Love Story: Church

Ok, I'm going to begin with the end (or not END per se, but the situation up until now) first...
PRAISE GOD! We got a building today!!! Our pastor met with the lady today, toured the building, and signed the papers. Jubilee is moving to Sinsa! Thanks to everyone for praying for our church!

Hearing this great news tonight reminded me that I should perhaps share a little bit about my church. If you talk to me very often, you probable hear me mention it alot. Church has become a pretty big part of my life here, so I thought I should share the story...

First, how did I find Jubilee? My boss at school had suggested that I go to her church, Sarang, in Gangnam because they offer English services. I said, "Ok!" Gangnam is like the "downtown" for my area of Seoul; it's about a 20 minute walk or so from the apartment. This was when I first arrived here and didn't have internet yet. I had made a map but left it at school. Sunday I thought, ok, I know how to get to Gangnam and I think I remember where the church is...I'll just start walking that way.
Right when I'm about to enter the main strip of Gangnam, I see a group of white people with Bibles. I thought, ok, I thought the church was down farther, but maybe I was wrong? And then I kind of got anxious...do I approach them? Should I just follow them? Should I keep on going by the map in my head? Then I thought...well, even if they aren't going to Sarang, they have to be going somewhere, so why not just be bold?
SO, I started following them and asked a lady at the back of the group, "Are you going to English church?" She said yes, and I asked if I could come with them. She said yes. Turns out they were going to Jubilee. And the lady's name was Sam...I still sit by her every Sunday. :)
Jubilee just clicked. In some ways, everything was new...and sometimes difficult...but I felt like I got there at just the right time. Like the sermons were being written just for me.

Within 3 weeks I had rededicated my life to Christ and was throwing myslef into church. It had been a LONG TIME since I had felt comfortable enough at a church to want to really be involved there, since I had felt I was really "a part" of a church. I was so eager to meet others there, I jumped all aboard for church trips...rafting, church picnic, women's retreat.

These events not only gave me chances to make some awesome friends, but to see how our church fits together -- how we work together, play together, and worship together. I also involved in a "aXis group" a small group that meets once a week. These girls have now become my very best friends here in Seoul. I honestly don't know where I'd be without my sisters.

After about a month at Jubilee, I wanted to "give back" somehow. I felt just going to a service on Sunday wasn't enough, and I really wanted to get my hands into the church. I joined the Ecclesia ministry. Ecclesia is the church coffee shop (it is also open to the public). I thought, ok, I know how to make coffee and they need people to make coffee. It has worked out well! I serve there on Sundays before and after service. I get to see new faces every Sunday and make them smile by making them wonderful espresso-drinks! Working in Ecclesia has also given me friends in the other baristas and the Refreshing Team (we work pretty closely with the Refreshing Team). We usually all order lunch in together on Sundays!

One thing lately that's been pretty awesome is evening prayer services. I've never really gone to prayer services before...but somehow, I could just see in my head that these were ushering in an exciting time for church and everyone was invited to join. Prayer services are 3 times a week: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. Not that I go to all of them, but I have been going to 1-2 services a week. This is the first time I have ever gone to prayer services, and at first I was a little nervous, but each time it's like God is teaching us something new. I've gotten to pray in different ways and share in this really special time of growth and seeking with other people in the church.

AND, we came together to seek God's will for our church...to bring our prayers before Him and ask for a building...because our building was sold and we didn't know where church was going to meet. And today, we FOUND one. We have a new home, and PRAISE GOD! for hearing us. And I am thankful for this season He has given us, because He not only showed us a new building, but more importantly He gave messages and pictures and inspirations about the body and what He desires in our relationships. And it's amazing to see it all in action.

SO, keep praying for Jubilee. B/c even though we have a building, there is still more work to do! Pray for wisdom for the leadership and different ministries as they try to organize the new building. Pray for protection from any attacks from the devil. And pray that we continue to be a congregation that earnestly seeks God.

Here's the website, if you want to check it out: http://www.jubileeseoul.com/

Year-End review for Jillian-Teacher's Class

I haven't shared much about my school life lately, so I thought I'd give a brief update about what school's been like this winter.

We had a week off for Christmas break; classes were supposed to start up again on January 4. However, because of record snow-fall in Seoul the night of January 3, January 4 became a "teacher work day." A lot of teachers groan at teacher work days, since it's us, all sitting in our teacher office for 12 or so hours...but I have a quiet appreciation of teacher work-days, b/c I'm always falling behind on getting copies made or being organized for the new session. I was glad to have a day to get everything really organized before the kids showed up. Plus, I was able to clean my desk :)

Through the month of January, our school held "Winter Intensives." These were early morning classes for students to take. The elementary school students, who only come to LCI in the afternoon, were on break all throughout January from school, so Winter Intensives provided a way for them to just keep on learning! I taught a reading class every morning starting around 8:30. For my class, we were reading through the Marvin Redpost series by Louis Sachar. We read 1 book a week and covered several deep life questions, such as: "Well, do you pick your nose? Do you think you will turn into a girl if you kiss your elbow? Does dog food really taste good? How would you dress to meet Obama?" I had 8 students total and really enjoyed teaching the class. Even though it was early (ohhh so early), we were able to have some pretty good conversations and I think they enjoyed the more-relaxed pace of the class. Plus, Marvin is just a silly  kid. I laughed out loud reading those books.

In Kinderland...it's been play practice and more play practice. Our "school year" ends in February, and all of the classes will be doing a presentation. The 7 year olds, though, have to perform a play. My class is doing a play called The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. I thought this up after teaching them a few Veggietales songs. We pretty much practice the play all day, every day. Sadly, my class will be "graduating," and I'll start with a new class in March. I'm really going to miss my 7 year olds!!!

Oh yeah, we're also getting ready for Valentine's Day. I kind of slacked off and apparently did not build them up enough for Peppero Day, but that is not the case for Valentine's Day. :) Apparently, some of my children love Valentine's Day more than others...

Prayer Request

Hey everyone, I've got a prayer request to add to your lists here.
My church here, Jubilee, is looking for a new building. The building we currently meet in was sold a few months ago, and the new owners are not willing to renew our lease. The lease is up at the end of March, but the church is hoping to be out by the end of February, so as to leave on good terms. That means, if we are going to sign a new lease, we need to find a building in the next 2 weeks.
After Christmas, the church moved morning prayer to evening prayer 3x a week, to give everyone a chance to come together and really seek God's will about the building. Through these prayer times, though, it seems to be the consensus that the building isn't the main issue right now...that we need to focus on the body...on relationships and unity and letting God refine us.
So as it stands, we might be meeting in the subway or in a park in a couple of weeks. I think all this is ushering in a really exciting time for our church, but there's also a lot of anxiety.
SO, please be praying for Jubilee Church...that God would give our leadership wisdom as we move forward and that the church would keep earnestly seeking God and being attentive to what He wants to say to us...and just pray for understanding/peace about the whole building issue...whether we end up meeting in the park or God reveals a place in the next couple of weeks.
We've had some really rockin' sermons lately on the 10 Commandments; you can find them and others here: http://www.jubileeseoul.com/sermons.php?pageType=sub&pageID=150&pageName=%2FResources%2FMessages%2F

Look at our beautiful art!

After a long week of play-practice and more play-practice, I decided by Friday my Kinder needed a break. Friday afternoon was dedicated to art, and my Kinder did a wonderful job, so I wanted to share.We had 2 art projects Friday: marbeling paper and coloring CDs to look like Mark Chagall's Opera House Ceiling (it was the artbook, so I said, ok.). I was a little nervous about the paper marbeling, because it involved paint...and I don't trust my kids with paint, but I thought it would be a fun treat.

SO, I set them to work on their Opera House designs, filled a tray with water and dropped in some oil paint. Well, first, I managed to get red oil paint all over my hand, but after that snafu, the rest went into the water.

Then, I swirled it around with the end of a paint brush and called back the first kid. Every few pages or so, I'd drop in a few more colors...red, purple, yellow, blue, orange.

THEY LOVED IT! It went so well. I had my kids working on the CDs because I wwas worried they would get bored watching their classmates dip paper into water, but 1 by 1, they kept coming to the back to watch each other marble paper.

It sounds cheesy, but as a teacher, my heart just boomed. Here are my kids, making beautiful projects and LOVING it. They were so excited to see how beautiful the paper kept turning out. Everytime someone dipped in paper, a few of the girls were always there to say "Oh, that's going to be so beautiful...OH, this is going to be the most beautiful...This one is going to be the best!" Everytime I added in a new color of paint, they just couldn't wait to see what design would come out. I kept sending students down to the office to get us more paper! more paper!

And our hands got messy, and there was wet paper everywhere, and the doorhandle turned blue, but it was a wonderful afternoon. I loved watching them make art and really appreciate how beautiful it can be. 

Winter Trip to Taebaeksan! (Or how I ended up with 5 Korean boyfriends)

For Christmas, the teachers had a week off from school. My original plans to travel with a friend ended up not working out, so I decided to go ahead and take a little trip by myself. I was searching around on the Seoul tourism site and came across this article: http://english.visitseoul.net/visit2007en/activities/dmzbeyondseoul/dmzbeyondseoul.jsp?cid=39&sid=1923
And I figured, that looks like a beautiful place to go! Look at all those people hiking, surely I can do that! I quickly invested in a "muscle girl" coat (as my students call puffy jackets) and some hiking boots and headed east. I followed the article exactly: boarded a bus from Dongseoul Terminal and went straight to the information office when I arrived in Taebaek.

At first sight, Taebaek City is not the impressive. It was originally a mining town, which is very evident in the older neighborhoods. However, there is also a "strip" with all the important Korean creature comforts: Puma Store, Paris Baguette, well-lit Kimbap restaurants, and a chain of high-priced outdoor clothing stores. The first night, I walked around the town and then headed back to my motel (suggested, of course, by the information office) to enjoy CABLE TV!

Wednesday I woke up early, layered up, and headed to the bus station. The Information Lady had given me a bus schedule and map of Taebaeksan (san means mountain, so Taebaeksan means Mt. Taebaek) and a suggested route. The suggested route was 5 Km, and she said should take about 4 hours. I would start at Yuilsa, hike up to Cheonjedan, then head down to Banjae and continue to Danggol Plaza. I figured, ok, hike in the morning, get some lunch, stop by the coal museum (I have to support the local happy), and then go see a cave (Yongyeon Cave is also a highly-promoted local tourist spot, I don't just think of going to caves randomly).

Here is the thing about hiking on this mountain: I chose it because I thought it would be really beautiful to hike on a snow-covered mountain...I didn't really think that in order for the mountain to be snow-covered it would most likely also be really windy and COLD. But oh well, I was determined! When I started up the trail, it  was snowing already. If I had any fears about the mountain not being snow-covered enough, they were allayed after about half a kilometer. There were a few other hikers, but not the big groups like I had seen online. It was snowing pretty heavily by 2 Km, and for a long time I was the only person I saw. I passed a few hikers going the opposite way, and I thought, hm, am I supposed to turn around now? Is there a sign saying it is too windy at the top? But, of course, if there was a sign, I could not read it...so I just kept on going!

Finally I made it to Cheonjedan Alter...actually, apparently, there's more than one alter at the top, so I made it to one of them after passing through the famed Colony of Yew Trees. I'm not really sure why Yew Trees are so special, but I definitely felt like I was in Narnia. Or inside a snowglobe.

After snapping a few shots of the alter, I headed down to Manggyeongsa Temple. I didn't know what to expect, but it was actually a rest area! I could hear chanting coming from inside the temple, and I saw my first Buddha statue in person. There was a small concession stand, and the man even gave me free coffee! This was a popular resting place for other hikers, and it was here that the whole course of my day changed!

There were a few different groups of hikers at the temple, and they were overjoyed (and maybe a little shocked) to see a lone white girl hiking through on a mountain through a blizzard. One group, 5 friends who were all hiking together, were really excited to see a white girl, and decided I needed to have a photo shoot. They felt it was their mission to make sure I had several poses in front of all of the important structures at Manggyeongsa.

After several photos, they climbed up to King Danjong's Monument House, and I followed a few minutes later. I figured, if I'm going to come all this way, I might as well see what that building is. At the top, they again started talking to me. They quickly established that I was a "strong woman," because I was hiking by myself and had not eaten lunch yet. After the Monument House, they were going to Cheonjedan, and my plan was to go to Banjae. As I was going down the stairs from the Monument House, another Ahjussi (Ahjussi is a term for an older Korean man) stopped me and said "Cheonjedan! 3 minutes! 3 minutes!" He wouldn't let me go down the stairs. So I had to turn around, find the group of superfriends and admit that I would be following them to Cheonjedan. They were very happy about this.

Before I go any further and sound like a reckless traveler, let me say, this is how Koreans are. I was maybe the first non-Korean these people had seen in a while, and they find it really exciting. Furthermore, Korean men are fairly weak, and I wasn't getting any creepy vibes from them anyways.

I was glad I went up to Cheonjedan, because it was a different alter than I had seen the first time. It was really windy, but now I had 5 Ahjussis eager to take my picture and to make sure I posed by every important part of the alter. Their favorite phrase: "Best-a Pose-a." (Sometimes Koreans add vowel-sounds onto the ends of words...).

At Cheonjedan, we were studying the map and I was trying to explain that I was going to Banjae and then onto Donggol Plaza. This did not seem like a good plan to them. Their car was parked at the Baekdansa Ticket Office, and said I could go that way. I said no, I am going to Banjae. This was still unsatisfactory for them...mainly because I was not wearing ice-spikes on my shoes and apparently the way would be too treacherous for me. Their solution was that I should go hiking with them! They were hiking across the top of the mountain to Somunsubong Peak and then through the Jedanggol Valley to Danggol Plaza. This was a longer hike than I had planned, but between hiking by myself or hiking with 5 hilarious Korean men, who am I to argue?

The "leader" (I didn't learn his name, but he definitely seemed to be the Alpha male) told one of his friends (whom I think of as "glasses" -- "Glasses" is the Ahjussi who was most out-going and said "Ohhh, you a strong woman.") to give me his ice-spikes. He compromised and just gave me one for my right foot. "Pink scarf" seemed really worried that I didn't have a walking pole, so he kept trying to give me his. The "young one" would stop everyone now and then and give me tangerines and marshmellow cakes.

The hike was really fun! All of the guys were really generous (ice spikes, a walking pole, and even snow gloves) and fun-loving. A few times, we made a "sled" out of a plastic bag...and every now and then we would stop for a photo shoot. Whenever we passed other hikers, they would be really friendly too. One couple even gave me some kimbap (a seaweed roll similar to sushi, but minus the raw fish).

On our way down the mountain, the men decided it was lunch time. Korean hikers are prepared! They dusted off snow, gave me a mat to sit on, and out of their backpacks came dishes, a mini tank of petrol, cups of rice, seaweed, kimchi, and more marshmellow pies. Waiting for the lunch was the coldest I had felt all day though! It seemed like it took forever for the ramen to cook! They always made sure I was served first before any of them, which I found really touching. In Seoul, it often seems that the men have no manners...but these men were very polite.

When lunch was over, the men packed everything back up, even the trash. Korean hikers do not litter, and our lunch area was just as neat as we had found it. Somehow, two of the men went down another way I guess, because it was just me, the "Leader," "Pink Scarf" and the "Young One" on the way down. The final stretch seemed to take FOREVER and was pretty slippery, as the snow became more tightly packed. It was during this time, I realized how close Koreans hike to each other. I was really afraid that if I slipped I would take the whole lot out.

At Donggol Plaza, "the Leader" bought me some coffee and told me to wait at the restaurant. You can buy coffee in a can here, and at restaurants, they keep the cans in a little heater, so they are always ready to drink. Canned coffee is pretty good! He disappeared to go find a taxi, but the other 4 suddenly appeared and brought out more tangerines and marshmellow pies. They were going to take a taxi back to their car. I think they wanted to drive me back to Taebaek (it was about 40 minutes away I think), but I politely declined. I think they were a little surprised, but they promised to email me photos.
SO, that was my hiking adventure!

Merry Christmas in Korea!

A lot of people have been asking about Christmas in Korea, so here's my experiences/observations. Sorry I didn't get this up sooner!

People do celebrate Christmas in Korea...but like a lot of things here, appearance is everything! So, there's the appearance that Christmas is a big deal while there may not be the long-standing traditional as in America. There were Christmas lights everywhere, especially at the large department stores.

All the bakeries had new Christmas cakes and it seemed every business had a Christmas tree out. One main thing I noticed: department stores had Christmas sections, but they were nowhere near as large as what Wal-Mart or Target usually offers. Also, while Korean cards are very adorable (as many of you know by now :), they do not come in boxes! So, I just kept my eyes pealed every time I passed a stationary store for good prices on Christmas cards.

Christianity is a fast-growing religion here and seems to be pretty readily accepted. So, obviously, if you go to church, you are probably celebrating Christmas and may go to a church service. And like in America, plenty of people who aren't religious also celebrate Christmas. However, it's only a "family" holiday if there are little kids. Otherwise, it's not really a day when families get together...it's a COUPLES day. That's right, even if you go to a church service, you are probably spending the day with your turtle-dove. This fact was well-illustrated when my friends and I went out to dinner -- the restuarant was full of couples! We had a hard time getting the waiters to even look at our table because we were 3 girls!

This Christmas, even thought I wasn't at home with my family, I felt really blessed. My church, Jubilee, had several activities going on that really celebrated the spirit of Christmas, and I'm just so lucky to go to a church that cares for its congregation so much. I mean, it was really a relief to not have to worry about what I was going to do, because I felt "Oh, Jubilee has it planned out already! Awesome!"

I had to work Christmas Eve, but headed straight to church afterwards for Christmas Eve service. We ended the service in candlelight singing Joy to the World. It was really beautiful and a great way to get focused on why we celebrate Christmas.

On Christmas Day, I met up with people from Jubilee to go to Geon Children's Home. In December, the congregation had the chance to buy a present for a "Christmas angel" -- a child at Geon. My small group went together and bought a present for a little girl -- she wanted new pajamas. On Christmas Day, a group of us met for lunch and then went to the Children's Home. We sang a few carols, there was a short message from Pastor Sangmin, and then it was PRESENT TIME. The people from the church went up on stage and could personally hand out gifts. The children were so excited and couldn't wait to see what they would get. It was really heartwarming to see these kids get so excited and be so thankful for their one gift.

Afterwards, a few new friends that I made that morning and I headed over to Young Nak Church for joint Christmas service put on by all the international churches in the city. I didn't realize how many "international" churches there, but there are tons. We came a little bit late to the service, but caught the message and a few carols performed by a famous saxophonist (I forget his name!). The church was gorgeous! I felt like I was at the symphony more than a church.

I met my friend Sarah (from my small group) after the service, and we headed to a neighborhood called Hyehwa to meet our friend Taryn (another small group sister). Hyehwa is this really young, vibrant neighborhood -- there's a university there and also a lot of theaters and such, so it's pretty artsy. For dinner, we settle on the traditional Christmas meal of ... Pho! :P Pho is a Vietnamese soup. It was pretty delicious, but as mentioned before, our service was a little bit poor as we were not in couples. Oh well. Afterwards, we got coffee and dessert. When Sarah and I left the coffee shop, it was snowing! Sarah is from California and was really happy to have a White Christmas! Me too! I felt like it was so magical.

Sarah and I wanted to take advantage of the night, so we headed to Central Seoul to take part in the city's festivities. We started out at Gwanghamun Square to see the Festival of Lights, the new exhibition about King Sejong, and the ice-skating rinks. Seoul has opened up 3 outdoor rinks, depending on your age group. Rule #1: No Drunken Skating. Also, only the Koreans would think to ice skate with helmets on. They are really concerned about brain cells, it seems.

We ended the night by strolling along the Cheonggyecheon Stream in the snow. I was so happy it snowed on Christmas! It really felt a like a special gift just for me! (And also for Sarah, who was really excited to have snow on Christmas!)

Go Big or Go Home...

Today I had a FUN DAY with Mary. We met up at Express Bus, got a quick breakfast at McDonalds (yummmmmmmm pancake stack), melted hearts over glittery Christmas cards, and then started the REAL shopping. Express Bus is underground shopping at its finest and you can find way too much stuff for way too good a price. And...perhaps influence by Mary and her cute Cali style...I bought skinny jeans. 3 pair. B/c you know what? I'm skinny. I don't know what I feel the need to hide this fact, but I've lost weight darn it and I'm proud.

I felt so elated about the day's accomplishments that by the time I got back to Yeoksam, I decided to get a haircut. I drew a picture of what I didn't want (thick, helmet head hair) and a smiley face of what I did want (layers). In the end, the hairdresser and I had to look up pics on the internet and I lost like 3 more inches than I had planned. But go big or go home, right?