Hey! I am sorry that it has been so long since last I wrote. I have just been trying to soak in things and relax a bit, but I will try to do better in the future with keeping you all posted.
I have been on many adventures, as of late. The most significant of which was celebrating Chuseok with my Korean friends at their family homes. A few weeks after arriving in Korea, I was fortunate enough to meet Christine and David (these are only their English names haha), and their little baby Ju Hee (the spelling I could not tell you). They are a couple who are on staff with CRU (the same christian organization that my parents work for) in Korea.
This is JuHee, she is 2yrs
The weekend of the 6th through the 9th of September was Chuseok, a national holiday here that they compare to Thanksgiving; other than the family and the food, however, it is completely different!
Following a little Chuseok celebration, after work on Friday, I made it back to my apt. by 10:30ish and at about 11pm Christine and David picked me up to begin what would be a 5hr journey to David's home town. Chuseok triggers a great migration of sorts, that I would witness on the road ahead. Traditionally almost everyone goes to their hometown or the hometown of their male spouse for the holiday to be with their extended family.
David grew up in the country, but there are still so many people near by.
The day after we arrived, we when to the coast. The beach was a bit dirty, but I love being on the edge of the ocean. It feels so endless and free. We then met up with David's sisters family and headed to lunch together. As we were leaving we happened upon a cotton candy man, who made beautiful cotton candies that looked like enormous flowers. We decided to hit up the local McDonalds for lunch. Something I have learned and appreciate greatly about Korean food culture, is all of the sharing that goes on. When you go out to eat at a traditional Korean restaurant you order maybe the meat you would like and a plethora of sides. This is not and exaggeration, literally the table is completely covered with dishes leaving only enough room for glasses. Often everyone will have their own bowl of soup or rice, to which anything can be added, and the rest of the table is free game. This McDonalds venture was no different. We ordered a few mains along with community fries and drinks.
Later that evening we all ate dinner and spent time with David's uncles family. They were loads of fun and did their best to include me in everything, which I am so grateful for!! The whole evening we pre-gamed for Chuseok. I don't think I was ever very long without food in front of me; everything from meat and veggies to fruit and desserts, came without stop.
We played a few rounds of a new card game and after loads of laughs we finished the night out with a weird Tom Cruse film. As as side note, if you were wondering, most of the American/English films that come out here are in English and subtitled in Korean. After the movie we turned in for the night at David's uncle's house, because they had room for everyone. I slept in a room with Christine and Ju Hee. The mattress was heated (they are quite fond of heating things like mattresses and floors) which was new.
Through out the holiday, I often felt that I was stuck between the old and new halves of the bible. I usually consider myself to be more obviously effected by the New Testament (the second half of the bible) because it is in the New Testament that the non-Jews are finally said to be just as much a part of God's family as the biological decedents of Abraham (Romans 11:11-31). However, this weekend I encountered, what I had thought to be, old testament situations I had never really faced before. I hope this sentiment will become clearer to you as I continue.
Another view from David's home town.
In the room I stayed in was a large Buddha. I was beautifully carved and sitting in a location that made it the centerpiece for the room. I have seen idols before, but I had never slept in a room with one the size of a child. It bothered me and God and I had to talk through it. I offered at one point to burn it down or throw it out the window; but I didn't want my actions to be miss understood by my gracious hosts and family of my friend. God is infinitely more important and he would have the last say in what would honor him most, but I'm not that blind radical extremism is the best way to honor God. I began to feel that there really was no problem, because it was, after all, just wood. I think that making it into something to be wary of would in essence give it the credit of being more that the creation of a sculptor. I can't quite say what I mean, it's hard to explain, but I know who God is and this sculpture was only a sculpture.
On Sunday, we went to a small church where David went when he was young, I think. I didn't have a clue what was being said so I stood and tried to follow the tune of the songs and read my bible during the sermon. After words we ate ramen in the church with everybody. It was relaxing and loads of fun. We returned to David's parents apartment and began what would be several hours of cooking for Chuseok the next day. Everyone sat together on the floor in the main room and we all worked together to cut, assemble, and cook the feast. I took a brief nap, which was wonderful, and then rejoined the group. We ate the entire time we cooked, as you do, and just enjoyed each others company, even when I didn't know what they were saying. At one point Davids cousin, who is a senior in high school, was asked to take me with her to go get something from the store. It was very funny because they didn't think I knew what was going on, but I could tell that her mother wanted her to overcome her shyness and practice her English and she was protesting. I'm not entirely sure that they needed all of the things that we bought, but they wanted and excuse for her to take me. She is super sweet and we found a store in like 5 minutes. She would laugh every time she couldn't think of a word, but we figured out what she was trying to say in the end. We weren't gone very long and everyone protested when we got back haha. Good times :) That night we went to Keongju which was a palace many years ago that had been restored and was very pretty.
The next day, Chuseok, David left early to join the men in their journey from one of their relative's houses to the other in the age order of their older recently deceased relatives; or those who had been survived by their wives. From what I could tell, the women of the family will prepare food and a room, set up to accommodate and honour their relatives who have passed. When the men arrive there is are waves of bowing by the men in generational order. The food is then brought from the room and set out on tables for every one to share. I felt it again, stuck between the old and new halves of the Bible. The Old Testament clearly says to eat food that has been offered to idols if wrong, but I was facing the alternate of offending and not really loving people the way Jesus did. I was wracking my brain to find the answer and praying that God would give me wisdom. The only thing that was coming to mind was the part of Matthew 15 that says something like, what goes into your body doesn't make you unclean because it will eventually come out; it is what comes from a your mouth that makes you unclean, because that came from your heart. And God looks at your heart. I felt a little better because I really wanted to honor God in eating or not eating. So I decided to eat with them. I was still processing the same thoughts until about a week later when my dad told me to read 1 Corinthians 8 because this is exactly what it talked about. If you have a few minutes to look at it you definitely should so you can be ready if the same thing happens to you.
This was the post feast food. Yum!
Later on that day we packed up and went to Christine's Mother's house to spend time with them. She only has sisters so her daughters often come to see her after they visit their husband's families. Her family seemed very kind and her mother had cooked a feast for us all by herself. They didn't speak much English, but I didn't mind.
On Tuesday we left after lunch to visit a famous Buddhist temple near by. It was really more of a monastery comprised of many buildings and many monks who lived there. It was beautifully set up in the mountains on a large plot of land. Again I felt a bit between the old and new testaments of the Bible. We walked around for a bit and saw more sizes and statues of buddha than I ever thought could fit into one room. We watched people bow to the buddhas and leave money there. It was making Christine feel a bit sick so we just walked around the buildings talking.
Christine's mum is a farmer and this it the largest moon all year, thus Chuseok.
Seven hours and an Outback Steakhouse later I was home...sigh. Let me just say there were a few cars on the road haha. It was so wonderful to be welcomed into their families and be able to see the culture through my christian friends. I cannot tell you how blessed I feel at their generosity. And rely on God through the internal battles that the four days had introduced. And thus ends the saga haha. I hope it was not to long, honestly this is the abridged version.
May God continue to bless you all and help us to know him better. Thank you for your prayers!!! I will write again soon. Until then,
Haley
