In regards to politics and forgiveness...

The day before our performance at Songnae, everybody at Durihana went out to eat.  We wound up getting Jjajangmyun, my first foray into eating what would soon be one of my favorites.  That, however, isn't so much the point, as much as setting up the scene, so I won't go into food.  God knows I have a problem in chasing rabbit trails, especially when food is involved.

When we left, we had taken vans, and there were not enough room to carry everybody back in the vans.  We weren't far from our church, so three of us (myself, and two North Korean guys) walked back to Durihana.  We were stopped on the corner of the main intersection leading back, and they looked at me and told me something I'll never forget.  They said this in a mixture of Korean and English, which, being new students to the language, was a feat in and of itself, but just the look on their faces and the tone used on top of it always brings me back to the statements made when they spoke.  I'll write what they said verbatim (The words they used in Korean will be in parenthisis):

"(South Korea), good.  (USA), good.  Obama, good.  Lee Myung-bak, good. (North Korea), bad.  Kim Jong-il, bad.  Kim Il-sung, bad.  We hate Kim Jong-il."  They then asked if I understood.  I nodded.

As I thought about what was said later, my theological mind started whirring and thinking about the ramifications of what they told me.  "They should be loving their enemies and not hating them."

But really, as I've come to really think about this, really, what would I say in their shoes?  You know, it's really easy to say in my spot that you should love a person or a group that has, unequivocally, done you harm.  Really, at that point in my life, what was the worst atrocity done to me?

I can say it was in 5th grade, and I was on the playground.  I was a loner back then.  I wasn't well liked among my peers.  One day a few of my classmates came out on playground.  Apparently, as they saw me playing alone through the windows, they decided among themselves that it would be fun to push me around for the duration of recess.  So they did.  And they came out of the doors, found me, and threw me to the ground, hit me, and kicked me around.  I ran, and they followed me, trapped me, and repeated the process.

Pretty soon, a larger group formed out of that single three students, and they continued the assault.  I did the best I could at this point to get help and ran in front of one of the teachers that was monitoring the playground.  They turned their back on it happening.  I ran into the school, and was pushed back out by another teacher.

Eventually, I was in front of another teacher, and the same thing happened in front of her.  Only somehow, she was blaming me for the mess that I was in.  At this time, I had no options left.  I bolted through the doors of the school, and hid near the safe in the school.  My fourth grade teacher found me by chance, and took me to the principal, whom took my side, and harshly reprimanded the boys who were responsible for the incident.

I was eventually able to forgive the people that did it to me.  I moved on in my life.  But that memory still stays in my mind.  And from that point on, I was apprehensive of teachers and hated school.  I never looked at those teachers that turned their backs on me in the same light.

And here I was, with these two North Korean guys, saying they hated their country and Kim Jong-il.  I never got their exact stories of what happened with them, but you can pretty much assume that they aren't fairy tales.  Every North Korean there has a story, and it isn't a pretty one.

So we're talking about a government, and a leader that commits some of, if not the, most vile acts of human rights violations in the world.  Acts that are bad enough that all these people that I surrounded myself with had no choice but to flee their home land.  That risking getting caught in China was a better solution than staying where they were.

How could I expect them to love them?  I know the scriptures, but it's a tall order to ask for.  I can't tell you how long it took me for to overcome the anger of what happened to me in the 5th grade.  What about them?  A lot of them were newly in South Korea.  That pretty much makes it clear that they suffered for a long time as a result of North Korea.

Even when they come to Seoul, their pain isn't over.  There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  This is not an epic quest that has a full resolution and happy ending at the end of the arduous journey.  They are snubbed by South Koreans because they're from the North.  Yes, despite the same race and a common language, they are still looked down upon because of where they were born.  They struggle fitting in in a free society, after having been manipulated their whole lives under a dictatorship.  Some of them struggle to even have thoughts of their own.  Even still, a lot of them still have family in North Korea.  Some of them cry over the separation from their family.

Really, to me, it's no wonder they hate their home country.  It's no wonder they hate the Kim regime.  It's no wonder none of them mourned when Kim Jong-il died last year.  Throw the grandeur of sound theology to the wind for a second, and think, could you blame them?

Obviously, I would love to see them find a way to forgive the people that mistreated them.  I would love to see them love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them.  But really, who of us are perfect, that we don't have similar shortcomings?  And how could I judge them for what they said?

Really, after coming to Durihana, I have found myself even seeing North Korea through their eyes.  When the 33 refugees were repatriated in February, I found myself angry.  I found myself, the theological student that I am, repressing feelings of hatred for Kim Jong-un.  That could've been someone's sister that I personally knew!

And then I remembered, at that moment, their words, like they had said them yesterday.  And I could understand better exactly why they said what they said.  It began to sound less crazy when you knew the atrocities that happen there truly affect the world.  Sadly, it's something that we, the free world have yet to fully grasp.  It affects all of us, but we have chosen to turn a blind eye to that and focus on North Korea's military threats and tests.

If the world would only change their point of view from playing defense against a military that only says what it says to get food aid, but yet never disperse it to the people who are truly starving, to playing offense for the people suffering so dearly, what kind of changes would we see right now?

Obamaftermath; or, Why American Christians Look Worse Than They Did On November 5th

NOTE:  I'm about to be as transparent as humanly possible regarding my political beliefs, because I already foresee the backlash that's going to come with this post.  I'm going to state my case as concisely as possible.  All I ask from you, the reader, is that if you feel the need to deride me or attack me via Facebook or whatever platform you choose to do it from, read the entirety of this post.  If you prove to me you haven't, I'm fully reserving the right to not respond to you, because I'm not going to take the time to read what you say if you don't show me enough respect to fully read what I have to say on this matter before you jump on me.

So the election is over.  Obama won.  I came back to my desk at lunch to find the news.  When I checked my News Feed on Facebook, I was appalled by what I saw. In fact, at this moment, knowing the people I've seen write what they write, and knowing what they proclaim to be, I'm almost ashamed to even call myself a Christian, because to do so, knowing that I can't be the only one seeing these things, and other Christians are doing the same, I would be associated with the brutish, childish, and arrogant behavior that was being exhibited through Facebook.

What I'm now about to state is an extrapolation on what I stated earlier on Facebook.  I'm going to hold back no punches.  If you don't like it, fine.  If you want to discuss it, fine, if it's respectful.  If for some reason you want to snub your nose at me, like a lot of you have done to approximately 50% of Americans tonight, sure, delete me from Facebook.  I will not be crying tears over lost friends if I'm losing friends over something like this.

I will not name any names, but I will certainly be providing certain statements that turned my stomach to see.

"I am pretty sure the Founding Fathers would be rolling over in their graves at how the current residents of most of their original colonies/states chose to vote... If our founding fathers were anything, it was for little government. Our nation was founded on folks being self-governed. I suppose when a nation of people go out of control, they get the leader they truly deserve though..."

"I think I'll take a sleeping pill that'll last four years. Wake me when it's over."

"Well its a sad day in America. Hard to believe Americans would reelect a president that hates America. 56% of Americans said that America was in trouble and on the wrong path. Hmmm Well it is what it is. Get ready folks...Things Are not goin to Change unless we join together and Pray for Gods Governmental authority to take over and rain down. God show us Grace n Mercy."

"God help us and have mercy on this nation!"

"Well looks like I wont be getting any raise for another 5 years. Guess will have to get a second part time job, so I can pay more taxes so others can sit on their butts. Really do not understand how this country can be so blind."

"Kiss America goodbye, kiss it all goodbye .... what shall our coal miners do now....... get fired! !!! I could say some really not so mice things now, but I will sit here with tears and worry for every single American"

This is just a taste of it.

Now, most of these people were really strong to point out Romans 13:1 prior to the election.  "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established."  Yet, since they found out Obama was re-elected, that tune has changed dramatically.

Now, before I even go any further, let me state my political positions.  I am pro life.  I unquestionably believe life starts at conception.  I oppose same-sex marriage, and believe that marriage is between one man and one woman.  I am pro-Israel, because God blesses the nations who bless Israel and curses those who curse it.  I voted Ron Paul in the Republican primary.  I was unable to vote in the general election due to my ballot never arriving in China.  Had I have received it, I would have voted for Virgil Goode of the Constitution party, and not for either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.  I had problems with both of them.

I have problems with Obama's stances on abortion and gay rights.  I'm not fully aware of his stance on Israel.  I'm aware that the economy has grown.  I'm aware that my mother would probably be without her medication if it weren't for Obamacare, as she has been out of work for over a year due to circumstances far beyond her control. (and believe me, she'd rather work, so don't even attack her)

I have problems, first and foremost, in voting for a Mormon candidate, which any strong Christian that with a basic understanding of theology would be able to identify as a cult, which is partly why I refused to vote for Romney.  I am aware he's pro-life, and pro-sanctity of marriage.  But if you would into his speeches, you would see that he, like on so many issues, has flip flopped.  He recently made a bumbling buffoon out of himself on his overseas jaunt, and started lashing out at China, where I am currently living, which would exacerbate the already delicate living situation I find myself in right now.

And that's that.  We were honestly voting for the lesser of two evils tonight.  I know full well that my vote for Goode would've been fodder, that it was only between Romney and Obama.  But when I think of the path America should be taking, I see Obama as the lesser of two evils at this juncture, and more capable of leading this country than Mitt Romney.  And you would be surprised how many people OUTSIDE of America, CHRISTIANS even, agree with me.

That is my honest belief, you can take it how it is.  I have never lambasted anyone for voting for Romney.  I disagreed with them, for reasons I'm sure this blog post will cover, but that is their choice.  And voting for Obama, or Johnston, or Stein, or Goode, or Ralph Macchio, or whatever audacious write-in candidate you wanted to write in, was just another choice.  Granted, it's a very important choice, one that many people don't take seriously.  But it was their choice to make.

But I did watch many people post about praying before they voted this term.  I watched them quote from Romans.  But now a lot of these same people, I reiterate, have become rather ravenous since the results were posted.  Are you guys suddenly so unsure of this verse now?  If you were clinging so tightly to this verse, expecting Mitt Romney to win the election, then you really need to re-examine your own faith in God.  The God I serve doesn't give us everything we expect, but everything we need.

I can come to very few conclusions about the people who referenced this then reneged it after the results came in:

1) You believe God made a mistake

2) You believe that people have a greater influence over this world than God

3) You believe you ARE God and whoever you determined was the right candidate HAS to be President

4) You don't know God

I hate to repeat this verse again, but Romans 13:1 clearly states what should have been bore in mind when the results were announced.  If Obama has been re-elected, by a straightforward, Biblical standpoint, God has appointed him as the leader of America, with his political flaws and all.

By inferring that it's EVERYONE ELSE'S fault (i.e. everyone who disagreed with your vote), you are now denying God's very omnipotence, since Romans 13:1 states God is in control of even this election.  All the temper tantrums you throw does nothing to change this.  By throwing the temper tantrum, you are even REBELLING AGAINST GOD!  Think about that.  Shudder at the thought, because it's true.

I have already had pro-life, pro-sanctity, pro-Israel thrown in my face:

"Hummm I know God hates abortion and gay marriage. That's my attitude, I don't understand how people that claim to be christian can support what God does not support. Oh and the Bible says we should support Israel too."

I certainly don't oppose this statement.  No Christian should or would knowingly or willingly oppose this.  HOWEVER, let me ask this.  Which is more important, having a candidate who stands behind all of these things, or having a candidate who outwardly calls himself a Christian, and not by cult standpoint.  Because you can dress Romney up however way you want to, but he is still a member of the LDS church.  This is a group that not only reject the Trinity as it stands in the very biblical basis of it, but actually believe that should they convert enough people into LDS, they themselves will become gods of their own worlds.  And the evangelical church was literally rallying Mitt Romney!  Were you really so desperate to cling to those ideals that you were willing to sacrifice your very belief in the fact that LDS is a cult in order to create a strawman argument that if Mitt Romney won the election, we were magically a Christian nation again?  That's a very flawed viewpoint.

Two verses came to mind in this regard:

"Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.  Repent therefore!  Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."  --Revelation 2:15-16

We don't know exactly what the teaching of the Nicolaitans was, but we can obviously find that it was bad.  Possibly false doctrine or cult practices.  But people were rallying behind Romney.  Too many people were congregating around someone who could, very well, in this present day, be a Nicolaitan.  Your only basis for this was pro-life, pro-Israel, anti-Gay Marriage.

If you are so staunchly for those issues, but refuses to merit a man based on his belief in God, and how he exercises his faith, then you should have no problems voting for a Muslim, on the (offshoot) chance that he is not only pro-life, pro-sanctity, but also pro-Israel, right?  I mean, hey, who cares what he believes about God, right?  So long as women can't kill babies, homosexuals cannot marry, and Israel's protected by our extensive military arm.  Right?

Christians should have opposed Romney as strongly as they oppose Islam if they believe in the God of the Bible.  This is absolute truth.  Neither is any more correct than the other from a Biblical standpoint.  If you wanted a Christian nation, then you would not have voted for Romney.

American Christians had their chance to vote in a Christian who was pro-life, pro-Israel (despite being non-interventional unless Israel requested help), and believed marriage was between a man and a woman in Ron Paul.  But he was severely ignored, even by the Christians.  But Romney claims to be a Christian (which, in itself is ironic, since the LDS church has long tried to dissociate themselves with the mainstream Christian church over the persecution they purportedly suffered at the hands of it, and the fact that they believe that they're right and mainstream Christians are wrong), and people church ate it from his hands.

Moreover, let's not forget that Romney not only flip-flopped repeatedly on the campaign trail regarding his political platform, but was outright caught making hateful statements, refused to be transparent during his campaign, and at times, outright lied.  And yet we throw defense lawyers to the wolves if they let guilty men go free, because they have to lie to do so.  And I was supposed to rally behind him to be my next president?

Meanwhile, we have a president, who despite his misgivings, declares himself a Christian, and declares that he reads the Bible daily and prays.  We can only take him at his word on this.  What he does in his office is beyond what we know, so we can only pray he's telling the truth, and it is between him and God whether he is or not.  And so many, as Christians, are calling out the rest of the country as lunatics for voting for him again.

It is almost like people believe that President Obama is a brainless robot* with no brain.  That he cannot change his mind.  But I have an idea.  Maybe it sounds absurd.  But we should be praying for this man.  He says he's a Christian.  He says he prays and reads the Bible and does devotionals every day.  Well here's an absurd thought.  Let's assume, and this is crazy, that he has a brain and a heart, and that God, through this prayer and Bible reading, can penetrate his heart like he's known to do.  God can change this man as much as he can change ours.

*If he's a robot, he could still be reprogrammed.  They still have memory chips inside.*

"I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." --1 Timothy 2:1-2

If you are in such turmoil over the results, then you are clearly not practicing this.  I would have prayed regardless of who won the election, even if Daniel Larusso crane technique'd his way into the White House on write-in votes.

When should these prayers have happened?  As soon as your ballot was cast, in my personal opinion.  And not the, "God, please let Romney win," kind of prayer.  The intercession on who was to be the next President, regardless of the outcome.  But seeing some people's responses, that wasn't the case.

Moreover, we should be thanking God we even have this chance.  I know that's cliche by now.  But I have really learned this over the last year.  Some of the people I hold close to my heart couldn't even envision the possibility of electing their officials.  If you don't like the choice your fellow Americans made, and refuse to support it, then I would greatly encourage you to defect to North Korea.  You wouldn't ever have to worry about these elections ever again (or at least until the government there cannibalizes itself and the country reunifies).  Then we can bring some of those North Koreans over to America, because they'd kill to have a choice.  And they'd probably be a 1,000,000 times more respectful than people have been in the last 24 hours to whoever won the election, because at least they had a say a matter for the first time in their lives.

But instead, it's better to bemoan the fact that America made a huge mistake on Facebook right?  Which, based on your beliefs, infers that God made a mistake.  Then how can we even stand firm on Biblical truths anymore?  If God makes mistakes, then maybe the whole creation was a mistake.  Or what if there is no God?  You are opening a Pandora's box by making these kind of statements.  Which is why we need to think before we speak.

As far as the effectiveness of our stance on abortion, gay marriage, and Israel, I have already delved into that in a previous posting, and I don't want to prolong this already long post any further.

Today, we had a choice to bless or curse, and I saw too many people speaking curses who proclaim to know a God who blesses all who loves him.  With us acting as God's representation on Earth, what does that say to the world about God?  Let me say this, your antics on Facebook makes the job of ministry workers in all fields HARDER, because this is what they have to contend with.  Think about that before you begin to rail out of self-righteousness, pettiness, and arrogance.

I'm sure this post will ruffle some feathers, and lose me some friends.  But I'll stand physically alone if I have to on this one, because enough is enough.

WARNING: Avoid Orbitz

When I first started my international travels, I was advised through Jake to go with Orbitz due to their guaranteed lowest fare promotion -- if someone books the same itinerary cheaper, they'll refund you money.  Now, I never had any of that happen, but I had no problems really with two of my itineraries booked through Orbitz.  But then there's always that clincher, right?

Here's all of my transactions (or attempts thereof) regarding Orbitz.

1. April 2010 - From Evansville, Indiana, Seoul, Korea - Round trip.  No hitches.  No problems.  Price was what I expected.  Nothing changed.  I had booked Economy all the way.

2. August 2011 - One way from Evansville, Indiana to Seoul, Korea.  Once again, no problems, price was what I expected.

3. August 2011 - Round Trip from Seoul Korea to Evansville, Indiana.  This one was a doozy.  At no point ever (even on the one way ticket I had booked just before this) had the traveler's insurance box been checked by default.  Yet I book this flight, and it's checked.  This was my wife's ticket to come with me to America for three weeks.  I called Orbitz and explained the situation, and they contended that I agreed to traveler's insurance and there was nothing they could do.  I asked for a supervisor, who promised a refund.  Never came.

4. April 2012 - Round Trip from Qingdao, China, to Evansville Indiana.  This is the one that will, bar none, make me never use Orbitz again.  I searched for this flight to find it $700 cheaper than anywhere else.  I click on it, and half of them say that they're now sold out, and the other half say that the fare has magically shot up $1000.  I searched from Qingdao to St. Louis  to get the same thing.  I searched hours later and saw the same rates as before, with the same results if I clicked on any of them.  Today, same thing.

I also have a video that will go up on Youtube later showing this, including comparisons with sites like Travelocity near checkout.

Needless to say, Orbitz is not living up to what I had expected from my experience with them before, and to worsen things, are now in the process of running scam jobs.

Long time no survey (Subtitle: Hey look! I'm bored again!)

I had been doing these annually. Now, I'm just bored, let's compare how much things have changed. Name: Corey Siblings By Blood: One (Half) Brothers: none Sisters: One (half) Eye color: dark brown Shoe size: 10 1/2 Height: 5'9" Innie or Outie: innie What are you wearing right now?: jacket, polo shirt, jeans, shoes. Where do you live?: Qingdao Righty or lefty: righty. Best place to go for a first date: to a nice restaurant followed by a walk (if it's warm out) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Favorites Number: 147 Boys Name: Adam Girls Name: Gabby Drink:Lemonade/Coffee (Not combined. That's just sick) Month: April Juice: Orange Juice Breakfast: Granola/Cereal Bars ----------------------------------------------------------------- Have You Ever.. Smoked: Yes Bungee jumped: No Made yourself throw-up: No Gone skinny dipping: No Loved somebody so much it made you cry: Yes Broken a bone: Yes, my toe twice, once playing hackeysack, and once playing poker (believe me, don't ask) Played Truth or Dare: Yes Been in a police car: No Came close to dying: Yes. Been in a sauna: No. Been in a hot tub: Yes Swam in the ocean: No Fallen asleep in school: School = sleep Broken someone's heart: Yes Cried when someone died: Yes. Cried in school: Yeah, that was a horrible day. Fell off your chair: Countless times. Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call: Yes Saved AIM conversation: Mine auto-archive. Saved e-mails: I'm an e-mail packrat thanks to Gmail. Made out with just a friend: No. Been cheated on: Yes, but I had found out AFTER we broke up, so it didn't phase me too much. ----------------------------------------------------------------- What is... What's your room like: Pretty nice I guess. Ample closets, sitting area by the window, the only thing that sucks is that Chinese mattresses come in three types: Firm, very hard, and granite) What is beside you: Lots of books, coworkers. What is the last thing you ate: Rice, sweet potato noodles, jeon. What kind of shampoo do you use: I don't even remember the brand name. It's a Korean brand for sure. ------------------------------------------------------------ Ever Had... Chicken pox: No Sore throat: Yes, that's every Tuesday and Thursday for me now. Stitches: Yes Broken nose: Technically ----------------------------------------------------------------- Do You... Believe in love at first sight: No Like picnics: Yes Like school: I liked the last school I attended. --------------------------------------------- Questions: Who was the last person you called: The IRS, last actual person, Tami Who was the last person you danced with: My wife. Who makes you smile: My wife. ------------------------------------------------------------ Who... Did you last yell at: One of my 4th graders for bullying another kid. Broke your heart last: My wife. Told you they loved you last? My wife. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Do you like filling these out: Well if I did, this would've been more annual. Do you wear contact lenses or glasses: Neither Do you like yourself: Sometimes get along with your family?: Most of the time ----------------------------------------------- What are you listening to right now: My coworker who has an aversion to silence and therefore makes as much noise as she can. I'm pretty sure if you gagged her and put her appendages in restraints, she would still concoct ways to make noise. What did you do yesterday?: Went to work. Heard the above. Yelled at a bunch of kids at times. Came home, ate, washed dishes, wrote an email and a term paper. Hated someone in your family: I did, but I'm over that. What car do you wish to have: Any car that's relatively new and runs well. Where do you want to get married: I got married last year, in a nice church in Korea. Good driver: By Asian standards? Absolutely. Good singer: I'm a good screamer and can rap pretty well. Diamond or pearl: diamond Indoor or outdoor: indoor --------------------------------------------------------- Today did you... 1. Talk to someone you liked: Yes 2. Buy something: Yes 3. Get sick: No 4. Sing: No 5. Talked to an ex: No 6. Miss someone: Yes ----------------------------------------------------- Last person who.... 10. Was in your bed?: My wife 11. Saw you cry: My wife 12. Made you cry: My wife (starting to feel like a parrot) 13. Went to the movies with: My wife (Seriously) 14. You went to the mall with: My wife (WTF) 16. Ever been in a fight with your pet: Yes (C-C-C-Combo Breaker!) 17. Been to California: Does airports count? 18. Been to Mexico: No 19. Been to Canada: No 20. Been to Africa: Why can't you ask me about Asia? I could answer affirmative to that! -------------------------------------------------------- Random..... 21. Who was your first celebrity crush: Dolly Parton (sad, right?) 22. What books are you reading now: "Here Am I Lord, Send Someone Else" and "Christ the Healer" 23. Best feeling in the world: Waking up after a good night's sleep/being around my good friends 24. Future KIDS names: Still not sure 25. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal: No 26. What's under your bed: A bunch of crap left over from remodeling our apartment that the former tenants left. 27. Favorite sport to watch: Hockey 28. Favorite location?: Seoul 29. Piercing/Tattoos: None 32. Who do you really hate?: Kim Jong-un. 33. Do you have a job?: Yes, teacher/English robot. 35. Have you ever liked someone you didn't have a chance with? Yes 37. Are you lonely right now: It's an amazingly bad feeling to be in a room full of people and feel alone, but yes. 38. Song that's stuck in your head right now: Out of My Mind by Fastball 39. Have you ever played strip poker: Nope. 40. Have you ever gotten beat up: Yes. 43. Have you ever been in a mosh-pit: Yes. Wish I could get back in one, but I'd probably end up dry heaving by the end of it. It's been way too long. 44. Ever liked someone but thought they'd never noticed you? Yes. __________________________________________ random What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?: Their eyes. Your Favorite Food?: Pizza, California Rolls, Jajjangmyun Have you ever cried for no reason?: Yes Hugs or kisses?: Both Butter, Plain or Salted popcorn?: Butter Favorite Flower?: Tulips Have you ever fired a gun?: Yes Do you like to travel by plane as opposed to car?: I'm growing increasingly fonder of air travel. How many pillows do you sleep with: One

What you leave behind could always be gone.

I'm a very fortunate person.

On May 31st of last year, I took off on this whirlwind journey, thinking I'd be back within a month. 9 months later, and I'm still in America.

And at this point, it's truly a bittersweet symphony.

I grew up in and around Ridgway, Illinois, a piece of land that is never featured on anything more than a state map, and spent the last 4 years of my life in America in Harrisburg, Illinois.

Anyone who is watching the news right now knows full well the calamity that happened there. An EF4 tornado struck both towns, leaving Ridgway close to halfway demolished, and rocking major areas in Harrisburg hard.

Yes, I have heard from my family and friends and classmates, and no fatalities among my loved ones that I'm privy to at the moment. My family's homes are all intact. But it could've been so much more different.

I look at photos and they barely look recognizable. I saw a video just a block away from my mom's house in Ridgway, and didn't even realize where it was until they cut to a different shot.

The beautiful Catholic church that I played my baseball across the street from is, save for the altar and the front door, destroyed.

The hardware store I used to go with my grandfather with is leveled, while the bars next door and the bank are all there with minor damage. The American Legion? Bye-bye.

And Harrisburg looks just as eerie to me. Streets I walked down filled with debris. The Wal-mart my friends and I used to meander through with damage, and the mini-mall beside it is in a pile. The hospital where my mom worked had an entire wall ripped off of it, exposing patient rooms to the outside.

And yet, as much as my prayers go out to everyone who lost, and every family who mourns, I can't help but rejoice. So many things I am thankful for, and yet I never thought I would ever have to be thankful for things like this.

I'm grateful that, given the damage path in Ridgway, that neither my mom, my aunt, or my cousin lost their homes or lives. The odds of all three of them being missed given the account of where the tornado moved are astronomical. When I found out, my heart returned to the Cindy Jacobs prophecy where "God is going to bless you and your family, and provide in ways that you cannot even imagine."

Even my stepfather, who was, from what I know, in Harrisburg during the tornado was untouched.

I'm also thankful hearing reports from my friends that they are fine. So far, I know of no one that I know and care about being dead or seriously injured. That is an amazing thing, knowing I know people who have lost loved ones.

I sit over here in Asia, and see my home area being reported on by CNN like Joplin, Missouri last year, and so many others before it, and it's just surreal. Last year, I was sitting there eyes fixed on the disaster from the earthquake in Asia, now I'm in Asia eyes fixed on the disaster in my own backyard.

Really, things like that remind you of what you take for granted and the things you should be thankful for always. Even something simple like the internet. Without Facebook and Skype, I would be waiting on pins and needles for days to find out all the reports I have found out in a handful of hours online.

Moreover, my mom was working at Harrisburg Medical Center until just before I left for Korea last summer. If she was still employed there, she would've been on her way to work during the tornado, or already there. Sure, finances have been dismal for her since, but I can't help but think that God knew what he was doing.

Really, looking at this storm footage, and hearing about it from my friends in family Stateside, I have more to be grateful for than I knew.

With that said, another storm front is moving through Friday, with possible severe storms. I'm praying that they don't get a double dose of what happened today.

But also, pray for those affected by the tornado. Both towns I call home have a long road of recovery, and people have grieving to do. But this could have been a lot worse.

And to all my beloved reading back home, I'm not there physically, but I'm with you guys.

Myung-joo's Wedding

So I had mentioned previously that I had went to a wedding the morning before the Andre Ashby conference at YDFC. Well, let's delve into that quickly, but first some backstory.

Myung-joo, I had mentioned earlier about in the performance in Songnae with Sul, and I think that's the first time I mentioned her name in this blog. But this was not the first mention of her. Remember back when I told you about the woman who played Arirang for me during my first week there? That was Myung-joo. And her story is one that Hollywood couldn't even write.

There was a story on BBC several years back about the North Korean refugee crisis. In it, they focus on her (under a pseudonym because she couldn't use her real name at that time), and her life. She was living in China, working hard at a good paying job, while trying to maintain her secret about being an illegal resident there. She had been caught and sent back to North Korea once. She was pregnant at the time, and when she returned to NK, they forced her to have an abortion.

After escaping and returning to China again, she got pregnant again. When she gave birth, there were complications. Her son had cerebral palsy. Being stateless himself, and illegal herself, she couldn't provide for him the treatment needed for his defects, and had to make a tough decision: to leave him behind in China, and escape to South Korea, earn money to bring him there, and then get him treated there.

Every parent that reads this: think about that for a second. In order to save your child, you have to leave them, and risk them being caught, or you being caught and killed yourself. How many of you have the heart to do this?

Since that story aired, both had made it to Seoul. Both were at Durihana. And Myung-joo had found a man that loved her, and cared for and treated her son like he was his own. And on that Saturday, they were married. I had the opportunity to witness it.

Now it was done at a wedding hall, and while I have a certain problem with wedding halls after witnessing a wedding there now (It's like a conveyor belt for weddings, almost takes the personality out of the entire ceremony, and they played ABBA in the middle of the wedding), to see them so happy, after such a life to get to that point, was a blessing in itself.

Camping

Did you guys know I'm not much of an outdoorsman? Heh, that wasn't any more apparent to me until the beginning of July.

I had seen the signs about this for a week or so around Durihana about a camping trip, but hadn't had it referenced to me. I kind of played it off as a "Dumb Foreigner That Can't Understand What He's Reading In Korean."

I don't like camping. I don't like bugs. I don't like "roughing it," I don't like being piled into a confined area with multiple bodies pressed up against you attempting to sleep. The last time I went "camping" was at Cornerstone Festival a decade ago from the day of Durihana's camping trip, and I wound up watching Ben Thomas be thrown down Main Stage hill, ate some bad Mike & Ike's (long story), had to go to the first aid area for exhaustion after a bad mosh pit experience, had no food within two days, and had to borrow money from a musician named "Moron" to eat on the last day. I swear to you, none of this is fictitious.

So yeah, my previous attempt at the act of camping wasn't quite the utter success one would like to have in camping. Previous attempts weren't much better. So I wasn't sure if I wanted to go, as much as I enjoyed time with everyone from Durihana. But then, I can't remember if it was the exact day before or two days before the trip, both Joseph and Sul mentioned the trip to me and wanted me to go. So mouth said exactly what I was thinking, "Ok."

My mouth was having technical difficulties at the moment. But I was committed to going, and enjoying myself, or trying to.

Assuming we were roughing it, I packed every battery I owned for every electronic device I owned, so my Droid, my Korean phone, and my AA batteries for my camera. Your definition of roughing it may be: Bring a lighter for a fire, a gun for raw meat, a swiss army knife and a book; mine is making sure my smartphone doesn't die in the middle of rocking out to Stavesacre. Sue me. I also packed some bottled water, stocked up on a few bags of Jagalchi, a change of clothes, swim pants, and my Bible. At least I'm somewhat sensible. That and I knew the other major supplies would be provided by the church.

We all pack into the vans early in the morning, ready to roll out. And of course, I'm in Gwangjin's van, which meant easily that we were getting there around 5 hours before everyone else. Let me say this, you haven't LIVED until you've taken a 45 degree curve at 80km/h in a Hyundai 15-passenger van and survived it. If he wasn't in preparation to be a worship leader, he'd make a killing in NASCAR.

We get to destination 1, where everyone got to harvest potatoes. Now for me, this isn't exactly new: I grew up in the sticks doing this with my grandfather, so I let everyone else take over while I took pictures and dodged mosquitoes.

After that we took off to somewhere else for lunch, which consisted of Bibimbap. And sat and relaxed for a while before heading off again, this time to catch fish that I can only describe as looking like eel more than fish. But, everyone was really enjoying all of this.

We then packed into the car and headed further out, at one point hitting a pothole or a speed bump, and (never being able to find the seatbelts in the backseat of the van) sending my head into a confrontation with the roof of the van. The roof won.

We finally made it to our last destination for the night, where we would be sleeping. It was then that I realized my definition of camping trip was slightly different than Durihana's, as I found out we were sleeping in Hanok (Korean traditional style houses) as opposed to the tents I had invisioned in my mind. So all those chargers I left at the church could've been used. Derp. Ohs well.

We ate then had free time. I took the opportunity to walk around the area, and look around. It was a small village area, so I mean really quiet. Like, Ridgway quiet, except for one thing that Ridgway lacked: A waterfall. Yeah, I stood out that way relaxing to the sound of the crashing water before heading back, where everyone gathered together for games and later, preaching and prayer, then it was to bed we went. I was given one of the beds, some people were sleeping in the floor. Someone else was in bed with me. At one point the door was open, and there was a nice breeze in the room. There were 9 or 10 people in the same room sleeping, I just want to clarify this.

At one point, maybe around 3 or 4am, I woke up in a dead sweat, my entire body soaked, and my mouth completely dry. I looked up to find that door had been closed, no windows open, in a room with 9 other guys. This quaint hanok bedroom had turned into a sauna. And apparently I was the only one in agony. American curse.

At that point, I knew I needed to make a change, and found another blanket took my pillow, went into the other room, found a spot on the floor, and laid down, where it was actually slightly cool. But I could barely sleep at that point, that dead sweat had made me fully awake.

I woke up around 7 or 8, with my stomach cramping to the point that I was almost PRAYING I would throw up. Joseph found me and could tell I wasn't comfortable, and asked if anything was wrong, and I told him about my discomfort, to which in one quick motion, he grabbed my hand and just started massaging my hand in one particular spot, obviously a pressure point connected to the digestive tract, to the point where I thought my hand would explode. I was shocked at how bad it hurt, but I did notice one thing, my stomach pain subsided as he switched hands, then immediately started praying for my stomach. Such an amazing guy.

Stomach now no longer awaiting its time to purge, we headed out again, this time to swim. Not at a lake or a pond, or a pool. To a waterfall. Let me say this, it is beautiful. I wish everyone in their lifetime to have this kind of opportunity.

It was at this time I discovered I may already be getting arthritis. This is way too sad a discovery, because we got to the water, and I tried to get in, and the water was so cold, that my ankles were trying to lock up, and tremendous pain shot through them, so ankle deep was as far as I could go. So I headed up to the top and sat around and relaxed and watched everyone enjoy themselves.

A little while later (and after maybe an hour of swatting away sweat bees), I was en route down for a little while, when I got asked to come back up for a group picture. I was halfway up when I slipped on a rock, and landed on the rock, straddling it, and cutting and hitting my leg so hard I thought it was broken. Everyone else was up at the top, taking the picture, so I was literally there, bleeding and in severe pain for maybe ten minutes, just trying to hold myself together until I was found, and Joseph was there first, praying and keeping me calm, then a couple of the strongest guys there helped get me down off the waterfall, and into the vans, as we headed away from that area.

I was of course, embarassed. "Oh hello Mr. American, bumbling baffoon, ruining the camping trip by having an accident."

Yeah, did I mention how I don't like camping? If I go back to camp with Durihana or anyone ever again, rest assured I'm bringing bug spray and some football pads. And my electronic chargers because you just don't know when you're going to be camping in a house.

It wasn't too much longer that the trip was over, and we were back in Seoul. I assessed my leg back in my room, went to the pharmacy, and grabbed some hydrogen peroxide and gauze and wrapped it up as best as I could. But there was still pain, especially walking downstairs at the subway. The next day, Yoonmi and I had lunch with Pastor Kim, who saw my leg, and insisted she take me to the doctor, who inspected my leg, told me it was just a contusion (thankfully), applied more disinfectant and covered up the cuts with an elastic bandage, and all was well there.

I still have a scar on my right leg from the camping experience. My first mission-based scar? Heh.

Andre Ashby Conference

During my meeting with Pastor Kim the day I got the money to extend my stay in Korea, she gave me her card to keep in touch with her. When I got back to Durihana that night, I e-mailed her to let her know exactly how much that money had meant.

She later responded to invite me to come to YDFC again the following Saturday for a conference Andre Ashby was holding at the church. There wasn't any other engagement that day, aside from a wedding I had to go to in the morning (more on that story later), so I said I would be there.

When we got to YDFC that night, Yoonmi was told she needed to work in the nursery that night, so we parted ways at the seats, and I settled in for the conference, expecting to get a lot out of it.

Notice I said "get," but that couldn't be the case that night.

About 9 years prior, I began receiving Words of Knowledge, most specifically pertaining to healing. However, this was something that hadn't happened in a long time, but the usually way they occurred were that I would get sharp, unnatural pain in a certain part of a body, more specifically, in places I don't even have problems with. It's hard to describe the pain I receive, except to call it unnatural, as in this pain is something I can discern between pain caused by something wrong in my body and these occurrences.

Fast forward to the end of worship service, and all of a sudden I get this same type of pain in my eye. This is the first time in about 4 years that it had happened, and before that, it hadn't happened in 3 years. Yet I knew it when I happened, and actually GROANED at the thought of it.

Whenever it had happened before, it was in Little Chapel Church, a church I feel comfortable in and feel comfortable approaching the pastors in, and have had to numerous times over this. So here I am, in Seoul, Korea, at a church I had only been to twice before, and had only just really met and talked with the pastor of one week prior. Let's couple this with the fact that in Korea, pastors are highly revealed to the point where people view them as unapproachable, and I didn't want to step on anyone's toes, especially with a guest speaker from the States there. Yeah, I didn't want to approach.

But then, after worship, there was a break between worship and the sermon, where music was still being played, but nothing was being sung, Andre was just standing on the stage, and people were crying. He then mentioned, "Let's just wait on God right now, he's healing people physically and emotionally right now." And at that point, the pain intensified to the point where if I didn't approach, I was going to go crazy. Plus, in my time of having this happen, I was batting 1,000 in there being someone there with the affected body part, so I was confident at that point that if I was given the opportunity, that something would happen. I approached Pastor Kim, and told her what was happening, and asked if I could share this with the congregation. She then conferred with Andre about it, who without even hesitating, offered me the microphone.

It was at this point that Yoonmi was halfway listening in the nursery to the TV downstairs, and heard my voice come up on the TV and was shocked. But there I was, conferring to the congregation about this Word of Knowledge, and within what seemed like a split second, a woman stepped out with this eye pain. I began praying for her, and she was instantly healed.

I sat down, thinking God was done with me. Andre grabbed the microphone and said, "Well, Corey, actually, I'm blind in that same eye, can you pray for me?"

I was just stunned. By then I had a lot of faith, and was ready to go, and started praying for Andre in the middle of the service for his eye, and while there was no immediate change, there were flashes of light in his eye that he had never seen before, so there was progress.

I again, thought I was done. Andre started speaking, and gave an altar call. Several were saved that night, then he started receiving words of knowledge for healing, where around 20 people came up. It was at this point where he said "Corey, would you be willing to come up to pray for these people?"

I was overwhelmed. This was NOT what I was expecting that night. I expected my ministry to be pidgeonholed to North Koreans over my time there, instead I was ministering in YDFC? Unreal.

I prayed for people for what was probably 30 minutes, seeing my first of countless slain by the spirit. Even having seen it before, I wasn't sure what to do, but felt in my heart they had what they needed, and moved on. It was just incredible.

Later, Pastor Kim asked Andre to prophesy over people from the church, including me, and he did. The video is here:

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150318517166438

So at the end of all of this, I was able to spend time after the service in fellowship with Andre, Pastor Kim, and Andre's friend, Eli, and really talk with them. It was certainly a highlight of my time in Korea, and I still look back on that night and think, "Did that really happen?"

My visit to YDFC...

I should reiterate that the term of my trip was as follows:

9:00AM May 30th: Leave Evansville, Indiana, bound for Seoul.
11:00PM May 31st: Arrive in Seoul.
10:00AM July 1st: Leave Seoul, overnight layover in Tokyo.
9:00AM July 2nd: Arrive in Evansville, dead tired.

By the last full week in Seoul, I felt like I had unfinished business, that I was supposed to leave. I continued to work with people, and talk and visit with the group, and do whatever work they asked for, but my heart was breaking. I knew I wasn't supposed to go.

I had talked to people at home, and to Yoonmi, and told them as much, and that I was praying for God's will. And I did, but I broke it down to specifics.

The reason I couldn't stay longer was a lack of funds. I was blessed enough to get the funds to stay the first month, and I was aware of that. But I knew God was capable of anything.

For Monday, I remember really struggling with this. I spent the day crying in prayer. I began to figure out how much I needed to stay one more month. I arrived at 1.2million Won, roughly $1,200. So I told God that if he wanted me to stay another month, somehow that amount would come through, otherwise, I would leave on July 1st. I didn't say I'd leave happily, but I would certainly at that point know that my time there was fulfilled, and it was time to go back to the US.

Tuesday, I went souvenir shopping, and there was various other things we did too. I got to spend time with friends there, got to go back to Namsan with Yoonmi, and enjoy our fleeting moments together.

Now, during the conference, I had been invited by one of Yoonmi's friends to their church, which was Youngdong First Church, the host of the conference. I had been there last year, and was more than happy to go back, but every week was busy.

The last Sunday was my last opportunity to go. So, I asked for permission at Durihana to go to my fiance's church after the afternoon worship session, and when granted, I left right after we finished worship, and arrived at YDFC just in time for their worship session as well, which of course was good.

Then Pastor Kim stood up front, and points to you. I was actually shocked when this happened. She then tells me "God put you in my heart since the conference, I couldn't stop watching you throughout the whole conference." Once again, I'm shocked. She then asked me to come up front and share why I was in Korea.

So I got to tell the congregation that this was my last week in Korea from doing ministry among North Koreans over the month, and she hugs me and tells me we have the same heart. I expound on it, and they pray for me. I sit back down in my seat, and am brought an earpiece for English translation. I no sooner turn it on and I'm hearing the translation of what Pastor Kim is saying: "I feel like we need to take a special offering for Corey and his ministry in Korea."

What?

I'm blown away, and already thanking God, because I had an inkling of what was about to take place.

The sermon is over, and Yoonmi and I are taken to meet with Pastor Kim downstairs. We sit there talking about North Korea, my life in America, how I met Yoonmi. As far as anyone knows at her church, we were just friends. Pastor Kim definitely thought like that. All of this was just time to wait for the ushers to count the offering. When they came back, they gave the envelope to Pastor Kim, and told her the total, then she turned to me.

"Corey," she said, "it isn't much, but this is what was in the offering for you. It is 1,200,000 won."

I almost collapsed on the floor at that very moment. Exactly what I asked God to provide was provided.

So, let's just say that on Monday, Yoonmi and I rescheduled my flight back home to August 1st. And more to come.

Performance at Songnae

During the next to last weekend I was supposed to be in Korea, I get informed that during my last weekend there, Durihana was set to perform at a church in Songnae, about an hour away from Seoul. This was going to be a benefit for the refugees and the efforts to bring North Koreans from China to South Korea. Obviously, seeing how Durihana was one of the biggest posts for this, we had to be there. There was going to be a choir, accompanied by piano, violin, drums, guitar, and, of course (where I fit in), bass. So for that week, I spent my afternoons with the group rehearsing. We worked hardcore on this, performing a medley of four songs, three of which being Korean translations of English Songs (Once Again, Jesus Loves Me, and Lord I Lift Your Name on High). In fact, it was during a evening practice session between myself, Gwangjin, and Nahrie that we were able to get Gwangjin's story.

Come the Saturday of the performance, we led people in worship, then came the actual concert. CTS (The largest Christian TV station in Korea) was there to record, so this was going to be broadcast throughout the nation. By now, I don't really get nervous going on stage. Other people seemed nervous, but for me, it's not a problem. I've come a long way.

In fact, I was quite confident. I had been given a lot of compliments leading up to this on my bass parts, and I was feeling really good. Yoonmi came to watch, and I was excited to play. But hey, what's God without a sense of humor?

We get called up on stage, and I'm one of the first out the stage door to the stage, because I'm on the opposite side of the stage from the door. And I'm not paying attention, and all of a sudden I feel a "thwack," and my eye is stinging. I have just hit my head on a microphone stand on stage in front of around 1,000 people at this church. Moreover, like I mentioned before, CTS was there, so this was probably seen by I don't know how many in Korea, plus any Korean overseas that has DirecTV could've been watching too. No joke.

Hello humble pie, boy you taste good.

But, aside from being embarrassed, things went well. I have video from the crowd, but I cannot show it, because of the fact that several people on this video cannot have their faces shown in the media, because of family that still lives in the DPRK.

There were more acts, such as Myung-joo (more on her later) and Sul playing a guitar duet, and a girl that plays violin solos while doing choreographed dances, and it was good, but Yoonmi and I left early. It was supposed to be the last weekend we had together in Korea this year, so we wanted some time together.

If that was all of it, there wouldn't be anything left to write about, and I wouldn't have written the previous entry, but obviously, there's more to come.

Update Coming, But a Foreshadowing.

I know I didn't get as far as I wanted in my writing while I was in Korea. Let's just say that things got so hectic that it became an afterthought. Needless to say, I have a lot to catch up on.

I will go into as much accurate details as I can, entry by entry, but let's just say the following, and if you don't want to be spoiled on what happened, don't read below this:

1) I'm no longer in Korea.
2) I'm definitely not in America.
3) And I'm undoubtedly not traveling solo anymore.
4) And check the ChipIn widget at the right of the blog.

God bless you guys, and I will update you further over the next few days.

Gwangjin's Story - Pt. I

This is part one of I don't know how many parts of this story. This has been long promised, and we are finally getting it told. It was difficult, there was no good time, and Joseph had been busy. This last week, Nari, a Korean-American from Oklahoma (a state which I didn't expect Koreans to hail from) arrived at Durihana, and speaks strong enough Korean and fluent English, and offered to help me when there was time to get his story down, but it still hadn't opened up.

We came into the sanctuary after church tonight to practice a section of our upcoming choir performance on Saturday, and after we finished, I could feel God telling me "prep your camera, it's happening now." Not 5 minutes later, Gwangjin turns to Nari and tells her he's ready to tell me his story.

As I just said, I am recording this as it goes. I will be putting together the videos, which I will be showing at the churches I visit to share about my trip this year. If you live in Southern Illinois and want to attend one of these (and you should to get the full effect of this story--there are just somethings that writing them won't do justice compared to his video testimony), I know for a fact I will be speaking at Little Chapel Church in Harrisburg, Freedom Outreach Ministries in Vienna, and probably First Baptist Church in Ridgway at some point. When I have concrete dates set, I will let you know.

Without further adieu...



This is Gwangjin. He is 29 years old, and he lives here at Durihana. He was the first face of Durihana I saw at the airport, Joseph being the second. Shortly after meeting, he introduced himself as a North Korean. He is the first North Korean I have knowingly seen. With our language barrier, communication is difficult, but he is one of those people that I feel as close as a brother to in such a short time in knowing each other.

Gwangjin, as you can tell by the picture, is the drummer at our church. He has only been playing for a couple years, but he has great talent. His ultimate dream is to be a worship leader in North Korea when the two nations reunify and to be able to bring the Gospel to North Korea, since so many are unevangelized there. His dream is to be established as a worship leader here in South Korea before reunification, then when the border opens, he will be in North Korea spreading the Gospel. He looks at his time here as training. He is not a worship leader yet. But he looks at this as preparation for his ultimate ministry, that he is able to be trained and prayed over by people who are older and more spiritually mature than him before he can even reach his ultimate goal. And even with his dream to lead worship in North Korea, he also aspires to lead worship globally.

Like I said, he is talented. He can play guitar, drums, and the saxophone. He, however, cannot read sheet music. But he is still able to play these instruments with great proficiency. He wants to learn more instruments, including piano. Tonight, he was even asking me what basics he should learn to begin to learn bass, and even said that when Yoonmi and I marry, that he will play violin (even though he can't play it yet) at our wedding. That's an open invitation if he learns before then.

When he escaped North Korea, like most, his route involved going through China. North Koreans don't have passport or papers to cross the border. They either sneak out, or they bribe the border patrol to let them pass through. Once they're in China, despite China being party to an international treaty regarding not repatriating refugees, they're essentially criminals. You can't legally hold jobs. You can't go to school. Most people cower in fear and stay cooped up in apartments for months or years without setting foot outside, for fear that they will be noticed and arrested and repatriated to North Korea, which would result in imprisonment at least, and execution at worst.

Gwangjin however was already a fugitive, and lived like one. He did whatever he could to survive on the streets in China. He would steal food, money, bicycles, anything that he could flip for cash would be stolen. He would beat up people to steal from them. He told me an example of how he would ask to borrow someone's phone to make a phone call, then walk away with it. If they pursued him, he would crack them over the head with a lead pipe and take the phone. He said this happened multiple times, so I assumed the phone was then pawned for money to live off of. Whatever it took to survive.

He had no place to sleep in China. He never had his own place, so he explained that at night, he would take cardboard boxes to the roof of apartment buildings and sleep on top of the buildings. He even did this when it was cold. He said in the winter, it was so cold on top of the roof that the only way he could warm up enough to sleep was to drink hard liquor, so this became a routine where he couldn't sleep without a drink.

It was because of Durihana that he was able to escape China for South Korea. However, after he arrived here, he wasn't apt to go to church at that time, despite Pastor Chun leading him out. He said that even though he was warm in Korea, he was lonely at night. Because of this, he continued his trend of drinking alcohol and smoking to ease his loneliness at night so he could sleep. He still struggles with both, and told me he has often been chided by Pastor Chun regarding these. He is trying to quit both, and is smoking an electronic cigarette to ween himself off of tobacco. He also found out during a physical that his liver is in bad shape because of his drinking, and if he doesn't quit, he will end up with liver cancer or cirrhosis. He is asking for prayer to help him quit both.

He said making money was easy for him when he got to Seoul. He said he could make around $5,000 monthly, yet he was always broke, and couldn't understand why. He also got married, and even has a 6-year-old son, but they divorced. He couldn't understand why then, but since coming to Durihana, he understands God was trying to lead him to him, and make him stop trusting in himself and lean on God.

Shortly after arriving at Durihana, he told Pastor Chun he wanted to play drums. Pastor Chun told him to go for it, and was able to pick out a brand new drum kit to learn on. He treats his worship as a prayer to God, as he finds it difficult to vocally pray himself. This is one of the most poignant statements I've ever heard in my life.

By the time he had escaped North Korea, he had been in prison 5 times in the nation. At this point, I have to stop, because this is as far as we've gotten into his story. Please keep tuned in for part two later on.

The Conference

So last week, I went to a conference. It was held by Yoonmi's church on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and was held at a stadium here in Seoul. I had known about it since December, well after I had decided I was coming in June. I knew I had to go.

Now, some people may be detracting, that I should've spent time with the people here instead. But trust me, this conference was a pivotal time for me spiritually.

Now, let's remember that my church prophesied the spirit of the lion over me. Also, in 2008, I attended a seminar at my church about depression with my mom. I was feeling depressed at the time, as was my mom. While we were there, an older woman who worked for TCT was there, and spoke over me that I had a "double portion, and that God was going to do great things through me." I didn't necessarily believe it at the time.

I arrived on Monday night for the first leg of the conference. I could only go to one of the two sessions that night. The first session was led by Scott Brenner, who most Americans won't know. You might know the name if you're from IHOP, as he apparently worked along Mike Bickle, but otherwise, he's relatively unknown outside America. That's mainly because he's spent a long time over here, living and ministering in Korea alongside his wife, Sunghee. He is a pastor here, and also a worship musician and songwriter, with an awesome gift. He can't speak a word of Korean outside of the Spirit, but can write and sing the most amazing Korean worship songs you could imagine. The first night, his worship team performed, and it was stunning. I had heard them last year at their church, but I was equally (if not impressed) this time around.

I had to leave after his session to go back to Durihana for evening services, but Dutch Sheets, which Americans most likely have heard of, great author, very strong speaker, finished off the night. I don't know the notes of this sermon, but Yoonmi later told me that at the end of it, he prophesied that either during Lee Myung-bak's presidency, or after, that the North Korean regime will be gone. Told you it was pivotal that I went.

Another thing I noticed that night: the banner above the stage read "Prepare the way of the Lord," and it also had a Lion in the background. That was enough of a confirmation for me to know I was supposed to be there.

Tuesday started early, at 10am, and didn't finish until close to 10:30PM. I arrived there, and heard Johnny Enlow preach. This was a name I had never heard before, but will never forget. He is the pastor of Daystar Church in Atlanta, and an anointed author to say the least. He has a book out called the 7 Mountain Prophecy, which I highly recommend to anyone to read, and will actually be buying it myself when I come home. For those from my church (and other people reading this) that have been involved in the Truth Project, this book will really appeal to you. Each of the 7 mountains correlate with the 7 spheres mentioned in the Truth Project. However, Enlow goes into further detail with them than can be expressed in an hour of video. He went through the sermon to describe the relevance of these in our lives and how we should apply these. The fact of the matter is, God is ready to invade every sector of society, and transform earth back into His original intentions, if we would take hold of this truth and run with it. If we would stop shrugging away from effecting the world and just staying comfortable in the religious area, we would see great things happen.

He then did something that really hit home. He mentioned that he usually brings a shofar on his trips, and blows it in front of the crowd at the end of his time. He then mentioned he didn't bring it to Korea. Instead of blowing a shofar, he was instead going to roar like a lion in front of the crowd, to awaken our inner lion. I almost hit the ground.

Dutch Sheets came on next, and was very impactful. He spoke something I had heard him speak in 2009 from the DVDs of this same church's conference that year, going from Ecclesiastes 3 to Acts where Peter healed the lame beggar in front of the temple gates. He used this to illustrate that there is a right time for every one and everything thing, and God is bringing Korea into a right time, and in this right time, they would see reunification.

However, he spoke something of great importance, the period of transition. In this period, God takes away things, and begins to tear away things from you to prepare you for a new assignment. In this time, just like the renovation of a building, things seem in disarray, and Satan can try to use this disarray to dampen your spirits, to keep you there. It's here when you have to hold on to the truth of what you know, and listen even closer to God's voice, to lead you to the right time.

The next one, probably the turning point for me in this entire conference, was Cindy Jacobs. I haven't read any of her books; in fact, the first time I heard of her was when Yoonmi sent me an mp3 of her speaking at her church's conference in 2008. I was already impressed then, and was ready to see what happened here.

Her main battle cry was that the church needs to transition from pathetic prayers to decreeing things into existence. If we want to see things change, weak hearted prayers won't cut it. We need to act with reckless abandon toward the things we desire. Her case in point was reunification.

However, she took a random turn at the end of her sermon, and asked the youth at the conference to come to the front. She started with people 25 and under, which caused me to wince, because I missed the cutoff by one year. But then, she said something else "Now I know someone out there is saying, 'Cindy, what about me? I'm only 28.' So I going to open it up to people 30 and younger." At this point, I'm STILL not sure if I should go up, even though I fell into the age range, I'm not exactly Korean. However, I see Yoonmi's mother motioning to me to go up. Can't really say no to momma, right?

We were up there maybe 20 minutes in prayer, when she starts prophesying over people. She called one girl to start an orphanage, one man to start a campus ministry, and be against abortion in this nation. Then she points at me. No joke, and waves me to the front. And then, asks me to say my name, which she didn't ask anyone else (probably because I was clearly foreign, and it would be easier for her to say my name). But this in itself was what needed to happen: Yoonmi was upstairs working in the bookstore for the conference, and they had monitors and PA's in the bookstore so the workers could hear. She heard, "Corey" and turned around in shock.

She then proclaimed me as having a double portion. That confirmed what she was about to say further, because immediately, I was brought back to that seminar in 2008. She felt God's calling on missions in me. She then called out the name Eric Liddell on me. This broke me open; his life has mesmerized me since I first learned of him through the film Chariots of Fire. Then she started to call out nations: "I feel God's calling in you for..." and my mind started to fill in the blank with North Korea, but then she finished her statement with, "...China and Mongolia." And my jaw dropped. Neither country was anything I could've concocted in my mind. In fact, last year, I was quoted in November as telling Yoonmi that I would never even try to learn Chinese, that the tonal part of the spoken language was too much for me to handle, then to top it off, to learn how to read and write it?! Not for me...

...but yet, in my heart, I knew what she was saying was right. And all I could do was thank God for showing me another leg in my journey. She went on further to say I would stand against injustice, and that while I was on my trips, I would do church planting and preaching. I think I blacked out after that, because Yoonmi and her mom both corroborate that she told me whatever I give to God will be given back tenfold. There was another, but Yoonmi was the only one who remembered it. I need to ask her again, so I can write it all down.

At any right, I was floored by this whole thing. I went back to my seat, trying to write it down, and couldn't, because Yoonmi's mom came and grabbed me, and hugged me, and was just telling me how happy she was and thanking God. I was later told by Yoonmi that her mom said when I went up, she started praying that I receive revelation and confirmation. Prayer granted.

I then went to find Yoonmi in the bookstore, but she was busy and couldn't talk, but just told me how happy she was and we would talk later. I was then approached by the guy who had campus ministry prophesied over him, and his older sister, who wanted me to go to dinner with them. They had previously approached me leaving the front, with her asking me, "Do you know Chinese?" And then I laughed and said, "No, but I guess I will soon!"

So with that, I was off with Jennifer (She introduced herself by her English name) and Seungjun for some bibimbap and some discussion. It truly was a gift from God. I had eaten lunch alone, which I didn't mind at all. But to have company and fellowship for dinner before the next session? It really was wonderful. The reason I struck them to want to dine with me is that her brother is also called into China, so he wanted to connect.

The next speaker was Che Ahn, a Korean-American from California. I had only heard his name through Yoonmi, but she rarely made mention of him. I began to think he was less anointed than the other speakers, but I well underestimated him. He has a strong healing ministry, which is something I connect with, but he did a very strong presentation on how the church is changing. He spoke on 8 dynamic shifts that the church is going and should go through to see us return to the NT church and the power that comes with it. If I tried to write everything down, it would be a full day's task, but I will write down the 8 shifts:

1. Shift from denominational to apostolic alignment.
2. Shift from preaching the Gospel of Salvation to the Gospel of the Kingdom.
3. Shift from ordained pastors to commissioned servants.
4. Shift from traditional education to new models of equipping.
5. Shift from traditional evangelism to discipling whole nations.
6. Shift from traditional revival to revival in this new era.
7. Shift from a negative to a positive eschatology.
8. Shift from a poverty to a prosperity mentality.

He also, later, laid out a dream where he met with Ronald Reagan and Lee Myeong-bak, both of whom have faced backlash for their positions on their respective rival nations. He was reminded of how Reagan made the decree to Gorbechav to tear down the Berlin Wall, and two years later it was torn down. He once again, mirroring Dutch Sheets, prophesied that within two years after Lee Myeong-bak leaves Cheongwadae, that the DMZ will be gone.

If I tried to skim over even my notes on this conference from every day, this would take all day to write. I wrote around 60 pages of notes during this conference, and my wrist is still feeling the effects. Yoonmi laughed at how concise my notes were becoming, but I couldn't control it. I wanted to have as much written down as I could. Anyone that wants to see these notes, I would be more than happy to let you see them, or make copies of them for you.

Also of note is that there will be a DVD of this conference. I tried to pre-order one on Thursday night at the discounted price of 40000KRW for the boxed set, to which Yoonmi told me not to worry, she'll make sure I get it. When I get this, and it is region free I believe (It worked in my Xbox last year), anyone that wants to watch this can watch this.

Also there, and certainly not least was Andre Ashby and JoAnn McFatter for worship. These are also unknowns in America I believe, however, if you've been to IHOP, you may also know these names. They worship prophetically, and to the secular mind, the only thing I can liken them to is a jam session of nothing but worshiping God. They were so powerful, that even the interpreter was overwhelmed to the point where it was hard on her to keep interpreting what they were singing (impromptu) into Korean.

This was one of the most important and edifying times in my life, and I'm grateful to have gone.

자갈치 & Entertaining Angels

If you know me well enough (like Buckman and several of my closest friends do), and saw the kind of effects I brought back last time from Korea with me, you knew I brought a decent amount of bags of Jagalchi with me. Jagalchi is, without question, my favorite snack food. Period. You can have your Doritos, your Curleh~ Mustache with Pringles, candy bars, Pop Tarts, whatever. Give me a bag of Jagalchi, and I'm complete.

Jagalchi is a type of chip you can only find in Korea that I'm aware of, unless you live near an Asian food store. It's squid flavored. Yeah, you heard me correctly. This sounds gross, but I can't get enough of them. When Hyunsil visited in 2007, she brought some with her, and gave me a bag of my own. And I loved them. When I came here last year, the first time I saw them, I got some. And the love affair began anew.

So naturally, if I'm in the mood for a snack over here, I'm quick to head to 7-Eleven to grab some coffee, a Pocari Sweat, or a cider, and a bag of Jagalchi. And today was no different.

I don't think I've referenced this yet, but there is a young North Korean girl here. She is no more than 5 years old, but I've estimated 4. I could be wrong. Whatever her age, I first encountered her on the first Friday I was here. When I met her, Seol explained that she was deaf. And it's pretty apparent; she is inattentive to voices or even sharp noises, and often makes loud shrieks and noises, unaware that she is even doing so. There have been times when I can hear her at midnight doing so.

Seeing her, God just placed her on my heart. I don't know why. And honestly, I have really only seen her close to Seol, Joseph, Hana, and Pastor Chun's wife, and no one else. So I could already tell that she doesn't trust easily.

Fast forward to today. I'm sitting in the office, eating a bag of Jagalchi, and drinking some coffee. She walks up behind me, and notices the bag. And I knew she wouldn't do anything near me. She hadn't the entire time I've been here. She wouldn't even get near me hardly. But I could hear God just telling me, "Give her a chip."

So, with her standing right beside me, I pick up the bag, and offer her a chip. And she takes one out, and eats it, and walks away. I thought she was gone. So I'm sitting there, still eating, while checking Facebook on my Droid, but I can detect the presence of another life-form behind me. They weren't casting any shadows over me, so I knew it had to be her. And sure enough, she was looking over my shoulder.

I turn to look, and she hides behind my other shoulder, giggling. I turn to the other shoulder--same thing. Repeat this process several times. And I can tell she's playing with me. I start moving my head really fast and she starts cracking up while still trying to hide. I center my head again, wait about 5 second, then jerk it back to the shoulder she's looking over, and she ducks, laughing.

Then she pulls out the chair beside me, and sits down, and we split the bag. God just keeps telling me stuff to do. Nothing super spiritual. In fact, I looked petulant. Things like putting two chips over my eyes, putting one on my nose. Something I have reservations in doing. But she was laughing her head off at it. Then she followed suit, trying to make me laugh. And any time she got me to laugh, her smile got bigger, and she laughed harder.

Shortly after I got here, a group of Koreans living in Taiwan came here as well. One of them walked in, saw her with me, laughing. And all he could was say was, "Dude, how'd you get her to like you?" All I could say was "Snacks."

But that did confirm my suspicions. She doesn't trust people outside her circle. The closest I got to her was when she fell asleep in Joseph's lap at church one night, and was able to take a picture. But otherwise, I had only seen her with him, Seol, Hana, and Pastor Chun's wife. That was her circle. But suddenly, here I was, sharing a bag of Jagalchi and seeing her laugh with me.

We were close to the end of the bag, and I needed to use the bathroom. I wound up pointing to the bag, then to her, letting her know the rest was hers. She smiled and took the bag, and went back to Pastor Chun's wife's desk. And I went to the bathroom.

But it was that type of moment that warmed my heart. I had no clue that this type of event would occur. This was not in the brochure. This was not something I was expected to do. But this was something God wanted. And if anything, this girl's heart had a transition of sorts.

I may never know the ramifications of this afternoon's snack with her. But I do know that this was a time where I entertained an angel.

A Friday (Not to) Remember

Friday continued the same overcast that Thursday had. And it was really taking its toll. Everyone was tired. I came into the office, and everyone looked like they were fighting off sleep. I went to class, and everyone acting like they were tired. Even David, who is so interactive and energetic, looked like he was inches from nodding off. They understood the lesson, but you could tell, they were not into it, and the weather was to blame. I felt it too. It was hard to really get energized, I felt bad, that I felt like I was holding back the class from being enthused as well, but honestly, I knew everyone shared the sentiment.

After lunch, I took another nap, and barely did anything. I worked to reconfigure my laptop. GNOME3 just wasn't cutting it, with it hanging at the lock screen so often. Back to Openbox.

Tiresome Thursday

Wednesday night, after church, clouds rolled in, and it rained for a bit. The rain soon cleared up, but the overcast lingered.

All of Thursday was spent under the covering of clouds. And it was effecting everyone. Everyone was tired, everyone was dragging. Everyone just felt like it was later in the day than it was supposed to be. I at first thought it was more jetlag, but honestly, I'm over it. It was just exhausting to be under crappy weather.

We did Bible study, and ate, and then I went upstairs to do private worship. I instead fell asleep. I was just exhausted. On top of that, I was insanely sore from sports school. I've sinced vowed to get some form of exercise while I'm here, and get in the practice of exercising for when I come home.

After my nap, I knew I needed to go buy some postcards. My grandparents' anniversary was coming up on the 16th. It takes a week to receive something from Korea via snail mail, so I knew that Thursday (the 9th) was the last day I could do so. So, I was heading back to Jonggak, and Insadong.

While at Jonggak, I stopped by a bookstore to buy a couple CD-Rs (The only place I knew that sold them at this point). I wanted to burn a couple CDs for Seol to listen to. It was the only thing, and the very least I could do, to show appreciation for helping me out during worship service.

After that, I headed back to Insadong for the souvenir shops. I found a good set of postcards, and headed out, looking for a place to write them at. I needed a flat desk-like surface to write. Any restaurant in the area was a sit-down restaurant, and I didn't want them to get their hopes up that I was ordering food. The only other place I could think of was somewhere that I knew would be slow at that time of the day, and would have a flat enough surface that I could write, albeit distracted.

I headed to a small arcade in Insadong, and sat at a Tekken cabinet, and wrote out my postcards. It was noisy, but at least it was a good surface to write on. The cabinets are linked, so there's only one set of controls per cabinet, so there is plenty of elbow room, thus making there be plenty of writing room. After writing, I headed for the nearest post office.

The nearest post office was around a 20 minute walk, through the subway and towards Gwanghwamun. I got there, mailed the post cards and left. As I walked out, I had a realization of where exactly I was. Last year, we went to Gwanghwamun Square before going to the presidential palace. In Gwanghwamun Square, they have a statue of King Sejong, the creator of the Korean written language as we know it today. Underneath said statue, was a museum, which I wanted to go to last year. However, due to the fact that we needed to be at Cheongwadae in a short time, we couldn't go. I realized I was a block away from the square, and there was no better time than now to go to this museum. Off we go.

I do not regret this decision at all. What I got to see was truly educational, and things that I would have never known otherwise was brought to light.

Under King Sejong's rule:

-The Korean alphabet was created. This is probably the biggest, most important thing he created. The more I walked through this section, the more I learned. This honestly wasn't haphazardly created. Each consonant served more than just a functional purpose. There was a rhyme to the reason each consonant was created like it was, with every consonant showing the positioning of the tongue and mouth as each consonant is sounded out. I stood there in epiphany mode as I made each sound, and noted where my tongue and mouth was during the pronunciation. It really is remarkable.
-A very advanced sundial was created, that could not only tell the time, but also the seasons, days, months, and so on.
-A notation system for Korean music was created, allowing for advanced notation of music before our modern form of musical notation was widely used.

He was a very strong leader, had a long period of peace, and brought great advances to the world, as well as a strong sense of leadership, but something struck me here. Sejong is highly revered in Korea. His advances are well-known, and he truly did well. However, if you were to say something bad about him, I could guarantee you the backlash would be unmistakable and harsh. I even fear saying that I can't even truly ascertain whether the advances made in his rule were of his own ideas and creation, or whether they were done by members of his court, and he just took credit, or even if they were his ideas, but he had aid by his court members and scholars to bring them to fruition. I just don't know, and I don't know if people in Korea would even know. Just we know what has been taught.

But Koreans hold this man, only a man, in high reverence. Sure, he was a good ruler, but they hold them in almost a place of unshakable esteem, and anyone who challenges this be damned. This makes me wonder how much this reverence towards leaders has shaped this country as a whole.

In the South, it seems like their apathy toward politicians is as strong as in America. I haven't found many people who have positive things to say about Lee Myung-bak. I have found some, but the general apathy reflects America's apathy overall. We were unhappy, collectively, with Bush, but now, we're just as unhappy with Obama. Koreans don't even have the choice of re-electing presidents, as presidents only serve one 5-year term here. So, if they don't like the last guy's job, they elect an opposing party, which sounds similar to America, except for the fact the previous President, unless he is at the end of his second term, can run again.

But this overall apathy is apparent. I haven't heard a bad thing about Syngman Rhee, South Korea's first president. And again, if you tried to detract for Sejong's reign, then you're going against Korean society. When a Korean president makes a mistake, it's almost as if they are trying to initially hold him up to the esteem of Rhee or Sejong. When he fails, he is lowered from that pedestal, and there's no way he can come back from that.

And I'm not pointing fingers squarely at Korea. We do it stateside too. We look at great leaders like Washington, and Lincoln, and Roosevelt, and we hold them up in great esteem. Then we elect leaders who are in no way like those three, and expect them to do great things. When they don't, we thrash them on CNN, Fox News, and the like, until the next leader arrives, and we do the same to him.

But because of this esteem of former leaders, we aren't looking toward the present. This causes apathy toward the government, because they aren't doing the great things of old.

This leads me to North Korea, which is a polar opposite of the apathy we experience. The reverence of King Sejong led to something Kim Il-sung took full advantage of: completely and total blind loyalty to a ruler. If you show promise, then you will be worshipped. After the 38th parallel was sectioned off following the fighting, North Korea's economy rebounded faster than the South's. And because of this, Kim Il-sung is revered. And in affluent areas in North Korea, it's easy to continue this reverence. They have everything handed to them. Kim Il-sung's provision still happens, so clearly he is great.

Even in impoverished areas, it's often hard to give up this reverence, because they are indoctrinated from the beginning that Kim Il-sung is great, and by relation, so is Kim Jong-il. Even if it isn't true, even if 99.9% of it is a lie, they still believe it, because people are taught that with great conviction that it is the truth. Just like we are told that Sejong did all these great things on his own merit. This could be the truth, but it could also be his subordinates that did most of the work. But it is a blind reverence toward the people in power that I'm focusing on. Because Sejong is great, if another leader is proclaimed as great, then they are revered like Sejong. So through this opportunity, Kim Il-sung became great, Kim Jong-il is great, and Kim Jong-un (the projected successor to North Korea) will be great as well.

These are just things that crossed my mind at the museum. Most of it was positive. I was very impressed with the advances during Sejong's reign. It is because of him and his reign that common Koreans are able to read and write, and not just the societal elite that could go to school to learn Chinese characters. He didn't know it, but he paved the way for an entire nation to know God. If it weren't for Korean Bibles, none of this would be possible.

I wandered further, and got a unique experience. I was able to write my name with a Korean traditional calligraphy brush on rice paper. Upon finishing mine, the host told me I wrote like a Korean would. Not a bad compliment.

On this I came back home. I burned the CDs for Seol, and left to go meet Yoonmi for dinner. We decided on Italian, so back to Myeongdong for Pane Pasta. Once again, I got Fettucine Formaggio, which was again, the best Italian dish I could ever touch. Green tea bread + pasta is just an amazing comination, and has such a taste that I cannot really define it, except to say it just works. I would actually prefer it over your run of the mill pasta.

We then walked around Myeongdong, eventually heading toward Chungmuro. We passed by several pet shops, where Yoonmi looked longingly at puppies. I could honestly see a puppy in our future, easily.

With that, we headed back toward the station, and home, where I fell asleep rather quickly.

Wednesday's church service

After my much-needed shower, it was time for dinner. After such a workout, I ate a mass amount of food. Afterwards, Gwangjin, Hana, Seol, and I came upstairs to practice for worship service. Once again, it was just a powerful time. Joseph gave the sermon. While I don't understand enough Korean to get everypoint, I got the basis of it. He spoke out of Daniel, where Daniel neither opted to eat the royal food, or bow down to his king in worship.

The basis was this: We should do what's right in God's sight, not what's right in our own, or even our country's. We're all faced with those situations at some point. In America, we're faced with this in smaller scale, among friends, colleages at work, school, and people we meet on the street. Sometimes, we're even faced with it at church. I remember fund raising for missions, and someone told me I should do so a different way, telling me to work multiple jobs. However, that was not what God was telling me to do. I did what was right in waiting on God, and not trusting in myself.

However, we may, one day, face pressure from our own governments regarding our faith, that we should renounce it or die. The thing is, these people have already faced it, and if God called them to cross the border again for evangelism right now, would face it again. It didn't even end with their faith, but their very existance and hearts were attacked. Like I mentioned before, the dreams and hopes of a North Korean are deferred for the party betterment. So, let's just say for instance, that a North Korean wanted to be a scientist. If the party doesn't think they should, but should be something else, such a soccer player, then they have no say in the matter. If the party says you are a soccer player, then that's what you are. You could hate soccer, but if North Korea wants you to be a soccer player, then you are. If you aren't, you are insubordinate, and face punishment. If God has called you otherwise, then that's too bad, because the government is God in North Korea. You do what they say.

But God calls us higher than this. He asks us to honor our government, but when he has called us to do something, we do it. If the government stands in our way of this, then we do it anyway. At judgment, we are not answering ultimately to king and country, but to God alone. Barack Obama will not open the book of life. Kim Jong-il can sentence someone to execution, but he cannot condemn someone to Hell. When we are called by God to something, and our earthly government contradicts this calling, who are we to follow?

We have to follow God. This is becoming an unpopular choice, and certainly is to North Koreans. When we choose to follow God, we follow him, no matter the circumstance, and God never said our circumstances are always going to make it easy to follow Him. In North Korea, you are told to bow in reverance and worship to the statue of Kim Il-sung. You are taught from an early age to worship him as God. If you worship any other, you are against your country, and imprisoned. But God called us to be like Daniel. Daniel faced the lions, and Daniel knew what the implications were and what the judgment would be if he refused to worship the king. He worshipped God anyway.

Even facing certain death, persecution, and hatred, we should worship God. We should answer his calling, and not the world's.

Sports School

Lots to write about. Once again, I'm sorry for not writing over the past few days, it's just been madness over here. The times I have had the opportunity to write, I have been exhausted. So, allow me to catch up now.

Instead of writing one massive blog, I will instead section it off into various blog posts. That large blog last week took it out of me.

Wednesday afternoon, I was standing outside Durihana, figuring out what to do with my free time. I had done what I needed in my room, and had posted pictures on Facebook. I was now in a quandry. I could go visit a Christian bookstore that Joseph and I happened upon Tuesday when activating my phone. I could just go wander around a random area in Seoul. But I was standing there, weighing the options.

Then, one of the teachers here asked if I would like to go with the students to sports school. I basically understood the concept, and without any desire to pass up opportunities like this, I jumped at it. She then asked me to go put on sneakers (I was wearing a pair of flip flops). I had the lingering suspicion that this might be more involved than I anticipated as we walked two buildings down, and into a basement.

I walked in to find my students, along with others, standing in what could be described as a makeshift gym area. When the teacher came out, it was conducted in a similar manner as a PE class would be in America. The students started out with basic calisthenics and stretches, then out came soccer balls. They practiced basic passes to each other, much like we play pitch & catch in America with baseball. Then they played a soccer form of keep away, once again practicing ball handling and passing, with the person in the middle trying to intercept. After about 15 minutes of this, they picked sides, and started a game. Then I was tossed a jersey. Yeah, this means I'm playing too, and the first time I've played organized soccer in 15 years.

This wasn't an official style game by any means. There was only 5 players to a side. The room was really small, so there were no boundaries. If it hit the wall, it was no different than playing a puck off the boards in hockey, thus adding a semblance of familiarity, and strategy, for me. The only things that you could compare it with soccer was no hand balls and get the ball in the goal.

Everyone was really getting into it. So was I. I was about ready to collapse from the exertion. My sedentary lifestyle has really taken its toll on me. The students were going strong after 30 minutes of play. By 10, I was having to dig into the reserve tanks trying not to dry heave. Makes me really ashamed to be American, where we have bred a nation of couch potatoes and fast food junkies.

2/3 of the way through soccer, I switched to goal. This was after the other team scored 3 unanswered goals on us. Last time I played, I played goal, and I remember I did well at it. And it seems like I still have the reflexes and limberness to handle goal, as they got nothing by me. I was an unstoppable wall in goal, and was sacrificing my body to stop the ball. I have the bruises on my knees and hips (still) to prove it.

Soccer finally ended, and I thought we were done. In America, we would have been. Not in Korea. I had a short breather, then they started playing half-court basketball. They put me on the opposite team as David (the only male student in my class), as I think they thought putting us together would've made for an unfair advantage. On the onset, I thought their assumption was wrong. I suck at basketball. I can prove this by the fact that on my 8th grade team, I was the only one not to score a single basket. This is not a stat I'm proud of, but I think I proved my point.

However, when I got going, I got on fire, and their assumption was correct. David and I often challenged each other. Any time I scored, David would have me check it and say "Come on, come on. Again!" And it was just a strong game, lots of passing, lots of shooting, lots of defense. I don't even know the score, nor did I care. I was having fun. However, when class ended, I wanted to die. That took more out of my tank than I even knew I had--I did know that I was running on fumes.

When we got upstairs, first thing I did, and the only think I could think of, was running to 7-Eleven for a Pocari Sweat (a Korean sports drink). Then I went to my room, cranked the A/C, and cooled off while drinking a HUGE bottle of Pocari. Then I went downstairs to take a much-needed shower (as it was almost time for church).

You know, I had so much fun in going there, but that wasn't the point. I got to see the students in their element, doing things that were exciting.

When I first heard and learned of North Korea, I was taught about their beliefs in the Cult of Personality regarding their leaders. I was taught they were commies, plain and simple. We were taught throughout our lives, at least as far as the Soviets were concerned, that they are taught to love the party, and hate freedom, and those who love freedom. Considering Juche style communism is a fork from Stalinism, the same could hold true for North Koreans. So by way of reasoning, we could just assume that North Koreans were robotic, communist, war-hungry people who hated us and only cared about the party.

After sports school, I saw my reasoning thrown out the window. I saw the students laughing, running around, having fun. They played soccer because it was fun. They celebrated when they scored, and grimaced when they got scored on. But at the end of the game, no one cared. They had fun. It was the same with the basketball game. Just watching David, who is very athletic, every single bit of the game was exciting for him. It didn't matter whether we were talking about soccer or basketball, he enjoyed it. I saw students, including David, practicing Taekwondo moves. I saw them laughing. I saw them smiling. I saw them doing things we Americans take for granted, leaving things like that to the pros, as we sit in our seats at home or a stadium eating hot dogs and drinking beer. And they enjoyed it.

Sure, they're in South Korea now, but by birthright, they're North Koreans. And while not every North Korean has accepted that the Kim rule is a fraud, they aren't all war hungry, and the people here certainly aren't. They laugh, they cry, the smile, they have fun. They have hopes and dreams, just like us. In North Korea, those hopes and dreams are deferred for the party, but here, these students, as smart and talented as they are, can do anything they set themselves out to do.

But I can never say that North Koreans are robotic. Not after this. I had my misconceptions shattered.