The Road Goes Ever On and On...

I had a long (and long-overdue) conversation with my dear friend John Trammell last Thursday, and he reminded me that it had been one year, to the day, since we bid farewell to Korea.  Apparently, time had been traveling more rapidly than I realized.  The realization nearly caused me to panic, wondering what in the world we had accomplished in the last year, until I remembered that we are, quite literally, exactly where we had hoped and prayed to be.

When we left Korea for a month-long trek through Southeast Asia on our way home, we were leaving the best paid (and in some ways, easiest) jobs we had ever had, to return to no jobs, no home, and no plan beyond the ever-so-nebulous pursuit of God's will.  We had recently drawn the conclusion that I should return to school, but weren't sure where, what, or how.  Thankfully, God began leading us down one of many paths, and I decided to pursue Seminary studies.  That was narrowing it down a lot, but there were still a great many decisions to be made.

Year-long story short, we are excited to be living in Portland closer to Shelby's side of the family, we are employed and blessed financially, and we have a wonderful basement apartment.  We have also been exceedingly blessed to join the church family at Grace Bible Church, where we have been encouraged, loved, and are now being used in various ways.  One of the deep desires of my heart when I decided to go to Seminary was to be used in ministry NOW.  I've long felt a call to serve God more purposefully and practically than I had previously done, but I often turned aside from opportunities out of fear or laziness.  The leadership at our church are excited to have us and have not hesitated to give us opportunities to use our gifts.

I did a lot of homework yesterday.  Classes haven't even started yet, but I still have homework.  Studying at Western Seminary will take some getting used to, but I'm ready for the challenge.  When we decided on Portland, I was deciding between Western or Multnomah.  I preferred Western, but there was not as much aid available, and I was concerned about being able to afford it.  Well, God has been exceedingly generous, and has provided in a number of ways.  I have been able to test out of a semester's worth of my required classes, and I will attempt a few more soon, which will obviously save time and money.  God has provided some unexpected scholarships and other potential sources of aid as well.  Much of the aid I'm receiving this semester will only be a one-time thing, but God has clearly shown that he cares and is capable of meeting our needs.

All that to say, a year has gone by, it's been unique but good, and God has been faithful to lead us, provide for us, and sustain us.  Trusting him to continue to do the same, the future is most exciting, as we strive to know and magnify Jesus in all we are and do.

that which has been, is and will be.

We've been back in the United States for over 4 months. If you haven't yet seen pictures from our trip through South East Asia on our way home, feel free to check them out on facebook.

I was able to be in Marcus and Jenny's wedding. We were able to spend some special time in Portland and Astoria with family around Thanksgiving time. We we're so blessed to see some dear friends. We've also enjoyed all of my brothers and sisters being in or near Potter for the first time in quite a while. Lot's of family dinners and mushroom hunts, waking up early to go snowboarding or crabbing, cooking and eating much good food, and even a week in Mexico with the lot of us, even those ornery twins who we'll get to meet in two months.

I've been subbing at Potter Valley High School. Shelby's been her usual saint-like self, babysitting my grandpa, or even an actual baby from time to time as needed. I've been blessed with the opportunity to share from God's Word at church a few times, as well as be involved in playing music again. I've been baking lot's of bread, reading a few books, trying to fix our truck and enjoying 70 degree weather in January.

We're looking towards life in Portland. We'll probably be living there by this time next month. We're hoping to find a place to live, a place to work, and a place to fellowship, worship and serve. I'm getting really excited to be headed to seminary studies, probably at Western Seminary, or at Multnomah. Shelby is hoping to start the degree completion program at Multnomah.

So anyways, we don't know what the future holds, but God does and we're rather excited to be following after him and to see where that may lead us.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by thy help I'm come. And I hope(will), by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.

Check 1 Samuel 7:12 if you think Ebenezer has something to do with Scrooge, or otherwise have no clue.

Cambodia

Hello All!

I know I said "farewell" until the end of our trip (in the last post), but I had some time today and thought I could update everyone on our recent experience in Cambodia.

We just completed our last full day in Cambodia, and tomorrow morning will embark on a long bus ride to Bangkok. We had an incredible day of vising the Angkor Wat temples. We left in a tuk tuk at 4:30 this morning (in time to catch the sunrise behind the most famous temple) with a really sweet Cambodian man named Pem. He was quite a bit smaller than me, but had a great big smile :) He was our driver for the whole day. The temple complex is huge, so he would drop us off at one spot, and pick us up at the other side. Then he would take us on to the next site...and we did this all morning and afternoon. The ancient ruins of Angkor are absolutely incredible and we really enjoyed reading about the history and looking at all the detailed engravings in the sand stone...but one of our favorite parts of the day was driving an hour out of town (to visit the last temple) and watching the countryside go by while we sat in our little cart. It's fascinating to be so far away from home and to witness such a unique people group just living their everyday lives; the way they cook, clean, sleep, interact with one another, play, and work. It's all SO different from anything that we're used to...and it's all visible from the road. For the most part, the homes are open and consist of one room on stilts. The family hangs out in the shade under their home during the day. Everyone has hammocks, and lounging in them seems to be the past-time of choice. The babies and small children run around naked or with just a shirt on and play in the swamps or dirt yard outside of their home. Overall we've found that they are very friendly and often too assertive in trying to get you buy from their fruit or souvenir stand! The people are absolutely beautiful and you can just imagine how precious the children are.

Something that we weren't prepared for before coming here was the extreme poverty. We thought we had done well rounded research as we planned for these couple of days, but never saw even one forum post on what to expect in that aspect. There are crippled children, paralyzed war vets, and hungry families constantly asking for money. They follow you everywhere you walk and beg you to help them feed their babies. Many of them try to sell small things like books or bracelets, and trying to politely turn them down means to them that if they try harder you might give in. Luke and I have been struggling with what to do about this. We tried to befriend one young man who was in a car accident and lost his leg when he was 6. He was covered in scabies and hobbled around with a huge basket of books around his neck. Because of all the scams and mistreatment of these types of cases, we asked the boy if there was anything we could do for him...if there was anything he needed or if we could take him to lunch. He said that all he could use was cash. We explained that we weren't comfortable giving cash (since so many of these children are forced into this type of "sympathy begging" then have to bring the money back to an adult who forces them to live such a lifestyle, so they can take the cash for personal gain). We asked if we could take him to a pharmacy near by to get medicine for his skin, and tried to introduce him to Christ. He said that he has tried all medicine from all pharmacies in the area and they don't make it feel any better. He was quite prepared with how to respond to us, and repeated his well rehearsed answers too everything that we tried to offer. We were afraid that had not been to a doctor at all, and maybe forced to stay in his poor health condition, so that he would be "worth more." He said he was not hungry and didn't want us to buy him food (even raw rice), because he needed to bring the money back to his family for them. He also said that other tourists had told him about "God's Son" and that he should pray to him everyday...then his problems would go away!!! AHHH! How do you explain that that's not the point of having a relationship with the Lord. When I told him that we would like to pray for him, and that God loves him and cares (and wants to help him deal with everything that he's bearing)...but might not take it away, and told him that we wanted to help him in another way, he got upset and left.

This is a long explanation of just one encounter. These are the kind of things that we asked the Lord to open our eyes too as we traveled (opportunities to serve Him) but clearly we didn't realize what we were asking for and feel like we haven't done a darn thing!

Please pray for the people of Cambodia...there are legit organizations that accept donations, but we haven't done enough research yet to know how they work exactly. If nothing else, God has opened our eyes and allowed us to experience another part of the world where people are suffering and living far more difficult lives than we are. We want to help them if we can and plan to look into options for doing so in the future. We are also reminded of how satisfying simplicity can be, and how we have so much more than we need. We are so thankful for what God has given us, in health, family, and stability, but are also trying to figure out how best to follow Jesus while being so prosperous and wealthy compared to the rest of the world.

Where Does The Time Go???

Well let me begin by apologizing for dropping off of the radar for awhile. It's been way too long since I last blogged and if I were to try and catch up, it would be darn near impossible. So let's just pretend that we didn't disappear for a couple of months...and we'll start fresh. Well, actually we can't do that either, because this is probably our last blog for awhile...at least for a few weeks. So I guess this is somewhat of a "hello" and "goodbye."

In one week from today, Luke and I will be on our way to Seoul to stay with our Korean family one last time, before heading to the airport. We'll be embarking on a journey to Southeast Asia. First stop Malaysia, then Cambodia and Thailand, and last but not least, Vietnam. With two packs and a camera...we hope the Lord has some wonderful adventures in store for us! We feel so excited, and thankful for this opportunity, yet at the same time it's bittersweet. Leaving for this trip means saying goodbye to all that we've come to know and love about Korea. We'll be leaving behind all the dear friends we've made in the last year, as well as some the the tastiest food ever! The friends will be missed much more though, of course :) We've grown so close and comfortable with our church family and have made some really special life long relationships. We've learned so much about the culture and history of this country and respect it more deeply because of that. There are so many beautiful things about Korean culture that we hope to take along with us. But I won't lie, there are also plenty of things that we won't miss one bit! What a journey this has been...what a growing experience. As we pack and prepare for moving back to the States, we think about all that we have to look forward too, and can't help but smile every time we think about it (which is a lot), but at the same time we wonder if we'll ever get to come back to this place, or when we'll see these people that we've grown to love so much again. Talk about torn! We've been so blessed and are so thankful for the past year, and love what God's done with us here, and at the same time, are anxiously awaiting a grand reunion with precious loved ones, as well as a wedding that we can't wait to attend! God's blessings are overwhelming sometimes!...okay, ALL THE TIME!

So I'll stop with the mushy stuff and tell you a few things that we've been up to recently...or are looking forward too before we leave.

I'll let pictures do most of the talking. Before I begin, I want to thank everyone who has been praying for us. We actually can't thank you enough! And if you're wondering, believe me, God is answering them! What an invaluable way to express your love and support! We've been praying for loved ones as well, so we hope that God's work and blessings are apparent in your lives and that His light is being made known to and through you.

Okay...

We went for one last walk in the rice fields...

Luke shaved his head (really short). Oh, and the mustache was only temporary (thank goodness!)...

We had an amazing day with our Korean family in Seoul. Which included reuniting with Juyoun (our long lost Korean sister), visiting a famous palace, and eating scrumptious food :)...

We were sent by our dear friends, John, Ferial and Johnny, on a crazy fun scavenger hunt all around the city. We found ourselves having yummy drinks at Starbucks, sitting on a train headed to Seoul, and eventually eating some amazing Arabic food! The whole day was SO MUCH FUN!...

I got to go on a lunch date (or two) with my wonderful tutor student Grace...

We had a night full of ridiculously good food and super fun games at the home of our good friends, Jason and Karen...

We have been meeting with friends for lunch dates, coffee outings, sleepovers, and yummy dinners. We even got to attend a "last hurrah" party that our friends put on for us, and our other friends, Charles and Karen (who are also leaving soon)...

We got to spend more time with Juyoun, and went to a baseball game in Seoul. The Doosan Bears, played the SK Wyverns. It was a great experience...and Luke even got a home run ball that we'll be taking home as a souvenir...

I still have much to look forward to before we leave. We'll be spending as much quality time as possible with our friends, will have two more prayer group gatherings, and I even get to go to this beautiful place that has been on my wish list for quite some time now! Not only am I going to get to visit here, but I get to go with a wonderful girl...my new friend Karen!

Boseong Green Tea Plantation...

The DMZ

Recently, our Korean father drove us to Imjin Gak: the western gateway to the Demilitarized Zone. From there we took a tour bus to four different stops around and under the DMZ.

We are so thankful for this incredibly powerful experience! Luke and I feel that we can better understand the Korean people and what they've been through. Talking to our Korean dad really helped put things into perspective for us. The whole day was very interesting and insightful. Sometimes I forget that they're still at war over here...and that this is the only place in the world that has this situation!

When we first arrived, we took a wrong turn...and apparently "tried" to enter the DMZ. We should have known, while we were driving along large barbed wire fences and heavily guarded gates (with barricades strategically placed around the roads), that we had gone a bit too far! An armed man in uniform swiftly approached the car and spoke firmly to Wongyo in Korean. He must have asked him what we were doing and asked him to turn around, because we were quickly on our way, going out the very same way we came in. It must not be everyday that they get random civilians in an unmarked vehicle trying to drive right into the "no civilian" zone :)




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This looks more like it. Behind us stands the main building at Imjil Gak. Notice the telescopes on the roof.


This is a war memorial for the U.S. military men who gave their lives fighting in the Korean war.


If you look closely, you will notice that this train has hundreds of bullet holes all over it. It was in use during the war, and brutally damaged at that time.


Quick lunch before the tour...

On our first stop we watched a video about the history of the war, and the signing of the Armistice Agreements in 1953. The video also explained the findings of 4 tunnels, that stretch from North to South Korea (under the DMZ), that were discovered between the late 1970's to 1990's. Though the tunnels were built after the agreement was signed, their purpose was to enable an unexpected invasion of Seoul. They estimated that 30,000 North Korean troops could make it through the tunnels in one hour! Thank goodness the South discovered the tunnels and blocked them up before this ever took place! While being 25 stories under the DMZ, Luke and I were able to walk along the inside of the tunnel. We were not allowed to bring any belongings with us (including cameras) and had to wear hard hats. This was quite necessary seeing as Luke was bent in half, hitting his head, all along the way!

Our second stop was at a military check point with a look out. There were telescopes to see into the North Korean side of the DMZ. Of course, this again was a "no camera" zone. Unfortunately it was quite foggy and we couldn't see much, but there was a 3D map that helped us know in what direction to look through the viewer. Theoretically, on clear days you can see a North Korean village, with the farmers working in their fields near their traditional styled homes. There's also a tall standing statue of Kim Il-Sung.

On our third stop, we were fortunate to spend time at the northern most railway station in South Korea. There are indeed trains that run between North and South Korea, though they only carry freight. This station is called Dorasan, and was built in high hopes of someday being a regular stop between the free and open nations of North and South Korea! It's a very strange feeling to sit in an empty train station that was built on a dream that still seems to be along way out in coming into any kind of fulfillment.












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The last stop was at a souvenir shop in a little village that rests just outside the DMZ (in the Civilian Control Zone). Many of the items in the shop were things made in North Korea/ DMZ. There is a lot of agriculture in and around the DMZ. The farmers have very specific regulations and have to spend a certain amount of months each year inside "their" zone.