Goodbye, Korea

It's so hard to believe that two years (and one month) have come to an end.  It's crazy to think that in that short of a time I would have come to identify myself with a culture so distinctly different from the one into which I was born.  However, at the same time, I don't really fit there either.

Ever since I got my passport, I've felt my culture slipping away from me.  But never have I felt more like a cultural island than I do now.  I don't really find this to be a bad thing; I like the culture I've created for myself, gleaning from all of those that I've visited.  But it's going to be interesting when I enter back into America, where people will be expecting me to pick back up the American culture.  See, one of the joys of being waygookin is that there isn't very much that's expected of me.  For the most part, I'm free to be whatever I want.  I'm not sure how I'm going to react to being back in the States when that is gone.

Because here's the thing.

The plan has changed.

This doesn't surprise me, because the plan was based on Korean culture, in which things are likely to change drastically, even in the middle of implementation, but it will probably surprise those of you who are unused to Korean culture.

A couple of weeks ago, I found out that, due to governmental reasons in India, I would be unable to take up my position there.  At the same time, I was offered a missionary position in Australia, working with Aboriginal children.  As my pastor explained it to me, I became more and more disheartened by the prospect.  They're a group of children that have grown up in an environment that puts no emphasis on education, due to government hand-outs.  The stipends are actually large enough that the people don't really need to value education.  The community is also riddled with drug and alcohol abuse.  My pastor asked me to go and join the effort to convince this community of the value of education, a feat that has been attempted by many and successful by none, save the minimal progress our church has made.  In short, it sounded like all the things I like least about teaching.

With a clenched stomach, I asked my pastor for time to pray about it, and he gave me two weeks.

As many of you probably know by now, during that time, I made a quick trip back to the US.  I was overwhelmed by a desire to be there before I had to make the choice.  In the past, I have always felt trapped in the US, to the point that my family and I have assumed for many years that I would be spending all of my adult life living outside of the States.  Nevertheless, in the past months, I have been growing increasingly homesick.  I didn't mention it, chalking it up to this factor or that factor, but it didn't go away.  I wanted to see if it would if I stepped foot in the mother country, and all the opportunities lined up for me to do just that.  I found an incredibly cheap plane ticket.  Appointments got canceled (without my doing so).  Schedules were rearranged.  And I found myself on a flight back to Nashville.

As soon as I saw the city unfurl beneath the plane, I had my answer.  I've never felt like I had a home before, but seeing that city... I knew I finally had one.  I was so giddy I started giggling and bouncing my legs in excitement.  But I was reluctant to admit I had my answer.  I knew what I wanted, but I needed to make sure it lined up with what G-d wanted.  So I waited and prayed.

As much as everything went right in preparation for the trip, everything went wrong while I was there.  And yet, I was still overwhelmed with peace and excitement when I thought about moving back.  In the end, I gave into it, and though I felt frustrated with many things happening around me, I could center myself in knowing that I was on the right path in my decision to return to the States.

Upon my return to Korea, I spent the greater part of my first morning back in bed, mulling over my trip and my decision... and praying.  Oh, how I prayed!  And, suddenly, a plan washed over me... It was like it was being shown to me in its completeness rather than developing as I laid there.

It is now my intention to go to graduate school to pursue a masters in Music Therapy with the ultimate goal of opening the Jim Foglesong Center for Fine Arts, which will be both a fine arts school and therapy center.  I have so many ideas for it that I could write and write about it, but I think I'd overwhelm you all, so I'll save that for another time.

The moral of the story is this: I'm coming back, and I know that I am on G-d's path.  I don't know if that path will end where I think it will right now, but I do know that it's the right one.

Incidentally, this also means that I will have to make severe cuts to my travel plans, as I need to be preparing for an audition on December 7.

Thank you for all of your love and support.

Bummer

Well, yesterday was a bummer.

Due to personal reasons, my vacation to Italy is being called off.  :(

BUT!  Somehow, an overwhelming peace has washed over me about the whole thing.  It's awesome how that happens.

Unfortunately, the airline hit me with a pretty hefty fee, so I'm not going to be able to go abroad for this vacation, but I've been incredibly tired.  It will probably be good for me to relax at home and get some sleep.  I'm going to see if I can get some work *edit: at my old Saturday School* to make up for that fee as well, so it'll all end up okay.  Plus, I haven't explored too much of Korea, so I might go do that; we'll see how I feel.  :)

In the words of Homer:

"Endure my heart, for you have endured worse than this." (The Odyssey, book XX)

It's true.

I found myself wanting to write about how yesterday was "the worst day ever," but it wasn't.  Those of you who know me can wager a guess as to what my worst day was.  I don't really care to detail it again, so if you don't know, just think about your own.  In a way, it's a blessing that I have had such a horrible experience in my life.  Every time something happens that I don't like, I can always think of Homer's quote and that day, and I have something against which to gauge myself: Have I endured worse than this?  Did I survive?  Did it help me in some way?  I have yet to not be able to answer "yes" to those questions.

There's that silver lining, my friends.  I knew there had to be one somewhere...

Lots of love to you.  I'll try to post about my staycation when (if) I do something interesting. :)

The Plan

It's about time I told you this.

I have a PLAN!!!

We're still hammering out some details, but I should tell you about it before it becomes so commonplace in my head that I forget to tell you.  Here it goes:

I'm leaving Korea on September 23.

I will be in Thailand, volunteering with Home & Life Orphanage Foundation until the 23rd of October.  But I will leave Thailand on the 27th.

From Thailand, I'll head back to the States (with a 6 hour layover in Incheon, so, Korea friends, help me pass that time!!!), ultimately ending up in Atlanta.  I've got a lot of people I'd like to visit, and I'm thinking about following this path:

View in Google Maps

If you recognize yourself on that map, or if you're not on that map and you should be, let's talk.  I'm going to be needing help with transportation as well, so I'm really, really hoping that you can assist there. 

I'm thinking of trying to fit this all into November and December (ending by Christmas).

Currently, it's looking like I'll be heading back out in February.  My Korean church has asked me to go join their missionaries in India, working at a school that focuses on working with children from the slums.  Currently, we have not set an end date for that.  I will be needing to raise ALL of my own support for that, so, not to worry, you'll definitely be hearing more from me on that.  I may not have definite details until December for that, so I'll probably have a very short time to raise a considerable amount of money.  I'm not stressed about it (yet), though, because I know that if G-d wants me there, He will bring the money in.  I've never had a problem with that before, and I don't think that I will start now.  (Please pray!)

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, and I'm looking forward to reporting on my upcoming adventures.

111 Days until I touch down in the U.S. of A.

Out of the mouths of babes...

I want to share with you part of my most recent letter that I received from one of my Compassion children, Estefany:

Hello, dear Anne, I write you very excited.  I received your cards and stickers.  I think and feel you are doing a good job.  My teacher in the project told me that G-d enables those He has called.  G-d has put you in this place because He believes you can do it.  I always pray for you that G-d will use you.  I dedicate this verse to you: Isaiah 1:17 [Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.  Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.]...

The timing of her letter has been perfect.  In the face of uncertainty and a still undefined path, this is what I needed to hear.

My... how G-d speaks through children...

Sponsor a child today.

MOTh: Day 10

3 Gifts Found in Bible Reading

For this, I'm listing my 3 favorite Bible verses.  And no, I'm not kidding on any of these.

1. Zephaniah 3:17.  At first glance, this may be obvious.  Of course, I'm going to love any reference to G-d singing, but, as I've grown older, I've seen more and more heart-warming reassurance and peace in this verse.
2. John 11:32-35, with particular emphasis on verse 35.  I know a lot of kids claim to love this one because of its length, but I love it because it shows the Heart of our L-rd.  He truly loved, very deeply.  Every time I read it, it brings me to tears, because I know what it is to lose someone you love, and, again, every time I read this, I learn more.
3. Genesis 3:14-15.  Three chapters in, and we get our first Messianic prophecy.  Let me point out, that it's not even a full 10 verses past the offense.  We messed up, and G-d immediately gave us a solution.  If that doesn't make you feel truly and deeply loved, I don't know what will.

추석 Traveling: At the Orphanage

Alex and Vera spend a lot of time volunteering at an orphanage for people with special needs.  I purposefully say "people" and not "children, because there are many fully grown adults in this orphanage.  I don't have photos of this adventure to share with you, so as to protect those who live at the orphanage, but I hope I can evoke images vividly enough with my words so as to be satisfying.

This is the post that I've been thinking about the most.  This is the post that is probably not going to satisfy me when I'm done.  This is the post that really isn't going to do its job.  What happened to me while I was at the orphanage was not so much what I saw, said, or did; what happened to me there was much more about what I felt.

Upon arriving at the orphanage, we dropped off our things in the director's office, and we trooped outside to take some of the more immobile people on a walk.  The more volunteers that are there, the better, since there will be more people to push wheelchairs, meaning that more of the residents can go on the walk, which is so good for them - the change of scenery, the sunshine, the fresh air, the movement.  I generally preferred to stay in the back of the parade, enjoying the sun as it woke up and warmed up, the steadily rolling mountains, and the general air of peace that radiated from the people who walked in front of me.

There's one moment etched in my mind that features a backdrop of blue-green mountains, back-lit by a still-cold sun, against which I watched as three of our fully-grown walkers joined hands and continued on their walk that way, simply enjoying each other's reaffirmed presence and love.  As I saw that, my heart melted and a year and a half of stress washed off me.  I couldn't help thinking, "This is what we're supposed to be.  This is, as Phil from KiA (Mainz, Germany) would say, Heaven breaking into our world.  This is what makes G-d smile."

It may not be incredibly politically correct of me to say this, but I've frequently found myself envying people with special needs, especially people with Down's Syndrome.  I envy some of my Autistic friends, but Down's Syndrome takes the cake.  I can tell that there is something going on in their perspective of the world that I, by missing out on an "extra" chromosome, am sorely lacking and should regret it.  Having never even lived closely with this type of person, I can't say my observations for anything near certain, and I know that everyone has their bad days, but I rarely ever see me friends with Down's with anything less than a smile on their faces.  They have a special way of communicating, a special way of seeing people that I regret not having.  I am desperately envious of their world-view.  So, to throw me into a large group of people in possession of this world view was nothing short of the most relaxing thing I can ever remember doing in my life.  This from the girl who once swore she would never be able to handle people with special needs.  (A side-note from me to you: Don't test G-d with those kind of statements.  I look back on that memory now, and can almost audibly hear the "Oh really?" that He shot in response to me.)

After the morning walk, we sat for a while in the sun, playing with some of the "immobile" people there, although that's not really a good term for it, because they certainly could move when they want to, it's just not in a bi-pedal sort of way.  Sitting amongst these people was an experience.  In fact, sitting anywhere in the orphanage was an experience - usually one that ended with me finding myself with a pile of children on top of me.  This probably contributed to my sense of relaxation.  Although I suffer terribly from oversensitive skin due to Sensory Integration Dysfunction that leaves me feeling like I'm literally burning alive, my love language is still touch.  I could always tell, when I taught elementary school, when I haven't had enough of it by the overwhelming desire to let my students all pile on top of me, like I knew they wanted to do.  G-d is so good; He found a way to answer even that prayer that my soul had been crying out to Him.

After the piling, I followed Vera upstairs to the bedrooms and nurseries of the younger children.  It was approaching lunchtime, and we were going to help feed the kids.  Again, we came in and sat on the floor, where I was immediately bombarded by two little people, Bobbie and Addie.  They're brother and sister: twins, I think.  Bobbie, entirely uninhibited, plopped himself in my lap, while Addie, who was much more reserved, preferred to stay a bit further away and assess the situation.  I never heard either one of them speak a word, or eve make a noise, come to think of it, but they were quite communicative with me.  Bobbie and I played for a while, and I noted that fact that I would soon be inheriting his cold, as he wiped his snot on my arm.  I had a gnawing feeling that I needed to be paying attention to Addie, too, though, especially if they were twins.  I, being reserved upon meeting new people myself, know the strong desire to bond with people, and the pain of being crippled by your natural inclinations, so I broke the ice and stuck my tongue out at her.  She lit up like a Christmas tree, getting off her chair and crawling over to me to return my greeting.  I responded by rolling my tongue at her, which she spent the next half hour trying to learn to do.  Now worried about Bobbie's need for attention, I started full-palmedly stroking his face, an action that thoroughly amused him, and continued slowly rolling my tongue in on itself over and over for Addie.  I must say, I was relieved when lunch arrived, in spite of its gruel-like texture and Bobbie's gaping front teeth.  That boy... I think I ended up with more of his lunch on me than on him.  At least he was amused.

After lunch, we had to leave for the day, but we returned the next.  I thought about Bobbie and Addie all through the walk and ran up to pop in on them as soon as I could.  By that time, though, lunch was already over, but the kids weren't phased.  By way of greeting, Addie stuck her tongue out at me (she never did learn how to roll it; I think there's a genetic factor involved, poor kid), before beeing hauled off for a nap by her nurse.  The other nurses were busily trying to get Bobbie to take some medicine for his cold, something my presence did not help at all.  When I walked in, he threw his arms wide and started trembling from head to foot in a way that reminded me so strongly of my brother in his single-digit days that I had to laugh.  I eventually figured out that if I stood behind the nurses in just the right way, he would look the correct direction for them to get the medicine in his mouth.  Then, I could give him the hug he was looking for and send him off to bed.

If I were in a different circumstance, not having to work and being supported by someone else (a husband, donations, etc.), I would be looking into adopting Bobbie and Addie.  Not only have I been unable to stop thinking about them since the moment I met them, but Bulgaria is getting ready to disband its orphanages.  It has another program it will implement that I don't fully understand, so it's not like it's abandoning the kids, but it doesn't seem like the kind of thing that is good for the particular people in this specific orphanage.  They are going to be assessed according to functionality levels and divvied up to different "homes" (I'm not sure what all that term entails).  There's some good in that, since they'll, in theory, be receiving more specialized care, but anyone who thinks this entire group isn't a functioning family unit is kidding themselves.  I hate that they're all going to be split up, BUT, if they have to be, I'd rather know that Bobbie and Addie are going to people who are going to love them and care for them according to their very specific needs.  Believe it or not, I half-seriously contemplated finding a man to marry me before D-Day (Dissolving-Day... my term, no one else's).  But I was only half-serious, so, now I'm just praying, and trying to put the whole situation in G-d's hands.  I don't kid myself into thinking that I am the best possible solution for Bobbie and Addie's situation; heck, I'm not even sure I belong on the "best" list at all, but I know I care deeply about them, and I want what's best for them.  So I pray, and I pray often, and more often still.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.

Call me paranoid...

But tonight I freaked out at the movie theater.

I took one of my former students, Emma, to see a movie tonight.  Circumstance selected The Dark Knight Rises for us, marking my third time seeing it.  I think the movie is fabulous, so I didn't really mind, in spite of my advising my mom to not go see it.

After everything that happened in Colorado and the copycat scares, I just don't think a trip to the theater is worth it.  The movie will be out on DVD soon enough.  But I didn't apply this rule to myself, considering South Korea's strict gun control laws.  However, I grew up in America, with one of my earliest memories being the horror of Columbine (I was in elementary school... I'm sure I could remember further back if it wasn't so late right now), and, therefore, an awareness of gun possibilities in various occasions is deeply engrained in me.  Plus, I'll admit that I'm a bit overly-paranoid, and am always aware of what is in my purse that can be quickly turned into a weapon.

So when, halfway through Batman tonight, a member of the audience got up and started fiddling with the emergency exit, I immediately found a new focus for my attention.  I pulled my Cannon Power Shot from my purse, along with a particularly sharp pen, and began contemplating the best place to hit a man with said improvised rock to incapacitate him and/or crush his skull.

                                              

My camera.

I'm pretty fond of it, but it caught me by surprise when everything was digital on it.

I'd still prefer to upgrade to something with more manual options, but with some practice,

the digital manual options are workable.

When I saw him cross in front of the audience and linger in the middle (really, directly in front of me, as I was sitting in the first row), I slowly began sliding to the front edge of my seat, so as to lose no time trying to get out of it.  I slid my cell phone in my back pocket.  Having found myself phoneless in my last major emergency situation (my car crash), I never intend for it to happen again.

He scanned the audience and quickly moved to the other fire exit, which he shook several times, quietly.  When it wouldn't open, he sprinted out the main entrance/exit, and I didn't see him again, although I was definitely looking.  Every time I saw someone's shadow growing larger as they came down the hall to that door, I was distracted from the movie to stare and make sure they didn't look extra-lumpy.  I did get distracted by the movie at one point, and, when I noticed someone standing there, I jumped so high that I scared Emma.  She definitely knew something was up, but she never asked about it.

It turned out to be nothing, but it was definitely an adrenaline-inducing experience.  I couldn't help but find myself thinking, "They may have gun control laws, but that's what keeps them from anticipating something like this."  Furthermore, as we were sitting in the front row, I felt so helpless, knowing that there would be little to nothing I could do to protect Emma; there were no chairs in front of us to help protect her, even if I got her to the floor.

But what shook me more, was realizing that I, the girl who constantly preaches pacifism and that people have no right to kill each other (without specific exception from G-d Himself), was plotting the fastest/easiest way to kill this man, assuming he made one blatantly wrong move.  I'm not sure what to do with that realization, aside from a lot of prayer and research.  If I come up with anything, I'll be sure to let you know.

So that was the excitement for the evening.  I'm thinking that may have to end up being my last in-theater viewing of Batman for this generation.  Like I told my mom, it's just not worth it.

In a totally unexpected turn of events

I've made a decision, and I'm sticking to it.

Today tried to be a bad day.

You know the turning point of my day today?

When I decided to give the pastor-guy on the corner a bottle of water.  He's out there every day, on one of the busier corners in my "dong" (neighborhood/subdivision/area, for lack of a better translation), preaching away without a mic.  He just stands there, and hands out pens and leaflets while he yells the Gospel for hours, without a break.  I managed to get him to take a break one day by saying, "목사님! 예수님이 사랑해요!" (Pastor!  Jesus loves you!)  He stopped, a little shocked, and said, "Haaaaa-lelujah!"  Now, whenever he sees me, he pauses and bows.  He's an interesting fellow, for sure.

I made that decision as I went to the skin doctor.  There, we had a surprise lazer session (which, thankfully, wasn't as painful as it could have been).  They gave me the dressings for free, though, which was nice of them.  That perked my day up a bit more, too.

So, I stopped and grabbed a 750 won bottle of water (which is somewhere in the tune of 55 cents).  It was ice cold, and felt good just holding the bottle; I couldn't begin to imagine what it would feel like to the man who'd been yelling so loud I could hear him inside the doctor's office.  I had to yell, "목사님!" to get his attention, but, as soon as I had it, I shoved the bottle of water in his hand and started to walk away.  After a beat, I hear behind me, "Haaaaaa-lelujah! 검사합니다!" I smiled and threw a bow at him.

There were a couple of other cool moments last night and today where I felt an urge to take a certain path that I don't normally take or an outing that's out of the norm.  These resulted in being asked to join a picnic by complete strangers (and getting a return invite), and a bunch (6ish) of onions for about 80 cents and jalapeños for free (which means I had the makings for breakfast burritos for dinner - awww yeah!).  They're little things, but they're things that make me feel like people still do realize I'm human, which has been my biggest complaint (aka, what I've felt was wrecking my life) over the past week.

G-d is still good - all the time.

And all the time, G-d is still good.

:)

16. Inspiration

I was in the middle of writing an entirely different blog post to you, when, suddenly, I got up, changed into jeans and just left my apartment.  I had no intention of doing it; it jut happened.  I started by stopping by the kitten area from yesterday's photo.  I hadn't seen a mom with them, so, as per my friend Nick's request, I went to see if they had someone/something caring for them.  I'm pretty sure I saw a momma cat today.  But, instead of coming back home, I started wandering around aimlessly.  I'm pretty sure I saw the Korean version of the mob, but I kept on moving.  I didn't stay around long enough to confirm it for you.

Blimey Cow photo-a-day 16. Inspiration
This is a photo of my receipt from Applebee.

I didn't know where I was headed, but my feet beelined for the most expensive restaurant I know here: Applebee (not to be confused with America's Applebee's).  It's this expensive buffet place that offers some high class food as well.  They're really good, and my pastor is always desperate to take people there.  But, in being there, I broke almost every rule I'd set for myself.  I broke my budget (the meal was roughly $25), I broke my water rule (I couldn't find the water filter at first, but was surprised to find that I didn't like the pop I had at all {as KelliTaylor said would happen} -too sweet!), I broke my unwritten "no eating out alone" rule, and I actually even broke my kosher rule (I'll come back to that).  To tell you the rather embarrassing truth, I didn't even have on socks, makeup, or deodorant.  My brain hadn't intended on going there, but, surprisingly, it was really refreshing and just what I needed.  Go figure, the introvert had an almost extroverted night.  Almost.

The entire staff there went out of their way to help me out.  We played charades for a bit, because Applebee has this not-so-complicated-but-feels-complicated-at-first system of placing plastic coins in the receiving bucket of your choice to order the food item of the corresponding picture above the bucket.  I knew this, but they really wanted to explain it to me, so I let them, first in Korean, then by a guy grabbing me by the hand and leading me across the restaurant to pantomime the whole process not one, but two times.  I later found out that one of the bus boys studying English in the US for 8 months, and, consequently, spent the rest of my meal pondering why they hadn't just grabbed him.  Either way, the directions were given and understood, so I grabbed one of the coins and went to place an order.  My mime, however, came running after me with my other coin, saying "Two!  Two coin!"  As it was the only thing he had worked up the courage to say to me, I figured it must be important to him.  Thus, I read through the Korean names, only recognizing one word: Creme.  I figured that was a pasta dish and ordered it.  Everything else looked to be meat, but I selected one that looked like it had the possibility of not being so.  I was right and wrong at the same time; it was shrimp.  Thinking of what Paul would say if he was there, I ate every last bite of that shrimp, and it was surprisingly delicious.

I was also surprised to find myself writing more of my novel in my head while sitting at my table.  I rather wished I had brought it with me.  For some reason, sitting and people watching gave birth to a new character, who I think will help get everything moving.  Well, I guess it's not really "for some reason."  When you meet her in the story, she'll be exactly where I was, doing exactly what I was doing.  She's just going to have a slightly different motivation.  She's going to be a lot of fun to write.  I

I'm thinking of naming her Charity, but I need a good last name for her.  My gut is saying Cambridge, but I'm thinking that's more of because J.K. Rowling named one of her characters Charity Burbage.  I'm thinking it would be better to not copy her so much, so, if you can think of a sophisticated, older-sounding, somewhat cooly intimidating surname for her, please list them off below.

In fact, how about this?: The person who comes up with the best name will win a giveaway.


Here's how this is going to work:

1. Make sure you leave your name in the comment section.
2. Make sure you leave your surname ideas for Charity.
3. Make sure you pop back in to see if you've won.  I plan to introduce her in the next chapter, so, I should be needing a name by next week.
4. If you win, I will send you something cool and exciting from Korea.  I haven't decided what yet, as I just decided to have this giveaway, but I'll go out soon and browse for the perfect prize.

Looking forward to your names!

And you?

I'm sure you remember the riots in Cairo in the beginning of 2011.  I certainly do.  I followed that story like a hawk, keeping the TV turned to the news at all times.  I was sure someone was going to roll out the artillery and massacre them all when they were confined to the square, and I wasn't the only one who thought that.  It seemed like everyone thought that.  In spite of the great potential for death, the protestors did not set aside their religion.  In February, there is a major Muslim holiday called Milad Un Nabi (birthday Of The Prophet Muhammad), and when that holiday came 'round, plenty of people were still in midst of their protest, so the question arose - what would happen?  Would the government strike back while they were in their observant prayers?  Would the muslims succumb to fear and not observe it?  Would they disperse?

I think the solution shocked the whole world.  The Egyptian Christian community came together, a mere fortnight after a Muslim radical's suicide bombing took the lives of 23 Christians, to provide a human barrier between the Muslim worshipers and the military on the other side of them.

I found this photo attached to this article.

Today hase no significant ties to this event.  I just happened upon this photograph, which made me think about it all.  I began thinking of how many people would be against this idea - Christians protecting Muslims - but I cannot stand with anyone who says that it's wrong, because I believe that this is what we were put on this earth to do: Love your neighbor as you love yourself.  Moreover, we are called to love, unconditionally, uninhibitedly.  Don't believe me?  Let me prove it:

Find more translations here.

Please note, that in that day, Samaritans and Jews had nothing to do with each other.  The were enemies, and, yet, it was the Samaritan who was willing to protect this Jew as he returned from the very cause of their controversy (Don't know what that is?  Read up on it here).  Let me remind you of Jesus' instructions concerning the Samaritan: "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37).


So I ask you: Are you willing to take the plunge and protect those who may very well be seeking to destroy you?

Just a little food for thought today.

I can't not offer my response.

In the last few hours, Jason Russell made the news again, apparently having had a mental breakdown. Please educate yourselves on the situation and stay up to date. I've been seeing a lot of frustrating comments about it on Facebook, so I would like to offer my response for anyone interested:

I'd like you to think about all of this for a second. Let's assume the worst of Jason Russell. Let's assume that he wants to make Kony famous to make a bunch of money and encourage Kony's cause. Doing something like this would turn the American public against him, just like it seems to have done for you. How would that help these assumed intentions? It can't. These actions can only hurt his cause. Therefore, we can only logically assume that they were a non-lucid (or insane) act. 

That being said, this was the official statement offered by Invisible Children:"Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition. He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday. Jason’s passion and his work have done so much to help so many, and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal health issue. We will always love and support Jason, and we ask that you give his entire family privacy during this difficult time." 

Finally, I'd like to say that even if you feel that Jason Russell is disgusting or a pig, I don't think it's something you should be broadcasting. As followers of Christ, it's our responsibilities to be acting in a loving manner toward all people. We are all sinners, and we all have our short-comings. So, even if he was acting entirely lucidly, these comments aren't something that I think should be posted about him.

Although I will admit that I have had my own struggles with wether or not I will be buying Kony 2012 merchandise, I will not waiver on my decision to fight for the freedom of ALL people.  In this case, that means fighting for the rights of the African people whom Joseph Kony is threatening, enslaving, mutilating, and killing.

I want you to make the same choice too, but I don't want you to make it because I'm suggesting it.  I want you to educate yourselves.  Nothing is worse than a bunch of people doing something simply because they're told to.  If you do that, you're no better off than the children whom Kony has brainwashed, and then I'll need to be fighting for your freedom too.  No, go out and read the critiques and the supporting articles.  Watch the Kony 2012 film and, especially watch the original Invisible Children film.

As for me, I'll be busy praying for Russell, praying for the children in Africa (many of whom are, at this moment, waking up in houses stuffed to overflowing with young children in an attempt to protect them from Kony), and even praying for Kony himself.  I will of course, also be busily preparing for April 20.

I hope you will join me in doing all of these things, regardless of how you feel about Russell or Invisible Children, because, the fact remains that Joseph Kony is out there, terrorizing and destroying lives, and he's doing it relatively secretly.  This cannot be allowed to continue.  The world must be awakened to what is happening.  We CANNOT allow this to persist.

For a while, I thought, "There's nothing I can do.  Eventually, Kony will die, and, hopefully, the LRA will with him."  But, if we believe this, we have learned nothing from the deaths of men like Osama bin Laden and Kim Jong Il.  Kony's death will not end the LRA, nor will it protect Africa's children.  Violence cannot bring about peace, just like darkness cannot bring about light.  It can only be through the trial and jailing of Joseph Kony that we can BEGIN to restore these people to life.

I know that's quite a sentence to just leave dangling, but it's explanation is another story for another time, my friends.

Lent: Dear World,

***Don't forget to sign the petition (and this one too!) to save refugees from North Korea!***

Blessing #19 - An ever shrinking world

Today was the first day that I reached every continent on the planet... assuming you don't count Antartica, and, as penguins aren't generally known to read, I don't.

Dear World,
Hello.
I don't know if you remember me or not, but I'm the little girl who promised to give you everything.  I'm just all grown up now.

Dear World,
I sometimes think that you'd rather I fell through the cracks or invested in a good roll of duct tape for my mouth.  Maybe I need to practice those things a little more, but I only speak out because I care.

Dear World,
In the time it took to bring about anyone on this earth who had given any thought to me (sans G-d, of course), you had pretty much managed to destroy yourself.  Maybe we should both work on some duct tape?

Dear World,
Yes, I did just drop the G-word, but the fact is, I think I'm leading a much more effective life when I'm pursing something higher than myself rather than something I can fit in my jeans' pocket.

Dear World,
I miss you, even when I'm out within you; I miss you so much.  Wherever I am, I'm thinking of the other places I'd like to also be.  Each country is magnificent.  I hope to be able to breathe in each one of those national treasures of wealth, knowledge, and tradition.

Dear World,
Each country is magnificent, but how much more magnificent would we be if we started working together for a change?

Dear World,
I'm only saying this because I love you.  I will continue to speak out, trying to form you into the best you can be.  If that angers you, then so be it.  I only hope that some of what I'm saying will sink in.  Really, I do love you.  Certainly I love you as a whole, but I am working to love each and every one of your inhabitants as well.

Dear World,
Never stop fighting for justice.  Never let mandates go unsearched.  Never turn a blind eye to your brothers and sisters.

All my love,

Anne Nicole Royster

Lent: Joseph Kony

***Don't forget to sign the petition (and this one too!) to save refugees from North Korea!***

Blessing #14: Shared Dreams

Warning:  This post is not rated G or PG, as it discusses incredibly graphic violence.  The video at the end has a much more user-friendly rating.

Joseph Kony.

Joseph Kony.

I keep writing his name, hoping it will get easier, but it doesn't.

I try to not hate anyone, but I can't guarantee that I don't hate this man.  I've spent so much time debating with Nate Kerr what I should do if I ever met this man face-to-face.  I firmly believe that you cannot bring peace through violence, but it is Joseph Kony who is the question to my logic.  Joseph Kony tests every single thing that I claim as a conviction of morality.  I try to censor myself when I talk about him, as I don't like upsetting people, but I will not be doing that today.  The information I will share with you today is the result of years of research on my own part.

In the 1980's, a rebel force rose up against the Ugandan government.  After near defeat, a voice rose up among the rebels: that of Alice Lakwena, the cousin to the then unknown Joseph Kony.  In many ways, she was equated to Joan of Arc for her people.  But in 2007, after fleeing from more technologically advanced forces, she died while hiding in a refugee camp.

Enter Joseph Kony.

Joseph Kony pulled back together his cousin's troops, and promised to instate a government based on the 10 Commandments, but his own people were scared, and turned on him.  He was furious, and began kidnapping their children to brainwash and enlist in his military actions.  He believed (rightly) that it was a lot easier to teach values, rather than reteach values.

His methods are brutal, but effective.

When a child is captured, his or her first act as a member of The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is to perform a public murder of a prominent member of their community, usually their own parents.  Should their mother be pregnant, it is not unheard of for the child to be forced to slice open his or her mother's belly (while she is alive) and have to eat the unborn child him/herself.  This paves the way for a series of psychological traumas that break down the structures of a healthy human mind.  This way, the LRA can mold this mind to accept unnatural actions as normal.  Secondarily, the child is warned that, even if they could escape, they would have nothing to go back to; their community would not want them after they performed a crime so heinous.  This is, sadly, not untrue.

The child is treated well, briefly, but will soon be beaten within an inch or his or her life (assuming he or she is not deemed dispensable).  If they survive, they are expected to keep quiet and follow the orders of their higher ups, or else they will be beaten again, or, worse, forced to beat and/or kill someone they care about within the LRA.

Girls are treated the same as the boys, until they hit puberty, when they are assigned a husband.  Men are assigned wives, based on their rank.  The highest ranked men get the most beautiful and useful wives.  They also are allowed the most wives.  Wives are also valued by their ranking within the LRA.  They are expected to feed their husbands' sexual appetites on demand, doing anything and everything that he wants.  Wives are expected to have sons and lots of them.  The punishment of wives who fail to meet these expectations is left to the discretion of their husbands.

Children who escape require years of rehabilitation, and, even then, they are rarely welcomed by their communities.  Many of them are so indoctrinated by Joseph Kony (especially those who are born into the LRA) that there is no way to restore them to a healthy mindset.  Joseph Kony has permanently addled them.

But there is a solution.

This is a moment I have craved and yearned after for years.  The time is now.  Watch this video and take action.  It's thirty minutes, but you don't even notice them ticking by.  This may be the most important thing you watch this year.  The end of this horrific plague is drawing near.

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Make a difference HERE.

Apparently, we have our answer.

***UPDATE: SIGN THE PETITION HERE.***

Recently, as the world knows, Kim Jong-Un succeeded his father as the leader of North Korea.  We all waited with baited breath to see how he intended to rule.  Ladies and gentlemen, we have our answer.

In December, I visited Korea's Demilitarized Zone, and got to peer across the border into North Korea itself.  What I saw broke my heart for the people who live there.  

We've all heard of the few who speak out and make their ways to other countries, gaining refugee status.  Unfortunately, North Korea and China are not honoring this status, "even though North Korea joined the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and inserted additional ‘respects and protections of human rights’ article into the constitution", and the "Chinese government agreed to the UN’s Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and the UN Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK stipulates ‘the principle of non-refoulement’ that the North Korean defectors seeking asylum should not be put back to dangerous situation." (Quoted from the article below.)

A single voice can be drowned out with plugged ears, but the voice of the many cannot be quelled.  Let me suggest a plan of action:

1. Read the article below, then post it to any and all social media sites to which you have access.
2. Join with the families of the arrested refugees, whether by mirroring their abstinence from food and drinks, abstaining from something else that these refugees are no longer allowed, setting aside a certain time for prayer for them each day, some combination of these things, or something entirely different.  These people are scared and feeling unheard right now.  Let them know they're not alone.
3. Correspond with your representatives and senators.   (A simple copy-paste of the plee below should do just fine.)  It's an election year in the U.S.; our voices travel further than they usually do.  As such, you could even go all the way to write to the president.  He's made a big show of his camaraderie with South Korea, demand that he stand by that now.  (The White House online correspondence asks for a limit of 2,500 characters, so I would recommend copying and pasting the first three paragraphs of the plee, and then pasting in "As refugees, these people are entitled to protection  under UN Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights.  This situation cannot be allowed to continue.  For more information, please visit http://tinyurl.com/SaveRefugees." Make sure you select "We the People - Petitions" in the subject line. I made sure I requested a response. That is up to you.)
4. Boycott all products from China. Look for the label. Nothing speaks louder than your money.

Let's not be the generation that stood aside and let massive slaughterings of people happen AGAIN.  It is a cycle that keeps repeating.  We ask our grandparents why it took so long for America to respond to Nazi death camps.  We ask our parents why it took so long for America to respond to the situation in Rwanda.  For what will we be known?

Every human life is intrinsically priceless.  Please read the article below, as copied from the blog Ask a Korean, and take action.

*                  *                  *

First, a little bit of background. As Kim Jong-Un attempts to consolidate his power in North Korea, one of the new regime's focus has been arresting as many North Koreans in China as possible. Right now, North Korea has sent into China a task force of covert agents numbering in the thousands -- a scale simply unprecedented -- who would pretend to be North Korean defectors, only to rat out true defectors to the Chinese police. The Chinese police arrests these defectors and repatriate them back to North Korea. Once back in North Korea, these defectors will face near certain deaths in gulags out of hard labor and starvation. Recently, there was an arrest of 28 North Korean defectors in China, who will be repatriated back to North Korea in just a few days. Right now, even as we speak, these defectors are essentially facing a death penalty if they are sent back to North Korea. Some of the defectors' families in South Korea (who defected before this group of defectors) are pleading that if these defectors are to be sent back to North Korea, they are better off killing themselves in the Chinese prison.

Mr. Joo Seong-Ha, whom regular readers of this blog would know well, decided to do something about this situation. Below is his plea regarding this issue, translated into English. Mr. Joo is hoping that the social services networks worldwide would be plastered with this message, so that the Chinese government would hopefully think twice before condemning North Korean defectors to certain death.

The Korean knows that a lot of AAK! readers came to this blog because of the peerless insight of Mr. Joo. If you learned anything new about North Korea thanks to one of his posts, you owe him -- and now is your chance to return the favor. It will not take much to put up this message on Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn, or any other social network to which you belong. Please, please carry this message forward. You may end up saving lives. Thank you.

*                  *                  *

Our appeal to the Chinese government and the international community for help. Please stop the repatriation of North Korean defectors! Forced repatriation is ultimately a death sentence.


Please help save the lives of North Korean defectors who are about to be repatriated by The Public Security Bureau of China. The defectors including minors are crying out for help, saying they’d rather die in China than be repatriated. Please help us stop the inhumane repatriation by the Chinese government. Compulsory repatriation will only result in cruel torture, persecution, and public execution. We ask the Chinese government and the global community to help in our effort to protect the human rights and save the lives of the innocent. 

From February 8th to the 13th, 28 North Korean defectors were arrested by the Public Security Bureau agents in three cities near the Chinese border. The first group had 10 people (4 men and 6 women) arrested in Shenyang, the second group consisted of 9 people arrested in Yian-ji, and the third group had 12 people arrested in Changchun. Reportedly, the 10 people detained in Shenyang contacted with their family in South Korea by the phone. 

The refugees escaped from North Korea for many different reasons. They had to suffer extended period of financial crisis, wide-spread starvation, electric power shortage, ‘guilt-by-association’ political system, absence of freedom of speech, travel or relocation, and violence against women and children. Some refugees escaped from the prison camps, while others left their country to meet with their families who had settled in South Korea. Most of the refugees want to come to South Korea but a few of them want to start a new life in other countries like the United States, the U.K. and Canada. 

The arrested defectors will go through 7 to 10 days of investigation before their repatriation. Therefore, the 10 people arrested in Shenyang are now facing immediate deportation. For a decade, the Chinese Bureau of Public Security has postponed the repatriation until the international community diverts their attention to other issues, and has so far repatriated over 10,000 refugees. The Chinese government is now evading negotiation on this matter with ambiguous answers, saying they cannot confirm the arrest of 28 North Koreans.

Recently, the North Korean government ordered a harsher crackdown on escapees during the 100 days of mourning period for Kim Jong-Il. After repatriation, the defectors will be sent to political prisoner camps and their chances of public execution are imminent. In the prison camp, their human rights of will be cruelly abused as they are subject to forced labor, involuntary abortion, physical violence, sexual assault, public execution, torture, medical experiment and lack of hygienic care. Even though North Korea joined the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and inserted additional ‘respects and protections of human rights’ article into the constitution, it has never followed or adhered to any of the rules. 

Most of the refugees want to come to South Korea, and many of them have families already residing in South Korea. For instance, one of the refugees under arrest is a teenager boy who does not have any family or relatives in North Korea but has a brother and a sister in South Korea. In this case, he is a full citizen of South Korea and the South Korean government has the right to ask the Chinese government to send him to South Korea. 

Kim Jong-un and his government must admit the sovereign default and the abuse of human rights of its citizens. As a leader, Kim should help promote the well-being of his citizens rather than promote the death of his people.

North Korean defectors left their country due to poverty, autocracy, and many other political reasons. So, their escape from North Korea and their desire to settle in South Korea prove that they qualify for the status of refugee or asylum seeker prescribed by the international law. The Chinese government agreed to the UN’s Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and the UN Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK stipulates ‘the principle of non-refoulement’ that the North Korean defectors seeking asylum should not be put back to dangerous situation. Therefore, the Chinese government must stop the forced repatriation and allow the refugees to continue their lives in other countries.

In an effort to show their opposition to North Korea, the families of the arrested refugees are abstaining from food and drinks, and appealing to the Chinese government while also trying to reach out to the international community. In one extreme case, a father of an arrested female refugee stated that he would rather have his own daughter killed by poison than taken back to North Korea. Her repatriation will only lead to indefinite torture eventually ending with public execution. 

We urge the Chinese government to protect the basic human rights and the lives of all human beings. Also, we encourage the Chinese government to understand and realize the importance of freedom and democracy for all people. Repatriation will cause long and painful suffering to the family members of the refugees. Tens of thousands of people in North and South are already feeling guilty as they failed to save their family. Please help us stop this pain and injustice. 

We appeal to all the people of conscience around the world, including worldwide news media, governments, leaders, and organizations. Please raise public awareness of the North Korean refugee crisis and the devastating effect of the Chinese government’s unjust repatriation. Please help save the lives of North Korean defectors. Show your love for humanity! 

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

***UPDATE: SIGN THE PETITION HERE.***

Korea's Demilitarized Zone (a follow up post)

Everything I saw during my visit to the DMZ has been percolating inside me.  The more I think about it, the more it breaks my heart.  I'm sure you could tell that based on my last posting about it... I wasn't exactly working to keep it a secret.

My friend Joshua and were talking today, and he showed me a trailer for a movie that came out here this past July (linked to the title).  It's getting ready to release in the U.S. with English subtitles.  It's all about the war that has been plaguing this little peninsula for the last 70 years.  I would highly recommend watching both the title-link and the trailer below, then taking yourself and anyone for whom it would be suitable to see this film.  Not only does it look very well done, I think it will voice my feelings on the subject better than I can.

As I said to Joshua, I feel like this war has captured my soul.  It's constantly there, on the edges of my mind, begging me to help in any way I can.  Currently, I have no idea how to help, so I'm doing the one thing that I know generally helps: I'm spreading the word.

Go see the movie; I pray that it wil break your heart too.

The one I've been really excited about posting, but kept putting off because I've knew it would take at least an hour to write... AKA: my family's trip to the DMZ.

(Believe it or not, I've had no caffeine today... mostly because I had three coffee dates with three different groups of people two days ago, and, well, I can still feel the affects... especially when I watch videos about caffeination.)

Okay.  I really am excited about this.  I've been secretly working on this post since 2011 (Dec. 31).  The short story is that on December 31, instead of getting drunk and making things explode, like the rest of the world, my family decided (well, I decided, and my family decided not to rock the boat) to go visit the front lines of a war (The Korean Demilitarized Zone) that's been waging for the past 70 years.  Yup.  70.  That's the very cold, calus version of what happened.  Here's how it happened in my head/heart:

We spent the night in Seoul, sot that we wouldn't have to get up even more insanely early to get to the USO in time.  As it was, I was incredibly stressed, trying to make sure we got there before they started turning people away.  I think I upset my family, but I hope they understood why I was so stressed.  They joked later about it, and how they were calm, because they couldn't understand the cabbie saying he had no idea where he was going, whereas I did... so I think they are chill about it now.
I felt a little awkward taking this picture, as I did about all the pictures we took while smiling on this trip, but I was so happy to be sharing this experience with my family, and I realized that the last family photo we got was in... maybe '09???... so I knew we needed some more... preferably with us looking happy to be around each other.

In between many successive games of Catan and our briefing from the military, I got picture number one of my whole family.  We were all tired, but I think it turned out pretty well.

The military personelle encouraged us to take many pictures and videos during the briefing, but asked us to turn off our flashes, as they had to memorize their spiel verbatim.  The way they talked about it, it sounded like they were trying to tell us that there was a lot more to the story than what they were allowed to tell us (duh).  I couldn't help but note that I never heard a cause for this war, and I never heard a cause to most of the fighting incidents between North and South Korea.  This is where my agitation began in the trip.  It grew throughout the day - a continual frustration at a war separating families and friends, all over what seems to be the selfish desires of some political leaders.  Why must our governments think only of themselves and rarely represent the people?

I'm including this photo, as we were never allowed to photograph Taesongdong (or anything on the South side of the DMZ, really), because it is such an important part of the DMZ.  Both North and South Korea are allowed a village within the DMZ, but the purposes of these villages are as vastly different as the political strategies of each side.  The people whose lineages are from Taesongdong are allowed to maintain a residence within the village.  There is a strict 10pm curfew, and residents must spend somewhere in the order of 340 nights a year within the village (students are granted an exception).  Failure to comply results in the immediate removal of your nuclear family.  Women may marry into the village, but men may not.  Students are given full scholarships to attend any university in Korea (this is a HUGE deal).  This is a major show of faith on the part of South Korea.
(I will write about the North Korean village in a little bit.)

Our guide/guard, Pfc. Futch, was both informative and entertaining, exactly the right combination to keep me from getting to introverted on this trip, and leaving feeling entirely frustrated/depressed.  He expressed an interested in attempting to transfer to Germany, so I spent some time talking with him about what to expect there.  It was nice to find someone else excited about that place.  I think the best part, though, was that he kept us feeling safe the whole time we were there, despite the fact that we were staring down a member of the Korean People's Army (North Korea) the whole time.

We were so close to North Korea... it sends little shivers down my spine, thinking about it.  Would this man kill me, given the chance?  Most likely.  I'm having trouble finding words to express the sadness-thrill-fear mix that is engulfing my stomach right now.  So I will here reiterate my constant desire for the world to see that peace cannot come from violence.  And I will voice for you your "broken world" counterargument, and we can all move forward.

Republic of Korea (ROK) (South Korea) soldiers face off with a KPA soldier in their modified taekwando stance and dark aviator sunglasses, designed specifically to prevent their showing any emotion toward their North Korean counterparts.
While observing this, I couldn't help but reflect back on my many Civil War class lessons, and the discussion of brother-on-brother fighting.  How many families are forced to fight and kill each other because of this war?  How many lives are ripped apart?  How could this possibly be worth it?

Momma, me, and Daddy in at the Joint Security Area (JSA), yards from the North Korean line.

This table marks the North Korean line, within a South-Korean-controlled building (so it's still technically South Korean).  I (and a lot of other people) did, however, get a bit excited about crossing the line "into" North Korea.

These posts mark the line over which we CANNOT stray.  Don't be fooled, it's heavily guarded by posts and checkpoints along the way.

Kijongdong, the North Korean village within the DMZ, more commonly referred to as  Propoganda Village.  Atop the 525-foot Tower flies a Democratic People's Republic of Korea flag, weighing in right around 600 pounds.  This flag is so heavy that it must be lowered in storms, or else it will tear under its own weight.
The major difference between Kijongdong and Taesongdong are the requirements to live within the villages.  While Taesongdong is rather strict, the rules to live in Kijongdong are rather simple, surprisingly enough.  From what I can tell, here is the one rule: DON'T.  After several defection incidents, North Korean citizens are no longer allowed this far south in their country.
So why the village at all?  Well, that answer lies within it nickname.  For many years, vast amounts of propaganda about the wonder of North Korea blared, deafeningly loud, from a speaker in Kijongdong, eight to ten hours a day, encouraging their neighbors in Taesongdong to defect to the "wonderfully prosperous village."  Those who did would be unknowingly met with a sickening surprise: The village is nothing but an expensive, vast Hollywood set.  The buildings are hollow, with painted on doors and windows.  A few buildings have actual holes for windows, so the South Koreans could see lights within them.  This plan is actually what proved their lack of floors, as the light is very bright at the top of the building and gradually gets more dim on the way down.  No, the only thing that would be there to welcome these defectors are KPA military, no doubt to interrogate and kill them, on accusations of espionage.  (Call me biased, but I dare you to prove me wrong.)

This is a memorial, marking the spot where Captain Arthur Bonifas (for whom the U.S. military base is named) and one of his men were brutally axed to death by KPA soldiers.  The event, known as the Axe-Murder Incident, revolved around the removal of a tree that had grown so tall as to block off some rather crucial sight-lines between two check points, one of which included a bridge between North and South Korea.  This apparently seemed like a crucial piece of strategy to the KPA soldiers, as they attacked in a swarm to prevent its removal.

This is the aforementioned bridge, also known a The Bridge of No Return.  There was a decent-sized POW exchange here, in which the POWs were told to pick a side, but, after they did, they would never again be allowed to cross the line.  I can't help but break for those people.  Again, there are so many families broken in half by this line.  How do you chose which part of your family to never see again?

Between this picture and the last, my dad and I opted to join the group touring the "3rd Tunnel."  A series of tunnels were found, leading from North Korea, under the DMZ, and surfacing, each about an hour away from Seoul.  We went all the way down to the North Korean line, where we could peer through a window, cut in on of the three walls now blocking the two sides.  In case that's not enough to stop someone, there's also a considerable amount of razor wire, and I'm pretty sure there are explosives.
There are four tunnels reported to be found, and about sixteen that are reported to be unfound, but I have a hard time believing that they still unknowns.  Maybe I have too much faith in our military, but I'm willing to bet that they were all found within a month or two of the first one.  Whether or not the military wants to report that is on them, but I know I wouldn't.  That's just bad strategy.

The photo above was taken at Dorasan Station, the last operating South Korean station before North Korea.  There used to be another one, further North, but the DPRK abused it, and so it was shut down.  I can't help but be excited about this station.  One day, when Korea is unified again (and I firmly believe it will be), this station will connect Busan (the Southern-most train station in Korea) to Lodon.  I fully intend on traveling the whole length of these tracks within my lifetime.

One day, I will show this picture to my grandchildren, as so many grandparents showed us their pictures of the Berlin Wall.  I will tell them how so many people thought that the cities down these tracks were closed of forever, and I will tell my grandchildren how those people were wrong.  I will tell them how my fingers were not a "V for Victory," but a sign of peace, my hope for the future and the legacy I want to leave behind.

Family portrait number two - at the crossroads of Korea.

Pray for peace.  L-rd knows, this world so desperately needs it.