I Have a Confession...

I am selfish.  I care more about myself, my comforts, my work, my studies, my joy, my happiness, and the way I am treated or seen by others.  I should care more about the souls of others than ANYTHING about myself. 

God has been showing me this often since being in Korea, and I am struggling through it each and everyday.  That whole "dying to self" thing is HARD stuff!  It's only hard because I'm focused on myself rather than the Cross.  It's only hard because I love myself more than I love any other being.  This is disgusting, not only to God, but to me as well.  It should be disgusting to everyone else, but I have very graceful friends and family.

"Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!" Psalm 119:36

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." Matthew 23:25

"but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury." Romans 2:8

"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." Romans 6:6

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16

"But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:20-24

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." Titus 2:11-14

"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." James 3:13-18

I went to Seoul Tower on Saturday night.  Seoul Tower is in the center of Seoul, on top of a mountain, and stands maybe 250 to 350 ft above the mountain.  At the top of the tower, there is a room that gives a 360 degree view of everything surrounding the tower.  You can see for miles and miles.  Every pane of glass has different cities written on them (in the direction the cities are located), and the distance they are from Seoul.  At night, all the signs and visual pollution light up the night sky.  You can see lights as far as the eye can see... except towards North Korea.  It is pitch black.  When I saw this, my heart broke.  I wept for these people.  There is no light there; no TRUTH.  Only death, darkness, and despair.  How can I be so concerned that I have to take a taxi to work because a bus driver wouldn't let me on the bus?  HOW?!?!  How can I care when there are people dying, and being tortured or starved by the only leader they know?  They don't know LOVE.  God is LOVE, and they have no hope for a relationship with Him unless we do something.  There has to be something we can do, as Christians, to reach these souls for Christ.  It has to be one of the spiritually darkest places on this planet.  We need to do something.  Right now, until their leader dies, there is not much physically Americans can do.  We CAN pray.  We SHOULD pray.  We NEED to be praying.  We need to stop complaining about trivial things, and get busy being concerned about the souls of this world.  I am committing to pray for the darkened nations of this world, for the dark souls in this world.  I pray they will know the Light, the peace, the grace, the LOVE that I know.  The ONLY true LOVE there is.  Jesus Christ.  There is no greater LOVE than the LOVE of Christ.

Glimpses

This past week has been extremely trying, more emotionally than anything.  Every decision, action, and lack of taking action I have made (or not made) this week has been questioned by my boss and one other coworker.  One of my classes went long by 2 minutes... "Horrible job, Mandolyn.  You've got to do better at keeping the time."  It didn't matter that the students were finally "getting it" and learning something, or that we have a 10 minute break between classes so the extra 2 minutes didn't harm anyone's schedule.  Also, a student called another student 'crazy' (in Korean nonetheless.  BTW, 'Crazy' is a bad word here...) while sitting in my classroom in between classes.  During the 10 minute break between classes, I go into the teachers room, make my copies and such, so I'm not in the classroom much between classes.  Well, the next thing I heard was "Mandolyn!  You cannot let students call another student 'crazy'!  That might be ok in America, but not in Korea.  That is your classroom and you need to be in control of it [even when I'm not in the classroom...]!"  Then, 2 boys (twin brothers) take a 'break' for a month from the Hagwon (my work) due to "Swine Flu".  It's not that they have Swine Flu, it's that there mother doesn't want them to get it.  Sounds overly cautious and ridiculous to me, but whatever.  This is Korea, and they are freaking out over it (and Korean mothers are a bit on the ridiculous side most of the time), so I don't really question it.  Well, this coworker of mine (who does not teach these 2 boys) comes up to me and says, "You know that you made Alex and Chase quit the hagwon, don't you?  Mandolyn, you don't get it.  These kids don't like you.  Their mothers don't like you.  Change this, or I will."  Sidebar: this coworker also thinks she runs the hagwon and thinks she is my boss, when in reality, she is my equal.  Ok, back to the story... Needless to say, all of these things made me feel like... well... less than adequate, to put it mildly.  Many many many more things like this happened as well.  I questioned why I was here (not IF I were suppose to be here), and was really discouraged... it was only Wednesday.

Then, I had a really good discussion with Jay on Wednesday night.  It had absolutely nothing to do with what was going on, but rather, a theological discussion.  A deeper discussion.  A kind of discussion that I haven't been able to have in a long time.  A kind of discussion I had multiple times a week, if not a day, back in Greenville.  Then, me being the girl that I am, I started missing my family, friends, church, and community... a lot.  To top it off, one of my nieces turned 4 this week, my sister-in-law had a birthday as well, and Robert from Shepherding Group has a birthday this week too (can you tell I am a 'birthday person'?).  This is the first nieces' birthday I have missed... ever.  Out of all my nieces, I have never missed a birthday.  This was so hard.  My nieces are my world, and I am very close with all of them.

So, now it's Thursday... after reading 1 Corinthians 6 ("Do you not know that... you are not your own?"), some of my morning prayer went something like this, "Daddy, I don't care what struggles you have to use in my life, as long as someone comes to a saving knowledge, understanding, and relationship with you.  It's been tough this week, and it is all worth it I'm sure, but could you please give me just a glimmer of understanding as to why I am here in Korea?  Even a tiny glimpse?  Because right now, I have no idea.  I KNOW you have called me here, and led me here for a reason.  Do anything you want with my life, but please show me a snippet.  Thanks, Daddy."

Well, I get to school, and everything was going well.  One of my classes was working on a project and one of the girls finished hers before everyone else.  I was sitting at my desk changing the music on my computer (we listen to classical), and Luna (the girl) comes up to my desk.  She looks quizzically at me and asks, "Teacher Mandolyn, can I ask you a question?" I respond, "Yes, Luna. Of course. What is your question?"  Then, she says, "You're happy.  Always happy.  Not mad or sad.  Only happy.  Why?"  God gave me my glimpse.  Luna and I got to talk about Jesus for about 10 or 15 minutes while everyone else finished their projects. The whole class overheard what we were talking about too.  After being in a dark room all week, I finally saw a glimpse of light shine through, so that I could see just a fragment of the story that is unfolding.  His story.  It was a glorious moment, because HE is glorious.

Some other negative things happened this evening, but they didn't matter.  God is getting the glory, and that is all that matters.

Yes, I've had an emotional week.  Yes, it's been hard.  Yes, I've questioned.  But none of it has been in vain, for God is so good and so faithful all the time.  His will, plan and purpose for my life now, and the future, are unfolding a little bit more with every moment of every day.  When it's tough, and when it is joyous, it is still worth it... because I wouldn't want to be anywhere else other than in his loving and comforting arms.  I will go where he sends me, even if that means a lack of community and missing birthdays.  Christ is enough, always.

Thank you for the prayers.  Love you all.

Karis and Irini,

Mandolyn

If you know me...

then you know what I did when I found this about 6 inches from my head while hiking in the mountains...

No joke, this thing was bigger than the palm of my hand!  Euhhhhhggghhh!

Halloween, Doctors, Pills, and Rain

Not too much to report for this week.  We had our Halloween Party at school on Friday.  All of us teachers stayed late on Thursday to decorate, and then got there early and stayed late on Friday as well.  We make the school like a haunted house that the kids had to walk through, and then they watched a movie and got to take pictures in costumes.  The kids went 'trick or treating' from teacher to teacher, and they also got to make Dulkbolkkii (rice cakes in spicy sauce).  Portia and I were in charge of the pictures with the costumes.  So, we would have kids come in waves, and then had downtime between.  During our downtime we played a mean game of balloon volleyball.  Guess who won?  ;)  We all had a lot of fun, as you can tell from the pictures.

This is Olivia and Ji Sue getting ready to hand out candy.

A bunch of the boys really got into the pictures!

Portia and I waiting for more kids to come.

Friday, after school and after tearing down most of the stuff from the party, Kenny (the director) made me go to the doctor with Sunny.  Sunny is my team teacher who is a native Korean.  She speaks pretty good English, so she translated for me.  The doctor is basically across the street from the school, so not far at all.  Kenny had Sunny try to use his wife's ID number so I could been seen for a cheaper price.  The doctor said no, so I was seen at the full price, a whopping 14,700 won.  That is approximately $12.39 in American money.  She said that my tonsillitis/throat infection is still going strong, and so is the sinus infection.  She said my sinuses are blocked preventing the bacteria and mucus to escape, making the infection linger.  She sprayed some kind of gas down my throat and up my nose while she was examining me.  A rather odd and bitter sensation, but that's ok.  She prescribed 6 different regular medicine pills and a crazy kind of herbal liquid in packets.  The prescriptions cost 18,171 won, which in America would be about $15.32.  My body, as most of you know, does NOT handle chemicals well at all... so I asked the pharmacist which one was the antibiotic, and decided to only take that at least for the first day.  I took all of them on Saturday (today) and have felt a bit inebriated.  We'll see how Church goes on Sunday, and classes go on Monday.  Hopefully I'll be good as new by Tuesday.  I was feeling better by the late afternoon/evening on Friday (around midnight or 1am on Thursday night/Friday morning back home), before I even went to the doctor, so thanks for all the prayers.  I felt them for sure.  I have just been laying around the apartment all weekend, crocheting and watching movies.  Trying to rest so I can finally stop being sick after 5+ weeks.

BTW, I think something happened to George.  I haven't seen him in a week and a half or so.  Please be praying for him.  Thanks!

Keep pressing on towards the goal.

Karis and Irini,

Mandolyn

Dedication

 Check out this video I found on YouTube.  I cried.  The dedication, love and faithfulness this father had doesn't even compare to that of which our Father has for us.  Do we have this kind of dedication to Him?  Philippians 4:13.

Overdue Update

Sorry it has been awhile, my blogger friends.  I want to glorify God in all I say, think, and do.  I needed time to be able to make sure my words in this blog were gracious, glorifying, and edifying.

I'm doing alright.  It's been great so far.  Classes are going well.  I am learning more and more each day that I am definitely not called to be an elementary school teacher.  I mean, I can handle teaching them a couple days a week or so, but not everyday.  This year will be a growing experience, and I'm super stoked to learn what ever he has for me.  :)  Next year I want to work in a public middle or high school.  All you elementary school teachers back home have my utmost respect.  :)

This week I was hit by a motor scooter.  Apparently, the guy was drunk (in the morning), lost control of the scooter, and ran up onto the sidewalk.  Well, he would have gotten to the sidewalk if the curb wasn't in the way.  The curb caused the scooter to spin and flip.  I couldn't get out of the way fast enough, and the scooter clipped my arm.  I checked to see if he was ok, and could smell the alcohol before I was really close to him.  The cops grabbed him, realized he was drunk, and threw him in a patrol car.  I looked down at my hand and saw that there was blood.  I then saw a 1 inch gash on the side of my thumb... and the bone was showing.  It sounds really bad, but it really doesn't take much to reach the bone on a finger, so it really wasn't near as bad as it sounds.  Anyway, the policeman took me to the hospital.  They were about to glue my finger closed, and then I coughed... loudly.  The doctor then begins to give me an exam.  He tells me that I have a sinus infection, double ear infection, throat infection, and tonsillitis and says I have to stay in the hospital.  I was not about to stay in the hospital, because 1) I barely felt bad, 2) I wasn't contagious or dying, and 3) I had been teaching for 3 weeks; I was pretty sure I was fully capable to function outside of the hospital.  I call my boss, and my boss talks to the doctor.  The doctor hands me the phone back after yelling a bit, and my boss says to me, "If you promise me you will take your antibiotics, then you don't have to stay in the hospital."  I agreed, and then caught the next bus to work.

I have been in a funk for the past few days.  I got an email on Tuesday from someone who was very influential in my life years ago, after I got saved.  It basically said that I didn't "need to be in Korea, or representing Christ anywhere", because I was too "far gone and that all the things you [I] have done have scarred the reputation of all Christians."  That someone like me "doesn't deserve to be doing what you [I] am doing, that there is not enough grace or mercy to cover your [my] sin."  Basically that I am a failure and that I am too far gone.  This email came completely out of the blue, and has rocked me a bit.  I KNOW that Christ is always enough, and that HIS grace and forgiveness cover a multitude of sins; it's the REMEMBERING all of this is the issue sometimes.  I find myself digging deeper and deeper into the scriptures when Satan tries to get to me by putting these lies into my head.  So far, it's working.  Clinging to the foot of the Cross, that's for sure.

About community, I haven't really found a community here yet.  There is a church that I have gone to a couple times in Seoul, but it is about an hour and a half commute, one way.  I only get to go to Seoul on the weekends, and 98% of the people that go to the church live in Seoul, or at least on the subway line with easy access to Seoul.  Basically, I don't get to see them during the week.  The only people I know in my city, GwangJu Shi, are the people I work with, and a guy named Patrick that owns a sandwich shop near my school.  Koreans don't hang out with people of the opposite gender, unless they are dating, so Patrick and I don't really hang out.  The other teachers are busy studying for their English tests (to study at a university in the States), taking care of their families, or spending time with their boyfriends.  All very valid things to do, but nonetheless, I don't get to spend time outside of work with them very often.  Most of us get together after work once a month to eat out.  That's about the extent of it.  It's not so bad though.  I stay pretty busy during the week, so it's not a big deal.  And I have Skype, and a free Skype number, so I can call people back home as well (and they can call me, hint hint).  :)

There are 2 pretty great stories that God let me experience.  :)  Their names are Sunny and George. :)

Sunny is one of the Korean teachers at my school.  She studied English in England, and has remarkable English skills.  Sunny is a Christian.  She has a deep desire to know God better, and asked me if I knew of anyway she could hear teachings through scriptures, not topical but rather exegetical. She wants to hear it in English because 1) she wants to improve her English skills, 2) she wants to be able to effectively communicate the gospel when she travels, and 3) she sees English speakers as having more passion for the Gospel than Koreans.  I told her about how Peter teaches through a book of the Bible, and that I could see if I could get some CD's for her.  She was pretty excited, and asked if we could study together!  Of course, I said yes.  I then contacted NHCC to see what we could do, and I'll be getting Hebrews, Romans, or I think 1 Corinthians on CD.  She's really eager to dig deeper in her relationship with the Lord, and I'm so excited He is letting me watch. :)

George is an 82 year old korean Buddhist Shamanistic man, who speaks English, that I have made friends with.  We ride the bus together every morning and he saw me for 2 weeks listening to my mp3 player and taking notes while listening.  One day last week, he pulled my earbud out of my ear and asked me what I was listening to since I was taking notes.  I told him they were sermons, and he said "Christian sermons?  I'd like to hear some of these teachers you listen to.  I've want to know more about Christianity."  He was very eager to hear the Word!  Right after work, I bought a cheap mp3 player and put a bunch of sermons on it for him.  I gave it to him the next day.  He couldn't understand why I would do that for him.  The day after that he said he had listened to 2 of the sermons and had a lot of questions for me and really wanted to know more about this God I know about!  We have since talked every morning on the bus (about a 30 minute bus ride) and it's just so incredible to see.  If you only knew the social barriers that stood in the way, but GOD broke them down!  Ah, He never ceases to amaze me!  I'm anxious to see George come to a saving faith in Christ.

That's about it in a nutshell.  :)  I'll try to update more frequently.  :)

H1N1 is a Blessing!! Who Can Say That? Yep, That'd Be Me.

So I have had a week to settle in, and goodness has it been busy!

Monday, I stayed around my recruiter's apartment in Ilsan until 1:30pm, then headed for the bus station.  I hopped on the bus to GwangJu around 3:50.  The ride was about an hour and a half long, and I read a book the whole way.  When I got to GwangJu around 5:30, the director of my school was there to pick me up.  His English name is Kenny.  We drove to my apartment, and dropped off my luggage.  After that we went to the school, and I met the teachers and some of the students.  He told me we were having a teachers meeting at 7pm, so I thought "ok, not so bad.  Sit around a table, talk about logistics a bit, and leave and sleep.  Not too long.  Great!"..... yeah, a Korean teachers meeting means eating at a bbq place until your buttons pop off your pants and talking about anything other than work.  I loved it.  :)  I love Korean food, and the metal chopsticks were a success!  I didn't throw anything at anyone, nor did I drop anything.  Sweet.  We finished around 10pm, then Kenny took me to E-Mart (similar to a small target, but with more of a grocery section... it just opened, and he wanted to check it out and I needed to get a pillow, tp, etc), then home.  I got home at around 11:30pm and crashed on the floor.  My school has 2 native English teachers at a time, meaning they only have enough housing supplies for 2 teachers at a time.  Since the teacher I am replacing is still here until this coming Wednesday, I don't have a bed, pots and pans, broom, cleaners, etc until this coming Friday, 2 Oct.  No worries!

Tuesday and Wednesday I unpacked everything and investigated my neighborhood a bit.  I also sat in on various classes at the school.  Wednesday night I had dinner (twice) with Portia, the other native English speaker I will be teaching with.  She is from Ohio and she seems to be pretty cool.  She's a Christian as well.  Her friend that she came over to Korea with had just gotten out of the hospital and wanted to hang out, so we all went out to eat.

Thursday, my throat started hurting.  It wasn't that bad until Friday.  I could barely speak because it hurt so bad.  I just chalked it up to climate change.  Friday, it got really bad... so bad that I went through 4 rolls of cough drops in 3 hours.  And my ears hurt as well.  After dinner with Portia and her Korean boyfriend, Moon, on Friday night, I stopped by the pharmacy and bought 3 more rolls of Halls.  I got in the PJ's, laid on my floor, and watched "I am Legend" with Korean voice over and English subtitles (QUITE hilarious).

I woke up Saturday feeling dreadful!  My nose and sinuses were full and drippy and all around gross, in addition to my throat and ears hurting, so I stayed in the apartment all day.  I woke up Sunday with a bad cough and chest congestion, a fever, chills, and cold sweats.  I felt like death, and I have spent the better part of all my life severely sick.  Well, on the brink of what I felt was death, I got a call on my Skype number (Sunday night in Korea, Sunday Morning back in the States).  I didn't recognize the number, but I answered it anyway.  The call was an automated message from NWA/Delta stating that there were 2 passengers on my flight from Detroit to Tokyo who were unknowingly infected with H1N1 and if I experience any signs or symptoms (all of which I had at this point) to seek medical attention within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.  This phone call came at least 72 hours after the onset of symptoms.  I researched it, and there was no point in me going to the doctor that late after the start of they symptoms.  I just slept it off.  I'm still recovering, but am feeling much better than I was this weekend.  I am going to take this week to fully recoup from it, though I still have to work.  I am just going to take it easy and let my lungs heal.

Still wondering how I can say that having H1N1 is a blessing?  Well, for those of you who know me, I have auto-immune diseases to a serious degree.  Because of this, I really haven't gotten sick in about 2 years because my immune system is confused.  It knows how to attack me, but does not know how to attack viruses and bacteria.  SoooooOOOOoooooo... my body responding so fierce against the virus is A VERY VERY GOOD THING!!!!  This is a sign that at least some of my auto-immune diseases are going into remission!!!!!!!!!!  Praise the Lord!  He is soooo good and so faithful!!!!! 

~ As for you, O LORD, you will not retrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and faithfulness will ever preserve me! ~ Psalm 40:11 (ESV)

I'll try to post more frequently.  Last week it just didn't happen.  :)  To see some pictures from before I got sick, click here.  Love you all!

Be blessed!

Karis and Irini.

I'm here!!!!

I arrived in Seoul last night.  Wow.  I still feel like I'm in a dream, and that I'm going to wake up with Ruthie or Garrison telling me I'm going to be late for church.  Haha!  

First off, thank you all that came to the airport to see me off!  That was such a blessing.  Thank you all for the prayers and encouragement!  They have definite been evident!

Traveling was fairly uneventful.  The flight from Greenville to Detroit was pretty brutal because of turbulence, but I had a window seat which helped a lot.  The gate for my Greenville flight got moved without telling anyone, but I still found it.  Thanks Ruthie.  The guy that sat next to me on the Greenville flight was named WangJi, or Piper is what he preferred to be called.  He is 20 and went to Greenville Tech, but will be transferring to USC Columbia in January and majoring in economics.  His Visa expired, so he had to go home to Japan until he starts school again in January.  He was on the flight from Detroit to Tokyo, so Piper and I decided to do all of the connecting stuff together.  Praise God!  He is good, and worked everything out in the Detroit airport through Piper.  :)  Pray for Piper; he' doesn't have a saving faith in Jesus.

Just something awesome I wanted to share: When I boarded the Greenville plane, this is the song that was playing...

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

(Chorus 2x)

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

(Chorus 2x)

~ By Your Side, by Tenth Avenue North

How cool is that!!!!?!?!?!!!?!?!?!?!

Detroit to Tokyo was LONG.  We sat on the tarmac for over an hour because we had to change our course.  There was a lot of turbulence in the Pacific, apparently.  So we flew straight up into Canada, across the upper Providences, across the middle of Alaska and the Bering Straight, then down along the coast of Siberia and straight down across Japan.  The sun was up the entire flight, and I got a window seat.  I fell asleep with my face against the window for about 30 minutes of the 13 hour flight.  :)  It was marvelous.  They played 3 movies, and several TV shows.  For Garrison and Chis: the first thing they showed was an episode of SCRUBS.  So not kidding. I thought of, and prayed for, you both.  :)  Oh, and I didn't feel sick once so that was a blessing for sure!  Oh, and I didn't have anyone next to me on this flight, so I just laid around across the seats! 

The Tokyo airport was a little un-nerving.  They changed our gate 3 times without telling us.  Once we got the correct gate, we sat there for another 30 minutes before they would board the plane.  We didn't board until 5 minutes before we were suppose to fly out. At this point, I was extremely tired from flying and hauling around my carry-on and computer bags.  I just wanted my seat so I could rest.  We got on the plane, and I sat next to a great couple.  I got the isle seat because I was right in the middle of the couple... so I switched seats with the wife, so she could sit in the middle by her husband.  They were from New Hampshire, and doing a 3 week long vacation in South Korea, the Philippines, and Hawaii.  She is from Seoul, and wanted to show her husband where she came from.  She was super sweet, and told me a lot about South Korean culture.  The airline played a movie, and I fell asleep for about 45 minutes to an hour on this flight.  We arrived at the Incheon airport at 10:15pm on Sunday (9:15am on Sunday for those in EST).  Glory day.  :)

Once in the Incheon airport, I went through immigration with no problems, took the train to find my luggage, and had no problem finding my way.  This is a surprise since there was only 1 smalllllllllllll sign for baggage anywhere in the airport.  I got my luggage on a cart, and went to the exit to find Pam, my recruiter, holding a sign with my name on it.  If I weren't so tired at this point, I probably would have felt like a celebrity ;)

We then hoped on a train for about 45 minutes.  We got off somewhere in Seoul, then walked (with my luggage) about 1/2 a mile to a different bus stop.  I got the luggage on the 2nd bus after some struggle, and rode on that buss for about 45 minutes.  We then, got off, and jumped in a taxi that took us to downtown Islan where Pam lives.  I stayed at Pam's apartment last night because it was too late for a bus or subway train to take me to mine.  We dropped off my luggage, and then went into La Festa to get some food.  La Festa is an open air mall.  It's 3 stories high, and has pretty much any clothing/accessory type of shop you could want or need.  We at a Korean BBQ place and had something that was much like very thick bacon.  The waitress brought our meat to us raw, and we had to cook it in the charcoal pit in the middle of the table.  Of course, there were many other side dishes and soups to go along with the meal.  It was all very good.  Pam ordered Soju and a bottle of Coke for me to drink (it was glass... thought of, and prayed for, you guys, Ross).  For those of you who do not know, Soju is the liquor of Korea.  It is clear, made out of sweet potatoes, and definitely taste like alcohol, but is completely smooth going down.  It's very good, and goes with pork and beef well, apparently.

We walked back to her apartment.  By this time it was 2:30am which meant it was a perfect time to call people back home.  Pam had some things to do on her computer, so I made all my Skype calls, and then went to bed around 3:30am.  I was crazy tired, but Pam wanted to talk.  I couldn't keep my eyes open, and she asked me all about my faith, and Christianity.  She said she is a Christian, but has doubted God for the past 3-5 years or so.  We talked about this in great detail, and many other things, but I was fighting so hard to keep my eyes open.  I was really tired, but didn't want to miss any opportunities.  Eventually we got the topic of conversation onto family, and I fell asleep while we talked about that.  That was around 4:30am.

I just got up about 2 hours ago, around 8am.  We don't have to be at my school until the afternoon, so I'm going to go discover Islan (Pam's city) while Pam sleeps.  Pictures to come.  I don't know what my internet situation will be after I leave Pam's today, but I wanted to update you all on this adventure so far.  I'm meeting my boss today, probably while most of you are sleeping, and then will probably go to my new apartment later this evening, when you guys are just getting ready for work on Monday.  

For those of you who have asked, I am 13 hours ahead of all of you in the EST.  Until I have internet at my apartment (don't know when that will be), I will not be able to tell you when a good time to call would be.  I'll try to pop into internet cafe's as much as I can.  Until then, I love you all!  Keep the prayers coming!  They definitely have been felt and appreciated! 

Flight Details

I got my flight information!!!!!  :-)   My flight leaves from GSP @ 12:35PM on Saturday, September 19th!!!!  Layover in Detroit and Tokyo, and will arrive in Seoul at 10:15PM on Sunday, September 20th (that's 9:15AM on Sunday in Greenville... Seoul is 13 hours ahead of EST...)!!!!!

Please pray that I stay open to the Spirit's leading, and don't miss any opportunity to share Christ while I travel.  Also, there are still several things I have to do and sell before I leave the US.  My Hangul (Korean script) studies are coming along slowly.  I am able to recognize what all the characters are, so at least I'll (hopefully) be able to read the signs so I don't get too lost in Seoul!  :-)  Thank you all so much!  Love you all!

Christ is ENOUGH!

Mandolyn

Songs

I speak through music most of the time... so to start of this blog, I'm going to share the lyrics of 2 songs that God has recently used to make himself known to me.

I made You promises a thousand times

I tried to hear from Heaven

But I talked the whole time

I think I made You too small

I never feared You at all, No

If You touched my face would I know You?

Looked into my eyes, could I behold You?

(CHORUS)

What do I know of You

Who spoke me into motion?

Where have I even stood

But the shore along Your ocean?

Are You fire? Are You fury?

Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?

What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out.

I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about;

How You were mighty to save.

Those were only empty words on a page.

Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be;

The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees.

(CHORUS)

What do I know of You

Who spoke me into motion?

Where have I even stood

But the shore along Your ocean?

Are You fire? Are You fury?

Are You sacred? Are You beatiful?

What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

(CHORUS 2)

What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?

And a God who gave life "its" name?

What do I know of Holy?

Of the One who the angels praise?

All creation knows Your name

On earth and heaven above

What do I know of this love?

(CHORUS)

What do I know of You

Who spoke me into motion?

Where have I even stood

But the shore along Your ocean?

Are You fire? Are You fury?

Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?

What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?

~"What Do I Know of Holy" by Addison Road

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopeful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting

I will serve You

While I'm waiting

I will worship

While I'm waiting

I will not faint

I'll be running the race

Even while I wait

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You , Lord

And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

~"While I'm Waiting" by John Waller