Friday was the day of our Walk-A-Sock-A-Thon walk and Tally Rally! As I began my walk up the hill to the main entrance of YISS, I stopped and looked to the sky. This is what I saw at 6:00 AM and I had a feeling the weather was going to be perfect for our students to walk!
And it was a wonderful day! Students in the elementary school, wearing their crazy and colorful socks, brought in almost 421 kg of 100 Won coins! That is about 928 pounds! Children do not get pledges or go door-to-door to raise money; they simply encouraged to collect 100 Won coins and place them in a sock that our Elementary Chaplain provides for them. This year the coins will go to our high school clubs that were started to help various organizations within Korea as well as throughout the world. The high school students were thrilled to have the elementary school support these organizations with their walk this year. I don't have an official number yet since the coins are at the IBK bank being counted. However, it appears that around $9,000 USD was raised by 440 elementary children and teachers by just collecting 100 Won coins! Take a look at the pictures that hopefully will give you a glimpse of this special day!
Those students who thought they had more than 4 kg
in their socks brought them to the scale for weighing!
Students bringing their socks for placing in the tubs!
A cherub placing his sock in the tub!
Michaela from Grade 5 with her very heavy sock! I believe she was #3!
Eight of the heaviest socks displayed at the Tally Rally!
My sock weighed 11.0 kg - my highest total since I arrived at YISS!
Tally Rally fun! POP Dance getting ready to perform! There are
some neat videos of the kids singing, etc. on Facebook.
After the Tally Rally, Mrs. Yoo (Elementary Secretary) and I delivered the tubs to the Business Office. She was injured in the process and had to receive care from Nurse Han! She will survive! :-)
Walking up the Namsan trail to the Namsan Tower!
A couple fourth grade boys stopped to look over the city!
More walking on the beautiful trail!
One cherub modeling her pair of crazy socks! :-)
Namsan Tower in the background as this fourth grade
class with Ms. Dean stops to talk about one of the groups
we were collecting coins to help!
Some of the children who had the heaviest socks!
One boy stopped to read about "The Supply Quarters",
one of the high school groups raising money to provide
clean water to children who do not have.
Two more boys checking out another trail marker for one of the high school groups.
Another high school group with its trail marker along
the walk. KIVA helps those people in poverty-stricken
areas around the world by providing loans to get them
started in a business. They then pay back the loan to
assist another group.
IJM (International Justice Mission) is another group that is aided by a high school organization.
One of the other organizations a group of YISS high
school students began to raise money to assist!
And yet another group that our coins will be assisting!
Another trail marker for IJM! Students enjoyed hearing
about these groups during their walk on Friday!
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I was busy during the week bringing Quarter One After School Activities to a close and finalizing the website and other details for Quarter Two After School Activities. This coming week will be the last week for Quarter One activities and then online registration will happen for Quarter Two. Thanks for praying. Here are a couple of pictures from our Elementary Musical Company & Crew activity as they prepare for the Christmas mini-musical, Fact or Fiction!
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Lots of work is being done to have everything ready for the Annual FunFest sponsored by the YISS PTO. This will happen on Friday evening, October 17! It is always a great time of fun and fellowship.
One of the posters promoting the annual FunFest at YISS!
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On Saturday I attended the wedding of one of my former SYME students and great friend, Sa Ra (Cindy). My dear friend, Jin Seok made sure I got to Gwangyang - a bus ride of 4 and a half hours one way - for this special event. Sa Ra married a wonderful young man, Jonghoon Jeong. They will be going to Croatia for their honeymoon. I know they would value your prayers as they begin their loves together as one. It was a long, but beautiful, day! I had to leave my apartment at 6:30 AM and returned at approximately 10 PM - many hours of sitting on a bus or on a subway car. ;-) I hope you enjoy the pictures of this grand event. This particular wedding was held in Sa Ra's church rather than a wedding hall.
This is Sa Ra's home church where her father is pastor. Actually, she, her brother, and parents live on the top floor of the church in an apartment.
Jonghoon and Sa Ra being introduced to the congregation by the officiating minister, a professor from their university!
As Jonghoon and Sa Ra exited the church, a group of girls from
the church showered them with flower petals!
A wonderful reunion with a former SYME teacher, Jared Roberge, and three former SYME students and excellent friends: Jin Seok, Ji Eun (Connie), and Younghyun (Dick)!!
After the ceremony, the SYME attendees had a picture taken with
the happy couple!
Food time!! Yes, there was again an abundance of
food at this wedding! Yummy! I also had a plate of
very tasty fresh fruit and rice cakes!
Sa Ra and Jonghoon in their beautiful Hanboks greeting us at our tables during the reception.
I asked them to model their wedding rings for me!
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Love, Gregg
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