I'm Back!

God is good. I'm alive. Nepal was awesome. I'll be up and writing again soon!

God's beauty seeps from the mountains!

The food was delicious.

We met many WONDERFUL people.

" No one thinks of the pen when looking at a piece of art. i am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a LOVE letter to the world."

-Mother Teresa

To The Roof.

Well... today is here! I'm headed to the airport in a little over an hour... and im SUPER EXCITED! The bags are packed with the essentials. Sleeping bag. Goodies for the kiddos. Chapstick. Baby Wipes. Pancho. And well... my Rainbows made the list. They may need a ceremonial retirement after this trip. However, their life would be far more loved if they trod through Nepal. : )

Anyway, this is my last post for a while.

But, don't forget about me. I'll be back to blogging shortly... with plenty of pictures, stories and videos to make up for my absence!

Please pray for our team!

- For safe and timely travels.

- For awesome opportunities to love people in really tangible ways!

- That we would see God in BIG BIG BIG ways... and be transformed!

- That the Kingdom of God would come to Nepal as it is in Heaven.... in POWERFUL ways!

I'm expectant. And well... folks need to hear some good news!

To the roof we go... Carrying Hope to the children in the Himalayas.

MountainChild.org

Talk to you soon!!

-s

KAI BAI BO

Kids in Korea solve all things with " Kai.... Bai.... BO!".

(Translation: ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS.)

This is fitting.

3 Days!

Three days. Nepal. And well... im excited!! (if you haven't noticed yet!)

Why?

Visit MountainChild.org

WHOOOOHOOOOOOOO..... tis the universal face of excitement and peace.

4 Days Till We Leave.

This is the general plan. Arrive in Kathmandu and spend some time at the RANCH with the kids and staff. We'll then bus to a city called Besehara, where out team will break up. Two ladies will stay back and work with the youth in Besesahara, then two trekking teams will head out. We'll trek for 4 days with hopes to deliver medical aid to the villages along the way, do some water research, and love on the folks we meet along the way! I am equipped with bubbles, stickers and on the hunt for a frisbee to bring some love to the kiddos! We will trek to Pokhara where we'll meet up with the other teams and do a Sports Day with the kids we meet there. From there we'll all bus back to Kathmandu and fly home!

The packing update: I now have a water purification water bottle a sleeping bag and backpack thanks to generous friends. There are two piles of clothes laid out... which will get smaller as i continue to look at them. Today i bought some new socks. Tomorrow i will swallow my pride and purchase anti-diarrhea pills (critical for trekking). I am hoping the translation is not too humiliating. "Poor foreigner!" they'll think. wa wa wa.

Let the count down begin! More to come.

Why Nepal?

Visit MountainChild.org for more information.

Um. OK.

Happy Monday Friends! I mean that from the bottom of my heart!

But holy toledo... can it be friday already?

I am sitting at work, milking the wifi and jamming to some Jason Mraz while the rest of my staff room is at dinner. It's been a long week... and i've only at work for 7 hours. It's only Monday.

I have been reminded of a few things this evening:
1. i am a women and cannot roll with the men.
2. Most things having to do with Korean business management make little or no sense to me.

Which is why i am sitting in my office waiting until 10 to go home-- that will be a total of two hours with no classes counting down my time on Facebook and whatever else i can Stumble Upon. Oh, but don't worry... my boss won't notice and i don't think he even cares. He's taken the guys out to dinner. They'll be back later. "But, yea, we have to work till 10."

umm... ok.

This post was initiated to share my plan for Nepal. But i got sidetracked and have since decided that sharing this "ranting" space with the awesome details of my awesome trip was not appropriate.... so i'll post a separate one! : )

One Week from Today.

It is Saturday night, and I find myself sitting in Cafe London at the bottom of an Americano. It's been a while since i've been here, im not sure why! This place is awesome... i'll work on that.

Anyway, I've chosen to spend the night in (sort of) to prepare for Nepal. It is funny how the week you specifically need space to pray and prepare... your week fills up! Every logistical errand for the trip takes much longer than planned, and you start to get sick! Haha... funny how that happens. But not coincidence.

I think I wrote in previous posts that I am expecting big things on this trip. I'm not really sure what that means just yet, but I trust that God is going to do awesome things! And well, i feel inadequate and underprepared. Both thoughts of which are not from the heart of Jesus. Something is working here- and i'm fighting that b. : )

I've been wrestling these thought all week, but was awesomely encouraged in a card i opened yesterday from a dear, friend i like to call Dawnie. One that was post marked long before i planned to visit Nepal, but one most perfectly timed! It was filled with a homework assignment to read 2 Corinthians 3, 4, write out my thoughts, and tell people about it! While i plan to share those thoughts with real folks... why not share it with those who are following my blog too?

These verses talk about many things, but parts that stick out specifically tonight are in the confidence i have been given from Jesus to be a minister of his Good News. That I am, in myself, insufficient. Horribly inadequate and lacking. BUT, i have been made competent. A competence which comes from the Spirit of God himself dwelling in me. A confidence that marks itself in a radiant light. A light which shines brightly because i have seen Jesus and he has made and is continuously making me glorious. So, while my vessel is weak, the glory of knowing just how awesome Jesus is and what he has planned for those who love him shines through! What i have to proclaim to this world is only the goodness of Jesus-- and just how grand of a God i serve.

So... that is what i will do! Nepal- you are surrounded by some of the most majestic, powerful, and awesome scenery in the world. The God that i serve created all of that! And well, he loves you! And he has good news for you! This broken world around you- yea, he's coming to make it new! Hold on to your hats or your sandals, or i guess whatever it is your must hold onto ... big things are yet to come!

NKorea Heir

Check this out! Pretty interesting.

"World Awaits for Unveiling of NKorean Heir"

Noraebang.

Norae (singing) bang (room). Or "Awesome"

So Awesome!

It is kind of a crazy thought to say i really like Noraebang-ing. I'm not one who loves being up in front of people. And well, ask my mom, i hate and actually refuse to sing for people. But give me a room full of friends, some 90's staples, some disco lights, in a borderline sketchy basement establishment... i'm a whole new woman folks! : )

And what exactly did we sing? Night favorites:

- Barbie Girl- Aqua

- My Humps- Black Eyes Peas.

Awesome. For those of you who have yet to take the plunge... DO IT! You'll love it! And for those of you not living in Korea... fear not!! Los Angeles has its far share of them too! : )

I'm working on my Jay-Z "Empire State of Mind" for next time.

A Photo Recap.

This week starts my 8th month in Korea! And while i'm on the border of burn out and ridiculous count downs, i've decided it would be best to look back at the time i've spent here!

For a few reasons:

1. To see how much awesome has gone down in 8 months.

2. To force into my heart a little gusto in remembering the awesome times i've had.

3. And to create a beautiful reminder of what these 8 months have held and how short 4 months really is! :)

What do i propose? A photo recap. Shall we?

To think my apartment started with a bed, a fork and a plate. It actually feels like home now. Sofa. Chairs. Coffee Maker. Lamp. And three-wait four- plants which are still alive.

My first weekend in Korea i rode the subway into Seoul. It was frigid... but it was awesome! I remember being petrified to go eat anywhere because i spoke NO Korean!

Thank you Jesus for Skype... and Nunkins soon you will see I have legs. And they're not chrome.

What a weekend! Solar New Year spent in the freezing cold doing strange things at horrible hours of the morning. But, we ate delicious tteokguk (rice cake soup). One of my favorites now.

First and probably only Korean road trip to the East Sea. No car here. It took us 14 hours to get home- in parking lot traffic. A lot of first that weekend.

Doosan Bears. Chicken and Beer. Friends. What more could you ask for? Awesome.

I tried so hard to see the Cherry Blossoms. Many outings to different locations, at different times... failure is all i have to report.

My Sweet Tae was born! Got the phone call as i was making my way around the Korean MOCA. They must have thought i was move by the art. The tears were for this sweet thing... not the sculpture garden. Can't wait to hold that beautiful thing!

Such a cool night! Awesome lanterns. Good eats. Good friends. Like so many nights in Seoul.

A weekend we like to label "less than ideal". But we loved it! Hanjin- you will go down in the record books or awful hostels.

Bring on the World Cup Madness of Korea! I watched many a game, and all of them were awesome. This night in particular- started at like 11:30 and when the sun rose over Seoul we were headed back. Few hours of sleep... then off to work. Awesome.

Celebrated my 23rd Birthday and my awesome family sent me the most perfect box of love! Complete with a video of my family and a perfect pan of stale brownies. Just how i like em!

Spent our summer vacation in Busan doing nothing but laying on the beach, eating good food, and relaxing. It was wonderful and OH! so needed!

Now i find myself getting ready for my trip to Nepal and loving my time getting to know and serving alongside MountainChild. What an awesome organization and the people who are involved are equally as awesome.

There we have it! My 8 month photo recap! Korea's been good to me... and well, my heart is torn. While im SO looking forward to being home, (holding my nieces, clothes fresh from a dryer, whole wheat bread, driving, hugging my family, TARGET, not being stared at, my families cooking) i have enjoyed and am still enjoying my time here!

So, here we go! I raise my virtual glass to "finishing strong"!