I have said it often that I love Christmas and Easter and they should be celebrated every day of the year; not as most of the world celebrates these events, but living out with joy in all that I do because of the relationship I have with God through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Many believe that Christianity is a religion. Many believe that one has to do this or that in a certain way and then they can be part of this religion. Christianity is not, and never was, a religion. Christianity is a relationship with the One who came to give His life to redeem me from all the terrible sins in my life. It's that wonderful relationship that frees me to follow Christ and NOT by looking at others - even though they may say they are Christians. I trust that you will celebrate with joy and thanksgiving that wonderful relationship that is possible for all through what Jesus Christ did when he shed His blood and died - and then came forth from the tomb! He is alive and desires to have a relationship with each one of us! Happy Easter!
This past week of celebrating all that Jesus did for us at YISS. In the midst of this special week it was my joy and privilege to be able to share as one of the substitute teachers for the cherubs in Grade 3D. 3D's teacher, Mrs. Biersteker, had to return to Canada to be with her father who was very sick. I know she would value your prayers. Her father is still not well. It was good for Mrs. Biersteker to be able to return to be with him for a little while at this time.
One of the joys I had while subbing in 3D was teaching Bible. The lessons this week surrounded all of the events leading up to Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection. I was so delighted to see the interest of each of the 3D children as we shared about the amazing love God showed each of us through His Son, Jesus. Please pray for these special children. Many have already accepted Jesus Christ; some are asking many great questions.
This next week should be a lighter load for subbing. That will be good as there is so much to do right now. :-) Please pray that our teachers will have good health during this very busy time of year. During this past week grade 3D had a total of six substitute teachers on one day! :-) It was a bit crazy but everyone did a great job and the children did so well. I was so proud of them.
YISS had off school on Friday for celebration of Good Friday. Usually the Korean Foreign Schools Foundation offers a trip to some part of Korea for YISS teachers. There were 32 of us who went on a wonderful and refreshing journey from Seoul to Damyang and Mokpo on Friday and Saturday. It was great to learn more about various parts of Korea that I probably wouldn't have been able to experience except on a trip like this. The group of teachers and administrators who traveled together ha a wonderful time of fellowship and sharing about Korea as well as celebrating Good Friday together.
My post will get too long if I post all of the pictures and tell about every event on this special trip. I will share some of the highlights and if you want to see more, you can check out my Facebook page. If you have not connected with me on Facebook, you can type in my name "Gregg Garman" and ask to be a "friend" of mine.
Good Friday morning at 8:20 we left Yongsan Station on a KTX bound for Gwangju. We arrived at 11:05 and traveled by bus to Deokinkwan to a famous Tteok Galbi restaurant for a very delicious meal. We enjoyed a fantastic feast and and some excellent laughter at this meal to set the tone for the trip.
The Tteok Galbi feast all ready for us when we arrived!
One of the delightful servers preparing our Tteok Galbi at our table. Mr. Dwight and Mrs. Beeson are looking with great interest!
We were also served some special Tofu Soup and very
yummy rice in a unique serving dish!
This was the group of tables where I was enjoying Tteok Galbi. On my right is the Secretary-General of the Korean Foreign Schools Foundation, Mr. Kang. He welcomed us and then asked Dr. Beeson to pray for the food as well as tragic situation surrounding the sinking of the ferry off the coast of South Korea - actually very close to where we were.
I asked our servers to pose with the chef for a picture
after our meal! They were so happy we enjoyed the
yummy feast!
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After lunch we drove to the Bamboo Forest and then the Metasequoia Road to enjoy the beauty that is so prevalent throughout Korea. It was especially nice to see the beauty outside the very busy city of Seoul.
Beginning our hike into the Bamboo Forest!
Throughout the Bamboo Forest there were Panda Bear statues. I loved these little Pandas placed around the beautiful waterfall in the center of the Bamboo Forest!
Another group of my buddies along the hike in the forest!
I loved this very short hike on the Metasequoia Road! Very peaceful!
Here is a group picture of the YISS staff near the
entrance of the Metasequoia Road! We had such a
great time together!
We met a group of high school girls on a tour. They first saw Ms. Gronski, one of our Grade 2 teachers. They were so excited seeing foreigners. Then they met other of our teachers and got even more excited. Then they saw me and found out I was an assistant principal. They got so excited and wanted a picture with our teachers and me! Such fun!
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Following a quick stop at the Soswae Garden in Damyang, we went to a small Hangwa factory in Damyang. Hangwa is the Korean name for the traditional rice snack that is so famous in Korea. After instruction from one of the Hangwa makers at the factory, we were put into groups and each group made four different flavors of Hangwa! It was so much fun and most of the Hangwa were tasty! :-)
Here I am after rolling the Hangwa and preparing to
cut it into little squares and rectangles for eating.
Taking my turn at mixing the ingredients for the pink Hangwa!
Here is our crew of Hangwa makers displaying our
four flavors of Hangwa! From left to right: Ms. Regnier,
Mrs. Herman, Ms. McGinnis, GGG, Ms. Choo (KFSF
representative) and Ms. Kanas.
This is Mrs. Lee, permanent sub teacher for Middles School with her two boys with their bags of Hangwa!
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Friday evening we enjoyed a scrumptious buffet of taste treats at the Venezia Dinner Buffet. (You will have to look at my Facebook posts to see the numerous taste treats.) After a great meal we checked in at out hotel, Fontana Beach Hotel near Damyang. The rooms were gorgeous and very comfortable. I enjoyed a walk in the morning around the beach area! very refreshing!
Our Friday evening hotel on the beach in Mokpo.
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Our first visit on Saturday was to the historic site of a famous Korean, Dr. Wangin (who also spent much of his adult life in Japan). The site is a very relaxing and very peaceful setting and has various exhibition halls sharing about Dr. Wangin's life and impact on learning, Korean culture, the arts, music, industrial arts, etiquette plus many other areas. On the brochure we were given as we toured the site it had this quote: "Wangin's wind opening the future, 'Korean culture spreading through the world.'" The site is located in Yeongam, "the place of 'Chi' where culture lives and breathes."
This is the "special" water at Dr. Wangin's historic
site. There is a legend that if any woman drinks and
bathes here, she can give birth to an intelligent baby
like Dr. Wangin! :-) None of our teachers bathed here! :-)
I posted a video clip on Facebook a clip of a group
of Mokpo University students gathering on the beautiful
grounds of Dr. Wangin's site. They were singing "Every
Move I Make" in Korean. They saw me filming them
and turned to the camera and waved and danced. I started
waving back and did a few dance moves. This young man
came running over to get his picture taken with me. I asked
him, "Do you know Jesus?" He replied immediately, "Yes!"
I wanted to spend more time with the group but had to leave. :-(
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We traveled to Mokpo where we enjoyed a fantastic Bulgogi lunch!! Both Damyang and Mokpo are located in the Jeolla province of South Korea, which is known for its delicious Korean food!! The lunch was sooooo yummy.
Our Bulgogi lunch in Mokpo was soooo good!!
A couple of my lunch partners: Mr. Parrish
and Ms. McGinnis! The bulgogi is about
ready to stir and enjoy. The salad had this
wonderful orange dressing on it. Soo good!
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After lunch we visited the National Maritime Museum in Mokpo and then ended our tour with a hike up Yudalsan (Mt. Yudal). Yudalsan overlooks Mokpo and you get some great views of Mokpo in older days as well as modern Mokpo.
Huge ancient anchor outside entrance to the National
Maritime Museum at the harbor of Mokpo.
One of the replicas of the vessels that carried very valuable Korean ceramics a 1,000 years ago.
The famous rock formation at the base of Yudalsan!
Here I am near the top of Yudalsan overlooking Mokpo!
One of the views of Mokpo, taken near the top of Yudalsan. There are more pictures of the old and modern Mokpo on my Facebook site if you wish to look at them.
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After our hike we headed to the Mokpo Train Station for our journey back to Yongsan. It was a wonderful two days of refreshment, fellowship, and learning!
Thank you so much for your prayers, your love, your encouragement, and your support! Keep praying for my 6th grade friend, Paul. We have talked this past week and I was able to give him a few books to help him learn more about Jesus and following Him. He was excited! I asked him to write out any questions or doubts he had so that we can talk about them. I believe God is going to do a wonderful work in the life of this young man.
Your prayers for me would be appreciated, too. I am fighting off a sore throat and cough. So far I am doing OK, but I really don't want to be sick during this busy time at YISS. Thanks!
Have a wonderful Easter with your family and friends! He is risen!
Love, Gregg
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