Back in Seoul

I flew back to Seoul two and a half weeks ago. I was surprised and blessed to find a co-worker/friend on my flight. I quickly settled in to both my apartment and my classroom, unpacking and reacquainting myself with friends as well as meeting the new staff members. Students began to trickle in--some to buy supplies and some just to say hello. Seeing students from last year reminded me of relationships God has allowed me to build, which made me think about opportunities He will open up this year with new and former students. The excitement built and I had a hard time sleeping as the first day of school quickly approached. Now--the first week is behind us and I am exhausted but happy.
Last year, I unintentionally came across a red light district here in Seoul. My eyes were filled with tears as I thought about how hard it would be to accept God's grace if you didn't feel like you could ever be "clean" enough to gain it. Ever since then, God has given me a heavy burden to pray for these women. He has pointed me in the direction of a prayer walking ministry, which will restart soon after breaking for the summer. Also, he has been allowing me to push on a door to volunteer with the Night Light ministry in Bangkok, Thailand over Chusok break in late September. This is something that Rachel Carpenter and I are praying over and I would appreciate your prayers as we sort out the details and make a decision.
I was really excited and blessed to receive a package from camp--I love love love getting these letters--I only let myself read one at a time...to stretch it out! Thank you sooooo much for the very American package and the thoughtful encouragement!

Winding Down

I'm sitting here listening to some of the 8th graders share about what God taught them on our Immersion trip to Singapore/Indonesia--what an amazing group of kids we have!

...when I wrote that we had only been back a week--but it still seemed like another life. A slow paced life--such a great experience for our students--most haven't even seen poverty close up and they are surrounded by a stress filled busy atmosphere.

I want to share some things the students contributed at our follow-up meeting.

Sophia, 8th grade, "It's wonderful how God knows each and every one of us and waits so long for us to come to Him."

SangWu, 8th grade, "I actually felt God working in the people around me."

It was VERY exciting to hear their reactions and pray with our small groups one more time. I don't get to see my girls very often because I am not teaching any of them this quarter. (ok, as I was typing this two of my girls stopped in for a hug, but I really don't see them very often) It seems like God is continuing to work in Julie--please pray for her. She still seems to have a "works-based" understanding what Christianity is.

Thank you for your prayers and support as we traveled. It was an amazing experience--many students slowed down and heard God, some for the first time.

Time flies...

Well, another quarter has ended...the most stressful one yet...but third quarter always seems to be that way, no matter what school I am teaching at.
The countdown to Indonesia is on! God is so good--I don't really understand how the money was all there, but just when I was ready to send out an e-mail asking for help I noticed my bank account was full...
Please pray for Julie, an 8th grader who I have had a few chances to talk to. The first time she shared that she knew something was lacking in her life, but said that if she was in Bible class she would be fine. God opened the door to talk about a personal relationship--what that is and how going to chapel, Bible class, and/or church is not what He is looking for. Then we had a lock-in for the Immersion participants--to teach them some of the skills needed for Indonesia (how to teach English, games, songs, etc.) and study scripture. On Saturday morning, I was exhausted, but after a time of singing and prayer Julie approached me in tears. She confessed that she had originally only wanted to go on the trip because it seemed fun and her friends were going. God was able to use me, even through my physical tiredness (He's good like that!). I shared again with Julie, God specifically made it clear that I should share my testimony, and we prayed. She is thinking and God is breaking her. Please pray that He will use this trip to help her move past whatever she is putting between herself and really falling head over heels in love with Jesus.
We will be assigned small groups to disciple for the trip too, please pray that I will listen as the Holy Spirit directs, I am thrilled to have an opportunity to meet with just a few girls on a daily basis! Discipleship is the focus of the trip, and we have some opportunities to work in schools--both teaching and doing work projects. We will leave Friday, April 2nd, early from the school and return Saturday the 10th--then I will teach again on Monday the 13th. Pray that God will give me the energy I need to finish the semester!
Thank you for your prayers, your e-mails, facebook posts, and letters--I have been encouraged by your steadfastness--many here do not have the continued support that I have, I am blessed (spoiled!) Really, I know other SWO missionaries have shared this, but God's timing in leading you to write me is PERFECT--the timing and the topics.

One Semester Down...

Just a year ago I was back to teaching in Andrews, NC, after celebrating Christmas in Iowa with my family and New Year's with one of my best friends in WI.

I gave my parents and my sister and her husband each a copy of the book, Revolution in World Missions and informed them that God had made it clear to me that serving Him overseas was part of His plan for me. Even after sharing that and staying up late talking it all over with Kristin the few days I was in Wisconsin, I had NO clue God would open the doors so quickly--and I did NOT think it would be in Korea! So, it felt pretty surreal to decorate a little tree in a classroom in Seoul and then to wear a Santa hat on a beach in Thailand on Christmas day!!

God has already stretched me--further than I knew I could go--and the peace I feel resting in Him is reminiscent of the peace I felt going through the hardest person time I have ever gone through--there is a sweet peace in perseverance. Yet, this isn't a dark time. I am surrounded by believers who challenge me and I have opportunities to travel and see parts of God's beautiful creation that I never imagined seeing, touching, or hearing for myself.

I spent 10 relaxing days exploring just one small section of Thailand and filling journal pages with lists of people and things I felt overwhelming thankfulness for. It was wonderful to be able to read, study, and pray with out any "clock-watching." The open worship of Buddha and the lack of morals was constantly in sight, yet I had one of the delightful times with the Lord that I have ever had. It has bled into this new semester as I have woken up talking to Him and a longing to grow in my relationship fills me.

Please continue to pray for me, I cannot tell you all how many times I have been encouraged by the knowledge that prayers are being sent out on my behalf--some days that realization gets me through a homesick moment or a struggle in the classroom. I am meeting Mondays after school with the staff and students who will travel to Indonesia in April. Pray that these times are challenging and that the students come away with more Biblical knowledge and a deeper hunger for Christ. Also, if you will pray for my financial support for that trip. I will need to send out letters soon to raise about a thousand dollars. Please pray also that I will show God's love to my students!

In Christ Alone--Shelli

The Long Awaited First Blog from Korea

It is the end of the first quarter…and I haven’t written a blog since arriving in Korea almost 3 months ago. Now I have the task of some major summarization ahead of me!

I feel like I am getting the hang of living in Seoul. My apartment is about a 30-40 walk from the school. I try to walk home often, which has helped me have a better grasp on where things are located. It also gives me a chance to meet people along the way. I have been surprised by the lack of warmth Koreans show. I have made a connection with the couple who run the grocery store near my apartment, but until I learn some Korean the relationship probably won’t deepen much.

Right now school takes up most of my time and coaching JV volleyball eats at the remainder. I hadn’t planned on coaching this year, but God impressed on my heart that it was a great opportunity to minister to girls I wouldn’t have the chance to meet otherwise. It has been stressful at times, but I am so grateful that God allowed me to have the chance to be a part of this team. I have seen growth, not just in skill, but also in teamwork and how they treat one another off of the court. We have started praying as a team and the girls are actually volunteering to take a turn at it now. I had a few who were actively leaving out Emily, my one white girl (Canadian), and it seems like that has dissipated. The “leader of the pack” actually asked Emily if they could warm up together –if this doesn’t seem like a big deal to you pretend you are 15 and in a different country than where you lived for 13 years and that you are the only white person on the team—that’s a HUGE deal to a teenager! Anyway, it has been encouraging to see change.

Many of my students come from privileged families, but a tendency towards becoming a workaholic seems to run deeply among their parents. It is heartbreaking to hear some of their stories. They have the newest technology; the fanciest phone and a touch iPod, but one girl casually mentioned that she only sees her Dad on Saturdays. One brilliant female student is extremely hard on herself because her Father has made it clear that only his son matters to him. He has even voiced this to teachers. This has turned her into a perfectionist of immense proportions. Please pray that I will have wisdom in dealing with the various situations.

I miss family and friends, but I haven’t dealt with intense homesickness. It’s just a moment-by-moment thing. I can say, like many others before me, the SWO letters came at EXACTLY the right moment….right in the middle of a terrible, no good, very bad day! God is so good to me!

I was able to go to the Philippines and work for a few days with a church and a school there. Korea has a harvest celebration called Chusok, which gave us a few extra days off of school. By the time we left Korea our team was whittled down to three, but we all knew God had called us to go—amidst the storm—so off we flew. This trip was eye opening for me to say the least. I was impacted by the contrast of the Philippines to where I live and teach, which has made it difficult to adjust now that I have returned. The people there have nothing--but are filled with joy. The church was truly a modern world example of the Acts church. The pastor doesn’t receive a pay check and people just provide for his needs. We often could not determine whose child was whose without asking. They all take care of one another, literally. It is a church of broken people, a church that demonstrated grace unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. They brought in and loved on people who were actively rejected by other Christians. It is something we are still mulling over and fully expecting God to use in our lives.

Thank you for your prayers, your love and support, and your letters! Some days that is what God uses to keep me going!

Korean Konnection

I just finished two weeks of pre-field orientation (pfo) in Southaven, MS (near Memphis). It was encouraging to be around 180 people who are going to a variety of countries through the same organization. Several times during the two weeks we broke up into small groups, which helped me to meet women going to different countries and form neat friendships with them. I was also able to meet most of the other new teachers going to Seoul as well as my principal and a few returning staff members who came to help out with pfo. They covered a variety of topics including personality types, TCK's (third-culture kids), moral purity, and transition to name a few.

We took two personality type tests before arriving at pfo and not only received the results, but had an opportunity to discuss them one-on-one with our advisor/small group leader. My personality type tends to be really excited about starting things and not so great at completing them. I make plans that are bigger than my attention span. I need to learn to be more realistic when planning and to have more will power in following through on things.

Then, in the middle of the week a member of the church I grew up in, one of my former high school teachers and the football coach, was murdered. The grief was overwhelming, but it also made me reflect on how much he had impacted me as a Christian teacher in a public school and simply as a man of God. I am so thankful that I shared that with him in the recent past, but there are many people who influenced me in whom I have not taken the time to thank. As a result of the session on transition I knew I needed to go home to have the closure I would need. Not only did I need to say goodbye to a Godly man, I needed to hug and say goodbye to so many in the church I grew up in. I made a quick trip home and was blessed to attend church and the visitation with my family before returning to finish pfo.

Although I dread the goodbyes and anticipate missing family and friends, I am excited about this new adventure God is leading me on.