Happy Monday

It's hard to believe that I'm entering my 30th week in Korea. It's hard for me to process the journey I've been on as its happening, but as of late my brain has reached full capacity and consequently has begun to summarize and generalize some themes of experiential learning I've been subject to over the past 7 months. Here are some life lessons that are being acquired at this very moment:

1) I crave stability. More than anything else here. I feel like a butterfly (you'll have to forgive me...I've watched "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" DVD in every class since last Wednesday and I've got butterflies on the brain apparently) who has the God-given ability to fly and an intended destination, but also must take the wind into account. The winds are strong here in Korea, and they blow different ways on different days.

I like predictability. I like patterns. I like consistency. Being surrounded by external factors that defy those things has taught me that back home I was finding my stability in my circumstances, in the comfort of relationships and familiar problems and challenges - things that appear stable on the surface but are really only man-made substitutes for a solid foundation. I'm excited - the house of my identity is being rebuilt - but that's another metaphor for another blog.

2) I'm impulsive. If there was one biblical character I could compare myself to as of late, it would be none other than Peter. I totally get him. I'm headstrong and stubborn. I want to fight every battle. I feel like God has given me a very strong passion to see His Word preached accurately and honorably all over the world. However, when I see something being taken out of context or being preached in a way that I don't agree with, I get IRATE. And I'm not the kind of person to get mad. Ever. But its like I become the Hulk or something. People have to hold me back. So yeah...I should figure out why that's happening...get that under control...yikes.

3) I want to know everything. And I mean everything. If I ever have a "wondering" (like..."I wonder why September is called September using the Latin prefix meaning 7 when its the 9th month?") it takes me less than 24 hours to acquire the answer, because I am motivated to be knowledgable. However, I recently noticed that I tend to ask God in prayer a lot that He would reveal His plans to me or give me some indication of knowledge regarding certain issues. Man, I gotta let go of needing to know. I just gotta start doing stuff.

I had this thought the other day: It's as though God tells me that He's got a project for me, and on the morning I'm supposed to start working on it, He gives me a hammer and a some nails, gives me instructions for my day's work, and leaves me be. And I'm like, "Hey God - what am I building? What am I building? What am I building? What's this? What's this piece of wood for? Is this oak? Spruce? What's this for? Can you teach me how to use this again? When's lunch?"

God - I praise you for the patience you have shown me. I would have fired me long ago.

Cute story to leave you with before I go:

Today I was walking home after school and just about to cross a major road when I saw one of my fifth grade students on the other side of the street, also waiting to cross towards me. And as soon as that pedestrian walk signal flashed on she bolted out to me, and in the middle of the intersection yelled "Jessica Teacher!! I looove you!!" and gave me the biggest hug I've ever gotten from someone under 4'6" right there in the middle of the crosswalk. Hilarious and awesomely special.

Also, one of my fifth grade boys told me today that he thought my hair was beautiful. His actual words were something like...

"Teacher! Hair is...you beautiful!"

My whole life is finding meaning in random pieces of language. Its like a giant jigsaw puzzle. My days are like extended brainteasers. I love it! :)