week of love

Well, school's out, and the Koreans are coming!!! No, this isn't some sort of strange invasion. A lot of the Japanese staff here are actually from Korea, and tonight, their spiritual leaders from Korea are coming to visit for a few days. The past week and a half I've had a LOT of time to hang out with Naoko and Megumi, and even Mrs. Shin and just learn about how Navigators ministries are structured all over the world. I'm very interested in just learning how leadership, submission, even relationships look in different places. Apparently in Korea, it is VERY structured. The "spiritual leaders" as they call them, are the final say in any big decision. Lee, our 32 year old Korean friend studying Psychology at a grad school here, said he had to wait 4 years before his spiritual leaders would give him permission to go to Japan. He knows it was for the best, but he sure was frustrated for a long time. Mr. and Mrs. Shin and Jun and Hiroko had their relationships before marriage run by their spiritual leaders. When the men thought they were ready to get married, they talked to their male spiritual leader, who then talked to the women's spiritual leader, who then mentioned the name of a woman ready for marriage. The men pray about it, then the leaders tell the woman. The woman then prays about it, and they decide. Mr. and Mrs. Shin dated for a month, then got engaged, and a month and a half later, were married. Jun and Hiroko had 3 months between talking with their leaders and their marriage. And they've been very happily married ever since! I'm wondering what the differences are. Bigger sense that God is in control? Better obedience to leaders means better obedience to God and to their partner? It's just how they do? So, that's what I've been studying the past week. I wish I could go to Korea and see their Navigators. Koreans are very similar to Americans- very open and blunt about things, very open about their bodies (we learned this in the public bath. oh baby), and have a similar sense of humor. But, I've heard they are also very strict about studies, religion, etc. High-schoolers go to school at 7am, stay in the library studying until 10pm, come home and do homework until around 2am, sleep for a few hours, and wake up and do it again. Their weekends are spent at school studying for the big exam to enter college. Do you know ANY high-schooler in America that would attempt such a schedule, and could handle it for more than 2 months? Right.

But, all this time without students has me thinking. I've been growing closer and closer to Naoko and Megumi. With all the difficulties I've had with my American team, I really value these 2 ladies who have taken me in and consider me a sister. The other night, Naoko and I had "date night". We made kimchi (spicy Korean food) and watched "Dangerous Beauty 2" also known as "Miss Congeniality 2" :P Afterwards, we just sat and talked and laughed for hours upon hours. She loves to talk about my wedding, insisting that I get married next summer so she can come. We're trying to organize a trip to bring a few students to CO to tour the Navigators headquarters and do a homestay at my beautiful home in CO Springs. The staff would be able to talk to leaders from different Universities, as well as from headquarters. If any of you are interested in helping plan or fundraise for that, PLEASE let me know!!! But anyway, I'm just so thankful for them and their company. Naoko and I cook together usually at least once a day, and we teach each other about life and love and God. Sundays we do a quiet time together and share our thoughts about a verse in Proverbs. I'm just so thankful for these sisters that I've found, even if it took me traveling across the globe to find them.

Please continue to pray for relationships with the students, and their exams. Please also pray for all the Summer Impact Japan teams, as we have 2 1/2 weeks left and are getting slightly antsy to just return home. Please also pray for our friends and families, that they will greet us with open arms for the little time we will be home before heading off to Universities, and that we will be able to process this summer and the amazing work God has been doing in our hearts through this. Thank you so much for your support and constant encouragement. I really can't thank you enough for what this summer has done/is doing in my life.