March 2007 Report

Hi Friends

It was a short 31 years ago today that Yong Hui and I were married somewhere between the Eighth Army Staff Judge Advocate’s Office, the Office of the Mayor of Seoul, and the U.S. Embassy. A lot has happened since then and we have lived all over the world, but the bottom line is that I would do it all over again, but I would try to be more romantic this time around.

We finish this month ready for the Easter Season. It is still hard to believe how the crowds waving palm branches on Palm Sunday were crying “Crucify Him” within that same week. But the good news is that He is not in the grave, but He is risen! That has been our theme at ICS.

Of course, all the soldiers are tired now because they have completed a 31-day long march.

On 1 March the commander of the Joint Security Area, Panmunjom invited me for a tour of the area because he had heard I was not able to walk around the Panmunjom Poplar Tree Site when I was on a USO sponsored tour. I took 6 other teachers and we had a great day as we toured the area. I was embarrassed about the special treatment I received but was glad to do things that I had always wanted to do – walk half way across the Bridge of No Return, look at North Korea from Observation Post Ouellette, and take a picture of a North Korean guard from North Korea. We all prayed for North Korea on North Korean soil as we were in the Military Armistice Commission Meeting room. That was special to pray for the country that persecutes Christians most on its own soil.

I am the coach of the swim team and our verse is II Timothy 4:7 as we endeavor to “Fight the good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith.” This was important because five of our swimmers started unable to swim one lap. (Now we only have three unable to swim 25 meters). Several others could not complete the 50-meter swims that are the minimal distance. In fact, at a prayer and praise session at my school I remarked any swimming practice is good when I do not drown a student. My assistant coach remarked after one meet that “we single-handedly added 10 minutes to the length of the meet” as three of our swimmers stayed in the pool to finish their laps long after everyone else had finished. I am proud of their effort in finishing the course. I have the girls team that swam in our first meet pictured. There are now two more girls and we have 8 boys (who broke my camera when I took their picture).

This was an interesting month as our seniors are getting accepted to colleges and as they share in the excitement of preparing to go off to the real world. (Seniors in my classes are going to the University of Washington, Purdue, Wheaton, Liberty – to name a few)We had a teacher for the United States talk at chapel and to our biology classes on Creation verses Evolution and why we can believe the Bible. That was a very important series (3 days) for our school in general and our seniors in particular as they will be questioned on their Christian faith when they leave the shelter of our school.

Yong Hui continues to serve here in Uijongbu. She prays daily from 0500 to 0600 at the local Korean Church which is one block from our house. She has her Bible Study on Tuesday and helps clean the church on Thursdays. If that is not enough, she is preparing to be an acupuncturist by attending classes every Wednesday morning.

We finished the Wild at Heart by John Eldridge Bible study and are now going through Max Lucado’s Facing Your Giants as we are looking at the life of David. There is a neat slogan: Focus on Giants – You stumble. Focus on God – Your Giants Tumble. I will lead the next lesson on 14 April that will focus on Raging Sauls and Desperate Days. These lessons are very appropriate for the leaders of the Warrior Division. By the way, we all rejoiced with the Division Chaplain Mike Durham who was promoted to Colonel this month.

There are several prayer requests and praises for us:
• Pray for Tammy as she goes to Slovakia on mission from 8-14 April.
• Praise God for the Experiencing God class I led during Sunday School . I refreshed a lot of concepts I had not thought about for a long time.
• Tim and Jason are in a Bible Study on the Driven By Eternity by John Bevere and need prayer as they sort through doctrine and what this book says. They are doing the study on Wednesdays at our house.
• Yong Hui needs wisdom as she continues her Bibles studies.
• Our school and church sent out one mission team and the Uijongbu Community Church sent out another mission team during Spring Break. Both went to the Philippines. Pray for protection and for success.
• Pray our swimming team will finish strong as we have a friendly meet on 14 April at home and the KAIAC championship of 28 April to go.
• I have the chapel message on 2 May, pray for me as I prepare it.
• Our Uijongbu Baptist Church changes pastors this month. Pray for Pastor Kelley who returns to the United States after 12 years here and pray for Pastor Tom Vasel as he assumes the duties of the senior pastor.