Beginnings!!

Hello, once again, family and friends!

Recently, I've been reading a book by a Korean author, Kyung-sook Shin, called Please Look After Mom.  It has caused me to do a lot of reflection on the many wonderful memories from my beginning with my amazing parents.  I've been reminded once again how significant parents are in the lives of their children - especially at those special "beginnings" throughout a child's life.  Monday was the first day of school at YISS for 2012-13 and marked several "beginnings!"

As students and parents arrived at YISS on Monday one of the first things they had to notice was the continued "beginnings" of our expansion project.  The construction crew had the driveway ready for buses to drop off students.  They passed under the one area of expansion which is the "beginnings" of our larger Library (2nd floor) and larger cafeteria and meeting room (3rd floor).  They had created this huge banner of an overhead picture of YISS.  On the front was another even larger banner picture of the school, but I would have had to go across the street and go in another building to get a good picture.  Everyone was so excited to see how these "beginnings" have progressed!

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Monday also marked the beginning of another Kindergarten group of cherubs!  Here we are in the YISS cafeteria at the Boo Hoo Breakfast.  Mr. Lazor, Elementary Principal is welcoming the parents and children.  

Here is a picture of the yummy breakfast the children and parents enjoyed at their beginning of their first school year!

Here is GGG and Mr. Lazor giving instructions to parents and children for the Boo Hoo Breakfast photos.  One of the parents took a picture of those of us taking pictures of the cherubs! 

Cherubs and their teacher and teacher assistant in the KA section!

And the delightful angels and their teacher and teacher assistant in the KB section!

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Later on the first day we had a new "beginning" opening assembly for all of the elementary classes!

Here is almost all of the elementary school on the gymnasium seats for our Opening Assembly!  It was a different beginning for the kids.  Usually we hold it in the YISS auditorium but it is part of the expansion project and is not completed yet.  We were able to get all 430 students and elementary staff in the gym!  It was a great beginning!

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Later in the week all of the kindergarten children had their first scavenger hunt throughout the YISS buildings!  It was so exciting to see them with their teachers and assistants following clues throughout the school to locate various places and to find "Chester" - one of their stuffed animal friends in the classroom!

This group of kindergarten children invaded my office during their Scavenger Hunt!  I had several animals in my office and kept bringing them to my desk to ask if one of them was "Chester."  They gave resounding "NOs" each time BUT they did fall in love with my monkey who asks questions and then starts laughing and rolling around on the desk!  Each of them wanted to play with him.  I was eventually rescued by their teacher! :-)

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My big "beginning" for this year is the After School Activities (ASA) program!  I have been spending many hours on this and asking lots of questions to IT people at YISS as well as other colleagues who know more about tech stuff than I do.  It has actually been fun, and I am not as stressed as I thought I would be.  Thursday emails and letters giving details about the ASA for elementary students were sent home to parents.  I have received several encouraging comments from parents.  The real test will be Monday morning at 8:00 AM when I activate the online registration and parents begin registering.  Please pray that all will go smoothly.  Once registration closes, then more "fun" begins as I need to prepare many lists for instructors, the business office (to generate bills), etc.  There are many details to handle and get to many people in a very short time frame.  This has been an exciting and challenging and stretching new "beginning" for the old man! 

One of our first grade teachers needed to resign on Friday and is returning to her home country to receive necessary medical attention.  Our permanent elementary substitute, Mrs. Palmer, will be teaching this first grade until a new teacher is hired.  Interviewing is underway!  We would value your prayers as we seek to find the right person for this first grade.  If you know of someone who would like a delightful challenge at a great school, please let me know.  Thanks for praying!

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It continues to be a highlight for me to meet with many of the former SYME students I taught during my first two years in South Korea!  I usually include pictures, etc. about some of them each week.  I recently received an invitation to the wedding of Min Seok (Jeff) and his young lady friend.  Min Seok is still not a believer, but he continues to call me or visit me to find out more about following Jesus.  I am planning to attend his special day on September 8!  Please pray for Min Seok as he keeps telling me, "I am very nervous, Mr. Gregg!"  I am excited that I can continue this relationship with this wonderful young man!

On Saturday, I had to say an "until later" to JiSang.  He left Incheon Airport on Saturday to return to Liberty University.  Thank you for continuing to pray for this dear young man!  He thinks he has his housing situation all taken care of; all he has to do is find out where to get the key when he gets to LU. Friday night JiSang came to Itaewon to have dinner with Jin Seok, Gunmo and me.  I could tell that JiSang had a lot on his mind and he looked very tired.  Here is a picture I took when he wasn't expecting it.  I think you can tell he is exhausted and in his "pensive" mode!

I know JiSang would really value our prayers.  I think part of his expression is that he hates packing almost as much as I do and he then stresses about getting everything done and seeing everybody he would like to see before leaving.  He told me Friday night after we were talking about our distaste for packing and other similarities, "Daddy, I think I really am your son!" :-)

Once we all got talking at dinner (yes, I eat out a lot because that is one great way to meet my Korean friends and they love it as much as I do), JiSang was laughing and I think it helped for him to be with us before he left. 

Above is the quartet of men (three young and one old) at Wang Thai for a very yummy Thai meal.  We selected four main dishes and shared in typical Korean style!  What an amazing time of fun, food and fellowship we enjoyed!  I think everyone else in the restaurant was a bit jealous of our happy time together!  (Clockwise: JiSang, Jin Seok, Gunmo, and GGG)  Jin Seok begins his graduate school courses again next week and would appreciate your prayer for his interpretation and translation classes.  JinSeok has become an uncle and has a cute nephew!   Gunmo has a second niece!  She is so cute, too! I will try to get pictures to share another time.

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Some of you will think I am sick if I do not show at least one picture of our tasty Thai meal - so here you go:

In addition we had two fried rice dishes (one shrimp and one crab)!  The above is a Chicken in Yellow Curry (very tasty) and one of my favorites - Chicken with Cashes and onions!

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Please enjoy a great week!  Your encouragement, love, prayers, and support mean so much to me!  I especially will value your prayers this week for a new first grade teacher and for the launch of the ASA program on line registration on Monday!

Love, Gregg

PS: I thought I would finish the crazy English poem I began last week:

If a vegetarian eats vegetables,

What in the world does a humanitarian eat?!

Why do people recite at a play

Yet play at a recital?

Park on the driveways and

Drive on the parkways?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy

Of a language where a house can burn up as 

It burns down.

And in which you will in a form

By filling it out.

And a bell is only heard once it goes!

English was invented by people, not computers

And it reflects the creativity of the human race

(Which of course isn't a race at all).

That is why

When the stars are out, they are visible

But when the lights are out, they are invisible.

And why it is that when I wind up my watch,

It starts,

But when I wind up this poem,

It ends.