Written September 12,2008

My Dear family and friends,

Sorry it's taken so long to update my blog.  I have been meaning to but it's been kind of hectic for the past 2 weeks.

UPDATE:

I finished my one year contract in South Korea last week Monday and left last week Thursday.  It was a long plane ride "home".  I'm trying to get over jet lag.  It's been getting better:)  I'm visiting my sister here at CIU (Columbia International University in South Carolina, my Alma Mater) this weekend. Next weekend I'll be visiting Grandma Seavey in New Hampshire.  It's been nice to see my family and spend time with them and seeing friends.

As for China: The school now has my test results (I took a psychological test 2 weeks ago as my last thing I needed to do). Now they are deciding.  So far as planned, I'm leaving to China on the 28th of this month. But what is hard is, since I haven't heard the "yes" I cannot get my visa, start getting things ready or start packing.  This is very hard because I want to do all of these but I can't.  I don't want to spend a lot of money and then not get accepted.  So if you can please pray that I will hear back really soon.  I don't have much time and it's coming up fast.  Pray that I will keep my head high and find my peace in the Lord.  As I've said before, waiting is not something I like very much.  But with this whole China thing I've had this incredible peace about it.  I'm not going crazy as I usually do.  I know that this whole China thing is from God alone and he has something huge.  I cannot back down now and He's shown me a lot. But it is still hard not knowing the real answer.

I still cannot believe that a year went by. In some ways it went fast and in other ways it went slow.  As I look back at my year in Korea, I see now how God put it all together.  It was fast. God has shown me that "impossible" is not in his vocabulary.  When ever we think something is impossible, God can make that something impossible into something possible.  God taught me a lot about myself; as a teacher, a woman and his child.  I have yet far to go, but Korea grew me in every way possible.  Teaching was very challenging but it's what I needed. I learned and grew so much just in one year. My relationship with God, I felt it grew.  Living alone was not bad as I thought it was going to be.  During the alone times, that's when I felt closer to God. Yes it was still hard not having someone else with me but God was.  I still have far to go in my relationship with God but it's growing. And last but not least I've learned that God has a reason for everything in our lives. We may not know it but there is.  He may have already shown you or he's working right now.  There are times when I ask myself "why Korea?"  I really don't know. But one thing I know.  Going to Korea has prepared me to go teach in China. In the school 65% of the students are Korean!  There are probably more reasons why God chose Korea but he hasn't shown me that yet. It's just amazing how God works!

Something I want to share with you:

Since 9th grade I've wanted to serve God overseas. Since my senior year of high school I wanted to be a Missionary Teacher.  I knew that when I graduated from College that I'd have to put my dream/goal on hold.  Usually schools overseas want at least 2 years of teaching experience so I knew that I couldn't do that right away as much as I wanted to.  But God in his awesome ways he showed me that anything, I mean anything is possible if we just trust him. Wow!  I had been struggling with.......

Continued October 6th 2008

...... letting go of something in my life.  I knew that I needed to fully give it up but I knew if I did just that, God would take away something else.  I know God doesn't deliberately take away something.  He takes away something but then gives us something better.  But it was so hard to do just that.  I was doing this Bible study by Beth Moore. She had been talking about God being our provider.  At t he end of each lesson she would have a personal response and this time she said something like "do you trust that God is your provider?" To be honest I couldn't say yes  and I wanted to.  I wanted to finish the lesson and truly mean it.  So I stopped and talked and prayed to God about it.  It took awhile but I finally came to the realization that it was time for me to give it all up to him.  And when that happened I felt different. Then God started to do something amazing in me.  It was like his test to me, in a good way.

I said earlier that I wanted to be a missionary teacher, teaching overseas. Well  my dream came true.  Within a week I had decided to go to Korea to teach.  This happened, mind you, a 3 to a month later after this bible study. My best friend and her husband had come down to visit for a week and that's when I heard about Korea. It sounded like a great opportunity.  I will never forget what her husband said to me (after I had said "oh that sounds like fun"), he turns around and says "come with us Bethany". Ever since then, Korea was in my mind.  I really wanted to go but I had already had this job offer and it was a great job too.  I didn't know which to choose. After talking to my parents, they encouraged me to go toward one door and if that door closes you know that the other was meant to be.  I have a hard time when God gives you two doors that are open.  I need either or.  But it was God's way of saying "Here Bethany, I give you two great opportunities and I will back you up. I want you to choose and trust me".  It was his ultimate test of trust.  So I went toward the one that I really wanted to do, Korea. I had no idea what I was doing, but I stepped out in faith and to be very honest, it felt so good. To be in that place not knowing, but knowing that you had given it all to God was great!

So for a year I was teaching overseas. Didn't even know that I'd be doing that right after college. My time in Korea, I don't know where to begin. It was amazing. I learned a lot, met some wonderful people and most of all I grew so much in every way.  

When I think back on how Korea all started it's just amazing to me.  See the thing that I was struggling with, was going back to Peru.  I hadn't been back in 5 years and I really wanted to go. But if I had gone, Korea wouldn't have happened. If I had gone back to the summer camp I was a counselor at, Korea wouldn't have happened. My parents were in NH with my grandmother who had fallen, my sister was in SC, my brother was visiting his girlfriend and my little brother was somewhere. So it was just me. It was the right time for God to work in me, to really get my attention.  I am just in awe on how Korea worked. It was a God-thing!!!

Again I'm sorry this took awhile!!