A Year in Two Halves

This week brings two BIG events; 1. The 18th of October marked the completion of the first half of my year in Korea, and 2. as we speak the All Blacks are playing the final of the Rugby World Cup at Eden Park in Auckland New Zealand. Current score, 55 minutes and 44 seconds into the game is New Zealand 8, France 7.

I am keeping an eye on the score, following my friends comments on facebook and feeling just a little homesick right now. Considered going to a pub in Itaewon to watch the game live with other Kiwi's but didn't want to go an hour on the subway, just to mingle with a bunch of strangers for a couple of hours, and then take an hour to come home again. Maybe I should have gone ...

To divert myself I've been thinking about things Korean.

I'm still very exceedingly glad I came to Korea. I have gained so much by being here. I have also made some wonderful friends, both Korean and foreign. I've had all sorts of adventures, I've fulfilled some things on my bucket list, and yesterday one of the church members leant me his violin so I can play in the little church orchestra (it has three members - counting the piano.) I have two weeks to practice back up to being ok - currently my skills are downright dismal, can't even play a scale in tune.

Then I started thinking about some of the mistakes I've made or almost made since I've been in Korea.

Like walking into an all chicken restaurant and trying to get a vegetarian meal - in my first week at my school - the picture of the chicken on the door should have clued me in ... just as well I didn't decide to try my luck at the restaurant next door - it has a picture of a pig on the door ...

There are taxi's everywhere in Korea and they are cheap!! Way cheaper than in NZ (actually everything is way cheaper than in NZ - expensive things in Korea are normal NZ prices.) Anyway the taxis; turns out the yellow taxis aren't taxis, they are learner drivers. Very glad I didn't have to learn that lesson the hard way - imagine the general consternation if I had jumped into the back of a learner driver car when it pulled up to the lights ... hahahaha ... I think I need to go find a tissue to deal with the laughter tears that mental image causes.

And finally there has been huge personal growth, God has used this time to teach me many things; He has taught me to overcome fear, He has shown me things in myself that needed fixing and then proceeded to fix them and now He is teaching me to put Him first, ahead of my hopes, my dreams and my desires. This is not always comfortable - sometimes it's downright painful but it is good. I am clinging to the following promises:

Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 1:10
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

I don't know what will happen in my life when this year is up, maybe I'll stay in Korea, maybe I'll end up somewhere else, I have no plans, I just knock on doors that look interesting. Having said that I would love to stay right where I am. But I do know that wherever I am it will be the place God has planned for me and it will be a place that is very good.

PS New Zealand won the Rugby World cup.