A Frantic Finish to Quarter 2; Christmas is in the Air!!

I am not sure where to begin to share about this final week of Quarter Two at YISS!  First I want to share a picture that one of our IT teachers took at the YISS Christmas Gala on December 9. Sam Pitts offered his photography services at the Gala for any YISS staff to have pictures taken at the Seoul Hilton Christmas Tree.  He does a great job and made me look presentable in this picture.  You can use it as a reminder to pray for me.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!!

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Sunday: After Church and choir last Sunday I met my wonderful friend and former SYME student Joshua at the very busy Seoul Station.  He was coming from Busan to meet a group of colleagues who were going with him on a 3 - 6 month mission journey to Kenya.  I am so excited for this young man who is so eager to serve the Lord.  He has been helping his father in the family business and I was delighted to hear that both Joshua's mother and father are so supportive of him going on this trip as he prepares to serve the Lord.  Thanks for praying for Joshua.

Joshua and GGG at the Christmas tree in Seoul Station!

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Monday:  When I arrived at my office at YISS on Monday morning our elementary secretary had the following gift on my desk.  Mrs. Yoo has been such a blessing to all of us in the elementary school!  She is so efficient and so caring.  I was very touched by her note to me with her gift.  I am so thankful she is at YISS.

During the day on Monday I was encouraged by Grade 1D as they came by my office to sing some Christmas Carols!  They were so cute and loved singing for me.  I posted the little video I took of them singing on Facebook should you care to see it.  Here is a picture of them in a crazy pose (at my request) following their singing.

Monday evening brought a Christmas gift from my excellent friend and former SYME student, Yeongmin.  He asked me to meet him for Christmas dinner at a new restaurant. (Yeongmin is the king of finding new and wonderful places to eat!)  He found a really nice contemporary French restaurant called July in a hilly section of Seoul.  We had a very yummy and elegantly served meal and some excellent conversation!  Please continue to pray for this dear friend to come to accept the Gift of salvation.

Yeongmin and GGG at July!

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Tuesday:  Another busy day which climaxed in a wonderful Christmas concert by the 2nd and 3rd grade classes under the direction of Ms. Shauna Weir.  Shauna is such a natural teacher and she did an amazing job with these cherubs as they presented a Christmas musical called The Tale of the Drowsy Shepherd!  They did such a beautiful job!  I was so proud of them!  here are a few pictures of the evening.

The Angels with all of the Grade 2 and 3 singers!!

These are the Shepherds during dress rehearsal with the singers from Grades 2 and 3!

Here are the Sheep with all of the singers!        

Manger scene with the singers!

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Late Tuesday afternoon I was notified that a package arrived for me.  When I went to pick it up in the Business Office, I found this amazing surprise package of yummy taste treats from my good friends, Douglas and Deborah Goshorn-Stenger!  I will be enjoying these for some time and I love each of them.  Thanks so much, Douglas and Deborah!!

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Wednesday:  This was Fun Day where students could dress in Christmas colors, etc.  Students and teachers had a fun time with their various costumes.  Here are only two of the pictures.

On the left above is Ms. Weir as a Christmas Tree and Pranav in his Santa suit.  On the left is Ms. Regnier, our KA teacher, in her Christmas reindeer outfit!

Each morning around 8:02 one of the elementary administrators gives what we call "A Few Words of Wisdom" over the P.A. system to all of the elementary students and teachers.  We share a brief thought that directs students to live out one of the one character traits we continue to emphasize through our Guardian Way!  It was my week to make these announcements and I like to use the kids to help me with the announcements some times - especially if there is a quote from a country other than an English-speaking one.  Wednesday's announcement used a quote from Mexico so I asked one of our students in Grade 3, Catarina, to help me.  She was so cute and so excited!  She kept asking me for a week when she was going to be helping me.  She did a super job and many of the students commented later in the day how they really listened. (They always pay more attention when one of their friends is announcing.)

                              Pic on the right is GGG and Catarina preparing for our morning "Words of Wisdom!"  On the left we posed for another picture together!

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Thursday:  After a busy day of visiting various grades to attend their parties and say "Hasta la Vista" to a few students who are leaving to go to another country, I had a quick, but special visit with my dear friend, JiSang.  As many of you know, he is finishing his degree at Liberty University and right now he is looking for some place to volunteer some of his gifts and abilities. We had a great time at Passion 5, a restaurant near YISS.  My sister, Julee, and I are trying to help put some fat on the bones of JiSang. :-)  He is trying to gain three pounds by Christmas so I tried to assist him with some yummy sandwiches and tasty desserts from Passion 5.  Please pray for JiSang as he volunteers with a group in Korea called "Compassion" for a little while as he finishes his degree studies.

Thursday was also the day when our Elementary Chaplain worked with the 22 Guardian winners for Quarter Two on the yearlong art project to show our theme for this year: "Faith Expressing Itself Through Love!"  Each teacher selects a student from her/his class who has represented the Guardian Way Honor Code effectively to come and work on this special project.  I always love to stop by and watch these special students at work.  Below are some of the Guardian winners working with Mrs. Franck on the Guardian Project for 2013-14.

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Friday:  Friday was a half day at YISS and the last day of Quarter Two.  We had our Elementary Christmas Assembly in the morning.  Mrs. Franck used the theme: "Christmas is a Season of Love" to share the true meaning of Christmas.  There were puppets, music, a performance from our ASA group POP Dance, and a story (read by GGG) called One.  The entire assembly centered on the power of ONE person making a difference, and that ONE came at Christmas to change the world!

Including only one pic from the Assembly.  This is the group of Quarter Two Guardian winners on stage!  They are such a fine group of students!

I also had to say "Hasta la Vista" to two dear boys who came to YISS a year and a half ago and could speak very little English.  They have grown soooo much and all of us are sad to see them leaving for an assignment in another country.  Last week I mentioned Joshua and Chloe who are moving with their family to an assignment in Ireland.  I also showed a picture of Gabriele who is moving with her family to Saudi Arabia.  On Friday, Gabriele's parents made a point to stop by my office to thank me for all YISS and I have done to make Gabriele feel like part of our YISS family.  Lots of tears and they want to return to YISS soon - if possible.

Here I am with Fabian and Hugo  at last May's Kinder

Graduation.  Such special friends!  I will miss them!!

Gabriele's parents during their visit to my office!  They

wanted the picture in front of the framed painting in the

background.  They have a similar one that will be with

them in Saudi Arabia!                     

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Saturday:  I had a special time at lunch on Saturday with my awesome friend, Gunmo, and his special friend, Song, Soo Jin!!  I know Gunmo would appreciate your continued prayers during this time.  It was in December that his mother went home to heaven in a traffic accident a number of years back.  It was through Gunmo's mother that he came to accept Jesus as his Savior.  This is another young man who really wants to serve God with his life.  Gunmo will resign from his current job at the end of December and will spend some time thinking and praying about his next step. Thank you for praying for my friend.

What a beautiful couple - inside and outside!  Here 

are Soo Jin and Gunmo at lunch at Suji's.  Soo Jin

means "elegant and valuable."  I love both of their smiles!

All three of us enjoying coffee and great fellowship

at the end of our two-hour lunch!  What a great time!

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I must share one tragic event this past week.  We were informed by Ms. Everett (grade 3C teacher) that the father of one of her students, Jenica, had a heart attack while he was doing his morning walk.  He fell and hit his head.  He remained in a coma all week until Friday morning when we received a call that Mr. Deva Prasad was officially pronounced dead.  Mr. Prasad was only 42 year old and leaves behind his wife and two daughters.  I know Jenica is struggling right now and the family would value your prayers.  The family are believers and we are grateful for that.  Please pray as the family is flying the body back to India this weekend.

I trust that each of you will enjoy a very meaningful and wonderful Christmas - remembering the birth of that ONE, Jesus, who was born so that we could have eternal life.  Merry Christmas to you and your family.  This may be my last blog until the New Year since I will be traveling to Pennsylvania this Christmas.  I will leave on December 23 and return to Seoul on January 4, 2014!  Thank you for your love, encouragement, prayers and support during 2013!

Love, Gregg

One More Week Before Christmas Break!

It is very difficult to believe that we have but one more week remaining in the first semester of this school year...and then Christmas Break!  This past week has been another busy and exciting one.

Monday evening the YISS staff gathered at the Millennium Seoul Hilton for the YISS Christmas Gala!  What a wonderful evening of yummy food and great fellowship!  We also heard special music from the YISS HS Orchestra and the YISS HS Show Choir.  One of our fathers at YISS (he and his wife have two boys in the Elementary School) is the Director of Operations at the Seoul Hilton and he goes all out to give us a grand experience!  Thanks so much, Mr. Subbaiah!

Here I am in front of the huge tree in the

  foyer of the Millennium Hilton at the

            YISS Christmas Gala!

One of the wonderful scenes under the huge Christmas tree!

The ice sculpture prepared for the YISS

Christmas Gala by Seoul Hilton!     

My first plateful of food!  There were large serving areas of all kinds of food.  I posted many pictures on Facebook.  You can check there for more food if you wish to be tortured!

    Here I am in front of the ice sculpture with the

Director of Operations at the Hilton, Mr. Subbaiah!

This is a picture of all of the children of staff at YISS!  Well, Mr. VanGalder got in the picture because he was making sure his little girl didn't fall.  She isn't quite one yet.

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In the middle of a bitter cold week with a little snow we had our second of three elementary Christmas concerts.  This one was the Kinder and Grade 1 cherubs performing on Wednesday evening to a packed audience in the YISS auditorium.  You can see five of their songs on video clips that I posted on Facebook.  Ms. Shauna Weir, a truly outstanding and gifted teacher led her first music concert at YISS after teaching grade 2 for a number of years.  She did an amazing job with these little ones!  I have been listening to the practices of Grades 2 and 3, and their concert on December 17 looks to be another amazing one!  One of our new After School Activities in Quarter Two was Strings Performance Ensemble.  They are performing a five-minute prelude before each of the three elementary concerts.  These second through fourth grade students did an outstanding job for their first public performances! (I could not get the little video clip of the Strings performing to load on here so you will have to check out my Facebook page for that.)

Kinder and Grade 1 cherubs performing on Wednesday!

The Hickey family and me!  Chloe is in the center and was in the concert!  The Hickeys have to leave on a new assignment to Ireland!  What a great family.  Mr. Hickey was the Director of Culinary Services at the WWalker Hill Hotel in Seoul.  Joshua is in Grade 5 and he has grown soooo much!

This is my buddy Pranav and his mother.  Pranav is

in grade 2 but came to the concert to see his buddies.

He is such a cute and smiling boy!  Can't wait to see

his concert.  He is one of my buddies!         

This is a new family to YISS in the last 2 months! Ketumile if the little girl at the left who sang in the concert.  She is in Grade 1 and did a super job!  This is her mother and Middle School brother at her concert with me!

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Throughout the week there were many other events including a MS/HS Orchestra and Band Concert.  I am sorry but I was just so tired from all of the elementary events that I was not able to attend.  I did hear parts of the concert as they rehearsed throughout the week.  They are very good!

It was also the last full week of After School Activities for Quarter Two!  I was so excited to be part of a little ceremony in the Taekwondo class for several students who earned their next belt! There was a lot of excitement in the Chess Club activity as Mr. and Mrs. Franck were conducting a mini tournament among the 32 students from Grades 4 and 5.  Our Scratch Computer ASA has been received so well.  We continue to have students on a waiting list for this class.  We are talking with the instructor and our IT person at YISS about a possible Scratch Robotics class along with the beginning Scratch class for Quarter Three.

Above is an amazing Kinder boy, Noah, receiving

his orange belt from Master Kim at Taekwondo! I 

   wish you could have seen Noah pass his test!

And this is Tei in Grade 1 receiving his yellow belt!  He is so full of enthusiasm but with Master Kim he controls it so well! :-)

Chess Club students in the middle of their tournament!

Mr. Franck checking students as they compete!

         More students at the Chess Tournament!

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Last Sunday evening I had my first invite in my four years at YISS to a YISS family's home for a Christmas celebration!  It was such a fun evening at the apartment of Karen and Steve Kim and their two children + two other families and one of the pastors from their church.  There was so much tasty food, awesome fun and fellowship, and Wii dance competition!  That competition began with the kids who were present, but then I was dragged into it.  I was placed against Zachary, a first grader full of energy who edged me out by 900 + points!  What good laughs we had!  Hopefully Mr. Adams (a YISS first grade teacher) will not post my performance with Zachary!  You might be sick! :-)  But it was fun!  Oh yes, Mr. Adams, his wife, and a kinder teacher, Ms. McGinnis also were at this special Christmas celebration!

Above is Mrs. Karen Kim preparing the yummy ribs!! 

Beside the beef and veggie dish (on the right) is one

of my favorite Korean dishes - especially when it is 

cold outside - Kim Chi Chigae (not sure that is how

you would spell it in English, but that is as close as 

I can get; the Chi is pronounced like chee). 

                      Soooo yummy!!

A close up of the ribs!!

Here is most of the group who enjoyed this great Sunday

evening!                                 

Here are the kids playing in the play and music practice room!

I am about ready to devour some of this most tasty

  dessert - Flan!!!  Oh man, it was sooooo good!!

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There has been a new tenor at New Harvest Choir.  He has been studying in America and Canada and is back now.  He and I have hit it off very well and last week he wanted to have a picture of us.  So here is Mark with me at Choir practice last Sunday!

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Saturday was a special day.  My good friend, Yeongmin, and I celebrated his niece's 1st birthday (quite a special event for Korean families) and then Christmas.  We had a great time together with Yeongmin's family and then went to see a performance of Mamma Mia! at the Blue Square Theater located right across from YISS. Please continue to pray for my dear friend that he will stop looking at those pretend Christians and that he will see his need of Jesus in his life.  Please pray for the entire Baek family that they would come to know Jesus.

Above is Yeongmin and GGG and the little cherub!

I asked Yeongmin's sister, the mother, if I could hold her princess.  As she handed her to me, I was greeted by this enormous cry!  I quickly returned her to the secure arms of her mother.  Yeongmin captured this picture right after she let out her scream of terror! :-)

What a cutie she is!!  I love this picture!

Here is Yeongmin with his family!  His parents are on the far right!

My first of many plates full of tasty food which we

enjoyed at the Sheraton in celebration of Yeongmin's

               niece's 1st Birthday Party!

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I trust that each of you will enjoy a special week as you prepare for the celebration of the Lord's birth!  I would value your prayers as I prepare to travel on December 23 to come back to PA and Washington, DC for the a brief visit this Christmas.  Thank you so much for your love, prayers, encouragement, and support!

Love, Gregg