emerging from our 'shells'

this weekend we took the KTX (korea's fastest train) to busan -- a city by the sea that boasts 4 million people (korea's second largest city). out of those 4 million, we spent time with two -- and were thoroughly encouraged by it. we avoided touristy things, opting instead for fellowship. sacha and nathaniel, whom we've met twice before (emily first met her on an airplane ride 6 years ago), hosted us with grace and warmth. dining in turkish, korean and western restaurants... emily having her hair done (cut and dyed)... trenton being engrossed in one of korea's many 'games rooms'... purchasing our very own 'turtle' (his name is Squirmy) ... playing poker and climbing a mountain ... elements which composed a delightful weekend by the ocean. the connection was so great between us all, it felt indeed as if we were 'emerging from our shells' ...

the sunrise

(written in contemplation over our leaving young life ministry and moving to korea)

what does it all mean anyway?
wrestling with value, purpose, identity, last night i couldn't sleep. haunted by my own ghosts, little fears dancing above my head, making me lose faith in whoever i've become.
what is this life? and am i stepping along the right path?
why did God let us burn out? did we fail Him?
why did He open this particular door? are we obeying Him here, or solely divulging in self?
help me serve you Lord. help me know your will, and fully surrender.
help me love, for i know nothing can go wrong with love.
forgive me for falling time and again. thank you for picking me up, and for giving us the sunrise. brand new beginnings, every morning.

panmunjom

Recently, there's been a lot of talk about North Korea in the news, and rightly so. But this weekend we decided to find out for ourselves whether or not things were worth worrying about.

Along with our friends, sam and becky (who are also teaching in korea) we partook in a Panmunjom Tour. On July 27, 1953, at Panmunjom, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), an armistice agreement was reached, sacrificing the unification of Korea. One of our pictures shows Trent and I pretending to push together the two sides of this beloved, bleeding country. On our tour we entered the four-kilometre wide DMZ zone, where we were led on tour by an American soldier. At one point, we were surrounded on three sides by North Korea. Trent caught a picture of a North Korean soldier standing guard (it's very faint, but you can see it below). While standing in the DMZ conference room (the same room where the treaty was originally signed), listening to our tour guide, Trent and I crossed the boundary and were standing in "North Korea" ...

We also passed by the "bridge of no return", where prisoners of war were given a one-time chance to choose between either North or South Korea as their homeland. We entered the Third Tunnel, one of many tours dug by North Korea in an attempt to invade South Korea in the 1970s.

Following our day-long tour, Becky and Sam joined us at the Shalom 'jimjimbang' in Seoul where we spent the night. For ten dollars a person, we enjoyed a public bath house, saunas, an entertainment floor, a fitness room, and massage chairs, as well as night's rest. The building consists of five levels in total; upon entry, we were given warm clothes to wear and a towel. The girls and boys then parted ways, and joined many Koreans in a 'public' bath experience. The various baths included a waterfall, a mugwort soak, a jade tub, a charcoal soak, a yellow soil bath, a massage tub as well as body buffs. We also slept in separate rooms, lined with bunk beds. It was a delightful, albeit 'exposing' experience.

And, in answer to people's worries over North Korea's recent attack, the soldiers at the DMZ weren't phazed in the least. It was truly a successful failure, another desperate attempt by the madman who rules over his father's nation, to prove that he is indeed worth something. Please pray for the people of North Korea. They are in desperate need of a miracle.

on the streets of wonju

hot, midday sun. paused at an intersection ... greeted by a 'random' white person, a teacher. i'm oblivious. she's staring at my face, recalling. suddently: her voice says my name -- "emily?" astounded, i realize she's jill. jill from high school. we marvel at the meeting. she's a teacher too. we exchange numbers, both floating on clouds of shock. i pray she calls. we've got lots to talk about.

seaweed and sweat

there is no better feeling
than muscles breathing deeply
from yoga
taste buds absorbed in "kimbap" (rice, vegetables and meat wrapped in seaweed)
and my sweat
mingling with a smile
knowing i've embraced another
morning

cornerstone

rarely do we realize our need for the cornerstone until the building is torn down ...
crumbling under the weight of our own skins.
rarely do we realize the freedom of resting on the cornerstone
until we've tumbled to the ground
crying like little children because we can't get up.
today trent and i went to church for the first time since august...
yet we barely made it there ... our marriage under attack from a feeble fight fired by miscommunication. satan's tactic to make us hate. make us fall. yet, while crumbling, we managed to drag ourselves to church, determined to go at least once.

and we're so glad we did. joined by a small gathering of other 'yongo' (english) speakers, we sang -- at first, unwillingly -- songs like "deep and wide" and "mighty is our God"... tears dropping from our eyes and our spirits unbuttoning, exposing hurting hearts. God healed us.
it was so good to be in church.

(picture: wild roses lining our road)

working out, and within...

i (emily) have discovered the 'healing' power of yoga... but do not fear. i am still a Christian. :)

it is not healing in the spiritual sense. it's purely a physical devotion, an extreme challenge that aches in all my joints and reminds me of muscles that have too long sat dormant.

i was afraid to do yoga. afraid of what people might think. and it's true; in some cultures, cities, and nations, yoga is devoted to worshiping the sun and becoming 'one' with the universe. but after talking with john gurnett (our former bible school teacher) he reassured me that in South Korea, yoga is purely a physical sport. it is also my belief that God can redeem anything and use it for his glory.

i started this past tuesday, and am attending twice a week. each lesson is one hour of intense head-stands, leg lifts, sit ups, back stretches and deep breathing. it's a cultural weaving between myself, the only white person, and dozens of korean women. the lesson is conducted by a tiny, beautiful lady who gently guides me and patiently waits for my body to catch up. it's all unrolled (like the mats) in korean -- an excellent exercise for my listening skills.

i am excited to be a part of this exercise, and find myself able to worship my creator by performing the various positions.

while i welcome anyone's views on yoga, i have ultimately determined that only God can make the final decision for me. he has filled my heart with peace. and so, i continue to work out, while he works within.

paradise beckons

tossing coins over our shoulders into a 'wishing well,' in the fashion of audrey hepburn and cary grant; eating sweet orchard oranges, resting in a golden resort... all a part of our many adventures on the island of jeju this past week. peruse the next three posts for more of our stories...

jeju's jewels

this past tuesday we bussed with dan and angela from wonju to gwang-ju, and from there to mokpo, a fish-scented city by the sea. we met up with our former Bible School prof, John Gurnett (now preaching and teaching in seoul) as well as two of his friends -- matt and nicky. from mokpo we ferried for 5 hours to the palm tree studded, orange-sunkist island of jeju.

john arranged for us to stay at Jazz Village, a funky hardwood-floor, high-ceilinged, winding stair-cased resort which played soft jazz music daily. we rented a van and toured the island, with john as our very capable guide. he took the time to teach us how to read korean, to cook us elaborate breakfasts and barbecued suppers, and to lead us into the heart of jeju. we took so many pictures this is only one of three blogs dedicated to our Chusok adventure.

Chusok is the Korean rendition of Thanksgiving, celebrating the entrance of the full moon. it abides by the lunar calendar. all week, families are driving from home to home, dining and drinking in the moonlight. on friday afternoon, after taking the ferry back to mokpo, we were stunned by the millions of cars dimpling the highway. we traveled back to seoul with john, nicky and matt... it took 9 hours, instead of the usual 5. nonetheless, the elaborate rest stops along the way (decorated by bonsei trees and countless mini restaurants) as well as loads of sarcasm and lots of laughs helped us make it through.

trent and i crashed at john's place in seoul on saturday, then spent the day buying christmas gifts and clothes before taking the train home to wonju. it was a full week. today we bummed around home, doing laundry and daily things, preparing for a week's worth of teaching... praise God for rest stops like jeju. and jewels like john.

mini things to see in jeju

jeju is famous for its two mini museums... we went to one, and 'toured the world'... here are some of the more intriguing sites we stumbled upon; egypt's pyramids and sphynx; the eiffel tower, taj majal, mount rushmore, leaning tower of pisa, marilyn monroe :), the ladies of athens, and more... mini bites into a smorgesborgue of places.

more of jeju ...

standing in sun-drenched tea fields, feeding fat fish, trailing the peace-filled paths of Mr. Sung's Bonsei tree museum, and delighting in a dazzling Chinese circuis where tiny girls exerted unfathomable flexibility.

autumn is falling ...

upon wonju, with gigantic red and orange leaves. we tried to capture some of the magic via our poor digital camera. this weekend was a potpourri of happenings; a restful time, spent roaming wonju, digging into its cultural corners and naturistic knooks.

friday night we went with two other couples to a local pub, where we drank soju and ate dried squid and minnows. a young korean man lost a bet to his friends and was forced to come 'dance' for us. the entire pub got into it, clapping and singing. we felt, for a moment, in-communicato with our foreign-tongued neighbours.

saturday we played badminton outside our apartment, then toured wonju on our scooter with our friend Daniel (not the dan belonging to angela) who owns a motorbike. he took us to a coffeehouse in the mountains, then to the streets of wonju where a huge concert was taking place (see korean singer below).

today, we attempted to go to church for the first time, but happened upon the one sunday it wasn't occuring (we will try again next week). so instead, we scootered back to the coffeehouse in the mountains (past korean fishermen and women, basking in fall sunlight beneath their big umbrellas), then climbed a steep mountain to a temple where we prayed and rested (see pictures below). God met us where we were -- as he always does. tonight we plan to do a small bible study with dan and angela. tomorrow we teach, then as of tuesday we're off to Jeju Island with some friends till Saturday (Chusok Holiday). so we'll update you following our holiday! peace.