Fellowship - The Underlying Theme to My Summer Vacation

Seeing that my summer vacation will stop abruptly Saturday morning, I thought I'd reflect a bit about the summer. I leave for camp tomorrow, taking an hour and a half train ride south to the town of Jinju. I've never been there, so I have no idea what to expect. I also, in classic Korean style, have received very little information about the 4 week camp I am scheduled to work Starting Sunday/Monday. I think the kids are upper elementary and will be the same kids the whole time. But other than that, I know little. I guess I can write more about this when I know more.

So over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed the re-occurring theme of relationships/fellowship, or any other word you'd like to insert there. To me, it means connecting with other people in a way that goes beyond the surface. I believe we were made to be in relationships with each other. And I have found that there is little that can compare to the joy found in close people.

Last weekend, I got to go climbing with the owner of my climbing gym and some of the members. It had been a really long time since I was the sole foreigner in the group, and I kind of enjoyed it. There was a loneliness at times when I wasn't able to speak, but I also noticed how much my Korean has improved from 2 years ago. The weather pretty much rained us out, but our spirits were kept high. Maybe it was the lack of people around this summer that made me thirst for fellowship, but it was exactly what I needed. We ended up hiking to the top of the mountain, only to climb one route in the wind and rain, and then hike 30 minutes down to the shelter we'd camped at, make some ramen noodles, then hike another 30 minutes down to the artificial wall at the base, where it was partly sunny. In the evening, I got to meet the gym owner's family over dinner. His older sister actually owns the restaurant and had it open just to us, with a delicious dinner of pulled chicken, water kimche, and chicken soup. There is a word in Korean that means "refreshing" but I don't remember what it is right now. But they taught it to me that night.

I've had a double dose of fellowship, I guess, because our Tuesday night Bible Study has been really awesome. There are 7 of us who have been coming regularly, and that really is a magic number. Over the course of several months, we've come to know and understand each other on levels that good friendships are based on. If you know me well, you know that when I get comfortable, I'm not ashamed to ask tough or touchy questions, because I feel comfortable only when I think my company is too. So it's been really nice to open up with a group that I know and trust, sharing our faith with each other, something that is so dear to us. it's awesome.

Family Fun

It's been about a week since Mom and Dad came to visit. It was short and sweet, packed full of wonderful experiences with two people we love dearly. It had been over a year since we had last seen each other. Rebs went via KTX train and Seoul subway to eventually pick them up at the Incheon Airport. They bussed back and then taxi'd here. Their arrival date was June 18th, my mom's birthday. So while Rebs was in transit picking them up, I was home getting good food from Costco and making the ugliest, but most delicious carrot cake known to man, finishing just in time for their arrival.

Over the following week, we did all sorts of fun and active things to give them a glimpse into our lifestyles across the sea, as well as experience a country and culture that was equally foreign. It was fun to watch them shed their timidity slowly, but surely. My dad and I took a bike ride on the riverside path near our house. We took them to the local farmer's market and tried some new foods (no silk worm larvae though). We went swimming together at a local indoor pool that I frequent. We took them to the climbing gym to meet our local climbing community. We also went to Gyeongju (경주), Korea's old capital, to meet our friend Chris who acted as our tour guide as we biked around the city. They got to see some Buddhist temples and old carvings in the granite rocks around the mountainside. And they also got their first experience of Korean food, bibimbab (mixed veggies, rice, and an egg in a hot bowl).

While we were around the apartment, Rebs and Mom bought some pots and dirt to plant the seeds Mom brought over to help Rebs start her herb garden up on the rooftop. (We already have basil, oregano, and cilantro already sprouting after just a week!) We went together as a family to get acupuncture. And we had our friends over for a barbeque on the rooftop, so they could all meet Mom and Dad. We played a Korean version of "Catch Phrase" that I made up using different words and phrases you use and hear as a foreigner in Korea. The girls won (of course), and their prize was hugs from Mom and Dad.

The most important thing about my parents' trip, in my eyes, was that we just got to spend some quality time with them. Living over here, we only see our families on Skype every so often. You don't realize how much a hug is worth until you have to go without. We got to catch up with them. And even though we went all over the place and showed them many things, we made sure to savor our time in relaxing in each other's company, reveling in the depth of conversation. There is sometimes this imaginary barrier to a Skype call that keeps you from getting beyond the surface. So getting to spend so much time with Mom and Dad helped us to break past that barrier. It meant a lot for my parents to spend the time and money to come to the other side of the world just to see us. Now I feel like they know us better, and how to relate to us more. Thanks Mom and Dad!