God is Faithful: What a Difference a Year Makes

We have been back in Korea for a little over three weeks now. I have been thinking a lot about the differences between our experiences last year and our experiences this year, and I am amazed at how I can see God's faithfulness in every area of our lives here in Korea.

Last year, we attended the Annual Ministry Appreciation Dinner for the ICS and WOL missionaries as apprehensive outsiders. We were excited to dive in to our ministry here, but we were still figuring out where we would fit in, how we would serve, what the dynamic of the ICS staff would be, what it would be like to work with our students, and a myriad of other questions about what life in Korea would be like.

This year, we attended the Annual Ministry Appreciation Dinner as involved members of our local community who were warmly welcomed by our church and school family. This warm welcome reinforced that God has placed us in this community for a reason and that we are where we are supposed to be. It was wonderful to catch up with friends about our time in the US and enjoy a wonderful meal surrounded by our church and school family.

Last year, we often came home after school and, while talking about our days, discussed how overwhelmed we were feeling. Jonathan started teaching a new grade at the elementary level, and I taught a class of only three students, none of whom spoke very much English at all. We had mentally prepared for a difficult transition to Korea, but we still fell victim to the "grass is greener" mentality as we reminisced about Guatemala and what our classes would have been like if we would have stayed at IAS, where we already knew the language, the culture, and the community.

This year, we have routinely come home discussing our plans for the future of our classes and talking about how excited we are about the coming year. Now, that's not to say that last year's classes were terrible and that this year's classes are angelic. Quite the contrary...every class has it's challenges. But, we are so excited to continue our ministry at ICS and in our local community, and even though we still remember Guatemala fondly and perhaps we will end up back in Latin America at some point in the future, we also feel that we are in Korea at this moment in time for a reason, and it has been a very encouraging few weeks of reassurance of this.

Thank you, Lord!

~Laura~

Home Sweet Home

We are back in Korea for another year of teaching at PICS! We are excited to get back into our classrooms tomorrow to unpack and start setting up. The Kindergarten room will be the "Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss," and the sixth grade students will learn "in a galaxy far, far away" in Jonathan's Star Wars themed room.

Before we get back to work, however, I would like to reflect on our fun-filled summer in the states.

In Oklahoma, we enjoyed relaxing at my parents' house and visiting with my two younger sisters and some friends from college as well. I enjoyed going to a baby shower for my dear friend, Tara, and I was able to visit with my friend Mandy as well. We also got to see the "new" location for my dad's church in Bixby, OK, and we visited a church in Caney, Kansas, where my father is also serving as pastor. God is doing amazing things in both of these congregations, and it was wonderful to see old friends and visit with new friends in the faith as well.

I also took Jonathan to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, my alma mater. I was able to visit with some of my former professors and tell them all about what we did during our time in Guatemala and what we do here in Korea as well. I was also interviewed for the school alumni magazine, so I got to tell all about the Network of International Christian Schools!

Then it was off to Virginia, where we spent our first week with Jonathan's extended family at the beach for the fourth of July. What a relaxing time! After the trip, we traveled back to Jonathan's hometown, and we split time between Richmond and Fredericksburg, where Jon's sister lives. It was nice to have time to get to know our nieces, one of whom we just met! It was truly a blessing to be able to relax and spend time with Jon's family.

Also during our time in VA, Brittany came to visit!! Because she is traveling with her husband's hot air balloon business this summer, we did not cross paths in Oklahoma. However, she was visiting her husband's family in Roanoke and decided to come over to Richmond for a few days! It was SO MUCH FUN to get to hang out as sisters again for a while, and Jon's family was very kind and welcoming to her.

Another great thing about visiting Virginia is that we are close to several of our friends from Guatemala, and it was nice to be able to catch up with them as well.

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to the US and hello to the "Land of the Morning Calm." We were sad to leave our families, but we are SO EXCITED to be back in Korea to start the work that God has for us to do in the lives of our students this year at PICS.

"Throw yourselves into the work of the Master,

 confident that nothing you do 

for him is a waste of time or effort." 

1 Corinthians 5:58b (The Message)

Life as we know it...

Well, I have been neglecting this blog because I just didn't know what to write about. I think that now is a good time to start again.

As some of you know, we found out early this morning that someone came into our apartment and stole from us while we were coaching the girls' soccer team at an away game. The items that they took were hidden in different places in our home and nothing was out of place when we returned from the game. This makes us feel very violated, and we are working to make sure our home is secure.

Several people have approached us asking if we need any help. We are humbled and incredibly grateful that people would like to help us, and it is a great reminder of the community that God has given us here in Korea, in the US, and around the world as well.

I have found that physically writing things out helps me think through them. This is what I thought (and wrote) today...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. " Matthew 5:43-45

Lord, even if we never see those earthly things again, please redeem this situation for your glory, as we know you will. You have the power to work in the lives of the thieves and change their hearts. Help us to remember what you said in your word, "Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal." Remind us that you called us here to Korea to serve you and further your kingdom, even when things like this discourage us. Use this situation to develop our trust in you and remind us of the hope that we have. ~Amen

2012 in Review

Happy New Year!

2012 was a wonderful year for the Edwards family. God blessed us many times over, and we prayerfully enter 2013, knowing that God will continue to be with us.

In honor of the new year, we have put together some pictures to capture 2012 in our family. Enjoy! 

We said good-bye to Guatemala, our home for the past 4 years.

Here are all of the children that Laura taught during our time in Guatemala

and message from two of Laura's Kinders. :-)

Finally, our GIANT to do list for our Korean visas was checked-off,

but we said good-bye to very good friends.

Nicole came to visit us in Guatemala,

and we had SO much fun!

Then it was back to the US for Brittany's wedding in Colorado!

It was a BEAUTIFUL wedding,

and she was a beautiful bride. :-)

Then we traveled to Mississippi for our Pre-Field Orientation. We met some wonderful people, including these couples in our small group. They are now all over the world, serving the Lord!

We also got to know the other new teachers at our school, and we had fun dancing to K-Pop together for the "Almost Talent Show."

Then we traveled to Virginia to visit Jonathan's family.

Our niece, Kassie, celebrated her first birthday,

and we traveled to New York to visit Jonathan's grandmother and do some sightseeing.

We took one day to sightsee in New York City,

and we visited the September 11th Memorial

and lots more sights!

Jonathan's grandmother celebrated her birthday while we were in New York,

and then it was time to move to Korea! Here's us with all of the stuff that we took with us.

Here's our new home!

Jonathan's class 2012-2013

Laura's class 2012-2013

Happy New Year!

God is good...ALL THE TIME!

~Jonathan and Laura~

Our Top 10

Top 10 Interesting things about (our experience in) Korea...

10. In our city, we can hear "Taps" being played at the Air Force base every night at 10:00 pm (reminding us that it's our bedtime).

9. At the movie theater on the Air Force base, they ask everyone to stand for both the Korean and the US national anthem before the movie starts.

8. Our heat comes up from pipes under the floor, making sitting on the floor the preferred seat in the room in the winter.

7. At some of our favorite restaurants, it is customary to remove your shoes and sit on the floor to dine.

6. Christmas is more of a couples' holiday, kind of like Valentine's Day in the US.

5. Koreans try their very best NOT to get a suntan because pale is beautiful. They even wear tight sleeves during the summer and carry umbrellas. Haha, Laura's in the right place.

4. There are A LOT of customs regarding age, but one is that the youngest person in a group of people is responsible for serving the rest of the group. For example, at our favorite restaurant, it would typically be Laura's job to pour the water into the glasses, walk up to refill the side dishes (which are SO YUMMY), and cook the meat on the grill.

3. "Red is dead." That is, writing someone's name in red is VERY unlucky, and it is akin to "wishing someone dead."

2. Peanut butter squid is a regular snack item at the movie theater.

1. There is a widespread belief in Korea that sleeping with a fan blowing on you can cause "fan death." The reasons behind this belief are many, but three common ones are...

            The fan chops up the air molecules in the room, making them un-breathable.

            The fan causes hypothermia in its sleeping victim.

            The fan sucks the air out of the room like a vacuum, causing the person to suffocate.

Ah, international life is never dull! 

And...before you think, "Wow, what a weird place!" Stop and think about what a visitor to the US would put on their top 10 list. (Hmm...black cats, broken mirrors, exposing yourself to harmful sun rays to look "beautiful," the number 13...) 

~Laura and Jonathan~

North Korea

Dear Readers,

Thank you all for playing last week! I think that I will include a picture every once in a while just for fun. :-)

This week, I want to share something that's been heavy on my heart for a while now. Our Korean/Middle School Math teacher shared the video below in morning devotions one day, and ever since it has stayed in the back of my mind.

Here we are in South Korea, teaching in a Christian school, having Bible class everyday, going to our local English church every Sunday, and not so far north of us, there are Christians in North Korea who fear for their lives on a daily basis. It is almost beyond my comprehension to think about the persecution that STILL goes on not so far away from me.

This makes me feel both overwhelmingly blessed and overwhelmingly sorrowful. So...this week I want to ask each of you to take a few moments each morning to pray for the Christians in North Korea. Pray that they would have opportunities to safely meet with other believers, and pray that God would place His hand of protection on each one of them. Also, pray for a CHANGE in North Korea. Pray that the doors would be opened for the gospel of Jesus Christ to freely be preached.

We believe in a God who CAN! God CAN open the doors of North Korea, and as the Bible says in Mark 11:24, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

~Laura~

Fun with Environmental Print!

This week we wanted to share a fun little game with all of our readers. 

Since neither of us speak or read Korean very well, we have been relying on educated guesses for things like brands at the grocery store, signs around town, etc. It's actually kind of fun!

Laura learned all about ENVIRONMENTAL PRINT in college, but now the idea is really hitting home, because it's how we function here in Korea. 

For those of you who are not Early Childhood people :), here's the idea. By using environmental print, a small child might be able to "read" the McDonalds sign, not because he or she can actually read, but because he or she knows that that symbol represents Mcdonalds from their experiences.  In the same way, we "know" what things and brands are here in Korea based on their packages, fonts, colors, etc.

So! Are you ready to play our fun game?

See if you know what these things are! :-) 

Post your answers if you'd like, and we'll tell you if you're right.

~Jonathan and Laura~

So... how did you do???