a few thoughts from Lia

Lia was sitting with Todd's Bible and "reading" to us. This is how it went:

God has power. He has all power. He gives us energy when we don't have it. God is good. All the time. He has a lot of power. He heals our skin when we get an ouchy. God takes care of us. He has power and gives energy.

She then read one of her books for school. Afterward, she said, "I love my brain!"

There you have it.

lost & found

We are having a wonderful time with Ray. It's so great to have a friend from home with us here. Ray arrived safely but her luggage was lost along the way. We made phone calls a couple of times a day to check the status of her luggage but were always told, "We are uncertain where your luggage is. We think it's in San Francisco. We will call you when we know."

6:30 pm. Good News! The luggage had arrived in Seoul. The airline would deliver the luggage to our apartment. Great.

9:30 pm. Call from airline delivery service.
Delivery guy: Hello. I bring your luggage.
Me (on behalf of Ray): Great. We are home.
Delivery guy" Your address is? (it's too long to write here)
Me: That is correct.
DG: Any Korean person there?
Me: No. Aniyo.
DG: I call back.
Me: O-kay

9:35 pm Delivery service calls back
DG: Okay, I bring your luggage. Give to security guy.
Me: Ne (yes). You will deliver.
DG: I give to security guy. I bring at 3 or 4
Me: Tonight? You will bring luggage.
DG: You understand? I bring luggage. Give to security guy.
Me: Ne, I understand. (Kinda)
DG: Okay, bye.

3:30 am Phone Rings
Me (disoriented and dazed): Hello?!
DG: Hello. I have your luggage. I am here.
Me: You are here?
DG: Yes, I am here now. At your apartment.
Me: O-kay.

Todd gets up. Goes to the door and sure enough, he's there. at our door at 3:30am.

Who makes deliveries at 3:30 am? Asiana Air, I guess.

Thankful that the luggage was found. And thankful for all the goodies that were sent from friends back home.

Swine Flu

Thursday a student at Todd's school went to the hospital because of an illness. The student was tested for swine flu. The hospital must notify something like Public Health when there is a confirmed case. The school was informed and a Doctor and Nurse were sent to the school today to perform a swab test on EVERYONE. Yep, that's right, the entire school had to get their noses swabbed with a giant c-tip. Gross. Zach cried because it hurt and Lia thought it felt, in her own words, "good"--not surprising.

Out of all the students and faculty, one student at the school tested positive to H1N1 during today's exam. The health officials shut the school down. Yep, you read that right. Shut down. The school will be closed all next week and all faculty and students must be tested again next Thursday.

We have an unexpected week's vacation. Crazy.

Now we all have extra time with Ray! Yay! And yay, that no one in our family has swine flu.

Ray-Ray is here.

That's all that needs to be said. Glad & Happy Heart!

2 months

August 21. That's the day we arrived in Korea. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was just coming up over the mountains, the sky so blue and the air warm. Today, the sky is blue and the sun is warming this crisp fall morning. From our apartment window, I hear the sounds of a busy city, I see the tint of reds and oranges slowly decorating the mountains surrounding me. It's a beautiful morning. Just like the day we arrived.

We have our favorite places to eat around our apartment--and yet there are so many more treasures to discovery. We know how to get up and down the "yellow line"--"Bundang"--and we've survived a few bus trips to Seoul. We've been shown kindness by strangers and discovered that we are in a beautiful, complex, and rich culture.

We've made a few friends in our apartment building, despite the language barrier. Those familiar faces, smiles, make me feel like we're more than just tourist. We live here. This is our home for the next 8 months.

We've met some really beautiful people. Scott & Dionne, Kelly, Anna, Tayla, Katie, Mindy, Kelsey, Whitney, Reuban & Sarah Jane, Scott, Ms. Bae, Helen, Ms. Helen, Terra, Ocean, Sky, Lucas, Suk June . . . we are sharing this amazing adventure together and building community. It makes me wonder what God's up to.

There are days that are hard. Each of us miss life that's familiar and comfortable. Days that we've asked, "is this worth it?" And we always agree, "yes, it's worth it."

In 24 hours we will have our precious friend, Rachel, aka, Ray-Ray, here. All of us are anxious, excited, and can't stand the wait to see her. It means so much to us to have her here. What a gift! Thank you, Ray!

Glad & Grateful.

To Zack's Mom

Zach's friend, Suk June, came over after school yesterday. I had a brief conversation with Suk June's mom. When she came to pick Suk June up, she brought a very large and heavy gift box. This is the card that was with the large, heavy box:

To Zack's Mom

I'm sorry that you are sick. When we have a cold, we drink hot honey tea. If you will try, you will be much better. Please, take care of yourself. I will pray for you.

Suk-June's Mom

Grateful.

Young Sim

We are on the fifth floor of our apartment building, City of Angel. The first two floors are businesses--restaurants, bookshops, coffee shops, banks, dry cleaners--it's like a little neighborhood all in one building. There are a few places that I go to frequently.

One shop is where I can get mandu and visit with Hyoun Suk. She is a beautiful girl and works very long hours every day. She is always smiling and is very kind to me. We now know how to greet one another by name. She doesn't know English, and I don't know Korean but smiles go a long way and we're always happy to see each other. "hello, Kim Stewart!" I love it.

Another small restaurant just a few doors down is called Young Sim. The place is always busy and the woman who runs the place is always smiling. I started stopping by and saying hello to her. I'm always happy to see her and she seems genuinely happy to see me.

This afternoon I was hanging out with our friend, Tayla. After we had done some computer work, we decided to get some lunch. We headed to Young Sim. On our way, we stopped to look at some clothes that were on sale from a street vendor--you can get some great deals if you check everyday. While we were going through the basket of scarves, we were greeted by a Korean woman who spoke very good English. After talking for a couple of minutes, I asked her to join us for lunch.

Eunice. Eunice, our new friend, lived in London for seven years and worked in DC for about five years. We each shared a little about our lives and how beautiful it was that we were now all enjoying lunch together in Korea. I shared with Eunice how much I wanted to talk with the lady at the restaurant. Being limited in language really limits my experience in Korea. My hope is to have some level of conversation with her after I take Korean classes. I asked Eunice to ask the woman what her name is. Her name is Young Sim. She is the owner of the restaurant. The restaurant is named after her.

Young Sim told Eunice that she feels like we are friends and she likes to see me. It was so cool to have Eunice translate for us--our first real conversation.

Even as I type this I'm smiling. It was a really wonderful moment for me to know her name and for me to tell her my name.

Young Sim. Hyoun Suk. I'm grateful for these seeds of friendship.

Another gift from the day. Zach brought Suk June home after school. We decided to give Suk June a little taste of American food. Mac-n-cheese. For dessert, S'mores. It was pretty cool and he was pretty excited. He said, "I like these noodles with cheese."

House of Sharing

"We must record these things that were forced upon us." Hak-Soon Kim

Last Sunday I traveled to Gwangju City on the outskirts of Seoul to visit the House of Sharing. The House of Sharing is a museum and residence for survivors of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery during WWII.

The day was sobering, disturbing and inspiring.

During WWII, Korean woman were kidnapped and forced into a horrific life of rape, abuse, starvation and torture. The Japanese military called them "comfort woman." For decades their struggle and pain remained buried inside each of them but in 1991, a few brave woman came forward and told the world of the pain they had endured.

There are currently 8 halmoni (grandmothers) living at the House of Sharing. These beautiful woman fight to bring awareness to not only their stories but the stories of many around the world today who are victims of sexual slavery.

Every Wednesday since 1992 survivors and others who are fighting with these woman gather outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest. Many are in their 80's, frail and weak but they continue their fight. The Japanese Government continues to deny it's role in participating or establishing "comfort houses" throughout all of South East Asia during the war.

Visit the House of Sharing website and spread the word. Perhaps if the world cries out for those who have come forward and for those still living in their pain, wrong things will be made right and captives will be set free.

www.houseofsharing.org

apartment part 1

When talking to Todd's parents today, I realized I had never posted a video on the blog giving the tour of our apartment. I have posted a video on Facebook--almost a month ago but we have settled in a bit more and have tried to make this feel a little more like "our" space.

Enjoy the tour!

our apartment part 2

sniffle, cough, sniffle, cough

This has been a good week. Monday, after Todd and the kids left for school I made my way to Jeongja--one subway stop away. I met up with some really terrific girls that we've met here for breakfast at Butterfinger Pancakes. Conversation good. Food good.

After breakfast we headed back to Migeum. Two of the girls are looking to purchase a scooter. There is a scooter shop near our apartment. They had a descent selection of scooters and after looking them over Katie was ready to buy a scooter. Our hour at the scooter shop was entertaining and sad.

The owner of the shop was trying to speak to us in very broken English. He was very animated and sweet but we soon realized he was also very drunk. Here is part of our conversation with him:

Drunk man: "where are you from?"
Katie: "USA."
Drunk man in a very loud voice: "USA!! Oh! USA! USA is good!"
Katie: "Yes."
Drunk man: "Where USA?"
Katie: "LA."
Drunk man in a very loud voice: "LA! Oh! LA!! USA! LA! good."

It was sad to see this man in such a condition at 11am. His son apologized to us saying, "I'm sorry. My Father is drunk."

After we left the scooter shop we traveled to Suwon. Suwon is about 30 minutes away from where we live in Migeum. It's a beautiful city surrounded by a fortress--a wall similar but not in size to the Great Wall of China. Suwon was a fortified city. If Seoul was under attack the King would be moved to Suwon to be protected. We had a wonderful afternoon walking the trails around the wall.

As I looked out across the city, I found it hard to believe that 50 years ago this city was torn apart by war. All of South Korea was. 50 years is really not a long time for a country to rebuild itself and to be thriving in ways that SK is. It's amazing to think of the resilience of the Korean people. They are certainly proud of their country and continue to move forward with hope and determination.

We've all been battling issues with our allergies. I've had a tickle in my throat for about two weeks. The past two days, the kids have complained of itchy eyes and throats. Last night my whole body ached and my cough seemed a bit worse--I thought maybe it was the hike around the fortress. Today, I slept all day. When I was awake, I coughed, sneezed, blew my nose and then coughed some more. I don't feel so well.

Todd suggested that I go to the clinic by our apartment. I decided I would just try to sleep, drink plenty of fluids and use my Netti Pot a lot. If I'm not better in a day or two, I'll visit the clinic. If anything, it will be an adventure and I'm sure it will provide me with a good laugh.

The kids are doing well. There are moments when life here seems hard but overall they are enjoying this adventure. I think for Zach, making a connection at school and having a friend over to our house last week was huge. It's made him seem a little bit lighter.

Another plus from the week . . . making smores on the stove! I found marshmallows at Costco and these really yummy crackers with a thin layer of chocolate--they make the perfect smores. JOY all around. Little things that are familiar are really HUGE gifts.

Chusok Celebration

Happy Chusok!

I made a mistake and stopped the video so it just ends abruptly. Hopefully, you get an idea of our Chusok celebration.

one step, too soon

Last night we hopped on the 39-1 to visit the Husted's in Jeukjon.

Perhaps I was just excited about spending the evening with these really beautiful people. Perhaps I was excited to enjoy the meal that we were going to share, the wine we would drink. Without thinking, as the bus stopped, I stepped down, the door opened and my foot was trapped under the bus door.

The pain was terrible. The door was jammed, with my foot. The drive couldn't close the door and I couldn't move my foot. After a minute or two, I was able to get my foot out without my flip flop. It was wedged in pretty good. Todd was able to eventually free it and off we went.

The driver came around to us, speaking in frantic Korean. We assured him I was o-kay, everything was alright. No worries. We thanked him and I hobbled into the Husted's apartment.

Three of my toes on my left foot had shooting pain, I was starting to swell and the area was turning purple. Ugh! Ice, Ibuprofen and some prayer--that's what I needed.

By the end of our evening together, I had no swelling. My toes weren't as purple and I only had a little pain, like I had just bruised the bottom of my foot! Thank you, Jesus!!

This morning, my foot feels good. It stills feels like I have a bruise on the bottom of my foot but it's not swollen or purple--except for the little scrape on the inside of my toe.

Yay!!! I'm grateful that we stopped to pray. I believe Jesus helped me--He didn't have to but He did. He is so good.

One more thing . . . when we got home from the Husted's it was 10:30. Zach's friend, Suk June's parents phoned and said they had made traditional Chusok food and would like to share some with us. They wanted us to call whenever we got home, no matter how late, to bring us some dishes. Oh, my goodness. 10:30 at night, they arrive, with several dishes for our family.

Chusok is a major holiday in Korea. Each year it falls on a different day. This year, it is October 3--full moon. It's a day to be with your family, to celebrate all of the goodness in your life and return to your ancestors graves to bow in thankfulness. It's really like the American's Thanksgiving but without football and turkey and of course the whole bowing at our ancestors graves. We won't be bowing at any graves today but we will have our own little Chusok family celebration.

Happy Chusok!!

810 yellow bus is bad

friendship

If asked what the biggest challenge is when moving to a foreign land I would probably say, communication, language barriers. Following close behind would be the longing for friends. Friends that you know and that know you. Friends that you can sit quietly and comfortably with and feel safe. Friends that you can laugh with. Friends that you can share your greatest joys and deepest pains. Friendship. To know and be known.

Making friends and building a friendship takes time. There are times when circumstances accelerate friendship. We've met a few people in our short month in Korea that feel like we have been friends for many years. We are comfortable and feel safe when we are together. We laugh. We pray for one another. We share frustrations and the challenges of living in our new land. And though we have so much to learn about one another, it's o-kay. I'm grateful for that.

I think often about our friends back in the US. I miss them so much at times that my heart aches. Thank goodness for modern technology. I'm grateful for conversations over Skype. I indeed look forward to them. Hearing a voice that's familiar and seeing a face that smiles at you, is indeed good. But man, how I would just love to reach out and embrace my friend--you can't do that over Skype.

Tonight, Zach has a new friend over. His name is Suk June or as he said to us this evening, "you can call me by my English name, Simon." I'm so grateful that Zach has made a connection. I'm so grateful for everyone who has prayed for him. God has heard Zach's heart desire--there have been many tears shed and frustrations shared but today, today is a new day. Although Suk June isn't Holden or Sam, and although he and Zach are just getting to know one another, Zach has someone he calls, friend. A friend who is interested in him. A friend who wants to be with him. A friend to fill that void called loneliness.

Tonight as we were walking back from getting ice cream, Zach and Simon were walking with their arms around each other, laughing, and talking about video games. It seemed like such a normal moment. Normal moments are good.

God is good. He is faithful. He is near.