Ever been totally lost? We were...

The day after we bought the car we decided to venture out to E-Mart ( like our US Walmart). We were thrilled with our new found freedom and were sure we knew the way. Or at least we thought we did. WRONG !! We had been there once before with our friend Tracey. We knew the general direction and got close, but spent about half an hour actually finding the store. We asked an older lady who spoke only Korean, but she immediately knew the words "E-Mart". She pointed us down a narrow one car wide brick lane through a darling neighborhood that had just been renovated. An extra treat we had not expected. When we arrived at the end of the lane - low and behold - the E-Mart was right across the street. Definitely not the way we had come the first time. Once there, we had a great time shopping for things for the apartment and buying groceries. At 1 PM we left the store and headed back to the campus for my 2:00 PM appointment. We knew the E-Mart was only about 15 minutes from Yonsei and once again, we thought we were going in the right direction. WRONG !! This time, we actually got very lost. We kept driving in circles and not seeing anything familar. We kept thinking that we could get out of this ourselves. WRONG again !! Finally I started to pray while John kept driving. I knew that God knew where we were, even though we didn't. Every car in Korea, except ours, has a GPS system. They are fantastic and quite necessary. We were not too disappointed when our car came without one as the system is all in Korean and we couldn't read it anyway. Well, I just asked God to please provide either someone who spoke English or something that looked familar and get us back going in the right direction. Not five minutes later I look up and what do I see but the "Seodaemun District Office" sign - photo above - the very place that we had been the day before to buy the car and get the registration papers. We knew exactly where it was. We followed the signs back to the office and from there back to campus for my appointment with about one minute to spare. We discovered that we have our own "GSP system" - we are God's Special Project and His angles are working overtime to keep us on track. We are learning in new ways that God will gently lead us home and keep us on the right path as we trust in Him, rather than our own abilties. If you ask God to send you a "sign", never fear. He will. He is forever faithful.
Barb and John

Yonsei University vs Korea University Annual Games ...

Last weekend was the Yonsei - Korea annual games - a very BIG deal !! It seems like every one of the 30,000 students at Yonsei U. and every one of the 30,000 students at Korea U. attended the two day event. Classes were canceled on Friday for the entire university. Faculty and staff all went to the Olympic Stadium to watch student teams compete in 5 different sporting events: baseball, basketball, ice hockey, rugby and soccer. The students never stopped chanting, and singing and cheering and moving in synchronized motion (Photos 1,2, and 3). They were lead by the university cheerleaders - polished dancers and singers who choreographed all the cheers ( Photo 4). These games have been going on for over 100 years. During the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910-1945, they were one of the few traditions allowed to continue. So the games, in addition to being a competition, provide a strong feeling of national pride. Administration from both universities participated on the field during the opening ceremonies. The mayor of the city spoke and declared the games "Open". Yonsei won the baseball and ice hockey games. Korea won the rubgy and basketball games and the soccer game was tied 1-1. So the event ended in a draw - a fitting result. We had a great time ( photo 5). The buttons on our chests say "Come to Yonsei -- Prepare for the World."

ChungJu is about three hours south of Seoul...

Barb and I had Monday and Tuesday free, so we decided to test our expressway and countryside driving skills with a trip to this mountainous, lake area that many had told us was quite beautiful. We were not disappointed !! The rolling hills and beautiful lake is a very peaceful and a quiet contrast to the hustle and bustle of Seoul. We found a nice place to spend the night, had dinner in a local bulgogi ( korean barbeque) restaurant and drove all around the 60 km lake. The dam that created the lake was built in 1985 for power and flood control purposes; it is the second largest in the country and provides irrigation to this lush farming area ( photo 4.) The lake ( photos 2 & 3) reminds us of the three gorges in China, and the farms and villages area replicas of the Chinese country side. A sculpture stands at the dam site (photo1) that commemorates all the laborers that built this massive project. The driving went fine, and the one time we got a little turned around God provided a gas station attendant that spoke English! We would love to show you this beautiful area -- come visit. We are so blessed to be here -- in His care, John & Barb

A few more pictures from our new home...

1 and 2 The Eagle statue on campus -- the Eagle is the university mascot and comes from Isa. 40:31

3 and 5 our building -- we are on the top floor the last five windows on the right.

4 Sunset from our window