So I am finally finding out what it means to miss home.

 It has got nothing to do with the building structure I grew up in but the fact that my parents do not look more happy anywhere else in the world but in that house. 

That my best girlfriend is sleeping in my bed because she misses me that much and I cannot be there to join the pajama part. 

That my best guy friend is sleeping on my 4 year old nephew’s bed and I envy him. I know I miss them because I burst out in tears when I saw my granny. 

Because it seems my brother is becoming a man and I am missing it.

All I actually wanted to say is that between the ski resorts, Busan trips, Seoul adventures and even Bali vacations there is still only one thing that I crave, and that is my family.

Miss you guys so much.

Cherry Blossoms!

My friends (2 couples from the states) invited me to go with them to Jinhae to the cherry blossom Festival 2012. So excited since I thought I might miss seeing the cherry blossoms and there have been much talk about these cherry blossom trees. As a South African I have not seen them. Maybe they are in SA, I just never took notice.

Shame what good friends, the squeezed in, in the back to make space for me.
From left is Amanda Grove, Chelsea Diamond and myself. On your way to Busan.

Costco inside

Just thought it was funny how they
tied the fish up together.

So in the car (6.40 is very early….) we jetted of to Busan first for a very imported stop. Costco. Wanted to be there nice and early to miss the masses. In south Africa terms, it is very similar to our Macro stores. Where you can buy produce on large scale.  Ready to shop at 9, we found out the store only opens at 10!!! No reason, just changed the time….. so we ended having to kill time. I guess the early bird forgot the worm might still be sleeping. Wish I had budgeted to do groceries there. First place I have seen where I would dare to buy any red meat. Also, they had these amazing hot dogs and cola for 2$. Absolutely delicious. It seemed as if Derik enjoyed a lot. Funny how out of everything you could possibly by i walked out with a bottle of red wine. Somethings will just never change.

Streets of Jinhae

Then the long drive to Jinhae began. The drive was beautiful, with Cherry blossoms all along the road. We took a chance and hope that they were in full bloom. Luckily for us a lot of the trees were in full bloom. There are different shades of cherry blossoms. A pinkish, light purple blossom or a white blossom. I fell in love with the white blossoms. The bigger the trees, the more amazing it looked. As you drive down the town area of Jinhae its just cherry blossom trees everywhere.

Chelsea and I in the cherry blossom spirit

Street with stream in the middle and the
wooden walk way on both sides

Same stream but from down
below.

This is us just trying to get some shots of
the stream.

On the dech trying to take my picture
 without  someone stealing my spot

Just walking around Jinhae

We came to the festival area and there were so many people. Koreans as well as foreigners. Everyone trying to get the perfect shot of the cherry blossoms. The festival was this two sided street up the hill with a stream running in the middle of the 2 roads. It had a beautiful wooden walk way all along the stream with the cherry blossoms hanging over the stream. 

Only problem was there were

Amazing waffles!

 so many people so had to 

kind of push your way into taking a photo, and even then you had to 

wait for people to pass or ignore 

the idiot pushing you on the side.

We wanted to take a picture of all 5 of us in the shot so Jeremy would let the Koreans just walk past us and look at their cameras. When he saw a couple with a professional looking camera he stopped them and asked to take our picture. Then suddenly this random korean guy jumped into the shot and just wanted to take a photo with foreigners. SO weird!

One option was whale meat

Now I have to mention the amazing street food we ate. It as a waffle folded in two with cream and strawberry/blackberry jam in the middle. It was to die for. But there many other things you could also eat. Now

Koreans can build a little restaurant just where ever they want to. Fold up chairs, tents and tables and you have yourself a Korean restaurant. Many of the menu's also comes with pictures. The down side of that is you know exactly what you are eating. I have heard of many weird things you can eat in Korean but have not yet seen any of these so called crazy foods. Until this festival. If the little feet on the larvae they sell you do not freak you out, their smell will definitely. Or the big being BBQ in the middle of the street with the feet and head as additional snack. 

Beautiful view going up the stairs

But the craziest and saddest thing i saw 

at this festival was the whale you could eat.

The chunks of whale meat and fin could be seen from the street into the movable restaurant. Needless to say, i did not try the whale.  

There was another street filled with vending shops and street food and just silly things you could buy. There streets bike you could hire to drive around and do sight seeing 

and then at the end of your trip you just return the bike. With a lot of people making their way up and down the street. We decided to go up to the tower looking out on Jinhae. 

The only problem was you had to climb 365 stairs. One for each day. Up the hill. But the surroundings were beautiful and the climb quick. Then we had to climb another 8 floors stairs up the tower. But worth every step as the view on top was unbelievable.

So the view from the top of the tower was beautiful. The tower is designed that on each floor you can walk in a circle and get a 360 degree view of Jinhae. Definitely worth the stairs we had to climb. Coming down Jeremy and Derik found these hoola hoops. Unfortunately I don't have the pics to show, but it was hilarious to see these guys move there hips to get these hoola hoops swinging. 

Exhausted we made our way back to the car. Felt bad for Jeremy having to drive back as us girls got a  nap in at the back. It was a lovely day all in all and i love seeing all the different places Korea has to over. Loving the festivals and love sharing it with awesome friends.

I just realized again that God is amazing as He made every little single little pedal, every little flower, every tree and every person looking at these flower. What a blessing to see His wonder.

Saying hallo/goodbye?

Wow so people told me way back when I just got here, that the first few months in Korea is tough. I didn’t really understood what they meant with tough but I do know now. And yes, it was, first time moving away from home. No friends, doing things like paying bills, working long hours and never having money as student loans needs to be paid. It’s tough. You are forced to grow up. If you want to or not.

But then something else happens…

You pass 3 months and suddenly Korea opens itself up to you. One of the most exciting things is the new people that you meet. You make great friends with Belgiums, Canadians, Scottish, Koreans, English, Irish, people from India, Philippines ,South Africa, Sweden, Norway, New Zeeland and of course the Americans from North Carolina, NY, Texas, California, Mississippi, Florida, Chicago, Kansas and even Nebraska. You name it. You start to build friendships, do coffee dates, have BBQ’s and suddenly you find that your weekends are booked for the next month. These people are beautiful, and everyone have their own unique stories to tell. It seems as that there is always something to talk about or a new coffee shop to try out.

But there is one thing that gets to me. Just as fast as these people come into your live, they leave just as quickly again. You just never know for how long a person will be in your live. And it is not by choice. It is just how South Korea with its traveling foreigners works. Not even to mention trying to start up a relationship or making any long term plans.

Gail Hutchison Tait

So I would just like to use this blog to quickly mention two specific people. I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderfull woman.

Gail Hutchison Tait, from Ireland, wow, what an amazing women this is. A heart pure as gold, beautiful, and loving Jesus with everything in her. Unfortunately it is Gail’s time to leave Korea and go back to Ireland. Making a difference in people lives there as well, I can just bet on it. Gail my new friend, you will be missed by me and many other people. Cannot wait to see you again one day. May the Lord hold, bless and protect your family where ever you are in the world. And may our paths cross again.

Este Snyman

So as one friend leaves an old one makes a return! And who else than Este Snyman (Ester Jan Malan). One of my friends who decided to do a second year. She is a breath of fresh air and loving her spirit and joyfulness she brings to the party. Welcome back Este, I can't wait for our fun times to begin. May it be a blessed year for you in South Korea and may you, and your roomy see a lot of me. hehe.

To anyone reading this blog, if you have the privilege of meeting new people. Take 5 minutes and really talk to this person you just met as you never know when that person might leave again. Be thankful for the time you do get to share with your new found friends, as it will be over before you can even say, new friend in South Korea.   

Be a man or a women of one book, the bible!

Ok so I decided to share my Sunday sermons which I receive at church with everyone reading the blog. This is my interpretation of the word received. Please feel free to add whenever you feel like it. I love to hear other opinions as well even if it is not the same as mine. The sermons received are by the great men of the Okpo foreigner’s church whom unselfishly give up their time to preach or lead a group of people hungry to learn and love Jesus and the word more. So I cannot take credit for the postings at all  credit goes to God Almighty as I believe these sermons are the Holy Spirit working in these men to give us Gods message Sunday after Sunday. So, thank you to the brave men, taking leadership, teaching and just giving a part of themselves every Sunday. I have not known a finer group of men.

This blog is not the sermon itself but the notes I took out of the sermon. What I found interesting, verses that I looked up and had a small home bible study on it. So if it doesn’t make sense. Sorry. It does for me.

Sunday 1 April

Sermon by Tyson Breedlove

A relationship with God through His word

-          Taking a word out of the bible and believing it fully. Not just reading it, but believing it.

-          If people’s words have such a great affect on our lives, should Gods word not have an even bigger affect on our lives?

-          You have to take the whole bible, not just here and there. It’s the whole book or nothing.

John 6:63

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

Dit is die Gees wat lewend maak, die vlees is van geen nut nie; die woorde wat Ek tot julle spreek, is gees en is lewe.

Heb 4:12

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Want die word van God is lewend en kragtig en skerper as enige tweesnydende sward, en dring deur tot die skeiding van siel en gees en van gewrigte en murg, en is ‘n beoordeelaar van die oorlegginge en gedagtes van die hart.

-          God can create, break, make and even change

1.       The bible needs to be studied

Col 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sings psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Laat die word van Christus ryklik in julle woon in alle wysheid. Leer en vermaan mekaar met psalms en lofsanhe en geestelike liedere, en sing in julle hart met dankbaarheid tot eer van die Here

I have always heard people talk about doing bible study in the mornings and never really understood why? What difference was it going to make? But the bible has that way of sculpting your faith. Refining your faith. And mostly giving answers to questions we have. Sometimes we don’t even realize that we have questions until you read the bible and you realize that you just read the answer. Also studying the bible acts as a guideline in living each day for me. When in doubt, open your bible.

2 Tim 2:15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth

Le jou daarop toe om jou beproef voor God te stel as ‘n werker wat hom nie hoef te skaam nie, wat die word van die waarheid reg sny.

2.       The bible needs to be stored up in your heart

Deut 11:18

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your forehead.

Le dan hierdie woorde van my weg in julle hart en in julle siel, en bind dit as ‘n teken op julle hand en laat dit as ‘n voorhoofsband tussen julle oe wees.

The verses needs to be memorized so that you can  carry it with you where ever you go. So that you can keep repeating it until you fully believe it is a promise God made and He will be true to his promises.

3.       The bible must be rightly divided

John 14:24

He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Hy wat My nie life het nie, bewaar my woorde ; en die word wat julle hoor, is nie myne nie, maar is van die Vader wat My gestuur het.

-          Rightly divided? I was like, “what the heck does that mean”?? But it makes perfect sense. We enjoy some books in the bible more than others. We tend to enjoy the writings of one author more than the other. But we need to study and listen equally to each book in the bible. Have the same kind of respect for all the books. The Lord speaks through all the authors, not just the popular ones.

-          You need to read and listen to all the Authors in the bible, as the word still comes through the Holy Spirit and one book is not more important than the other.

4.       The bible must be studied in community

Heb 10:24-25

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 En laat ons op mekaar ag gee om tot liefde en goeie werke aan te spoor; en laat on sons onderlinge byeenkoms nie versuim soos sommige die gewoonte het nie, maar laat ons mekaar vermaan, en dit des te meer namate julle die dag sien nader kom.

It is fine to study your bible on your own, but the Lord tells us that it needs to happen with other people to. We have to share our studies. Encourage each other to read and study the bible together, if its once a week in a coffee shop, someone’s house, bible study group. It must be studied in community.

5.       The bible must be studied with prayer

Psalms 119:18

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Open my oe, date k kan sien die wonders uit u wet.

1 cor 2:14

The man without the spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Maar die natuurlike mens neem die dinge van die Gees van God bie aan nie; want dit is vir hom dwaasheid, en hy kan dit nie verstaan nie, omdat dit gesstelik beoordeel word.

The bible can be read, but we need the presence of the Jesus to work in us while we read or do bible study. And we can find God and his presence through prayer. The Holy Spirit has a way of showing you the greatness of Jesus.  You can read a verse and make the meaning of the verse something you want to read. Not necessarily what it really means. Our minds can play wonderful tricks on us to give us what we think we want. To ease our conscience when we know we are doing something wrong but don’t want to give it up. Pray. Pray before reading the bible. Ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you, so that you can read the truth, even if it’s not what we want to hear.

BE A MAN OR WOMEN OF ONE BOOK, THE BIBLE!

Loving this chuch, and the great group of people in it.

(photo by..I think Tyson)