First off, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!! I think about where I could be today. It is roughly 6pm in Huntsville, a placed filled, at the moment, with most of my lovely family. To tell you the truth there is no way to describe how much I love them. I try sometimes, but I have been divinely blessed with the people I am stuck with. They are clever, absurd, hilarious(!), dramatic, understated, affectionate, bold, conservative, wild, reliable, loving, and imperfect, but they are mine..THANK GOD!!! My favorite part of Thanksgiving day is pregaming in the kitchen. I normally avoid constant recipes, oven temperature monitoring, dishes, chopping, poking, kneading, more dishes, and mass amounts of cooking all together. This year I find myself remembering only the tasting, snacking, joking, bustle, and overall cheer among the kitchen goers and those who pass by for samples. Everyone has probably already had firsts and seconds, dessert, thirds, breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. They are likely spending time together or apart, but in the same house, hot tube, or in the car on their way to see the Christmas lights show we go to every year. It is probably warm and cozy wherever they may be. I miss them.
However, I am also so thankful for the blessings that I am experiencing where God has lead me today. Truthfully, I ate instant cup-o-ramen for dinner, and I am alone in may classroom at school, but there's some adventure mixed in there. I live in a country whose language I have wanted to learn since high school, I have learned to enjoy reading, and I get payed to teach a fun group of kids that make work SO interesting! I have also been blessed with a church and some friends who share some of my experiences as a cultural nomad.
The church that I am a part of here is really great! It has a huge number of foreigners and Koreans that go, which makes me feel like I stick out less, but that I am not trying to only hang out with foreigners. This is the church that I first attended on my second week here, and although I visited a number of other churched closer to me, I decided on this one and I'm so very glad that I did! It is a part of a bigger Korean church close by. It takes me about an hour and a half on the subway to get there, but it is worth it to be a part of a great christian community, with people from all over.
I really wanted to join a small group/bible study when I first settled on this church, but the small group sign ups only began in September. There was a list and brief description of all of the groups and qualifiers, like age, gender, or marital status, for some. I perused the times that they met and started to panic a bit, because I couldn't meet at any of their times. The only ones that worked with my late work schedule, met on Sundays, but had already filled up. I was feeling super discouraged, when I made it all the way to the bottom to find one that met on Saturdays! Under the descriptions is said that it required strong commitment from it's members to be able to be there for 6-7 hours, beginning at 9am, every week. WHAT?! Oh...it was a hiking small group...haha. I am not much for hiking or physical exertion of any kind if it is not fun, in some way, or competitive (like a race, a sport, or a game). So, I don't normally hike on purpose. I was also concerned that I might want to go some where some Saturday or do something wild and crazy that would take up some of that 6-7 hours. *sigh* decisions... It wasn't very full so I still had time to think about it. I eventually decided that it was worth it to make friends with people who I could talk to about God and could encourage me, and just new friends in general.
It is almost the end of the small group term now and I have loved been so blessed to be a part of this group! It was definitely a blessing that I had no other option, because if I had I may not have chosen this one. It forces me to exercise. Like I said earlier, physical exertion, unless it is competitive fun, is something I avoid. However, since I committed to this small group I have also committed to running three times a week. Honestly, I hate running, but I feel good and I know it's healthy; I'm actually getting a lot better at it! It also allows me to spend a lot of time every week with the people in my small group and I get to know them a lot better than if we just talked for an hour or two. Selfishly I love the part of hiking that doesn't allow people to just spontaneously decide to peace out; I mean a few of us want to make it to the top every time haha.
Oo and something so cool that happened the other day, my prayer partner, was at a men's conference put on by the church. I told him that I would pray for him and all the other men there. It was after class and I was in my class room alone, with an hour or so left until I would leave school left. I began to pray. And I felt like that Holy Spirit was in me. I know that God gives us his spirit for keeps once we are a part of his family, but I haven't ever felt like that before. I have felt like God used me, but never like I was a temple of the Holy Spirt. I felt like he was a prat of me for the first time. Does that make sense? Haha I may seem fairly absurd, but if you are reading this you are probably my friend and I thought you'd want to know about what is important to me haha. Well that's me. Thanks for reading. Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night!!!
P.s. if you have read thus far I can only assume it is because you love me haha...and just so you know, there is no opposition on my side if you feel compelled share some holiday cheer, by sending so nonperishable edibles (pulverized or not), they would be greatly appreciated. ;)
P.s.s. My address is.....
Haley Bledsoe
408 Hyundi I Park Mall, 1289, Jung Dong, Wonmi-Gu, Bucheon
South Korea
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