Two Weeks and Finding Promises.

It's hard to believe that a little over two weeks ago I arrived in Seoul, Korea after a 14 hour flight with a Korean woman who had no hesitancy invading personal space; especially my 1 foot by 1 foot seat assignment with her head as she spread out across our row of seats.

I arrived uncertain as to what the next step of my journey would be, literally. I was unsure if I had a place to live and how to get to wherever I would be staying that night. After managing to find a cart to carry all my luggage and passing through customs, I was relieved to find a man holding a sign with my name printed boldly. He took over pushing my luggage and led me to a taxi van that then carried me to an apartment I had been trying to rent. The taxi driver dropped off myself and my luggage and left before I had even finished conversing with the land lady. A sweet, young Korean who had NO idea I was moving in that night. It was then that I experienced my first real taste of Korean hospitality as with no real warning she invited me in, showed me around, accepted a third of the money I owed, and left. I had rented an apartment in minutes without even signing a contract.

Pamela, a friend from camp, had been an exquisite help in answering all my questions before coming to Korea and even journeyed down to Seoul that night to sleep on the floor in my freezing, newly-rented apartment in an old rug.

After a freezing cold night with no heat and only a sheet to sleep with, I awoke the next morning at 2am already struggling with jetlag. As I lay in bed, it was easy to be consumed with thoughts questioning my decision to come. So much had gone wrong already and it seemed as if I had ignored the multitude of signs that pointed to this journey being wrong.

After several hours of this self-deprecating talk, Pamela awoke and we began a day filled with activity in an effort to reduce my jetlag. We began by exploring the area around my apartment and buying some much needed items at the Local store. Then continued on to meet with some of Pamela's teacher friends to explore the history of Korea. We went to the blue house (which is basically America's white house) and toured a National museum that boasted of Korea's accomplishments. We then ventured to another area where we saw a private showcasing of some Korean teens' Taekwondo moves that prepared us to watch JUMP that evening; a non-verbal show demonstrating the insane movements of Taekwondo. The evening ended with dinner, in which I was told several horror stories about working in Korean hagowans. That began with not getting paid regularly and ended with no bonus money. Needless to say, this did little to calm my fears.

I navigated the Subway by myself that evening and returned to my apartment alone to evaluate this decision of mine and to go to bed early.

The next morning I again woke early and found a challenge as I kept playing back every event that happened previous to my arrival Korea and they all seemed so bad. I kept wondering if I had ignored all the times God had done something to tell me not to come. And I looked to Monday with fear, as I knew I would find out if the horror stories were going to be true...

Two weeks have passed since that time of fear. I won't lie and say that aren't times I wonder what I'm doing here. But I also know that coming to Korea was God's plan for my life. And I know that because in two weeks, God has already done so much to change who I am and bring me closer to Him.

I've fallen in love with the job I'll be doing this year. Which can only be God, as whoever could believe I'd love working with young kids daily? I know I'll enjoy the challenges that come with teaching 2 year olds and the quest to be creative in teaching 4 year olds. I also know I'll enjoy arriving at work everyday to have kids begin chanting my name, a thing I no longer got to enjoy working with teens at camp.

I know now that my school will most likely not be as bad as other hagowans that stories are told about, but I also know it won't be as great as other hagowans that stories are told about. I think that it's a matter of being satisfied with what I've been given and trusting that good and bad is meant to help me grow.

I also seem to have stumbled onto a church that I'm excited to continue worshipping in. My first Sunday, I arrived late and could have wept with a feeling of contentment when I walked through the doors to the crowded sanctuary. The sermon could have been God speaking directly to me about what he was using this year to do in my life. And when I went back today, I was blessed to meet a girl who went to Bethel College in MN (Northwestern's rival) and hopeful to have found a group of Christians to befriend and fellowship with, finally.

And so I close with one last story. My second Sunday here, as I got ready for church that morning I longed for a full length mirror. It seems essential that every girl is able to see the whole length of her outfit before leaving and I needed a full length mirror to do so. But because my pay date is not for some time (a month and a half), I am being quite careful with my finances and knew that I couldn't afford the $40 mirrors I had looked at in Lotte Mart the previous day. As I walked home from eating Burger King later that afternoon (yes, Burger King, just because I'm in Korea doesn't mean the picky eater I am has disappeared), I walked by a large, standing, cracked, full length mirror in the trash. I knew that this mirror was a gift from God and a promise of something greater. I'm not sure if I can adequately explain why this mirror held the symbolism it did. But I know that finding that mirror that trash which now sits in my room and helps me get ready every morning, was a promise from God that He was here in Korea and that He is seeing to my needs.

The doubts I have or the fears or the insecurities or the idols all of them are nothing compared to the power that is God. And I can trust in a promise He has give me to be a provider of I all need this year. And I know that He is going to provide money when I need it, food that I will eat, Christian fellowship that I can grow in, and so much more.