Leaders: Stephen and Vanessa
Team Members: Jana, Kevin, Sol, Bea, Marcela, Stephanie, and Marissa
Task: Teaching English to local middle school students.
Departure @ CBU Globe: Monday, July 20 @ 4:30 am
Update #1: Tuesday, July 21 @ 7:00 am - Greetings from Korea! We have arrived safely at the Global Vision Christian School and with all of our luggage. Even though our plane ride was quite long, we are all in good spirits ready to tour a bit of the country before we get to work planning for the camp later on this week. We were also able to easily connect up with Sol at the airport, who was already here in the country. We had our first Korean food, which everyone agrees was tasty, though everyone had different opinions about the spiciness of it. Tomorrow should prove to be a more active day, so the next update should prove to have a bit more detail.
Please pray for:
- Rest!
- That our eyes would be open for opportunities to share.
- That we would have our focus on serving.
- That our attitudes and lives would be an example.
- That we might not only come here to give, but also to learn and receive.
In His name, Stephen
Update #2: Thursday, July 21 - An-yong! So, we have now been in Korea for 2 and a half days and have already experienced many new things. We have become pros at sightseeing and eating food, since it seems as though that is all we have been doing. We saw all of Korea in one day (hyperbole), which in the words of Sol, was" very tiring and very fun." The school here has been incredibly generous to us with transportation and meals, so parents have no fear, your children are being well taken care of. We toured many museums, a king’s tomb, a Korean drama set (for all you Korean drama fans out there), a fort with the “great wall of Korea,” and the 1,000 year old tower. We are also getting used to the sticky climate. Today was actually supposed to be the hottest day of the year in Korea (This global awareness college group gave us free fans.); however, we beg to differ. Yesterday was definitely hotter.
Due to the epidemic of swine flu in America, we have been required to get our temperatures checked every morning and evening, which is more at the request of the parents of the students that we will be teaching. Happily, we have all passed the temp tests…so far. Speaking of which, we did not need the doctor’s notes in the airport. We have become very used to pleasant miscommunication and schedule changes. Deviation!
Today we met the rest of our group…20 other college students (8 from APU and the rest from all over SoCal), which proved to be a great test of our reservoir of patience and love. Mob Squad, you have taught and prepared us well, and we greatly appreciate you. It is a new challenge, but a good one. Touring around Seoul with 30 people must have been a pretty amazing sight for the locals.
It is a little strange for us to not yet be doing our assigned task (Sol feels like he’s on vacation), but we are enjoying getting to know some of the culture and history before we are locked into the classroom. We are waiting with anticipation to begin orientation on Saturday and starting to teach Monday.
Please pray for patience and grace as we finish this first week, for sufficient rest as we will have a full schedule of teaching starting next week, and for faithfulness in the opportunities God gives us with our students and teacher aides, as well as the other volunteer teachers. Thank you for all your prayers and support. Over and out, Stephanie and Sol
Update #3: Monday, July 27 - We just completed our first day of teaching at the English camp here at GVCS and are now in the midst of planning the lessons for tomorrow. Teaching days are very long, with the schedule beginning at 7am for breakfast and ending in the evening at about 9pm (not counting planning time after). Our team had a very challenging but memorable time today, with some classes having many outgoing students that are ready to learn, while others took a lot more energy to get involved. Needless to say, we are all very tired and ask for your prayers in that area. Please also keep our health in your prayers, as we have a limited number of teachers and only a little room to shift around.
The Saturday and Sunday prior to the camp were fairly full with the planning portions of our weekly activities. Our camp consists of English instructional time, extra-curricular activities (dance, speech, journalism, chorus, and drama), and situational dialogue training (at the hospital, travel agency, police station, bank, and post office). All taught in English of course. We are also partnered with a Korean volunteer in our classroom to assist if necessary with any translation that may be needed. The volunteers are great, and we are becoming great friends with them.
We are lucky to be able to have some great worship and prayer times in the evenings, and are also able to attend the campus church on Sundays. This week's teaching was on suffering and joy, and was very thought-provoking for us.
Keep the camp in prayer, that it will continue to work as planned, and the wrinkles will be ironed out to make it as great of a camp as possible. Also pray that we will show God's love and mercy through our interaction with the students.
In His name, Stephen
Update #4: Thursday, July 30 - It is 11:39 pm and we are all exhausted! The team started teaching on Monday, and it was so hectic. The school did not have the English camp planned out, so Steve and some members of the other team, which is helping at the camp with us, made the schedule and planned out pretty much the whole camp. They did such a good job.
Today was the fourth day of the camp and it went so well. I have the students who know a lot of English, but today was very exciting. My co-teacher and native Korean Silvia, who helps explain rules and things such as that, was absent. It was the best class day out of the week. The kids seemed to be responding and wanting to try to communicate all day. They used English and actually tried to make sense of what was going on instead of asking Silvia to explain. They, also, spoke in full sentences. It was amazing! It was what we have been trying to work toward the whole time.
Also, I got to share my faith with 2 students today. One girl, who hangs out with me all the time, but her family does not believe in Jesus. She was open to listening but did not really understand. The second girl asked what the word forgiven on my ring meant. I explain and she seemed very interested. It was very exciting, and it uplifted my spirits. Please pray for those two girls, Rachel and Kristine. Also pray that God will use me in their lives.
Ok bed time and a 17 hour day tomorrow. Please keep praying for the team and our task. - Lee She Yeon (Jana)
The children here are amazing! It is so crazy how God’s love for these children and the Korean people have filled my heart. Within four days, the kids in my level 3 English class have definitely found a place in my heart. I cannot believe how fast the days have gone! Tomorrow will be the last day with my level 3 English class, and I am going to miss them so much! There are two students in particular whom I really love: David and Jackie. These two boys always amaze me with how much they participate and pay attention to the lesson. Jackie is actually a level 4 student and he is a great help during class. Today we had a spelling bee race and the students really seemed to respond to that well. It has just been wonderful to be able to be apart of their lives, even if it has been only for one week. It has also been amazing to witness and enjoy God’s wisdom, beauty, and creativity being expressed through each child’s personality. Thank you for your continual prayers. One more week to go! - Kim Bo Yeung (Bea) Yes, I have been given a Korean name.
Update #5: Monday, August 3 - Hey everyone! Things are going well in Korea. We just finished up the first week of English camp. Some of us will continue on with the same students for one more week, and others (like me) got brand new kids today!
We were able to relax and attend a worship service here at the school this last Sunday, and were greatly encouraged from Exodus 3 to finish the tasks that He has given us to do, and to bring the holiness of God wherever we go. I wanted to write this update to share a story with you. As we teach, we have a Korean volunteer in the room translating for us. They also share a dorm room with the students since the students stay at the school all week. Well, one of the volunteers (Debbie) was staying with 3 of my students.
One night, they were afraid of the graves they saw near the school and Debbie shared with them that she is not afraid of that. She is not afraid of death, and she went on to tell them all about the Lord. All three 6th grade girls asked her many questions and they stayed up almost all night talking about Jesus! The girls were only here for a week, but on Saturday they said they did not want to go home, and they gave Debbie a note thanking her for explaining to them who Jesus is and stating that they want to follow him for the rest of their lives! Praise God for people like Debbie who sacrifice their time and energy in doing His work even at around 2 or 3 AM!
We all came to Korea for many reasons, but one thing I wasn’t expecting and what God is continually showing me is the genuine faith of my Korean brothers and sisters. They have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome. They work really hard, and they always give the glory to God. They are also so grounded in the faith. Please pray that we would continue to take advantage of all the opportunities God gives us to share His love and truths with our students and for our continued rest. Praise God for the way that he has been so faithful to provide for our physical and spiritual needs.
To Him be the glory, Vanessa (Lee Ga Yeong)
Update #6: Saturday, August 8 - An-young from Korea! These past couple of days, we have been preparing for the end of our trip because it is coming very soon. Yesterday, we finished our last day of teaching, and today we had our final closing ceremony for the 1-week camp and 2-week camp students and their parents. I actually think today was my favorite day because I really felt that my students appreciated me and loved me! When we were saying goodbye almost all of the kids were crying and even some of the boys. It was so sweet to see that they really did care. Unfortunately, seeing them cry made me just start balling, but they were definitely happy tears. Today was definitely a bittersweet day because we are excited to come home, but at the same time we are leaving a wonderful place full of new friends that we might not get to see again. However, the sweet part is that we know all of their names and we will be continuously praying for them and definitely get to see some of them in heaven!
Since the students left today, we had to do some cleaning up around the campus. And boy did the leaders of the program put us to work. We needed to move chairs and desks from classrooms on the third and second floor of one building to the first floor of another building. It was crazy at first, but soon we made a system and everyone was doing their part. After our furniture moving, we had to clean all of the classrooms and bathrooms that were used, including the chapel. Since there were so many of us, it actually worked out pretty well. I feel that today there were many times where Satan used our anger and frustration to get under our skin and try to burst our joy. Fortunately, we all broke through and we finished our task at hand.
Later this evening we went out to dinner with our Korean volunteers for the last time. When it was time for most of them to go, if I had a nickel for every tear that fell, I would be rich! We all had gotten to know each other very well, and it was so sad to see everyone go. I know that the Lord put us here at GVCS for a reason, and He put the Korean volunteers here for a reason too! Who knows, maybe we’ll all come back next year and be reunited again!
Please continue praying for our team, but also for the other American students that came also. We are going to have a very hard time saying goodbye in the next couple of days. Also, please keep the Korean volunteers in your prayers. Most of them are starting back up in school soon and others will be traveling home in the next few days. In Christ, Marissa
This week was a blessing. God has been teaching me a lot since I got here. I learned that with Him I can do all things, even teach English which is not my first language. The opportunity to come and teach brought me more confidence in myself, and took away my shame of talking in front of a big number of people. Sometimes I felt I wouldn’t be able to make it; however, I definitely saw God’s presence while teaching. The kids were an encouragement to me. I could see the purity in their hearts, and how God is definitely close to them. I pray that when they get older they will accept Christ in their hearts and that someday they will be part of God’s family.
Today was the last day. We had the closing ceremony. It was sad to leave them all. Many of them were crying and saying that they love me. It really touched my heart, and definitely showed me God’s faithfulness regardless of my decision to come and serve in Korea. It’s amazing to see how He is present everywhere, and in every situation. I taught dance class; we had a presentation today and the kids did really well. I was having issues last week about teaching dance to the other kids; however, this week I had a new mind set and I did it for God, only for him. It is so much different when you enter the classroom with this attitude. If you do it for him, he will definitely be there helping you and showing his love through the kids. They were a blast during their presentation in the closing ceremony, and I am sure they did it because they love me, and they love me because God was there with me the whole week. It is all about relationship and love, nothing else. It will be hard to leave; however, it was a great experience. Keep praying for us as we will have one more day over here and our flight back home is on Monday. God bless! - Marcela