Christmas is here - 24th December 2014

Christmas Eve 2014

For many millions (even billions) of people, this time of the year brings to mind a special time.
  As I look back on the many sad events of 2014 and consider 2015,  I think of the statement in a book I was reading, The Passion of the Western Mind : Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World View by the historian Richard Tarnas where the author noted at one point, "The one great saving grace in history was the church founded by Jesus Christ"

 It has been cold here in Yeosu.  We have even had some snow but it never settles just falls to earth and melts.
Perhaps you are unsure where exactly we are.  Yeosu is at the bottom of the Korean Peninsular.  It is 4.5 hours by bus from Seoul.    Japan is closer.

Yeosu is the red dot.

Funny/cute story
Last post I told the story of a little 4 year old boy who had come back from a tropical country.  He was amazed at his "breath" when he he exhaled on a cold day.  He was " a dragon".
Actually his family was expelled from the African country with the clothes they were wearing,  the security took everything (including phones and computers).
When they arrived here they had to buy everything again and a TV was not a top priority.
Last week the 4 year old asked could he have a TV.
His father asked, " Why do you want a TV?"
He replied, " To watch cartoons and it is boring here."
(Both his parents are busy doing English homework and additionally his mother is pregnant)
His father explained that he should pray for a TV.  He did so immediately.
The next day they are going home from MTI and his father notices a TV in the pickup rubbish outside our neighborhood shop.  He goes inside and asks if he can have it.
"I'm sorry but it is broken beyond repair." explains the shop keeper.
He tells the story of his son and of course she is charmed.

A happy boy with a TV!

They continue the 10 minute walk home and before they arrived he gets a phone call from the shop keeper.
She had rushed next door as she had remember that the next door shop had just bought a new TV.  They were happy to donate their old one to a little boy so then she had come to the school, got his phone number and... Voila .. prayer answered.

Cultural Story
Korea  is obsessed with education. 70% of High School graduates attend a university.  This is the highest % of OECD countries. The exam pressure on students is immense.  Their exam results determine which university they can attend.  Our blog post of 1/4/2012 gave some details, you can check back if you are interested.
This pressure extends to many areas with Public Service Exams and other areas requiring good exam results to have a chance of appointment.  Unfortunately most education seems to rely on memory.  Original thinking and reasoning are not highly tested or considered.
This pressure leads unfortunately to significant youth suicide at High School and University. 

Food Story
Yes!! My usual topic - food.

We went out as a group.  One person wanted to eat these special Gourmet Korean hamburgers(please note I put the word "gourmet" before the word "Korean" NOT before the work "hamburger".

There had been a program on National TV about this place.  They're so popular that sometimes the wait is 60 mins. Count me in. I'm the man who thinks Mc Donalds is a American invasion but for Korean burgers - I AM there.

It was a hole in the wall!! The counter was on the street and only 4 people standing shoulder to shoulder could be served.

Next door to the Gourmet Korean burgers

I managed to "treat" them all, so we all 8 of us had  Korean gourmet hamburgers - total cost $AUD22. I also had to deal with my new "drunk" friend who was standing there.  He wanted to buy me a special hamburger (or a few drinks), I'm not sure which???  Maybe both!!

Anyway! So what was gourmet? 

Bun, fried in butter, a patty of special beef (as thin as a piece of card), finely sliced cabbage (enough to fill a Tonker truck), scrambled egg with red beans in it, a thick (as thick as your mobile phone) slice of cucumber, a slice of SPAM and all covered/buried/saturated/drowned in  tomato sauce.
DELICIOUS!!!

Me (soon us as Aileen arrives in Seoul in 2 days -boxing day)

There are many people here planning for their future.
Where are they being lead?  Where will they get finances?
Some want/feel lead to go to a dangerous country but their church wants them to go to a safe country.  Others are just not sure. We are greatly humbled by these young (and not so young) enthusiastic Christians.  Please pray for them and that we can help them in some small way to follow their leading.
My class has 7 students.  They are quite an eclectic mix, more about them another day.

Yeosu is on the coast and its waters are famous for fishing and aquaculture.  They cultivate oysters,  fish, seaweed, shell fish and various exotic sea creatures.  It is a very beautiful area.

Yeosu harbour

Yeosu harbour

Aquaculture

Peace and grace at this time of the year.
Robin and Aileen

BACK IN YEOSU, SOUTH KOREA          DECEMBER 2014

I (Robin) am back in South Korea - again.  This time the plan became more complicated with Aileen coming Boxing Day.

She will run a "camp" for the MK kids whose parents are learning English.  There are about 13 of them.  The exciting part is that she has been asked to bring helpers, namely our daughter Katy and our two Grandchildren (Katy's children) Emily and Max.

I have a class of 7 students, and the schools has a total of 32 students - about the maximum they take.

As usual I am impressed even astounded by the students in the school.  Just wonderful people with a diverse background of experience and history.  Unfortunately the stories and names must be confidential.  No photos of many of these people are allowed as they come from places where their friends and co-workers are at risk,  even serious risk.
For this reason you will find no photos on this blog of any significant people.

Some of these people have suffered considerable stress and danger.  Some were thrown out of a country with only the clothes they wore for a fabricated reason.

These people are happy, relaxed (now) and assured they are in the right place.

A funny story: 
A little 4-5 year old Korean boy who has come back with his family from 5 years in a tropical  country.  His first real winter and his first cold day.  He is on the way to kindy and notices that as he breathes out there is a cloud of vapour.
   "Daddy, Daddy look! I must be a dragon."

===//===

Koreans are so busy they no longer say, " We can do it!".   Rather they say, "Weekend Do It!!"

A true story
A group of North Koreans had escaped to China.  They approached a Korean American who visits to help such people.  They asked him to help them get to South Korea.  After some thought he said yes he could help them.  They asked for some time to ask if this was the next step that God wanted them to take.
Twenty minutes later they came back. God had spoken to them and told them to go back to North Korea as "missionaries" - well "underground missionaries" in fact.  They felt that this was certainly what they should do.   
When he returned to the Chinese town again some months later he inquired about the group.  They had indeed returned and had been executed by the North Korean government.

NEWS
Aileen will be here soon.
The food is great and I had a weekend in Busan.  Truly an amazing city.
I suggest you check out the following time lapse of Seoul:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcEWqVnz6SE

Finally some photos - food.

IT'S NOT OFTEN YOU SEE THIS IN KOREA.

NEAR YEOSU

They were certainly fresh and tasty.

Students at a bar b que

Just your average Busan bridge?

Chaing Mai Thailand 28th. April to 3 June 2014

We had not expected to be back teaching again this early in the year but there seemed a need.

Our Hotel $200/month + electricity

We have come to Thailand, the city of Chiang Mai, to help for 5 weeks in an English school.  The school is mainly for Chine** Chr#sti**s.  There are about 33 of them.  All are young, energetic and enthusiastic.


INTERESTING
We are starting to find out more about life in China.  The group is quite complex as they come from many parts of China.  One thing they have in common is their faith.  Another is their way of saying "Grace" before meals.  They thank God for the cooks and food and people who help.  They then say something like, " Please clean our food." 
We found that in China there is so often the danger that food is contaminated that they ask for special protection!

CULTURAL
Thailand is very open, friendly and the food is interesting.
During the week we eat with the students but on weekends we are free to wander around,
Actually Monday to Friday we eat breakfast at a little cafe behind the hotel we are in.  Of course we don't speak or read Thai so just started at the top of the menu and worked through it.  Now we have a translation and have our favourites.  Aileen was horrified to find that one of the things we had eaten in our ignorance was pig's stomach.  We pay about $1 AUD for breakfast and get all the tea we can drink.

For about $3.00 the fish will clean the dead skin on your feet.

US
We are well and the hotel is fine.  It's clean and the staff are friendly.  Our bathroom is tiny but modern although the tiler who did the floor needed a spirit level.  By the time you finish in the shower you are paddling in a couple of centimetres of water!
We have been to a small Thai church nearby (10 minutes walk).  They serve a delicious lunch. The markets here are enormous.  We've visited them several times and walked around for hours without covering them all.  Last Saturday the teachers went on a one day bus trip. It was very cheap and different as we rode on an elephant, had an ox cart ride and went on a raft down a river.

The BEST thing is the students.  It's so stressful for them to be in an English only environment, but they are always cheerful and positive.

We would appreciate your prayers for our teaching and involvement.

The priviledge, pleasure and opportunity to be a small part of teaching these people is fantastic.  We are so fortunate and blessed.


Breakfast is just behind the hotel
                                                         - alfresco style!

We are home in a few weeks so see you then.

Peace and Grace

Robin and Aileen

January 2014 - Yeosu, South Korea

INTERESTING: On Sundays we go to the Korean Service (translated into English) and the English service.  There is lunch in between.
At the Korean service the Senior pastor told the story of a Korean who went to heaven.  When he got there there was a sign, "Under construction".  He was shocked. He asked the angel at the gate, " What does this mean?"
  The angel replied,  " It's because of the  Koreans.  So many of them have cosmetic surgery that we have to build special medical centres to find out who's who."

Korea - land of the morning calm.

CULTURAL: You may know that the Korean War was from 1950 - 1953.

A stream in Central Seoul post Korean war, 1960.

The country was devastated after the Second World War and then the Korean war.
Seoul city was invaded 3 times during the Korean war.

Military coups, corrupt Presidents, civil protests, arrests and even killing their own civilians continued into the 1980s. 

The same stream in Central Seoul 2010

 Poverty was everywhere.  Post 1980+ things began to improve with true democratic elections and honest government.  The contrast is seen in the two photos of the same stream in Central Seoul.

However the 80's were still very difficult for some people.  One of our students is a Pastor in a missionary church in Japan (the old enemy). He told us a story of his childhood.
They were very poor and lived in small house in a depressed part of the country.  They had very little money and very little food. As a young boy he and his brothers begged his parents and eventually prayed for meat to eat.

One day 4 small sparrow like birds flew into the house.  The Father and the boys shouted and quickly closed all the windows.
They ate meat.

US
Lots of staff and students have been sick.  Many of the students are extremely tired after 5 months of immersion English.  We have been fine. Our classes are interesting and varied and weekends we get away on the local bus system and see the surrounding countryside.  As always the bus drivers seem worried as the trip continues and the passengers gradually alight until only we are left.  They arrive at the end of the line and two old people are sitting, smiling in the seats at the back.

 I get up and ask in terrible Korean, " Going back?"  ..... silence?  " How long 10 minutes?"

Our normal limo.

By now he realises that we are not part of the film crew for a new movie about bus hijacking.  He then shows us the time table and we hop off, take some photos and then get back on.  Usually they don't allow us to pay again so we give the driver a small Australian key ring. 
Back at the depot,
"Hey, Yongshin. Let me tell you about the weird Westerners on my bus today ......."
"I know, I know they are old and gave you a key ring, right??"
"How did you know? "
At this point all the other bus drivers hold up key rings they have got!

Aileen thought he was Psy "Gangnam Style"

From the students we hear amazing stories of things that have happened to them that are miraculous.  One of the teachers has worked in India and told a story of an amazing series of events.
 She started by saying, " I think that I met an angel in India .......... "
A long story, but basically at a critical moment a man appeared, solved the problem and then she turned around and he had ... disappeared!

We are blessed to be here.  The sad part, as I say every year, is that we fall in love with many people and then we all go off to different parts of the world.    

We are also encouraged by the attitude of these missionaries of Korea.  They are so positive but like us all have doubts and concerns, yet they go forward in faith.

We are now in the final weeks.  We arrive home on January 28.  Our Australian friends will see us soon.  This will be our last blog.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Peace and Grace
Robin and Aileen