Saturday, March 31, 2018

Spring Break! Refreshment! Birthday Celebrations! Sorting & Semi-Packing! More Celebrations! Easter!!

What a week!  Yes, it was a week of Spring Break for our ICS-P students and teachers, but along with some rest and refreshment, I enjoyed some special celebrations of my birthday!  I also began what I don't especially like to do - sorting things around the apartment in order to begin clearing out some things not needed as well as what I will need to pack for my journey back to the USA this coming June.  I also needed to do some work at school since we are still looking for two more teachers for 2018-2019.  And the week ended with a special Easter breakfast and service at Dae Kwang Church!  I trust that you have enjoyed or will enjoy a very special Resurrection Sunday!  Happy Easter!

I will try to keep my words brief in this post and just post a lot of photos that I hope you will enjoy.  I continue to value your encouragement and prayers.  Thanks so much.

On Monday, I relaxed and had a very special treat from one of my new friends.  I met Billy at Dae Kwang Church several Sundays ago, but last Sunday I discovered that he works on the base at Camp Humphreys in the Food Court for Arby's!  I LOVE Arby's Reuben Sandwiches and Curly Fries!  Billy and I had already connected since the name my mother always called me, and wrote it as a greeting in the MANY letters she wrote to me - especially when I was a student at Wheaton College.  She would always use the following in her letters and cards to me: "Dearest Billy". :-)  It was her name for me.  When I was growing up and in trouble, she would say, "Wilhelm, come here!"  Why Wilhelm?  I have no idea!  Why Billy?  I have no idea! :-)  But I loved it! 

OK, so Billy and I have a connection.  Since I cannot get on the base unless accompanied by someone who is in the military or working for the government in some capacity, Billy offered to bring me a Reuben Sandwich and Curly Fries on Monday in the late afternoon for supper.  I was so excited!  I was planning to be near the Humphreys' Main Gate at the time Billy got off work so I met him and he brought me my delicious surprise!


Billy #1 and Billy #2 outside the Humphreys' Main Walk-In Gate.  Billy #2 delivering my very yummy Reuben Sandwich and Curly Fries!!


Photo of the very tasty Reuben and Curly Fries!!
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On Tuesday, I had breakfast with our Academic Principal, Mr. Charlie Mooney, and we had a great time talking about his family and children, as well as school stuff.  We were both excited to learn that we have two applicants through NICS for our Art teacher position and the Middle School Math/General Science position!  Because of Spring break, the process is slowed down a bit, but we plan on a couple interviews this coming week.  Your prayers would be appreciated.  These are both excellent candidates and we would love to see them at ICS-P! 


At breakfast, Mr. Mooney, was telling me about Cora the Conqueror and how she is now starting to crawl!!  I think she is happy about this! :-)
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I also went to the school office on Tuesday to take care of some things and print out application material for the two candidates.  I also took several boxes of books to school that I plan to put out for teachers and their families or the school Library.  I have many more to bring, but this was a start.  I also began sorting books, files, etc. in my school office.  I did some more of that on Wednesday as well.  Things are beginning to move along.  With Quarter 4 beginning on Monday, it is going to be two very busy months with so much happening and so much to do.  Thanks for praying as you think of the school and me.

Thursday was a special day of celebrations!  My dear friend, Yeongmin from SYME days wanted to take me to dinner and a movie on Thursday for my birthday.  Mine was on March 24th and Yeongmin's is April 4, so we made it a joint birthday celebration.  He paid for dinner and the movie and then we went to a big department store for Yeongmin to select a cologne that he needed!  We enjoyed a great time.  I hope you will continue to pray that Yeongmin will come to know Jesus as his Savior.


Yeongmin and GGG at Cine de Chef restaurant and movie theater.  Here we are enjoying a very delicious meal with lots of conversation and laughter!


Our appetizer salad!  Everything is edible on this plate,
                       and it was very tasty, too!


Yeongmin had the Lamb Chops!!


I enjoyed the Salmon!


                            Yeongmin's lemon dessert!


I had this Christmas Tree dessert, filled with strawberry cream and ice cream!


This is the first theater that our seats were fancy sofa beds!  It is really a wonder that I did not fall asleep, but I stayed awake for the entire movie and the sofa bed was quite nice!
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On Friday, I did some more sorting and prepacking and then headed to Seoul to meet some dear friends I met when I was working at Yongsan International School of Seoul.  Mr. Ryan Kim and his wife, Ting Ting Chen, and their son, Joshua had found out I was leaving Korea at the end of the school year.  They wanted to treat me to dinner for my birthday.  It was so good to see them again!  Josh had just returned from a mission trip that he and some of the YISS students were on during the Spring break at YISS.  We enjoyed a very delicious dinner and some excellent conversations and laughter and joy!  We hope to see one another at least one more time before I head back to the States.


Here I am with this wonderful family!  Ryan, Ting Ting, Joshua, and GGG.  Getting ready to eat at this restaurant called Gyeongcheon Aein 2237!  What is the "2237"?  The owner of this chain of restaurants displays Matthew 22:37-40 on all of its marketing material.  This passage reads: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  


     The beef steaks ready for grilling!


Our griller grills the meat at our table.


Still grilling!


   Ready to eat!  We had three different
cuts of dry aged beef steaks for our meal!


Some of the side dishes!           


They brought these individual Tiramisu cakes along with them, then placed the candles and sang "Happy Birthday" to me!  Such a great time with some great friends!
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I got on the last bus back to Pyeongtaek from Seoul with 15 minutes to spare and got back to my apartment by 11:30 PM.  I headed to bed since on Saturday morning I planned to Skype with my nephew, Noah Cutting, who was on Easter Break from Cedarville University.  We always have a great time catching up.  I also had to be ready to meet my dear friend from SYME days, Jun Seok Kim and his family!  Jin Seok and his wife, Eunsun, drove from their apartment in Seoul to Pyeongtaek to meet me at Outback Steakhouse for my birthday lunch and also to catch up with their son, Eunwoo, who is now 10 months old!  I always love seeing this wonderful family and Saturday was a grand time!  Please pray for Jin Seok as he has to do a lot of travel to several countries for his company beginning in May.  He hates being away from Eunsun and Eunwoo, but enjoys his work.  I know they would appreciate your prayers.


Ready to enjoy the birthday feast at Outback with my dear friends: Eunsun, Eunwoo (in his carriage), Jin Seok, and GGG!


These were the three dishes Jin Seok and Eunsun ordered and we shared them!!  Soooo good!


Jin Seok and Eunsun gave me two new
           neckties for my birthday!!


Eunwoo loves these shoes.  I gave them to him about 100 days
after he was born!  Loves chewing on them, too! :-)      


Eunwoo showing me one of his shoes!


 I gave Eunwoo a New York Yankees'
outfit! :-)  Jin Seok does NOT like the
                     Yankees! :-)


Here I am tickling Eunwoo's feet!     


More tickling!  This little man has captured my heart! :-)  There are more pictures of him and his family on Facebook - if you are interested!
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On Sunday morning at Dae Kwang Church, we had an early breakfast for everyone and then an excellent service celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus!  I believe we had two new families join us this Sunday!  It was a packed house for the small rooms that we are able to use at the larger Korean church.  There are plans for the Pastor of the Korean church to give us use of a much larger meeting room soon.


Some of the Dae Kwang Church people Sunday morning at the Easter Breakfast!

These were hard boiled eggs wrapped
   with the design of a chicken.  The 
 Korean church members had placed
these on the table prior to our arrival.


Some of the children going through the    
buffet line that had lots of yummy goodies!


                       More tasty treats on the buffet line!


And some more goodies!                               
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I will stop for now!  Your prayers will be appreciated as we return to school at ICS-P on Monday morning.  Road construction around the school has begun in full force and I have heard from one of our teachers who went into the school on Saturday that there are large road construction trucks and equipment using our parking spaces in front of the school.  Please pray that they will be gone by Monday morning as we have very little space to use for parents to drop off and pick up their kids and even fewer parking spots.

Thank you, as always, for your faithful love, care, encouragement, emails, mail, prayers, and gifts of support.  Please pray for our students and teachers as they return on Monday for a busy final quarter!  I trust that you have celebrated, or will celebrate, the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!  He is risen!!

Love, Gregg


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