A Busy Four-Day Week Leading to Our Lunar New Year Break!

This weekend Korea celebrates Lunar New Year (Seollal)!  It is one of the most significant traditional Korean holidays!  It is the holiday where traffic will be very heavy.  Last year it was estimated that some 36,000,000 traveled to visit their families during the Korean Lunar New Year celebration.  It is typically a family holiday.  I won't tell you a lot about it here since it is quite easy to look it up on a Google search.  Lots of family time!  Lots of delicious traditional Korean food!  Lots of Korean games! Lots of celebrations with families!  For ICS-P, it means that students and teachers will have a long weekend to refresh!  We had Friday off and will not return to school until Tuesday morning. Below are a few pictures (not mine) that show a little about this significant holiday for Koreans throughout the world.

Some of the family events during Seollal!

           Some of the traditional Korean foods during Seollal!

This is the Jegi Chagi game, one of the many games            

families enjoy during this festive time!                   

__________________________________________________

Before I write anything else this week, I wanted to share the excellent news that we received from Ben Coyner this past Wednesday evening!  Please read his brief, but exciting, update!!  Join us in thanking the Lord for this!  I know Ben would continue to value your prayers.

Ben Coyner Update – January 25

"Praise God that after reviewing a recent MRI and performing a careful physical exam, my Cancer Surgeon could not find any traces of the cancer tumor in my tongue!

There is a possible small tumor remnant in one lymph node in my neck, so I will have a follow-up appointment in 2 months to see if it will disappear by then. This lymph node was very noticeable to the touch back in September, but now it's almost impossible to locate because it has shrunk so much.

Thank you for praying and encouraging me since the very beginning.

I'm truly blessed to know God's Grace."

_____________________________________________

And I can't write anything else without sharing some more very exciting news from this past week! One of our strengths at ICS-P is the mentoring relationships that are built by all of our teachers with students throughout the entire school.  This past week our Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Cho, came to my office.  She was so excited!  I knew she had some excellent news!  Mrs. Cho has been building a relationship with one of our high school students, Jessica, a ninth grader who has been bringing down other students in the MS and HS with her attitude.  Mrs. Cho had just spent some time talking with Jessica and near the close of their stimulating conversation, Jessica asked how she could come to experience God and Jesus Christ!  Mrs. Cho had the wonderful privilege of leading Jessica to accept Jesus Christ as her Saviour!  All of us are very excited about this and I hope you will join us in thanking the Lord as well as praying for Jessica as she seeks to follow the Lord.  Pray for Mrs. Cho and others as they seek to continue to mentor Jessica.

This is a photo of the ICS-P Staff taken back in October or November.  I just wanted to share again for that you can be praying for our staff.  I also want to identify Mrs. Cho.  She is in the second row.  Starting from the left, she is the second one in.

__________________________________________________

During the week we had a number of families come to ICS-P to talk about possibly enrolling their children as students in our school!  We also added a few students this past week!  We continue to seek ways to share our school with the community.  On Tuesday, we had a visit from Mr. Joe Kim, the director of the Billy Graham Association office in South Korea!  Mr. Kim had called to arrange an appointment for two families who would be coming to South Korea to work with the Billy Graham Association.  These two families have seven children and were in South Korea to visit several schools to learn about the passion, vision, and atmosphere of these schools to determine where they would like to have their children in school.  We had a wonderful time with Mr. Kim and these parents.  They seemed genuinely interested, but they have not made any decision yet.  They had a couple more international schools to check out. We would be thrilled if it works out for them to enroll their children at ICS-P. Please pray as they make their decision! 

___________________________________________________

Thursday was a very busy and productive day!  Most of the afternoon was spent in a meeting with the two principals at ICS-P!  I really enjoy the wisdom and input that comes from these two men, Tony Kuhn and Charlie Mooney.  We made some excellent progress in finalizing our School Calendar for 2017-18, our Parent-Student Handbook for 2017-18, our Faculty & Staff Handbook for 2017-18, our class schedule for next year, and a number of current matters!  It was very productive!  Please pray for us as we continue to work on issues for this year as well as prepare for next year. 

We still need the following positions for 2017-18: High School Science Teacher, Grade 5 Teacher, and we still need right now an ELD Coordinator/Teacher.  We do have a couple possibilities for a part-time approach to the ELD situation for this year, but it would be great to have a full-time person soon!  We decided that with our very tight budget we would not be seeking a K-12 Physical Education teacher for next year.  If you know anyone who might be interested in heading to South Korea and is able to teach any of these, especially HS Science, please put them in touch with me!

As you may remember, we had a number of families who had to leave suddenly because of a reassignment on November and December.  Our budget is extremely tight right now and unless we secure some additional gift income and/or new students, we will face a deficit in late April or May. We have decided not to let go of any teachers but have asked all staff to take a reduction in their salary, with the goal of reimbursing them once we are able to secure additional income.  This past Thursday was the first pay day where staff received the pay minus this reduction.  We have an amazing staff and their attitude has been great!  However, it is going to be tough for many, especially those with large families. Please join us in praying for all of our needs to be met as soon as possible.  

_________________________________________

Thursday is Elementary School Chapel day!  I always love attending these Chapels.  It is exciting to see the kids singing so wholeheartedly!  Our Grade 1 teacher, Ms. Hunter, does a great job leading our children with songs with motions and dances to open Chapel each week.  Mr. Song, our facilities manager, loves to be present for Elementary Chapel each week.  This week during the songs, Mr. Song decided to do the motions and dance!  The kids and teachers loved this!  We all LOVE Mr. Song and he is a great example to our students in so many ways.  Our Yearbook advisor, Ms. Lim, took some photographs of three bad men doing the motions while singing + dancing! :-) We had so much fun!  W didn't know she was capturing our "moves" on camera.  Below is a photo collection of Thursday morning's "Old Men Worship Dance." :-)  Enjoy!

Elementary Chapel on Thursday!  Top left and bottom right show three bad boys (Mr. Song is on the far right next to Mr. Kuhn). doing the motions and attempting to dance! :-)  Bottom Left shows our Grade 3 teacher, Mrs. Jacobo, teaching in Chapel this past Thursday.

___________________________________________

Some of you have been praying for Chris Haynes, an alum of ICS-P who has accepted the Lord and is now studying at Appalachia Bible College.  He has been emailing me each week and thanks all of you who have been praying.  He is doing well.  Chris asked specifically if I would pray for his exhaustion  He is tired with all of the reading assignments, but loving them.  He has been able to make some friends and is becoming more social!  I know he values your prayers for him and I would ask you to continue to pray for him as he seeks to follow the Lord.

A prayer reminder picture of Chris for you!

___________________________________________________

As always, I want to thank you for your love, care, encouragement, emails, regular mail, prayers, and support.  You are such a great encouragement to me!  Please enjoy a great February!

Love, Gregg

Yeppers, Quarter Three has Kicked into High Gear!

We started Monday with the temperatures the lowest of this season so far!  We also had several staff absent on Monday.  Charlie Mooney was out to continue helping his wife with their new Cora. They did find out this week that Cora does have Downs Syndrome.  Cora was also released from the hospital and permitted to go home! The Mooneys are loving their precious little cherub and so excited that she is home now.  Some of you commented on my picture last week so I thought I would post a few extra this week of Cora!  Thanks for continuing to pray for the Mooneys.

Here is Cora right after getting home

       from isolation in the hospital.

Daddy shaved off his beard and I think Cora likes it!

____________________________________________

Tony Kuhn was hoping to be all recovered from his respiratory sickness, but he was in no shape to return on Monday.  He did return on Tuesday but is still not quite back to normal.  Keep praying for him to get complete healing from this nasty cold and cough.  Ben Coyner finished all of his radiation therapy, but had some nasty effects this week.  Continue to pray for him.  He is hoping to return on Monday.  Below is his update for this week:

"Yesterday, my MRI procedure went smoothly. I will hear what can be determined by this MRI scan by my doctor(s) no later than my appointments with them on Wednesday, 1/25.

My overall condition is improving every day. Today I feel much better, especially considering my parents actually moved home yesterday, which was fairly stressful.

Although there still is some lingering scratchy pain in the back of my throat, I am trying to eat soft foods and soups, instead of the liquid formulas that I was prescribed.

As I eat more, I appear to have fewer problems with excess mucous, but this is still an all-day issue. So, I will not be able to return to ICS tomorrow (Friday, 1/20)."

_______________________________________________

After making sure all of the classes of these gentlemen were covered, I still had time to attend a volunteer staff prayer meeting in one of our HS teacher's classroom. Mr. Barry Wolfer sent out an email to staff inviting them to take time every Monday morning at 7:30 in his classroom to pray over the many needs of our school, including staff, students, and parents.  Barry had placed praises and prayer concerns on his white board and the group of staff who came together had a great time talking with the Lord.  We all stood around, some walked around, as we thanked the Lord and prayed for our concerns and needs.  It was a great way to begin the week!

Tuesday was Hat Day in the Elementary School and it was fun to see teachers and students wearing some silly and delightful hats.  It was a fun way to begin the day.  Here are a few pictures I was able to capture before having a very full day to take care of.  Enjoy!

          Ms. Dather and Ms. Hunter in their delightful hats!

Some of the cherubs with Ms. Hunter and Ms. Dather!          

Ms. Hunter and Mrs. Cho with some of the silly cherubs!

      Ms. Lee is joined by some more of the cherubs in their hats!

Mr. Song, our wonderful facilities man, with Mr. Kuhn.

______________________________________

Tuesday is also Chapel Day for Middle School and High School.  Today's Chapel was introducing the exciting projects and trips that all students will be involved in during our Week Without Walls.  This is a week (March 20-24) when students don't have academic classes.  They are involved in service projects or trips in and around the Pyeongtaek area as well as several trips outside of Pyeongtaek. Here are most of the projects that were introduced by faculty members who will be leading each of the activities.

Steel Drum Performers

Elderly Hospice Care

Elementary Conqueror Camp

Word of Life Bible Institute Jeju Island Service Project

ICS-P Gym Outreach

Homeless Care at Songtan Central Baptist Church

Phuket, Thailand Service Trip

Beijing, China Service Trip

Mission Baptist Church Clean Up Project

I think I am missing one or two.  I will be giving more details about these later, but it was great for me to hear what each group will be doing.  I loved watching the students listen and get excited about the various opportunities.  Beginning shortly, each group will begin working on the many details of preparation for their group's project/trip.  Thanks for praying for Week Without Walls. Many great things have happened in past years and we are excited about what will happen this year.

Some of the MS and HS students listening to Mr. Greener explain

           about the project he is leading - ICS Gym Outreach!

Students signing up for their first and second choice for Week Without Walls!

 More students signing up for their top two choices!

________________________________________________

Wednesday was this month's Spouse Orientation and Information Fair at the Osan Air Force Base.  ICS-P has been invited to set up a display at these Information Fairs to share about ICS-P.  In the past, we have not been able to do anything like this on base so these have been great!  Mylene Haselman and I went to this one and although there were fewer spouses in attendance, we had some great contacts for new students!  We also met the General Manager of the Osan AFB Officers' Club and his assistant.  For the past several years, we have been permitted to have a promotional dinner in the Officers' Club and share a presentation about ICS-Pyeongtaek. Often we take a group of students along to share as well.  The lady who has been very helpful in working with Mylene Haselman on these arrangements is back as the assistant and she was there at the lunch following the Spouse Orientation.  We were able to do some ground work about the promotional dinner with her!  

Before leaving ICS-P for the Osan Air Force Base, I was able to catch the weekly elementary Chess players enjoying some games of Chess under the supervision of one our teachers, Mr. Ryan Kolbe. Here are a few pictures of the kids enjoying some Chess before going to their classes at 8:30.

_______________________________________________

THURSDAY!!!  What a delightful day!  Our current fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Johanna Sigler, had informed us before Christmas that her husband, who is in the military, had been reassigned to the United Kingdom.  Mrs. Sigler came to us in August two days before school started!  We had to divide 5th and 6th grade because the enrollment had increased in both grades since last May.  Johanna was hoping to enroll both of her boys and was hoping we had a teaching position open.  When she brought the boys to ICS-P, we did not have an opening, but suddenly we needed to split Grades 5 and 6.  We called Johanna!  She came in for an interview and was so excited.  This is what she had been praying for.  She and her family fell in love with our community and they didn't want to leave.  They wanted to wait until the end of the school year to make the move to the UK, but her husband found out they needed to leave at the end of March.

So in December, we started searching for a possible teacher to replace her at the end of March and then continue next year.  We were not getting any leads.  After the Christmas Break, I was notified by our Home Office, Network of International Christian Schools (NICS) that there was a lady who had just completed all of her paperwork and was interested in teaching in the Pyeongtaek area.  We contacted her immediately and our interview team fell in love with her right away!  She fell in love with the school and after our interview on Tuesday, she talked with her husband and came to the school on Thursday to inform us that she accepted our offer!  We are so thrilled.  We welcomed Mrs. Hollie Smith Gross to our ICS-P community on Thursday!  She is already making plans to come in and work through the transition with Mrs. Sigler even before her contract begins!  We are so thankful to the Lord.  Please pray for Mrs. Gross as she begins to prepare for taking over the Grade 5 class on March 15!  I will be sharing more as we progress through this quarter.  Please pray that she will get all of her paperwork completed in time.

__________________________

We also had our leadership team meeting on Thursday and I shared with them final details about the promotional video that was just completed for us.  My dear friend, Jordan Ingram and his wife, Meredith, had come to Korea in October because Jordan was being presented with an award for one of his video productions that was winning different awards.  God has gifted this young man in producing quality videos of various types, but especially promotional videos.  I invited him to stop in Pyeongtaek and visit the school.  They stayed in my apartment and were very impressed with the teachers and students at the school.  I had asked him before coming if he could help us as we needed a good promotional video for ICS-P! He was planning on shooting footage for two days, but because of a nasty storm in Ulsan where they were at the Awards Convention, they came late and could stay only one day.  We were ready for him and he was able to get many hours of footage.  He left and on his own time, not his company's time, he prepared a 5-minute video for us.  In late December he sent me a rough cut of the video.  Our leadership team made some corrections of names, etc. and he corrected them.  The final Master Cut came this past week!  All of the leadership team was so thrilled with the amazing job he did with only one day, one camera, and one tripod!

Thursday afternoon at our All Staff Prayer Meeting, I was able to show them the premier showing of our 2017 ICS-Pyeongtaek Promo Video!!  It was such an exciting time.  The staff loved it!  Many have already posted it on facebook, etc.  After they viewed it, I shared with them that we did not have money to pay for someone like him.  He said originally something like what he did would cost $6,000 - $10,000, but he would only charge us $50 an hour for any editing that we needed after the first rough cut.  I was planning on paying that fee because of our very limited budget at ICS-P.  So I asked Jordan via email to give me his mailing address so I could have my sister (my Power of Attorney) send him a check.  

Jordan emailed the following to me with his response.  He has always called me "Uncle Gregg." :-)

"Hey Uncle Gregg,

First, I'm thrilled you guys are pleased with the video.  It truly was a wonderful experience and I'm very proud of how it came out.  Especially since it was filmed in one day with one camera and a tripod.

Second, I've not been to church in over a year and it's left me without an opportunity to tithe.  I'm so grateful for your offer. It means a great deal to me that you would see the value in my work.  However, I believe in the ministry that you're leading.  I believe in the education that you're providing for these kids.  I believe in the teachers that are providing not only that education, but the spiritual leadership toward Christ.  That being said, it would mean a lot to me if you would allow me to gift this video to your school.  It's beautiful to hear about the teachers rallying to push through hard financial times and fulfill the needs of the kids before themselves.  I want to help in any way I can."

What an awesome blessing!  Our staff and I are overwhelmed and thanking the Lord.  So now, I want to share the video with you.  I shared it on facebook, but want to share it here for you.  I hope it works on the blog.  If you read the blog and get to this spot and when you click on the link, if it does not work, please let me know.  OK?  Thanks.

Here is the link to the Master File for our ICS-P Promo Video produced by Jordan Ingram:

ICSP - MP4 MASTER

_____________________________

Friday was a Snow Day to the delight of our students and teachers.  I enjoyed some brisk walking and working at the apartment.  Then I needed to go to school and finish a report that needed to be sent to the NICS Home Office on Friday.  In Korea, they don't know how to deal with snow.  I have not seen a snow plow.  Many still use a broom to sweep snow from sidewalks, etc.  So at 5:00 AM on Friday, I received a phone call from Ms. Tia, our staff person who handles the bus coordination. The bus drivers said they could not drive in the snow, so students enjoyed a Snow Day!  During my brisk walk, I lost one of my gloves.  When I returned from my visit to the school, I noticed the lost glove on the side of the road back to my apartment complex. :-)

______________________________________________

Saturday!!  At 11:00 AM, I headed to Itaewon for two special events.  The first was to meet Paul Oh, one of my first Discipleship students when I was at YISS.  We have been texting back and forth ever since I left last June.  Finally, we arranged a late lunch at one of my favorite eating establishments in Itaewon, The Original Pancake House.  This is now his freshman year at YISS and he has been having some struggles adjusting to being in the newbie class - especially from some sophomores.  We had a fantastic conversation and Paul really opened up to me about his struggles.  I have seen such growth in this young man.  I am so excited to see how God is going to use him.  I know he would value your prayers.  We plan to keep meeting on a more regular basis.

Paul and GGG preparing to eat some very tasty brunches!  So excited to meet with this awesome young man!

                              Paul's meal!

GGG's meal + a bowl of strawberries and whipped   

cream for both of us to share!                  

_____________________

After enjoying some great fellowship and tasty meals with Paul, I went to my favorite bookstore, What the Book? to attend a presentation by an author.  I was invited by the Manager of What the Book? to come for a presentation and book signing with a new author, Sungju Lee.  Sungju has written his memoir when he was a North Korean boy who was forced at the age of twelve to live on the streets and fend for himself. He tells how he was separated from his parents; to be along; to have to create a new family with his gang, his brother"; to be hungry every day; and to fear arrest, imprisonment, and even execution.  The title of his book is Every Falling Star.  I was introduced to it by my niece, Kara.  Kara emailed me to say that her son, Harrison, had read the book and loved it. Kara and I often exchange book titles with each other for our reading enjoyment and growth.  I also have a great interest in those who have escaped from the horror of living in North Korea.  I enjoyed meeting Sungju Lee on Saturday evening and spending time chatting with him.  I won't tell you anything more because I don't want to tell you too much!  I think you would enjoy reading it! Thanks, Harrison and Kara!

Poster announcing the presentation and book signing with Sungju Lee.

After signing my book, Sungju posed for a photo with me!  Loved meeting this young man!

Sungju beginning his presentation for those who had gathered at What the Book?.

______________________________________

I will close this week with some snow pictures from Saturday.  Yes, Friday we had a Snow Day at ICS-P, but Saturday evening we got even more.  When I left to go to Itaewon on the bus, there were only a few flakes.  When I got to Itaewon, it had stopped.  Then I left What the Book? and took the subway and bus to Pyeongtaek Bus Station.  I actually fell asleep on the bus and when I got off the bus, it was snowing like crazy!  The taxi driver who took me from the Pyeongtaek Station to my apartment was driving very gingerly on the roads.  Here are some pictures I took quickly at Pyeongtaek Station before getting in the taxi.  It brought back many wonderful memories of snowy Christmases in Chambersburg, PA!

_______________________________________________

Thanks for reading all of the above.  Thanks for your love, care, encouragement, emails, regular mail, prayers, and support.  Thanks for praying for the school's finances.  This next week will be a pay day for staff and all will be taking a reduction in their salary to help with the possible deficit.  The staff have been wonderful and I am so excited to be able to serve with this group of wonderful people.  Thank you for praying especially at this time.

Love, Gregg

Teachers and Students Return to Begin Quarter Three at ICS-P!

Yes, teachers returned to ICS-P on Monday and Tuesday to prepare for the students' arrival on Wednesday.  I should say that most of the teachers and staff returned.  ICS-P has had its share of celebrations and struggles during the Christmas Break.  I returned to discover several updates about some of our staff.  Many of them you have already been praying for.  We also had our share of sickness going around among the staff.  I am continually thrilled with how our staff community gather around those who are struggling to care for them and pray for them.  What was particularly exciting for me was that one of our new teachers, Mr. Wolfer, initiated a special prayer time at 10:30 on Tuesday in his classroom for any faculty and staff to come and thank the Lord for what He continues to do as well bring our requests before Him.  It was an exciting time as numerous staff came and stood around, some walked around, and some sat, but all were thanking the Lord and praying for our many needs!  It was a very exciting time!  Another exciting thing that came from this was that we have started a voluntary time on Mondays at 7:30 AM, beginning tomorrow, where any staff who are free can come to Mr. Wolfer's room and pray for our school!  Perhaps you want to join us.  If so, here are the updates and some of the praises and prayer requests:

1 - Jon and Tina Greener:  Jon and Tina returned from Montana this past Friday and Jon is ready to return to school on Monday.  Please pray for both of them as they are suffering from jet lag migraine headaches.  They had a special time with family and friends at the memorial service of Jon's parents, who were killed in the head-on collision in Montana.  Jon did not have time to report to me before he left to go to Montana for a couple weeks about the exciting news from the week of the ICS-P Conquerors' Basketball Winter Camp.  Yesterday he shared with me that one of high school girls accepted Christ as her Savior and seven of the high school campers confessed sin in their lives and vowed to follow God with all their hearts, souls, and minds from 2017 and beyond!! Please join us in thanking the Lord for these decisions!

____________________ 

2 - Charlie and April Mooney:  As you may remember, Charlie and April gave birth to Cora Elizabeth on January 3.  Charlie shared with me right before teachers were to return to school this past week about some sudden changes.  I will let him tell you in what he shared with staff:

"I wanted to give you all a brief update on Cora. A few days after her birth, we and our pediatrician suspected she might have Downs Syndrome. Because we wanted to understand what her health care needs are, we decided, on our own, to take her to Ajou University Hospital for genetic testing to confirm DS. We're thankful we did so. While there, they found associated medical complications that were urgent, including low blood platelet counts and a heart defect. She was immediately admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). She will be there 1-2 weeks and we are not permitted to remain with her. We may only visit her twice each day for 30 minutes, and she is currently being kept in an incubator. Her sickness and separation have been heartbreaking for us, so we ask for your prayers.

Regarding her likely diagnosis of DS itself, we are not asking for pity or condolences. This is just another way that God makes beautiful children. We haven't lost anything, as Cora is the way Cora has always been. We just want our friends and family to know so they can join us in a life of caring for and loving our sweet daughter through whatever needs she may have.

Please join us in praying for Cora's restored health (a naturally repaired heart and increased blood platelet levels). Also pray that April and I would find the strength needed to run this marathon of medical care for a while. Also, join us in praising the Lord for the circumstances, which lead to the discovery of low platelet count, as any kind of sickness could have been fatal.

She has been in medical care for about 24 hours and she is already improving. We are hopeful."

Then on Saturday morning, Charlie shared the following 2nd Update about Cora:

"We saw her doctor at the visit this morning, and he informed us that her blood platelets had risen significantly. They still have a long way to go, but she is out of the critical zone. We may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. She is responding very well. He has also stated once again that the hole in her heart is not something to worry about at the moment. They'll just need to keep monitoring it to see it if will close on its own. The testing results for Downs Syndrome will still not arrive for two weeks, but that is not a concern of ours, as long as she is healthy and home. We're in love with who Cora is right now, regardless of that diagnosis.

For now, Cora remains in the incubator in the NICU, but April and I are feeling much better today with this good news.

Keep praying for her restoration to full health. We can't wait to have our baby home."

This is the most recent photo of Cora. 

I know that Charlie and April would appreciate your prayers.  Charlie does a lot at ICS-P to assist in making things operate smoothly!  I have missed him this past week!

_________________________

3 - Ben Coyner:  Many of you have been praying for Ben, our Guidance Counselor.  Last Sunday evening he wrote the following update:

"Last week I completed all of my radiation and chemotherapy sessions! Hooray!! 

Unfortunately, the radiation sessions have caused a lot of damage to all areas of my mouth and throat. As a result, I have constant mucous secretions in my mouth and lodged mucous/pain in my throat.

This has limited my general productivity and my ability to speak clearly. More importantly, it is a struggle for me to sleep more than a few hours at a time (if I am put under major sedatives).

I am dependent on using a suction machine that I use throughout the day to make it easier for me to breathe.

I agree with my family that I am not physically able to leave my home without access to the suction machine and easy access to all of the gargles and bathroom.

I was hoping that I would be OK by tomorrow, January 9 (Monday), but it now seems impossible for me to leave my parents’ home.

The doctors said that my side effects are fairly common, and that they should go away in a month."

So, Ben was not able to join us at school all week, but he was quite busy from home working on preparing Grade Reports for students and their parents as well as continuing to work via home with our seniors and their applications, etc. for universities and colleges.  I know Ben would value your prayers.

______________________________________

4 - Chris Haynes:  As most of you know, Chris had just received his I-20 the other week allowing him to go to the USA to study at Appalachian Bible College.  We had some great talks before he left on Wednesday morning.  As soon as he landed at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, he emailed me to tell me that a ticket agent had destroyed his ticket so they prepared a new ticket for him.  It said "Seat 10 B." When he arrived, he saw that he was in Business Class!  He had asked me to be praying for him to have a restful flight and he was so excited about this special seat he was able to get at no extra charge.  He arrived safely at ABC and has begun his studies.  He was a bit worried about meeting his roommate, but he emailed me to say that they have hit it off very well and have many similar interests!  He is tired, but very excited.  I know he would appreciate your continued prayers as he begins his studies.

A picture of Chris and me before he left for ABC.

____________________________

5 - Meeting with Pyeongtaek City Hall Officials:  On Friday, several officials and an engineer from the Pyeongtaek City Hall had made an appointment to come and share with us about the road that was going to be constructed in the little village around ICS-P.  They have met with ICS-P administrators about 4 times, beginning last year before I arrived.  The piece of road that is being constructed will replace the very narrow road that comes around the school and the ICS-P Gym.  This is the first meeting that they had at the school.  We usually need to go to City Hall.

They have been wanting to construct the road in such a way that it will cut off a portion of our gymnasium, which City Hall had approved.  We have been sharing with them that this is not really acceptable.  They have been open to working on some alternate plans.  This time ICS-P invited our village chief (the man who is the head of our little village) to the meeting.  He brought documentation about what the original plan was for the construction of the road with the signatures of city officials approving it.  In that original engineer's document, there would be no damage to the entrance to our gymnasium. The officials from City Hall suddenly changed the discussion and said they needed to go back and redesign the construction.  We are very thankful for the village chief's presence and input on Friday and would ask you to pray that the City officials will not destroy the existing structure of the gym.  I will keep you posted.

____________________________

6 - ICS-P's Tight Budget:  I would ask you to pray specifically for our financial needs at present. Because of some families leaving suddenly because of being reassigned, we need to gain more students in the next couple months in order to not have a deficit near the close of the year.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated.  I needed to share with our staff last Thursday that there will most likely need to be a reduction in everyone's salary until we can gain more students or find some donors other than ICS-P parents to donate to the school.  I know that God is in control, but sometimes it is very difficult to just wait.  I would ask for your prayers as our staff think of creative ways that we can increase enrollment or increase donations to assist us with our very tight budget.  Thank you so much. I know the Lord is in control, but it is just hard to wait.  Your prayers and any gifts to ICS-P are very much appreciated.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

_______________________________

7 - Promotional Video:  I am excited about a new video that has been produced to promote ICS-Pyeongtaek!  My dear friend, Jordan Ingram, was in South Korea for a convention back in October. He and his wife, Meredith, stopped in Pyeongtaek and stayed with me.  While they were here, Jordan took many hours of film footage of our kids, teachers, education programs, activities, etc.  Jordan is a professional

______________________________

We had another excellent worship service at Dae Kwang Church today!  One of my former SYME students, Justin Lim, came again this Sunday and he invited me to lunch.  We had a really special time at a new restaurant we both wanted to try.  It is called Casa Brasil Grill!  It is a Brasilian Steak House Buffet near my apartment.  We met some new friends and enjoyed some excellent fellowship and laughter.  The owner's son enjoyed my teasing joking with him throughout our meal.  The family is from Brasil and has started this business in Pyeongtaek.  His son is Luan and he really enjoyed talking with me.  Please pray as I get to know Luan and his Dad.  Pray for both as Luan's mother and sister are still back in Brasil.  Luan is excited since he gets to go home to see his mom, sister, and girlfriend for the first in a two years.

Justin & GGG at Casa Brasil Grill on Sunday!

Luan, Justin, & GGG beside the buffet table with many salads, pasta, and rice dishes!

   This is where we enjoyed our Brasilian Meat Buffet!

The chef bringing one of the nine steaks we enjoyed.  This one was the Garlic Beef!  Very yummy!

I actually forgot to get a good picture of one of our plates.  Here   

is the best one with some of the yummy salads and the Garlic Beef!

After one finishes eating as much of the meat and goodies on the buffet, they came out to serve us this tradition yummy Brasilian dessert, Cinnamon Pineapple!  Sooo good!

____________________________________

OK, I will stop for this week.  Aren't you happy? :-)  As always, thank you so much for your love, care, emails, regular mail, encouragement, prayers, and support.  I trust you are enjoying a wonderful 2017!

Love, Gregg