Nine

1. The autumn weather in Korea has been perfect, with breezy nights and mid 70 degree Fahrenheit days.

2. 추 석 aka Chu Seok (Korea’s version of Thanksgiving) = 3 day vacation + 3 day paid leave vacation = 11 days of rest from teaching.

3. Aimee, a church friend from home is flying in from HK to visit Korea & me.

4. Today marks the 4th week of volunteer at the orphanage.

5.  I survived 3 “major” typhoons in Korea

6. My 60 year old vice principle challenged me to run 3 times around the new track tomorrow.

7. I’ve been meditating on Lamentations 3:23-24 (ESV)- They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

8. I have not eaten pancakes for over two years because we made pancakes once a week during my last two years in uni at the salvation army. Yesterday, I made my first chocolate chip pancake.

9. After seeing Psy’s “Gangnam Style” video a dozen times with the song becoming viral having 274 million hits on Youtube, I still do not know how to dance “Gangnam Style”

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

With grad apps due in a few months, I decided to hold back grad school for another year. After prayerfully evaluating my heart, I personally do not think I am spiritually ready to apply for the master of art’s  program in biblical counseling. While I was away from home for uni, I invested my time there but at the same time I was church hopping in San Francisco when I visited during the holidays. After church hopping for the first two years in college, I decided to finally commit to one church in San Francisco. However, because I spent most of my weekends in Merced serving in my college fellowship, I was unable to attend to weekly bible studies, church service, and even serve. But during the weekends when I did make the 2.5 hour drive to SF, I can say I feel super blessed by how much I’ve grown to love the church and the Word. I love my brothers and sisters in Christ at SFBC (& of course those in Merced & my church at Wolwang Gwangju, Korea Church<3).  The counselors of LIGHT have been encouraging and loving towards us college students. They do an amazing job and I wish I was home more to serve.

Being in Korea has been good, but it has been difficult to stay out of the spiritual slump due to the lack of community during the weekdays. Wow, I’ve already gone 7 months without having a bible study with others!  Moving back to the states in five months will give me the opportunity to finally serve at my home church and to grow with a community of believers. I think spending a more couple years in my hometown church will really allow me to form form stronger relationships with my brothers and sisters in Christ, develop a better understanding on the Word, and serve the church. I have so much growing to do, but I am reminded that His work in me is the effect of His grace.

Of course there are other reasons that contribute to my decision but this is the one that led to my decision 🙂

P.S Don’t get me wrong, I do love the church/fellowship in Merced and Korea!  I have grown so much from the times we’ve fellowshipped, attended Bible studies, and gone to church, but San Francisco will always be my hometown church.

The Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devos

During my three week vacation, I traveled to different places and it really hindered my spiritual discipline and routines to reading the word and doing devos. Today will be my first day of my second semester teaching in Korea! Just finished lesson planning for my three classes tomorrow and I decided to look at all the books I haven’t touched in awhile.

A brother in Christ from Uni gave me a devo and prayer book right before I left for Korea. Thank you so much! This book is so encouraging and amazing. 🙂 took me only seven months to open the book.

Friday I read the intro titled “The Valley of Vision”.

Today I read “The Trinity”.
Three in one, one in three, God of my salvation
Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit,
I adore thee we one Being, one Essence, one God in three distinct Persons, for bringing sinners to thy knowledge and to thy kingdom.
O, Father, thou hast loved me ad sent Jesus to redeem me;
O, Jesus, thou hast loved me and assumed my nature, shed thine own blood to wash away my sins, wrought righteousness to cover my unworthiness;
O, Holy Spirit, thou hast loved me and entered my heart, implanted there external life, revealed to me the glories of Jesus.
Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise thee, for love so unmerited, so unspeakable, so wondrous, so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.
O Father, I thank thee that in fullness of grace thou hat given me to Jesus, to be his sheep, jewel, portion;
O Jesus, I thank thee that in fullness or grace thou hast accepted, espoused, bound me;
O Holy Spirit, I thank thee that in fullness of grace thou hast exhibited Jesus as my salvation, implanted faith within me, subdued my stubborn heart made me one with him for ever.
O Father, thou art enthroned to hear my prayers,
O Jesus, thy hand is outstretched to take my petitions,
O Holy Spirit, thou art willing to help my infirmities, to show me my need, to supply my words, to pray within me, to strengthen me that I faint not in supplication.
O Triune God, who commandeth the universe, thou hast commanded me to ask for those things that concern thy kingdom and my soul.
Let me live and pray as one baptized into the threefold Name.