So Long New Jersey and Thanks for All the Fish

It's time to say "see you later" to yet another state, NJ friends, and this sojourn on the journey we are on. This farewell is definitely not the first nor will it be the last, I'm sure. I was talking to a student last week about moving and saying "good-bye." And we were talking about how it is hard. But I reminded her that as Christians we do not have to say "good-bye"; instead, we get to say "see you later." And that thought makes the leaving exponentially more bearable though it is still not easy or fun.

So I thought for this current "see you later" I would commemorate some (and indeed, it would be impossible to do all) of the great times/people/places/memories of NJ, but first, a few things I will not miss:

1. The ants...I'm surprised that they have not carried away the house by now, but unless new renters move in soon and hire the exterminators like we did, there may soon not be a house to move in to.

2. The New Jersey roads: this includes, but is not limited to, the traffic, the turn-right-to-turn-left shenanigans, and the endless potholes that ruin the alignment on any and every car that even thinks about driving in New Jersey

3. The non-regulating shower with which we have put up for the past three years...one minute it was barely warm, and then the next, scalding hot. And when it was scalding hot, turning on the cold water made it hotter, and when it was barely warm, turning off the cold water made it colder...I know...first world problems...

And now for the list of what I will miss:

1. Liquid Church: I will miss the good preaching and teaching and the vision that this church has for reaching the lost in New Jersey and serving the least of these. We loved the preaching and grew in our walks with God during this stage in our lives. We are also thankful for B and A for their premarital counseling that took us a whole year into our marriage to complete. Pastor Tim and Pastor Tom were also so influential in our lives.

2. Our Life Group: T and J (and G), R and J, A and A, S and J, E and H, J and A have come to mean so much to us because you lived life with us. Your accountability and friendship means the world to us! You came into our lives during a time when we really needed friends, and your support and encouragement have sustained us through some rough times (especially for me during Liam's absence). Some of the best memories are trying Taylor Ham and Egg sandwiches, bike riding (especially across the bridge), kayaking the Delaware, great discussions about the Bible but also about what animals we would all be, Girl Scout cookies, and Apple Jacks, Bazooka, Cranberry Sauce, Doritos (why, oh why, do I remember that?), great memories of eating not-so-great Persian food, and of course, my first time at the shore...in the rain and fog and cold.

3. Veritas: Once again it has been my privilege to be a part of a great Christian school with a vision for discipleship and Christian education. I do not know why God only allowed me to work there one year, but I am glad that I crossed paths with such a great staff and so many awesome students that give me hope that God is still at work in our society and in the younger generations.

4. Telling people that New Jersey was better than I expected it to be. I was expecting miles and miles of Newark-esque city, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the rolling hills and the lakes and the green and the amazing flowering trees in the spring. And when most of my students came to school in cowboy boots and fish hooks stuck on their hats, I knew that I was not in the stereotypical version of New Jersey.

5. Our little lake cottage home: Despite the ants and the non-regulating shower, our house was such a great place to start off our first three years of marriage. We had some ups and downs our first three years of marriage (as every couple does), but in general, the memories are happy ones. And we had the best neighbors we could ask for, too! Thanks J and L.

6. Cinnamon Indian Restaurant...enough said.

7. Picatinny Arsenal: I think I may have been spoiled by this military base because I am sure that this introduction to military life was not typical, but I'm thankful for the easy transition into military life. And for the fellow wives that I met at PWOC and for their encouragement and empathy.

8. The marvelous times spent in God's creation which included Appalachian trail backpacking and hiking trips, river kayaking camping trips, hikes, mountain biking, skiing, car camping, lake kayaking, picnics, and drives through the woods, plus all the bear, deer, and turtle sightings. It really is a beautiful state.

I could go on, but most people have probably already stopped reading, so I will stop writing.

See you later, New Jersey.

Korean Food

I know everyone has been waiting for this post... the post on Korean Food! It's my goal to try at least one Korean dish per week while I'm here. We'll see how that goes.

	Apparently the Korean's love chocolate about as much as we Americans do. Except, they have a different spin on it. This is green tea chocolate from Jeju Island, and it was delicious. I can't really describe the taste other than just pure awesomeness.
This will be my next chocolate purchase. I'm not sure how it will taste, but it's chocolate. If it's anything like the Green Tea chocolate was, I won't be disappointed.
	This is called a Korean "Choco-Pie." It's basically a Korean Moon pie, except they're smaller, and probably a little more healthy. They're absolutely delicious.
The Koreans love some Lattes, but they have a different take on it than we American's do. This one caught my eye since it was definitely a non-traditional drink. I haven't tried it yet, but it's on the to-try list.
	Funny story. We went on a field trip last week (See the post below this one). After we were done visiting the Hanowan facility, we stopped at a little soup restaurant where we had "Bone Marrow Soup." It sounds gross, but it's just beef broth. They boiled beef ribs, and this was the water left over.  Anyway, most of the Americans in our group refused to eat it. I thought it was delicious.... well... after I added a bunch of stuff to give it flavor. Otherwise, it just tasted like water.
Koreans are notorious for their love of Kimchi. The bowl of red stuff on the right of this picture is a type of "Radish Kimchi." It basically just taste like a pickled radish with Chili and Cayenne pepper sprinkled on it. The texture is similar to an uncooked potato. I think its tasty, and one of the few types of Kimchi I will actually eat. Oh yeah, I ate some tofu too. It's in the background.
	The funny thing is... I think the Korean members of our tour group and myself were the only ones who actually ate our lunch. I paid $10 for it, your durn skippy I'm going to finish it. Anyway, the other Americans in my group revolted and demanded that we stop at McDonald's on the way back. So we did.
Instead of going to McDonald's, I went next door to Starbucks where I got a Yogurt Avocado drink. JUST KIDDING! If you know me at all, you know I despise that clabbered milk product they call yogurt, and I despise avocado just as much. I got a green tea latte instead.
	While we were at the rest stop, one of our Korean Augments to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) gave me this little gem. It's translated as a "Walnut cake snack.' It's a deep fried ball of walnut dough with a red bean paste in the center, and it was delicious.

So that's it for the first months worth of the Korean food adventure! I'm sure there will be more to follow.

Spirituality and the North

A few days ago, because of my job, I was afforded an opportunity that very few Koreans, and even fewer Americans, get to partake in; I got to visit a facility where North Korean defectors to the South are trained in the ways of the rest of the world. I cannot and will not go into much detail about the facility, but there is something I wanted to share with you.

During the tour, we were shown the “Spiritual rooms.” These spiritual rooms were basically rooms designed for worship of different faiths; Christian, Catholic, and Buddhist. A member of our group asked “Since North Korea is an atheist country, which religion do they normally turn to?” The answer was “Christian.” This shocked the majority of the group, thinking that Buddhist would be the more popular choice. At first I thought to myself, “This doesn’t surprise me at all with the sheer number of missionaries in Asia.” Later, I realized I was wrong. The missionaries play a huge part in it, that I am sure of, but I think it’s something else.

Before I get into what I think that “something else” is, let’s look at a quick demographic of the No-Ko refugees; 75% of all the refugees coming into the South are women, and nearly all of them experienced some kind of physical or mental violence. According to the Yonsei University Graduate School of Social Welfare, out of 140 defectors age 20-50, 57.6% had PTSD and 45.7% had attempted suicide. So what does that say about what they have gone through?

So what faith allows a person to come as they are with no judgement? Christianity does! These No-Kos are in pain from the slavery of their government and sexual bondage. When they are introduced to the different religions, they seek the one that says "Come to me you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." How much lighter must Christ's yoke seem than that of an oppressive government and sexual slavery! No, I'm not surprised at all when I hear that Christianity is the religion chosen over the others that are offered. Not one bit.

There's more than one way to skin a cat...or preserve flowers...

The original flowers:

The preserved flowers:

But, of course, the originals are prettier. Thanks for the flowers, Liam.

Can I call myself famous if my article gets published?

Here's an article that I recently wrote for the New Jersey Family Magazine, and I thought I would share it here for your reading enjoyment:

Truth in Education

The other day in my classroom, I was going through some old files when I came across some pictures that were printed on overhead projector sheets. I showed these pictures to my high school students, and they did not know what I was talking about when I mentioned an overhead projector. Not only did this incident make me feel like spending some time in front of the mirror searching for grey hairs, but it also made me realize how much the world has changed even in the number of years that I have been teaching. Technology, however, is not the only places where we have seen rapid change. The world of education itself has seen pretty drastic reforms within even the last fifteen years. On the government level, No Child Left Behind has now been left behind to be replaced by Race to the Top and the Common Core. And at the classroom level, gone are the days when the teacher has to request the computer lab weeks in advance and hope that the students have internet access at home to do a research assignment.

In an ever-changing world such as this one, we often ask questions such as, “How do we keep up with all these changes?” “How do we know what is best for our students?” and “What do the students need to know to be relevant in the culture in which they live?” And we may be tempted to ask an even older question, “What is truth in the world in which we live?” These questions can be very difficult ones, and they often are and should be discussed at length and in depth. However, when we look at these questions from a Christian perspective, the answer is actually quite simple.

When I look at the changing world around us and think about what my students need to know and what will help them to be relevant in the world in which they live, I am all the more reminded that eternity is what matters. From that perspective, I realize that what is important for me to teach my students, and what is absolutely vital that my students learn, is the only thing that will last for eternity: God’s Truth. And how do we know God’s truth? John 17:17 answers that question for us by saying that God’s Word is truth. Additionally, Jesus stated that “heaven and earth will pass away,” which of course includes overhead projectors, the internet, and even smart phones, but he continues, saying, “But my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

Does this mean, then, that in my English classroom I only teach the Bible and do not have my students read some of the great classics? Not at all, but what it does mean is that no matter what we are studying, whether it is Hamlet, To Kill a Mockingbird, or some new, modern short story, we look for what the literature says that matches God’s Truth from His Word. I am reminded of Augustine’s statement that “All truth is God’s truth” because it comes from the one who is Truth. I teach my students to ask the questions, “What is this book saying about a lost humanity in need of a Savior?” or “What consequences of sin is the story showing us?” As we look at the literature in light of God’s Word, we are able to see how sinful human beings are, how mankind is always searching for a Savior, and how God has revealed Himself to this world. And we always go back to God’s Word to find the hope that this sinful world needs. Even the Psalmist, when he looked at the world around him, said, “When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood” (Psalm 73:16-17). The Psalmist recognized that in order to gauge his surroundings correctly, he needed to find a perspective that would show him the truth.

When we use the perspective of God’s truth to look at the world, we begin to see what is important and what is just fleeting; we also learn where our focus should be, even when our surroundings, culture, and technology change. And we also realize that we do not need to be fazed when the world changes around us because our foundation is on one that will last for eternity.

A Year of Thankfulness

The Bible says to "give thanks in all circumstances" (I Thessalonians 5:18). I was reminded again this week that the verse does not say give thanks for all things rather in all things. That, in and of itself, is something for which to be thankful. God does not ask us to do something that He knows would be too difficult for us.

As I look at the coming year (of which we have 51 weeks left...too soon for a countdown?), which is a year that is not one that I would have chosen for myself, I am glad that God is not asking me to be thankful that I am separated from my husband or that I am going to have to do the packing and transitioning by myself or that I am yet again looking for another job. But God does call me to be thankful in those things.

In light of that, I have begun to call this year ahead "the year of thankfulness" whenever I think about it. On that note, here is what I have thanked God for this past week:

-Liam made it safely there and is transitioning well to the new time and place
-Joy that is not circumstantial
-A church and pastor that challenge me to submit all areas of my life to Christ's victory
-Vitamin D
-My knee felt better this week than it has for six months
-Modern technology that allows chats and face-to-face (or better said face-to-screen-face) conversations
-Mangoes
-People who pray for me
-Peace that passes understanding
-Future plans to which to look forward
-Marine and Army wife friends who know what it's like and know how to encourage

What will Liam smell this time? The delicious smell of the Dove Chocolate factory or the not-so-delicious smell of farmers fertilizing their fields?

Liam's version of heaven on earth

There's an art to tasting chocolate?

Mmm...chocolate BBQ chicken pizza

We created our own chocolate bars

The charm of Amish country

Covered Bridge #1

Covered Bridge #2 (and yes, they are called Kissing Bridges)

Covered Bridge #4 (I didn't get a picture of #3)
Covered Bridge #5

Covered Bridge #5 at which point Liam said, "Let's go home."