Getting Connected

Hello Everyone!

For our blog post this week, we would like to share some ministries that we have become involved with here in Korea. We are very excited to find other opportunities to serve outside of our school setting, and we ask for your prayers in these endeavors.

First, we have decided to serve as chaperones for the school's spring break mission trip. We will be accompanying some of our school's secondary students on a trip to the Philippines to work at Kids International Ministries. Here's a short video to give you an idea of what we will be doing.



Also, Jonathan has become involved with the girls' soccer program at our school, and he will be coaching the HS girls team in the spring. Right now he is leading an elementary soccer camp after school, and he also helped with a middle school soccer camp in Suwon this weekend.

I (Laura) will be singing with the Camarata Music Company in their performance of Handel's Messiah, and I have also been singing with the Songtan Central Baptist Church worship team for the past few weeks. I have also greatly enjoyed meeting the ladies of SCBC during a Community Life Group (Bible Study) that I host at my house.

God is good, and He is showing us ways to get involved and serve in this new place where He has called us!

The Friendship Festival

Today we went to the Korean American Friendship Cultural Festival. It was so fun! We enjoyed walking around and looking at the crafts and food and watching the performances. Here are some photos from the day today!

This was our lunch...pig's feet and stuffed squid!

This was our dessert. Some kind of rice puff with honey.

We went to see the new Songtan International Community Center. It is super nice.

Then we played at the park nearby. That's our friend Isaac. :)

Here is "the strip," where many of the booths were. 

This booth had stuff from Ecuador and Peru, and it totally looked like stuff from Guatemala. :) 

There were some interesting street performers, which we couldn't understand.

This was SO COOL! It was a group of Korean ladies drumming.

Here's their video (below).

...and Jon with a potato twist.

Yes, it was a very fun Saturday! Tomorrow we are going to church, working to get school stuff ready, and going up to Seoul to sing with the group doing Handel's Messiah.

God bless!

Laura and Jonathan

Little Things That Make a Big Difference

I must be honest and admit that adjusting to a new country and culture has been difficult for me (Laura). However, with the craziness and frustration that can come with moving to a different continent and not being able to navigate getting around, speaking the language, and countless other "everyday" things also comes a greater sense of gratitude for the little things. SO, in the spirit of being grateful for those successes, we would like to share some little WOW moments that we have experienced here in Korea.

Laura:

1. I "successfully" (after getting lost a little) found the store "Happy Quilt," purchased fabric, and sewed five throw pillows for our living room.

2. All of my students successfully named the fruit that they brought for our fruit salad and what God made on each of the six days of Creation using their English words.

3. I listened to the Kinder, First, and Second grades sing, "Say to the Lord, I Love You" in chapel, and it touched my heart.

4. The weather is getting cooler, and it is delightful.

5. I am singing on the SCBC (Songtan Central Baptist Church) worship team.

Jonathan:

1. My class enjoys interacting with each other and with me. The classroom is a noisy but positive environment.

2. Our apartment is very nice and very comfortable to live in.

3. Our colleagues are encouraging and willing to help with any questions that we have.

4. I have found a group of guys who play racquetball every Wednesday, and it has been a blessing.

5. Laura remembered to bring allergy medicine to Korea, and I have been using it and feeling MUCH better.

6. We have school sports teams to cheer for!

SO...we ask you...

What are the little blessings that sometimes get overlooked in your life? Take time to thank God for those!

~Laura and Jonathan~

Hello everyone!

We are enjoying a quiet Saturday at home. Tonight we are having dinner at a Shabu Shabu place close by to celebrate Jonathan's birthday. Shabu Shabu is soup that has a spicy (very spicy!) broth, shiitake mushrooms, potatoes, garlic, onions, greens, and very thinly sliced beef. The soup cooks on a burner at your table, and you can add the ingredients that you want. The Koreans say that you should be able to dip your beef in the broth with your chopsticks, say "Shabu, Shabu," and take the meat out to eat it. We tried it, but it needed a little more time than that. Haha...

Jon's birthday dinner was cancelled on Tuesday because Typhoon Bolaven was passing through and giving us lots of rain and wind. However, we had a nice impromptu movie night and dinner with our friends Nicole, Josh, Suzie, and Hannah. Check it out...

Have a great weekend!

Jonathan and Laura

Welcome!

Hello everyone!

This is Jonathan and Laura Edwards. We recently answered God's call and moved to Songtan, South Korea to teach 6th Grade and Kindergarten at Pyongtaek International Christian School. We are going to use this blog to keep our family and friends back home updated on what we are up to. Happy reading! God bless!

                           Here's Jonathan in front of our new home. :-)

Jonathan and Laura