Tuesday, October 18, 2011
A Great Designer
Being at the Bodies Exhibit this past weekend made me again realize what a great God I serve. The complexity of the human body is absolutely incredible! So many muscles work together to make even our simplest motions. The hundreds of muscles in our bodies each serve their own purpose, but yet they work together for the whole. Looking at how muscles overlap and the strength of the little strands, it's incredible! Then looking at the blood vessels within the body. There are so many vessels that carry blood to every part of our body to keep it functioning. Looking at the tendons, especially the achilles heal, and seeing how small it is, yet it has such strength and does so much. We take these little things for granite. And then the whole body is driven by this ball of sponge! Looking at the human brain and when it is cut open, it just looks like skin, yet it holds all that information and does so much. I stared at the human brain just wondering how in the world the brain does all it does! It's insane! And to think that this came from nothing, from some random atom that mutated into life! hahaha Each one of us has the imprint of an intelligent designer and it is time that we take a grand appreciation for our bodies, for the little things, for being able to move, for being able to think, for being able to do anything we do, because we are a complex being! And we should show respect for God's masterpiece!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
South Korea Bucket List
1. DMZ tour – Cross into North Korea
*Done
2. Visit a Buddhist temple - Have always wanted to visit one
*Buddhist village, not really a temple, but lots of religious buildings
3. Eat Gaegogi - It's a delicacy that I have been told I must try
*Done and good!
4. Visit a farm - How could I not?
-Went out to the country and walked past fields, but did not visit a farm.
5. Eat octopus - Sounds nasty, but I have to try it
-Did not get around to this, and I must say, not the most disappointed.
6. Try every piece of food I’m offered - First experience, cow blood; next, I have no idea
*Did not turn down anything, and the only really nasty thing was anchovies. Silkworm larva wasn't even that bad.
7. Run to Seoul Tower for the sunrise - Gorgeous run that makes you feel like your not in Seoul, and allows you to see the entire city. (It is huge!)
*Done and went in the Tower, which was awesome!
8. Attend a different church every Sunday - I love to worship in many settings
*Every Sunday I went. I missed my last two Sundays, but I got a good experience of American churches in Korea.
9. Attend a church service in Korean - My favorite part of travel is being able to worship the same God, even if we do not speak the same language. I love how God transcends language and tears down barriers to bring us together!
-Sadly I did not. Probably my biggest disappointment.
10. Attend a Korean wedding - I have connections!
-Lack of communication on wedding week prevented me. I missed a few phone calls and missed out on the opportunity.
*Done
2. Visit a Buddhist temple - Have always wanted to visit one
*Buddhist village, not really a temple, but lots of religious buildings
3. Eat Gaegogi - It's a delicacy that I have been told I must try
*Done and good!
4. Visit a farm - How could I not?
-Went out to the country and walked past fields, but did not visit a farm.
5. Eat octopus - Sounds nasty, but I have to try it
-Did not get around to this, and I must say, not the most disappointed.
6. Try every piece of food I’m offered - First experience, cow blood; next, I have no idea
*Did not turn down anything, and the only really nasty thing was anchovies. Silkworm larva wasn't even that bad.
7. Run to Seoul Tower for the sunrise - Gorgeous run that makes you feel like your not in Seoul, and allows you to see the entire city. (It is huge!)
*Done and went in the Tower, which was awesome!
8. Attend a different church every Sunday - I love to worship in many settings
*Every Sunday I went. I missed my last two Sundays, but I got a good experience of American churches in Korea.
9. Attend a church service in Korean - My favorite part of travel is being able to worship the same God, even if we do not speak the same language. I love how God transcends language and tears down barriers to bring us together!
-Sadly I did not. Probably my biggest disappointment.
10. Attend a Korean wedding - I have connections!
-Lack of communication on wedding week prevented me. I missed a few phone calls and missed out on the opportunity.
Monday, October 10, 2011
First Day!
Today was just observation for me, and what a difference! Wow, it was so quite in class today, almost too quite! I already know I'm going to have students collaborate and talk about things a lot, because it was silent all day! There was zero behavior issues and there is a behavior management system in place, though I doubt it will be used much. The students stay on task, they love to read, and they stay engaged. I get breaks as a teacher now!! Like an hour every day!! That feel foreign for sure. The school follows tightly to the curriculum, mostly because parents want the structure and the parents want their children to have homework for every subject. There are many more grades entered because parents want to see lots of grades so they can check on their children. It is such a shift going from 21 second grade students who are mostly below grade level, to 7 fourth grade students who are on or above grade level. My teaching is going to have to completely shift, since I will be able to group students, and I will be able to give each student much more individual focus.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
First Impressions
First impression? Seoul is huge!!! There are people everywhere, and traffic everywhere, and everywhere you turn there are people trying to sell you something. Right around where I live it's a little more low key, but you go two blocks and it begins the craziness. That has been a bit overwhelming, as we walked around all day today (Sunday) and I was so exhausted from all the people. (I thought maybe I had become an extrovert, but today made me realize again, how strong of an introvert I am) I didn't come in with very many expectations, except that the cost of living here would be super cheap. It's really not that cheap. Food cost about the same here, maybe a tad bit cheaper, but I have eaten out everyday, so it has exceeded my spending back home (except that I have only paid for 1 meal) I want to learn how to make Korean food, so I'm going to find some teachers at school tomorrow who can help me out. I had heard that Seoul is really Americanized, but I think I took that the wrong way. Not very many people speak English, everything is in Korean, although the important aspects like public transportation and maps have English translation. There are certain parts of the city where they have American restaurants and brands, but there are few areas. I was expecting a McDonalds on every corner (Not literally), but I don't even think I have seen a McDonalds. No one rides bikes here either, which is surprising, everything is public transportation. The public transit is very nice, comes right past where I live, and I can get anywhere in the city by it, but it is packed everywhere you go (standing room only, which is tight in and of itself). I think I may finally be adjusted to the time difference after today. It was my fault for waking up to watch the ND game at 5 in the morning (I missed the first half of the first quarter), but it was well worth it to watch the ND performance. Skype may be a bit more difficult of a task than what I had anticipated, but let me know when you can skype and I will go to bed early so I can wake up early to chat.
I love my house!! It is the coziest, homiest place I have ever stayed. It's small, but I love it! I'm excited for teaching, to go from 21 students to 7 students, I'm hoping management falls into place and that I can do some more active things with a smaller group. I am a bit nervous because of the grade level transition and the level of students that I will have. But I know I will do fine and that I will get adjusted to these students quickly. I only live like half a mile from the school, so that is awesome, cause I get to walk to school!!!
On a quick statistical note: In 2009 Korea had the 2nd highest suicide rate in the world. The pressure on young people to succeed in school is demanding, which is to be known as a big reason for the high rate. Social status is everything here. Several of the people I have met here have told me that the public schools really fail the students and thus the reason why most students have a private tutoring session for 6 hours every day after school. The demands this puts on children is too much for them. They really get no break from school, but study constantly. Everything is based on what University they can get into, and parents are really controlling of the education system,
Fathers are not really present in the home during the week. Everything is about building a relationship with your business partners, so men will go to work and then go out to eat with business clientele until late in the evening, leaving the parenting to the mom. This is a social norm, meaning not every house is like this, but the majority.
Drinking is huge here, everyone drinks, all the time! I have not been here long enough to witness this myself, but everyone has told me that many people are drunk all the time. They are not angry drunks, but it is just part of the culture to drink with everyone you are with. Very much a social type of drinking, but it is done all the time, meaning people are drunk often.
SAT day is like a national holiday. They shut down the airport, they tell cars not to honk during that part of the day, and they try to eliminate any type of noise. They put all kinds of pressure on students to perform. It is unhealthy for these students. In the short time I have been here, I have talked to many Koreans and Americans about education, and I already have a much greater appreciation for education in the U.S. We really are blessed!
If you have questions, please ask me and I will post about it, cause others may have similar questions.
I will write again soon!
I love my house!! It is the coziest, homiest place I have ever stayed. It's small, but I love it! I'm excited for teaching, to go from 21 students to 7 students, I'm hoping management falls into place and that I can do some more active things with a smaller group. I am a bit nervous because of the grade level transition and the level of students that I will have. But I know I will do fine and that I will get adjusted to these students quickly. I only live like half a mile from the school, so that is awesome, cause I get to walk to school!!!
On a quick statistical note: In 2009 Korea had the 2nd highest suicide rate in the world. The pressure on young people to succeed in school is demanding, which is to be known as a big reason for the high rate. Social status is everything here. Several of the people I have met here have told me that the public schools really fail the students and thus the reason why most students have a private tutoring session for 6 hours every day after school. The demands this puts on children is too much for them. They really get no break from school, but study constantly. Everything is based on what University they can get into, and parents are really controlling of the education system,
Fathers are not really present in the home during the week. Everything is about building a relationship with your business partners, so men will go to work and then go out to eat with business clientele until late in the evening, leaving the parenting to the mom. This is a social norm, meaning not every house is like this, but the majority.
Drinking is huge here, everyone drinks, all the time! I have not been here long enough to witness this myself, but everyone has told me that many people are drunk all the time. They are not angry drunks, but it is just part of the culture to drink with everyone you are with. Very much a social type of drinking, but it is done all the time, meaning people are drunk often.
SAT day is like a national holiday. They shut down the airport, they tell cars not to honk during that part of the day, and they try to eliminate any type of noise. They put all kinds of pressure on students to perform. It is unhealthy for these students. In the short time I have been here, I have talked to many Koreans and Americans about education, and I already have a much greater appreciation for education in the U.S. We really are blessed!
If you have questions, please ask me and I will post about it, cause others may have similar questions.
I will write again soon!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Hearing from God
Is it possible to literally hear from God? Does God really speak through us? Will God really guide us through dreams or visions?
Growing up, no one ever really discussed the spiritual gifts in depth. Sure, I heard them mentioned, but never explored how we see them, how we recognize them in our life's, or how they are used. For so long, the God I knew seemed like a distant God, who I could send request to, only praying to have them answered. Never thinking He would speak to me, but seeing Him as just a recipient of my request. WOW!!! I was missing out on the incredibleness of God!! Yes, He speaks to us!!!!!! Literally!!!!! Yes, He speaks to us through dreams and visions!!!! Yes, He is the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow! God is not a distant God, but an intimate, personal God, who desires to hold us in His arms. He desires us to pursue Him with all that we are, more than we pursue anything else in our live. If we are failing to pursue Him more than something else in our life, we will feel discontent. Why? Because we are not living in Him and who He created us to be! We fail to see the jealousy of God! He is jealous! Jealous to have His glory made known, jealous to have our whole being, jealous to have His creation make His name made known! And we should find this exciting, to have a God who desires us so much that He will step down into the mess we have made and try to pull us out. Ultimately He has given us free choice to choose what we want, but He will pursue, and He desires you to pursue Him! In the end the choice is ours. But my God is the God He says He is! He does speak to us! We can hear directly from God, God does speak through those around us, God does speak to us through dreams and visions, and God does care! He wants to hold us tight! He wants to bless us, but we must be ready for these blessings! We must understand where these blessing come from!
We constantly ask God to reveal Himself to us, to show us who He really is, but we must be ready to know the characteristics of God. Sometimes we are not ready. It may be that we are still holding onto something, He may not have our full devotion, or maybe we are not listening! Maybe we don't have the trust or faith that we really believe that God is still intimate and still there to hold us tight. God could not reveal His gift in me until I took the time to fully understand what that gift was and how to use it. And it wasn't until this past Friday, September 23, that God made known to me the full extent of what this spiritual gift looks like. Why did it take so long? Because I did not take the time to know what this gift was and how it is used. I never sought out to know my spiritual gift. But now, I'm so overcome with Joy, knowing what I know! Finally understanding what this gift is and how God can use it! It is a process. I had to learn boldness, courage, and develop such an intimate relationship with my Savior that He could speak to me! My desire is that each and every one of you may know God in such an intimate way, that we are so filled with Joy and Love that it may not be contained within us, but explode, infecting those around us! There is such freedom in having this relationship with God! May God grant you Wisdom in your journey as you pursue Him with every ounce of your being!
Growing up, no one ever really discussed the spiritual gifts in depth. Sure, I heard them mentioned, but never explored how we see them, how we recognize them in our life's, or how they are used. For so long, the God I knew seemed like a distant God, who I could send request to, only praying to have them answered. Never thinking He would speak to me, but seeing Him as just a recipient of my request. WOW!!! I was missing out on the incredibleness of God!! Yes, He speaks to us!!!!!! Literally!!!!! Yes, He speaks to us through dreams and visions!!!! Yes, He is the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow! God is not a distant God, but an intimate, personal God, who desires to hold us in His arms. He desires us to pursue Him with all that we are, more than we pursue anything else in our live. If we are failing to pursue Him more than something else in our life, we will feel discontent. Why? Because we are not living in Him and who He created us to be! We fail to see the jealousy of God! He is jealous! Jealous to have His glory made known, jealous to have our whole being, jealous to have His creation make His name made known! And we should find this exciting, to have a God who desires us so much that He will step down into the mess we have made and try to pull us out. Ultimately He has given us free choice to choose what we want, but He will pursue, and He desires you to pursue Him! In the end the choice is ours. But my God is the God He says He is! He does speak to us! We can hear directly from God, God does speak through those around us, God does speak to us through dreams and visions, and God does care! He wants to hold us tight! He wants to bless us, but we must be ready for these blessings! We must understand where these blessing come from!
We constantly ask God to reveal Himself to us, to show us who He really is, but we must be ready to know the characteristics of God. Sometimes we are not ready. It may be that we are still holding onto something, He may not have our full devotion, or maybe we are not listening! Maybe we don't have the trust or faith that we really believe that God is still intimate and still there to hold us tight. God could not reveal His gift in me until I took the time to fully understand what that gift was and how to use it. And it wasn't until this past Friday, September 23, that God made known to me the full extent of what this spiritual gift looks like. Why did it take so long? Because I did not take the time to know what this gift was and how it is used. I never sought out to know my spiritual gift. But now, I'm so overcome with Joy, knowing what I know! Finally understanding what this gift is and how God can use it! It is a process. I had to learn boldness, courage, and develop such an intimate relationship with my Savior that He could speak to me! My desire is that each and every one of you may know God in such an intimate way, that we are so filled with Joy and Love that it may not be contained within us, but explode, infecting those around us! There is such freedom in having this relationship with God! May God grant you Wisdom in your journey as you pursue Him with every ounce of your being!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Pray!
There are so many things that God does that I don't understand! Things I feel called to, only to feel hurt and to seem as if I failed. In the past year I have felt this way so many times. It's hard when there seems to be an easy answer, only to have God call you do to do what is difficult. To love, knowing that this may not be returned. To give, expecting nothing in return. To care, when you know only words of anger will come back.
At what point do you let go, do you move on? At what point do you allow others to learn from consequences? After pouring into Jaluan for two years, he has returned only anger now. It can be hard to hear rebuke from someone who I Love and pray for every night. It can be hard to allow God to work and leave them to the consequences of their actions. At some point, all we can do is pray. All I can do is pray that God brings healing. We can only bring people so far and at some point, the decision has to be theirs. This is so hard, to know what Freedom is and to know what is needed, only to have to watch them suffer.
One thing I know for certain though, God is Great! He listens to prayer and He answers prayer! Sometimes we don't think our prayer is effective because it's not answered in the way we expect or in an obvious way, but we have no idea what our prayers do! No matter what hurt we experience, no matter how much sorrow we feel, no matter how much we don't understand what God ask of us, we can pray and we should pray! There is True power in prayer! Never underestimate God! Pray!
At what point do you let go, do you move on? At what point do you allow others to learn from consequences? After pouring into Jaluan for two years, he has returned only anger now. It can be hard to hear rebuke from someone who I Love and pray for every night. It can be hard to allow God to work and leave them to the consequences of their actions. At some point, all we can do is pray. All I can do is pray that God brings healing. We can only bring people so far and at some point, the decision has to be theirs. This is so hard, to know what Freedom is and to know what is needed, only to have to watch them suffer.
One thing I know for certain though, God is Great! He listens to prayer and He answers prayer! Sometimes we don't think our prayer is effective because it's not answered in the way we expect or in an obvious way, but we have no idea what our prayers do! No matter what hurt we experience, no matter how much sorrow we feel, no matter how much we don't understand what God ask of us, we can pray and we should pray! There is True power in prayer! Never underestimate God! Pray!
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Pain of Love
"Why love if losing hurts so much? We love to know that we are not alone." - C.S. Lewis
Love is such a powerful thing. It helps breakdown barriers and bridge gaps, it allows us to encourage others and show others who Christ is, and it helps us feel valued. But this same thing causes so much pain. The more love we pour into a person, the greater the capacity for hurt. Sometimes the result of this hurt holds us back from pouring out our love again. Not wanting to experience that pain again. It is hard. It's hard to pour so much love out, to love unconditionally, and to not feel it being returned. It creates a cautiousness in us. It can hold us back in future friendships. It can keep us from allowing people to move past our exterior. It's hard to move past this hurt.
Jesus experienced this same hurt. He poured so much into His disciples. Loving them with a perfect love, and yet He experienced rejection and betrayal from them. He gave His everything to serve and yet those He loved, with His whole being, turned on Him.
So why Love? Because God first Loved us! Despite our rejection, our constant disrespect of His greatness, He continually Loves! This is so hard to do. It is so easy to be angry and to reject those who have hurt us to our core. But we must continue to Love. For true Love keeps no record of wrongs, but ask us to continually Love and pray for those who have hurt us. May we not so much seek our will, but God's will. May we not look out for our needs, so much as for the needs of others. May we bless those who persecute or hurt us, and not repay evil for evil. May our capacity for love not be diminished but may it continually grow.
"Even love unreturned has its rainbow." - James Matthew Barrie
Love is such a powerful thing. It helps breakdown barriers and bridge gaps, it allows us to encourage others and show others who Christ is, and it helps us feel valued. But this same thing causes so much pain. The more love we pour into a person, the greater the capacity for hurt. Sometimes the result of this hurt holds us back from pouring out our love again. Not wanting to experience that pain again. It is hard. It's hard to pour so much love out, to love unconditionally, and to not feel it being returned. It creates a cautiousness in us. It can hold us back in future friendships. It can keep us from allowing people to move past our exterior. It's hard to move past this hurt.
Jesus experienced this same hurt. He poured so much into His disciples. Loving them with a perfect love, and yet He experienced rejection and betrayal from them. He gave His everything to serve and yet those He loved, with His whole being, turned on Him.
So why Love? Because God first Loved us! Despite our rejection, our constant disrespect of His greatness, He continually Loves! This is so hard to do. It is so easy to be angry and to reject those who have hurt us to our core. But we must continue to Love. For true Love keeps no record of wrongs, but ask us to continually Love and pray for those who have hurt us. May we not so much seek our will, but God's will. May we not look out for our needs, so much as for the needs of others. May we bless those who persecute or hurt us, and not repay evil for evil. May our capacity for love not be diminished but may it continually grow.
"Even love unreturned has its rainbow." - James Matthew Barrie
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