I'm going to jump back to Christmas break when we were in The States. As some of you know, we had some "difficulties" coming back to Seoul. We were thankful for our tickets, but unfortunately, it meant that we could be bumped off of our planes. And we did. We said our goodbyes to our family at the airport, but little did we know we would see them about a half hour later. We were bumped off of our Twin Cities flight to Tokyo. But, we were thankful to have a little more time with family and ended up staying in The Cities one last night. The next day, the same flight was overbooked again and we decided to fly to LA to catch a flight to Tokyo that looked more promising. We waited at the gate for forty-five minutes only to see the gates close and the plane take off without us. Oh, did I fail to mention the airport had lost my luggage and so after wearing the same clothes for two days and stressed from the travel, I was getting tired. **Little bit of advice, always pack an extra pair of undies if not a set of clothes in your carry-on. One day, you'll need them** Anyways, Jon and I stayed cooped up in semi-scary hotel room, prayed, watched TV, ate Pizza Hut, and tried to contact the teachers and our director in Korea to tell them we would not make it in time for school. All of this craziness (and this is bits and pieces) was going on and Jon and I wanted to make sure that we were praying and thanking God for where we were at and that he was going to take care of us. When we stayed over night in the Twin Cities, Jon's parents brought us to the MOA to shop and eat. Since I didn't have any clothes, I decided to make a stop at Old Navy and pick out some clearance rack goodies. The cheapest shirt I could find happened to be one that said "Give Thanks". I saw it and laughed out loud! "Really, God! You're going to speak to me through a T-shirt in the Old Navy clearance section? Okay." So, the Give Thanks shirt was my only other piece of clothing that I had on and would continue to wear for four days straight....
But, as I was wearing this shirt, it really made me think. "Am I being thankful for where I am? Am I taking advantage of this special extra time I get with family as well as my husband?" It is so easy to blow up and get upset at things when they don't go your way and so I think God also taught me a lesson in patience. I had to keep checking myself and asking if others would be seeing God through my actions and my words. Sometimes, I am not as aware of this question as I should be.
Also, being content can be a difficult task and it translates to us in Korea as well. In my study group I lead after church, we were talking about how the Israelites were not content in I Samuel 8 and decided that they wanted "a king like all the other nations". They were discontent with their special identity that God gave them and wanted to be like the world around them. Now, although we might not be looking for a king, but we might instead be discontent with our clothes, living conditions, jobs, or even the country we live in. Jon and I are learning to be content with where we are and what we are doing, but it is still normal to miss our "normal" home and our family and friends.
I hope that my ramblings will cause you to think a little bit about thankfulness and contentment. And as you remember us, I would love your prayers for us in these areas as well.
And now for a short update of our present lives...
Jon and I were blessed to have Kari (Jon's sister) visit us! It was wonderful to show a family member where we live and what the country is like. We were able to go to a lot of touristy places that we haven't been yet. Kari also loved the traditional Korean BBQ so much that we ate it three times within a week! If you do not know, traditional Korean BBQ is where you cook slabs of meat on a coal grill. Then, you dip it in a special red sauce, put it in a leaf of lettuce with balsalmic sesame vinegar onions, grilled garlic, and stuff the whole thing in your mouth. It's beyond wonderful! You can get many different kinds of meat to cook, but most restaurants give you about 5 sides to share with everyone. If I could, I would probably eat there every day. In March, Jon's parents and cousin Michael will visit and then my parents will come in the early summer. We are very blessed to have our family visit us in such a far away land. I already picture all of them walking around exploring Korea and I am excited!
Here is a picture of the BBQ we usually go to "Maru". Although it is not a traditional coal and floor sitting place; it is still great!
Kari, Jon and I at Gyeongbokgung Palace
Jon and my work is going pretty well, but it is very tiring at times. And, we are still trying to get used to working with Koreans who seem to conduct business as well as communication differently than we are used to. Because of this, frustrations can come up that need to be taken care of. Regardless of these frustrations, I have loved seeing my students grow in their English as well as in their character. Some of my students that hardly knew any English to communicate, are talking up a storm and imitating my speech such as "Oh, my goodness!" in their little Korean accents. They are so cute. I look forward to seeing them grow even more within the next several months.
Thank you so much for your prayers and loving support. We miss you all and love hearing from you!
With love,
Anika
