We are in the middle of a lockdown because of COVID 19. Everyone is home and we are all driving each other crazy. The boys are fighting while my husband is on the phone with coworkers, and I do not like it all.

I don't like it so much that I actually prayed it was alright for Jesus to take me during the night. 

But I woke up the next morning to find them all fighting again.

What would you do?

I took away their screens. The fighting actually got louder.

I talked to them about getting along with each other. Justin yelled at Aidan and Jordan for not listening.

I yelled at them when the noise was just too much for me to bear it all.

And then I saw something...

In the living room, dog-piled on the new chair, were all three boys lying on each other laughing, playing, and carrying on.

I was shocked!

They were speaking loudly.

Is this just their way? I ask this so quietly I barely heard myself.

That moment is just how my clan rolls.

They fight and argue with each other. It's loud and brash and awful.

They also have loving moments where you are just so surprised that you are witnessing it.

Yesterday, Justin was trying really hard to get Aidan to get the healthy rice that was served for lunch. He actually recorded it on his phone.

I did catch both Aidan and Justin laughing later at the video that resulted. Aidan knew how ridiculous he was being.

Jordan had trouble that day with food, which is just him in a nutshell. My baby that had so many food allergies has many food items that he does not like. He has trouble with spaghetti, not enjoying the sauce. He also does not kimchi or kimchi.

Yes, you read that right. He is a Korean kid that does not like kimchi. 

Their stubbornness comes out when they are fighting, but the love they have for each other also spills forth.

And this the blessing of family in all of its unusual glory.

We all have moments where we put things aside, work with the person who is telling us something we really do not want to hear, smile, and keep going.

We are all children of God and we know it.
​
We give because we love each other.

But I really do wish the house was quieter!

​God bless your New Year!
​

Autumn is definitely here. The weather is a little colder. The air is a little crisper. And the most telling sign is that the leaves on the trees are starting to turn their beautiful shades of crimson, gold, and orange hues. It's just glorious!

I heard there are only two seasons from a friend this week. There is autumn and waiting for autumn. I completely understand...

As well, it is Chuseok here. Chuseok, of  course, is Korean thanksgiving. It's a three days holiday this year. The boys are loving all the free time. I can see the gleeful look on their faces when they wake up and realize there are no lessons and they get to do what they want.

Except for yesterday morning! We took a walk down by Kobok Reservoir. My husband was insisting on the boys getting some exercise before they vegged out with books or screens in the afternoon. We toured the board walk which circles much of the reservoir and we took over two hours to go through it all. 
​

Justin was very talkative as we walked. He told me all about a special class he has where feminists come in and teach him and the other boys at his school. I got to hear all about why he thinks feminism is a good idea but does not enjoy this special class.

Aidan was great as well. He ran way ahead while Justin and I walked very slowly. He was excited about spending his pocket money at the grocery store at the end of the walk. He loves to treat people, and I got a fresh lemonade.

Jordan made my heart melt near the end of the walk. He was lagging behind because his brothers were making fun of him. He put his little hand on my arm and wanted to touch and rub it. I let him do this and I hugged him close. We walked like this for a while. We eventually came to a special part of the reservoir where we saw ducks resting on logs. It took a moment, but I also turtles resting on a different set of logs. I said, "Look at that!" to Jordan. He looked, he blinked, and then, "Oh!" with a very slow exhale.

And there we stayed for a quiet moment just watching the birds and the turtles take a rest on the logs. Jordan was wide-eyed and taking it all in. We did eventually catch up with the others...

My son Justin is pictured above. He is working with the sound team at church most Sundays.

There is a Bible Verse about hard work that is worth mentioning. “A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." Proverbs 13:4

It may be difficult to teach children the value of discipline and hard and work, but it does have its rewards! 

Justin, my eldest son, came home from school last week with two awards. It was a pleasant surprise for this parent! He and his friends got a bronze medal for an English project where they interview yours truly about Sejong High School. The other project was more individual. He received a silver medal for creating an anti-smoking poster. Apparently, my child’s artistic talents are starting to blossom! And Daddy rewarded him with fried chicken as a late night snack.

The English project that he and his friends won for was something! I remember the day they interviewed me. I was simply asked to say, “Tell me about your school, Justin! I want to learn about your school!” It was one of those days where I had many small things to do and I was a little annoyed because it was an unusual request. The rest of the video is Justin and his friend walking around school showing anyone who was watching the video the buildings. The English was quite good even if my initial question was more than a little awkward!

Jordan also did some great work at school. He and his classmates put together a multicultural show for parents last Wednesday morning. They all prepared little dance numbers! Jordan was wearing a Chinese traditional hat and I was genuinely wondering what they were going to do before they started dancing to ‘Kung Fu Fighting’. His friends and he were reasonably coordinated as they performed it and the parents broke out into laughter when they heard the song. 

The other song that the whole class performed was ‘Jumbo’. It’s an African song that has a Korean counterpart. While they were performing I understood why I had heard him humming the song so many times at home. While they were doing it, I could hear many of them singing. And, of course, they broke out into hysterical laughter when it was all done! I commend the teacher for pushing all those second-graders to perform so well. I will remember that day for a long time!

Aidan and Jordan go to Taekwondo every night at 7:00. When they have worked hard, the teacher gives them tickets. These tickets are 10 points, 50 points, and 100 points. Aidan was pleased as pie to receive a ticket for 50 points last week. It was the same night that they all received chicken from Daddy so all was well with the world!

Hard work and perseverance are difficult things to teach. Each boy was able to show some aspect of perseverance last week and I was very proud of them all!

“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." Proverbs 13: 4

—--

Advent begins on Sunday. They boys looks forward to the little chocolate gifts in the Advent Calendar but I look forward to the read-alouds!

My family will be reading Ann Voskamp's The Wonder of the Greatest Gift along with other holiday favorites. This year I will wrap up books for them to choose, two or three, and we will read that book in the evening. We will light candles, read The Wonder of the Greatest Gift, hang an ornament on the tree, and read the book they have chosen. I look forward to this bonding time with the boys!

____

For those of you who are curious, there has been a delay with the book I’m publishing. The Giver: The Life of Jesus and the Book of Acts (Fifty Sermons for Children) will be published in January. I am still very excited about the book!  I hope you will be too! 

The boys and I are on vacation! Last week, we went to Elior Camp in Tae-an. This is fairly close to the beach which is great except that it rained a little too much! But the boys enjoyed playing with their friends and I enjoyed listening to sermons related to being children of God. 

Children of God was the theme of this camp. I was in charge of the Bible verses that needed to be memorized before meals. Four days of memorizing verses for breakfast, lunch, and supper does take it's toll on people. Near the end of the last day, the Koreans were more than a little weary from everything and I did extend some grace their way. They were just required to read those verses. It's biblical to give grace, don't you think?

As I meditated on the verses, the theme of suffering kept appearing. After we have suffered a little while, we will enjoy the fellowship and grace that Christ extends and become children of God. We are children of God.

It was good to see old faces and I enjoyed the new people I met. We went swimming on the second day out in the ocean. I remember I was having trouble going completely under water. I was a child playing in front of my maker. I remember taking a nap that afternoon. It was only about twenty minutes but it felt good. I felt like I was being taken care of. God was there. I walked home with two African students. One was from Swaziland and the other was from South Africa. I loved listening to their accented as they compared notes on what had gone on that afternoon. The one was giving the other a hard time about finding a boyfriend. "My mother said that I should study. Don't look around for boys. You can look for a boy back home!" I remembering things that they were just so young and full of life. Children of God.

I taught a short lesson on Zaccheus to the children. They were running around and screaming quite a bit, including Aidan and Jordan! I was trying to teach them a song about Zaccheus and how much he had changed. He did a 180 turn around. That short tax collector was changed by that encounter with Jesus up in the tree. He went from bad to good. He was darkness and became light. He stopped stealing money and probably returned quite a bit of it. Zaccheus was a child of God. 

We wandered in the sand-dunes the following day before it rained. We were dressed in white so it was easy to spot everyone. Jordan, of course, slowed right down until we were close to being dead last. I remember seeing pockets of white and looking out over the ocean. It really was amazing. I had this great picture of what the Red Sea must have looked like right after the big miracle where the waters parted. We then started moving through 'the wilderness'. Sand-dunes just covered the area and I was paying attention to all the flowers that were popping up everywhere. 'The wilderness' really was beautiful. And right on the edge of the sand-dunes were trees. A forest of trees to get lost in. It was a lovely hour where I felt like an Israelite. We wandered, we walked, we enjoyed, we complained. We did everything the Israelites did. 

I also remember the drinks the ladies bought immediately following this. It had started to rain just as we finished and I remember thinking that it was just interesting timing. As we tucked into a small convenience store, the ladies went looking for ice coffee and drinks for the children. Very thirsty children of God. 

This was the theme for the week extending all the way into Sunday night's prayer time. (We pray together as a family every Sunday around 8:00 pm!). Jordan thanked God for lemonade after the English Sunday School was finished! He also thanked God for his brothers and his mom and Dad. Aidan was a little more serious in thanking God for lemonade and lunch. Please notice the L's in that last sentence. He also was thanked God for family and prayed for mommy and daddy. Justin also thanked God for his shoes! And he prayed for God's blessing on our family. 

They are a mischievous bunch but they are my family and I love them all, including that the big one! (Yes, Daddy!) We are all children of God. 

June 25 is the day the war ended in Korea.  Those who remember celebrate that day.  It is also the day that Justin was born. 

I remember that eventful day quite well. We had gone to the doctor to make sure everything was alright. The nurse was able to check my blood pressure and other things were normal. She said come back in one month. I was back in less than a day!

Hansung had gone to work, and I was exercising. I kept running to the bathroom and wondered why and I  remember feeling pain in my back. It was happening! I called Hansung and told him. He said "Mumuma" on the phone and told me he was coming. He also called Pastor Bill from the church to give me a ride. 

I remember thinking that the back pain hurt a lot. I just didn't have anything in me. Then Pastor Bill showed up. He helped down the stairs and into the car. And off to the clinic we went!

When we arrived, they checked everything. I was poked and prodded. I remember the doctor said "Rapid progress". It was then that Hansung arrived at the clinic. This was good for me.

I remember walking up and down as the pain got stronger and stronger. Hansung didn't really know what to do to make me feel better. I thought taking a shower would help. We had planned for a water birth. Why not? I thought to myself.

The water was like a sting ray on my back! That didn't help at all.

I walked around some more. Two nurses told me to come to them. I obediently did what they asked. 

I remember being propped up and thinking that it was all very weird and how very, very tired I was. The nurses were talking to teach other. And then they were talking to me. 

Someone was telling me to push through the blur. I pushed and the other nurse pushed on my stomach. I remember the calmness after that. I was so tired and the baby, dear little Justin, was fine.

He was so little. And I was so tired. I closed my eyes almost immediately. 

They took me to my room and I slept for quite a while. I remember when the nurse came in and gave me my son. What a beautiful little thing he was! I remember the angels came knocking on the door after that. I felt like one was watching us as we looked at each other. 

________

Fast forward sixteen years later. Justin is in his first year of high school. I never really wanted him to be in high school while we were in Korea, but he is in high school. He is studying many different things and doing projects. 

He is handsome. 

He is funny. He is fun-loving.

He is a bit of a goof-ball! He plays with people. He plays with me. He plays with his brothers. 

He is patient. Patient with his father. Patient with his mother. Patient with his brothers.

He is continuously on his phone until I tell him that he needs to get off. Can't win them all!

His father says he could do anything. He just needs to put his mind to it. 

He has decided that he wants to be a pilot. We talked about it last night actually.

I saluted him and asked if we were going to get a discount on our travel expenses. "I think so!" was his reply.

We all ate cake last night to celebrate his birthday. Happy Birthday Justin! For your mother, your sixteen years is a beautiful thing!

The LORD bless you, and keep you: The LORD make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance on you, and give you peace. Number 6:24-26
​

Halloween activities have not been the usual around here. There has been no trick-or-treating or dress up parties but there have been other creative and treasure hunting activities. Let's start with the Night of 1000 Pictures.

What was the Night of 1000 Pictures? An art gallery in Daejeon had the great idea of inviting people into their gallery to draw, paint, or color pictures of anything that inspired them.

It turned into a beautiful, slightly cool evening as people wandered in and out of the gallery. Aidan and Jordan were enchanted by this and spent a little under an hour creating their 'art' to be displayed at the gallery. 

One of the highlights of the evening was the man wearing the white shirt who invited anyone and everyone to draw on him. Jordan, of course, loved him!

Hallowed Eve's brought the possibility of a party at the piano hogwon (institute) that never quite happened. The boys were excited in the morning to be find the box of costumes. Aidan spent a good ten minutes trying to find the box before asking for some help. Jordan asked for 3 000 won to be vampire teeth and the fingernail attachments so he could be a vampire. (I may not be thrilled with a little vampire but considering the small amount of money, I caved!)

The Halloween party with the kids from piano never panned out for reasons that weren't explained. The condolence prize was a small package of candy that the teacher gave to all her students.

So, the night after Halloween, I wanted to do something fun with the boys. I had found this cute and fun treasure hunt activity online. It was a string of Bible verses with clues that lead to the next Bible verse and its clue. The boys enjoyed decoding the Bible verse to figure out the clue and I enjoyed watching the whole process. It combined reading skills, problem solving, and a puzzle to find their treasure of special treats.

There are treasures everywhere if you are really looking...

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Matthew 16:19

It’s been a beautiful Thanksgiving (Chuseok) week here in South Korea. We have spent lots of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather as well as eating, laughing, and fellowshipping with good people.

Sunday afternoon after church we went into Sejong City to the Lake Park beside the library. It was a beautiful afternoon for a walk and we spent about an hour walking around the lake, poking our noses into interesting spots, including a new coffee shop, and a few other improvements since we hadn’t been there for over two years.  Aidan and Jordan enjoyed using the kick board around the lake.

Monday we had a great visit with Grandmother and Big Aunt and her husband in Seoul. We managed to get up there quite early and were able to visit Duck Su Koon (palace) which is where we had wedding photos done 20 years ago. It’s always good to revisit places like this (note to self here)!

Tuesday was a lovely day of playing around in the house and walking around a reservoir 10 minutes from our place. We strolled down the boardwalk and got to listen to Justin sing. He had a hilarious Sound of Music moment where he learned the words to Do-Ray-Me. (Check Facebook for the video on this)

Wednesday we enjoyed fellowship time with people from church. We had some good conversations about teaching English, missions, ethics, and just horsing around. 

———--
​
Justin is studying for midterm exams and tends to distract himself with news, YouTube, Kim’s Convenience (CBC show now on Netflix). 

Aidan continues to be a source of support and joy unlike any other kid I know. I made him tea earlier this week and he must not of expected me to do it. His eyes popped open and said, “Woo!”. He sat down, tasted his tea, looked at me, and declared “Mommy, you are the best Mommy ever and I love you!” I know this sounds terribly cheesy but he was completely sincere in that moment.

Jordan has been practicing Taekwondo all week because he wants to get the next belt. He woke up rather early this morning, ate breakfast, brushed his teeth without being asked, and wanted to leave an hour early for his Taekwondo test.  We kept him in the house for as long as we could. We will get the results in a few weeks.  Pictures to come...

Just for fun...

Summer vacation started last week. The boys and I finished our classes at the end of the week. I had everything finished, including the grading, by Friday at 2:00 and everyone was home at 3:00 in the afternoon! We celebrated over the weekend with some easy homemade meals, family movie night, and an evening at the spa for the whole family (this probably seems strange to all the westerners reading this unless you have been th Korea and enjoy the Jimjilbang or 짐질방).

Earlier this week we went up into Seoul to visit Hansung’s sister and grandma!  I managed to get the boys to write letters and buy a little gift for both ladies before the big event. Grandma genuinely enjoyed reading their letters and clapped her hands when each grandson finished. This then turned into a sing-song for the next 30 minutes. Aidan and Jordan sang children’s songs in Korean, Justin sang an Italian opera song that he had memorized in music class last year and my hubby joined in on that one after looking up the lyrics. The singing continued in Korean with Hansung’s sister and her husband singing old Korean country songs. I was gearing up for Edelweiss because I thought grandma would recognize it when the whole event ended. Grandma was tired from all the young stimulation in the room. The art of the song was more noisy stimulation than actual art!

I laughed when she called me an excellent woman for taking care of three boys. I leaned in and told her it was actually four boys and she burst out in hysterics. It was a good visit and I think we gave her some good memories!

_______

It turns out little boys know swear words in Korean and it was time to put a stop to it. 

“If you swear, you have to eat soap! It will make your mouth clean and take out all those dirty words!”

Jordan replied to this without missing a beat! “Mom, you too! No swearing!” I agreed.

It turns out that soap has only been eaten once to change someone’s language. Yes, it was the little guy!

______

Justin has inspired to the boys to burst into short sentences from Black Panther. He taught Aidan and Jordan “Ee Pompei” which is some kind of war cry. They all break out with this whenever more than two of them are in trouble!

______

Aidan was the first place winner for cute sayings when he woke up, rolled over, and declared, “I want to sleep forever but I should get up!”

_______

i have been thinking a lot about language from stories that keep us connected. We have been reading Kate Di Camillo’s Mercy Watson series. (If you haven’t read these, you really should! They are hilarious stories about a pig that basically lives as a child, not a pet!) There is a great part about two-thirds of the way through the first book where the pig is described. “She is amazing! ... She is unbelievable! She is a porcine wonder!”

These are great lines that the kids have been using around the house. Jordan finished his meal the other night and Aidan declared, “HE is amazing! ... He is unbelievable! He is a porcine wonder!” It was a great family moment with Justin and myself busting with laughter.

Stories connect us in special ways. Of course, there are amazing benefits in terms of academics, improved listening skills, improved vocabulary, but I love how other stories have become a part of the way my children and I speak to each other! They get to experience another life, learn from it, and apply it to their own! Magic and astonishment in a new way! 

Narratives of all kinds bless us. Even those epic narratives in the Bible!
​

Before I tell you dear readers about June in my home, I want to take a moment and reflect on laundry.  I want to reflect on this because I never seem to catch up with the laundry. With five people in the house, I am constantly doing this chore/job.  In the past, I have been able to do it meditatively.  I folded shirts, pants, towels, and other clothes methodically, thinking about how little things repeated again and again build character. I'm an English teacher so this definitely applies the classroom. Vocabulary and grammar need to be learned over a long period time with small, repeated steps daily in order to make progress.  It works in my kitchen too.  I can meditatively take ingredients out of the refrigerator, cut and chop vegetables, and put a meal together.  It works in regard to my health too.  Exercising and eating properly need to be done everyday.  Not just everyday.  In the end, I must remind myself that the laundry piles are building my character. Consistency and persistence in laundry.

My eldest son had a great birthday weekend! He turned fifteen and basically had a party all weekend long. He got a special lunch from me on Saturday because we were alone, a homemade hamburger in the later afternoon at a barbecue, a supper out to his favorite restaurant that night, a gift from church on Sunday, and a trip to the spa (his choice) Sunday afternoon. My husband cooked birthday bacon on Monday morning, ate the cake after supper and he got a few gifts from his brothers. He has exams at the end of this week, so I'm glad all the birthday fun is done for now.

In other news, piano lessons have begun! Aidan and Jordan have been going to piano for about a month now. They are enjoying themselves and have actually sat down at the piano and attempted to play a few times.  Jordan did it yesterday! Besides piano, they also go to Taekwondo classes Monday through Thursday. They love the movements, and practice the moves at inopportune times (like when they should be sitting for supper)

So, I introduced a laundry basket quite a while back.  Interestingly, Aidan is the only child who actually uses it. Everyone else (husband included) just tosses their clothes on the floor which results in my raised voice.  The funny thing is that because the laundry basket is not used very often, I often forget to check what is inside. (Consistency is not really a part of this story!) Aidan of course had a good pile of his clothes in it when I checked at the end of the week. At the moment, it’s full of cute stuffed animals!
​
We visited the Trickeye museum up in Seoul over this past weekend. This included a virtual reality experience and an ice museum! You can see a few of the shots we took besides Justin's Birthday picture. I'm including some more pics at the bottom of this post!

As I write, my husband is on a mission trip in Nepal with students from his Bible college. He won't be back in the 13th of July, which means there will be another mountain of laundry to do. Lord, help me to meditate on that mountain!

Don't they look like they are actually playing the piano! I love Jordan's synchronized swimming move!

​Does anyone know any scripture references about laundry?

We moved through Thanksgiving last weekend and had a glorious time setting up the tree on Friday night.  I totally enjoyed watching the boys quibble over what ornaments go on the tree.  We had one short burst of snow a little over a week ago to get everyone into the spirit of the season!

Jordan continues to grow in every way imaginable, ask amazing questions, and make cute comments.  Here is one of our interactions from this month.

"Look Mom!  I'm perfect.  There is no cough here!"

"Jordan, you are perfectly cute! Not perfectly healthy!"

"Will I ever be perfectly healthy?"

"If you eat all your fruits and vegetables and all your supper, you could be perfectly healthy?"

"Okay! I'll think about it.  Can I have some chocolate?"

Ironies abound here with this beautiful boy!

​

This really is a very Korean pose of Jordan at KNU New Kids (Children's Ministry) at our church.  

********

My teenager continues to grow in humor and stature.  He is definitely taller than me now and looks the part of one of the pretty boys we see here on Korean television.

He looks the part a little too well.  We were in a restaurant on Sunday and the waitresses were teasing him.  They were asking if he had been on TV recently.  He blushed at this.  He actually turned beet-red when the waitresses and a few of the people we were sitting with starting to comment to actually say "Pretty Boy" right in front of him.  I tried to get to ease the moment for him, but they just kept saying "Handsome!" 

I reminded him when we get home that "Handsome is as handsome does!"  I was encouraging him to study for his exams which start at the beginning of next week.

The shot below is one taken at the University I teach at earlier in November.  He wasn't thrilled that I took this picture because he wasn't smiling. A great profile though!

Aidan continues to be my child who just wants to be the good kid in the family.  Whenever I am angry or upset with the something in general or with the boys specifically, he will ask, "But, Mom, I'm good, right?  I didn't make you angry?"

99% of the time he hasn't done anything wrong except maybe be ten minutes late for our afternoon tea.  (Yes, this child continues to love afternoon tea time but without the cookies!).  
​