The Dandelion Community

Yesterday I went with a group from our church to visit the Dandelion Community. The Dandelion Community is located 4 1/2 hours south of here, in the middle of the Gyeongnam province countryside. I got a little homesick on the way there, seeing all the mountains wrapped in warm fall shades, fields ready for harvest, and orchards heavyladen with fruit. In one stretch of highway, I was back in the foothills of North Carolina, then watching combines scoop up corn and beans, and even back at Grandma and Grandpa's old house, riding Polly through the apple orchard. Never mind that yesterday's fields were full of rice and the orchards bursting with persimmons. Anyway, I was pretty excited to visit another Christian community for the first time, but the trip fell short of my expectations. I couldn't get a feel for their daily life or understand a word of the looong briefing we received. To be honest, my excitement to get home last night rivaled the last day of the school backpacking trip. But at least I've seen it now. Next I need to visit a community closer to home in Seoul!

Dandelion Community's rice fields

Just look at all those beautiful persimmons!

According to their website, the philosophy of the Dandelion Community is modeled after the leaves, roots, and seeds of a dandelion. The leaves represent a simple lifestyle that is "third-world-friendly." The roots represent thinking, acting, and relating deeply, especially with "God and people in daily life." The seeds blown by the wind represent the community people directed by the Holy Spirit to go and help the poor wherever the Holy Spirit leads them.

About thirty people live and work together at the Dandelion Community. They focus largely on organic farming and sustainable living, especially in terms of alternative energy. Windmills and solar panels, which they have made themselves (and teach others how to make in workshops here and in third world countries), can be seen as an active energy source next to many of their buildings. They use alternative energy as a mode for spreading the Gospel, as they visit very poor communities and teach them how to make use of intermediate technology. Their goal is to be self-sufficient in terms of food, clothing, and shelter, and they operate a middle and high school where boarding students from outside the community can also learn these skills.

Roughly 17% of their energy is derived from solar power.

Not sure what this building is... hopefully not sleeping quarters! ;)

Middle school dormitory on the left, school building on the right. I love the flowers growing on the roof!



Middle school boys standing shyly in front of a classroom.

You can learn a lot about Dandelion Community's vision, lifestyle, and unique programs by visiting their website. I admire their dedication to environmentalism, healthy living, and Christian community, but I didn't feel any call to move there. I guess Sarangbang can keep me for another year.

Rows and rows of peppers

Our church's head cook marveling over the size of these cabbages--twice the size of ours up north!

Fall is for Friends

This week I've enjoyed spending a lot of time outdoors and sharing good memories with friends. Last Friday, I took my elementary class to the mountain behind the school, and we had fun playing tag and a Korean version of "red light, green light." I didn't even know I could still run that fast. Actually, I guess I couldn't... when it was my turn to be "it," I couldn't catch anyone, so they added an extra "it" to help me. :-) After all that running around, I was excited to visit my Korean "Mom"'s house and have homemade pizza for dinner!
 

The next day was my dear friend Karen's baby shower. Karen grew up hearing the story of her own baby shower, about how the guests had prayed blessings over her life, and she wanted to do that for her daughter, too. So last Saturday evening, church friends and coworkers gathered to praise God, remember His faithfulness, and pray for the soon-to-be family of three, especially baby Lomie. After the service, we had a delicious baked potato bar--it was the first time the Korean guests had tried it, and they really loved it. What a fun and meaningful baby shower tradition! I told Karen I want to copy her if and when I ever have my own. :-)

(Jin Song Lee gets credit for all the baby shower pics.) 

 
Yesterday, I was really blessed by the thoughtfulness of Faith, one of the teachers at our school. She took me out to lunch at Burger Prince, hands-down the best burger joint I've ever been to, and of course they're homemade! I got the country burger, which has the essentials plus nacho cheese, chili sauce, bacon, and egg. So unexpectedly good!! I also enjoyed spending time with Faith, who speaks English fluently (!) and has a really gracious, cheerful spirit. (I really share her tastes by the way. From haircut to clothes to home decor, I'm pretty sure I'll be her American twin thirty years from now. ;)) This is a picture of Faith and my mom from May of this year.

Today was also full of blessings. My Korean tutor took me and another of her friends out for a tasty fish lunch at a lakeside restaurant made of beautiful timber. She speaks fast and uses vocabulary out of my league, so I only catch about 25% of the conversation. But even so, her faith, gentleness, and love, and especially her childlike delight in God's creation, make me slow down, notice wonders I hadn't seen before, and inspire me to grow in my love and acceptance of others.

After lunch, we went to the National Forest and enjoyed walking through the woods at prime time (mid-afternoon when the pine trees give off their freshest fragrance, which is also good for health). The leaves have nearly all changed color now and many trees have already lost their leaves, but there were still some dark reds, oranges, and yellows clinging to the branches. Halfway through our walk, we sat down for a rest and had an interesting conversation about meditation and freedom. Our mutual friend, as well as the friend who joined us today, are both non-Christians, and I love watching my teacher interacts with them on faith issues. She listens with patience and respect, and shares with gentleness and joy, and in it all, I see real love for the one she's engaging. And then she'll suddenly rope me into the conversation with, "What do you think about this?" and I'm startled and search for the right words, and then struggle to turn them into Korean and kick myself for not being more adept. But I love that we're given these opportunities for friendship. And it's certainly a good reminder that God's call and movement in my life will always require more than I could handle on my own.

Re-writing the Subway Signs

I'm amused by the signs I see when I ride the subway. Some promise success, others beauty, still others a lofty principle or mantra to live by. They are often dramatic, feel-good messages that promise something only God can really give. Some of the signs are so close to Truth and yet miss it by just one word. At the newly renovated Uijeongbu Station, there are signs emphasizing construction safety. One claims: “Safety! The key to protecting your life.” Another reads: “Happiness grows in safety.” Of course we want our subways to be safe, but as Christians we know that rather than safety, faith in Jesus is the bedrock of our well-being and joy. If this life is God's construction zone for our souls, perhaps the signs should read: “Faith! The key to protecting your life.” Or, “Happiness grows in faith.” The best the world can offer is superficial safety, but God offers unshakeable hope.

2011 has been a hard year for me. In the first four months, my best friend moved to another country, my grandmother passed away, and my parents got divorced. In the last four weeks, another close friend moved abroad, peers I graduated from high school with suddenly lost both of their parents to tragic violence, and my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. These difficult circumstances have revealed the inadequacy of “safety” and made me thankful for a house built on the Rock (Matt.7:24-25).

But how can we recognize God's grace in the darkest of times? How can we give thanks in everything? Regarding a recent event, I confessed to my friend Karen, “I just don't know how to be thankful for this. I know how to find a silver lining, but there must be a thankfulness that goes deeper than looking on the bright side. Or what about times when there is no bright side?” And God put the key in her hand and stretched it out to me: “Maybe we can be thankful just because Jesus goes with us through our hardships.”

Indeed, nothing can separate us from His love (Rom.8:38-39), and that is eternal grace, a reason to be joyful and thankful at all times!

These thoughts came back to me when I saw this sign on the subway a couple days ago: “Seoul, where we're all smiling; Seoul, where we're glad to see each other; Seoul, where we're always thankful.” I don't believe a worldly city can ever be like that, but the Church should be! Paul said it first: “Be joyful always... Give thanks in all circumstances” (1Thess.5:16,18). When we remember that Jesus is present with us, we always have a reason to smile, to be glad, and to give thanks. Perhaps in heaven, the banner reads like this: “The Kingdom of Heaven, where we're all smiling; The Kingdom of Heaven, where we're glad to see each other; The Kingdom of Heaven, where we're always thankful.” Could we hang that sign at our church, too?

(Note: I wrote this essay for today's edition of our church bulletin. Thanks to my talented friend Sungmi, there is a Korean translation available upon request. :))