A Week of Firsts!!

What a delightful week!  Yes, it was a week of many firsts for me at ICS-Pyeongtaek!

First, ever since I have returned to Pyeongtaek from my vacation in the USA this summer, I have had to use either my AC or fans in my apartment each night!  The temps have been around 90 Degrees F or higher almost every day!  And the humidity has been nasty!  Friday morning, August 26, I awoke to some rain and when I stepped outside, the weather was soooooo much cooler!  It was so refreshing. This dramatic change continued through Friday night!  Friday night was the FIRST time I did NOT use my AC or any fans since I have been back!  I just opened the window and enjoyed a very refreshing night's sleep with some delightfully cool weather.  Saturday morning I awoke for our Men's Prayer Breakfast at church and was greeted by a cool temperature and a gorgeous sky!

View from the steps of the entrance to Exciting Dae Kwang Church this morning following our Men's Prayer Breakfast!

Looking to the right from the steps of the church, this is the beautiful view this morning!

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Then I got in my new car, that our wonderful Facilities' Manager at ICS-P helped me purchase through a longtime trusted friend and car dealer, and traveled to church for our FIRST Men's Prayer Breakfast.  That was a first for me, too!  Shopping for a car in South Korea!  I had purchased the former ICS-P headmaster's car when he left, but it was sounding very strange.  So Mr. Song took it to get checked out and the mechanic said it would not pass inspection and was basically ready to be discarded.  He couldn't believe there were 309,000 kilometers on the speedometer! I now have a Hyundai Avante with fairly low mileage and in great shape.  I was able to get a very good deal and had sufficient saved for the transaction.  It is a lot smaller, making it MUCH easier to park in the very small parking spaces in Korea.  I really like it.  It even came with a Black Box.

My "new" car outside my Eden Village apartment!  I enjoyed driving it to the Prayer Breakfast!

This is the Exciting Dae Kwang Church in Pyeongtaek.  Our English-speaking ministry meets on the second floor.  Saturday was our first Men's Prayer breakfast! (Sorry, not too many food pictures, but we enjoyed eggs, thick bacon, pancakes, Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, fresh Melon, bananas, juice, and coffee!)

Here are some of the men preparing breakfast and chatting.  Sorry

                                     it is so blurry. :-(

Worship leader, Jacob Morse, preparing the yummy thick bacon!

Collin Thornton giving all of us instruction

on taking the shell off of a hard boiled egg.

Continued instruction!

Collin proudly displaying the finished egg!

After the Prayer Breakfast and clean up, these men put on their cycling outfits and prepared for a bicycle trek on this gorgeous day.  A couple of us did not go along, but I heard they had a great time in the beautiful weather!

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After our Prayer Breakfast, I had already committed to watch some of our Boys' and Girls' Volleyball teams play their FIRST round-robin games of the season.  ICS-P hosted two other teams, Korea Kent Foreign School and International Christian School of Uijongbu, to a round-robin practice tournament in the new ICS-P gym!  I had a great time and spent time cheering on our young men and women.  I have really enjoyed watching them practice and play so well together as teams!  They are such great encouragers.  I also was able to spend some quality time between matches with three young high school boys God has placed on my heart!  I hope you will join me in praying for me as I build relationships at ICS-P, but especially with these three young men, Billy, Jason, and Matthew.  No pictures of them yet, but each has some unique concerns and they seem to relate very easily with me. Pray that God will use me to impact them to continue to commit their lives totally to the Lord.

   ICS-P Girls in one of their matches!  They were doing so well!

Ms. Johnson, Girls' Volleyball Coach sitting with Mr. Tony Kuhn, Boys' Volleyball Coach,  watch the rest of the girls as they play on the court.

Traditional finish to each game.  Each team lines up to face the   

opposing team.                                       

Then they bow to the other team. (Didn't catch a good shot of the bow.)

The ICS-P boys playing against Korea Kent Foreign

                                  School.

Another shot of this first game!

And one more!                                     

A little huddle by the boys with Coach Kuhn!

        Preparing for the bow at the close of one of their games!

The traditional bow!

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Throughout the week at ICS-P, I enjoyed some additional "Firsts."

1 - Enrollment!! We continue to have families come to have a tour of ICS-P and then enroll their child or children into the school!  Several years ago the enrollment at ICS-P had dropped below 100 students.  It continues to grow!  Last year ended with about 125 students.  The goal for 2016-17 was to have 130 - 135.  We currently have 140 enrolled with some more possibilities!  This is a first in quite some time at ICS-P.  Please continue to pray that we will continue to be able to enroll students and continue to provide a quality education.

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2 - New Security System - ICS-P was able to work with the current security system company they use to have them change the security system for us.  This system uses each staff member's fingerprint as the key to unlock and enter the school as well as secure it at the end of the day.  This is  FIRST for ICS-P and we are trusting this will be a better system than the card system originally used.  Here is Ms. Tia, one of our wonderful staff in the Business Office collecting fingerprints from some of our Korean staff and explaining how to use the new Secom Security System.

Ms. Tia getting fingerprints of the Korean staff and training them on the unlocking and locking of our ICS-P building.

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3 - ICS-P's Art Teacher! I had the joy of visiting for the FIRST time our Art Teacher, Ms. Sara Lim, as she taught a group of middle school students.  Ms. Lim does an amazing job of teaching art to our students and it was fun to see her working with groups and individuals on this particular day! She also heads up the school yearbook class.

     One of Ms. Lim's  Middle School Art classes this past week.

 Please note the student in the red shirt at the computer.  His name

    is Marcus.  He is a new student who I have begun to build a 

    relationship with.  Please pray for Marcus as he continues to 

   learn English.  I have been working with him with his Math - 

 especially when there are problems with English words and not 

                           just numbers and symbols.

Here is Ms. Lim working with one of the students one-on-one as  

another student works on an art project on his iPad.            

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4 - Family Groups!!  One day a week our students eat together in "Family Groups."  Another FIRST for me to see this happening this past week.  When a student comes to ICS-P, he or she is placed in one of the Family Groups and he/she remains there throughout their attendance at ICS-P.  These groups meet together as a small community and also participate in fun activities to earn points for their Family Group throughout the year.  The kids enjoy it for the fun and games but also because they get to meet children outside their particular grade and make new friends.  Teachers facilitate the groups and it was so fun to see elementary teachers interact with their students this past week during the FIRST Family Group time this year!

              Ms. Hunter's Yellow Family Group at lunch!

Here is Ms. Johnson's Green Family Group!!

And now, Mrs. Jacobo's Red Family Group!            

Ms. Dather's Purple Family Group members!

             Mrs. Cho with her delightful Blue Family Group!

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5 - Kindergarten Cherubs! Our new kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Cho, is doing an awesome job with her kinder cherubs!  This past week each child created a self-portrait from construction paper and then used it to introduce themselves.  It was also put on a little video, which you can see on Facebook.  Here is a collection of some of these self-portraits displayed outside the kindergarten classroom.  I have been invited by Mrs. Cho to do my FIRST book reading to a class.  I have been asked to read The Book With No Pictures by B. J. Novak!  I am so excited!!

Here is part of the display in the hallway outside the Kindergarten classroom showing the self-portraits each of the students created.

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6 - FIRST PTA Meeting of 2016-17!! Friday evening parents were invited to come out to  ICS-P for the first re-organizational meeting of the ICS-P PTA.  Usually, they have had trouble getting sufficient parents to have a quorum to vote on new officers.  Friday evening was a FIRST!  I believe there were about 35 parents and teachers (most were parents) who came out!  I was able to meet a number of parents and there was a great spirit among the group!  I am excited about what this group will do to assist ICS-P this year in the education of their children.  Thanks for praying for this.

That will do it for this week!  Your continued encouragement, love, care, mail, prayers and support are so special to me.  Thanks so much!  It is difficult to believe that this next week we will finish the month of August already!  I hope you enjoy a great week!

Love, Gregg

Ready, Set, GO!!

Monday and Tuesday of this past week teachers and staff were very busy making final preparations for our first day of school on Wednesday, August 17!  Enrollment for this year is up from 125 last year to 140!  After our Open House on August 12, we realized we needed to make a change with our Grades 5 and 6.  Enrollment for these two grades had continued to increase since the close of school last year.  The plan was to combine the students in Grades 5 and 6 in one class in the Middle School. We realized there were too many in both classes and began praying for a Grade 5 teacher, who would teach Grade 5 as a self-contained classroom except for related arts classes.  August is not an ideal time to be searching for teachers!  :-)  We did have a lady who had completed all of the paperwork through our home office, NICS, back in July but the only need we had at the time was for substitute teachers.  We prayed and decided to contact Mrs. Johanna Sigler to see if she would want a full-time teaching position teaching Grade 5.  When I spoke with her on the phone on Friday, August 12, she became so excited and said that she had been talking with her husband and praying about a full-time teaching position!  We had a final interview with Mrs. Sigler this past Monday.  She accepted our offer and then worked with our ES Assistant Principal, Tony Kuhn, on Monday and Tuesday to prepare the classroom!  We are delighted and grateful to the Lord for providing an excellent teacher in such a short time!  Please continue to pray that all of the necessary paperwork will be completed for her Korean visa to allow her to teach full time. Right now she is hired as a substitute teacher, but if all goes well, she should have the necessary visa approved for a full-time teaching position in a couple weeks.

Our new Grade 5 Teacher, Mrs. Sigler, and our Science Teacher, Mr. Sortore, started the year with Grade 5 by having them build rockets, then launching them, and then debrief.  They had fun learning Physics on their first day!

Here are four of the 5th graders and Mrs. Sigler ready to launch their rockets.

This girl ran as soon as she placed her rocket for

                              launching! :-)

My camera didn't catch the complete launch; just    

the trail!  It was probably good that the young girl ran!

Here is the class debriefing.  This is a better picture of our newest teacher, Mrs. Sigler (on the right).  The kids are really enjoying her!

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So, on Wednesday, everything was ready, we were all set, and at 8:00 AM students began arriving! Everything was a GO!  We had a smooth first day with only a few glitches with bus dismissal. However, by the end of the week, the bus situations were all cleared up.  Thank you for praying for our first day! I really enjoyed visiting classrooms, meeting students, and observing our teachers connecting with students!  Below are some pictures from the first three days of classes at ICS-P for 2016-17.  If you wish, you can use the pictures to pray for our students and teachers.

First Day Arrival!

     As elementary students arrive, they go to the 

   cafeteria to wait until 8:25 when teachers come

  to pick them up.  Here Mr. Kuhn, ES Assistant

  Principal, and Mrs. Jacobo, Grade 3 Teacher,

    greet students and have some fun with them.

Our Grade 4 Teacher, Ms. Johnson, greeting students and having some fun with them.

Some more of the students on the first day.  The young man on the 

right seems to be in dreamland! :-)                   

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Kindergarten Looking for the Gingerbread Men

On the first day, Mrs. Cho, our Kinder teacher, read the book, The

   Gingerbread Loose in the School to her cherubs and then they 

 escaped.  Here are the kinder cherubs on Thursday in my office as 

they begin their search for the escaped Gingerbread Men!  They had

 made some paper gingerbread men and Thursday they had escaped.

I asked them to do a "silly" pose after I told them that the gingerbread men had been in my office but left.  They left a note on my chair which I read to them.

Here they are with the note that the gingerbread men left on my chair.

They were so excited to continue the search.  It was such a great way 

to have the children learn where the various places are located at ICSP!

Later on Thursday, they saw the gingerbread men throughout the school hallways!  They were so excited! :-)

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Elementary School Chapel on Thursday

Mr. Kuhn welcoming elementary students to Chapel.  He shared

with them the theme for the year: Putting on the Full Armor of 

                                                  God!"

Here are the elementary students and teachers listening to Mr. Kuhn and preparing to sing some praise songs!

Our Music Teacher, Ms. Kim, brought some student volunteers to  

the front to help her lead the kids in singing some praise songs.  They

are great singers!  This one was "Every Move I Make" and the kids  

were really into it.                                  

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Some Random Class Pictures on Thursday

            MS Bible class with Mr. Kuhn!

Mr. Edwards teaching a Science class. 

Working on a "thinking" assignment with Mr. Edwards.

Ms. Gaul, HS Math Teacher, doing a pre-test with one of her Math classes.

Ms. Hunter, Grade 1 teacher, working with her cherubs on their

                                            journal writing.

Ms. Lee, Art Teacher, had a photography assignment for this HS class.  They were so into it!

Photo assignment for Art.  These girls were having  

  so much fun getting the right pose.              

Another shot of these two young ladies.

These three HS young men were deciding how to 

  get the right photo based on the instructions Ms.

                              Kim had given.

This is one of the poses they selected!

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I had mentioned in a previous post that I had found a new coffee shop for my Saturday morning time of coffee, reading, reflecting, praying, and writing.  I am enjoying visiting BC800 Coffee & Tea on Saturday mornings!  When it is not so hot, I plan on walking to BC800 to enjoy this time.  Yesterday I was greeted at my table by three little friends in a Mason-type jar with a green plant and water in it. I enjoy watching them swim and look at me as I read and write. :-)  Saturday I was able to finally meet the owner and her son - both were working together this Saturday.  I had a really nice chat and hope to continue sharing with them.  Today I asked for coffee and a two small cookies, which I paid for.  When Chang Sik Jang's mother brought my coffee, she gave me a plate with 5 little cookies as well as a piece of coffee cake as a service gift! :-)

   Here is one of the pictures of my new friends at 

  BC800 Coffee & Tea. You have to look hard, but 

                             they are there.

Another view of my fishy friends at BC800!!    

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Saturday I also got my first haircut in the Pyeongtaek area.  As I was leaving the BC800 Coffee & Tea shop the other week, I noticed a hair place that was simply called "GG."  :-)  So I decided today that I would stop and give them a try.  The man and woman who operate the shop were very nice and spoke English very well.  I showed them my business card and before I could explain what I wanted to share with them about the initials in my first, middle, and last names, they already realized that my initials were the same as the name of their shop!  We all started laughing!  I think the young lady did a fine job for my first time.  I think I will be back and it is almost next door to my new coffee shop!

            Here is the front of my new hair cutting place, GG!

Here I am after getting my haircut.  Not the clearest picture, but this

selfie will have to do.  Not bad for the first time at this place!       

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Saturday evening I was taken to dinner by our High School Principal, Charlie Mooney.  We enjoyed some excellent conversation and great Indian food!  I have enjoyed getting to know Charlie and his wife, April, + their two children, Gavin and Addie.  After adopting Gavin and Addie, they are now expecting a child of their own in January!  Please pray for them as they prepare to add this third precious cherub.

GGG with my good friend and HS Principal at ICS-P, Mr. Charlie Mooney, at an Indian restaurant in Pyeongtaek on Saturday evening!  A great time together!

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Once again, thank you very much for your love, care, encouragement, emails, letters, prayers, and support.  Thanks for praying for our Grade 5 Teacher, Mrs. Sigler, as she transitions quickly to ICS-P and that all of the paperwork for her visa would come through in a timely manner!

Love, Gregg