Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This week at ICS-P we enjoyed a shortened week because of the Thanksgiving Break that began on Wednesday afternoon.  I know that teachers and staff and students were anticipating the shortened week in order to relax, refresh, and enjoy family and friends.  Holidays were always special in the Garman household and I still look forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

On Sunday afternoon last week after participating in the service at Dae Kwang Church, the ICS-P teachers and staff were invited to the home church of Mr. Song, our amazing Facilities' Manager at ICS-P.  Mr. Song had invited our HS Principal, Mr. Mooney, to preach at their special afternoon service. Following the service, we all enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving feast to begin our week of celebrating Thanksgiving.  I was glad I went to hear the message and support Mr. Song, who does so much for all of us.  Mr. Mooney did a great job with John 11and we enjoyed some new friends and some very delicious food and fellowship!

Here I am with Mr. Song on my left and the recently retired pastor

                            of the church on my right.

Mr. Mooney preaching from John 11 and his interpreter (from a sister

church) on his right!  Both did a great job!                    

Above are those who were present for this special Thanksgiving service.

   Some of the yummy delights the church ladies

          had prepared for everyone!  So good!

This was my plate of delicious treats.  The turkey tasted almost as  

good as my mother's!  It was all very good!                

_________________________________________________

ICS-P planned a special Thanksgiving Feast on Wednesday right before students were dismissed for the Break.  Our amazing cafeteria staff under the direction of our Business Manager, Mylene Haselman, had prepared a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner for our students and parents!  In addition to the food they had prepared, some parents and teachers also added taste treats to the feast.  It was a grand time of thanksgiving, fellowship, fun, and gratitude.

Here I am serving the Thanksgiving Feast with some of our parents on Wednesday.  Grades 1 and 2 are going through the buffet line at this point!

   Mylene Haselman and the excellent cafeteria workers preparing

a magnificent Thanksgiving Feast for our students, staff, and parents!

Here is one view of the Turkey, Ham, filling, cranberry sauce, corn, and many other taste treats!

A view from the other end of the buffet table showing

more yummy goodies!                    

        Some of the desserts on the dessert table!

Some parents and grandparents helping the Kinder cherubs select their food from the great variety of Thanksgiving goodies!

_________________________________________________________

Before the Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday, we had some special Thanksgiving performances by our Kindergarten cherubs and then a preview performance of the Christmas Concert that our music teacher, Ms. Kim, is preparing with our students on December 2.  Our kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Cho, had her kinder cherubs dressed up as Pilgrims or Native Americans.  They sang a cute Thanksgiving song and then performed a mini-play for the parents and grandparents.  They all loved seeing their special ones perform!

    Here are the cherubs singing their Thanksgiving song for their

                                parents and grandparents!

Now they are performing their little play that Mrs. Cho had written for them!  They were so cute!

These two little Native Americans were so cute as they performed 

their part of the play!                                 

Here are some of the parents and grandparents enjoying the song and the play!  Of course, they enjoyed taking photos! :-)  Mrs. Cho is the one seated with some papers on her lap.

_________________________________________________

After the Kindergarten performance, guests were invited to the B1 area for a preview of the Christmas Concert.  Students in Grades 1 through 4 sang a special song for the guests!  They did a great job.  I was particularly impressed with one of our new students who sang a solo.  I was not ready for her solo!  She did an amazing job!  I can't wait until December 2 to hear the entire performance by our students!

Here are the cherubs in Grades 1 through 4 singing just a preview of the Christmas Concert on December 2.  (Sorry it is a little blurry; my good camera was not recharged so I had to use my phone.)  The young lady on the right is singing a solo!  She sings her heart out!  So good!!

___________________________________________________

After the mini-performances and Thanksgiving Feast, many stayed for the several basketball games by our Boys' and Girls' Basketball teams as they played against ICS-Uijongbu!  Our Girls' Basketball team remains undefeated!  

___________________________________

On Monday of this past week, I had a somewhat stressful day with some situations, but I was so happy that I was able to meet on Monday evening with one of my friends from the Dae Kwang Church.  I have been working with one of our members with some of his applications for graduate schools in the USA.  His name is Bailey and I really enjoy hearing him play the piano at church.  It has been great getting to know him and we were finally able to meet for dinner on Monday evening! Our time together was just what I needed after the somewhat stressful day.  We enjoyed a delicious Chinese dinner and had a lot of laughs and some excellent serious discussions as well.  Please pray for Bailey as he finishes his applications and exams for a number of graduate schools.  He is very nervous, but I think he will do very well.

GGG and Bailey preparing to enjoy some very delicious Chinese food and some excellent fellowship!

          These Black Noodles are soooo tasty!

We also shared some Chinese dumplings!         

_______________________________________________

On Thursday I was scheduled to meet with my dear friend Gunmo and his wife Sujin, but early Thursday morning, Gunmo texted me to sadly inform me that he had picked up a nasty cold and needed to stay in.  Please pray that Gunmo will recover quickly and that we will be able to meet soon. Gunmo and Sujin will celebrate their First Wedding Anniversary on November 28!

Here is the happy couple on their wedding day last November 28!  I was so blessed and humbled to be a part of their special wedding ceremony!

Since these dear friends could not meet me on Thursday and my toes were feeling pretty good, I used the day to do a lot of walking and just reading and reflecting. Quite refreshing!

__________________________________________

On Friday, I got up early and took the bus to Seoul and then the subway to Itaewon to visit my favorite bookstore, "What the Book?" and enjoy some of my favorite eating places.  I ran into many students and families from YISS on my walk through Itaewon and enjoyed a great time at the bookstore and then had brunch at a favorite eatery, The Original Pancake House!  The manager and my good friend, JinHwan Cho, was there and he loves talking with me.  He was telling me about his girlfriend, his new kittens (he LOVES cats), and his recent trip of 12 days to Switzerland, Austria, and Czech Republic.  I have been to all three of these countries so we enjoyed a great time of sharing. He had taken some fantastic pictures.  Please pray for JinHwan as I continue to get to know him. Hopefully, he will come to know Jesus.

Here I am with JinHwan after a wonderful brunch and a great chat with this young man.  His one cat recently had kittens and he wanted to give me one. :-)

 _________________________________________

I was also able to enjoy some Pumpkin Spice Latte at my favorite dessert and coffee place in Itaewon, Sweet East!  The owner was present and she was so happy to see me and catch up.  She brought me some very delicious pumpkin pie with whipped cream that one of her friends makes.  She is trying to get the word out about her friend's new bakery.  The pumpkin pie was very delicious!  I especially enjoyed the crust of this pie.  Almost made me think I was enjoying Thanksgiving in Chambersburg, PA!

GGG with the owner of Sweet East Cafe', Mrs. Park.

I so much enjoyed my Pumpkin Spice Latte and my freshly baked Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream!! :-)

_____________________________________________________

On Saturday, I met my friend, Chris Haynes, for lunch and studying together.  Chris took the TOEFL exam last week and received a very good score!  Now he begins his search for a college/university in the USA to continue his studies.  We always have a great time and today's lunch was no exception.  I am so excited to see how Chris continues to grow in his walk with the Lord.  He has a growth in his upper right chest that comes every so often and causes great pain.  Doctors don't seem to know what it is.  He also has a growth in his left knee that looks nasty and is extremely painful.  Please pray that the pain will subside and some doctor will be able to give some indication as to what causes these. Please also continue to pray for him as he seeks to continue his studies in the USA now that he has scored well enough on the TOEFL exam.  Chris has everything sent to Appalachian Bible College and is praying that all will work out for his visa beginning Second Semester at ABC.

Chris and I at AK Plaza enjoying a great time together at lunch on Saturday!

I had some yummy Kimchi Jjigae!  The other pictures did not turn out.  Chris enjoyed some Octopus Bibimbap and we both enjoyed some very tasty Chamchi (Tuna) Kimbap!

_____________________________________________________

Saturday evening was a delightful time at dinner with Jin Seok and his wife, Eunsun!  It was great to see them after a long time of waiting.  They drove to Pyeongtaek and stopped to see my apartment and then we went for a very delicious dinner at one of my favorites, Puffin Restaurant!  What a great time we had together during a very tasty dinner.  They are very excited about a special event that is expected to happen near the beginning of June!  Eunsun is about three months along and they showed me some pictures from a recent ultrasound!  Please pray for this lovely couple as they are working very hard at their jobs as well as being involved in their church while preparing for a precious little one to arrive!  I almost had to fight with them about the bill for our dinner.  Jin Seok wanted to treat me and I wanted to treat them.  This time Jin Seok and Eunsun won, but I will treat the next time.  They said it was an early Christmas gift!

I was excited that the owners of Puffin Restaurant had decorated their restaurant for Christmas!  After our wonderful dinner, we posed beside the lovely Christmas Tree for a Christmas photo!

Jin Seok had a very nicely prepared Beef Tenderloin steak with mushrooms, potatoes, garlic, and squash!  (In order to get the right lighting on his face, Jin Seok had to hold the overhead lamp a bit higher.) :-)

  I enjoyed a Beef Tenderloin steak with French Fries!

Eunsun enjoyed the Seafood Risotto!  (Sorry that  

it is a bit blurry.)                       

_______________________________________________________

I am going to close this Thanksgiving week's post with two more items.  The first is the most recent update on Ben Coyner, our Guidance Counselor at ICS-P.  He began radiation therapy this past Tuesday.  I know he would continue to value your prayers.  Here is his most recent update from November 22:

Ben's Nov. 22 Praise Updates & Requests :)

Answered Prayers!

1) Praise God that my first daily radiotherapy and weekly chemotherapy sessions at Severance Hospital went well!

Prayer Requests:

1) That this new treatment plan will eradicate the tumor by the end of 2016, so I will not need surgery.

2) That I can make time to meet with more people during November and December before radiation side effects become severe.

3) That I won’t be disappointed with unfavorable treatment results, but focus on the eternal blessings that I have through Christ and my relationship with God.

4) That I will be a more dynamic encourager and effective witness to my school’s students, parents, staff, and the wider community that I interact with in Korea and online.

________________________________

And second, although some of you have read this on Facebook, I wanted to share what I wrote this past Thursday as I was reflecting on my amazing family and wonderful friends and thanking the Lord for how He has blessed me with them throughout my life.  Here is what I wrote:

God has blessed me with an amazing family and excellent friends.  On the close of this Thanksgiving Day in South Korea, I have been thanking God for each one of you.  My life has been touched in countless ways

·      *  because we have walked a special walk together,

·      *  because you matter to me,

·      *  because we are friends,

·      *  because you have given me courage, and

·     *   because you care about me and love me in spite of me!

For many years, I have used John Baillie’s book, A Diary of Private Prayer, each morning and evening.  Many of my family and friends have helped me in my growth in the graces of Godly character.  Thank you!!  I would ask you to pray the following prayer, which I have adapted from one of Baillie’s prayers, for me on this Thanksgiving Day.  I will be praying

Dear God,

I come to you today and ask that the graces of Godly character will more and more take shape within my soul:

·      *  THE GRACE OF A THANKFUL AND UNCOMPLAINING HEART,

·      *  THE GRACE OF COURAGE, WHETHER IN SUFFERING OR IN DANGER,

·      *  THE GRACE TO ENDURE HARDSHIP AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF JESUS CHRIST,

·     *   THE GRACE OF BOLDNESS IN STANDING FOR WHAT IS RIGHT,

·     *   THE GRACE OF PREPAREDNESS LEST I ENTER INTO TEMPTATION,

·      *  THE GRACE OF STRICT TRUTHFULNESS,

·      *  THE GRACE OF LOVE AND CHARITY, THAT I MAY REFRAIN FROM HASTY JUDGMENT,

·      *  THE GRACE OF SILENCE, THAT I MAY REFRAIN FROM HASTY SPEECH,

·      *  THE GRACE OF FORGIVENESS TOWARDS THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED ME,

·      *  THE GRACE OF TENDERNESS TOWARDS THOSE WHO ARE WEAKER THAN ME, AND

·      *  THE GRACE OF STEADFASTNESS TO CONTINUE TO DESIRE AND FOLLOW YOUR SON, JESUS CHRIST!

In the name of Jesus, Amen!

_______________________________

Thank you so much for your faithful love, care, encouragement, mail, emails, prayers, and support.  I trust that you enjoyed a wonderful time of Thanksgiving with your family and friends.  December begins this week!  Is that possible? :-)

Love, Gregg

"And be Thankful!"

Next week America celebrates the holiday we call Thanksgiving!  Throughout God's Word, we are strongly encouraged to be thankful!  Not when we feel like it, but in all circumstances.  I don't know about you, but I have a hard time doing that. :-)  In Colossians 3, we are told to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness,  and patience.  I am to forgive as the Lord forgave me! And over all of these, I am to put on love.  I am also called to peace and commanded, "And be THANKFUL!"  I have been reflecting on this passage a lot the past few days as I prepare for the week of Thanksgiving activities at ICS-P.  I am so encouraged by the teachers, staff, parents, students, and friends to give thanks in all circumstances.  This past week I have seen compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love demonstrated in so many ways through so many at ICS-P.  I just want to say thank you to the Lord for bringing so many wonderful people into my life - family, friends (near and far), co-workers, students, and parents to teach me these virtues - especially gratitude.  And the list could go on and on.  May I encourage you to spend some time this week reflecting on all for which you can be thankful.  I am so grateful that the pain in my toes has diminished this past week so much that I didn't even think about that pain at all last week! The corn/callous is still there, but at present, there is very little pain.  Would you please pray for me that I will continue to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and gratitude?

Last Sunday evening, three staff members from the NICS Home Office came to Pyeongtaek.  We welcomed Member Care Coordinator, Missy Parks along with Lori Newsom (Placement Specialist), and Howard Rich, VP of Operations to ICS-P.  It was a brief visit but we were happy to have them with us until Tuesday morning.  They had some excellent conversations with many of our staff.  The two ladies from ICS-P, who are the local Member Care coordinators for our school, attended a Regional Member Care retreat at Yongsan International School of Seoul on Friday and Saturday.  I am eager to get an update from our local Member Care coordinators, April Mooney and Pam Richards.  As the Director at ICS-P, I was invited to the Haselmans' home for a dinner on Monday evening with the three colleagues from the NICS Home Office.  We had a great time of fellowship, food, and laughter!

NICS staff with the Haselmans and GGG!  Here we are enjoying one of Mylene Haselman's homemade yummy meals!  Clockwise from GGG: Missy Parks, Howard Rich, Lori Newsom, Mylene and Steve Haselman.

                      This is my plate of very tasty food!

Caramelized Banana Splits for dessert!! :-)              

____________________________________________________

So thankful for the fun time we had at ICS-P on Tuesday!  It was "Crazy hair and Socks" Day at ICS-P.  I enjoyed a lot of laughter as elementary children came to school with some very interesting hairstyles!  A number of the staff joined in the fun as well.  These days always seem to bring students and teachers together even more in our desire at ICS-P to build relationships and mentor our students. Enjoy some of the crazy hair kids and staff!

Here I am with our beloved facilities man, Mr. Song!

Now a picture with our IT/Computer teacher, Mr. Richards, and one of our Business Office staff, Mrs. Tia Guinn!

GGG with three elementary boys and their strange

hair.  The boy on the left is the "bad" boy who was

chosen to smear me with a pie at Fall Festival!  :-)

I loved this little lady's very creative crazy hair!!  Everyone enjoyed her Coca Cola Hair! :-)

          Another little lady with her crazy hair!

Ms. Hunter with some of her Family Group on Tuesday!

Another very interesting hair style!            

This little man loved his little tower of hair! :-)

    And a couple more cherubs at lunch with their

             family group and their crazy hair!

__________________________________________________________

I was very thankful for our Boys' and Girls' Volleyball teams as they finished their season.  Thankful to the two coaches who invested their lives into the lives of these young women and men.  Mr. Tony Kuhn and Ms. Laura Johnson coached our Volleyball teams and enjoyed a profitable season with these young people!  Wednesday was our first Basketball game of this season.  Mr. Greener and Mr. Hannings are coaching the Boys' Basketball team and Ms. Dather and Mr. Edwards are coaching the Girls!  The Girls' BBall team won their home opener by one point - a nail biter! The Boys' BBall team didn't fare as well, but according to Coach Greener, they did much better in this first game against the Dalton School than they did in the first game last year.  So thankful for so many who are investing in the lives of our students through basketball as well as many other extracurricular activities.

Ms. Dather and Mr. Edwards with the Girls' Basketball team during

                            a timeout at their first game!

Here are the boys with Coach Greener and Coach 

Hannings during a timeout in their first game!    

__________________________________________________

Thursday was a day of two visits to ICS-P from outside organizations!  One of our parents came to talk with me about an organization in Pyeongtaek who heard that her children were students at ICS-P. The organization's purpose is to help foreigners adjust to Korea.  They provide "Good Neighbor Tours" to the community and they offered three trips for our school students and teachers.  We have almost all of the arrangements finalized, but we are so grateful for this new opportunity to give our students some quality Field Trips.  We are on a very tight and limited budget and usually, parents have to pay for the costs involved in the field trips we can take.  These three trips, however, will not cost us anything!  The organization is providing round-trip bus transportation from ICS-P at no cost to us!  They will also provide a lunch for those on the trip!  They will take care of paying the entrance fee for each student and teacher!  Please pray that all of the final arrangements will fall into place for these three trips.  We are taking three different groups of students to three excellent locations.  One trip will go to the COEX Aquarium (one of the largest in Korea); one will travel to the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, and the other will go to a Korean Folk Village in Suwon!  We are very excited and grateful!

In addition, two gentlemen from Costco Wholesale Warehouse visited with me on Wednesday and returned on Thursday to talk with our Member Care person, April Mooney.  since most of our teachers are members of Costco Warehouse, they didn't need to take advantage of the special offer to become a member.  But I mentioned to the men that one of our problems is getting transportation to and from the Costco Warehouse in Cheonan.  ICS-P does not own a bus (we would love to purchase one, but they cost more than we can afford presently) and our vans are old and there is never enough room to take a lot of our teachers who desire to go.  Thursday the men came back and worked out details with Mrs. Mooney so that they would provide transportation once a month for our staff!  We are excited about this!  So thankful!  The first trip is scheduled for December 1 at 4:30 PM.  Please pray that all goes well.

______________________________________________

Friday was a busy day of working on details for the three field trips mentioned above as well as several meetings.  But one of our special times in the elementary school at ICS-P happens on Friday afternoon at 3:15 right before students go home.  Throughout the week teachers and staff can give a "Golden Ticket" to a student they catch doing something that is a great example of the virtues we are teaching in classes and in our Bible times with the students.  The teacher writes out a golden ticket with the behavior the child exhibited and then the student brings it to my office.  That's where I make a big deal about what they did and then they place the ticket in a big container.  Friday, I wear a strange wig and glasses and Ms. Tia, one of the office staff, puts on her Angry Bird hat and we meet the children in the cafeteria and draw out 3 - 5 tickets.  The students come up and I encourage them and all the students to continue their great behavior and then they get to select a small prize from the big container of toys, games, books, etc.  It's a fun time and children leave for the weekend on a very happy note.  Here are a few pictures from a "Golden Ticket" Friday (I'm not sure which Friday).

Here I am along with Ms. Tia with the elementary

 kids finishing their drum roll for the next Golden

                             Ticket winner!

Grade 1 teacher, Ms. Hunter, leading the three of us in a fun little "Golden Ticket" dance!  The kids were loving it! :-)

Here are some of the elementary cherubs during a Friday "Golden Ticket" assembly!

____________________________________________________

I will close this week by sharing the most recent update from Ben Coyner.  You will see that he begins radiation therapy on Tuesday.  I know he would continue to value your prayers on his behalf.

Ben's Update:

Ben's Nov. 17 Medical Updates & Prayer Requests 

Updates:

1) Praise God that Severance Hospital has expedited my new treatment plan! I will begin my six-week program of daily radiation therapy and weekly chemotherapy from Tuesday (11/22).

2) If surgery is needed, it will be done sometime later in 2017.

Prayer Requests:

1) That this new treatment plan will eradicate the tumor by the end of 2016, so I will not need surgery.

2) That I will not be concerned with the side effects of radiation therapy that will happen from December.

3) That I can schedule my daily radiation therapy sessions earlier in the day to still meet with students in Pyeongtaek to help them with the college application process.

4) That I won’t be disappointed with unfavorable treatment results, but focus on the eternal blessings that I have through Christ and my relationship with God.

5) That I will be a more dynamic encourager and effective witness to my school’s students, parents, staff, and the wider community that I interact with in Korea and online.

_______________________________________________________

I close, once again, by sharing my gratitude to each of you who continue to love and encourage me! Thank you for your emails, regular mail, prayers, and support.  Thank you very much!  Please enjoy a great week of Thanksgiving!

Love, Gregg