Only 2.5 More Days for the Cherubs!

Happy June!  It does not seem possible that there are only 2.5 more days remaining in this school year for our delightful cherubs at YISS!  It was such a busy year!  I think each year can't get any quicker, but each year just seems to fly by!  Throughout my experiences over the years in schools, I have noticed that as the last day of school approaches, there seems to be more students making wrong choices.  (My personal idea about the closing of a school year is to never announce the last day of school.  You just some to school and at the end of the selected day - known only by administration - an announcement is made to students, "There is no school until next year.  Have a great summer!" I have strong doubts that it would ever work, but I still would love to do it sometime.)  Please be in prayer for several situations in the high school and elementary school that are not fun to deal with.

Teachers are very busy completing end-of-year projects and compiling final grades and completing comments for each student.  I really appreciate each of our elementary teachers who are so diligent in communicating with parents!  I love each of them very much and am praying that they will enjoy a very relaxing and refreshing break - which they so greatly deserve!!

I thought you might like to look at the Final YISS Newsletter for 2012-13.  Here is the link to our Spring Newsletter.  Enjoy!

http://www.yisseoul.org/uploaded/News/Spring_2013_Newsletter.pd

On Friday the elementary school began its annual VBS for our students.  The VBS stands for Values Based School for OASIS students and Vacation Bible School for the regular NICS students.  Carol Franck, our Elementary Chaplain, does an amazing job of putting together a very complicated schedule so that it is easy to follow by each of our teachers.  So on Friday as well as Monday and Tuesday (June 3 and 4) from 12:35 - 2:55 students in K-5 will be immersed in singing, skits, puppet shows, arts & crafts, games, photography, and much more.  This year's theme is God's Creation - looking especially at how we need to be good stewards of His amazing creation.  Mrs. Franck calls it Pandamania.  In the skit each day, Mr. Lazor and Mrs. Birmingham are the two panda bears and I am Panda Commanda - in charge of taking care of the pandas.  We had a great first day on Friday!  I wish you all could hear the 400 + kids singing!

Part of the set prepared by Mrs. Franck for VBS.

 Above on the left is Mrs. Franck on stage

preparing for VBS in the YISS auditorium.

Another picture of the stage set for VBS.  Mrs. Franck and her son (visiting from Canada) spent hours preparing the set and then setting it up for Friday.  Then they had to take it all down to prepare for High School graduation and then they will need to put it back up for Monday's VBS.

Part of the 400+ students and teachers singing at VBS

 on Friday!  I wish you could have heard them!

This is the Grade 5 Praise Team leading a praise song for VBS!  They did a great job!

Some of the Grade 5 Praise Team at VBS!

This is a sample of the cute pandas the cherubs made at VBS!

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High School graduation was Saturday at 3:00!  It was held in our refurbished auditorium!  Tuesday evening will be Kindergarten graduation in the auditorium!  Wednesday is the last day - a half day - for students.  Then at 12:15 we will have our elementary staff end-of-year luncheon.  We will say "Hasta la Vista" to only two elementary staff this year - Mrs. Fitzwater (grade 4B) and Mrs. Zhang (one of our Mandarin teachers).  However, we will be adding quite a few staff because of the additional rooms for elementary sections.  I will give you more on that in a future post.

My dear friend and "son," JiSang, arrived safely in Korea on Thursday! He arrived with a very bad cold so he is trying to get some rest.  I know JiSang would value your prayers as he readjusts to Korea after studying in the USA. He will be finishing his course work in the Fall Semester through online courses while living in Korea.  Pray for many decisions he needs to make during this time back in Korea.  He was able to join me at church on Sunday!   After church we went to Tartine's in Itaewon!  JiSang was in the mood for French Toast!

JiSang preparing to enjoy his yummy

French Toast, Sunny Side Up Eggs and

Bacon with some Iced Dutch Coffee!

Here we are at Tartine's getting ready to eat our French

Toast Brunch!  It was so good!  It was so wonderful to

be able to see my dear friend and "son" once again.  Thanks

for praying for JiSang!

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On my Saturday walk, I went past one of Itaewon's most delicious bread bakery.  It is called Maybell Bakery.  Koreans are not known for baking at home so when they find a place that bakes yummy breads, they will wait in line for it - along with all of the foreigners!  Maybell is located very close to YISS and if I want to get any of the bread, I have to leave school at lunch during the week or wait until Saturday.  Maybell Bakery almost always puts a "CLOSED - SOLD OUT" sign on their door by 2:30 or 3:00 each day.  It opens at 11:00 AM and following is the picture of the line at 11:20 AM on Saturday, June 1!

Above is a close up shot of the entrance

to this tiny bakery which bakes very

yummy breads.  

Here is the line waiting to get in to purchase some

of this wonderful bread!  I am always amazed at the

long line waiting for famous Maybell Bakery's breads!

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Please enjoy a great week!  Thanks for your love, prayers, encouragement, and support.

Love, Gregg