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Praise be, and thanks for your prayers.  Check back for more later!

-- blr, for the team

Sunday, 1/22: ALMOST home!

We flew out of Seoul this morning, and landed in Detroit around noon local time. Unfortunately, Detroit (and other midwestern airports) are dealing with heavy fog, so our Detroit to Greensboro flight has been delayed. Please pray that we can get home in a timely manner. Thanks!

Some photos

While we were at the conference center where the English camp was held, the internet connection was not the best. (Thanks to Valerie Stone for helping get the blog posts up!) Now that we're back in the land of good connectivity, I can share some photos with you:

Setting up for camp on Monday. Steve M, setting up tables and chairs. Different continent, but some things don't change.

The students compete in a vocabulary activity. The team that completes the activity in the shortest amount of time wins a point. (We can't show you the students' faces here. Sorry!)

 Students on a hike/vocabulary-building scavenger hunt. Leaf! Rock! Pine cone!

Koreans are very careful to keep their floors clean. That's because they LIVE on the floor -- they sit on the floor, they sleep on the floor, they often eat on the floor. For that reason, they leave their shoes just inside the door. Most of the students went around in their stocking feet. 

Those of us who brought along our own slippers were very glad to have them!

And here's what you'll find just outside the bathroom door. The floors in the bathrooms are sometimes wet, and you don't want to get your socks or slippers wet, so you just use a pair of these plastic sandals. 

Here's the dining hall, where we and the students ate our meals. Conversations were good; the food could be a little challenging!

And here's a typical meal. Rice and kimchi (what's kimchi?) were served at EVERY meal: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then there were several other dishes that we had trouble identifying, along with a bowl of soup. Standard utensils were chopsticks and a spoon. If you asked, you could get a fork. 

While we were at the English camp, some of us stayed in a house on the Conference Center property. And here's what the sleeping arrangements looked like! (Don't worry: Anne and Jan stayed at a hotel, with real beds.) It turned out that sleeping on the floor was surprisingly comfortable. The challenge was....

... controlling the heat! The heat primarily comes from the floor. Apparently this is common in Korea. The picture above shows the heat controls for the room in the previous picture. We had some trouble getting the heat adjusted so that the room was at a comfortable temperature. This led to us saying things like: "Turn the floor down." or "Is the floor even on?" or "The floor's a little too hot." 

Some evenings the teachers from the school (not the Westover team, but the students' regular teachers, who were there to supervise, translate, and otherwise be indispensable) ordered-in an evening snack. This particular night, the snack was fried chicken! Quite like KFC, with regular, hot, and soy-flavored. Interestingly, the chicken came with...

... radish! It's another form of kimchi. Usually kimchi is spicy-hot, but this was not.

That's all for now. We start the long journey home tomorrow, so please keep that in prayer. Thanks!

--blr, for the team.

Friday, January 20

We woke up to four inches of snow! So beautiful!

We closed out English Camp today, and relocated to our hotel in Seoul. We so enjoyed our students this week! It was hard to say goodbye to them. Lots of picture taking! We can't post pictures of students, unfortunately. After hugs (and the more culturally-acceptable bows) and pictures, pictures, pictures, we departed from the camp. 

As a team, we agree that we underestimated the English skill level of our students. They know lots of vocabulary words, but they have trouble putting sentences together. That's what they needed help with. We anticipate that the next Westover team will be better prepared! 

After checking in to our hotel, we went out to lunch. Pastor K. found us a place where we got burgers, fries and Pepsi! Woot! Some of us had bulgogi burgers. There was a bulgogi sauce on the burger, so it was still a cultural experience! (Click here to learn about bulgogi)

After lunch, some of us took a chilly walk, exploring the area around our hotel. David H. was preaching on Friday evening, so he and Pastor K. and Jim headed out for that. The rest of the team, rested, chatted, ate pizza (woot again!) for dinner, and went to bed early. 

Saturday will be a day of sightseeing and shopping, organized by the tireless Pastor K. Then we head for the airport early on Sunday. There's snow in the forecast here for Sunday, so pray that it won't interfere with our travel. While we've had a GREAT trip, I think we're all looking forward to sleeping in our own beds!

-- blr, for the team

Thursday, January 19 - Last day of English Camp

It’s the last full day of English Camp. We’re a little tired, and so are our students. Today we reviewed the words for body parts. Did you know that “waist” and “wrist” are very confusing?

Today Jan and Al shared their testimonies. We made salvation bracelets with all the students. We tried to have a sack race, but the only sacks available were rice sacks, made of paper, and they ripped pretty quickly. We had more success teaching the Hokey-Pokey. It goes with the body parts lesson!

I was encouraged today when one of my students was able to ask if she could take her workbook home with her when camp is over. Of course she can! And I gave her a high-five for putting that question together!

Tomorrow we will review, and have a closing ceremony. Then the team will move from the camp and back to our original hotel until our departure on Sunday. I’m not sure what we’re doing on Friday after camp, or on Saturday, but I’m confident that Pastor K. has a plan! He is tireless, and has a multitude of contacts. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s got planned.

Wednesday, January 18

UNO, a Scavenger Hunt, and Jack, Grace, and Hannah It’s Wednesday the 18th, 4:00 in the afternoon. That means most of you are asleep as I write this; it’s 2:00 AM in Greensboro. But here in Seoul, the classroom hums with activity.

One group of students is playing a lively game of Uno. Others are playing Mexican Train (dominoes).  A few are coloring, and some are working on a jigsaw puzzle. A highly competitive game of Twister has also broken out. All of them are, in theory, practicing their English as they play.

The classroom is warm, even though it’s cold outside. The walls are adorned with vocabulary words, Bible memory verses, letters and numbers. Since this is game time, the 24 students drift in and out. And so do their teachers.

Earlier this afternoon JIm R. led a hike/vocabulary scavenger hunt. The students enjoyed the walk, and learned the English words for pine needle, leaf, pine cone, stone, and so on. Jim was in his element.

Many of our students have adopted English names, which is very helpful to their teachers, who aren’t good at pronouncing Korean names! I’d like to tell you about a few of them.

Jack projects a “too cool for school” image. His English is very limited. He is good at small acts of service, which he performs quietly, without being asked. He often brings me a chair when we’re gathering for small-group time. Today he saw another teacher collecting trash in the classroom, and took over that task.

Grace, at age 26, is the oldest of our students. She is determined to learn English. She is hungry for one-on-one help. Last night after class I sat with her and we worked through some very sticky issues in English -- like the two different pronunciations for “the” depending on whether it precedes a vowel or a consonant. Try explaining that to a non-English speaker!

Hannah often looks sad. I learned that she’s only been in South Korea for a month, and doesn’t have any friends here. I’m praying that one of the girls will befriend her, if not this week, then soon.

In general, we think it’s going well. We’re all a little tired. We get started at 9:00, go until lunch, then come back and go all afternoon, then do a little more after dinner.  And then we sleep really, really well!

We’ve had rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day here at the camp. And kim-chi. I for one am starting to long for a burger. Or maybe some French toast.

Tuesday, January 17 - English Camp, Day 2

The Students

There are about 24 students here, with varying levels of English language skills. We are working hard on their vocabulary & pronunciation. We also play games, eat meals together, and have fun. Today the students learned what a wheelbarrow race is!

The Accommodations

It turns out that sleeping on mats on the floor is not so bad, especially if you stack up 4 or 5 mats! There were a few kinks in the house when we first got here, like the hot water heater not working. Those are getting resolved as we go along.

We’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness of the Korean folks with whom we’re working. It seems that they can’t do enough to help us.

Sunday, January 15

Celebrating The Lord's Day in South Korea

It was our honor privilege to attend Seoul Central Evangelical Church today with our friend, Pastor K. Before the service began, Pastor K. invited us into his home (just above the church), where we had tea. Again, it was an honor to be inside a Korean home.

The service was a blessing, even though it was mostly in Korean (of course)! There were about 100 worshipers, all enthusiastically engaged in singing and praying. It was a more formal, traditional service than you would find at Westover Church. Pastor David H. shared the message, with translation provided. Al R. and David P. each shared a testimony, again with translation. We were greeted by many friendly folks, some of whom were eager to practice their English skills.

Cultural note: everyone removes their shoes before going into the church. The church provides slippers, so we all sit there in our matching slippers.

(And if you're ever interested in going on a short-term trip, I offer this to you as a word of advice. I debated long and hard about what shoes to bring for church on Sunday. Will my feet freeze if I wear pumps? Should I bring my dress boots, or are they too bulky to pack? Sometimes you will waste energy debating a point that turns out to be completely irrelevant.)

After the service, Pastor K. treated us to lunch, along with the church elder (there's only one!), and a few other members of the congregation. (South Korean bulgogi, which is different from North Korean bulgogi. Now you know. Both are delicious!)

Later we were able to attend an evening service at one of Seoul's mega-churches. WOW. The sanctuary seats about 7,000, and they have five services per weekend. My overwhelming impression was that this church family is passionate! Their singing, their praying, their responses were all heart-felt. The front pews were packed! They provide simultaneous translation of their services for foreigners, so we were able to follow along. And again, we were greeted by several people afterward. I think we Americans stand out in the crowd.

Now we're getting ready for the next phase of our trip: English Camp! Today (Monday) we move our base of operations out to the conference center where the camp will be held. We begin teaching this afternoon. Pray that we would have the focus and energy needed to teach well and to love on the students.

Thanks for praying for Steve! He's feeling a little better. Keep praying for our health. Thanks!

After today, internet service is possible, but not a sure thing, so blog posts may or may not happen. You can assume that no news is good news.

--blr, for the team

Saturday, January 14

On Saturday we did two things: we learned about a ministry working with North Koreans, and we experienced more of Seoul.

I'm not going to name the ministry we visited, because they like to keep a low profile. (When we get back to the US, we'll be happy to tell you about it verbally.) They are working in several ways to bring the Gospel to North Korea. They send shortwave radio broadcasts daily; they provide training in evangelism and discipleship to North Koreans who live in South Korea; they contact North Koreans who have been sent abroad to work; they even send Scripture portions to North Korea via hydrogen weather balloons. We enjoyed spending time with the passionate and dedicated staff members of the ministry. 

Afterward we enjoyed a cable car ride to the top of Seoul's South Mountain.  The Seoul metropolitan area is home to 25 million people. From atop South Mountain we could see the city sprawling out in all directions. We took a moment to pray for that the city would be deeply impacted by the Gospel. And on a more down-to-earth note -- it was really, REALLY cold up there!

Seoul is a large, modern city. The roads tend to be quite congested. We see every kind of vehicle from buses to scooters on the roads. (Can you imagine riding a scooter when the temperature is in the 20's?) Our pastor friend here says that he prays for the church to reach more young people, and for nominal Christians to grow in their commitment to Christ. Those are good prayers!

--blr, for the team

First Full Day

Hello from South Korea! We’ve been here a little over 24 hours now.  Our first impressions are that while the weather is cold and windy, the people are warm, gracious and hospitable.

Our travel day was mostly uneventful. The flight from Detroit to Seoul was delayed by nearly two hours, making our long day even longer. We landed at about 5:00 Thursday evening, which was about 22 hours after we arrived at the Greensboro airport. We breezed through immigration and customs, and were met by smiling faces from the local church with which we’re working. We drove, we ate, we checked into our hotel, and we slept! We started today by visiting the Far East Broadcasting Company, a radio ministry that has been serving this region since 1956. We were honored to worship with the staff; Pastor David Harrop shared a message. The tour was fascinating, and we were impressed by the ministry’s far-reaching impact.

Afterward we visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates North Korea from South Korea. When I first heard about this tour, I pictured a no-man’s-land, lined with barbed wire and heavily armed sentries. Barbed wire and armed sentries are indeed a part of the picture, but there are also several exhibits expressing the sorrow of the separation and the hope for future re-unification. North Korea poses a constant threat to South Korea, but the South Korean people continue to hope and pray that one day there will be one united Korea. Thanks for your prayers. We’d especially appreciate your prayers for Steve, our fearless leader, who’s battling a nasty cold. We have two more days of touring; pray that our eyes and ears would be open to the needs around us. We start English Camp on Monday, 1/16. Pray that we’d be prepared and that we’d be flexible, since we don’t know exactly what to expect.

-- BLR, for the team

They've Arrived!

Photo sent today by team member, Jim. R., at 4:00AM, EST:

All present and accounted for!  Hopefully the same is true for their luggage.  :-)

Only hours to go.....

Well, our bags are (mostly) packed. As we head to Korea, we'd ask that you keep an eye on our prayer calendar.

We hope to post as we go along, but that will depend on time and internet access.

Save the date -- we're planning to report on our trip at a Potluck Lunch on Sunday, February 5. We'd love to see you there!

Thanks for your prayerful support! Stay tuned...

Beth R., blogging for the team.


 

Our Prayer Calendar

We are so thankful for your prayers! Please remember that Seoul is 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

January 11th – Praise and thankfulness for all of those who are supporting us to go as a team and represent the body of Christ and Westover, which ultimately is praise to God. Pray for the team to have safe travels and make our flight connections okay. Pray for Al and all to be able to endure the 14 hour flight from Detroit to Incheon Korea. Pray for the unity of the team, whether things go smoothly or not, and for us to exhibit a gracious spirit.

January 12th – Pray for all of our bags to arrive with us and for no issues going through Korean Customs. Pray for the team to be able to rest and recover from the roughly 21.5 hours of travel from point to point. Pray for unity of the team with those we will be serving alongside, including the Korean English teachers from Yeo-Myung School who will be our translators for the week of camp, the staff from Seoul Central Evangelical Church, Westover’s supported missionary for Northeast Asia, and other local Koreans we may interact with.

January 13th – Pray for boldness and courage for the team that we will be humble and obedient to the calling of the tasks set before us. For David H. please intercede for his time with our missionary and the meetings that have been scheduled for them. Pray that David will know God’s leading for Westover and future work in Korea with these key leaders. Pray for David as he delivers a message this morning during the staff chapel service at Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC).

January 14th – We will be visiting the Voice of the Martyrs Korea Office today. On Saturdays they have discipleship and missions training classes for refugees. Please pray for these refugees  and for those discipling them. For David P. pray for his family while he is away and for his wife, Gabrielle, as she continues her job search. Pray for God to draw the hearts of his three children, Alexandria, Stasia and Zachary toward Him as the girls return to their respective colleges and Zac to high school. Pray that our Father would place strong, authentic believers in their lives that will leave them with a desire to grow their relationship with Jesus. Pray for God’s protection, wisdom and guidance for his family, especially while he is away in Korea. Pray that the Father would use him in ways to build relationships with the students we will be working with in Korea. Pray that He would use David to break through any personal, social, psychological or emotional barriers that are burdening the students. Pray that He would allow David, if it is His will, to be a good Christian ambassador to all that we meet from the Yeo-Myung School and throughout our time in Korea. Pray that work projects at home during our absence would go well.

January 15th - Pray for good fellowship with Pastor Kang and members of Seoul Central Evangelical Church, where we will worship. Pray for Spirit-filled communication as David H. preaches the Sunday morning message. Pray for opportunities to minister to whomever God puts before us, whether it be the students, other teachers, staff from the school, staff from the church or just someone we come in contact with while we stay in Seoul. Pray for the wellness of each team member and for each of us to have an awareness of God’s plan while on this trip. Jan requests prayer for good health and stamina as we have very full days prior to camp beginning and once the teaching begins.

January 16th - Pray that as we work God will guide our hearts, minds, tongues and hands bringing glory to himself. This is our first day of teaching and meeting the students. Pray for a spirit of peace, joy, laughter and understanding as we begin to interact with the students. Al requests prayer for the unknowns of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), as he and three of the other team members have never done this. Pray that it would be a profitable experience for the students, and that they would see the love of Christ demonstrated in a practical way through the team.

January 17th - Pray for our hosts from Seoul Central Evangelical Church and the Yeo-Myung School. Pray that this will be a fun time for the students, as this is their winter break from school and they could have chosen to do something else with their time off. Beth would like to request prayer that she would "be anxious for nothing", and would trust God step-by-step, and day-by-day. Pray that she wouldn't get sick, nor any of the team members. Pray that our participation in this trip would be a witness to non-believing family members.

January 18th - Pray for the relationships we build as we serve alongside the Korean teachers and students. Anne requests prayer for safety in travel and good health. While there, pray for each student that they will be receptive to the Word of God and see Christ in us. Pray that we present the classes clearly and make some lasting friendships.

January 19th - Pray for the team to be able to make the best of our accommodations and the food we are served, as some of this was still not decided prior to leaving the US. May we have grateful hearts for God’s daily provisions for each of us. Pray for Steve that his office will not experience any major issues while he is away. Praise for getting to see another culture for a short time and realize that we worship the same God, and for being able to do something new by way of teaching.

January 20th - Praise for all that was accomplished throughout the week. For those of us who are task oriented by nature, praise that we put a greater value on relationships and not just tasks. Pray for the students as they return to school. They face difficulties with studying. They fear being discriminated against due to being from the north. They have mental and emotional wounds from their past. Many have physical ailments. And finally, it’s difficult to adjust to a new life in South Korea.

January 21st – Pray for a time of reflection and rest as we prepare to depart Seoul on the 22nd. May we be able to articulate the good and not so good things, if there are any, we were able to be a part of over the last 10 days. Praise for our amazing God and the Korean brothers and sisters in Christ we were able to serve alongside.

January 22nd - Pray for safety in our travels home, for on time connections, for some sleep as we fly, and for an awareness of the sacrifices that so many make to go to the least of these, God’s creation around the world. Amen.

Welcome to the 2017 Korea Team Blog

(L to R) David P., Steve, Jan, Anne, Beth, Al, and David H.

Who: For security reasons we won’t use last names on the blog. The team members are: Steve, David P., Jan, David H., Anne, Al & Beth. It’s an honor for us to be serving. We will be working with church friends in Seoul.

What: We are honored to be holding an English Camp for young adults. The students have recently immigrated to South Korea from a neighboring country. They attend a school whose purpose is to help them catch up on their education so that they can better assimilate into South Korean life. Our goal is to show them the love of Jesus, by spending time with them and helping them with their English skills.

When: We depart from Greensboro on Wednesday, January 11, and return Sunday, January 22.

Where: We will be serving outside Seoul, South Korea. For most of the time we won’t have internet access, so blog updates will be infrequent.

Prayer Concerns:

• That we would use our (limited) preparation time wisely, and would trust God with the results.
• As always, for our safety and health in travel.
• Good connections with the students and with others we will encounter along the way.
• Praise: our fundraising is going well!

More prayer requests and further updates coming soon!