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. :)
