Hot and Humid, But Learning and Sharing!

My first blog!  I am not good at titles so I asked two special young ladies in Greencastle, PA, Rebekah and Abigail, made some recommendations.  I selected Going Global with GGG.  Thanks so much girls!  I hope all of you enjoy my blog format.  If I have set it up correctly, you can comment on any of the blog posts or send an email as many of you have done in the past.  I will send you an email each week when the blog is posted and all you have to do is go to the link I provide.  Then you can bookmark it and go there at your leisure and read, pray, and/or comment.

I have learned during this hot and humid several weeks back in Seoul that one is never too old to learn and one must be willing to get rid of pride and wanting everything to be perfect!  I am so often a slow learner.  God continues to teach me that each of us needs each other.  I need to allow others to share with me in areas that I am weak!  We need each other - especially if we are going to make a difference to the watching eyes of students and parents and colleagues.

As I have taken on this new After School Activities project, I have been stretched!  I have met colleagues who are much younger than I, who have been so instrumental in challenging me to continue learning - especially in areas where I am weak or have some fear.  Although this week has been very hot, humid, and exhausting, I have loved the many learning experiences as I have organized the After School Activities (ASA) of the elementary school at YISS!  Thank you to so many of you who have encouraged me and challenged me along my journey.

Above is a picture of the 2012-13 YISS Staff!  Each one has different gifts/talents and I am learning that I need each one of these wonderful people!

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One particular staff person who has been so patient with me, and has taught me so much about many technology tools and has helped me get over some of the fear of using technology, is pictured below.  Mr. Mooi has been a HUGE help to me in the area of web sites and blogs!  He and his coworker in the IT Department at YISS are so helpful with all of our staff and students!

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Continuing with highlighting some of the staff who do so much for me (and all of us) and continue to teach me, I would like to share two of the amazing Korean staff who make life at YISS and in Korea such a great experience.  One is one of our receptionists at the main desk.  Mrs. Oh knows the name of almost every student!  She is one who coordinates special things for the staff.  One of those is "Starbucks Friday" at YISS.  Each Friday staff can order their favorite Starbucks drink and Mrs. Oh orders them and organizes the delivery each Friday morning.  I love going to get my favorite Grande and spend time chatting with this wonderful lady.

Here is Mrs. Oh on Friday greeting each person who ordered a Starbucks with her ever-present smile!  You can pray for her and her husband as they prepare for the arrival of their first baby in the spring!

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Above is Mr. Kim (he, his brother and their father all work at YISS in the area of Facilities!  This Mr. Kim and I have become buddies!  I call him the "Roller Coaster Driver" because of his amazing skill of driving the very narrow back streets of Seoul (quite hilly and full of curves) with such speed and skill!  I love to ride in the bus or van when he is driving!  So much fun AND very safe!  Above Mr. Kim's right shoulder is Mrs. Hong (known as "T Y") who is simply a beautiful and amazing woman in the YISS Business Office!  T Y probably knows more about the history of YISS than anyone!  The Business Office does so much for the staff!  I very rarely enter a bank because all of the banking I need to do is taken care of by the Business office!

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On Friday we had new student orientation!  New students and their parents came for orientation sessions and a time to meet their child's teacher!  I always love these times and am so excited about the new families coming to YISS this year.  We are at about 400 once again in the elementary school!  Friday evening I was able to meet many of the new students and their parents.  I am especially excited that the pastor of New Harvest Ministry (where I fellowship) and his wife are bringing their two children to YISS this year.  They are so excited!  

Please be praying for our teachers as they prepare for the cherubs on Monday morning!  It is going to be a rather interesting experience since the main entrance to the building is not completed and there are still many pieces of large earth moving equipment and cranes all over the property.  It will be quite interesting to see how the arrival of all of our buses, as well as the many children who are delivered by cars, works out.  Your prayers will be greatly appreciated.  We will also have our Boo Hoo Breakfast for Kindergarten students and their parents - always a fun time!  

In the middle of all the busyness of orientation and preparation at YISS this past week, I was able to have some evening refreshment with some former SYME students + a new Korean friend I met last May at McDonald's.  These  are always special times for me!  I know most of you think I eat all the time, but these are the bests ways to meet Korean friends and keep relationships going and growing.

Above I am with two beautiful young ladies who were at SYME my very first term.  Kyoung Mi (Vicky) and Sa Ra (Cindy) came to Itaewon to meet me and catch up.  Here we are enjoying a refreshing Blueberry Ade at Chansbros, a favorite coffee shop of mine.  It is owned and operated by one of our fifth grade parents.  What a wonderful time we had here and then later at Wang Thai, a very nice Thai restaurant!  Both ladies are presently studying; Sa Ra is studying to become a Bible translator; Kyoung  Mi is preparing to take a government exam to work in the education department in Korea.   They would value your prayers.

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Last May I met Jared (Ji San) at McDonald's in Itaewon when I took a 5th grade student out to lunch for our Discipleship time.  Jared and I have stayed in touch and he called me when I returned to Korea because he wanted to talk.  Jared is a young Christian man who is very eager to become an actor and/or film director.  He really enjoys acting and is presently studying at a local acting academy.  We talked a lot about his family and his goals.  He invited me to come meet his parents and his sister on September 6.  His sister has been studying violin in Austria but is home in Korea for the summer and her former violin teacher asked her to perform a violin recital in Seoul on September 6.  I am planning to attend and am eager to meet the entire family.  Jared asked specifically if I would pray for him and his future.

Here I am with Ji San (Jared) at a Greek restaurant!  Thanks for praying for him when he comes to your mind.

You knew I had to add a food picture!  So here it is!  These are the very yummy chicken and pork Greek dinners Jared and I shared!

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OK, that is it for this week!  Oh yes, please pray for Ji Sang!  He returns to Liberty University on August 18 and is still not sure where he will be living.  

Thanks always for your encouragement, prayers, love, and support!  

Love,  Gregg 

Just a couple fun things about Crazy English!!

English is a crazy language!

There is no egg in eggplant;

No ham in hamburger; 

And neither pine nor apple in pineapple.

English muffins were not invented in England.

French Fires were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted,

But if we examine its paradoxes we find that

Quicksand takes you down slowly;

Boxing rings are square

And a Guinea Pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing.

If the plural of tooth is teeth,

Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth?

If the teacher taught,

Why didn't the preacher, praught?