Here I am... Send me! 1985~Press On!

Busan International Christian School

2008-12-17T06:17:00.000-08:00

Busan International Christian School:

Vision Statement:
Cultivating students of Christian character, values, and competency who strive for excellence in all areas of life.

Mission Statement:
To provide an integrated education from a Christian worldview so that students can face the challenges of today's world (Colossians 2:6-10).

Busan International Christian School

2008-12-17T05:46:00.000-08:00

Busan International Christian School

2008-12-17T05:40:00.000-08:00

Busan International Christian School

2008-12-17T05:35:00.000-08:00

Finally something!

2008-03-31T01:44:00.000-07:00

With Facebook and a busy life this blog is not as important.

Yet here are some pics anyway.

Some random pictures from the past month or so.

2007-06-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

2007-06-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

New Church! ICC

2007-06-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

Some of us here in Busan have started a new church. It has been a blessing and a challenge! Here is our blog:

http://iccpusan.blogspot.com/

My Pride!

2007-05-18T01:40:00.000-07:00

This is my car! ^^* Well, I've been driving it for the past two years! I will be selling now as I bought a newer one... but this one has served me very well over the past two years!

April

2007-04-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

10K

2007-04-04T04:40:00.000-07:00

I ran a 10k in 48:51... I was pretty happy!

Snowboarding...first time

2007-03-02T00:32:00.000-08:00

We went snowboarding for the first time ever the last weekend in February. We both did ok, but we certainly felt sore the next day! We went with Matthew, Keven, and Sae-young.

Farwell to Nathaniel and Sacha

2007-03-02T00:18:00.000-08:00

Nathaniel and Sacha left Korea after 2 1/2 years of teaching and haning out! Nathaniel won $120 at Wednesday night Poker at O'Brians. (My wife played too and made it to the final table!) The next day about 20 people went out to eat at Hello Thai. They will travel through Asia to Europe before heading home to Canada.

I will miss you!

An Awesome Wife...

2007-02-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

November 2006

The Last Pic

2007-02-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

No words for this:

Life in January!

2007-02-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of my life in January! Woogy came back from Austria and got married! Joon and Su-jin were there as well to celebrate!

Life in January!

2007-02-11T19:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of my life in January! Helped to start a Youth Group at AIM, had my 29th birthday, and received my TESOL Certificate!

Who am I in Christ?

2007-01-29T17:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas

2006-12-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

This was our Christmas here in Korea! ^^*

Merry Christmas 2006

2006-12-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas is here! Wow! Our small group from church has a wonderful evening planned. So-eun and I are really looking forward to it. We really wish that we could be in Akron, but we can’t.

We want to wish a Merry Christmas to all our family and friends scattered throughout the world! We miss you and love you!

James and So-eun

Two Different Worlds!

2006-12-22T20:11:00.000-08:00

I love Google Earth!

Here I can see where I grew up contrasted with where I live now! Wow! It really is two different worlds. You don't realize it from groud level, but from a bird's eye view, you can really see it.

Paintball...

2006-11-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

We played paintball again! I've been in Korea for over five years and I've never played paintball here until this month (November). We played twice! It was great fun! How often do you get to shoot your friends in the woods? The first time we went we had 13 people and this time we had 26 people!

I've included two pictures from last Saturday!

Thanksgiving Dinner at Matt's

2006-11-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

AIM's Thanksgiving Singers

2006-11-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

Shopping at Costco!

2006-11-26T06:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is the little things that make life easier here! We recently went to Costco and bought a lot of food that you cannot buy at a regular grocery store. My stomach is thanking me for the new variety of food!

A peek into my life here recently!

2006-11-20T19:34:00.000-08:00

A peek into my life recently!

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Yes, I played paintball recently! It was fun to play again!

A peek into my life recently!

2006-11-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

Life in Korea

2006-10-25T01:15:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures to give you an idea of life here in Busan, Korea!

Life in Korea

2006-10-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures to give you an idea of life here in Busan, Korea.

Some pictures of us as we traveled! ^^*

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Some pictures of us as we traveled! ^^*

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Some pictures of us as we traveled! ^^*

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Hong Kong!

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What a great city!!! We just loved our visit here!

Next Steps...

2006-09-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

Looks like I will be applying to CIU (Columbia International University) for the fall of 2007. I hope to finish my Master of Divinity there. I hope everything from TTGST will transfer. If it does then I can finish in about two years! So-eun will study English for a semester or two and hopefully then she'll study too!

There are so many little details to work out! Besides applying and getting accepted, we have to fill out fafsa, scholarship apps, secure housing for our budget, get transportation, find a job, get her visa finished, and figure out how to move ourselves there!

Please pray for us!

Taiwanese/Chinese Food

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Taiwanese/Chinese Food

2006-08-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

Taiwanese/Chinese Food

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Taiwanese/Chinese Food

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Thai Food

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Thai Food

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Thai Food

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Malaysian Food

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Malaysian Food

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Malaysian Food

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Hong Kong Food

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Hong Kong Food

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Hong Kong Food

2006-08-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Back to Korea

2006-08-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great time traveling and we have been home several weeks now. It's so hot here in Korea! Somewhere around 37 celcius. That's in the 90's. I have a lot that I want to say about my trip, but I need to organize my thoughts.

I'm now teaching at an English Camp for two weeks. I'm teaching middle school students. It's fun and hopefully the students will be able to improve their English.

I need to post all the pictures of our trip, but I haven't had the desire to sit in front of the computer for that long!

JIM

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2006-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

We were in KL for only 2 1/2 days but we had a great time. My friend Rose showed us around one day. It is a very interesting country. Three cultures together: Malay, Chinese, and Indian. It is mostly a Muslim country, but not completely. We enjoyed some shopping and eating and sightseeing. It was restful after our scuba diving! We went to a butterfly park one afternoon... thousands of butterflyies!

Thanks Rose for all your help!

Scuba Diving!

2006-07-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been 18 meters (54 feet) under the water?

It's awesome!

Sting rays... coral... turtles... fish... fish... fish!

Plus we swam with a 6 meter whale shark!

Wow!

Malaysia!

2006-06-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

We are now in Malaysia. We are on some tropical island.. it is called Prehntian Island... (spelling). Tomorrow we will begin to learn how to scuba dive. We are taking a five day course. Should be fun.

More later...

Hong Kong!

2006-06-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

We are in Hong Kong! It's one of the most amazing cities I've ever been to! It is very international, and very modern and wonderful in every way! Great shopping and great food. Great building and great public transportation! It's really hot too! Wow, about 33 C. We are staying at the YWAM base here and that has been very encouraging. These peopel are sacrificing everything to see the gospel advanced here in East Asia. I hope we can join them soon in full time missions.

We leave Monday for Bangkok, Thailand. We will take a train on Tuesday to Malaysia.

I love traveling!

Southeast Asia Adventure!

2006-06-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

From June 22 to July 22 my wife and I will be traveling in Southeast Asia!

1: Hong Kong: one of the biggest and unique cities in Asia. Shopping and sightseeing are a must!

2: Malaysia: scuba diving near some tropical island. Then to KL for some urban life. Shopping and eating.

3: Thailand: we just love this nation! Chaing Mai for cooking classes and some massage classes. Maybe time for a treck into the jungles. Then to Bangkok for shopping and more urban madness! More shopping and eating! ^^*

4: Taiwan: it's been a long time (summer of 2000) and I've really been wanting to go back. Hopefully we will meet up with Mark and Laura in Taichung. We might travel around the island depending on time.

The joys of living Out of Akron!

Crowds...so many people in one place!

2006-06-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

Some recent pictures I took in Seomyeon, a central area of Busan...

Prom: end of the year dance and buffet: 7 - 12

2006-05-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

At BFS they call it Prom, but it is really an end of the year dance and buffet.

End of the year dance and buffet for 7th to 12th

2006-05-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

End of the year dance and buffet... 7th through 12th grades... lots of food and lots of fun...

BFS PROM: End of the year dance and buffet!

2006-05-30T05:09:00.000-07:00

End of the year dance and buffet... 7th through 12th grade... they call it prom but it's not like back home.

A new big church in Busan...

2006-05-22T05:36:00.000-07:00

Lights! ^^*

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My wife! ^^*

2006-05-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

This was taken last year before we got married as a part of our wedding pictures. She is wearing a traditional Korean dress called a 'Hanbok.'

Eyes!

2006-05-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

Eyes!

2006-05-06T05:39:00.000-07:00

Chinese antique cabinet: $1,500

2006-04-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

This antique Chinese cabinet is at my friend's jewelry store. She paid $1,500 for it!

Troy, Charly, Dan: Summer 2004

2006-04-19T06:19:00.001-07:00

Happy Resurrection

2006-04-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

Easter seems to hold less meaning than the word resurrection. When people hear of Easter, they think of colored eggs, chocolate, a big rabbit, and dinner at grandma's. But the word resurrection holds more meaning. Easter is all about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus the Messiah has significance for each and every person on the planet. Why? Because when we die, that is not it! Death is only the beginning for us. Even though popular culture may teach us that death is the end. We trust the teaching of the Bible which teaches us that death is a permanent change of station. There is good and bad news. The bad news is that we all have fallen short of the standards of a perfect God. The good news is that he provides a way for us to meet those standards. The way is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is more than just a good man who taught good things. Jesus is God. He died on Friday to rise on Sunday! Without the resurrection of Jesus, there is no hope. Yet we have great hope because He did indeed rise and we all celebrate this every week and especially on Easter (Resurrection day)!

Paradise...

2006-04-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

Just another day...
in Paradise!

Shower Time...

2006-04-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

Life is fun!

2006-04-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Almost paradise... Silamon Island near Phuket, Thailand

2006-04-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

Silamon Island, near Phuket, Thailand.

2006-04-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

My wife loves Thailand too!

2006-04-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

I love Thailand!

2006-04-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

Castle #2

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3rd castle...

2006-04-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

Sandcastle...

Spring Break in Phuket!

2006-03-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

We are currently in Phuket, Thailand!

A friend hooked us up with his time share!

We are at the Alamanda Laguna Phuket Resort.... very nice!

I'll post pictures when we get back!

God Bless,

James

Care Package... Yes!

2006-03-15T04:25:00.000-08:00

The joys of home!

I have to thank my mother for putting together an excellent care package for us! We were able to use a friends address on the US army base and saved a bundle! Plus, it only took a week!

As you can see in the picture, we've gained about ten pounds since the package arrived! ^^* Lots to eat, plus some useful things that we needed!

Another year in Korea?

2006-03-15T04:18:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

Well, it looks like we'll be here for another year. I know that I was looking at some options for coming home, but nothing materialized. I really enjoy teaching in my subject area (Social Studies) and my school offered me to sign on for another year. I don't want to lose my position and go back to just being an ESL teacher. Therefore, So-eun and I have decided to stay here for at least one more year.

Everyone is welcome to come and visit!

Octopus anyone?

2006-03-04T05:25:00.000-08:00

I love living in exotic and different places! Korea has definitely stretched and changed my eating habits!

Burger King

2006-03-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

Sick... sick... sick...

We ate at Burger King on Thursday, February 23 before we took the 9:00 pm train to Seoul. It's only the second time I've eaten BK since I've been in Korea. I don't really like fast food, but we needed to eat quickly. It didn't taste good.

I woke up at 3:00 am... sick... sick... sick!

For the next 16 hours... sick... sick... sick!

Beware!

Akron friends

2006-01-31T20:50:00.000-08:00

Long time

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Long time...

Long time no see!

2006-01-31T20:47:00.000-08:00

Wow... it's been a long time!

2006-01-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

My wife surprised my when I came home from work! She was waiting at the door and had the house cleaned and decorated! She had made me breakfast in the morning! Love married life!

2006-01-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

Out to eat for my 28th Birthday!

2006-01-30T16:37:00.000-08:00

Nice little birthday meal!

2006-01-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

Taught a lesson one Roman gladiators...found this... thought I'd share it...

2006-01-30T15:30:00.000-08:00

This is Steve Titus... a good friend of mine... when I was in Taiwan I stayed with his sister and brother-in-law...

$5.40 a gallon!

2006-01-24T02:29:00.000-08:00

Do you think that you pay a lot for gas? I can remember the days when a gallon of gas was around 80 cents. When I came to Korea, I entered the world of the metric system. The whole world uses it, except America. It takes about four liters to equal one gallon. I pay roughly $1.40 per liter. That means I pay roughly $5.60 per gallon of gas!

Ouch! That hurts!

Exam Week!

2006-01-23T03:05:00.000-08:00

It's midterm time here. I thought that I'd challenge my students and give them essay tests! All of them! Easy to prepare, not so easy to grade! It's just the first day, and I have over 30 different essays to read and grade by Friday! Tomorrow I'll get more! Oh my! @.@ It's going to be a long week!

Wish I was here right about now! ^^*

Busy Waiting...

2006-01-17T05:23:00.000-08:00

Can you be busy waiting? I seem to be. What to do next year? I've put out feelers, and I am busy waiting on seeing what will happen. Another year in Korea, same school, different school? Back home? The Chapel? Maranatha? Another plan? I'm just busy waiting.

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Waterson

2006-01-12T03:18:00.000-08:00

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

2006-01-12T01:44:00.000-08:00

Phone calls...

2006-01-09T06:58:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how a single phone call can initiate the beginning of so many possibilities. . . Keep praying!

I watched "Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." I enjoyed it, but I was curious to know how closely it followed the book. I've read the book, but my memory is a bit foggy. I don't remember the fox being in the book.

Family devotions: any ideas or tips on how to do it well?

Greatest Threat to Human Rights?

2006-01-04T02:47:00.000-08:00

Every Friday I teach about the UN to my four different social studies classes, one 9th, one 10th, one 11th, and one 12th grade class.

I did a lesson on the UN's Declaration on Human Rights. We looked at the crisis in Sudan, and about some political activists being put into prison in Saudi Arabia.

My last question was: Which country do you feel is the greatest threat to human rights today?

Answer: Many of my students wrote, "The United States of America is the biggest threat to human rights today."

In a country where the US military has been stationed since the defeat of Japan, and where the current US administration is totally disliked, it's almost understandable. Plus the war in Afganistan, Iraq, and the War on Terror has US troops literally all over the globe. The students see this, and I believe that young people in general are against war. At least the majority of my students are, and I know that I am.

However, I hate the thought of the US being a threat to human rights. I want the US to be the world's defender of human rights. Not a country of double-standards. The US needs to hold firmly to a moral set of ethics and stick with them instead of flopping back and forth as it see fit.

Just the thoughts of a social studies teacher...

2006

2006-01-01T21:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all my family and friends!

We begin 2006 with a lot of expectations. Will 2006 be the year that I end my self-imposed exile and return to the States? Or will I continue here for another year? It seems that just when I'm ready to come home something new happens here. I'm currently looking at possibilities so that we can move home this summer, but I can't say for sure if any of these possibilities will pan out. If you want us to come home, pray that God would open some doors and close some other ones. Staying here has its bright spots as well, so we are praying for God's plan!

I'm going to see 'Narnia' tonight. I hope it's good!

Missing you all!

James

2006-01-01T21:01:00.002-08:00

Sharon Howard or Sophia Howard... which English name is better?

2006-01-01T21:01:00.001-08:00

Gotta love Japan...

2006-01-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

Just another day... riding in a taxi.

2006-01-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

My wife the bear! ^^*