Tag Archives: Church

left behind

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I have been known to lose my phone. I have left it on the subway (three times) the legit train/train (once) and then in a taxi in Thailand (never to be seen again— believe it or not, all the other times I got my phone back).

But one thing I have never, ever, ever, ever done is leave behind my camera. For one thing, it is a leeeetle bigger than a phone, it is a beast— so it is easier to notice its absence. For another, I am always taking pictures. Always.

Yesterday we had an amazing event at church to show honor and celebrate two holidays (Valentine’s Day and White Day). The brothers honored the sisters of the house, and the sisters honored the brothers. For the past two years we had two separate events, but this year we decided to combine them (with the wisdom of our campus pastor) because there are just so many more women in the church than men. It was so much fun.

I got home, exhausted and fighting a headache but happy the night went smoothly… when my phone rings. WHAT? I LEFT MY CAMERA AT CHURCH?!

I have to wait until TUESDAY NIGHT to get it back. Two full days without my camera? How will I live? What will I do?

Time to get creative.

Looks like I will be searching for some more camera apps on my iPhone, anyone have a good one to recommend?!

The gift we received last night from the brothers were these two magnets  of our head pastor and our campus pastor that are now on my fridge, the ladies loved them!

pastors

On Jee Young’s Visit to Korea!

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Jee Young and I were destined to be friends. I know that people say that all the time. But with her and me… it’s true. If we hadn’t met randomly my first month in Korea at a church picnic, we would have met volunteering through Jerusalem Ministries three months later. If we hadn’t re-met through Jerusalem Ministries, I just know that God would have found another way to bring us together.

She is my partner in crime when it comes to education and she is one of my best friends. After four years of teaching in Korea she started a new adventure in Singapore, at one of the top international schools in the world.

But…of course, she couldn’t stay away from Korea for too long, she has family here! Having her stay with me for two and a half weeks was… relaxing. Jee Young is a calm spirit, and a very organized person (the exact opposite of me). I didn’t feel like I had to “play host” or make sure she had every minute of her vacation planned out, because she had that covered.

I did cook breakfast for her once. Having her sit in the living room while I played chef was WEIRD. Over the past three years, she was always the one cooking for me, haha! Hey, people can change^^

During her visit we got to eat a lot of amazing food (a few examples would be…brick oven pizza, frypan-yes I count that as amazing-, shabu-shabu, and kimbab- according to jee young who missed korean food like WHOA), celebrate christmas and the one year blogiversary of our educational blog twoapplesaday, we also hosted a new year’s eve themed party, had a board meeting for our future NGO, visited Bukchon Village, took A LOT of pictures, watched many movies, went shopping, played board games, and just chilled. She blogged a ton while she was here too over at her blog, http://teachtoinspire.wordpress.com

The following is just a bunch of pictures of her (and some of me), I mean, why not?!

DSC_0901 DSC_0788 DSC_0781 DSC_0279DSC_0769 DSC_0626DSC_0480DSC_0452 DSC_0318

I plan on blogging in more detail about a few of the things we did… until then!

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my burning hands

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I must share this.

It was in bible study this past Sunday at church that it finally clicked, really clicked. All the powerful prayers of the prophets and leaders in the old testament had important ingredients and similar outlines. First, you pray out God’s character… He is GOOD. Then you declare his promises and his works. You start with praise and thanks, and then you stand on the truth of what his word says and what he has done.

After bible study my friend wanted prayer for her legs. When she sat down we could see that one leg was slightly shorter than the other. Enough to give her extreme back pain over the years. A group of us prayed for her, nothing happened— we could still see one leg just -that- much longer. We prayed again, all of a sudden I knew, I just KNEW the order and the ingredients needed and I spoke it out— commanded her leg to grow based on God’s character, his promises, and his works. My friend looked at her legs and went, “Wait… I think they are even!” Even though I knew, I was still taken by surprise (silly, silly me), we examined super closely, and kept looking and then started gaping— her legs were the EXACT SAME LENGTH! I wish I had the foresight to take a before and after picture… she stood up and could already feel the difference of having two even legs.

Right before our church service started my welcoming team leader (who is a freakin’ healer I tell you what- she speaks and God uses her) came up to me while I was greeting people and giving out nametags. “My arm hurts, pray for me.” Turns out she gets chronic arm pain due to an accident on a scooter that happened years ago… randomly, when it starts to hurt she can’t lift her arm above her shoulder without a lot of pain. I quickly prayed with the same understanding I had just grasped that morning, and then went back to greeting and writing nametags… I hear “Melody, Melody!” I turned and my friend was swinging her arms around saying that all of the pain was gone! I jumped up and down (yes, literally)— praising God for his healing power.

Throughout all of worship my hands would not stop burning, and not just a small tingling sensation— I said “owww!” out loud during one of the songs— possibly a couple of times. They were burning OK?

Take what you will from this testimony, but that is my God!

I’m a guest!

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Today I have the privilege of being a guest blogger over at my amazing friend Hannah’s blog. I met her in Korea when she started coming to New Philly (my home church there).

She asked me a while ago to write up something for her blog’s undone series. What does it mean to be undone before God? I don’t often talk explicitly about my faith on my blog, for many reasons (though most people who read my blog know me, and the way I write shows that it -my faith- is portrayed in my lifestyle)… that being said, this was a good challenge for me.

Head over to her blog and check it out, this is my second time writing a guest blog post this summer (the first time was for Patrick for his QLC series, my thoughts for that are here) and I got to say, I love it!

I will leave you with the dogs begging for bread:

Looks like Jordan is not sharing!

J & S rockin’ Seoul

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For the first time I have people who I know from back home invading my world in Seoul. What an experience. I am remembering things that I forgot were strange are, in fact, still strange! I am realizing that there are certain things I accept about the culture I live in now that used to blow my mind.

Justin and Shawnna arrived on Valentine’s Day (a great gift amongst all the chocolate my students showered me with as well)  and have been amazing house guests ever since. So great, in fact that I left them alone in the apartment all weekend to go to grad class. Yeah, okay that wasn’t planned.

I am now taking Justin and Shawnna to experience the wonderment that is New Philadelphia Church in Itaewon. I am THRILLED to be able to bring some friends from my church back home to my home church in Korea!

:(

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I am very sad right now. I am trying to let it roll off my back and not let it affect me. But it has. First year teachers will always have situations that arise and realize later that they should have handled things differently. Throw in a different culture and it intensifies. I have been attacked personally and told that I don’t deserve my teaching credential. I should be enjoying my holiday. I am so sad. My head hurts. I wish I was worshipping with my home church in Michigan tomorrow (Sunday) morning. I am the absolute happiest when I am worshipping.

“and there will be no english in heaven!”

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This past Sunday had me crying for the second time since moving to Seoul. As someone who likes to be in touch with my feelings I hate the fact that it is difficult for me to cry emotionally, while at the same time I hate crying. Confusing, I know. There was once a time in my life when I would cry at the drop of a hat; good news, bad news, a painful headache, a sore wrist, oh and it also felt like my tear ducks were directly wired to my temper (and boy, did I have a temper when I was younger! ask the family…). Now, I must admit, crying makes me nervous; I don’t know what to do when people start shooting salty liquid from their eyes.

I could tell you the reason for the change from crying all the time to crying every six months/once a year (yes I keep track, yes I am ridiculous like that… my sister-in-law once told me she had a good cry every week. I wish I could do that, it really is cleansing as a female who experiences the world more emotionally than any male could understand) in two words: broken heart. Yes, yes, a silly boy had me crying myself to sleep every night for an entire semester of college (and NOT because of unrequited love, trust me, I know when to let go). I share that because I am sure many girls can relate… and well I love background information.

Back to Sunday. If I told you I was crying because my good friend Natalie was heading back to Canada I would a) possibly offend the nine other good friends I had to say goodbye to this summer who went back to their respective homelands and b) be lying. No offense to Natalie, who is awesome, but I know I am going to see her again and I am pretty familiar with saying goodbye (oh, the life of a traveler).

I bring up Natalie and her departure from Seoul because it is directly related to the red-faced, puffy-eyed look I had to sport Sunday afternoon. I hope Natalie doesn’t mind me sharing her life story, maybe I should change her name? Any how, when N moved to Seoul two years ago from a small town in a small province  (yes she is Canadian, but I still love her) she had never left home before and she was… well, scared. The very first Sunday here one of her co-workers invited her to Young Joong Church. It is a Korean church and it does not have an English service. N went and was welcomed with open arms, despite the language barrier friends were made faster than ice cubes melt in a furnace, even the people who were scared to speak what little English they knew went up to talk to her. N kept going to YJ (I like to shorten things) and soon had a permanent friend who translated the sermons for her, while another friend translated all of the worship songs to English (so both Korean and English show as the songs are played, but were obviously sung in Korean by everyone but N). An English Cell (bible study type group) was created and N started working with children in an English ministry in the mornings.

This is the same church N brought me to back in December, the same church that welcomed me as a long-lost sister. I felt more at home among the congregation of this church within one hour than I did at the English church I had been attending for the past six months. The feeling of love and joy is infectious there, and it wasn’t because N and I are foreigners, it is because we are sisters in Christ and we all shared a common passion to know God more.

This past Sunday was Ns last Sunday at YJ church. She got up and gave the kind of speech that makes you cry. Not only because her words were simple (she was speaking to a crowd of people where English is their second language after all) and sweet and true, but you could tangibly feel the emotions of every person in the room while she cried into the microphone. She was thanking them for welcoming her with open arms and they were returning the same gratitude to her, thanking her for making a visible impact on their lives as someone who was so different, and yet exactly the same (and ridiculously nice).  God’s presence and love filled that room and taught us all that His hand is a part of everything, He will always guide us and bring along people to build a community with, to grow with, to live life with.

“And there will be no English or Korean in Heaven where we will all meet again!” Were the last words of Natalie’s touching speech.

she is going to love me for posting this, in mid-speech.

at the end of her speech the pastor asked us to pray for natalie (this wasn't even translated to me, I just catch on quickly sometimes)

praying for natalie (look my hair fits into a nub!), so glad they got a picture of the post-speech/post-cry look, thanks guys.

11:39 p.m.

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That is what time I got off the subway this evening, 11:39 p.m. and I walk out of exit 3 to see a family: father, mother, daughter, brother (they stop at 2 regardless, mom and dad you are considered very patriotic for having nine, I had no idea what that meant until about a week ago, another story for another time), eating ramen noodles on the sidewalk. Literally all four…in a line… chopsticks in hand… and buckets of ramen purchased at the convenience store located directly behind them. Little children, put down your chopsticks and go to bed.

Rewind to the beginning of the weekend. Farewell Animal Onesie Party for a one Mr. Dinosaur Eric Choi and a one Ms. Giraffe Melissa John at the restaurant mentioned in the post before this one. Yes, more than twenty full grown adults dressing (and acting) like animals graced an elegant Italian restaurant for a delicious dinner.

We proceeded to a park, which took us to a dance party in a bar, which took us to another dance party in a different bar, (people taking pictures of us and asking “why the animal suits?” the whole time), which took us to eating kebabs to get out of the rain (thank goodness our onesies have hoods), which took us to a FAILED attempt at noraebanging. The room was VIP, their was an animal limit, it was just silly. I did sing two and a half songs before we got kicked out and therefore, (I am not speaking the word aloud Kathleen so it is okay) I was happy.

I woke up at two p.m. Saturday and felt like whole morning was gone because A) well, it was and B) I don’t really have a B, I just like lists….  Text from Tami to get my butt to Itaewon and there I went, I then ended up at a superhero going away party (themed parties are totally cool) only none of us were dressed as superheroes and we left our animal costumes (I could have been SuperCow?) at home. I left for home by nine p.m. Saturday evening to have a productive Sunday morning preparing for my new classroom, and it felt good.

I had to say goodbye to EJ this afternoon (now it is Sunday) in English Cell because she is getting married (on September 11, think about that one) and once you get hitched you get kicked out of the 2 p.m. service at my church, who knew? I didn’t, if I get married during the next two years I am totally breaking that rule, because I am not going to the stuffy older married peoples service in the morning, which is where the people who get kicked out of the awesome young, Jesus-likes-it-when-we-sing-fast-worship-songs-too, service go. ANIYO.

This evening, after the cook and waitress of the restaurant we ate at “chased” (we were sitting on steps right outside) us down to give us back the 6,000 (about $5.14) won that we accidentally over-payed (did I mentioned I left my cell phone on the subway and got it back within 24 hours because that is just how Koreans roll, they give things BACK! It is a novelty) … anyway after that happened Eric showed the Seoul Family this amazing video he made of our last year together and there is a scene of me showing off my one truly amazing talent, putting my entire fist in my mouth, perfect. WHY? WHY? WHY?

My dear friend Melissa leaves tomorrow evening to head back to Toronto and study Law. I will miss her terribly, after a quick goodbye hug I had to jump on the subway (as the doors were about to close, and I didn’t want to be that one awkward person who gets stuck halfway and then has to get the attention of the driver to get the doors to open because that actually does happen!) and wave mournfully through the window while her mother pretended to chase after the subway. I love MJ’s mom. Can’t wait to visit Toronto.

Goodbyes suck.