Going to Jeju Island--please pray!

Hiking shoes? Check. Swimsuit? check. Bible? check. Electronic dictionary? Check. (Extra batteries? check!) I think I'm all ready to go...

This week our whole church will be going to Jeju Island, an island off the south coast of Korea, for a community life retreat. We've all been praying about it for many weeks, so I have faith God will bless our time, but there are still a few things I'd appreciate prayers for.

For me, please pray that God would provide some moments of joyful solitude and joyful companionship. I'm kind of nervous about being immersed in Korean conversations 24/7, eating Korean food 3 times a day (rice for breakfast?!), and in general not having time to myself to re-energize as introverts do. Participating in meetings, services, and community-building activities in a foreign language is taxing both mentally and emotionally, even after 3 years. (But usually I have my room to retreat to afterwards, and for this week I won't.)

For the church in general, please pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our interactions and the pastor's sermons, give us courage to be authentic, and make us into a true community. Please pray for God to provide for each one's financial needs, as this trip is a burden to many in our church. Pray also for those who cannot go, that God would draw near to them and unite us in Spirit.

The theme for this summer's retreat is "A Church Trained in the Wilderness," from the book of Numbers when the Israelites are trained for forty years in the desert. I look forward to sharing what I learn, as I think this truth is so encouraging when we're going through hard times and can't see a purpose for it. Check back next week, and thanks for praying!

Friendship & Extravagant Love

School's out, but I've got plenty to keep me occupied! Twice a week, I go to the neighbor's house (Sun-ju unni) and teach English to three young boys. Gi-hwan and Ju-hwan are Sun-ju unni's sons, and Yae-sun is my Korean tutor's son. So we have a nice language exchange worked out. :-) And it's much easier--and I daresay more enjoyable--than teaching at the elementary school, because both moms are there to take care of discipline issues... and provide snacks afterwards! :-) The kids love playing Go Fish with alphabet cards and clothing pictures, and I recently introduced them to a new Jenga game I found online--you label the blocks with numbers that correspond to questions. But the biggest excitement is the addition of the new BABY! She was born nearly 2 weeks ago but doesn't have a name yet. If I understood Sun-ju unni correctly, she will go to the nearby temple and inquire (either by prayer or to a monk) about what to name her daughter. Anyway, I love these kids! They're so sharp and full of life.



Sun-ju unni and her daughter at one-week old




Middle photo L-R: Yae-sun, Ju-hwan, Gi-hwan


In other news, the rainy season is over! It stopped abruptly on Saturday night, after one month of successively rainy days. I was actually a little sad to see it go. I enjoyed the cooler days and whisper of rain outside my window. But although the heat and humidity are back, it's sure nice to hang the laundry outside and have it dry in a few hours rather than a few days. We've entered a nice season of few mosquitoes and lots of butterflies!



Tutoring, social activities, and wasteful internet surfing take up a fair share of my free time, but most of it is spent reading this Korean book that is WAY above my level. Aunt Hannah gave it to me when I was home at Christmas, in hopes that I could help her translate it into English someday (help edit her translation, that is). Anyway, it is 250 pages of hard vocabulary, but the content is really inspiring. It's the story of Yan Bian University of Science and Technology, a school established in China in the late 1980's and early 90's, mostly by Korean Christians with a vision to love people to Christ through great acts of service and mercy. If the story wasn't so good, it would be hard to keep plowing through the field of untilled vocabulary. It took 7 hours for me to get through 14 pages today, but it felt good to reach the 200-page milestone! I'm determined to finish it before I go home. (Aunt Hannah's promised to buy me another book for every one I finish, hehe.)




"Easy" page on top; hard page on bottom. :-/

 

This week I have been really blessed by friendship. I think I got together with Sungmi, my next-door neighbor and Korean "mom," every other day! On Monday, we met at the National Museum in Seoul to see an exhibition from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. I didn't know how exciting a "Princely Treasures" exhibit could be, but it was fabulous! The museum link doesn't do it justice, but maybe it's better than no pictures at all. I really felt like I'd spent the afternoon in Europe! Then we enjoyed a too-brief chat over grapefruit juice and an orange muffin at a cafe afterwards. Although the time was cut too short, we agreed it would be one of our favorite memories together. Yesterday afternoon I went over for our weekly language exchange and ended up baking oatmeal raisin cookies and staying for dinner. What a treat! After the sun went down we went for a 3-mile walk around the village. She sent me home with fresh green beans from her garden, a bag full of potatoes, and a big jar of homemade tomato sauce. :-) I am blessed, no doubt about it.



Sungmi's green-bean, fresh basil, olive, mushroom, and salami pizza from our dinner last Friday. Creative and delicious!


And now, I've gotta tell you one last story from today, because this lady boggles my mind. I first met Jin-su and Jin-su's oma, or mom, in March at the middle school's opening program. When they introduced themselves as a missionary family that had spent time in the U.S. and most recently in Russia, I made sure to make a beeline for them after the service. I don't know why, but ever since I was a little kid I've been really interested in missionaries. (And now that I'm in Korea I think I feel a foreigner kinship with them.) When I rushed over to meet Jin-su's mom, I expected a friendly smile and hello but certainly not a huge bear hug! (Koreans just don't do that!) She acted like she was my long-lost relative come from afar just to see me. And ever since that day she has surprised me more and more with her loving generosity. We've only seen each other randomly at church dinners or school events, and yet she usually seeks me out to give me gifts. At first it was snacks from Russia from when her husband came back for a visit. (It's not uncommon for Korean missionary families to live in separate countries like that). Then it was a pretty, Korean-style cosmetics bag she picked up at the airport because it "looked like" me. But today I was stunned to find her at my door with a bag of baked goods and a lovely, floral-print blouse! I tried it on for her to see that it fit and then she was out the door as quickly as she'd come.

Pretty shirt from Jin-su's oma

Later I sat at my desk puzzling over what kind of crazy love would make her do that. Why would she care about me so much? We don't know each other very well nor see each other very often and yet she thinks of me and shows her love in such tangible ways. I've heard it said that our Christian life should be so radical that people have to ask "Why?" and that there would be no plausible answer except Christ in us.

When's the last time I was such a blessing to someone that after I left they sat down in bewilderment, as I did today, and wondered, "Why on earth does she love me so much?"

I'm thankful to God for the ways He shows His love for me through people like Jin-su's oma. Who can you and I show extravagant love to today?

Seoraksan: A Mountain for All Seasons

Seoraksan is my all-time favorite destination in South Korea. I've been there seven times, in all four seasons, and I'd recommend it any time of year, although late spring and fall are probably best. If you're looking for a weekend getaway in a beautiful national park with a variety of trails and scenery, be sure to check out Seorasksan. Below you'll find photos and travel tips to help you plan your own trip and give you a feeling for what to expect.

Getting there:
First, unless you've got a car, you'll need to take a bus to Sokcho (Gangwon province) on the northeast coast of South Korea (click here for map). You can use the Korean bus site (in English!) to get the bus information from your city of departure. If you're leaving from Seoul, the fare starts at 17,000 won and it takes about 2hr 50min to get there. There are several bus terminals in Seoul, so make sure you go to the right one (the Express Bus Terminal, where subway line 3 intersects with line 7; or Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, at Gangbyeon subway station, line 2). I would recommend buying your return ticket as soon as you arrive at the terminal in Sokcho, especially if you're returning the same day or next day. Buses bound for Seoul fill up fast, especially in peak season! But if your schedule is flexible, you shouldn't need to worry--buses leave for Seoul every 30 minutes.

When you arrive in Sokcho, exit the front door of the bus terminal and walk half a block to the right to the nearest bus station. Take bus 7-1 or 7 to Seoraksan National Park, about a 30-40 min ride. Be forewarned, no transportation cards on this ghetto bus; you will have to pay the 1,000 won fare in cash. :-)

Lodging:
There are many hotels and condo options in Sokcho, but if you're looking for a place to stay right inside the park, there is just one option outside of camping: the Seoraksan Tourist Hotel. I've been pleased both times I've stayed there--clean and quiet rooms (the hotel's been kind of empty when I was there), friendly staff, free computer and internet access in the lobby, and relatively cheap price (by American standards, mind you; my Korean friends balk). A room with one queen-size bed and one twin bed is 65,000won on weekdays during off-season (which is when I've stayed there). One of the perks to staying there is you don't have to pay admission to re-enter the park should you go out for dinner in Sokcho or something. One of the drawbacks to staying inside the park is that there is just one formal restaurant and it closes pretty early in the evening.

View from the balcony

There's a lot to explore at Seoraksan, and I've really only taken a few of the many trails. If you've got several days and extra ambition, hike up to Daecheongbong, the highest point in the park. Take a backpack and stay overnight in a lodge close to the summit.

Mutjaengee teachers on a school trip (Sept. 2010)

View from the lodge we stayed at



The great descent

 If you're staying for just one night, I'd recommend taking the cable car (8,000won, across from the hotel) up to Biseondae, where you can get a FANTASTIC view of the mountains, park, and even the East Sea. It takes about 15-20 minutes to walk from the top of the cable car to the summit. A relatively easy walk up steps until the last 5 minutes, when you have to climb up a steep and narrow rock face with no safety ropes or railings.

View from the cable car

Climbing up the last stretch



Taegukgi!





Do you need any more convincing?!



The cable car and climbing around at the top takes just about an hour, so after you come back down use your spare energy to hike up to Biryeong waterfall. The trailhead is just east of the cable car, across a bridge that spans a mostly dry, rocky riverbed. It takes about an hour and a half roundtrip of moderate hiking, with an outdoor "restaurant" and a trail almost completely to yourself.

Biryeong Waterfall

Another trail I'd love to finish is the Ulsanbawi course. But I've always run out of time and had to stop midway at Heundeulbawi, a boulder that sits precariously at the foot of a temple. People line up in swarms to take their picture trying to tip the boulder off its perch. It takes about one and a half hours to get there and back, and the trail runs next to a picture-perfect river for part of the way.

Sami and Justin at Heundeulbawi

Ulsanbawi

As I said before, there are a lot more hiking options; I just have yet to explore them. There's not a lot to do besides hiking, but if it's beastly hot or you just want to stroll around close to the hotel, you can't go far without running into the giant buddha. There's also a temple a couple minutes' walk from the buddha.

You can pay to write a wish on a tile.

Busy fending off evil spirits, or something like that...

You'll have to visit in May if you want to see the luminaries for buddha's birthday.

Seoraksan is a beautiful destination year-round. I hope you'll have a chance to visit sometime! If not, just enjoy the pictures. :-)

Spring/Summer:

Fall:

Winter:

This is a different area of the park. I went there on a school trip, so I can't tell you just how to get there.

View of Seoraksan from a condo outside Sokcho.

Another view from the condo

The Squeaky Rocker

"That baby's got strong lungs!" I marvelled as she wailed to their full capacity. Just a few months old, she was sleepy and ready for an after-lunch nap. A few minutes later, all I could hear was the squeaking of the glider chair as mother rocked baby to sleep.

Scrrreeech....crrreeeaaak....scrrrreeech.....crrreeeaaak....

It was dreadfully shrill and impossibly loud. "How can that baby sleep?!?" I wondered. (I can't even sleep through a clock ticking... hence, no clock in my room.) But she was sleeping soundly.

Scrrreeech....crrreeeaaak....scrrrreeech.....crrreeeaaak....

I was amazed the creaky rocker didn't make her cry louder. I wasn't sure how much more I could take! "How could she sleep through that ruckus?" I wondered again. There must be something greater and more powerful than that horrible screeching.

As I looked at the sleeping baby snuggled cozily at her mother's breast, I realized that the comfort of her mother's arms holding her close, the warmth of her mama's body, the scent of her shirt, the love of her embrace, was overcoming any disturbance from the outside.

And I realized we've got that same refuge in our Heavenly Father. When life goes haywire and the din seems unbearable, we've only to snuggle up close to His heart and let Him shield us with his mighty, gentle arms. It sounds a bit like dreamy rhetoric, I know; but believe me, it's practical. The problem is that on our dreary days, it's so hard to reach out our hands to receive God's renewal. It's hard to worship, hard to pray, even harder to open the Bible (at least for me!). It's much easier to ruminate on the problem or avoid it all together.

Today was a down day for me, and even after that inspiring moment with the baby, I took my own little nap swaddled in self-pity. But tonight is all right. God gave me a song, listened to my cry, and gave me something good to chew on from the Word (check out Colossians 3:12-17). I know that each rut in the road is helping me improve my shock-absorbers of faith, so that someday I can cruise through pot holes without flying off my seat...... or "off the handle." :-) Like the baby who could sleep through the terrible racket coming from right under her, our calm in the storm will make people wonder.... "How can he/she possibly have peace through this?!?" And we can tell them...




Gently rolling mountains are always a sweet embrace to me. Maybe that's why I like hiking. :-)

 

Life Tithe

I heard it suggested recently that Christians give a “life tithe” to God. For example, if you live to be eighty years old, you should spend eight years working only for God (mission work was given as the example). Of however long your life is, you should use ten percent of those years to focus completely on serving the Lord. Now, I think the point was that we should dedicate a good chunk of our lives to serving God without pursuing other things. But I have a couple hangups with a "life tithe."

For one, you can't surrender just ten percent of your life to God and use the other ninety percent as you like. Don't forget we are Christ's bride. Would you want just ten percent of your spouse's devotion? Jesus gave his whole life for us, and we are called to do the same. I think the financial tithe is similar. God doesn't want us to give a tenth of our money to the church and spend the other ninety percent however we want. On the contrary, all of our possessions and all of our time on this earth are gifts from God to be used for His glory. After we give ten percent to the church, we continue to consult Him about the other ninety percent. It's just that His unique plan for each of our lives requires some creative space, and He's got endless possibilities to be glorified through our time and resources. His vision for expanding the Kingdom goes beyond the local church into hospitals, car repair shops, restaurants, beauty salons, you-name-it. Whether it's money or time, one hundred percent comes from God and is due Him. He's just got endless ways of making returns. We don't all have to spend a portion of our life preaching from a pulpit, being a missionary in a foreign land, or even living in an intentional community. (Actually, as I was listening to this sermon, the woman next to me leaned over and said, “You've already got three years done!” I guess she thought that just living here in community counted as a life completely surrendered to God. But that is not at all the case. In fact, I think these church-saturated lifestyles often give a false sense of all-out devotion for God that often results in lukewarm Christians. Maybe more on that later.)

The second point is that even if a “life tithe” were required and ten percent full-out devotion was all that was required of us, how could you measure it in years? No one can predict the span of their life; all that we're guaranteed is today. So let's figure it—ten percent of 24 hours is roughly 2 ½ hours. And it wouldn't be a bad idea to spend that much time in prayer, Bible study, worship, and service each day. It would be awesome, actually! But even so, God has a plan for the other 21 ½ hours, too. Plans for taking a meal to a sick neighbor, plans for loving on your kids, plans for enjoying nature, plans for writing that letter, or even renewing your body with a nap.

Whatever you've been given—in terms of money or of time—it's all intended for the glory of God. Let's not stop at giving ten percent.

Rethinking Enough

Sometimes I'm caught off guard by the simplicity around me. I think of Korea as this first-world, highly technological country with all the common amenities we take for granted in the U.S., but then I walk around my village, visit a neighbor's house, look around my own house, take a trip to the countryside... and find tiny, two-room houses, laundry in plastic tubs for washing, clothes hanging on metal rods with no wardrobe to hide them. I find stark simplicity--what some might call poverty back home--and it startles me. Not just because it's an anomaly in my glossy, white-washed paradigm, but because my eyes glanced over it so many times without noticing.

I remember last winter my college church sent me a care package chock-full of warm gloves, socks, and scarves. I didn't know what one person could do with all of that, so I assumed it was meant to be distributed to the needy. Not knowing who among our students was most in need, I took the box over to the pastor's house with instructions to give the gifts to the poor among us. Several days went by and I wondered what had become of all those warm winter accessories. Then the night came for our weekly community meeting and the pastor arrived with the care package in tow. He explained that my church back home had sent me the package and I was sharing it with them. At first I was a little disappointed or irritated. I'd said that the presents were to be given to the poor, but here they were being given to our very own community members. A thought ran through my head, "Perhaps I should have kept that stuff for myself afterall." I sat back at the edge of the circle looking on as moms and dads, twenty-some year-olds, and children pulled colorful gloves, soft fuzzy socks, warm hats, mittens, and scarves from the box and held up with "oohs" and "ahhs." And as I watched the gleeful commotion unfold, kids holding up their selections like trophies and everyone expressing their thanks, I realized for the first time that we were poor. It had never dawned on me until then that we who lived in community were perhaps the poorest in our church (a congregation that largely lives and works in Seoul). And so the pastor had carried out his duty afterall.

In the last month or so, I've visited a couple friends' homes in my neighborhood. Their families live simply, a husband, wife, and kids all in one room. In my own house here, each of the families lives all together in one room, with the kids in bunk beds and the parents on the floor. In the West, this is hard to imagine. For me too, it raises several questions (not the least of which is, "So, how does the second baby come along?"). ;-) But one thing I've learned from living alongside these families--and, in fact, sharing life in common with them--is that it's possible to be poor and still have everything you need to be happy, even comfortable. I don't mean extreme poverty--I'm not romanticizing or downplaying that at all--I mean the "poverty" of having simply enough. To the world, that looks like poverty; but when you're accustomed to it, it really is enough.

I don't want to confuse you with two main points, but there is another word that rang true the night the care package was divied up. As my regret turned to gladness, I remembered these words Jesus said: "This is my commandment that you love one another, that your joy may be full." That night it really made sense. In whatever situation you're in, in want or in plenty, if you love one another, you'll have full joy. Love is most essential.

Rain, Rain, Stay All Day

"If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit." Leviticus 26:3-4

The rainy season is in full swing here. It rains nearly every day for most of the day. I thought I'd get tired of it, but it's actually a welcome relief from the heat and sticky humidity that preceded it. So I've been making fewer trips to town and just enjoying some calm and quiet here at home. Calm and quiet in my mind, that is--I'm not sure a house with four youngsters could be anything but lively. But my Chinese housemates will go back to China on Wednesday for two months, and I'm sure the house will feel kind of empty then. I hope 14-month-old Jin Shim won't forget me!

These days I am keeping my electronic dictionary hard at work. When I went home last Christmas, Aunt Hannah gave me a Korean book to "challenge" myself. It's way more than a challenge though--more of a mammoth vocabulary assignment. But I'm determined to finish it before I see her again this summer. I'm also busy writing student evaluations as the semester finishes up. One week left for the middle and high school, two weeks for elementary! Then I'll join the whole church on a retreat at Jeju-do, an island off the south coast, and a couple days later head for the States. 32 days to go!!!

Happy Sunday to all, and I hope my American friends and family enjoy a long extended weekend with all the fireworks and picnics the Fourth has to offer. :-)

Happy CAD!!!

It's Cousin Appreciation Day once again, a day to remember with fondness and a facebook message those dear friends-for-life who have graced our lives with great joy, laughter, support, and love: COUSINS!

What?! You haven't heard of CAD?! Well, that could be because my cousins and I came up with it ourselves, hehe. It's the first of every month, with July 1st being the most official of the twelve. (We used to get together at the beginning of every July for the 4-H fair, but those are just cherished memories now.)

Anyway, enough talk. Here are some cousin pics from the past year. SO THANKFUL for all of you!!

Quality time around the dining room table, hahaha. :-)

Lisa notarizing John's and my "divorce" paper. We decided our childhood marriage had gone on long enough. ;)  But we still love each other, really!

Playing Scattergories with Sandy and Katie

Worship time at Grandma's and Grandpa's

The "little cousins" hosted the Bateman Ball this year! Western theme if you couldn't guess! ;)

Why "Pilgrim's Pursuit"?

While pondering what to name this new blog, it seemed fitting to include the word 'pilgrim.' A pilgrim is defined as "a person who journeys, especially a long distance, to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion." Change "sacred place" to the Kingdom of Heaven and "religious devotion" to faith in Jesus Christ, and I think we've got a pretty good description of who a Christian is called to be. 'Pursuit' follows because the call of my life is to seek God earnestly.

These days I am attending morning prayer services at my church. At 5:45am my alarm sounds and as I groggily open my eyes, a half dozen excuses emerge from their sleeping chambers and run back and forth through my fuzzy mind: "Six and a half hours of sleep?!  God knows you need the rest." "Why drag yourself there? Isn't that just legalism?" "You wouldn't want to develop a wearisome ritual." "You can't understand the sermon anyway, so why not just pray on your own later in the day?" "Maybe you're going to impress others; afterall, you don't pray at 6am by yourself." So this week, when my body wanted nothing more than a few more hours' sleep, there was only one Word that could compel me to stand up, run to the bathroom, throw on some decent clothes, pick up my Bible and hymnal, and head to the sanctuary: "Seek earnestly." I don't mean we all have to get up at 6am to pray! (And goodness knows, our church is slacking compared to most Korean churches that meet at 4 or 5am!) I only mean to say, our lives--that is, our day-to-day choices--should be marked by an earnest seeking of the Lord which trumps our bodily desires, as we give ourselves over more and more to pursuing Him with our whole being.

I know God has given me a knack for writing, but without discipline, I have buried that talent rather than investing it for His Kingdom. It's time to start putting that talent to greater use. In this blog, I'd like to share what God reveals to me in the common, everyday experiences as well as those special "Aha!" moments that take me by surprise. I want to share fun, laid-back moments, too, but ultimately, I want to recognize how even the smallest pleasures, pains, joys, and failures find meaning in Christ.

I'll close with an analogy that illustrates the godly pursuit so well, as found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (the Message):

^24-25You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally.
 ^26-27I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

If these were my words, then this sloppy, undisciplined gal would be quite the hypocrite. But these are Paul's words. And I'm hoping to grow into them. :-)