Living a life of adultery

I am a prostitute when I tell God "You are not enough for me."  I am restless and need to find my rest solely in God.  If I look for rest anywhere else I am awhoreing myself to the ways of the world.

O Lord may I solely look to You to be my everything.  Forgive me for the numerous times I have sought after the things of the world over the things of You.  I desire an intimate relationship with you and you alone!

Precious in His sight

Children...

"All it takes is a moment to change a child's life."

I spend a minute wasting time worrying about something minuscule when I could be pouring into a child. Children are so precious to God. Shouldn't they be just as precious to us???

After having the pleasure of visiting Compassion International and Focus on the Family, God has reminded me of where He wants me. So many times children are forgotten. They are the first to go hungry in a famine. They are the first to lose their education in the midst of financial crises. They are the first to be killed when it's inconvienent. They are the first to be living on the streets when sickness occurs. To so many these children are invisible and dispensible. Are we seeing these little ones from the eyes of God or are we so wrapped up in our agenda and busyness that we push them aside?

God has really convicted my heart on seeing children through His eyes... through this conference, seeing the stand that Compassion and Focus on the Family take on children, and from the book "When Invisible Children Sing" by Dr. Chi Huang. During all my flying time over the past few days I read this book from cover to cover on the street children of Bolivia. Throughout the book, I was in tears and the Lord showed me aspects of these precious little ones and what they go through on a daily basis. Things that have been ignored by American Christianity because it is so far away but I have been challenged that these are God's children.

"Do you see our invisible children? Economics and technology widen the moats and heighten the walls between us in the developed world and the poor of the developing world. Political parties distort our vision. Many on the left wish us to believe tht our street children are innocent and helpless victims. In contrast, those on the right often define these children as violent, lazy vermin deserving of their torture. Street children are not good or bad, but rather complex human beings with good and bad qualities- just like us all." (When Invisible Children Sing, pg 291-292)

What can we do... ignoring it won't make it go away so I challenge myself and you to pray and see what God would have you do for these invisible children...

would it be sponsoring one child through Compassion International releasing them from poverty in Jesus' name?

would it be becoming a foster/adoptive parent to an orphaned child?

would it be teaching a child in our path about the love of Jesus?

would it be serving on the mission field or praying for one who does?

If Jesus said "Let the children come to me" (Matthew 19:14) should we turn them away???

Enough

"Great is your faithfulness. All I have your hand has provided." You are truly ENOUGH!



The hand of God that created the majestic rock formations... is ENOUGH to provide for each need according to HIS riches in glory!





Over the past few days I had the privilege of going to Colorado Springs for the International Early Education Leadership Conference (IEELC) with ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International). The theme has been "ENOUGH" with seminars entitled "Finding Enough", "The illusion of Enough", "Beyond Enough- Going the Extra Mile to Build Bridges", "Small enough to impact", and "Enough is Enough".





So my question is -Is God enough for what He has called us to do? Am I trusting in myself to do enough or listening to God as to what He says is enough for me to do? How many times do I try to do things out of my own strength when God's is enough?





God used these conferences to remind me that I am to only do what He has called me to do. It is not my job to do everything that people want me to do but to do only the things God has put before me. What a freeing fact to know that I don't have to be enough by myself because I will never live up to that.

He created enough supply. He offers enough supply. He is ENOUGH! Are you tapping into the right source?

Understanding Children

Conference by Wess Stafford

DL Moody- "If I had my life to do it all over again, I would spend it educating children."

In an upside down world... the little ones are big in God's kingdom.

*Everytime a child is mentioned in scripture, God is doing something big... Abraham-Isaac, Miriam- Moses, Eli- Samuel, Josiah, Jesus, little boy with fish and loaves,...

*Satan attacks when people are small... battle over the unborn whether poverty or convience.
Matthew 18:10

*Every child that comes into our path is a divine appointment. 
*Like wet cement, children are so pliable.  All it takes is a moment to change a child's life.


A critical time- Children ages 5-18 (George Barna)
"If you want to shape a person's life... whether you are most concerned about his or her moral spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, or economic development... it is during these critical eight years that lifelong habits, values, beliefs, and attitudes are formed."

Bridge Building

notes from Beyond Enough Conference...

Going the Extra Mile to Build Bridges
by Julia, Brooke, and D'Arcy

Myths about Bridge Building

1.  Building bridges is comfortable
2. Building bridges will change people
3. Success is guaranteed
4. Building bridges is easy and quick
5. The problem is everyone else
6. You can delegate and not be involved
7. One construction method/material to be used
8. Building Bridges does not require homework
9. The bridge will always go in the direction you want
10. Building bridges is convienient
11. You are totally in control of this process.
12.  Building bridges is cheap
13. This isn't going to be worth it
14. The bridge benefits me alone

Jesus' foundation was to do the will of His father
*Am I doing this because it is ithe will of my father?

Implementation of Bridge Building

• with a team
• have grace when abandoned halfway through
• open handed surrender
• long term goals- not our ideas but God's
• gain empahty for others

Truths of Bridges

• beautiful
• strong
• connect
• depict a culture or area
• all unique
• commintment of time
• once they are build you can go farther easier
• not build by one

"It only takes a spark"

As I sit here in my living room on this Sunday afternoon, my entire house reeks of campfire smoke and there is billowing smoke all around. Every few minutes one of three yellow emergency helicopters fly over with buckets attached transporting water to much needed hot spots. Thankfully my house at this time is safe and sound but Molokai is being burned to a crisp.

When I was a small child there was a song that we sung at church that went... it only takes a

spark to get a fire going. This is a vivid reminder of how something so small can do so much. The cause of this fire is unknown at this time but more than likely it started with something very small and insignificant. Whether a match or a camp fire, 2500+ acres have been burned. What an impact!

We as Christians are called to have that kind of impact on our communities and world. Setting our world on fire for Jesus. It is really hard to cover the light that fire produces at night whether by candle or a brushfire. Last night it was such a sight on how much of our island was on fire... areas that couldn't be seen during the day. But as soon as the sun went down the fire lit up the night sky. I sat out in my backyard perched on my neighbors rock wall watching the mountain glow. This was a great reminder to me that we need to shine Jesus especially in the dark of night.

Please be praying for safety for all the fire fighters, emergency crew, helicopter operators, and people that are helping keep people's houses safe. Pray that the wind would die down and that God would send some rain.

A relaxing evening

Ever have that moment when your body is so relaxed it doesn't feel connected... a perfect peace where there is not even a thought going through a normally chaotic brain???? Well for the past hour and a half, I have been in complete relaxation mode as I received a full body massage (including feet)!

For my 30th birthday, one of my friends and co-workers who went to massage school gave me an IOU for a massage. With a mix of emotion (apprehension, excitement, nervous, etc) we scheduled a date and time. As I am not a huge touchy, feely person, this was stepping outside of my comfort zone just a bit (especially the foot part as I normally don't like my feet messed with). After remembering my 100 things list and my goal to be daring and try some new things... I put on a new emotion and jumped in!

OK... now that the massage is pau and I am sitting here letting the rest of the oil soak into my skin, I have to say that it was SUPER AMAZING! I am truly blessed to have such a friend with amazing hands. And boy am I going to sleep well tonight!!

100 Things to Do

As the big milestone of completing 30 years of age is just a couple of days away, I have been pondering what I would like to do in my lifetime...
Life is full of goals, dreams, and aspirations! In some of my spare time this summer I have put together 100 things that I really want to do at some point in this life that God has given me! So here goes...

1. Serve God where ever He leads with a content heart
2. Learn to salsa dance
3. Fall in love and get married to my best friend
4. Adopt a baby
5. Write a book
6. See the statues of Easter Island (Chile)
7. Run 5K –June 20th, 2009

8. Run 10K- December 19th, 2009- Molokai, May 15th, 2010
9. Run Honolulu Marathon- Dec 11
10. Visit the Pyramids in Egypt- Sept/Oct 2011
11. Go camping under the stars- Lake Alatoona,GA Mom reminded me that this is what we did for my 2nd birthday! LOL! July, 1981
12. Learn sign language
13. Go to Grand Canyon
14. Learn to play guitar
15. Bake a cake from scratch
16. Ride in a hot air balloon-Luxor,Egypt 2014
17. Learn to tap dance
18. Tour the Galapagos Archipelago
19. See the Northern Lights
20. Ice Skate in New York
21. Visit Times Square
22. Try a new restaurant- GianFranco- 12/30/09 Snoqualmie,WA
23. Take a bubble bath by candle
24. Visit the Acropolis in Greece
25. Walk on the Great Wall of China
26. Go to Disneyland (California)
27. Visit the Golden Gate Bridge
28. Climb View the Statue of Liberty
29. Read JRR Tolkien Boxed Set
30. Visit all 50 states
31. Play a new game
32. Have ice cream for lunch- July 2nd, 2009
33. Go on a cruise
34. Go to Bora Bora
35. Read the Chronicles of Narnia- Summer, 2010
36. Spend a whole (non-sick) day lounging in bed and not feel guilty
37. Get a Master’s degree- graduated Dec 20, 2014!!!
38. Help on a Habitat for Humanity Home
39. Donate Blood- Elon College 2001
40. See a broadway play- Cats, Les Mis, Miss Siagon, -London, 1999
41. Get a foot massage- August 19th, 2009
42. Sleep in a castle (or own one!!!)
43. Watch the ten greatest American movies of all time - Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, The Wizard of Oz, The Graduate, On the Waterfront, Schindler’s List, Singin’ in the Rain
44. Be in two places at once- June 13th, 2009 NC/SC border

45. Raise a happy, healthy child
46. Create a home with an inviting, joyous, comfortable loving atmosphere
47. Be a Proverbs 31 woman
48. Go on a safari
49. Ride a camel- March 10, 2014
50. Throw a party- Sept. 19, 2009- Bri's baby shower
51. Visit Biltmore Estates
52. Get a new hairstyle
53. Be spontaneous- drive with a student driver ;)
54. Watch turtles hatch and run for the ocean
55. Get a full body massage-August 19th,2009
56. Visit Marcus in Sweden (May 2014)
57. Go bird watching- alot of fun with preschoolers!
58. Build a deck
59. Go to a concert of a favorite artist- Third Day, Toby Mac, Brandon Heath- June 13th, 2009
60. Jog at sunset
61. Be a spectator at the Olympics
62. Stop worrying- finally came to the conclusion that worrying tells God "He is not big enough to handle!" July,11
63. Learn to live in the now
64. Exercise every day
65. Read God’s Word everyday
66. Hike part of the Appalachin Trail
67. Dance in the fall leaves- Oct 2009 CO
68. Visit Niagara Falls
69. See how chocolate is made at Hershey’s, Penn.
70. Sing Karaoke- Perth, Australia
71. Cruise Alaska
72. Get a tattoo
73. Enjoy a sunrise
74. Complete Daniel study by Beth Moore- Dec 29th, 2009
75. Try a new drink- Bad Santa- 12/26/09
76. Tour the east coast of Australia
77. Visit Folden’s in Ecuador
78. Create a masterpiece- as mom reminded me that everytime I work with a child I create a masterpiece
79. Get down to my ideal weight
80. Break a rule- Tulalip, WA - not telling what rule! ;)
81. Attend a child’s t-ball game- Saturday, February 26th, 2011
82. Kayak at dawn
83. Get an ice cream cake- July, 2012
84. Make a new friend- Jeannie Poly- June 14th, 2009
85. Publish a short story
86. Spend a weekend in a cabin in the mountains- Snowmobiling in WA
87. Try a new food- Crab Ravioli- Dec 2009
88. Watch a new musical- Mamma Mia- July 21st, 2009
89. Go fly a kite- August, 2009 with some of my preschoolers
90. Visit a museum- Korean war museum
91. Paint toenails with friends- Sept 17th, 2009 - THANKS RACHEL!
92. Ride a roller coaster and scream at the top of my lungs- June 13th, 2009
93. Make and send a care package
94. Climb a rock wall- July 2012
95. Spend $100 on a good cause
96. Refinish an antique
97. Decorate an outrageous cake
98. Have a fondue party- April 2010 @ The Child's
99. Cook a new recipe- Vegetable Quiche- (aka Quiche Cakes :) Sept. 16th, 2009
100. Play Twister

A summer of lessons

Who would of ever thought that over the span of six weeks you can learn so much that you actually feel less intelligent than before that time period?

This summer has not only been filled with many great adventures but also many moments of growth both physically and spiritually.

Lesson 1: "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!" Psalms 126:5 After endless hours of spending time in God's word this summer, it is a reminder of how precious of a gift life is and how we need to treasure each day God has given us. So many times we live in the past or in the future when we are called to live in the present moment and not worry about tomorrow.

Lesson 2: Life is too short to be BUSY (Being Under Satan's Yoke)... This four letter word has been out of my vocabulary for a while because busy is only a state of mind. You have two choices... 1) come to terms with the fact that we were not created to be Superman (or Superwoman) and we were created to rest at the feet of Jesus doing what He has called us to do with a happy heart or 2) live a life being BUSY allowing Satan to steal your joy and take away those precious moments that are God's gifts. And just remember Jesus only had 24 hours in his day as well.

Lesson 3: Children are truly a blessing from the LORD. After spendng several days with friends and their children I can say that I have truly been blessed by their sweet innocence that God has given to them. There is a reason that they are so close to the heart of God.

Lesson 4: Goodbyes don't get any easier even after 9 years. It still tugs at my heart strings to board the plane back to HI not knowing when the next time will be that I get to see these amazing people. (For all of you reading this that are praying that God moves me back to NC just know there are some pretty amazing prayer warriors in HI as well... so ultimately it comes down to God's will!)

Overall it has been a great summer. I enjoyed seeing so many friends and family members that I haven't seen in years.

Summer of 2009

This summer has been one of new adventures, family and friends, and starting new chapters in my life. Two days after school ended I hopped on a plane and flew 6000 miles to NC to spend the summer with family. With one more week before I head back to Molokai, I thought I would do an update on things I have done...

*Went to Carowinds with Julie and saw Third Day, TobyMac, Hawk Nelson, and Brandon Heath in concert plus rode LOTS of roller coasters!
*Ran in my first 5K... it was 95 degrees and 90% humidity! Argh!
*Mom and dad went to Germany, Austria, Czech republic, and Switzerland
*went to the zoo with my brother and sister in law
*went to lunch with a friend from Cali and a friend from NY
*spent the 4th of July with friends and family at Burlington City Park watching a concert and fireworks.

When I get back to Molokai and I will post picts but as for now I will sign off.

Bitter Sweet Graduation

Eight years ago (June 2001) I moved to Molokai to take my first "real" teaching job. My first year teaching, as with most, was filled with lots of exciting times and tough lessons learned. The first class I taught at Molokai Christian Academy was a group of six fifth graders that were in transition. Throughout that year we all grew up and I look back with many happy memories of my "first class"!

Today I got to witness two of those six graduate from Molokai High School, one of which was valedictorian. I was blown away by how much they had grow up over the years- both intellectually and physically (as both are much taller than I)!

As for the other four students from my first class... one graduated the middle of May from a school on Big Island, one is on the mainland, and I have lost track of the other two.

Over the years, I have taught kids from preschool through 12th grade. Many have come and gone, many are in college, a couple have passed away, some I will have their children in preschool in the next couple of years. One thing has remained the same... the same God that called me out here 8 years ago is still calling me to stay and continue to do His work.

We just finished up our school year yesterday and had an outstanding preschool graduation Wednesday night with 200+ people in attendance. These little ones are truly a blessing to my heart and I am thrilled that I have had the opportunity to see them grow! So as this week of graduations comes to a close and another year is pau, I can truly say with mixed emotions that I am blessed.

Goal to visit all 50 states!

The other night I was inspired to write down what I would like to do in my life. One of the things was to visit all 50 states. Today I got a message from a friend and it encouraged me to list all the states that I have visited. So here goes... and by the way, I will post my "Bucket List" soon.

States I have been to... (39+DC)
Alabama
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia (not a state but it deserves to be on the list)
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wyoming

States still to visit... (11)
Alaska
Arizona
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Hampshire
New Mexico
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
Wisconsin

From the Mountain to the Sea

Oh what a great day it was on Molokai today! Rejoicing in God's beauty.

Started out at 8:30am with hiking the Kalaupapa trail with Bri. Twenty six cutbacks down the highest sea cliffs in the world! :) The sky was Carolina blue with no clouds to be seen. Very unusual especially on the back side of Molokai.

On the way back up, we stopped to take a break, looked down at the ocean and saw 6-8 dolphins and a couple of monk seals playing in the bay down below. So amazing to see those creatures frolicing so freely in the water.

Once we finished the trail, we stopped by church/school and changed then headed to Maki Horse Beach to spend some time with friends visiting from California. Got to talk story with them for a couple of hours. The water was SO nice.

What a beautiful day relaxing in God's greatness.

Learn something new everyday

It has always been my personal challenge to learn something new everyday. Some of these lessons are little things... some big... some should have been learned years ago... some taught by children... some learned the hard way. But all learned.

So my lesson begins yesterday with my neighbor dropping off seven fresh fish that had been swimming just minutes before. They were netted from the ocean at the bottom of Kawela.

I enjoy eatting fish but have never learned how to skin them. That evening I mentioned my problem as we were sitting at a going away party for a friend and our pastor's 10 year old daughter explained to me how to skin and gut a fish in great detail.

For dinner tonight... I followed Cendall's instructions and had steamed fresh fish with spinach. It was very delicious (or as they say here... ONO!!!). But as I was cooking the dinner I had a few thoughts about lessons learned...

1. Fish gills are sharp and can cut your skin.

2. Teach your children how to clean fish at a young age. I learned how to cut, clean, and prepare a whole chicken fryer before I was a teenager but it took me 30 years to clean a fish.

3. When skinning fish... work outside ... as my kitchen counter is now covered with fish scales!

So what lesson did you learn today???

Caught red handed!

Normal evening of checking email and going through mail turned very funny when I heard a noise in the kitchen. Not knowing where the two boys were I quietly walked from the living room into the kitchen. I flipped on the light and found the roll of paper towels was unrolled and Romeo (my youngest cat) was guiltily sitting on the counter.

I took him off the counter, fixed the paper towels, and went back to the living room. I no sooner sat back down then I heard the noise from before. This time armed with the camera I went in, flipped on the light, and snap... GUILTY AS CHARGED!

With Tink it was toilet paper... every morning I would get out of the shower to find the entire roll of tp either shredded or on the floor. With Romeo it looks like paper towels. Luckily with Tink, he has out grown the desire to toilet paper my house. Hopefully with Romeo... this too will pass!

Children are a blessing

Oh the joys of a new baby!!! I had the pleasure of attending an old roomie's baby shower on Friday night over in Mililani. This is actually Lauryn's third child but her first little girl. Such a cutie and a true blessing to her family.

Children are truly a blessing from the Lord. So often they are not considered as that. It makes my heart sad to hear some parents refer to their children as a burden or a mistake as God created them to be a blessing.

Yes I know... I don't have children of my own but having 24 children on a daily basis has taught me so much about the way they think and see the world. God created in them an imagination and a sense of exploration that we as adults have outgrown somewhere along the way. They see the world in a way that teaches me things daily. Their cute phrases and words astound me as to what is going on inside their minds and hearts. These little ones are so precious in His sight and they should be just as much a treasure in ours as God has called us (whether you are a parent, friend, aunty, uncle, grandparent, etc) to train up these children in the way they should go.

So if you have children in your life... love them... pray for them and with them... teach them... and most of all show them that they are a blessing!

From the beginning...

Almost 9 years ago, when I moved to Molokai, I started an email journal to friends and family of what God is doing in my life. Since my email list is now way over 300 it takes so much time just to send an email. I have gotten hooked to reading other friends blogs and facebook so I thought I would start a blog that friends and family can check in their own time. SO HERE GOES...

S. Korea Adventures

March 22nd 2009- The journey begins

Spring break is finally here!  After a great 3rd quarter at school, school is pau and I am on a plane to Korea via Tokyo, Japan.

The plane is one of the newer models with an upper deck.  It is interesting because all the information is in Japenese.

How it all started....

After much prayer of what to do for spring break, I contacted Titus and Steph in Ecuador.  They didn't need help so I contacted Wendy in Uijongbu to see if they needed help.  She invited me to come and serve with them at the International Christian School in Uijongbu.

March 24th

It is only my first day in Korea and I am already behind with journaling.  Due to a cargo plane blowing up at Narita airport in Japan all flights were rerouted to Haneda and then on to Gimpo, Korea.  The problem was that Wendy was picking me at a different airport and trying to call her was kind of crazy.  Ended up getting into Uijongbu to Wendy's house about midnight.  I was feeling very tired from being up almost 20 hours.  I slept like a baby only waking once wondering what time it was and then forcing myself back to sleep.  Woke up at 6:45am to spend quiet time. (Read Ruth 1-4)

What seemed like an impossible situation for Naomi ended up blessing, redeeming, glorifying, and ultimately bringing our redeemer into existence.  Pretty cool.

At 8am Wendy, the children and I headed to ICS where I taught chapel to ~100 children K-5th grade and the ACSI accreditation team.  Wendy took me around the campus to see the elementary classes and see how I could help over the next 2 weeks.

Walked back to the apartment and talked story with Wendy while Abby and Ben took naps.  The children do really well playing independently even though Abby is 2 1/2 and Ben just made 1.

Mid afternoon we went and I exchanged some $ at the military base.  Once we got back to the house I emailed mom and dad and it started snowing!!!  First time I had seen snow in years.

At the moment I am watching Abby and Ben while Randy and Wendy go to Outback with the accreditation team.  Everybody is in their pj's watching ice skating (or ice dancing as Abby says) and playing toys.

*The houses here are only heated by the floor.  No central heat!  Korean's keep their houses so hot that the apartment above and below radiate heat to keep this apt. warm.

March 25th

Took the subway up to Camp Casey to have Bible Study with Rebekah.  Camp Casey is about 25 miles from the N. Korean border.  Ate lunch at Burger King on base then rode the subway and walked back to the apartment.  Once we got back Ben and Abby were asleep and I decided to lay down to rest.  I ended up sleeping until 4:15pm.  I think the jet lag is finally kicking in.  THe evening was not very exciting... had dinner... watched tv and talked story.

March 26th

Mob of children-  While at the museum I came out of the bathroom and there sat Wendy surrounded by 20+ Korean school children looking at Ben and Abby!

Today was a very fun day filled with surprises.  Woke up and did my devotions.  Just happened to look out the window thinking it was raining but instead it was pouring down SNOW!  Like a kid in a candy store, I was dancing around so excited.  We bundled Abby and Ben up, hopped on the bus and went to the train station.  Rode on the subway for ~45 minutes to get to the War Memorial Museum.  Spent several hours there exploring.  Loved learning about the history of Korea.  Maybe I should have been a history major in college (or at least have taken a couple of history classes).  It blows me away how far North we have gone and are still "safe".  But about 38 degrees latitude it is very hostile.  Wendy informed me that I could be going into the DMZ with the accreditation team tomorrow.  Oh how interesting that would have been.

After leaving the War Memorial we went to Itaowan to get Starbucks.  The weather by now is in the 40's and sunny.  Bought 4 pairs of socks for 7,000 won.  Great deal as this is where these socks are made!  Had lunch at this pita place that was really yummy. 

Walked and window shopped.  Passes Hard Rock Cafe and the ICS school down in Seoul.  Impressive!

Jumped back on the subway and headed home.  We weren't home very long when we had to drop Abby and Ben off at Jennifer's and head to church.  After church about 10 of us went to the meat buffet for Wendy's b-day.  What a great day!!

March 27th

Took the subway down to Gyeongbokgung Palace.  Got there just in time to see the changing of the guard.  Walked around there.  God gave us an absolutely amazing day filled with blue skys and warm weather (still in the low 40's).  When we finished at the palace, Abby and I walked around the Folk Museum while Wendy and Ben sat in the lobby letting Ben get wiggles out.  From there we walked to get lunch at McDonalds.  5,000 won for a chicken sandwich, fries, drink, and sundae!  Took lunch with us while Abby and Ben slept and headed to the subway.  While there we had to wait for the train so I went in the book store and got "Love you forever" in Korean for 7500 won.  Caught the subway back to Wendy's.  While Wendy was to have tutoring I took the kids to get strawberries (10,000 won) for ~ 2.5 kilos.  Fresh from the field.  And then went to watch the middle school volleyball team practice.  Came back with the kids.  Had speghetti pie for dinner.  Ben had his first haircut.  Cleaned the house.  Watched some volleyball.  And now I am headed to bed.  Early day tomorrow!

March 28th

Today was a super early morning that started at 6am.  We caught the school bus with the volley ball team to Suwan.  After 1.5hours on the bus we got to GSIS where the kids were going to play ball.  Wendy and I caught a cab to the Korean Folk village.  Kinda like the Old Salem of Korea.

Seeing how the different classes of people lived is amazing.  Very interesting way of life.  The farmer's dance was my favorite by far.  Loved the colors and the hats!

After the performance we left to find a cab to take us back to GSIS.  Explaining it to the cab driver took us awhile but eventually figured it out.  Got to see the last game.  The middle school teams won all their games today which was great.  Hopped back on the bus and travelled back to school.  Once we walked back to the apartment, I rested to get rid of my headache.  Then Wendy had to print something off at school so we started walking down when we ran into Annalisa, Lydia, and Dawn.  We ended up going to eat dinner with them at the Chinese resteraunt.  Great evening filled with fellowship and food!

I wonder.... It seems like there are so many single women here on the mission field.  Many of whom desire to be married.  I know I am in that same boat but it just seems like there are so many women serving on the mission field.  Where are all the single men???  Maybe all the single women don't have the desire to be married but all of these ladies have hearts for you and they have the desire to be married.   I wonder sometimes what is the reason!

March 29th

Caught the van to church.  Wendy taught Sunday school from the Tabernacle by Beth Moore.  Church was great.  It is amazing how God's people are truly all over the world.  After church the women of the church had their secret sister lunch.  I really enjoyed getting to knoww Minnie (the Pastor's wife) and several of the ICS teachers that I hadn't met earlier.  One lady, Libby, from Floriday travels around with ACSI teaching classes to help seniors transition from high school overseas to a US university.  She has been to Christian schools all over the world.  Enjoy chatting with her and she encouraged me to become an adminstrator at an international school.  Hmmmm... something to pray about.  After the lunch, Libby, Wendy, and I dropped the children off with Jennifer and headed to Inacdong to do some shopping.  Did most of my souvenier shoppoing.  Lots of little shops on both sides of the road.  I was amazed at all the tea sets.  Some of the prices weren't too bad... others were outrageous!  Ate McDonalds for dinner... got 1/2 way through my chicken sandwich and realized the middle was pink!  Argh!  I really pray that I don't get food poisoning on top of the head cold I am coming down with.  Took the subway home and got home around 10pm!  Long day!

Monday, March 30th

Got up today feeling very yucky.  This is the beginning of a not fun Korean cold... went to the National History Museum.  Everybody is moving slow.  I think we might have overdone it last night.  Saw the entire museum in under 2 hours.  We weren't reading everything!  Took a taxi with 2 sleeping children to Itaewon for Pita's at the Greek restaurant.  Then Wendy had to get a water bottle for Randy and headed back to Noyong station cutting our time very close!  We had to call Randy to come get us from the subway and drop me off at school.  I got to school at 1:30 and had to start teaching hula to the 4th and 5th graders at 2pm.  After a rambunctious group of 4th and 5th graders.  I taught a Hawaiian themed CLAP... Hula, leis, picture.  The 40 children we had were so full of energy and I was running out of energy.  Walked home at 4:15pm.  Wendy was cutting up strawberries to make a strawberry pie.  Wendy gave me the job of making a strawberry crumble as the strawberries were a little over ripe.  Had enchiladas for dinner.  Randy and Kristin had Korean lessons while Wendy and I watched Biggest Loser... then ate strawberry crumble!  Very yummy!

Tuesday, March 31st

I had to go do chapel for the elementary children.  I was running a fever and feeling pretty yucky but managed to go through the resurrection eggs and old Makana.  The kids and staff seemed to really enjoy it.

I learned today that living in Seoul is like smoking 4 packs of cigarettes a day.  No wonder I am so not feeling well. 

Came home from chapel and laid down and besides getting up 2 times to use the bathroom and get water I didn't get out of bed until 10 the next morning.