Return to Camp Casey

                The sun came out and the temperature rose above freezing so we did a little exploring in the warm afternoons. We pushed to the summit in one of the draws across the river and found a little town and the sight of a retreating deer as it bounded up the hill. We don’t think it was one of the fanged deer because it was closer to the body size of a mule deer but more red in color. It was still pretty fun.

          

                Another day we wandered up the river toward Jihang and discovered some lovely interpretive signs to help us identify the birds, bugs, and flowers along the trail. They also include history on the signs of their economic progress since the war in 1950. It’s amazing to see the stark contrast and easy to admire a people dedicated to hard work and family.

                We spent a couple of days at the USO at the front desk and found a soldier who has been here ten months and has made the resolve to return to church. It’s nice just to be available to listen to the soldiers when they come into the USO. We encountered several of our BESEP students who had taken their promotion exam and were pleased to see their excitement in reporting scores that make them promotion eligible. It is gratifying to hear them chronicle their experiences with the exam and the usefulness of the tools they learned with us in answering questions that had been tough for them.

             

                In the middle of the week we joined the missionaries for zone training. Each time we meet with the mission president and his wife we are amazed at the responsibility they shoulder and their humility in trusting that this is the Lord’s work and he will direct them. The missionaries were challenged to work places in their areas where they usually don’t go so we may do some finding with our missionaries in sections where they are unable to access with public transportation.

                The highlight of the week for me was the English lesson and discussion with our neighbor, Victoria. She had come with some very important questions and it was given to me by the Spirit how to frame the answers in a way she could understand. Mind you, I’m speaking in as simple English as I can while the missionaries are translating into Korean and we all knew without doubt how much the Lord loves this sister. He wants her to resolve her honest questions and to find joy. The elders and I just took a moment after she left to appreciate the spiritual feast we had experienced and the sheer joy of being a missionary and sharing our witness of Jesus Christ.

     

                 Friday evening I spent  with Shin Youn Jung to help her with her English. She gave me a pretty in-depth history of the political intrigue, assassinations, corruption, and determination of the people to seek leaders who will serve them rather than use their office for personal gain. The checks and balances in their constitution have not worked as we are seeing them work in the United States. They hope for reunification with North Korea and wonder if they will be up to the sacrifice it will require to lift their former countrymen from the poverty and servitude they now endure.