Hello. It's Me Again. Living By Faith

Hello. It's me again. This is what I looked like last Thursday on a crisp autumn day here in Seoul. This photo was one I took after stepping off the cable car that I took with Dawn and Petros to the top of Namsan, which is near the YeoMyung school where I have been teaching the weekly English language Bible class for the past two weeks. I was enjoying the fact that I had finished the class and was on my way up to see the famous N Tower and the other sights to behold at the top of the mountain. Another reason for the smile on my face was that I was finished teaching for the day; there was no service to preach at and no Bible college classes that day to teach. I was going to see some beautiful fall foliage, breathe some fresh air, walk back down the mountain, eat lunch with the YeoMyung students, and then attend an English class with some of them, where maybe I would have to teach them a song. 

Ever since Pastor DeVries left for America, my life has been wake up, teach, study, teach, sleep and do that all over again with breaks for meals and hygiene. Wednesdays also include preaching, Thursdays are the one class in the morning and then study in the afternoon, and my Saturdays have involved study for Sunday preaching. I am experiencing the life I lived as a rookie schoolteacher, when the schedule and the curriculum are new and I had to prepare for everything I planned to say in the classroom. I'm one of those people who like things organized and linear, so I spend hours in front of my laptop looking for resources, reading, typing, editing, and doing my best to have some sort of foundation that I am trusting the Holy Spirit can build upon and breathe life into as I stand in front of people. It's when I have the security of planning and structure that I can feel relaxed and free to skip and dance around in the Holy Spirit's creativity, because I know where the pathway is headed and where the fences are that will keep me on the path. Slowly, I am learning how to manage the time it takes to speak with a translator. 

Oh, how God is stretching me! I suppose I knew that this would happen when I decided to head out to the mission field, but, I thought it would be a little at a time. God thought otherwise, since He always knows best, and I have been holding His hand - more like riding around in the palm of His hand - for about two weeks now with one more to go. It still seems somewhat dreamlike to me, that I am here doing what I never aspired to do and enjoying it. It is lots of work for a novice like me, but God is carrying me all the way. It's like being in a flying dream and thinking, "Wow! This is so cool! It's too bad I'm gonna have to wake up and have to go to school." I am looking forward to Pastor DeVries' return next Saturday. He's bringing a few things back with him that I have asked for, and the Sunday he returns to the pulpit will be our Thanksgiving dinner celebration at the church. I'll be leading singing again that day and then returning to the Bible college classroom on Monday to learn the doctrine of eschatology.

In December, I will be traveling to the Philippines to attend the conference there for a couple of weeks, then flying with Tain to Thailand where I will celebrating Christmas, and then heading to China for another conference there. There will be much to blog about in December and the beginning of January. Oh! And I have to start looking for another place to live, since the person who should be living in my room (Jin and Esther's daughter) will be returning home finishing her college studies in December. Please pray for God's perfect provision. It has been a sweet blessing to be here with my gracious hosts, but God has something new up His sleeve for me... I wonder what it will be?

I will conclude this blog with pictures that I have taken this week. I will caption some of them so you will know what's going on.

An apple pastry and an Oreo inspired drink from my outing last Saturday.

This is one of those metal pull-down doors that cover storefronts. I liked that someone had decided that plain, gray metal was a canvas for a work of art. I passed this on my way to YeoMyung School.

The view from the cable car boarding area looking up toward Namsan (N) Tower.

Looking back to the cable car station.

Passing the other car on its way down. 

Higher and higher and seeing more foliage.

Looking down the steps that you can climb to get to the top of the mountain if you'd rather walk up than ride up.

Can you see the blue bird on the wall?

Wowza! I love the fall colors.

Petros snapping pictures of the leaves.

There were many places to sit, rest, and contemplate the beautiful scenery at the top of the mountain.

These two ladies had this pavilion to themselves for the moment to sit and chat.

This was their view.

Usually, this is busier, but it was a weekday and it had rained earlier.

The big yellow N announcing I had reached Namsan Seoul Tower. 

Someone made this heart from fallen leaves.

I managed to get a picture of these two hearts made from ornamental cabbages without Chinese tourists posing with them.

Another heart made from leaves.

A leafy four-leaf clover.

My favorite of the hearts.

Sweethearts posing in this heart.

Seoul Tower

People posing with the love lock trees.

Trees made from love locks.

Love locks are padlocks with messages of love written on them locked to metal fences or (like the ones above) tree-shaped frames. You lock your lock and throw away the key, I believe.

In case you get hungry, you can opt for a burger...

...a kimchi hot dog...

...or an expensive ice cream (among other available food options).

You can sit on a lovers' bench (you slide toward each other in the middle) and look up at...

...the tower if you don't want to pay to go up inside.

You can pose with a work of art like this sculpture...

...or this cool mini version of a classic VW van (Petros snapped a photo of me near this).

All good things must come to an end, so we headed down the stairs to return to the YeoMyung school vicinity.

A pleasant rest area along the way.

Petros and Dawn heading down.

Dawn leading the way.

A view of part of Seoul from an observation deck beside the pathway.

A lovely day for a walk.

Looking back up to where we were.

I waited for Dawn and Petros to get ahead of me for this picture.

Another wowza burst of colors! 

Petros, Dawn, and the leaves of many colors.

People taking pictures of each other (or themselves) using nature's beauty as their backdrop.

Colors too pretty to pass by without taking a picture.

God's artistry on display.

Man's artistry - the Hawaiian burger at Burger to Burger down the street from the church. Food for thought.

Coming soon to Uijeongbu!

A sign for something in Uijeongbu where I met Tain for lunch today.

Tain being courted by a Vietnamese girl in the Vietnamese restaurant we ate at today.

She loved Tain!

But from his expression, I don't think the feeling was mutual.

Still, he put a flower in her hair...

...and she smiled for a picture.

Okay. It is after midnight now, and I must get some rest before tomorrow's service. I need to get to church early to print out my notes and rehearse with the worship team. Thank you for reading and for your prayers, and I thank those of you who send support money. I'm trusting God from month to month to provide the money I need to live here. I don't have no job, no income here, so I rely upon the generosity of those God leads to give. Faith, faith, faith. Right?