Hiking, Bratwurst, and Other Such Delights

This week has been fine. There is really nothing to report. Classes have kept me busy this week. It's very hot and sunny here lately. I try to go walking in the mornings and/or evenings, but it's hard to be motivated when it's this hot. I guess I shouldn't complain. At least it isn't rainy season.

Today was a little cooler, so I picked a new mountain trail to explore. Much to my surprise, I ended up at the same peak I've climbed before. It was a very sunny afternoon, but there was still a haze in the distance. At the peak, I met a British hiker named Edward who is very familiar with the trails around the town I live in. He pointed out some good routes that I didn't even know about, so I was really glad to have met him.

Tuesday is a holiday here (Liberation Day). There is a huge anti-American protest planned in Seoul. They're expecting 6,000-8,000 people at the start of it and as many as 30,000 people at the end of it. The US embassy sent an email out to all Americans who are registered with them, telling us we should avoid that whole downtown area of the city. I guess I'll stay here in the suburbs. No sense inciting people who are already angry! If the weather is bearable, I might try out one of the trails Edwards recommended.

While grocery shopping this week, I found "Wisconsin Bratwurst," so I thought I'd give them a try. Not too bad! They're MUCH better than the Korean sausages I’ve tried. Now I just need to find sauerkraut.

I'm putting the finishing touches on my Sunday school lesson for tomorrow, and then I'm calling it a night. It's so much easier to teach Sunday school when you have a curriculum! I've been writing my own lessons these past few weeks. It's especially challenging since I have a wide range of ages and English proficiency. The kids get a Bible memory verse printed in English and Korean every week, and they try to memorize it by the following week. (That reminds me--I haven't prepared that for tomorrow yet either!) I made a deal with them that if they try to learn it in English, I will try to learn it in Korean. I don't let the kids write the English verse phonetically in Korean, so they don't let me write the Korean verse phonetically in English. They think it's great. I wonder what I was thinking.

믿음은 바라는 것들의 실상이요 보지 못하는 것들의 증거니

In case you're curious, that's Hebrews 11:1.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Typing in Korean is good practice for me, I think.

We also learn a story each week. I draw or print pictures that tell the story and then have the kids narrate what's happening in the pictures. Then I have one of the more fluent kids read the story (or part of it) from the Bible. I try to include an active game or two that relates to the story. And of course, we have songs, lots and lots of songs. Why on earth I always end up leading music with small children is beyond me. Music is NOT one of my gifts. I can't sing, can't read notes, can't play an instrument. I don't even own a radio (CD player, MP3 player, etc.)! So how exactly do I end up leading music?