set free. Christ died for us. We must live out of the freedom and love. This world needs it. It's not a selfish thing.

This Easter, meditate on the love of God. You'll leave a changed person. Cling to God's promises. Then spill that love over and change the world! I'm done with powerless Christianity. I hope you are, too!

Have a blessed Easter.

Jay

Hiking in the Mountains

2010-03-21T21:37:00.006+09:00

A favorite spot for devotionals....

2010-03-21T21:35:00.000+09:00

Korean Traditional and Modern Cemeteries

2010-03-21T21:32:00.003+09:00

Interesting recent encounters.....

2010-03-21T20:52:00.005+09:00

About two weeks ago, I had a student correct my spoken English---Ouch! The students often add "eee" to ends of words. So when they say a word like "finish" they will say "finishee." I had a student make up a test, as he was gone the day before. He was a newer student at the academy, and I told him, "when you finishee, come back to class." He responded, "teacher, it's finish." I laughed, agreed, and left. Wow. All I could do was laugh.

The concept of "bali bali" is one I will never forget the rest of my life. "Bali bali" means "quickly" and Koreans will often say it and live it, scampering around to and fro.....especially the Ajumas "middle aged to older married women." I was at the bus terminal a few weeks back, and witnessed an Ajuma in the "bali bali" mind set decide it was time to get on the bus. Unfortunately, she forgot there was glass between her and the outdoors. "Thunk!" I'm not sure what was funnier....the actual collision or the chorus of laughter from the older Koreans that were watching. I appreciated the humor, and the Ajuma took it in stride, found the doorway, and got on her bus. No one was hurt, though all of our guts shook a bit.

I recently bought a cross to wear around my neck. It's cool because it says "I am the vine and you and the branches" in Korean. Unfortunately, despite the lost weight, it fit a bit tight. My kids all told me I looked like a dog with a collar. I took the hint. I opened up my pocket book, spent 2000 won (or $1.80) and now have a different necklace for it. I love the honesty most of the time.

Getting a haircut in Korea is always interesting. The barber actually speaks some Spanish, but my Spanish is pretty foggy. My Korean is better. Between English, Korean, and Spanish, we find a way to communicate. The last time I went in, he barely cut anything off. This time, he apparently got the impression I wanted more off and really cut it shorter. I got cold today. Thankfully it will grow. I always get a kick out of him trying to ask me what to do with my sideburns too......especially when I change my mind after telling him the first time. Oh well. He seems to like me, so that's good.

On my recent hike in the mountains, I came over the hill to see some fields I never had before seen. I got closer, and planned to go on, until a bunch of yip yip dogs came bounding toward me. Thankfully, the ajushe (older married korean man) hollered something at them and they "stood their ground." It just struck me as funny, not really sure why. I doubt that farmer has seen too many Americans before. He was probably as surprised to see me as his dogs were.

Well, that's it for this week. God is good, always. Hopefully we don't get hit too hard by the yellow dust. China has it a bit rough now I guess.

Later,

Jay

A spring day in the mountains...

2010-03-15T11:54:00.002+09:00

Saturday was a great day in the mountains. As I finish up my last three months in Naju, I hope to have more days like I did on Saturday.

With a backback, some books, and some water, I set out for the mountains. It's always a bit of an adventure when you hike new trails, but each time I hike I go a bit further and have more and more area I am used to. It's kind of the same way you learn any new place you live in or visit.

As the crow flies, I was probably never further than 3 miles from my apartment. But the windy trails led me to a world I had never before seen. It was awesome! Wow, what a cool day.

As I wrestle with life decisions, future, etc, I find it very helpful to get out and spend the day in the mountains. God was good to me, and showed me a few things I really needed to remember. I hope you are blessed by these things, as well as you read them.

When we pray, why are we praying? Are we praying so as to "twist God's arm?" Maybe we ask a lot of people to pray, thinking if we get enough people praying, it will have to happen. I do not believe this is the Biblical way to pray, though I must admit I have prayed this way a lot in my life.

When we pray, we are praying God's will into existence, in a sense. We ask for what we see in our minds as the solution to our problems, but we understand that God's will is perfect. The Lord's prayer, after reverently honoring (hallowing) the name of God, asks the Lord to bring his kingdom to come and for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What are the implications of this then? As believers, we know that God mysteriously works all together for our good, according to Romans 8:28. This means that when doors close, we don't have to be sad. We can just say, "God has something better. He is working it out for my good." The freedom this brought me was incredible. I don't have to worry in decision making. My sovereign God will work it out.

So why should I ask for prayer then? God commands it, is honored by it, and works through it. I don't have time to site all the scriptures for this right now, but I think you follow me. Also, as I was doing my devotions today, I came across this in II Corinthians 1:11--"You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many." When we ask people to pray, we often forget to share with them the blessings God gives us later.

Conclusion: my time in the mountains was really good. It helped me renew my mind on God's goodness. I know that in seeking him first and asking for things, knowing that he knows my perfect needs, he will provide. If he doesn't answer my prayer, I praise him for providing what I need more. If he does, I praise him for what he gives me.

Thank you for prayers. I am excited for you to share in God's blessings in my life. Miss you all a ton. Look forward to seeing you this summer.

Lots of love from East Asia,

Jay

Korea....quotes, observations, thoughts.

2010-03-02T22:39:00.003+09:00

Sometimes, things seem so natural here now that it's hard to take a step back and see things through the eyes of an American. When I do, I often get some good laughs and am surprised by the realities of what my life is. Here are a few happenings from recent months:

--"Teacher you constipation?" This comment was made by one of my younger students. She had apparently heard the word on an English TV channel, thought it sounded good, but did not know what it meant. That was an intersting day of English Time 1 class.....

--"Teacher you Kilo how many?" This has been asked to me several times. I am always excited to tell the kids I've lost 13 kilos here (almost 30 pounds). I tell them it's the kimchi. That is part of it, but the walking has even more to do with it.

"Teacher, really?" My students awed response when I told them that neither me nor the other two male teachers had ever been in the army. The army is mandatory for 2 years for all Korean young men. They could hardly fathom the fact I had not been in the service.

"Teacher, me cow poo, foot yes." My student telling me he stepped in manure on his friends farm. I then shared a similar experience with him from my days on the farm.

--Our office has many functions, I have found out. One is to test kids who will begin attending the academy. Sometimes, it seems like there are twice as many people as chairs. At such times, God gives a little extra patience to me. Thank you, Lord!

--I have had several encounters with the non "western" toilets. I first encountered them in China, but figured they wouldn't be here. I was wrong! Funny, but they don't really bother me that much any more, as long as there is toilet paper.

--I have never seen such nationalism in a country as is here. To say you don't like a hotdog or even apple pie is not too offensive to most Americans. To say you don't like kimchi here is pretty insulting. The Olympics and Kim Yun-ah's Gold metal performance hasn't stopped playing yet here on TV I don't think. They are very proud of their people.

--The Korean church has taught me many things as well. One that comes to mind is that Koreans don't hold grudges. They understand forgiveness is something that we are called to do...even if the other person isn't appologetic. Letting it go is huge. Let's face it, none of us are perfect. We shouldn't expect others to be either. And 70x7 is a lot!

--The other lesson from the Korean church, and what I'm learning when I read books on revival is the power of prayer. Many Koreans get up at 5:00 Am to go to church everyday for prayer. They also follow Christ's model and go to the mountains to pray. The mountain thing I do now when I can, and it is incredible. The community prayer happens some for me here, though because of how spread out I am from many English people and because of my work schedule, it's more difficult this year. I hope to have a whole lot more of that next year. Honestly, why not? There's just no reason to sell ourselves short of God's awesomeness, power and blessings. Corporate prayer is a must--not just on Sunday.

--Teaching wise, I've learned that 11 boys and 4 girls in a small classroom learning intro Grammar can both a thing of beauty---and a major headache.

--The attitude of the teacher in the classroom is huge. But even then there are many other individuals in the room with attitudes themselves. This can make my job amazing and very stressful....depending on the day.

--Money in Korea is not a private thing. I've had many people ask what I make. It's sometimes awkward, but I guess I'm used to it. Be prepared to be honest with me when I come to the states and ask you......haha.

--Honesty is often really nice. The other day, one of my kids told me "Teacher, you're boring." I took that as a que to put some prayer into the class, and add in some more fun activities. That combination has changed everything. The comment may have been inappropriate, but the result has been favorable. Speaking your mind can be a good thing.

I remember many people telling me I would "grow a lot" when I came to Korea. Well, I've lost weight physically. But I can't begin to estimate growth otherwise. I know it's hard to go overseas and be away from loved ones....but the person it makes you into, the way it draws you to God, and the trust it builds in you is priceless.

Thank you, God for all of this. You knew just what I needed.

Love you all. Don't be a stranger. Send me a facebook message or an e-mail sometime.

Jay

God is good....always

2010-03-01T12:39:00.005+09:00

It's March 1! March 1 is a Holiday in Korea, celebrating their independence from Japan after World War II. Mostly, it amounts to a flag day as I can see. But it's also an off day for me, which is always nice.

I spent the weekend in Seoul and am here at present as I write this. I attended a friends wedding up here on Saturday. It's always an interesting experience watching a Korean and an American get married.

I will continue to cherish my time in the mountains of Naju for the next 3 months, but pray for God's providence for me to join this community here in Seoul after a visit to see loved ones back home. Pray that as well for me, if you don't mind. I am becoming more settled with this as a direction for next year.

Big life decisions are never easy. I continually lean on Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Enjoy spring in the states. It's a great time of year, full of new life, new hopes, new dreams. A season of restoration. A season of blessing.

Blessings to all of you and thank you for your prayers. God is good....always!

Jay

Home Stretch....

2010-02-18T23:49:00.003+09:00

Time sure passes quickly. I realized it's been over a week since I've blogged. When I heard the Olympics were starting, I was like, "huh? Didn't Michael Phelps just win the all those medals?" I understand what people mean when they say time flies when you get older.*********

I had a nice weekend last weekend in Seoul for the Lunar New Year. It is the biggest holiday in Korea, and boy could I tell. There were people everywhere! Naju, Seoul, Daejeon, it didn't matter what city I was in. It reminded me a lot of July 4th in America....even Alvord, IA is busy!

I got a chance to meet up with Sujin, a girl that attended SDSU and who was a part of Navigators with me. She lives in Daejeon, which is conveniently located between Seoul and Naju and easily accessible by train. It was good to talk with her and catch up.

I'm on the home stretch of teaching here in Naju....my final 4 months. It will be sad to leave in many ways, as this year teaching children has been very special to me. I look forward to finishing strong.

Come March when jobs begin to post, I will begin looking for jobs teaching a University in the Seoul area for next year. My heart for University students is growing stronger by the day. An environment where I can do evangelism and discipleship, as well as an environment where I can continue to grow and mature myself is exactly what God has shown me I need for next year. If you would, please pray for God's providence for me, for me to continue to understand a biblical fear of the Lord rather than man and circumstances, and for my faith to grow through this process.

I really look forward to seeing family and friends this July. As good of time as I had here, I really have missed you all and look forward to seeing you. I anticipate some "reverse culture shock." Don't be wierded out if I bow to you if you are older than me. It's almost innate for me now.

It sounds like your winter has been ferocious. Hang in there. Good things come to those who wait, at least in this case.

Grace and peace,

Jay

Who am I?

2010-02-09T23:06:00.004+09:00

This post is a special one. I'm glad I can share it with you. I was reading tonight and came across a collection of Bible verses that I have seen several times before. Tonight, I just couldn't go to sleep without sharing it with someone. That someone is you!

This was not the first time I saw these verses organized in this way. Back in college, I saw some of these verses presented at a Navigator worship night. I remember it struck me as pretty amazing then....and it still does today.

What follows is not an attempt at self magnification....though it will make you feel better about yourself. It should not lead to puffed up pride....but rather to joyful thanksgiving. As Christians, what we have received is an amazing gift we were incapable of finding on our own. What follows is the reality of who we are if we are Christians.

I am in the process of making life decisions. We all are. But I already know who I am. This list will tell you. It is also who you are, if you are a Christian. I'd encourge you to read through this list several times....maybe over the course of several days. If you consider yourselves "spiritually mature," to some degree or another, you probaby especially need to read this. I say this from experience, because sometimes as I study other things in scripture, I lose track of these basic realities and need this.

I'd encourage you to read this list out loud to yourself just as it is written. I got this particular list directly from Neil T. Anderson's "Victory over the Darkness." I think Mr. Anderson would be ok with me sharing it with you, though. He got it from the Bible, after all.

"Who am I?

I am the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13)
I am the light of the world (Matt 5:14)
I am a child of God (John 1:12)
I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ's life (John 15:1, 5)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 15:16)
I am a slave of righteousness (Rom 6:18)
I am enslaved to God (Rom 6:22)
I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father (Rom 8:14, 15; Gal 3:26; 4:6)
I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him (Rom 8:17)
I am a temple-a dwelling place-of God. His Spirit and His life dwell in me (I Cor 3:16; 6:19)
I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him (I Cor. 6:17)
I am a member of Christ's Body (I Cor. 12:27; Eph 5:30)
I am a new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18, 19)
I am a son of God and one in Christ (Gal 4:6,7)
I am a saint (I Cor. 1:2, Eph 1:1, Phil 1:1; Co1 1:2)
I am God's workmanship--His handiwork--born anew in Christ to do His work (Eph 3:1; 4:1)
I am righteous and holy (Eph 4:24)
I am a citizen of heaven, seated in heaven right now (Eph 2:6, Phil. 3:20)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3)
I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life (Col. 3:4)
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Col. 3:12; 1 Thess 1:4)
I am a son of light and not of darkness (I Thess. 5:5)
I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling (Heb 3:1)
I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life (Heb 3:14)
I am one of God's living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (I Pet. 2:5)
I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession (I Pet. 2:9,10)
I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live (I Pet. 2:11)
I am an enemy of the devil (I Pet 5:8)
I am a child of God and I will resemble Christ when He returns (I John 3:1,2)
I am born of God, and the evil one--the devil--cannot touch me (I John 5:18)
I am NOT the great "I am" (Exod 3:14; John 8:24, 28, 58), but by the grace of God, I am what I am (I Cor. 15:10)

Goodnight from Korea. Be blessed by these scriptures.

Jay

Times of Refreshing.....

2010-02-06T01:58:00.002+09:00

There are so often times where life becomes so hectic that we don't have time to stop and appreciate things....the blessings we've been given, the answered prayers, the friendships. In these times, we long for things to get quiet. We'd do anything to just have a "normal" life.

Then, when life gets quiet, we get bored. We get lonely. Sometimes, life seems pointless.

Korea has been hectic at times, but recently, it has been quiet. The last two weekends, I didn't do anything special on Saturday. I rested, talked to a few friends back in the states, but mostly just rested. It's too cold to really do a lot outside, and several friends of mine are on vacation from public schools and are traveling. Even the people that are around are less inclined to really want to do much. It's just the time of year to rest and enjoy worship on Sundays. I can remember having similar experiences in the states this time of year.

I'm an extrovert....no doubt about it. On every personality test I've ever taken, it's almost 100% extrovert. Coming to Korea has provided ample opportunities for me to get my energy from people....how can you not be energized from 15 hollering kids???

Yet even for us extroverts, there is a time and a season of quiet and rest. Like a recent praise song I heard says, these are times of refreshing for our souls.

I used to see these times as only lonely and hard. Depressing. Pointless. Yet in recent years, my mindset has changed. I've seen how life can be altered so quick and get busy and hectic.

I'm thankful for the quiet time. It's helped me rest and relax. Sure, the temptation comes to start living in the future. But God is faithful to bring me back to the present--everytime.

In the quiet, it's a great time to delight in the Lord: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4).

When we do this, the quiet ends---and praise begins! We were all made to worship. Let's praise him and satisfy our hearts....everyday...in Korea, in America, everywhere.

Blessings,

Jay

More on the fear thing.....

2010-01-28T09:50:00.002+09:00

Well, I'm only a little ways into this study, but it's been great. Thus far, I have mostly looked at fear from a standpoint of anxiety--fear of people's opinions or circumstances. This is the type of fear where God appears very small and the situation at hand appears very big. Understanding who God has made us to be in Christ is key to overcoming this fear.

2 Timothy 1:7. was a key verse here. Here I have shown 4 versions of scripture and how they translate it from the Greek:

2 Timothy 1:7: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (NKJV&KJV)

2 Timothy 1:7: "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (ESV)

2 Timothy 1:7: "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." (NASB)

A sound mind. Self control. Discipline. Take your pick. The point in whatever version you use is that these, (along with power and love) are the opposite of fear (or timidity). A sound mind/self control/discipline come from letting the Spirit at work in us control us, and not our personalities (or our flesh).

"I was born a worrier" doesn't cut it. It's better to say, "I was born with the sinful nature to worry and not trust God....but I have been born again and pray that I allow the Holy Spirit to govern my thoughts and not my sinful nature." This is very difficult.....but again, true.

Another interesting text is I John 4:18, which says, "There is not fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." Wayne and Joshua Mack, the authors of the book I am reading, went on to say that if you are dominated with anxiety/fear, you are too self centered of a person. I find this so interesting, and true for me. On days where I am quite concerned with myself and my situation, there is no better cure than to go and serve my students at school in a way where my mind gets off myself and where I can show the love of Christ. Getting our eyes off of ourselves is key. It just isn't always easy! We need to constantly rely on the Spirit within, and our new identity in him---walking in obedience so as not to grieve the Spirit. The joys of sanctificiation!

So what about all of the references to "fear the Lord" in the Bible? No, I'm not overlooking them. I just haven't got there yet in my study. I will say I find it interesting when people try to write articles on Christianity and notably, the attribtutes of God, because unless you include all of his attributes: Holiness, Love, Sovereignty, Justice, Grace, Mercy, Wrath, etc. we tend to distort him for who he is. The truth is, all are Biblical. Keeping a balanced view of God is key, yet so difficult for our finite minds.

Maybe if you have been reading my blog over the past year you understand this. It's hard to put all of the attributes into one post!

More later,

Jay

Seoul in the Winter...

2010-01-23T17:10:00.011+09:00

The Train Ride Across Korea...

2010-01-23T17:01:00.006+09:00

Trip to Taebaek and Jesus Abbey

2010-01-23T16:48:00.007+09:00

My kids...

2010-01-23T15:17:00.010+09:00

Do not be afraid....

2010-01-19T21:48:00.004+09:00

Fear. It can be one of the most detrimental parts of the Christian life. Fear was the reason Peter began to sink when he walked on the water.....and ultimately was why he denied Jesus three times. Thankfully, by the grace of God, Peter overcame his fear issues and went on to become "The Rock" on which Jesus built the church.

Fear can paralyze us, and cause us to live our lives in a shell. We are scared to make a move.....certain we will fail. Maybe the real questions we should be asking is: Is this really how God wants me to live my life? Is this really how God wants me to view him?

When we view God as only angry----ready to smack us if we make one wrong move---it's no wonder we have issues with fear. Yet as believers in Christ, we are told, "You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15)

When I find myself fearful---I realize I am not obeying Christ and his command to be not afraid but trust in the Lord. I tend to have either a small view of God and a BIG view of my problems.....or I see God as very distant and angry at me. Here in Naju.....small town Korea.....I have continued to grow in my understanding of just who this great God we serve is......and how great his love really is.....and how his perfect love can cast out all my fears on this earth. I am beginning a personal Bible study on fear.....and I am going to read a book referred to me sometime back called "Fear Factor" by Wayne Mack. I look forward to gaining further understanding in this area....as God continues to empower me as man....created for his glory, and my joy in him.

Thank you for all your prayers. I would love to hear how God is working in your life as well. Leave a comment, please!

Jay

Winter isn't just a North American thing....

2010-01-13T16:32:00.002+09:00

Obviously, when I came to Korea, I knew there would be 4 seasons, and now I'm experiencing season #4: good ole winter. Where I live in Naju, single digits (in Farenheit) are rare, but my visit to the Taebaek mountains and the city of Taebaek on the Northeast side of the country was bone chilling--with temperatures hovering around and even below zero.

I am on vacation this week, and am spending a few days in Seoul and my friend Sean's house now. It's been a good time of rest and restoration thus far....and I ate at Thunder Burger today and loved it! I love my kimchi and Dwegi Galbi....but if you are an American (which I always will be), sometimes you just need a burger....

I walked around Itaewon today, and it seemed like everyone wanted to sell me something....gloves, sports jerseys, a suitcoat, etc. Thankfully, I resisted all and settled on an ice cream cone for 700 won...(65 cents)....

I have a lot of pictures, and one of these days, I will get them posted. Until then, I'll try to post a bit more frequently over the next few weeks. My overtime officially ended at the school this past Friday, and I'm back to normal hours. This will provide me with more time. And with the Won's recent rise against the dollar, I hopefully won't feel it too much financially missing the overtime.

Other than that, I am keeping busy leading worship at church the next few weeks (as our leader is gone), reading scripture over skype with my Korean American friend John who lives outside of Seoul, and seeking the Lord's daily guidance. Pray especially for North Korea as you read this message. The winter is harsh, the economy isn't good, and the people are starving. Christian Friends of Korea http://www.cfk.org/ is a website I would recommend if you are interested in learning more about providing aid for them.

Grace and Peace---Jay

2010....and I'm now 26!......in Korean age.

2010-01-01T14:48:00.002+09:00

My computer is fixed and back in action.....and ready for an exciting 2010. Happy New Year! I'm officially 26 in Korean age. I've explained this before, but it is worth repeating. When a person is born in Korea, they are 1. They go to the next age when the following New Year begins. I was born on January 25, 1985. On January 1 of 1986, I was 2 in Korean years. And on January 1 of 2010, I'm 26 in Korean years....and almost 25 in actual years.

When I told my age to my students, they were surprised I was so young. They all thought I should still be in the University based on my age...as most Korean men are at my age. This is due to the two year military stint all men are required to do. It's kind of a stark contrast to the Midwest in America, where a lot of people are married in their early to mid twenties. Interesting.

Christmas was really good for me. Christmas Eve I was at my school's church and my students performed both English and Korean songs and skits they had learned. After the program, we ate Korean BBQ outside. Very different than most of my Christmases, but really fun!

On Christmas weekend, (Fri-Mon AM) I visited Seoul and hung out with foreigners and Korean-American friends of mine. I attended a large foreigner Christmas service, where several churches in the Seoul area came together for worship. Then I hung out with my friend Sean (Chaplain in the U.S. army) and a few other foreigners at his house for the rest of the weekend. While I missed my biological family, it was great to know that wherever I am lead during these years on earth, I can spend time with my spiritual brothers and sisters...before spending an eternity with them someday.

On Sunday, I was blest with the opportunity to share a bit of my recent testimony at Youngnak Church in Seoul at the Sunday afternoon service. I specifically shared how I am thankful for the closer daily walk with Christ and spiritual disciplines I am learning down in Naju. Through this experience, God has taught me things I will take with me for the rest of my life. While at times I have been more isolated than many foreigners in Korea being in a small town, I needed this year and I look forward to the next 5.5 months here. Lord willing, I plan to stay on this side of the world next year (after a visit back to the states next summer).

Well, I've got a few friends visiting for New Years, and despite the snow (2-3 inches) I'm ready to go do some hiking. I sincerely wish you all a God glorifying 2010. Proverbs 3:5-6 are two verses I would like to encourage you with. These verses have allowed me to sleep peacefully in recent nights, regardless of circumstances.

Blessings and Love from Naju~

Jay

Stay tuned for more....my computer is "on break!"

2009-12-22T12:29:00.002+09:00

Hello to all my blogger friends! Merry Christmas and Happy 2010 to you. My computer is getting fixed at present....as it needs a new power supply deal they have to order from China. I'll be back with you sometime soon.....and today I have just a brief minute here in Kenya coffee as I finish my white carmel mocha.

It's been a busy last few weeks, and I'm getting my kids ready for their Christmas program. Joy to the World for all, and Luke Chapter 2 in English for the oldest kids. We had our first snow here, and it got kind of cold! 20 degrees farenheit! Brrr. I know many of you are colder, but it was still chilly, haha.

Enjoy the reason for the season: Jesus humble birth--so by faith, we can be saved from our sins through belief in his atonement for our sins.

Love you all from Korea,

Jay

2009-12-06T20:35:00.002+09:00

December Delight

2009-12-06T20:13:00.004+09:00

It is December! Wow! It's been about 8 months since I first boarded the plane for Korea...time flies. Most of my students returned this week from their swine flu cases. I'm really glad to have them all back, even if it does mean more papers to grade.

I witnessed my first ever green tea farm up close on Saturday, and it was beautiful. Farm hardly seems the appropriate word---maybe orchard is better as it was rows and rows of bushes, trimmed nicely on the hillsides. One of the most beautiful things I've seen in my life. I took some video and will try to get it posted---though I've had problems getting videos to work on my blog for some reason.

Though I have a 3 bedroom apartment all to myself, one of the rooms is Pastor Jung's from the school. This weekend, his guests from the Philippines moved in to this spare room for a few days as they are visiting. It has been interesting to learn a little bit about the Philippines and Filipino people. I have been impressed with them. It is nice, too because while English is their second language, you would hardly know it. They speak English fluently and use it regularly.

This weekend, my Korean friend (David) from Gwangju is coming over with a couple of his students to stay and get the great experience of "interacting" with a foreigner. I welcome it. It has been kind of fun to play the role of host.

Hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. I noticed a good number of lights have went up here in the last week. The weather has been a bit cooler, and we saw some flurries the other day. Definately feels a bit like Christmas! The Filipinos were hoping they'd see snow, as they've never seen it before; I'm fine with minimal snow, as I "have seeen it before," though it will be nice to be able to have snowball fights with the kids.

Take care and God bless you in this Christmas season.

Jay

Academy Action.....

2009-11-26T23:27:00.004+09:00

We are less than 1 month from Christmas! It's been a productive last few weeks for me, most notably in that my TESOL course is now finished! This strengthens my resume in the future, and has provided me with some great training and ideas on how to strengthen all aspects of my ESL teaching.

I have been looking for ways to incorporate the Bible into my oldest (most advanced) class whenever I can (at least, for the last class). Simultaneously, I have realized the power of hiding God's word in my own heart through scripture memory. This week, I was blessed with an idea of how to merge the two: I would have my students memorize scripture with me!

On Monday, I gave them 2 verses of Proverbs and we had at it. By Wednesday, several could already say it perfectly. They seemed to enjoy it as well, as it provides them with a good way to learn English, as well as the Bible. These kids are sharp as tacks, from all their studying. There going to keep me on my toes. But hey, that's what I wanted.

Then came today, and the arrival of the letters from America. My youngest sister Joanna (Junior in high school) and her class responded to my classes letters. My students were very excited, and seemed to greatly appreciate them. It was rather funny for Alvin especially. He wrote his letter to Alex, (whom he and I thought was a boy) only to find out her name was short for Alexandria.....woops! She seemed to get a kick out of it on her end, from what my sister said. And I've never seen Alvin laugh so hard either.

Teaching in Korea has really showed me that I while I can teach students of all ages, my long term calling is not with 5-7 graders. I love teaching the little kids, because their love is so pure-- and I really enjoy the older kids here because they are fairly respectful and really interesting. For all of you upper elementary and middle school teachers, more power to you. What a difficult age! They will push me about as far as I will let them. Today, one of them pushed a little too far....and was promptly lead to the director. All in a days work.....

This job (and overall experience) has taught me a lot....in more ways than I can count. Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving. We don't really celebrate it here, but are certainly thankful none the less.

Jay

Spiritual thoughts: repentence

2009-11-23T11:36:00.006+09:00

Much of Jesus ministry and the ministry of the Apostles in Acts involved commanding men to repent--or "turn" from the sin in their lives (Luke 13:3). Why? Hell was at stake. Those that failed to repent of sin would perish. This is still true today, and will be as long as the world goes on.

Repentence is a command of Jesus to us for us to do, but at the same time, it is an amazing, miraculous gift of God (Acts 30,31; Acts 11:17, 2 Timothy 2:24-26). This may seem paradoxical, but is true according to scripture. God both commands and grants repentence. I'm fine leaving the rest to mystery.

What is our take home message then? For ourselves? For those we preach too?

First, earnest prayer for repentence is absolutely essential. I think of King David's prayer of repentence in Psalm 51. I looked closer at this prayer in a recent Bible study. David sought God with a broken and contrite heart as he asked God to do a number of things for him. Listen to all the requests he made to God:

"Have mercy on me, blot out my transgressions, wash me, cleanse me, purge me, wash me, let me hear joy and gladness, let the bones that you have broken rejoice, hide your face from my sins, blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, cast me not away from your presence, take not your Holy Spirit from me, restore to me the joy of your salvation, uphold me with a willing spirit, deliver me from bloodguiltiness, open my lips."

Wow. Enough said.

Second, that we would be willing to "put off" whatever God would ask us. As Jesus told us to "pluck out our eyes" or "cut off our hand" if they cause us to sin, I pray we would be willing to do the same in whatever area of our life that might cause us to stumble.

Third, that we would understand we need to constantly be searching our hearts and seeking God and following the Holy Spirit as he leads us. This is not just a "one and done" experience.....this is a fight till the end.... a spiritual war that gets mighty intense at times. Thankfully, we are and will be triumphant in Christ, who is there for us to pull us along even when we stumble when we seek him with our whole hearts. Pride commeth before the fall. I pray we would all stay humble and realize whoever we are, no matter how "spiritual" or how "solid", we will only stay on the straight and narrow through the strength from God.

Finally, that repentence would be preached in evangelism. It may not be the most popular message, but it is the only medicine that works. We do no one any favors when we avoid it. Let's preach it boldly, but in love with a spirit of gentleness and compassion, whenever we get the opportunities.

Peace to you,

Jay

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-21T00:29:00.002+09:00

I know I'm a week early.....but it seems only appropriate to take an opportunity to express thanks for this past year. It has been a year that I will never forget, to say the least!

One year ago today, I was sitting in an office, working on a research project at a temporary job at South Dakota State University. I was really unsure as to where the future would have me be, and had no idea I would end up in Korea. It just goes to show that sometimes, life will surprise you. The path I was on veared sharply to the West, so far to the West, that I'm now in the far East!

I've been here just over 7 months now. There are moments where it still feels very foreign, but most of the time, it feels very real. This world is this world, wherever you are. People may have different cultures and different ways of life, but they are in many ways, the same. Hand someone your money, you get what you pay for; give a student a hug, they'll hug you back; go for a long jog, you start sweating. Seek the Lord with all your heart, and you understand your life.

The growth I have experienced here is something that I can't measure myself, but I know it has been tremendous and in a number of ways. I am very thankful for this year. It was not in my plans, but I'm ok with that.

I don't have a whole lot of words, as I'm tired and it's late. But I just want to say thankyou.....to all of you for helping me in my life over the years and for being supportive of me here in Korea. And most of all to my Lord, who went before me to prepare a place for me here in Korea and who goes before each of us at this very moment. May we always look to Him and his gentle guidence for us along the railroad track that is our lives....even when our track takes us far out of our comfort zone....or time zone! To him be the glory and thanksgiving!

Game Time

2009-11-11T11:04:00.002+09:00

One of the more interesting parts of my job is game time. Game time is the final 15 minutes on Friday of each class I have. I have played a variety of games with my students, depending on their age. "Bingo", (using either pictures or words, depending on the level) is a common choice for the very young students. "Simon Says" and "Bipity Bipity Bop" are also fun games I like to play with students of all ages, though the younger students really seem to enjoy it. "Heads up Seven Up, or "The Thumb Game" as they call it here is a popular choice as well with mid to high elementry students. Then there is "The Spelling Game", which consists of two teams of students with a representative from each team racing on the board to spell a word correctly and earn a point for their team. This is fun, but sometimes the highly competitive nature of the students makes it a little tiring for me.

Recently, I learned that the games didn't have to necessarily be English focused, especially with the older students that have studied hard all week. I have played "Mophia," a card game that many of you are familiar with with my oldest students. Also, when I am in the big classroom, I have played "Red Light Green Light," which is fun, but the boys almost kill each other in my 7:00 class. I began taking them outside a couple of weeks ago and playing "Tag" with them. This was great, as they loved to run around.....although I will say I picked the wrong day to wear the shoes I wore....

Then, there is the last class. We started playing "Pack Sardines," since the students are all middle or high school age and more responsible. This game is like hide and go seek, only you hide with the person when you find them. I have been very impressed with the students as we played this. It has been a lot of fun for me and for them. I will say I got some odd looks from some Koreans when they saw me hiding last week....but hey, It's not like that is the first time that has happened.

I am always up for new games. If you can think of any that would be good, even games you played as a child, let me know. Most of them need to be appropriate to play in a classroom, but the last two classes are fine to go outside when the weather cooperates.

Time to make tests. Stay tuned.

~Jay

Recent sites

2009-11-07T00:21:00.004+09:00

It CAN get "cold" in Korea.....

2009-11-04T10:47:00.004+09:00

Saturday was one of the nicest days since I have been in Korea. I went on a church picnic in Hwasun, a nearby city where several folks from church are from. We did old fashioned games: 3 legged races, sack races, egg toss, etc. and had a great time. It was a little breezy, but it was in the mid 70s are gorgeous.

Then came Sunday...and with it cooler weather. I noticed how I felt very tired by Sunday night, as often happens when a cold front comes through. By Monday, it was sleeting! Yikes! I thought I'd left South Dakota, what is this? I heard it was -3 (Celsius) in Seoul (so probably about 30 here). I would use the word "cold," but after all the winters I have endured in the states, I cannot bring myself to call 30 "cold" (unless I use quotes)....

Luckily, it has warmed back up again. I thought it was funny yesterday when I asked Johnny, one of my younger students, "How are you today?" He responded, "Angry." When I asked him why, he responded, "Mother,...here, many many..."(then he showed me the 5 layers he had on, from coat to sweatshirt to sweater, to shirt, to undershirt). All I could think was, what would these people do if it was 40 below?

I have some pictures of leaves, and some various other things I'll be posting at some point soon. Prayers are welcomed as well as I begin to think about next year and employment possibilities and follow God as he leads me onward.

Over and out---

Jay

This N That

2009-10-26T23:24:00.003+09:00

Things have gone well here lately. I am recovering from a sinus infection, but feel considerably better this week. The church I attend offers a free clinic in the early afternoons. The medical people from the greater Korean church (I attend the English side) offer free healthcare and free meds as a service to the community. My doctor was great and he spoke great English. Plus, the meds he gave me have helped a lot.

In other news.........The weather is still quite pleasant, though I have begun wearing a jacket in the evenings after work. The leaves are beautiful!.......My apartment is as clean as it has been since I got here, thanks to some Saturday afternoon motivation..............I am 8 units away from finishing my TESOL course, which is nice. It has been very helpful for me in my present job and may prove valuable for future employment as well...........I had a nice time at Chonnam University yesterday afternoon, as I was able to follow up with a friend I had discussed Christianity with a few weeks before. The hospitality of these people is amazing! He bought me supper, and a smoothy for dessert, refusing to let me pay. It didn't seem to matter to him that I was in the workforce and he was a college student (though he was older than me). "Next time, I told him." .........I had my oldest two classes write letters to American students last week and will be sending them to America soon. Mrs. Schillerstrom from West Lyon, (where I went to highschool) has kindly agreed to have her students correspond with mine. It should be interesting!

I have many things to be thankful for. It's been a great year so far.

Over and out!

Jay

Religion....or Christianity?

2009-10-24T20:46:00.006+09:00

Religion....or Christianity? What is the difference? I talked to a Buddhist recently, and he talked about Karma. Do good things, and you are a good person and have good Karma. I asked him, "How do you know when you've done enough good? And what if your motives are impure?" I don't recall his answer.....Islam is focused on obediently following what is in the Koran---which will result in favor with Allah. Yet again I ask the question, "How do you know if you have done enough?" Every organized religion sees people as either good or bad. Every religion that is, except Christianty.........or does it???

I tried Christianity, but "I'm not good enough to be a Christian...." These were the words I heard from a young man's mouth back in early August when I began to talk with him about Christianity. I had all I could do to not throw over the table we were sitting at and holler, "NEITHER AM I, BUT JESUS LIVED THE LIFE YOU AND I COULD'T LIVE! Few things in life upset me as much as people thinking they aren't "good enough" to be Christians.

Carefully read Matthew 23. Was Jesus upset? WHY was Jesus upset (assuming you answered correctly to the previous question)? His condemnation of the Pharisees was shocking---considering the religious "prestige" they carried in those days. Their life was religion, and to call them "sons of the devil" cut to the heart and only stirred up trouble.

Jesus was angry, because the Pharisees were taking the Bible and their obedience to the law and trying to use it as evidence for their "righteousness." In the Pharisees eyes, there were good people and bad. The good people tithed 10% of everything--even their spices (mint, dill, cummin, etc) and followed the law to the T. The bad people fell somewhere short of this, and were "lesser thans." No wonder why they hated Jesus, when he told them that lusting in the heart was committing adultery. All of a sudden, their so called righeousness looked like nothing more than an external mask!

How does this look in Century 21 of Christianity? The world is so liberal, that this isn't an issue, right? Sadly, I would have to disagree. Let's go back to the young man I talked to. He didn't go into a lot of details, but it sounded like he had labored a few years, trying to prove himself good enough for the church people. Yet his level of perceived "righteousness" was somewhat short of others. They knew it and so did he. Due to a misunderstanding of the gospel, he was tired and wore out. He had enough of Christianity. It was time to move on in his eyes.

I had a similar experience in my life when I felt pressure to join a particular church. Doing so would result in finding the favor of many people whose opinions I greatly valued. Yet I just didn't feel like I was quite good enough.....so for a while, I just pursued more sin that left me empty and unsatisified. Like my friend, I saw Christianity as only a list of does and don'ts. I could not figure out how to change my actions to measure up. That was where I was until God shone the light of his saving grace through faith in Christ into my heart and began changing me in 2006.....from the inside out, which is the only way change can last.

As I read scripture, all people are sinners.....thus all bad. But there are still two types of people: repentant and unrepantant. If you don't agree with me, find a good person in scripture: Moses, Noah, David, Paul, Peter. Study their life, and you'll find quite a list of sins. Yet all of these men were lead to repentance by God.....many times in their life. About the time we thought they had it together, they'd botch it. I have heard individuals, who hold a different interpretation than I say, "well, those were all before pentecost." A careful reading of Galations 2 and the story of the hypocrisy of Peter and other Christians regarding circumcision proves this interpretation incorrect and potentially very self righteous. The flesh is still their fighting us. Just because we live after pentecost and have been given the Holy Spirit doesn't mean we are now all sin-free for life. Our perfection is still in Christ alone. In him, we walk triumphantly, in spite of our daily fight with sin.

Another illustration is the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Both went down to pray.......but their prayers sounded quite differently. Let's listen in on Luke 18:9-14:

9He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

It seems to me this is the Pharisees attitude: "God, I'm doing pretty good and I thank you for that. I'm becoming more sanctified all the time, much better than others around me. Take note please!" The tax collector, on the other hand, understands that he is nothing before God at all. And he is the one that is justified.

In reality, even on our best days, our righteousness is of filthy rags before God. Remember, it is Christ alone that saves......Not Christ plus perfect obedience. Viewing obedience as a way to earn favor results in either pride or despair (the latter of which is what my friend felt and certianly I felt). We compare to someone else to see how good we are. And when we compare, we lose....every time. Jesus is the standard: he is perfect. We need to believe his sacrifice was enough.

Obedience out of love is pleasing to God and will accompany all Christians. It will lead us to continually see how far we have fallen short in sin, but through it God will constantly draw us closer and reveal more of our impure hearts as we submit to him and turn from our sinful ways. These are the joys of sanctification, which is a lifelong process for all Christians.

When "good people who know it" run churches, the church begins to smell like a pile of dung and becomes as dead as grass in the winter time. When sinners made righteous through Christ run the church out of humility, with the love of Christ, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, Christianity spreads. People like my friend and I can come boldly to the thrown of grace, without fear of condemnation....even if it means coming looking more like a someone from the hood than a church goer.

Pray for my friend and others that are blinded in the view of self righteous "religion" and cannot understand Christianity. What clever tactics the enemy has used to blind these people. Luckily, our God is big enough to shine his light through. Let's all pray he continues to do that.....and that Christians would be willing to be telescopes for people to see that light. May we remember to boast not in ourselves, but to daily humble ourselves like the tax collector when we come before God. Praise God for his grace. Grace be with you...

~Jay
P.S. Grace does not cancel out repentence....it just enables it.
P.P.S. These words are as much for me as anyone else.

My friend Sean and I above the street in Itaewon (a district of Seoul).

2009-10-22T01:55:00.004+09:00

Koreans weeding the River bank outside my house.

2009-10-22T01:53:00.004+09:00

The Good News...

2009-10-21T11:35:00.004+09:00

The last few weeks have been very good ones for me. I have been in Seoul for two of the past three weekends. It has been great to connect with new friends and experience new things....though the downside is that I miss people down in Jeollanam-do (my province) while I am gone. I guess it is never a bad thing when you wish you could be in two places as once.

The reason for my latest Seoul visit was American author/speaker Phillip Yancey from the states speaking on Sunday afternoon. This was truly a unique experience---though not just because Mr. Yancey was a great speaker. The event featured young adult and college ministries of Youngnak church coming together, along with the English ministries of Youngnak church and others in Seoul. The worship was very passionate and flipped back and forth between Korean and English. It was very moving.......a taste of heaven as I like to say!

When Phillip Yancey began to speak, there was an interpreter who translated after he finished each sentence. This was interesting, as some things didn't translate all that well---especially some of his illustrations. It was rather humorous to witness, though overall the interpreter did a great job......as did Mr. Yancey. I read on the internet that his childhood background was one of little grace and lots of rigid fundamentalism. Thankfully, God has lead him to write a lot about grace now. He spoke about the prostitute who washed Jesus feet with her hair, and poured her "perfume" on his feet. This was the equivalent of giving up a years worth of supplies for her "profession." He asked the question, "what would you all do if a prostitute from inner city Seoul came up now and washed my feet?" (Of course, Phillip Yancey is not Jesus, but his point is clear). Sadly, we probably all look down our religious noses at her, and leave in disgust.

This brought about interesting thoughts in my mind. As many of you may have picked up, by the grace of God, I have become very interested in effective evangelism to all tribes, tongues, and nations. One of the things that bothers me about both myself and other Christians is that we "want nothing to do with unbelievers" unless we can corner them and herd them into church or gang up on them and start jabbing. As Phillip Yancey noted, when we read about Jesus, he is all about talking to the outcasts of society (this prostitute, the woman at the well, Zacchaeus, etc). Interestingly enough, he didn't have to condemn any of these people, as they all knew they were sinners and knew they needed a Saviour. The ones he condemned were the "perfect people"---the Pharisees.

So how do we refrain from worldliness and yet reach the nations? I've heard many say, "preach the gospel, use words when necessary." Well, living a Godly life is certainly part of it. And without a Godly life, your witness is very ineffective. But it is not all of it. The great commission doesn't tell us to simply "live" it tells us to "teach all nations" or "make disciples," depending on your translation. Satan is just fine letting you "live your life for Christ," as long as you don't open your mouth or heartily support those that do financially or in prayer.

Also, what I am starting to discover is that "worldliness" is more than what I thought it was. Worldliness includes the view of "you have your belief, I have mine, let's be quiet and be happy." Lovingly sharing the gospel with someone and reasoning with them as Paul had to do at times is what we are called to do. The fear of man is, or worrying about how we'll look if we do this or what might get said to us is, in reality, worldliness, as we care more about what others think of us than God. Galations 1:10--For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ!

Certainly, we need to be careful that we don't let non-believers influence us more than them. Choosing context is important. To use an extreme example, there are plenty of people than need evangelizing in a gentleman's club---and yet I would never advise a Christian to go there. Also, if you are planning to sit down and talk to more than one person, it is helpful to have someone with you. Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs to witness. So if you meet a couple people and arrange to talk to them in the future, bring a friend along.

In my opinion, it is very important to show people you care about them before you share with them. The old slogan, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" comes to mind. Be friendly and loving. This is a human being God made. We are the apex of his creation. Listen to the persons problems, encourage the person. And pray God gives you an opportunity to share the good news with the person. Remember, the gospel is "the most loving thing of all" you can share with them. It is the reason we are on this earth. It is the purpose of life: To glorify our creator on this earth and eternally in heaven---made possible by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus if we repent of sin and believe in Him.

Finally, you NEED the Holy Spirit with you when you share the gospel--for words and for love. Also, you are dealing with blind people---incapable of repenting and believing in Christ without supernatural help. The most effective presentation alone cannot save a single soul without the Holy Spirit's work to open their heart to believe. Often, it takes years and years and several encounters with the gospel before an individual believes.

I leave you with two scriptures. The first describes the previous state of all Christians and how God changed them. The next two describe our part in that process.

Ephesians 2:1-10 "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Romans 10:14-15 "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

Matthew 28: 18-20 "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"

This is some powerful stuff. I pray the Holy Spirit would lead all of us to opportunities where we can open our mouths and make a difference in this world, one Soul at a time.

Ready for revival,

Jay

Rice Fields

2009-10-16T23:58:00.004+09:00

Hongook Humor Part 2

2009-10-13T12:25:00.003+09:00

First of all, I extend my condolences to all who are reading this blog with snow on the ground..... That is one thing I really do not miss! We have had high temperatures in the low 70s and lows in the upper 50s. Amazing! Sorry to rub it in, but it goes both ways. Our monsoon season here in July isn't a lot of fun either---with upper 70s, high humidity and rain everyday.

Next, I'd like to share a few humor points. Remember, Hongook is the word for Korea, (while Meegook is the word for America).

My director, whose English is getting better everyday, said something rather humorous recently: "I really like ocean food." I chuckled, though explaining why it is "sea" food is really difficult. The joys of our English language.

I wrote on a recent quiz: Write is, isn't, are, or aren't in the blank. One of my students then wrote "in the blank" for one of their answers. I laughed when I graded it. I guess maybe I should have puts quotes around each of these choices or underlined them like I usually do.

I was at a restaurant recently, and told them I wanted "dongcass" which means "cutlet." The most common cutlet is "pork cutlet," so I assumed he would know what I meant. For good measure, he asked me, "PIG?" Something about hearing "pig" instead of "pork" is not all that appetizing!

I did an exercise with my oldest class of students recently where they gave me two sentences about themselves: one was true, and one was false. I then had the class try to guess which was true and which was false. Fun activity that I picked up on a recent trip to Seoul. Anyhow, I learned through this activity that one of the students had swallowed a 500 won coin (which is about as big as a quarter) when they were very young. I was curious what happened, so I asked, "Did it go through?" The students were confused, so I made a motion with my hands from my head, down to my navel, and then around to my backside.....which resulted in a chorus of laughter. They got it! And no, I learned she had it removed through surgery or a tube or something, thank goodness.

I'll pass along more funny encounters as they come my way............until then, make a snowman for me!

Tired after a long week

2009-10-09T21:54:00.002+09:00

The week after a holiday weekend can always be a bit long. Often, it is difficult to get into the groove and there always seems to be more work to do than normal. When I came into school Monday morning and realized that I had two classes that would need book tests this week and another that would have a large chapter test, I growned. To top it off, one of our temporary replacement teachers got sick---which left us scrambling around to try and fill in.

Yet now, I have taught here long enough that I just learn to just go with it. This is true for most everything in life. Worrying doesn't help at all. And just like jumping on an airplane headed overseas, there is a sort of thrill that comes from being thrown into a new class and being told, "You teach them today..." ten minutes before class starts.

What looked like a difficult week wasn't bad overall. Happy students really help---even if they do come and bother me while I'm trying to grade tests now and then.

More and more everyday, I am amazed by this experience. Especially living in a town where I often do not see another foreigner other than my fellow four teachers. I think I am most surprised by two things: 1) how I just came here inspite of how naive I was about this culture 2) how easy the transition has been for me overall.

God truly has been with me here in a special way--which has made all the difference. To Him be the glory.

Resting in Him,

Jay

Retreat In Seoul

2009-10-08T22:04:00.021+09:00

Happy Chousak!

2009-10-04T22:36:00.002+09:00

Chousak is Korea's "Thanksgiving." It, along with the Lunar New Year are Koreas two biggest holidays. Friday, I had no school, due to the Chousak weekend festivities.

I can't tell you a lot about the history of Chousak, or even all the customs that it entails. But I did observe a few things visually, as well as learn some things from my students.

Chousak is a time when Korean families get together. They eat, sometimes go to the graves of deceased relatives, and have fun. Chousak is a time when the children often get sizeable sums of money from their parents. (As I found out, the benefits can come to employees as well!) Some of the students dress up in native Korean dress. I had a few kids do this at school on Thursday, and saw many more this weekend doing the same.

What do foreigners do on Chousak? To answer that, let me it turn the question around: What do foreigners (in America) do on Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc?

Maybe this thought has never crossed your mind before. If it hasn't, I would encourage you to invite a foreigner (or even someone with family a sizeable distance away) to join you on holidays. They (we) appreciate being remembered.

I had a very nice Chousak. I attended a church retreat that I was invided to participate in the last time I was in Seoul. We went to Namhan Sansung National Park, which is just East of Seoul. It was a wonderful time--of games, fellowship, food (Dr. Pepper, hamburgers....sorry, but it's been 6 months!) but most importantly, tremendous spiritual encouragment from folks from all over the world. I met people from Trinidad and Tabago, Brazil, Uganda, Pakistan, America, the Caribean, and I'm sure I'm missing a few more. Very uplifting.

My return KTX ticket was for Sunday at 5:30 pm...and I wasn't sure what I would do Saturday night---as the retreat was only Friday through Saturday afternoon. However, when you meet fellow believers, God takes care of that---without you even having to ask anyone. Cory and his wife invited me over and had supper with me and Sean offered me a bed anytime I came to Seoul. Sean has served 15 years in the military and gave me a tour of the military base---which also included Taco Bell and my first store bought haircut in 14 months......(I cut my own or had friends help the last 14).

After attending the afternoon service at Yongnak church, I hopped the KTX and am back in Naju. I worried some before this weekend that it might wear me out. Honestly, just the opposite happened. I feel very rested and excited---about teaching in the upcoming weeks, about continuing the friendships I built, about continuing to share the gospel with college students next Saturday, and just about experiencing the life God has for me. It seems like with every story I hear from someone from another country, God just keeps getting a little bigger in my small mind. I'll take it, because it makes me worry less and less.

Peacefully enjoying the new life God has given me here in Korea,

Jay

Growing an English Church in Korea...

2009-09-28T10:15:00.002+09:00

Imagine a church where the majority of the people will be gone within 5 years. And most of those that do remain long term don't speak English as their first language. This is the situation for Korean English Ministries.

Typically, English ministry services in Korea are offered by large Korean churches. (When I say large, I mean in the thousands or ten thousands in attendance). Yet other than the large multistory church building, it seems pretty small for the English speaker attending the English worship service. Most range from 50-100 people, and are very friendly environments.

Far too often, English worship services can begin to become glorified "English lessons" over time. Many Korean people will attend, sometimes for the very reason of learning English better. While this is not a bad reason to attend, it should never be the primary reason to go to church. Churches exist to feed Christians spiritually and harbor an environment where they can use their spiritual gifts together to build each other up in Christ through fellowship.

Yesterday, we spent time praying and talking in small groups at church on the future direction of the church, mission, vision, etc. It was very encouraging, especially because my fellow brother and sisters in Christ, who were from America, Canada, England, Ireland, South Africa, Indonesia, and Korea (and I'm sure I missed a few more) were for the most part united on our views for the future. It's funny how half way around the world, the biggest needs of the church sound similar to the needs we had back in Brookings: 1) Prayer for God's constant help and direction. 2) For the Christians in the body to understand the gospel and how to spread, defend, and live it effectively.

I am thankful to be a part of what God is doing in Gwangju/Naju. I look forward to seeing where he takes us this year and beyond.

Have a good week!
--Jay

Dealing with the culture shock

2009-09-25T22:11:00.002+09:00

This title may sound odd for a blogpost for a person that is five+ months into teaching. Yet culture shock is something that comes in waves. I've had several people ask about it, so I'll do my best to describe it.

The first six weeks here, I felt little culture shock at all. I was still in the "vacation" stage. You really never get out of this stage whenever you visit another country generally, because most times your trip doesn't last more than a few weeks. Culture shock may be there, but you know that you'll be back home before too long anyway. In this stage, everything is amazing and literally nothing is wrong. You hardly notice what you don't like and are just very excited about everything.

From the six week point to the three month point, their is a slow "getting used to" phenomenon that occurs. And about three months in, you begin to start noticing some things you don't like. The next few weeks, you notice more......and more. That's a good time to try something new.....which is what happened to me. I went on vacation to Seoul and Busan the first week of August and had a great time. Getting a bigger view of the country helped me understand Koreans more---and appreciate my region of the country for what it was.

Months four and five (August and September) have been good, for the most part. There are parts of days where everything bothers you.....probably about 4 days out of the month for me. My thoughts sound like this on those days: (1) Why are you staring at me...haven't you ever seen a foreigner before? 2) Why do you have to be so polite? Just say What's up......and what's with the bow? 3) What's the point of taking your shoes off? My shoes are probably cleaner than my socks. 4) Man, I miss Taco Johns. 5) What is this? Corn on my pizza? 6) Don't you people realize there is more to this earth than just Korea? 7) Yuck. I smell fish. 8) Man, I miss my friends and family back home. 9) What am I doing here? 10) I have no idea what you just said.....you might think that is English, but it isn't. 11) You are a little punk you know it? Just be glad I'm kind..... 12) You think I'm going to give you candy? All you do is complain! 13) Ahhhhh. What do I have to do to make them understand?!!

All of the above are classic signs of culture shock, (along with a couple of typical "kid" frustrations that are cross cultural....but tend to only bother me at times). If you live in Korea, you are likely laughing right now, because you know exactly what I am talking about. If not, just bare with me. It's different here. And there are days where different is tough. I like to be real, so I think It's important I share that.

Then, their are parts of days where everything is amazing. You feel as though you are in paradise. This is also about 4 days out of the month for me. My thoughts sound like this on those days: 1) Korea is the best place on earth. 2) This culture is so much more respectful than the states. 3) These people actually value education. 4) I am saving so much money! 5) Wow! These mountains are amazing. 6) This food is so healthy and it tastes surprisingly really good! 7) These people are so loyal. They'll do anything for you. 8) These Korean girls are beautiful. 9) The weather is perfect here. 10) I don't ever want a car again. It's so cheap to travel by bus and subway. 11) Why don't we have these spas in the states? These are amazing! 12) I don't ever want to leave Korea 13) I couldn't have asked for a better day than this.....the kids were great. My job rocks!

The other 22 days of the month, I fall somewhere in between, though definately more on the positive side. But even on the culture shock days, I can usually come back to reality pretty fast. There are pros and cons, like every place on earth. Right now, the pros outway the cons and that's why I'm here. And I praise God for it.

While the culture shock will never go away, it is getting much easier to manage. Typically, a good 30 minute jog with a good sermon or some music can bring me out of most valleys. From talking with a few folks today at Bible Study that have been in Korea for several years, it sounds like the culture shock never completely goes away. But it, like every other trial in life, is manageable. God is good, and he has provided and continues to provide. And I praise him for that!

Enjoy the weekend.

Jay

All in a days work....

2009-09-23T23:13:00.002+09:00

Magic Time 2 has always been one of my favorite classes to teach. It was literally the first class I taught when I came to Korea. It is simple English vocabulary, and the students are 1st and 2nd graders age-wise. It is my youngest class that I teach.

My first round of Magic Timers advanced on to English Time 1, and I went up with them. But, after some schedule reshuffling (which happens a lot in the spring and fall, especially to keep students from having the same teacher 2 hours in a row) I am again teaching Magic Time 2.

This bunch of students is incredibly entertaining to teach. Even on the days I'm tired or fighting a cold, I look forward to teaching them. We are 5 chapters in to a 12 chapter book, and so far, I've had more A's and A-pluses than I can count. It's incredible. I don't know if they were all just naturally quick learners or I'm teaching better than before. Probably a little of both. Certainly, my recent obsession with flashcards has helped.

Today, I had a very interesting time teaching them two phrases: "push the wagon" and "pull the wagon." While this might sound fairly easy, it can be difficult with non-native speakers. The pictures in their textbook were so-so, but I didn't think they really showed "push" and "pull" all that well. My drawing skills are drastically improving here, but aren't great. And, the last time I taught Magic Time 2, I remembered a lot of students messing up "push" and "pull" on the test.

So I got creative. I grabbed a small chair, yanked off my belt, and used it as a wagon tongue. "Pull the wagon," I proclaimed, and began pulling the chair/wagon. The students laughed. "Push the wagon," I proclaimed, and pushed the chair across the rather bumpy linoleum floor. The chair was so short, I was hunched over. I heard the phrase "meachis Harmony" which in Korean means "psycho Grandmother" uttered by one student, followed by a chorus of laughter. I could only laugh with the students. I don't know if they realized I understood what was said.

Next, I let the kids come up and take their turns "pulling" or "pushing" the wagon. Then, they all took turns receiving the laughs. One of the things my online TESOL class has taught me is to appeal to as many different learning styles as possible. Today, we hit hard on the kinesthetic learning style.

Certainly, today lesson was not "Korean style," which tends to be a bit more traditional lecture. Then again, as I have grown accustomed to telling my students and even adults at times when they point out a difference in me or another foreigner: "We're not Korean." Today's lesson was "Jay style." And they loved it, which was great. And most importantly, everyone is going to remember what it means to "push" and "pull"--on Friday's test and probably forever.

Helping Korea become a bit more heterogeneous---- Jay

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

2009-09-17T09:56:00.002+09:00

I love the Autumn season as it is my favorite time of the year. In the states, Autumn reminds me of renewing old friendships at school, harvest time on the farm, beautiful weather, and football games.

Here in Korea, the Autumn is already a great time. The weather has turned beautiful--with high temperatures in the upper 70s to lower 80s and lows around 60. It rains much less now, and is sunny most days. The trees are beginning to turn, and I am noticing how lovely this country really is.

But beyond the basic observations......Autumn is the time of year when I find myself especially thankful for all God has given me. As the fields boast a bountiful harvest, I can begin to see all the blessings in my life. In this post, I'd like to talk about what I am most thankful for in my life.

So many times in life, it is easy to be unthankful. I mentioned in a prior blog post that I was reading the Christian book "Respectable Sins" by Jerry Bridges, which I have since finished. One of the "Respectable Sins" he mentions is unthankfullness. How easy is it to begin to take our lives for granted---and not be thankful for what we have? Far too easy---and I say this from experience.

Yet unthankfullness is very serious---first because, like all sin, it is an offense towards God, but also because it has a tendency to lead to further sins---like anxiety and the fear of man----or gossip, slander, lust, and covetesnous, idolotry, etc. The old puritan writer John Owen says it best when he makes the statement, "be killing sin or it will be killing you." So how exactly should we be killing the sin of unthankfullness?

There is no better way to kill the sin of unthankfullness than to focus on what we are most thankful for. I have learned that the gospel is not just for unbelievers---but also to daily remind us as believers of our great thankfullness to Christ and what he did for us.

We (all men) are made in God's image and ever since Adam, all men have sinned and fall short of God's glory. God gave us his perfect law, and we all broke it. A holy and perfect God can have nothing to do with sin---thus would justly cast us all into eternal punishment (hell) for what we have done. Though to show his great glory and his love for us, God sent his son Jesus to fullfill the law perfectly. Christ lived the life we couldn't live and was triumphant over Satan, sin, and death. Christianity is unlike all other religions in that it is not about your perfect life to merit your salvation---but rather about the very fact you could not do what was required of you on your own, but Jesus did it for you. And salvation comes through belief that Jesus perfect life and his righteousness become our righteousness---so that God looks on him and pardons us on the day of judgement.

I want to clarify one more thing here as well: Jesus died for all our sins---not just the 'moderate' or 'respectful' ones or the ones we did years ago. Every day we can find forgiveness in Jesus. To say otherwise belittles Christ's death and leads to self righteousness----"Christ got me started, but now it is all me......" This leads to a man-centered life where we have to start calling sin something else in order to "maintain" our 'perfection'---and sadly this typically can be breeding grounds for hidden sin and deep despairing lives. This dependence on self is a far cry from the words of John Newton when he says, "Tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home" in the popular hymn, "Amazing Grace."

It took me some time to properly understand how to walk triumphantly in Christ without getting bogged down with my own shortcomings (sins). My biggest argument against such a view of God's grace was "the other extreme":a license to sin. If Christ died for my sins, than why not go on and sin? I knew that a license to sin was not right from what I grew up being taught about the Bible and Christian living.

How interesting it is that Paul also makes this very point to begin Romans Chapter 6-- and refutes it---noting that we are dead to sin, and we are not to gratify the desires of the flesh. It seems that Paul anticipated that if people understood grace on a intellectual level only, they would start asking that question. But he makes it clear that for the Christian, we will abhor sin in our flesh and flee from it, and consider ourselves dead to it. This will not happen until we have been given a new heart and been born again spiritually by faith in Christ's shed blood. We need to rememeber that, especially when we get upset with unbelievers living in blatant sin.

Unfortunately, as long as we are in the flesh, we have fleshly bodies that have a sinful nature that we must continue to put to death. That is why these bodies will return to dust and never enter heaven. Our righteous works in these bodies are always tainted with selfish desires, and we fall short of God's glory everyday. By definition, this is sin: falling short of the glory of God and missing the mark of perfection.

In summary, the straight and narrow way, like all paths, has two false doctrinal ditches--both of which must be avoided: license to sin, and legalistic pefectionism. I believe all of us have a tendency to go towards one of these ditches. I encourage you to pray about which one you incline towards---and ask God to keep you away from it.

How does this all relate to thanksgiving? I do not believe you can truly be thankful to God without remembering the awesome price Christ paid on the cross. As you think about that, you can truly begin to thank him for "paying it all" to cover your sin. And you can begin to live triumphantly in thanksgiving---preaching this good news to yourself and others. It is this reality that has helped Christians for centuries endure through the good, bad, and ugly times of life----even singing as they are lead to their deaths as martyrs.

I encourage you that when you start your prayers of thanksgiving, begin with the gospel ---an understanding of who God is, who you are, and who Jesus is and what he did for you. Thank God for sending him to die for you. Live in triumphant thanksgiving in this. And use it to change the world for God's glory. This will help you fight the sin of unthankfullness better than anything else.

God bless you from East Asia---

Jay

Friends United Half Way Around the World

2009-09-11T10:44:00.007+09:00

Han Riverboat Ride

2009-09-11T10:35:00.005+09:00

Yongnak Church in Seoul

2009-09-11T10:32:00.001+09:00

Markets in Seoul

2009-09-11T09:59:00.009+09:00

Seoul again

2009-09-07T23:00:00.002+09:00

I haven't had a lot of time to write lately, as I visited Seoul last weekend and this week my friend Kyle Isenberg is here visiting. But I have a few minutes here.

Friday I took the KTX to Seoul. The KTX is the high speed train that tops out at just over 300 km/hr, or roughly 190 mph. It does stop a few times along the way---but I made it to Seoul in 3 hours.

It was great to see Kyle. In some ways, it really helped me see how much I've experienced thus far in Korea. Everything seems so "normal" to me---and yet so exotic to him. Funny how fast things become normal.

We hit up a number of different sites. The highlights for me were the Han River boat tour and the fish market---as I had not seen these areas before.

Three days later, it's Monday night and we are back in Naju after a day of teaching. It is simply amazing how fast we can get from place to place and around the world now adays. We take it all for granted--but it's good to stop and really appreciate it.

I've got a ton of pictures again--and I don't know when I'll get around to posting them all. I'll put a few up here.

More later!

Jay

Name Suggestions + Phonetics lesson

2009-08-30T18:58:00.006+09:00

One thing that is different about teaching in an English academy as opposed to teaching in a public school is that some of your students are only there for a few months---and others can be your students for several years if you stay at the school.

There is a high turnover rate among the students---as many parents want their kids to have some English lessons--but don't want to leave them there for years. You can compare it to swimming lessons. Most parents want their kids to have some---but few put their kids all the way through life guard training.

The point here is: I have a number of new students that come to my class and generally have the opportunity to name my students when they come--as they don't come with an English name. This is fun--as it gives me some taste into what naming my own children will be like someday if I am blessed with them.

I would like some suggestions from you for names. You can post them as comments underneath this post. Keep in mind the students receiving them are very new English learners. I would prefer: 1) Names that are less than 7 letters. 2) Names that phonetically can be sounded out using traditional English consonant and vowel sounds (long and short vowel sounds are fine, as long as they follow the rules). 3) Names that are real English names---not other words. This might sound silly---but I had a guy here who came to me with the name "Shoes."

Here are some examples of "good" and bad names, according to the above criteria. Good names (boys): Scott, David, Sam, Kevin. Good names: (girls): Amber, Jenny, Kelly, Robin.

Bad names (boys): Michael, Felix, Stump
Why?

Michael is too many letters. Also, this ch sound is a "k" sound so it is difficult. And the vowels make very little sense.

Felix is a Spanish name---so the long e sound does not follow English rules.

Stump: It sounds like short person (which would be funny for a tall kid) but it isn't a real name. Phonetically it is great though.

Bad names (girls): Nichole, Frieda, Nest

Again like Michael, Nichole has the "ch" making a "k" sound. Frieda has vowel sounds that do not follow basic English rules-- because it comes from another language (German I think). Nest is obviously not an English name, though phonetically it is great.

Note: Even names like Anna or John are not ideal---as the ending "a" in Anna sounds like it should be a "u" and the "h" is silent in John.

I can deal with difficult names---but for students learning English, it is helpful as they try to master phonics to have names they can sound out themselves. The best way to do that is to simplify the English language.

The reason for the difficulty with this is that English is not a phonetic language. I recently learned this while taking my online TESOL class during my Phonetics Unit. It came as no surprise to me---as most would agree English is one of the more difficult languages to learn. After teaching for 4.5 months, I will agree with that statement. That is what makes my job challenging and fun.

Korean (like Spanish) actually is a phonetic language. You can sound out any word in Korean once you know the alphabet. Their are a few cases where letters sound different if they are in different parts of the word--(the "s" sound on the bottom of a syllable becomes a "t") but a letter is never by-passed (other than the space holders for syllables that begin with vowel sounds).

What makes Korean more difficult than Spanish is that, like Chinese, it is also a "tonal" language. What does this mean? Here is the example my TESOL course used. English words like "pot" and "pill" have a slightly different "p" sound than "spot" and "spill" have. "Pot" and "Pill" are aspirated--meaning you can feel air come out of your mouth if you put your hand in front when you say them. "Spot and "spill" are non-aspirated and you can't feel much air at all. They are very subtle differences---and messing them up does not change the words meaning.

This is because you must change the "phonemes" not the "allophones" in English to change the word. The "P" sound is called a phoneme--as would the 'b' sound, the 'ch" sound, the "v" sound, etc. The differences in the above example is not in the phoneme, but is due to the different allophones. These are difficult to distinguish in English and don't matter a lot. However, in Korean or Chinese, this can change the words entire meaning. Welcome to my world of "double consonant sounds here in Korea beginning words!"

Enough phonetics for one day. Take care and enjoy the upcoming fall season. It is the best season of the year, you know!

Jay

A fishy tooth....

2009-08-24T11:23:00.002+09:00

I had a good weekend this weekend after an above average week of teaching. My Korean class continues to be a lot of fun, and yet quite challenging. I have 20 vocab words to memorize for this week--so fun times ahead with flashcards await.

My online TESOL class has been challenging, but really interesting. I feel more qualified for my job with every Unit I complete.

I met some great new friends again this week at church with very similar interests as mine and a great understanding of sovereign grace, apologetics, evangelism, etc. Definitely the young, restless, and reformed type. This was incredibly encouraging.

We went out to eat Sushi. This was my first encounter with it--and likely the first of many. I liked it. I don't think I would have a few months back--but like many foods here, you adjust to them over time. Octopus is really good--and fast becoming one of my favorite foods. It's a bit spongier than anything I've had before, but I really like it. Especially the bigger pieces are good.

Seaweed is fairly good too. Kimbab--which is cold rice, pieces of egg, tuna, and radish rolled into seaweed, is really good. It's very popular here.

For all these foods, I find they tend to set pretty well with me as well. I feel good after eating. This is not the case with greasier Western food. It may taste good---but I typically regret some of what I ate later and it doesn't always set well.

Obviously, this has been a blessing for me. I was a bit worried about the food coming here. No longer. I'd call it a positive overall, not a negative.

Well, I hope I motivated you all to go try something exotic. Take care!

Jay

Another world......

2009-08-20T01:13:00.005+09:00

It's night. Late actually and I'm ready for bed. But I felt the tug of words wanting to be expressed......so here I am.

With today's technology, one can transplant in another country and be miles away from home---and yet still communicate with family and friends as if they were next door. I go on facebook and look at pictures. I read e-mails and letters. I hear news about people and their lives. In some ways, it seems to all happen so fast. Maybe you feel the same as you read my blog and hear about my life.

Then I exit cyberspace and head to work. There I find another world. A world of little Hongooks(Koreans)---running around playing and enjoying life. I go on vacation and I find another world in Seoul---a dynamic, fascinating city full of people from all over the world. There are countless other "worlds" I have yet to experience, most of which I never will experience.

The unknown is something that many fear, and yet are very curious about. Another country on another continent was for me an unknown--until I visited China is 2007. And less than 2 years later, I found myself back in Asia---a few hundred miles West.

Is the answer to happiness in life to see how many "worlds" you can discover? It certainly is fun to do so while you are young if you have the opportunity. Yet "world" discoveries are not the point of life...or even of me being in Korea.

I learned in the pit of depression 13 months ago that I had no home----and no one physical person whom I could rely on 100%. Every person I ever trusted in or relied on proved imperfect and limited in some way---including myself. The answer was not to look within, to others, or around, but to look up...

What makes Korea my home now isn't the beautiful scenery. It isn't the awesome spas, the healthy food, or the friendly people. It isn't even the students I love. What makes Korea great is I know my Sovereign Lord is here with me. Home is where the heart is: And mine yearns for God.

I cannot begin to count the times I've got off work and been in awe----of how God used every detail of my life to bring me to this point. The bigness of God is something I can't hardly describe. It's like that feeling you get on a mountain top as you gaze over the vast creation. You are outside of yourself. You understanding you were created for Someone else. You don't want to talk about yourself at that point.

Living with this awe is what gets me up in the morning. It's what gives me comfort when I'm lonely. It's what gave me the courage to go on vacation alone. It's what gives me the boldness in evangelism. It's not about me. It's about Him. My life points to Him. Creation points to Him. And because of Jesus sacrifice, we can know this God....and will forever be with him in another world if we are His.

Back to work

2009-08-17T21:32:00.002+09:00

It was a busy week this past week--as two of our teachers are back in America for 2 weeks (as they have completed there first year). They are returning this Friday. This means overtime for the rest of us--and a couple of Filipino teachers to fill in when we are teaching. Overtime means no break in the middle of the day---which results in a long day. God has been good though, and I'm doing just fine. I've enjoyed the extra class and I think they have enjoyed me.

I spent Saturday with the campus leader of The Navigators for Chonnum University.
After talking to some students in the morning, he took me out for lunch with his family. I really wish I would have remembered my camera---as his kids were a lot of fun. They had never really got to meet an American before, but had learned a lot of English from T.V./videos and their mother (who is an English major). They were eager to talk English to me, and probably had as much enthusiasm as I have seen since I've been here.

For those of you praying for me for witnessing opportunities---your prayers are being heard and God has been very faithful. Thank you very much. Sometimes they come about in different ways than you might think. I talked to a gentleman recently on facebook chat who I'd met several years back. He is an athiest and I attempted to answer a few of his questions--before referring him to some additional resources. Please pray for strength for me in these situations--as it takes patience and a bold but loving spirit to be effective---as well as an understanding that faith is not something I can generate in someone else. All I can do is try to help remove some of the roadblocks. But Romans 10 makes it clear that people need to hear it before they'll believe it.

Finally, I have begun taking an online TESOL program. TESOL stands for "Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages." My course is 150 hours and I have 6 months to complete it. This is nice, as I can do a few units a week. It is also directly applicable---as I have already incorporated things into my class. More on that latter.

It's been 4 months now. I am very happy to be here and am very thankful for all I have experienced already. Miss you all and hope you are having a good summer!

Jay

Wonderful vacation ends with tears....of thankfulness.

2009-08-07T23:03:00.002+09:00

Today was an interesting day, and one I will not forget anytime soon. I visited the UN memorial in Busan. It was a rainy day, and I had my umbrella with me as I entered. Now I'm not what I would call a history buff. Several individuals in my family are more interested in history than I am...and while I like visiting historical sites, I usually see all I need to see in fairly short order (though that appears to be changing as I get older).

However, today was different. The memorial/cemetery was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.....and also one of the most powerful. Seeing all the UN countries that were represented left me in awe. It was one of those experiences where you completely lose track of time---and find yourself in another world, imagining what it must have been like then--and how different it might be today had the war not happened.

Seeing the wall of names was amazing--even though I do not know of anyone personally that died in Korea (only soldiers that lived such as my Uncle Leonard Braker and Willy Knobloch). I was able to find Iowa on the wall, as the casualties (over 40,000 for the U.S alone) were listed by state.

As I walked into the small memorial hall/chapel, tears began to run down my cheeks--and by the time the short video ended, I my tears became more frequent and as I walked along the path and gazed out at the lovely memorial, I cried harder than I have in years.......

What struck me the most was when the video mentioned how the UN soldiers allowed South Korea to remain free from communist control and become the nation it is today. I took that a step further---and personalized. My students....those cute little kids I teach---would look like those pictures of the North Korean children had it not been for the war (even as I write this, tears run down my face).

Do me a favor, please. Scroll through my blog. Look at the pictures of my children. Then go to this webpage:
http://flickeringpictures.com/2008/08/26/north-korean-hunger-fighting-super-noodles/

Now stop, right where you are.....get on your knees, and thank our God for the blessing he has given the nation where I now live.....and your nation. And pray for my neighbors to the North.

Thank you, UN soldiers. Because of you, I am teaching today in a free South Korea--with healthy students I can love, and with the freedom to worship and share my faith with whomever God provides for me without the fear of getting my head shot off. It's changed a lot here since 1950. Your efforts were not in vain. I thank you from the bottom of my heart--and so do the people I love dearly here in Korea.

Thank you for your prayers.

Jay

P.S. If you know someone that fought in Korea, do me a favor and copy this message and mail it to them. If you can, send them a picture or two. They deserve to know how much I appreciate them.

Final leg of my vacation

2009-08-07T00:42:00.003+09:00

Busan, or Pusan as it is sometimes called, is my present location. Busan is Korea's second largest city (about 4 million) located in the Southeast corner of the country.

The guest house I am staying at has only been open for 3 weeks....and I was able to help the Korean guy who runs generate some signs that were in proper English.

I visited Haeundae beach(this is how they spell it here, so not this isn't a typo), the beach with the most umbrellas/carousels in the world. Today it wasn't all that busy, as a typhoon in the Pacific has lead to cloudy weather and a bit of rain for Korea as well.

In addition to the beach, I have spent some time relaxing. Yesterday evening, I had a long talk with a Korean from a nearby University about a large number of subjects, including Christianity. Today I had coffee with a couple of Korean friends I met on the KTX train from Seoul that were also visiting Busan. I also hung out with two guys from Sweden and one from Australia that are staying at the same guest house as me. That was really cool---as I have been able to learn about far more than just Korea.

All in all so far on this trip, I have been able to talk with people from: America, Canada, Great Britian, Sweden, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Australia, Thailand, Japan, and all over South Korea. That's pretty cool for a small town boy like me--especially when you can do a vacation to Korea's two largest cities and spend well under $400 for 7 days (6 nights). This has been a great week to relax, explore, and refocus. It also gives me a better idea of what Korea is like outside of Naju.

Have a good rest of the week.

Jay

Day with Thai friend

2009-08-04T21:03:00.004+09:00

I will not be able to post pictures for a few more days as I don't have a USB cord with me. I am traveling to Busan tomorrow by KTX train. Busan has a pretty high bar to match---as Seoul has been wonderful. I really really enjoy it here. It's a nice city with a lot to do. The subway system is excellent. There is food of all sorts and most people are friendly.

I spent today with a 27 year old man from Thailand who is staying at the same guesthouse as I am. He studied at a University in New York, so his English was excellent. We visited the Changdeokgung palace and the Cheonggyecheon Stream. I've got some good pictures and was very impressed.

While we traveled (specifically at the stream) I spent hours talking to my Thai friend. He is a Buddhist--and me a Christian. We talked a long time about this and I learned a lot about Buddhism. He asked me a lot of questions about Christianity. All I can say is: Thank you Gavin, Troy, Mike, Luke, Kyle, Adam, Jeff, and others for challenging me like you did in college and preparing me to know how to explain things. I am so thankful I was able to respond to his questions. My answers may not have been perfect, but I trust God can work through it.

Probably his biggest obstacle to Christianity is believing there is a god at all.....let alone believing the Christian God. I had to use a lot of "suppose there is..." and "how did it get here?" questions to him. I really love this guy, and I told him as much. That was one thing he hadn't experienced in Buddhism. After all, true love is telling someone what is best for them eternally in the kindest, most humble way you can. There have been many times I haven't been able to find the words. Thankfully, today was not one of them.

I can understand now what it means in the Bible when it says that Paul "reasoned with them." In any event, we had a great day together and I think he understands what I believe. I plan to stay in touch with him via facebook.

Well, that's it for today.

Jay

Savoring Seoul

2009-08-04T09:57:00.002+09:00

Anyong Haseo! (Remember, this is hello in Korean).

My time in Seoul has been amazing and I still have a day left before heading to Busan. I don't have much time to write, but I will just say that I've seen some great sights, ate some good food (even some Mexican finally!) and God has continued to lead me to the people I need--both fellow believers and people that need to hear the gospel. Hopefully I'll find time to explain soon.

Take care,

Jay

Eating out with Westerners on Sunday

2009-07-27T22:54:00.004+09:00

Thankful for Life

2009-07-27T22:30:00.003+09:00

Wow! It's hard to believe this is the last week before break. I can remember times in my life where life seemed to crawl by.......this is not one of those times. Time is going by very quickly here.

This past weekend, I went with a the English Ministry I attend in Gwangju down to the beach. The town was called Goheung. It was nice, though the trip there was very curvy. It was good to arrive. I have now been to the beach on both the West and South side of Korea. They were nice---though since they are on the China side, they tend to be more poluted. A few styrofoam containers floated in--and the Koreans said right away, "China." I hope to visit an East side beach over my vacation--as they are much cleaner.

This was my first time actually swimming in the ocean. The water was a bit cold because of the recent rains, and the weather was overcast on Saturday. But we still had a lot of fun. The waves were great fun. We had about 15 Mongolian students from a University in Gwangju come along. IT was fun talking to them---though only a few new English. No worries, since I'm now fluent in Korean........Right?

I want to thank all of you, again for your prayers. Health wise, this is the best I have ever felt in my entire life. I have been able to get into a solid exercise routine every night after work--and am continually getting used to more and more Korean food. I have forced myself to start eating Kimchi daily, as they say it is tremendous for your health. So far, I'd agree. I have been fortunate to have a clear mind and calm spirit most days, and I am very blessed at this stage of my life.

Continue to remember Kevin and Jackson in your prayers. I spoke with Kevin again the other night by phone and had a very nice conversation. Our schedules won't allow us to meet again for a couple of weeks.

Grace and Peace--

Jay

Student Photos

2009-07-27T00:06:00.007+09:00

Be ready in and out of season....

2009-07-20T02:33:00.006+09:00

It was about 2:30 on Saturday afternoon. I had plenty of time, but was fairly clueless on what to do. My translator had abruptly stopped working---and new batteries did not help. And to top it off, my watch lost its glass cover, making it useless as well. I had asked a couple of teenagers for the whereabouts of repair shops already and they weren't much help. So when I began talking to a couple of twenty-something smoker dudes, I kind of surprised myself---especially because I generally don't talk to people in the act of smoking as it bothers my respiratory system.

I soon found myself in a lively conversation with the two guys. They were 27 years old Korean age, (and 25 and 26 American age as one was born in March and another in November). I declined an offer for a cigarette---explaining the obvious health detriments. They agreed, noting the habit began in the army, as it does for many young Koreans. They asked me about my job, and were impressed that I could read Korean. We talked for sometime and really connected. They loved hearing me talk Korean---and my stories from teaching. Somehow we got on the subject of Korean Soju (hard liquor) about the same time I mentioned I attended church in Gwangju.
The next part was pretty cool, and I can't really explain how it happened. I found myself witnessing to these two complete strangers and sharing the gospel. I was open with them about my own past---and noted how empty my life had been prior to my conversion. It seemed to make the good news seem even better when I got to it.

It was not the first time they had heard the gospel. Both had attended church before, and one had a sister who was a Christian and an uncle that was a Pastor. Yet they seemed genuinely interested in what I told them as if they hadn't heard it explained quite that way before.

When the subject returned to my translator, one of the guys left briefly and came back with his electronic dictionary---which was much nicer than mine. "Gift," he said. I hardly new what to say---and offered him some money. He declined and handed me the English/Korean/Japanese dictionary/translator, worth at least $200. What do you do when this happens? You take the gift. He noticed my confused look and said, "Friend." Again I resisted, as it hardly seemed like I could justly take it from him. But he explained he did not ever use it, and it was doing him no good.

I thanked him and his friend and we exchanged phone numbers. I was able to give them English names (Kevin and Jackson) and share my Korean name with them: Kim Min Jae.

They bid me goodbye, as they were in training to be police officers---requesting we meet again soon. I looked at my watch and realized that well over an hour had past......

I left this experience feeling very much undeserving of what I had received: a wonderful electronic device and most importantly, and opportunity to share the gospel that I was not exactly seeking. Now, as I write, I can make a parallel to my own life---my own salvation. God's grace as a gift that I didn't deserve but yet was graciously given to me.

I pray for more of these experiences---as they leave me in awe of God and how he is sovereign in all ways. There is no such thing as a coincidence. God is good, my friends.

Goodnight-

Jay

P.S. I'd love for you to pray for these two young men and my future meetings with them. Their hearts need changing---and I pray the "wind of the Spirit" heads their way.

Streets of Gwangju

2009-07-20T02:13:00.004+09:00

From Teacher to Student

2009-07-14T11:25:00.002+09:00

Saturday was the first day of my Korean class. The class was held at the Gwangju International Center (which I believe is publicly funded). The class is 7 weeks long on Saturday AM for 2 hours. The price is quite reasonable overall and I am looking forward to the next few weeks.

It is always a great thing for a teacher to be learning--for a several reasons. First, it allows you to take on the student mindset. There is no better way to understand your students than to become one yourself! Second, every bit of information you can gain can be incorporated into your teaching. In this case, this is especially true, as learning Korean improves communication with and gains respect from the students. Third, learning challenges and continually develops your mind. Some famous person said, "A mind is a great thing to waste" (I don't mean to plagiarize--but I don't remember who said it). It's true in any event. While teaching is my present vocation, learning is a lifelong calling.

I had a nice weekend with friends, and some opportunities to interact with some non-believers as well. My mindset has been very good the past few weeks, which is very encouraging. I used to think my moods went with the sun---but if that were the case I'd be depressed everyday (as it is monsoon season). I have started exercising almost everyday, which has helped me considerably. Thank you for your prayers. They are being answered!

Ah. As I write a ray of sun streaks through the window. Monsoon season is ending. Let the sun shine! I'm headed to the mountains!

Jay

Thursday morning Thoughts......

2009-07-09T10:16:00.003+09:00

We got a mini-monsoon here the other day and more rain is expected. The river is gushing and things float past that make you turn your head. Apparently, one of the pipes in the rice field near our school backed up----and when I came to school on Tuesday afternoon there was a small dam that had been built to keep back the water.

Luckily, it has been dry the past two days, though the forecast called for more rain. And as breezy as it is today, the water is likely on its way down. I don't have any idea how much rain we got. It would be in centimeters, as inches are not used here.

I'm itching to get back to the mountains. The rain has confined me to the indoors, but it was not all bad. I caught up with a few of you, got some rest, and did some reading. This morning, I made breakfast and played cards with Luke (my Korean friend). And yesterday I did my book study with my friend Jacob from the states via skype. We are reading "Respectable Sins" by Jerry Bridges, which focuses on the more subtle (or"Respectable" as he puts it) sins in our lives like pride, lack of self control, unthankfullness, discontentment, etc. It's been a great read for me and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a good book to challenge you spiritually.

School has been fairly normal this week in spite of the rain. Students are good about making adjustments here. Somonim's sister, who lives in America is here visiting and we all went out for supper for Melissa's (one of my co-workers) birthday. We had a cake, candles, etc and had really good pork as the main dish (sort of Barbecued).

This Saturday, I start my Korean class in Gwangju. I'm really looking forward to it. Also looking forward to my vacation the first week of August and my friend(s) (Kyle and maybe Adam) upcoming visit.

Grace and peace!

Jay

Itching....

2009-07-06T02:03:00.005+09:00

Another week has come and gone. It's summer and I don't miss South Dakota winters even a little bit. I've nearly spent three months here in Korea.....and yet it has gone so fast. I guess that's a sign I'm enjoying life, eh? (whoops, now my Canadian friend is rubbing off on me!) Dale, Dale, Dale.....

Funny, but there is no perfect place in the world. The joys of summer here do come with a price: The mosquitoes are really bad, as late June-July is the rainy season. Our school sits right next to the rice paddies where there is still some standing water.....perfect breading grounds for those little devils. They aren't that big but they sure bite like they are. I think they like Caucasians better, so they are racist, too. Anyone debating that point need look no further than my body.

Speaking of mosquitoes....One of my students brought in a baby bat the other day. Luckily, I was armed with my "meme" stick. The problem was, I wasn't sure who to club first: him or the bat. While I pondered this, frozen like the statue of liberty, the bat uttered a blood curdling screech! The students froze--the director quickly ushered bat and student out of the room-junior bat was returned to mother nature and I continued lecture. That was probably the best case scenario, as it accomplished four things: 1) It saved me from a potential lawsuit for whacking child. 2) It saved me losing complete control over an already lively bunch of 2:00 phonics students. 3) It provided junior bat with a fresh start on life. 4) It provided many mosquitoes with a future death sentence (provided Junior Bat didn't croak due to this extreme trauma in his young life).

Miss you and Love you all. Hope you had a wonderful Independence Day. God bless America, (and South Korea, too!)

-Jay

Hangul Humor

2009-07-01T01:36:00.005+09:00

I slept in a bit Tuesday AM as it was rainy and there wasn't much else to do. Now I am still awake and it is early Wednesday AM. So, I am going to use this time to post some of my more humorous experiences (specifically with language) here. (Hangul means Korea by the way). Enjoy---I'll try to write whatever I can remember.

-----The other day, I was talking to my Korean friend about something or other and noted of myself that I was "too picky." He responded, "What means, Pee-key?" I nearly fell over laughing. Obviously I knew what he meant, but sometimes it is just so funny how they say things.

--------Early on, one of my Korean friends said to me, "there are many nice girls here and they make me feel very vigorous." Again, I nearly got a side ache from laughing. Interesting choice of words.

-------There are counteless times it goes the other way--but the Koreans would have to tell you those stories. I've seen six year old kids fall on the floor laughing at my Korean I write on the board. It's a bit embarassing, though I'm glad I can provide the free entertainment.

---From time to time, I give the kids candy. Sometimes, they will come up to me and say, "Teacher, Change-ee." Koreans like to put eee on the end of English words. I find myself misusing English from time to time, saying things like, "change-ee," "rice-ee", "ice-cream-ee", etc. It's kind of my substitute for words I don't know in Korean as well. It's gotten me a few wierd looks and many times I make myself laugh.

---Then there is the dong 'sheen.' I don't think I'm saying it correctly. Basically, it is when a Korean child uses his fingers to make a pistol like shape and then proceeds to stick his two fingers between your two "cheeks" (not the ones on your face.....). I was appalled by this, and if they do it to me, they get tickled very hard. It is funny when they do it to another teacher......

------"Bok Boggi" (short o sounds on both words). This is Korean slang for 'bald.' I have my hair cut pretty short and the first time I cut it short here, I heard "Teacher Bok Boggi" over and over and over. If I ever want to get a kid to laugh, I'll go up to him, get right in his face, and then over enunciate "Bok Boggi" while pointing to my head. They get the biggest kick out of this.

---One of the teachers here dropped a toothbrush (or something like that) into the toilet in her apartment while it was flushing (by accident of course). I was the observer as she explained to Somonim (our director) how she could not get her toilet to flush and how her husband was sick of "using a plastic bag" for #2. Again, this might not be that funny in the states, but with the language barrier, it was a priceless conversation to listen to.

---My Korean friend Luke has always says, "okay." I will call and say something like, "do you want to come to my apartment later?" He will be like, "Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay (spoken very rapidly). Again, I have picked this up and do it as well. I thought I was supposed to be the one teaching English!

---This next one many of you will get an extra laugh at. Apparently, I have a bad habbit of "mimicking accents" of people without knowing it during conversation. I do it as a means to try and communicate with them. Growing up, I noticed it happen when I visited my cousins down south. Last summer at SDSU, I worked with many foreigners at the GIS center and I began doing it there as well. Here, it is easy to get into the habbit of leaving out certain words to communicate more clearly, especially with those that speak very little English. It sounds something like this: "Tomorrow, we, going, hospital, 11:30, ok? This is not a good habbit to get into. Apparently, I spoke this way to someone who was head of the English department at a college. I didn't know who he was, and my American friend quickly pointed out he knew good English and I "adjusted" my speach. Only later did I find out who he was. Ouch!

--"Same Same." This is another English(Korean) expression. It is there way to say two things are identical. If I play the spelling game with my students (where they race to spell a word on the board) and they finish at the same time, the students will say, "Same same." meaning "tie."
I was learning Korean the other night from my friend Luke. He told me not to write one of the Korean letters that way (as there is an order you are to make your pen strokes when you write). I was like, "Same, Same." He was like, "No! Not Same Same." About then, I started laughing. It was just too funny.

That's all for tonight. There are more where those came from---with more to come as well.

Take care and goodnight.

Jay

Living to Serve

2009-06-29T11:48:00.007+09:00

Why am I really in Korea? Or even on this earth for that matter? As a christian, we wonder these things from time to time. Paul wondered these things as well in Philippians Chapter 1---and concluded that "To live is Christ and to die is gain." The "die is gain" is heaven. What is "to live is Christ?" And how does that apply to you---or to me here in Korea? This post will look a little bit at how that applies to me here in Korea, as I can understand right now.

Any witness for Christ starts with the example of presenting our bodies as living sacrifices to God as an act of love for him in response to His love for us. This is a huge witness in itself---but alone it could be (and is) easily misinterpreted by others as simply devout religion or morality (like any other religion on earth).

Here is an example: When I was in Tibet in May of 2007, I experienced "religion" and self sacrifice to the 100th degree. People traveled many miles on foot for Buddhist ceremonies and celebrations. They were dressed very modestly and had an extreme attitude of reverence. Yet from my knowledge of the Bible, I knew these people were lost---unsaved---headed for hell. All their religious acts (even if they were moral and Biblical) would never save them. They were no better off than the Pharisees of the Bible. They were going through these acts of "obedience" so that their Buddhist god would love them and accept them. The people were visibly weary and it was as though they had chains with 50 lb weights strapped on their back.

Sometimes as Christians, we can take on a similar mentality. We forget about God's grace---or we are to afraid to look at it and think we will abuse it. And bam---we are right back in the same boat as every other religion--- painfully trying to earn our way to an afterlife. How sad. How foolish (as Paul tells the Galatians).

Knowing that our love and obedience to God is based on Christ's sacrifice is something that only God knows--as he alone sees hearts. Yet it is fairly visible in the way it expresses itself in our relationships with others (evidenced by the fruits of the Spirits). We realize the awesomeness of Christ's love for us and are able to then follow the The second greatest commandment---to love our neighbor as our selves.

When I came to Korea, I was not sure what exactly God had in mind for me. How could I show my love for others? I had been blessed to sit under sound teaching of God's word and read and listen to many outstanding messages. What was I going to do with it all? I knew I must not become an "obese" christian: taking in good sermons, fellowship, etc and not giving anything out--- Nor could I become someone who only gave out without taking in anything---as soon I would "run dry" and get sidetracked.

Initially I focused on my "taking in" when I came---and was blessed to find a good church and, as you can tell if you have been following my blog, I have been blessed with some sound christian friends. But what about giving out? Thankfully, God has provided (and continues to provide) several means for that as well. Below I will mention 2 and how God uses them for His plan and His glory:

1) Teaching at my school has helped me see how God can work wonders through love. It is important to realize that many of my students do not come from a christian home. Here is how it works:

A) I show love to the students---a genuine love that can give a hug, pat a back, a kind word, etc. This love is reinforced day after day.

B) The love I show is carried back home by the student to their parents.

C) The parents begin to talk more to the director about the school, and, if God moves, accept the invitation to come to church connected to the school.

D) Church provides them the opportunity to hear the gospel and for God to give them a heart to believe and repent. Several of my current students' families became Christians in this way over the past few years.

In addition to showing Christs love through teaching, I began praying for other opportunities with non-Christians here in Korea a short time back. At the time, I didn't know what that would look like---as I didn't know a lot of Korean. Certainly, my love and interest in them was a big witness---but it could only go so far without providing a means for them to hear the gospel. Then I began to see a mission field that was right before my eyes---one that I hadn't focused much on initially---but one that has huge spiritual needs:

2) ----Foreigners.

A vast majority of the Americans, Canadians, Australians, and Chinese that come to Korea are lost---searching for happiness and looking for it in all the wrong (but expected) places: money, sex, alcohol, etc. Since we are all creatures of worship (as even the athiest worships his/her mind), they turn to their respective idolatrous god (sex, money, etc) for their pleasure. I talked to a guy the other night, and he mentioned how when he was lonely, he turned to alcohol and writing poetry.

These individuals speak English. They are outside the comforts and social pressurs of their homeland. These people are eager to talk to foreigners to find common ground. These people need a pleasure that will last longer than one night--they need the living water of John Chapter 4: They need Jesus. These are folks I can talk to---or as I am learning, first listen to. These folks I can share with, cry with, walk with. These folks I can invite to church. These folks I provide sound Biblical books and sermons. These folks I can ask to read the Bible. Please pray for these men and women.

This is my life right now. My prayer requests are: 1) To daily walk with the Lord for growth and nourishment of my spirit. 2) To guard against "performance based" Christianity. 3) To love others as an overflow of Christ's love for me. 4) For diving appointments and to make the most of every opportunity with non-believer. 5) For patients as I run the marathon of life. 6) For a heart of humility---that recognizes God's Holiness, My lowliness, and Christ's awesomeness.

I pray God guides you all in your respective mission fields---wherever you are in life, as we press on, together--in love--and with confidence.

Have a great week.

Jay

Hike up the mountain

2009-06-25T21:55:00.019+09:00

Korea: Transition Accomplished

2009-06-21T01:09:00.007+09:00

I'm ten weeks along and I'm starting to show... (No, I'm not pregnant...I'm a dude). By show, I mean others can observe that I am getting comfortable here. One of the other teachers mentioned it to me the other day, as did our director. Several Koreans complimented me on my Korean as well. I say this not to brag--but because I am thankful for how far I've come. It's a lot to take in at once--and for a while I was a little starstruck without realizing it. But as things become more and more familiar, it becomes routine; normal; it becomes your home.

I was worried to some extent about getting lost in the hype of North Korean threats when I came. However, it is mentioned much less here than in the states. South Koreans are used to it (ever since the 1960s)--and realize they must live their lives, regardless. They have a strong defense, and great allies, and most importantly, a God who hears their prayers. Why should they worry?

Their attitude has helped give me a more healthy perspective as well. I feel incredibly safe here. Crime is low, people are nice, and my city is peaceful. Most Koreans tend to be positive people, and just walking around town can cheer a person up.

What is it really like to live in Korea? I have been asked this question by several people. Here is my shot at an answer:

Imagine a place where 12 story apartment buildings overlook rice fields--where a city of 100,000 people has the traffic equivalent to a city of 10,000 people; where you can catch a bus to take you anywhere you want to go in the country; where your corner store lady knows you by name and helps you find whatever you need (even if it isn't in her store); where you can hear your Korean friends singing your name down the hall as they approach your apartment; where you can eat foods you have never before tasted---or eat pizza and chicken; where your water is great and your air is clean; where your boss will encourage you spiritually after a hard day at work; where your students will excitedly shout your name wherever they see you around town; where you are a 5 minute walk from being completely immersed in nature on a hillside, and 30 minute drive from the world's largest ocean; where children can safely play outdoors most any time of the day; where your friends will love you for who you are; where shopkeepers bow politely to you and smile warmly; where the bullfrog quietly reminds you that all is well every evening; where you can see the stars and feel the gentle breeze on your balcony; where you can pick up little children and put them on your shoulders--or simply play them a quick game of paper, rock, scissors; where women dress appropriately and gentleman are respectful; where God's kindness and love engulf you daily; where you can begin your career as a teacher. This is where I live. This is Korea.

Goodnight, and sweet dreams~Jay

The Pacific Ocean

2009-06-16T10:05:00.015+09:00

Korean Drama Set

2009-06-16T09:53:00.012+09:00

Korean Poppis

2009-06-16T09:45:00.007+09:00

Eventful last few days

2009-06-14T23:21:00.002+09:00

Wow. It's been a very full last week! I hardly know where to start! Last Wednesday, my Pastor from Dong Meong Church came and chatted with us all about an English ministry here in Naju. He lived in Naju for many years as a teacher in the public school so he was familiar with the town and situation. There has been some interest on the part of both the church and us teachers in getting one started....though it is unclear as to whether we have enough people to make it worth having an actual service. Naju has only a handful of foreigners, and not all of them are Christian. Right now, the best route might be to get a Bible studying going, and continue attending services in Gwangju until we have enough people to proceed further. Please keep us in your prayers on this point.

Friday morning, our director took us to a Korean flower field. It was beautiful and I have never seen so many bees. I am not really sure what kind of flowers they were---sorry, I'm not really into flowers.

After the flowers, we went to a place where they film Korean dramas (movies). It was pretty cool, as there were walls and towers, makeshift villages, etc.

Saturday I went to the ocean with Dale (Canada) and Joshua (Georgia). I really enjoyed it, as it was my first time seeing the ocean (other than the Gulf of Mexic0) and first time ever touching it. The water was fairly warm and we waded in. We easily could have swam, but did not bring suits (next time).

I ate at a Nepalese Restuarant Saturday night in Gwangju with several other Americans. It was good and very filling--as I had chicken curry, a bread like something or other (kind of like tortillas, I forget the name), and rice. It was a bit spendy for a Korean meal--10,000 won ($8.25 or so). Remember though---no tax and no tips. That is very nice.

Today I was back in Gwangju for church at 11:30 am and about 3:00 pm several of us (Dale, Joshua, Pastor Dan, Scott, Scott's Korean fiance Nani, and a couple others whose names escape me) went to Kenya Coffee to relax and play cards, chess, etc together. It was very refreshing.

After eating supper of shrimp alfredo in Gwangju at a nice restuarant near the subway, I returned to Naju with Scott (as he lives in Naju as well).

This evening I went to the Korean bathhouse to relax in the hottub and sauna. I met another guy who lives in my apartment complex there who is in the Korean military. We talked for a while and he stopped in afterwards at my apartment and we exchanged numbers and tutored one another a bit in our respective native tongues. I can finally read Korean! It's pretty cool. I just don't know much of what I'm reading, though the Konglish sometimes sounds like our words so you can tell.

I continue to watch God bless me and provide people for me to encourage and teach and be encouraged and be taught by. Your prayers have been heard---and answered. I feel incredibly blessed--far beyond what I deserve. Maybe I should not be amazed anymore but I find myself in awe almost every day. My view of the bigness of God is constantly getting replaced by a bigger and bigger view of him.

Thank you for sharing in my adventure. May God bless you all. Feel free to leave comments. I think I made it open to everyone now.

Jay

PS--Yes, I will be posting more pictures soon from what I described.

Recent purchases making life interesting....

2009-06-07T20:04:00.002+09:00

I bought an American football at 'the three story store' near my apartment. This has really made my younger students happy, as I am teaching them to throw, catch, etc. They will come to my office and say, "Jay Teacher, Fooball, Fooball." So far, no tackling has occurred....as we are on cement and I'm not sure if the school has liability insurance.*****
It is funny to watch them throw the ball underhand. I have to show them how to aline their fingers and explain that a spiral is desirable. Watching them kick the ball is also funny, as they are used to a soccer ball. I tried playing "500" with them, but when I lofted the ball up, they all ran away from it and then when it bounced they flocked to it. Due to their inexperience and small hands, this may have been the best for their fingers...

Last weekend, I purchased a Korean-English electronic 'dictionary' for a mere 6000 won ($5) at a flea market. It works well overall.....and has made teaching and communicating around town much easier in some ways. When I can't communicate, I can just type the English word I desire into the dictionary and it is translated. The problem is that the 'dictionary' is just a translator....and it does not give definitions of words. Why should that matter? I know English, right? Yes of course, but it can cause problems, because our crazy English language has more than one definition for the same word.
Take my experience Saturday for example. I was waiting for my Korean friend David to show up from Gwangju by bus and was in downtown Naju near the bus terminal. I decided to get some money from the ATM while I waited. My bank is on the other side of town, but I knew another was likely close by as they are all over the city. I typed "bank" into my translator and showed a Korean and asked, "where?" ("Odee" in Korean). Simultaneously, I fingered a few won in my wallet. The Hangook (Korean word for 'Korean') got very confused, but luckily, he spoke English and understood the word 'bank.' He directed me in the right direction. Puzzled, I said, "Thankyou" ('Kamp sam nee da' in Korean). Then I realized that bank has several meanings. Likely, I either showed him Korean words refering to 1) a "river bank" or possibly even 2) "to bounce off of" as in banking a basketball. No wonder he was confused....

That's all for today...very good Sunday here. Hope all is going well for you. Enjoy the pictures!

Jay

Friends

2009-06-07T19:52:00.006+09:00

Rice fields

2009-06-07T19:27:00.011+09:00

Eating out

2009-06-07T19:22:00.008+09:00

Korean Friends

2009-06-07T19:19:00.005+09:00

Gwangju International Day

2009-06-07T19:11:00.006+09:00

Korea: Good choice?

2009-06-04T23:03:00.002+09:00

It's been 7 weeks since I have been here. As I sit here this evening, I find myself reflecting on my experience this far.

I really enjoyed China when I visited in May of 2006. My initial impression of Korea was that it would be a lot like China---only more consistently developed. Initially, I was disappointed to some degree when I got here, because I found that was not the case. Yes, Korea is developed.....but the food is different, the people are different, the language is different, and the culture is different from China. However, that disappointment did not last long.

I honestly could not be more happy with my first two months. They weren't perfect---but they were pretty good. I'd give them about a 96%. Korea has surpassed my expectations in a number of ways---Simply put, it just feels like home right now.

I have adapted to the food fairly well, and don't miss not having a microwave, thanks to my frying pan! Restaurants are economical and grocery stores are an enjoyable experience.

Socially, Korea was difficult at first, just as any new place is. Being a very social person, I am used to interacting with a large number of people. The language barrier made this even more challenging. But God was good, and gave me a few "coincidental" experiences where I met people....experiences that can only be understood as answered prayers. Church was also helpful for me in meeting Westerners and Koreans. At this point, I am pretty comfortable with my social network, and it keeps growing every week.

My job has been wonderful overall. The students are ornerier than I expected, but discipline also is more effective with them than with Americans. The other teachers have been very supportive, and Somonim, Sunny, and Moxonim have been good supervisors and very hospitable. There were a number of "hidden" benefits in my job--such as food provided at school, occasional weekend vacations with the other teachers (financed by Somonim), and simply a willingness to help in any way I need.

Spiritually, I am thankful for the friends I have in states for helping me while I adjusted here. As I told some of you, I now feel like I have a Paul, Barnabus, and Timothy in my life, which is awesome. I certainly utilize the great sermons of my favorite teachers online, and am very thankful for that technology. My church in Gwangju is a solid Bible-believing church, and the Pastor and worship leader and I are good friends. I pray for opportunities for service---both in Gwangju and here at the Church connected to the school, as I help them get an English ministry started.

There is one downfall to my job--leaving you all behind is hard. I miss you all very much and am very thankful for the technology that has allowed for interaction. I encourage you to look into skype if you have high speed internet---as I can IM, call, or video chat with you for free using it. Also, I invite you to consider making South Korea the place for your next vacation....you will not regret it.

Back to the orginal question: good choice? Without a doubt.

Take care--

Jay

Nice Weekend

2009-06-01T09:10:00.002+09:00

Saturday, I got my cell phone activated. This an interesting process, as it required my director to be with me and translate what the options were into English. I got a pretty cheap deal, and was well satisfied. Also, no strings attached, so I can cancel at anytime without a buyout.

After that, I had a friend, Dale (from Canada) come and go hiking with me. He brought along another guy from church, Josh (from Alabama). This was fun, and we had a nice afternoon. Saturday night, I took my basketball and went to the court. I met several Koreans that were eager to play with me, and we played 2 on 2, knockout, etc. Also, I met some kids that were pretty entertaining as well and kept asking me questions in Korean.

Sunday I went to church and heard a great sermon on Matthew 25:1-13. After that, there was an "international day" which was put on by the Gwangju international society. That was fun--and it was weird to see so many Westerners in one place. We certainly were still the minority, but it was cool.

I finished the weekend grading papers in my apartment--

Hope this post finds you well--

Jay

Apartment photos posted

2009-05-29T10:06:00.002+09:00

Okay....there are at the bottom of my blog. I left things pretty much as they were so you could get a feel for what it is like. Enjoy.

My apartment

2009-05-28T11:13:00.006+09:00

I live in an 11 story (it might be 12 or 13, not sure) apartment building. My building is called "OO-Yung-Tower." It is a typical apartment building in Naju, about average size. Some buildings are taller and some are shorter. I live on the forth flour in a corner apartment. What does this mean? No one ever walks past my apartment, and it is quiet. And yes, there is an elevator that I take about 60% of the time. People in my apartment are friendly, but typically know very little English. My director's brother and sister-in-law and niece and nephew live on first floor right below me. They have helped me with things as I needed it, which was nice. Their English is decent.

Do I have air conditioning? No I don't. However, it has been in the 80s and I have not noticed it at all......in fact, I got cold last night! The reason has to do with the design of the apartments. This will not be real easy to explain.....but hopefully between this and my pictures, you'll get the drift.

Beginning on the south side: There is a balcony/enclosed deck that houses my washing machine and exercise machine, as well as some other junk that was here when I got here. There is no clothes dryer, so everything is hung up to dry. All the windows have screens, so the air can blow through very easy. The spare bedroom has windows that can be opened to catch the draft from the deck. I don't use this room very much at all. It serves as a pastors study as well, and when he comes over he'll use that room. If I open the door to the spare bedroom, the "draft" can then blow into the rest o the house. Next to the spare bedroom is a bathroom. Western Toilet, mirror, sink, shower (no stall). The water simply runs into a drain under the sink.

The dinning room/living room (which is also connected to the deck) has a sofa, desk, flat pannel screen for TV/computer, refrigerator/freezer, hot-cold water machine, table, stove top, sink, cupboards. The second spare bedroom/storage room has more books from my director, a massage machine that is being stored here for a while, and my storage. My bedroom has a bed, dresser, fan, and clothes hanger set-up. Also, there are windows I can open to get air in from the hallway---which has windows that open to the outside. The entry way is self explanatory.

Due to all the windows, a breeze can completely blow through the apartment from north to south. Thus unless the low temperature is above 73 degrees outside, sleeping is very comfortable.

Well, there you have it.

Jay

Western picnic

2009-05-26T11:06:00.001+09:00

Meeting more Westerners

2009-05-26T10:55:00.003+09:00

This last weekend, I met several more Westerners here in Naju. I was given the contact information from my Pastor in Gwangju.

We had a "Western style" picnic, where we grilled, talked, and played badminton and frisbee. Included in the group were people from Australia, Wales, America, and South Korea (Generally a Canadian and South African sneak in, but not this time).

There is a unique bond you have with other Westerners, and most here are very easy to talk to. Part of that is that teaching in this environment attracts only certain personality types---as it is a stretch outside your comfort zone.

I had a really nice time Sunday afternoon as well. One of the other Americans I met introduced me to another Pastor from Gwangju, that is planning to move to Japan to start a church in late September. He and I had a long conversation and I am very thankful for his friendship.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Jay

Spring Climate

2009-05-22T13:00:00.003+09:00

I have just a few minutes today, but I'd like to share a little bit about the weather here. High temps have ranged from 65-85, with most days around 75. Lows have never gone lower than 52 and are never above 60. It has been sunny about 60% of the time, partly cloudy 20% of the time, and rainy 20% of the time. Supposedly, we are kind of in the rainy season now. Wind? Not like South Dakota. Max of 20 mph, generally 5-15 mph.

Umbrellas? Prevalent. If it spits at all, they use them. Coming from a farm where a little rain never hurt anyone, and a college town where we kind of "dodged drops" it's a little different. I don't know if I can say it rains heavy here. Steady is a more accurate description for the "extreme" rain. Also, I have heard thunder only one time here...and all the kids screamed. It is not very common. Tornadoes? I hope not because I'm on the forth flour. Plus I'd never understand the weather radio (if I had one) when it did go off.

Umbrellas are also used for sun protection. Koreans are very careful about the sun. This is very ironic, because as Westerners, (myself included) a little tan is nice, attractive, satisfying.....not here. They want to keep their skin as light as possible.....and lighter skin is considered more attractive. When Koreans go hiking, they will cover up so they don't get burnt. I'll where a pair of shorts and the coolest short sleeve shirt I can find.....sunglasses and a hat. This does appear to be changing....and shorts are fairly common here. I was told they don't wear them though until it is in the 80s and 90s more. Sorry David Burkhalter.......haha.

Well, that's all for today. Over and out.

Jay

Korean Ping Pong

2009-05-20T13:30:00.001+09:00

God answers prayers

2009-05-19T13:12:00.002+09:00

One of the most difficult things about Naju thus far has been my schedule. Since I teach in the afternoons and evenings, very few people are around in the mornings. I work with two other couples, both of whom like to sleep till 9 or 10. After that, it is really hit and miss, as we have groceries to get, stuff to prepare for school, etc. Plus, we see each other a lot at school.....Do you follow where I am going?

When I first arrived, I was pretty good about getting up a good time, having a quiet time, and exercising. My cold really messed with that. But this week, I began again, knowing that it is the best thing for me physically, mentally, and spiritually. I was jogging yesterday morning when someone hollered at me, "Jay!" I stopped and looked and saw a Korean gentleman I had met getting groceries at my corner store one evening right after I arrived in Naju. We had talked for a while that night and found out we lived in the same building. I wrote down his number and tried to visist him a few times, but he was never home.

Come to find out....he is a teacher who teaches math & science in the afternoons/evenings. Also, I noticed a Bible on the dash of his vehicle. When I asked him about it, his eyes lit up and he was very eager to talk.

This morning, we hung out for a while and found out we share many common interests. I played a few chords to my favorite hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul" on my guitar and he began singing along in Korean. That was pretty cool.

I gave him a tour of my school and we agreed to meet tomorrow to play some ping pong. Also, he helped me with my Korean some. I told him I'd like to help him with English in return for helping me with Korean--to which he eagerly agreed.

His English name was "Shoes." Note I say was. I told him he needed to change it as that is a silly name. He laughed and agreed. (Realize that he probably had some teacher that was being funny back in the day). I renamed him Luke.

He is 28....but only 2 yrs and 2 months older than me. How can this be? Koreans are 1 when they are born. Then, everyone turns to the next year on January 1. He was born in November of 1982. Thus he was two in January 1983. I was born in January of 1985. He was 4 (but really only 2). So in America, he'd be 26.

This was an answered prayer for 2 reasons: 1) I wanted to find a Korean Christian in Naju that was around my age and spoke good English. 2) I wanted to find someone that could hang out in the AM hours 3) I wanted to find someone that could teach me Korean.

I guess that's three reasons.

Feeling blessed in Naju,

Jay

The Korean language

2009-05-18T12:51:00.004+09:00

Learning Hangul as it is called here is my latest challenge. There are 19 consonant sounds and 22 vowels. This sounds scary coming from English with 26 letters. However, when you realize how many variations of English prefixes and suffixes there are (i.e. ch, sh, ph) it isn't that unreasonable. Many of the letters sound nearly identical. I don't know the difference between some of the consonants, except for that one is k and one is kk. When I hear them pronounced, one is slightly stronger, maybe?

It is fun to begin to sound things out. With signs everywhere, I am just getting started. My name, Jay (which in Korean would sound like Ja-ay) would look like this: 재. The first letter, ᄌ is the J sound and the nextᅢ is the eh sound (not an H, though it looks almost identical except it is skinnier). It actually has a slight e sound to it, so it might sound a bit like Jeh, though most of us would never know the difference. I think I might need a "ya" sound on the end, so I might add another letter...we'll see.

I had a Canadian friend from church help me out with it some yesterday afternoon. He has been here 9 months and is pretty good with Korean. He told me that if I start now and commit 1 hour a day to it, I could be pretty solid in a year. I am going to try and talk to a Korean and do a swap--1/2 hour of English for 1/2 hour of Korean. It is illegal for me to teach outside of the school---unless of course, I do it for free--so this seems to be the way to go. It helps that there are few English speakers and many Korean speakers---odds are sort of in my favor.

Well, it's time to go to work. Enjoy the pics I posted of my students. I'll have a few more coming of Gwangju when I remember.

Jay

One of my classrooms

2009-05-16T00:19:00.003+09:00

Posing.....

2009-05-16T00:10:00.003+09:00

My Students

2009-05-15T23:26:00.009+09:00

More than just a Supervisor.....

2009-05-12T21:51:00.006+09:00

It is sure nice to have a job where you are friends with your boss. Some will say, "let business be business and leisure be leisure." If that is your feelings, please don't work in Korea or you may feel uncomfortable.

Our director, Somonim, has gone out of her way to help us and befriend us. She likes to keep us all together when she can.....eating out, visiting places, etc. Numerous times, including this evening, she has had supper for us right at the school after we finish teaching. Every day, we are given fruit and Ramen noodle soups to eat for snacks. She "chewed me out" yesterday when she heard I bought a few more plates for the apartment....telling me she had some she would have given me some of her extras.

"Somonim" (which means "Pastor's wife" in Korean) is an aggressive woman and full of energy. Due to the language barrier, she can at times come across as pushy to an outsider, but we understand her. For example, "You come here!" may be her choice of words instead of "Could we talk for a second," simply because of her limited vocabulary. While the students fear her authority, she has a heart of gold and has been one of the biggest blessings to me here in Korea (plus she is kind of fun to tease).

Skype is an online instant message, phone call, and video call program. Calling is free computer to computer (and 2.1 cents/minute otherwise). I have used it to talk to many friends and family back in the states over this first month. Another teacher and I recently helped Somonim get set up with it as well, as her son is in Texas and her daughter lives 2 hours away here in Korea. She was very excited when she saw "her David" in Texas on the webcam. We had some complications getting her webcam to work. It was especially difficult since I could not read Korean and I downloaded it in the Korean language. It took the other teacher and myself on the phone talking to one another.....as I used my Skype in English and he used her Korean skype.

The conversation sounded something like this: "Where is the video menu?" "Go to the forth word on the left and scroll down till you see the little arrow....that says video. Then click on the bottom one.....that says video menu." When we had complications, it took us getting her son (who was our recruiter) on the line in Texas and Somonim telling him what the error message said in Korean and he translating it to us (as it was too complicated for her to explain in English). Somehow, we got it going!

We will go out of the way to help her on things like this as she does the same with us. And it is always an adventure so it's fun at the same time.

Feeling blessed and at home,

Jay