Final Goodbyes in Korea

This post is a bunch of final goodbyes and pictures of people that are so dear to us.



This is at my favorite restaurant. A bibimbab restaurant and we met Judy and Karen there to eat for a lunch. Matthew and I both taught Judy (tan shirt) and I just taught Karen.




We were near to the hospital and so Judy and Karen said they would help me to bring cookies to the nurses who took care of me when I had my operation.

It turned out that it was a good thing they helped me because the nurses had rotated to a different floor. And this way they were able to translate my thanks and give them the cookies I'd made.




At first when the nurses saw me they thought I was sick again! But once everything was explained they agreed to a picture.





This is the hospital at Juan station. Sixth floor on the tall side. The emergency room is the low building to the right with red on part of the sign.





After leaving the hospital we all headed to get dessert. Judy wanted to take us to a fruit drink place but we couldn't find it. So we went to a gelato/waffle place. The waffles were so good...best I've ever had. The restaurant had salt and pepper shakers that were filled with chocolate and mocha powder. We had a P shakers and I told them that P was for pepper and the other one would have S for salt. (In Korea they don't have salt and pepper shakers). So Karen went and checked out the shakers and so there was a S and P.




This is Karen, she is about a year younger than me and she really connected to me in class. She is a sweetheart and even came to my last vespers program so she could see us one more time.

They gave us Korean magnets and a doll for me that was dressed in a Korean traditional hanbok. They did that because they knew I had wanted a hanbok but hadn't bought one.

Judy helps out every week to make cookies and do other activities with refugee children from North Korea. She was a very sweet and giving lady.

Another day for lunch Eunice (middle) took Kelly Ann, Matthew and I to lunch at Pizza Hut.

Eunice was in my second religion class and it was that class that really made me search out and plan for my religion class in a new way. They were all so eager to learn.

This is after we ate. Eunice was close to both Kelly Ann and myself and together we watched Eunice grow in her relationship with God. I ask you to pray for her because I don't know how she's been doing and miss emailing with her. I ask that you would pray for her to seek God more and more.

This was one of my classes and they wanted to treat us to lunch that last week as well so they took us to VIPS. It had a great buffet selection and they were really nice to take us out. As you can see there was only one guy but they all studied hard and I'm sure they will continue to do well.

This is the 5th All Day club taking us out to Ashley's (one last time!) for lunch.
Back row: Patrick, Sunny, Emily, Estelle. Front row: Veronica, Kelly Ann, and Claire.

Awesome Pastor Kim, our driver and Pastor.

More van pictures!

At Ashley's. This was the blue room. By the time we'd left we'd eaten in every room there. We ate there a lot. Now being in America, I might miss it every once and a while. =) Matthew knew this group better than I did because he had the chance to work with them more because of scheduling.

This was supposed to be our crazy pose shot...but it's not so crazy. =)

These pictures were from Saturday after church.

Carl and Tom.

A church member, Lynn, and in the front are Sarah and Thomas.

Claire, Patrick, Emily, Henny, Estelle, and Sunny. 5th all day club.

Junior teachers: Joanne, Amy, and Eileen.

Junior teacher Coco, and the choir leader for our Christmas music program.

Junior teacher Kelly.

4th All Day Club members Abe and Brian!

Eunice and her children John and Cherry.

Audrey, a former all day club member. I never taught her but we all became friends through out time there. She was really sweet to Mama when she came to Korea.

This is Orion, his wife May and their son Thomas. They are both junior teachers, but when we came to Korea Orion was working in China as a undercover missionary.

After church Paul and Mary came over to say goodbye.

They were some of our dearest friends.

After those sad goodbyes we had to go and do our saddest goodbyes...to the other foreign teachers. We had become like family and now were leaving.

Leilani gives Matthew a dirty look for leaving.

This is a terrible picture, but it's what we have for the last time.

Solomon, Leilani, Grazania, Kelly, Cleopatra, Ruth, and the new teacher who had come to teach our classes.

We ate together, had fellowship, shared a prayer and a hope and said goodbye. It's easier to type it now than it was to live it then. They were our home away from home. Mixed emotions were everywhere. It was a crazy time.


Then we went home and packed...

SDA Language Institute: Last Week

Here are some pictures from our last few days and our last classes.





My classroom. I shared it with different teachers but mostly Coco.

Matthew's classroom, that he shared with May.

One of our wonderful Jip-Suneem (I'm sure this is not the correct spelling) who would clean our classrooms.

Tea. It was so cool looking but tasted mostly like Dandelions.

My last class, that I only got to teach for about two weeks.

Staff meetings! Left to right: Jane, Solomon, Kelly Ann, Cleo, Connie, Ruth, me, Pastor Kim (you can only see his tie). Awesome, awesome group of people. We were so blessed.



Here are some pictures of our students. We miss them and pray for them daily, those in the pictures and all those we ever taught or came in contact with. May God work in their hearts daily. It is my dearest prayer that we will all be in heaven together someday.

Matthew's early am class.

This was supposed to be my class, but since I had surgery Matthew taught them the whole time until we left. Another am class.

Afternoon junior class.

More junior students!

Mr. White the teacher

Teacher! Teacher!

Yay for more junior students!

One of my junior classes. The boy to the left of me (blue shirt), and in front (black shirt) and the three girls to the right, I had in a couple classes. They were typical teenager students, quiet but really great. In the term before they had me sit down and eat duk boki with them. Duk boki is a thick rice noodle with spicy sauce. They were funny when they had me sit and eat with them because they didn't know what to say but they wanted me there. It's a great memory.

Steven and Tommy more of my crazy students. =)

Tommy, Steven and the two girls on the right, Annie and Lily I had taught for 6 months before and then was really blessed to have the opportunity to teach them again for 2 weeks before I left.

This little girl would always say hi and wave to Matthew and an occasional hug. She brightened up his day on a daily basis.

Evening junior students.

Elite class. This helped Matthew remember why he wanted to teach. Great group of students.

Two of our wonderful junior teachers, Joanne and Joy.

Matthew's religion class.... This just makes me laugh. I taught all of them in different classes before too, they're great. Yool, Margiela, and Jinny.

Party day food. Dr. You actually had some yummy stuff! And we're pretend it was healthy.

Am adult students

Working hard...or at least pretending to for the picture! (This is my classroom)

Religion class party day. I was overwhelmed by sweet gifts even though I'd only been their teacher for a short time.

Religion class. Back row L:R- Suru, Theresa, Esther, Sophia, Allie, Me. From row L:R- Joy, Matthew, and Mike. God please grow in their hearts.

My last vespers talk, two days before we left.

This is Matthew and Sonia. She said that the teachers at SDA had an influence on her spiritually and made her want to get to know God more. We are humbled and yet amazed.

It is our prayer that the seeds we planted, by the grace of God, will grow in the Holy Spirit and we'll all be together in heaven.