A Very Busy Final Week of the YISS 2012-13 School Year!

I am writing this in the Hong Kong Airport on Sunday night (Korean time).  I just finished a good GAFE - Hong Kong Summit!  GAFE is Google Apps For Educators!  Two days were filled with many workshops on the numerous Google programs that are continually being designed especially for those in the field of education.  Many of the presenters went way too fast for this non-techy old man, but I was able to gain some more knowledge and useful techniques that I hope I will be able to apply with our teachers at YISS.

Here I am in front of one of Hong Kong's famous

double decker tram/trolley announcing the Google

Hong Kong Summit!  (Actually it is a backdrop!)

Some of the audience at the first keynote address at the 

GAFE - Hong Kong Summit!

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It was nice to be in Hong Kong.  I traveled to Hong Kong and mainland China back in September of 1983 with a group from Wheaton College who had joined President and Mrs. Hudson Armerding on a 3 week journey that was amazing!  The changes in Hong Kong in those 30 years have been simply fantastic!  However, I still do not like traveling by taxi up, down and around the hills and curves of Hong Kong.  I usually do not feel sick riding in a car unless I read a book, but I was getting very close to it on four taxi trips I had from the hotel to the Hong Kong International School and back for two days.

The trip did not allow for me to really enjoy the city but I was able to get some rest at night in the very nice room - actually upgraded to a suite at no extra charge - at L'Hotel at Causeway Bay.  I was on the 31st floor and had a really nice view of the harbor.  I did find a nice coffee shop near the hotel and made a new friend in Hong Kong.

An afternoon view from my suite on the 31st floor!

One of the many double decker buses + trolleys that seem to always be operating through the streets of Hong Kong!

A night view from the 31st floor suite I was privileged to enjoy!

My Caramel Latte and Oreo Cheese Cake at Pacific Coffee Company near the L'Hotel!

At Pacific Coffee Company there is a quote

on the chalkboard each day.  This was the quote

for Friday!

Before I left for the Google conference in Hong Kong, the week at YISS was an extremely busy and exhausting one - but exciting!  Teachers had to complete their Quarter Four Comments and final grades; then along with Dan Lazor and Bev Birmingham, I needed to review these and check to see that everything was in order.  It was a bit more hectic this time since our new elementary secretary had never gone through the end of the year routine before at YISS.  Mr. Lazor thought our former secretary had given her sufficient preparation but it turned out she was not prepared.  We all pitched in and everything was accomplished.

In addition, we were finishing the last two days of our three-day VBS activities.  I was involved each day with doing a skit with the other administrators and then teaching in the NICS VBS as well as helping the last day with the OASIS VBS.  Tuesday morning was also our Elementary Awards Assemblies.  Tuesday evening was Kindergarten graduation, which was a big hit, as usual, with the parents!  The kids were so cute!

Above is our Elementary Chaplain with me sharing

the recognition plaque that the Mountain Child 

organization presented to all of the elementary children

for their gift to provide water in the mountains of Nepal

during our Walk-A-Sock-A-Thon.

A dear first grader, Dylan, receiving the Guardian Award for Grade 1A.  The Guardian is the highest award an elementary student can receive!

Above are all three of the first grade Guardian Award

recipients with their teachers.

Above are the 4th and 5th grade Guardian winners and their teachers!

Kindergarten graduation!  They are a riot and so cute!

Here is my buddy Fabian with his brother Hugo - a third grader!

A special kindergarten cherub, Junwa, with several 

flower bouquets at graduation!

Above is a 5A student, Nina.  We learned that she and her family will be moving and probably will not return to YISS.  She is a special young lady and I would appreciate your prayers for her.  Nina doesn't want to leave and we don't want her to leave!

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Wednesday was the final day - actually a half day - for students.  Lots of goodbyes to students and then our elementary end-of-year luncheon.  We said goodbye to only two elementary teachers this year.  Mrs. Fitzwater has been at YISS for 6 years (I think) and she will be going with her husband (a New Zealander) back to New Zealand to serve there.  Mrs. Zhang, one of our Mandarin teachers, needed to leave as well since she wanted full time and we could only give her part time.  During the luncheon, the other assistant principal, Mrs. Birmingham, presented a placard she had prepared for each teacher and administrator in the elementary school.  They were very cool!  She had placed words or phrases that she felt described each of us.  Now I have to try and live up to mine, and that can only be done through God working in me.

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After two meetings with parents and teacher on Wednesday afternoon, I changed clothes quickly and headed to Jamsil Stadium via subway to join Jae Hong, Josh Cha, and Joonsoo for a baseball game between the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins.  Joonsoo wasn't able to make it for the game but joined us after the game.  Jae Hong is an LG Twins' fan and Joshy and I are Bears' fans.  It was a great game - although LG won 5-3 to the delight of Jae Hong.  It was so good to see all of these young men once again.  Jae Hong is doing much better and I know he would continue to value your prayers as he seeks to score high enough on the TOEIC exam in order to go to Hungary to study to be a medical doctor.  Please pray for Joshy and Joonsoo as well as they seek God's next step for them.

Jae Hong, GGG, and Joshy Cha at Jamsil where the

LG Twins (to the delight of Jae Hong) defeated the

Doosan Bears!  Great game and a great time with these

special young men!

After the game Joonsoo arrived and spent some time with

Jae Hong  and me.  It was so wonderful to see Joonsoo again!

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I am going to stop for this week.  I am not sure when my next post will be.  I leave for the US on Friday, June 14 and get into Washington, DC about an hour after I leave Korea.  I love saying that! :-) Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated!  Thanks so much for being so faithful with your emails, encouraging notes, prayers, love, and support this past year.  Hope to see some of you on June 30 at 469 Pennsylvania Avenue in Chambersburg, PA!

Love, Gregg

Only 2.5 More Days for the Cherubs!

Happy June!  It does not seem possible that there are only 2.5 more days remaining in this school year for our delightful cherubs at YISS!  It was such a busy year!  I think each year can't get any quicker, but each year just seems to fly by!  Throughout my experiences over the years in schools, I have noticed that as the last day of school approaches, there seems to be more students making wrong choices.  (My personal idea about the closing of a school year is to never announce the last day of school.  You just some to school and at the end of the selected day - known only by administration - an announcement is made to students, "There is no school until next year.  Have a great summer!" I have strong doubts that it would ever work, but I still would love to do it sometime.)  Please be in prayer for several situations in the high school and elementary school that are not fun to deal with.

Teachers are very busy completing end-of-year projects and compiling final grades and completing comments for each student.  I really appreciate each of our elementary teachers who are so diligent in communicating with parents!  I love each of them very much and am praying that they will enjoy a very relaxing and refreshing break - which they so greatly deserve!!

I thought you might like to look at the Final YISS Newsletter for 2012-13.  Here is the link to our Spring Newsletter.  Enjoy!

http://www.yisseoul.org/uploaded/News/Spring_2013_Newsletter.pd

On Friday the elementary school began its annual VBS for our students.  The VBS stands for Values Based School for OASIS students and Vacation Bible School for the regular NICS students.  Carol Franck, our Elementary Chaplain, does an amazing job of putting together a very complicated schedule so that it is easy to follow by each of our teachers.  So on Friday as well as Monday and Tuesday (June 3 and 4) from 12:35 - 2:55 students in K-5 will be immersed in singing, skits, puppet shows, arts & crafts, games, photography, and much more.  This year's theme is God's Creation - looking especially at how we need to be good stewards of His amazing creation.  Mrs. Franck calls it Pandamania.  In the skit each day, Mr. Lazor and Mrs. Birmingham are the two panda bears and I am Panda Commanda - in charge of taking care of the pandas.  We had a great first day on Friday!  I wish you all could hear the 400 + kids singing!

Part of the set prepared by Mrs. Franck for VBS.

 Above on the left is Mrs. Franck on stage

preparing for VBS in the YISS auditorium.

Another picture of the stage set for VBS.  Mrs. Franck and her son (visiting from Canada) spent hours preparing the set and then setting it up for Friday.  Then they had to take it all down to prepare for High School graduation and then they will need to put it back up for Monday's VBS.

Part of the 400+ students and teachers singing at VBS

 on Friday!  I wish you could have heard them!

This is the Grade 5 Praise Team leading a praise song for VBS!  They did a great job!

Some of the Grade 5 Praise Team at VBS!

This is a sample of the cute pandas the cherubs made at VBS!

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High School graduation was Saturday at 3:00!  It was held in our refurbished auditorium!  Tuesday evening will be Kindergarten graduation in the auditorium!  Wednesday is the last day - a half day - for students.  Then at 12:15 we will have our elementary staff end-of-year luncheon.  We will say "Hasta la Vista" to only two elementary staff this year - Mrs. Fitzwater (grade 4B) and Mrs. Zhang (one of our Mandarin teachers).  However, we will be adding quite a few staff because of the additional rooms for elementary sections.  I will give you more on that in a future post.

My dear friend and "son," JiSang, arrived safely in Korea on Thursday! He arrived with a very bad cold so he is trying to get some rest.  I know JiSang would value your prayers as he readjusts to Korea after studying in the USA. He will be finishing his course work in the Fall Semester through online courses while living in Korea.  Pray for many decisions he needs to make during this time back in Korea.  He was able to join me at church on Sunday!   After church we went to Tartine's in Itaewon!  JiSang was in the mood for French Toast!

JiSang preparing to enjoy his yummy

French Toast, Sunny Side Up Eggs and

Bacon with some Iced Dutch Coffee!

Here we are at Tartine's getting ready to eat our French

Toast Brunch!  It was so good!  It was so wonderful to

be able to see my dear friend and "son" once again.  Thanks

for praying for JiSang!

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On my Saturday walk, I went past one of Itaewon's most delicious bread bakery.  It is called Maybell Bakery.  Koreans are not known for baking at home so when they find a place that bakes yummy breads, they will wait in line for it - along with all of the foreigners!  Maybell is located very close to YISS and if I want to get any of the bread, I have to leave school at lunch during the week or wait until Saturday.  Maybell Bakery almost always puts a "CLOSED - SOLD OUT" sign on their door by 2:30 or 3:00 each day.  It opens at 11:00 AM and following is the picture of the line at 11:20 AM on Saturday, June 1!

Above is a close up shot of the entrance

to this tiny bakery which bakes very

yummy breads.  

Here is the line waiting to get in to purchase some

of this wonderful bread!  I am always amazed at the

long line waiting for famous Maybell Bakery's breads!

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Please enjoy a great week!  Thanks for your love, prayers, encouragement, and support.

Love, Gregg

Heat, Concerts, Parties, Special Visits, etc.!!

What a delightful week!  So busy, yet exciting and so much fun!  It was quite a full week and an exhausting one, but hoping to catch up on some rest this weekend.  Thanks for continuing to pray for me and others involved in the ministry of education here at YISS!  Before I share some of the events of the week, I want to ask for your strong prayers for a very difficult situation in our high school.  I do not know all the details, but I would just ask you to pray that God would give wisdom to those who have some difficult decisions to make involving several of our high school students.  With the ending of another school year and the very hot week, I believe that Satan is very actively at work among our YISS community.  Your faithful prayers at this time will be very much appreciated!

The elementary school had its final two music concerts for the year - both in our beautifully refurbished auditorium with a new balcony and a great sound system!  Tuesday evening was the Elementary Orchestra, Beginning Band, and 4th Grade combined concert!  Mrs. Harding and Ms. Zakula did a wonderful job with our awesome students!

Thursday evening was an exceptional concert by our 2nd and 3rd grade cherubs under the direction of Dr. Harding!  Almost 160 students on our bigger stage performed to the delight of a packed house!  Oh, how I wish you all could have been there to hear these little ones perform their concert - Hungry to Learn: A Celebration of Knowledge!  They sang and played with such joy and enthusiasm!

Beginning Band Concert!  This includes some 4th and 5th Grade students who are just starting on their instruments!

The Elementary Orchestra!  These 4th and 5th graders 

did a great job!  Can't wait to hear them next year!

The 4th grade cherubs singing at their music concert under Mrs. Harding's direction.

Grades 2 and 3 on stage performing their awesome

concert! 

Grades 2 and 3 again with some of those who were 

accompanying with the drums!  Great job!

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Thursday morning I heard this beautiful music coming into my office.  My office is near the Orchestra Room and often I can hear them rehearsing, but this sound was much closer and louder.  I got out of my chair and walked to the main area of the Elementary/High School Office Suite and found a String Quintet playing beautiful music.  They surprised us in the office suite with some selections they will perform at YISS High School Graduation on June 1. These five seniors are awesome - so gifted and talented!  If you have not seen the video I posted on Facebook of their little performance right outside my office door, you should check it out.

A Senior String Quintet after their great performance in the Elementary/High School Office suite! Awesome group!!

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The principals and assistant principals were invited to a PTO Luncheon on Thursday.  It was held in the new Multi Purpose Room near the new Library.  It was our opportunity to share our expression of gratitude to the PTO Board members for the amazing work and support of our students and the education programs at YISS!  They are a super group of volunteers!  I believe the total of parent volunteers reached 550 this year!

Above and below are some of the most delicious foods that were provided for the PTO Board Appreciation Luncheon!  Soooooo good!

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On Friday, the Elementary Librarian invited me to share my reading of one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books, Oh, The Paces You'll Go! to the group of elementary children in Kinder through Grade 5 who have been faithful as Librarian Assistants this past year.  I always love this time and I loved sharing this book and some of my experiences with this great group of youngsters!  Then I was invited to stay for some TICO ice cream bars and homemade brownies which were especially yummy!

Reading to the Library Assistants at their

Appreciation Party!

Some of the Library Assistants enjoying their ice cream and brownies!!

Here I am with Grace in 2A!  She is my

secret admirer (not so secret any more)! :-)  

Grace was my Assistant Principal of the Day

in last year's Read-A-Thon!  She is such a

great young lady!

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I had some special surprises this week with friends outside of my YISS community.  On Wednesday evening I was able to have a nice dinner at My Thai China Restaurant with Sooyong (Soul).  Sooyong and I met when he was a server at a restaurant called "Between" located near YISS.  Last August he left to study engineering at Auburn University in America.  He returned for the summer and contacted me to go out and catch up.  Sooyong is not a believer but continues to ask questions.  Thanks for praying for him as he studies.

Sooyong and me at My Thai China!  So great to catch up with him!

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Friday evening two very special friends, Gunmo and Changyong, came to Seoul and stayed over at my apartment.  What a great time we had together!  Both of these young men are diligently serving the Lord in their work places and are so eager to show Christ's love to their colleagues and family.   I hadn't seen them for several weeks so it was great to just sit and talk and enjoy catching up.  Oh yes, both of them are strong Kia Tigers' baseball fans.  They also know that I am a strong Doosan Bears' fan and enjoy when Kia loses or any teams beats Kia.  They wanted to watch the NC Dinos (a new Korean major league baseball team) play Kia.  When we turned on the TV, Kia was losing 10 - 0!!  I loved it but Gunmo was groaning the entire time.  The Dinos have been the worst team in the Korean baseball this year so far and he could not stand it that his beloved Tigers were losing 10 - 0!! :-)  It ended 10 - 5, so I was happy! :-)   Saturday morning we went to Holly's Coffee for Brunch and then Gunmo had to leave for a work engagement and Changyong had to go the wedding of the son of his boss at work.  So great to be with these wonderful young men, who I am blessed to call dear friends!  Thanks for praying for them.

Gunmo and Changyong at my apartment enjoying

some yummy dead chicken!

Brunch at Holly's Coffee with my two crazy and awesome friends!!

Yummy brunches at Holly's Coffee!!

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At church on Sunday we welcomed back, Andy (a tenor) and Rachel (his week-old bride) to the choir.  They had a great time in Thailand and Andy said that they would be coming to New Harvest Ministry.  That is excellent news since he wasn't sure where they might be going once they got married.  It will be great to have one of our tenors stay with us!  What a nice couple they are!

This is Andy and Rachel today at Choir Practice after the worship service!  Andy was telling choir members that he and Rachel will be fellowshipping at New Harvest!  The Choir was delighted!  Please pray for this wonderful couple as they begin their married life together as one.

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We also had to say goodbye to Hojae!  Hojae is an amazing pianist and has been the Choir's accompanist for five years.  He will be heading to the USA to select a music conservatory for his graduate degree.  The conservatory that enrolls Hojae will be greatly blessed!  I went to his Final Recital at Yonsei University and was so impressed!  Hoping to stay in touch with him as he studies in the USA.  Thank you for praying for him.  He is going to be greatly missed!

At the close of Choir Practice today, Conductor Suh

and Mr. David presented a gift from the Choir to Hojae.

We then sang the traditional Korean blessing song. I 

love that song!

Hojae with me at Choir Practice today!  After practice

he came to me and thanked me for my support and said

he would keep me informed as to which conservatory 

he goes to.  Hoping to keep in touch with this very 

gifted young pianist!  Thanks for praying for him!

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I would value your prayers for these 8 days at YISS with our students.  So much is happening and there is still much to be done.  Teachers will be working on Quarter Comments and Grades as well as final grades and reports.  Thanks so much for all of your love, encouragement, notes, prayers, and support during this year.  You are special!

Love, Gregg