Pizza Hut with Samuel & Hyang Ho

After our second church service today, we celebrated our friendship with Samuel and Hyang Ho. A group of us from the Multi-Ethnic church at Yewon enjoyed a festive and delicious lunch at Pizza Hut! The Jangs were instrumental in making us feel welcome and indeed loved by the people of Yewon. Now the Colonel has been transferred to Daejon, about 1 and 1/2 hours from Seoul. We will still see each other from time to time, but getting together will take more of an effort for each of us. Meanwhile, the friends we have at Yewon will still make our time together that much more precious. Sitting on my lap, is Charity, Rusty's lovely daughter. to my left is our German-speaking Korean friend from Yewon. Dennis is in the back, along with some English translators. Rusty's wife is right behind me, Hyango Ho is to my right, your left. Way in the back and to the right is Daeyub, our current translator for the worship services.

A funny thing happened on the way to worship yesterday...

Friday night worship at Yewon is alway less formal, and more contemporary in nature. Yesterday was no exception! Pastor Chung thought it would be fun to remember some children's worship songs, complete with gestures. So after he demonstrated one, he had all the Elders come forward to do the same. No, they are not saying "Heil Hitler"! In fact the song is a missions song talking about the directions we go spreading the Gospel, "north, south, east & west". So we all enjoyed watching the elders, but then our fun turned to shock and surprise, when Pastor Chung called us up to join the fun. Not knowing the song, or the gestures, we did our best. Friedhelm got behind a gesture or two, and then he improvised, rubbing his tummy with one hand and patting his head with the other. That got a smile and a very robust laugh from nearly 1500 very happy Korean worshippers! We are not here to teach the Koreans anything they don't already know. We are here to make a difference and help them to enjoy the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And that is a "fun" mission!

March 13, 2009

Took the day off today to take Susan to the Hospital to have some routine tests done. Severance Hospital in Seoul, the International Clinic. It was very modern and interesting. Met Chongson, our translator, he was a nice young man, 29 years old. Told him about Yewon Church, and he is going there with us tonight for a contemporary service. Bomi has a part in the singing tonight, she came to Bible Study Wednesday. God bless you all!

Here is a group photo of our teaching staff at Seoul American High School. It was a beautiful March 10th, with typically sunny skies and temperature of about 59 degrees! Just a few minutes later at our faculty meeting, our principal announced this would be his last year in DODDS. Over 41 years in education, congratulations Bob! This means we are all expecting a few changes next year, for better or for worse. Julian and Randy really kept me from falling down the steep hill we were standing on for the picture. Liz the Art teacher and our neighbor is missing, because she is at a conference all week. I hope to be in many more of these photos in the future. It is really not a close-knit group, but when we need something from each other, everyone is always ready to help. Being in a military community overseas just makes us all more appreciative of each other.

Here are some very special people in our lives! This is an American soldier's family that we have sort of adopted. We play the role of young grandparents to these three wonderful children and go out to eat at the Mongolian Beef BBQ at the Navy Club with them a couple of times a month. Mom seems very happy to share them with us, since Dad is gone very often to keep the North Koreans on their side of the DMZ. This is the type of "supporting our troops" that we really enjoy!

Parking Garage at Yewon

Parking garage at Yewon Church. The parking space is at a premium. Here Dennis, was slender enough to get into the drivers' seat of my van, so he backed it out for me. It took no less than 9 Parking Garage attendants to move five vehicles out of the way for us. Koreans usually leave their key in the ignition, in case the car needs to be moved to let someone else out. One driver forget, and left their car locked up. I saw five attendants with several unique home-made wires attempt and in minutes "break into" the car and disengage the car alarm. With a friendly wave and a smile, we were soon on our way.

Shopping at HOME PLUS

Here I am with our friends Dennis, an American Sargeant, and Sun Wa who is also helping me learn Korean. Susan is taking the picture and we are at HOME PLUS, a six-story department store in Seoul. Going shopping with them is more fun than a chore!

Walking to LottoMart

Susan and I decided to go for a little walk today. We walked about 20 minutes to Seoul Station, the main train station in Seoul. There is a very large five story department store there, with food and dishes, etc on one floor. We saw a dance group performing on a stage in front of Seoul Station with lots of people watching them. We decided to have dinner at Bennigan's which also happens to be located there. After enjoying a very nice meal for about $35, we walked over to the store. We shopped and looked around for a while. When we came out to go home, we saw hundreds of young policemen with clubs and shields and helmets stationed in groups around the public demonstration that had replaced the dancing on the stage. We ducked under the performers on an escalator that went to the subway. Once at the bottom, we walked about 500 meters to another escalator and came back up to street level. On the other side it was quiet, but we could see dozens of police busses waiting for the policemen we had just seen. We walked back home, taking a different route. This winding trip took us back and forth between 5 story apartments, and we finally found our way home. Altogether we were gone over two hours, a good walk in the fresh air (albeit polluted fresh air) of Seoul. Another very nice adventure!

February 7, 2009

Sports update from Korea:
Game 12-Seoul American vs. Seoul Foreign, championship, 4 P.M. Final Score Seoul American wins 46-45! The boys win on a last second 19 foot jump shot by senior Joe McClean! The Seoul American girls won their conference tournament final against Seoul Foreign by 22 points earlier today!

So, as you can see, we have had a very successful day in sports at our school. My friend Steve Boyd is also the head basketball coach, so it was important for me to be there and show my support. Steve is a friend of mine since 1981. We had been separated for 23 years, but this year we have renewed our friendship. He calls me his friend, and explains to his worldly friends that I am his conscience too. Isn't that interesting. When we model a Christian life, our friends who do not have a personal relationship with Christ become our field of ministry.

Some Christians find it useful to go into the streets to minister to total strangers about Jesus, and while there is a lot to be gained from this type of evangelism, I think it is the people we have a relationship with in our work and family, who really represent our "evangelism field". They are the ones who see us when we make choices, who maybe even judge us when we really don't feel like being judged. We can easily conceal our weaknesses with total strangers, but those who are closer to us every day inevitably know us for our weaknesses and strengths. While I am not against others going door to door or walking the streets to find lost sheep or hidden disciples, I think the time we spend with family members and co-workers will more likely determine the type of harvest we will have in our faith. Both are valuable, but the people closer to us are really the ones we must reach. In the word, the apostle Paul says that "five words in an understood language" are better than a thousand unintelligible words. Actions and modeling Christ in our relationships is like the "five words that can be understood." "Cold-calling" or sharing the Gospel on the street can be effective, but for many we meet there, it is like speaking an unintelligible language. Pray for my friend Steve. I really would like to see him be healed and spiritually alive!

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We have been getting a little tired and illness has been a problem for both Susan and myself lately. We know it is only temporary though. We will become healthier again, and we are still looking forward to the rest of this school year. It is flying by quickly though. With a week of February already behind us, we are starting the planning process for our summer vacation in the USA! Talk about a fast year! Soon we wil receive our travel orders, and we will begin the process of completing itineraries, and booking flights. We do not know exactly where we will be staying the two+ months of summer. So far we have very few offers to stay with people. Our house is gone, and we will be in Vassar for at least two to three weeks, so I can help with the Frankenmuth Driver Education program one more time. After July 4, we are considering a trip to Colorado to see our friends and family there. Then in August we will spend some more time in Indiana and Michigan before coming back to Korea.
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My facebook friends is growing. Over 100 people now pop in to look at our pictures. I have enjoyed the pics of my friends too. One of my friends, has some very interesting people in his pictures...Hillary and Bill O'Reilly. I won't mention the name, but you know who you are...I think you have been really blessed to travel so much and meet such influential people. This is because God uses you to do his bidding, and I will continue to pray for your effectiveness in ministry in your difficult work. Another friend is married for the third time, and I think this time she may have hit the jackpot. Your pictures in the great outdoors look really great! May God bless you within this marriage, we all know your deserve a happy life, and I pray this will be your experience from now on.

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Looking forward to many things! Tomorrow is church and we will bring Dennis with us. He is returning from a tour in Iraq. A fine young married soldier from Kentucky. Dennis became a Christian in a Pentecostal church, so I know he will enjoy his stay in Korea. After he gets to know some folks at Yewon, I will go with him to Yoido, the full gospel church of Dr. Cho with 830,000 members. Maybe the Lord will open a door there for me to speak to all of them too. Nothing surprises me anymore...God does his blessing the Koreans with love from the German-American kid from Michigan whenever he wants to. I just go along for the ride, and let the Holy Spirit do the driving! It is not my place to change the church, but it is my place to warm up the friendship between its members. That is really what I think we all need to do. I can still remember the little chorus we used to sing when I was a child, "LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the Gospel in a word is LOVE, LOVE thy neighbor as thy brother, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE". Now my neighbor is half way around the world, and yet this biblical truth still rings true.

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Susan is still the best cook in the world! I do like the Korean food, but I just cannot get completely away from the American food all around us on the Post. For many non-Koreans who live here, the chance to get Taco Bell on the Post is a privilege. I suppose it makes sense, but I just love to shop and eat on the local economy. Last weekend I got some really super fruit at a grocery store called the "Home-something". The fruit was fresh and delicious. I only paid about 56,000 KRW ( about $40), and I put it into a box in the store, taped it up and carried it out to my car. I also bought a small radio/cd player with speakers there and now I can listen to the Korean Christian radio station in the mornings. I still don't understand it when they tell me, "it is now 5:35 A.M.", but I get the music pretty much. A lot of it is like what we would listen to in the states, just in Korean. They also play a lot more Hymns here than I am used to listening to. I like that. I had missed those 125 year old hymns, there is just something special about sacred Hymns that makes you feel a little closer to God.

One of our dearest friends here, Hyang Ho, has given us "Remnant Journals" to read and write in each day. I am not writing much yet, but I do really enjoy reading them. They also have short poems and stories in them that illustrate the Darak Bang's (Upper Room), theology. I have found it to be sound, and quite inspirational at times. The essence of the growth of small groups here, seems to lie in the simple principal that women form the cells and become the strength of their structures. While we men do contribute a lot, the success and ultimately the growth of the cell group seems to be inspired by the women. It may not seem like a big deal, but think about it. Who, but a woman, knows how to really nuture growth in a small group. Every family is really a small group, and while a man leads, it is the woman who usually makes the group responsive to each other's needs. Women were born to be nurturers,and nothing we have done to them in society has changed that! Thanks Hyang Ho for the journals, and please continue to be a part of our lives.

I have one last prayer request. Would you all please pray for our sons, Josua and Jeremias? We miss them both a lot, but we know they need to be strong and become great leaders themselves. Perhaps for some of you who know them...would you please reach out to them and let them know you care about them. They are so precious, and we know they need to be loved right now. In the summer we will catch up, but for now, some of you could really make a difference in letting them know you love them too.


 
Friedhelm & Susan Illian
a.k.a. Sung-Ho & Su-Ji

January 26, 2009

Journal Entry January 26, 2009

Rather than sending a journal entry, I thought some of you might enjoy listening to some of the beautiful Korean Christian music we get to listen to over here. Just click on the link below, turn up your speakers and let the Holy Spirit interpret the music for you. It is my favorite music to listen to during prayer time these days!

http://www.rutc.org/welcome.do



 
Friedhelm & Susan Illian
a.k.a. Sung-Ho & Su-Ji
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us; to him be all glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen"

December 12, 2008

December 12, 2008
Greetings in the Name of the Lord!
What an exciting evening it was. After a very busy, and somewhat stressful week at school, to end the work week with a Friday night service is a Korean church is quite a treat! The service began at 9 P.M, but we wanted to get an early start, so we could rehearse a special song we wanted to sing in the main service. We were scheduled to sing a song representing our Multi-ethnic service right after the children finished singing. I was asked to introduce our group to the congregation. We practiced going over the song a few times and had a time of food and fellowship, before going to the church service. During this fellowship, my good friend Colonel/Elder Sam Yeol Jang, presented me with a gift. It is a gift I will treasure for the rest of my life! He gave me a leather bound brand new Korean-English Bible in the NIV translation. It is called an enriched version, because it contains numerous pictures and illustrations, and it actually contains their hymnbook at the end. It is not a large as you might think, it is the perfect size for mobility. I kissed it, and hugged him, and fought back the tears as I held it to my heart! It is perhaps the nicest gift I have received in many years. It represents to me, what I believe, the Lord is doing in my life. At the age of 51, I am receiving a commission from the Lord to deliver a message to the Korean people from His people in the Church of God in America. It will take me several years to learn the language, but I am confident that I will do this and try to bless as many people as I can with the love I have stored up in me from the many years of receiving love and good solid teaching from my friends and ministers in America.

I introduced our group to a congregation of what seemed like 1500+ (conservative guess) people. Hanna translated my words, and when I omitted something once, I even noticed she filled it in very nicely for me. I love Hanna, she is a wonderful young lady, and she just always seems to know how to say and do things that please others. She is become the woman of virtue described in Proverbs, just like her mother. I am so blessed to have her translating for me, that I will truly miss her when she goes for six months to Taiwan, but I also know it is important for her to do this at this point in her life.

I told the Koreans that we are attached to the U.S. Military post, that I am a teacher in the American school, but that we wanted to find true Christian fellowship and true Gospel teaching among the Koreans. I explained that we love the Koreans, and we wanted to become a part of their church, rather than gather on Post with other Americans counting down the days until we transfer back to the states. There really is a difference. People on Post are very wonderful people, and their worship here is first class.

The Chaplains seem like very dedicated Christian people doing a great work among the Americans. But I felt led of the Lord to truly try to understand and empathize with the native Korean population. We have been so blessed by the things we have learned and experienced with the folks at Yewon, that we are so excited to make the effort to drive out there frequently. It was about a 60-75 minute drive when we first drove there, but we are learning to get around on better now on the lesser-traveled roads, and can usually make the trip in 30-40 minutes.

The children's choir was truly amazing. The children were all decked out in red and white uniforms, and were singing common English worship choruses. They had been choreographed and had memorized the 23rd Psalm in English! How many Americans would make the effort to learn even one verse in Korean? For that matter, how many of us can even quote the 23rd Psalm in our own language? They are truly being taught to hide the words of the Gospel in their hearts, and given excellent direction in their expression. They were all smiling and a very lively group, led by Hyang Ho Jang, (yes, Colonel Jang's wife and Hanna's mother)!

Then we sang a song that had been written by a sister of one of the members of the Yewon church, originally in Korean, then translated by Elder Clements into English. Rusty told us during the fellowship that he was moved to translate this particular song into English as a gesture to his friend who, an American in Iraq who had been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. His friend passed away a few months later, but had received the ultimate healing we all desire from the Lord in eternity. As Rusty explained this to us, his true passion for the Lord and his love for his friend became an emotional moment we all shared together. Rusty may be many things to many people, but I was not exaggerating when I told the congregation that we have been blessed by his ministry as the song and worship leader at the Multi-ethnic services!

The song is entitled: "Let the Fragrance of Your Love Blow Strong".
1. Long ago you knew this day we would gather here to call your name. Thank you Jesus for focusing your care on us and for coming and joining with us now. We want to start by remembering who you are. You're the Christ you rule all things. Your mercy power and your peace you pour out whenever we pray. Jesus heal us of cancers of crippleness, pain from incurable restore us to life, heal our joblessness, hopelessness, bankruptcy, shame, let the fragrance of your love blow strong.
2. Long before we went astray, you were planning what it would take to awaken us to your very love for us, so you came as man and joined our place. You suffered wrong more than any could endure, while as Christ you rule all things. Your death, resurrection have assured Final victory so we can say Lord, you've healed all our cancers our crippleness, pain from incurable restored us to life, healed our joblessness, hopelessness, bankruptcy, shame, How the fragrance of your love blows strong.

After we finished singing, our Lead Pastor said some very nice things about our group, and then he led the congregation in singing the same song in Korean. It was very beautiful to hear it sung by the whole congregation in Korean. The service was unique to the other services on Sunday, in that it was very contemporary. Complete with a super praise team, large Choir, guitars, and a dynamic worship leader we were surprised and blessed to see the congregation lift their hands in singing and praising God. They really get into worship, and the prayer at the end of the service was awesome. The Pastor concluded a great message from Hebrews Chapter 5 about mature believers, then introduced a prayer time. When he was done, everybody said "LORD" (in Korean) in unison, and started a 5-6 minute period of corporate prayer where everyone was praying out loud. People were really fervently praying and even leaning forward and backwards and lifting hands and even shouting unto the Lord their prayers. All the while the piano and a few instruments were playing very loudly and you could sense the excitement of believers communicating with their Lord through their prayers translated by the Holy Spirit! This whole service was so special, Susan and I both agreed we have to come out here on Friday nights as much as possible.

Well, I hope you are getting the sense that we are. Going on this adventure to Korea, was not only a good idea, but it really seems to be a "GOD" idea. Our friend Mona put it best, "I really think the Lord has sent you to our church for a reason". Mona always has the right words...on the way back home a car was coming very close to our vehicle from the other lane, and I noticed it was a newer model very nice car; I said, something like, "yeah come on over buddy, I will put a nice scratch on that beautiful car," (not a very Christian comment, I know), but Mona just pleasantly said, "scratch.com" Then after that whenever we observed another crazy Korean driver, one of us would just quote Mona, and repeat, "scratch.com".

Have a wonderful Christmas! Susan and I have only four classroom days left, then we look forward to our visit with Kari from China and her friend. Hanna will be with us for part of her visit, and after Christmas, Susan and I will be attending the Darak Bang training for 5 days, about an hour and a half south of Seoul. There we will learn 20 strategies of evangelism taught in our church. I hope to learn something I will be able to share with others in the summer months when I come back for a visit to America. We are excited about seeing our sons and many friends and family, but we are equally excited about coming back to Korea next August again.


 
Friedhelm & Susan Illian
a.k.a. Sung-Ho & Su-Ji
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his

December 21, 2008

Covenant Journey! What is it, you ask? It is incredible, awesome, inspirational and very professionally done! It is a musical, performed by young people, called "remnants" by our church in Korea. Remnants, because the Bible refers to believers who have not yet gone to heaven and continue to be faithful to their Promise to be God's People on Earth until the Second Coming of Jesus the Christ! Especially thought of in this definition are the young people, but in a way all who are living in these days and are faithful to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ are remnants too.

These young Koreans can sing in English, dialogue in Korean with printed translation, and perform as dancers! The musical was performed on stage with incredible stage and lighting effects. The actors and actresses all were well rehearsed and it was apparent they where trying to achieve a professionally accurate performance with special detail to every syllable, every phrase, every movement, timing and precision was the order of the day. The message was unshakeable with the true Gospel expressed in terms anyone could understand. The setting was contemporary with "West Side Story" type of choreography in front of a backdrop of historical truth from the story of Joseph as found in the Bible. Young performers dance and sing almost flawlessly in front of scenes meticulously designed and manipulated by stage hands. The realism in both the ancient story and the contemporary drug-infested neighborhood of "any world city" was only surpassed by the irony of the parallels drawn between the modern protagonist and the character of the betrayed brother Joseph, Jacob's beloved son!

While there was no apparent attempt at comedy, there were scenes that creatively moved the audience from warm humorous identification with the some character to complete empathy with the plight of the characters who were obviously victims of the evil work of Satan. It accurately portrayed the ever popular theme of Good versus Evil, and showed not only that Good will prevail, but the plot gives a powerful apologetic argument with explanation for the reason Good will prevail today as it does in ancient times. The music from the actors combined with a very accomplished orchestra performing live add a sense of realism and professionalism to an otherwise very nice musical. One gets the feeling these student actors really believe what they are involved in, and they want everyone in the audience to know the Christ the same way they have learned about him in the Darak Bang Movement, and especially in the RUTC (Remnant Unity Training Center: or Church Youth Center) that they appropriately introduce to the audience.

Tickets were reasonably priced, and the drive across town was well worth the effort too. We were able to share the performance with our good friend Kari Bailey, a teacher at a Christian International school in China. As usual, we were treated with great respect and love by our church family, led by the Jangs and our Lead Pastor Chung. We were asked to pose in a picture after the show. I felt compelled to purchase a copy of the CD of the songs, and I look forward to inviting many others to future performances. I am so sure this musical is timely, and well-done, that if I could, I would certainly donate one million dollars to see this performed in America. Of course I cannot, but I believe there are people with these resources who would be able to do exactly that. This musical is so wonderful, I believe it can truly have a major impact on the audience of any major city that invites these young people to come.

I hope you are enjoying time to spend with your family and loved ones this Christmas. As for us, we miss ours, but we are thankful for the good friends we have around us here to soften the blow of missing our wonderful family. It is not a good time to be alone, as everyone needs the company of others to truly experience the awesomeness of Christmas, and specifically Christ's coming into our lives.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Here we are together after the show...




 
Friedhelm & Susan Illian
A.k.a. Sung-Ho & Su-Ji
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us; to him be all glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen"

October 25, 2008

October 25, 2008
Well, we did it. We have been here in Seoul for 2 and 1/2 months, and we finally drove ourselves to church today. We left our apartment a little late this morning, and we knew we might not be able to get to a Taxi and get to our bus stop on time. We did not want to wait two hours for the next bus for the afternoon service, so we jumped in our Kia Carneval II van, and off we went. We left in such a hurry, we even forget to take our GPS system with us! We thought about going back for it, but I was confident that I could find the way. After all, we have been to Yewon to church at least 10 times on the bus. I knew the bus was taking a long route to be able to pick up a number of other passengers. So I got on the main road and drove toward the Han River. Once we got close to the river, I just drove by instinct, and followed the signs I can now read a little better. They use roman alphabet letters on all main road signs in Seoul, but even then the names of roads and bridges and sections of town are so long in spelling, and the pronunciation so difficult--it is still hard to navigate with traffic.

We were astounded how fast we got to the church. With the bus it was always at least a half hour ride. Today we got there in 25 minutes, and that was in spite of a 10-12 minute traffic delay at the end of the bridge for construction. Yes, on Sunday! We knew parking was going to be difficult, but we were committed now, we had to find a parking space. So we turned down a side street close to the church. When we did not find a space right away, we drove closer to the church. When we got to the church, we found a space not 50 meters from the door of the church. It was a perfect spot! Elder Samuel told us later, sometimes they come by and put parking tickets on cars parked there. We were lucky I guess. Next Sunday, Elder Samuel will arrange to have a space for us in the Church's parking garage.

Pastor Chong (Mook-as-nim=Pastor) had another great message on the Beattitudes today. Today he talked about "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth". I have decided he is a very good Pastor. Each week he seems to say something that just inspires me to want to give myself over to the Lord in every way. I suppose that is what we all seek in our Pastor, someone who nurtures and teaches, and still challenges us to become even more aware of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. Today there were more foreign visitors like us. A couple from Jeju Island, located off the southern coast of Korea, came to church and lunch with us. We always have so much fun fellow-shipping in these times with Korean (very healthy) food. The husband was from Spain, and they actually live in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. Someday, we would like to visit them on a vacation. They told us that many American businessmen retire there. Hmmmm....

Sue and I spent most of Saturday pulling more things out of boxes. We still have about 50-60 boxes left to unpack! I suppose we will be busy right through Christmas, getting our apartment organized. School is going well, but we are busy. This week is the last week of the marking period, and next week we have parent conferences. The following week is the Cross-Country Banquet. I do not get to go with my team to Japan, since half of the athletes are girls and they must send a female chaperone with the Head Coach. Our two other assistants are able to go, since they will not miss any days of pay. The student-athletes will have plenty of support and chaperones. I just hope they relax and run the best races of their young lives!

We are enjoying our SKYPE and with a new speaker system and webcam, we are able to talk with anyone and see them in real time. What an amazing system! If you don't have a PC with SKYPE and webcam/microphone, we can still talk on the phone. But SKYPE is free to download, and since we call so many numbers in the US and Canada, we pay only $5.95 per month for unlimited phone/picture calls. Get hooked up and type in our email address, so we can communicate in this manner with you too.
Windows messenger does the same thing and we have it too. We also have Google Talk if you prefer.

It is hard to believe it is almost November, and we still have barely scratched the surface of exploring Seoul, let alone Korea and Asia. I think it will take many years here to ever see everything we want to see here. The temperature has finally matched the season. Our days are filled with cool sunny air, 64 for the high and 42 for the low, on most days. A little rain falls now and then, but most of the time it is sunny and cool now. Great football weather...speaking of which, what is going on at Michigan. No, don't tell me, I would rather wait and see what happens in a couple of years! I think I am better off with only a little bit of sports on TV, and a lot more time to read, study, travel, and reach out to the many people here who do not know Jesus as their saviour yet! See what I mean, these Korean preachers are really rubbing off on me! Kergyma=Greek for preach or proclaim the Gospel to all nations, for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God! I think we will see many people seeking God's face in the days to come.

Christians who are thinking about moving to Canada, depending on the outcome of the election, should seriously consider why God has blessed us so much to be a part of a great nation! In spite of who leads us, we can still be the one who introduces our neighbors and co-workers to the peace that passes all understanding. America in Korean is "Mi-Guk", and it means "beautiful land". Half way around the world there are 48 million people who refer to the country we are citizens of, as a beautiful land! If that doesn't make you want to stand up and say the pledge of allegiance...you might be ready to move to Canada. It has been refreshing to stand up and say the pledge with my high school students every school day morning. I don't think it would be a bad idea to do that again in schools in the USA! No one is forced to say it, but everyone stands in respect. I say it loud enough to be heard every time, and my students do not even question it...they do the same!

SUMMER 2008

Friedhelm & Susan Illian
a.k.a. Sung-Ho & Su-Ji
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us; to him be all glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen"

November 8, 2008

Journal Entry November 8, 2008

Just in case you thought the Korean War was so long ago, there are no reminders of it left, read this brief article from the Stars and Stripes Newspaper:

Pacific briefs: Seoul evacuates 1,800 people
Stars and StripesPacific edition, Thursday, November 6, 2008
SEOUL — About 1,800 people were evacuated from downtown Seoul on Monday while emergency workers removed a 1,100-pound U.S. Bomb dropped during the Korean War.
About 80 workers, including firefighters, police and a South Korean air force explosive ordnance disposal team, worked for three hours to remove the undetonated bomb.
A construction worker found the 6.5-foot bomb while digging the foundation for a new high school gymnasium. Officials sealed off the area, and a security guard team from the nearby Blue House, the president’s residence, arrived to investigate.
The bomb was removed around 5:30 p.m. And moved to a South Korean air force base in a suburb of Seoul.
School is going well. Had Parent Conferences. With Gradespeed, online grading program where students and parents can log in and see their grades, only about a half dozen parents came to talk. All the meetings were positive, with several thanking me for coming here and improving the skills of their students tremendously already in just the first 9 weeks! We are going to form a German Club, and students will also be visiting the German School in Seoul for an exchange program. Our trip to Germany will happen in the Spring of 2010.
Still basking in the afterglow of our meeting with Chong Mooksanim, the Lead Pastor of our church in Yewon. (www.iyewon.org) It was a special meeting for me, because it was the first time I was able to speak with him directly with translation provided by Hanna Jang. Hanna is the 24 year old daughter to Elder Samuel. She is a very nice young lady, and very smart and friendly. Our conversation went for about an hour and a half, with the Pastor giving a brief defense of his faith, (apologetics I think they call that). He is a very passionate Christian, so it doesn't surprise me that his church and the Elders and missionaries are spreading the gospel to many lands. It is my hope to receive additional Seminary training while here in Korea, to give me an understanding and maybe even an insiders view of Church-Korean style. And it is different, believe me. Someday I look forward to preaching a brief sermon in Korean, and then coming back to the States and giving lectures on building the church for growth, learning from the Korean church model.
Had dinner with Steve and Monica at the Navy Club Thursday night. The Mongolian Beef night is our favorite. There are so many tasty vegetables and good American beef served with Korean sauces. Mmmmmm....good! Steve and I shared our sense of humor and laughed boisterously in the restaurant. A good laugh is very healthy! Reminds me of all the great times at dinner we shared with our friends in Michigan in the past. I remember each of you, and I have learned to value my friendships with all of you. It really doesn't matter what we were doing together, the relationships and friends we make along the way in life are the only things that last. I am getting to the point in life, where my memories of people like Mike Cottrell, Ken Wiedrick, John Weber, John Brooks, Charles Parker, and you, etc. Are truly important to me today. They form a mental map of people I have enjoyed being with that gives me comfort. I never feel alone, since I am always surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses in my memory. My friends and even my parents and family always seem to be right by my side. I believe it is one of the blessings the Holy Spirit gives us.
Well, our Cross Country team did it. They are now the "Far East Champions"! This result came, in spite of our fastest runner all year having his worst race of the year. The team depth was just too much for the competition, and so our boys finished the season with a 19-0 record and the girls were only two points shy in the finals and finished with an 18-1 record! The end of season banquet is Wednesday night. There should be a lot to celebrate. Our football team only lost once this season, and is playing this afternoon for the Far East Championship too. Our sports teams all played well this fall, and my friend Steve will continue the success as he is also the Head Basketball Coach. I am going to take a break from coaching, and focus on building my German program. I would really like to have a larger classroom next year with many more students.
I think some people in the Frankenmuth community took me for granted. Here, I am finding out how good I can be as a German teacher, and the students and parents and administration are all very appreciative of my skills. In hindsight, staying in Frankenmuth would have been a big mistake for me. I think a change of scenery and the accompanying challenges have re-energized me, just as I had hoped it would. I cannot see myself ever returning to the past and teaching in a school in Michigan again. I have lost a lot of money in losing the house, creditors are still threatening me, my pension in Michigan will be a lot smaller than it could have been; yet I am happier than I have been in a long time! I am living in Korea. My friend Kari from China is coming for Christmas; my son Josua has proposed to his wonderful girlfriend; my son Jeremias is happy in his new home; we have many new and some old friends back; my wife and I are like newly weds again...God is so good, all the time!
Caution: Do not read this next paragraph if you have had too much politics. Too much politics can be depressing!
Barack Obama, the first American man of color to become President of the United States of America. This is an historically wonderful moment for all Americans. He seems like a wise man, who has managed to rise to the highest office of the land. This may be a great moment in history, or not. Who can say what will happen now. The hope he inspires in all of us, may be just what we need, to make ourselves proud to be Americans. Maybe more people will become involved in the political process. Certainly the Evangelical Christian community has not been very socially active in bringing people together. May John McCain and Sarah Palin were just not what enough people wanted in their leaders. I know we say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in our school; this is a good practice, since I think our students are prepared to support Barack Obama as the president. Let us all get behind him and be happy for this man, his family, and the people who are jubilant and rejoicing for this historical day! There will be plenty of challenges for him and his new administration, and while I may disagree with many of his views, I intend to put my energy and effort into unity. The United States is ultimately NOT the Kingdom of Heaven, but only ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, with LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. Now America will change. It will be more like Europe. I hope and pray that the decisions made by this new administration will help the financially hurting and politically disenfranchised people in our nation. So many people have been hurt by the banking industry and their greedy policies; many more do not even feel welcome in this country because of some people's fear of illegal alliens taking their bread off their tables. How about a fresh new perspective on the immigration policy, "Mr. Obama, Tear Down that Fence between Mexico and the United States". Let's make America a free country again, and allow the tired, hungry, and poor to become citizens of the greatest nation on Earth again. You see, it is easy to make speeches and get fired up about something you personally believe in. Now, we have to wait and see what really happens in the next four years. God bless America.
Has anyone told you lately, how much God really loves you? Think about it! He made an infinite universe! He fashioned our ancestors out of some sand laying around on one of the planets; blew life into them; saw they were not perfect; gave them a chance to redeem themselves; and when he saw they could not live up to his expectations, he took a field trip to Earth; coming in the form of a perfectly innocent baby, like we all come into this world; he showed us through his own Son's Life how to pray, seek wisdom, be obedient to the father, defend the faith, touch and heal others around us, and be willing to sacrifice everything; even to suffer and die as necessary to purchase or redeem everyone who believes in him; to overcome all the obstacles and reconcile us to himself. Then he calls us "friend", and even gives us the title, "children of God"! Wow, I can give up anything on earth and look forward to an eternity without bills, pain, and heartache! I'm in, how about you?

October 17, 2008

Subject: Journal Entry October 17 2008

Is it possible that some things in Seoul are becoming routine? I guess anywhere in the world you go, there would always be days where you just don't experience something new. Well today, is NOT one of those days! Today the students had the day off, so their teachers could go to school. And boy did we ever! Today we went to Seoul Foreign School, (SFS), for Educator's Day. The official name of the conference was KORCOS/DODDS CONFERENCE 2008...see why it is just better to call it Educators Day? It started at 6:45 A.M. with Susan and I riding on one of those very nice busses we have over here. We arrived across town at SFS about 45 minutes later. Everyone, I mean several hundred teachers, got off the busses and stood around waiting for someone to tell them what to do next. I couldn't stand the suspense, so I started hiking up the hill to the courtyard area. I knew the layout from Cross-Country, we had just beaten SFS on their own track three weeks ago, so I figured if I got to the soccer field surrounded by all the buildings I would eventually run into someone who would direct me further. A few steps up the road, I noticed I was being followed by a very large contingent from Seoul American, Daegu and Osan Schools! They must have figured I knew where I was going! Luckily it worked out perfectly, as a SFS staff person directed me from the soccer field to the right building and the whole gang was happy. This just reminds me how many people follow their shepherd, or Jesus to eternal life. How awful it must be for someone following Budda or someone else, only to realize, too late in some cases, that their leader was just a seeker themselves!

The Opening Ceremony started right on time with a Traditional Korean Drum Dance performed by some local professionals. This was followed by brief, but positive, speeches by Dr. Einstein Lavina, (President of KORCOS-International School Federation), and our American Teacher of the Year and our own acting Superintendent. The Keynote speaker was Mr. John Joseph from Australia. You can get a pretty good idea what he talked about if you want from: john.joseph@focuseducation.com.au online. He was a brilliant educator and a fine speaker too.

Then followed many sessions for about an hour each. I got to choose from a booklet, which ones I wanted to attend. I went to several foreign language and language arts presentations made by other teachers. This was fantastic. Some of the best professional development I have received in many years! These teachers shared freely and openly some of their "best secrets" to success in teaching. Some of them I had heard of, but no one had ever really explained them to me so clearly! I enjoyed every minute of each presentation! While I did not really have much time for lunch, I did stop by for 15 minutes to grab a quick bite from the cafeteria. They had international dishes being prepared by people who were really from those countries. I finally chose an Indian Curry Chicken plate. I was not dissappointed. It was spicy and delicious, and only cost $5! That left me enough money for two raffle tickets and emergency cash for a taxi, in case we missed the bus to go home. Emergency cash for a subway, taxi or train is really essential in a foreign country!

Well, the many wonderful presentations finally ended and we went to the closing ceremonies. I cannot believe how many hills and steps I had climbed today! No wonder the teachers and students of SFS are all in such good physical condition! We were blessed in the closing ceremony by a Harp presentation by a young girl from Osan. She was very good, and her music was indeed...are you ready for this...heavenly! What else? It was a harp! Today I learned about foreign language resources, research writing, digital scrap-booking, making vocabulary stick in English and German classes, and all about the brain and how different people perceive their "worlds" from one of the world's foremost authorities on the subject! What could make this even better?...Winning with both of my tickets in the Raffle! Yes, believe it or not! My lucky number 214 was drawn, and I won a night in the Seoul Hotel Hilton! I went online later and found out it was worth about $190! I think God might have had his hand in there somehow, because we were just starting to wonder what special thing we could afford to do for our 30th wedding anniversary! Isn't God good?...All the time! And to top it off, my number 215 ticket was drawn for a Breakfast Buffet at the Comiskeys', one of the fine restaurants on the Post!

The weather has been wonderful, highs around 72 and sunny, but very dry, and we have seen quite a bit of Yellow dust from Mongolia move over us. We almost jumped up into the BLUE zone today (UG over 200!). This means it was unhealthy to stay outside for periods of time today. Usually this doesn't happen until March, but then it can go over 400 and become downright dangerous to be outside for periods of time. We will keep you posted how this develops, especially with Susan's allergies!

Yesterday, Susan and I voted for the President with absentee ballots! Good Luck, Mr. President!!!
Next week we are getting a satellite dish and an AFN decoder, so we will be able to watch some American News and Sports programs in our apartment. The installation is a moving in present from our landlord, and we only have to pay $13 per month for the American programming. Tomorrow we travel to Oijamboo, (WE-SCHJAM-BOO) for the KAIAC Conference Championships! Our kids are really pumped!

I am encouraged by the number of people who have written and told me to keep sending my journal entries. I am glad you find them worth your time to read. Even if there is only some of my ramblings that inspires you to live intentionally for Christ, it is worth the time it takes to write them. We have so many friends now, in so many places, I am just so thankful to have a computer to be able to reach out to you all. We love reading your responses too. By all means send us updates on your lives, experiences, trials and tribulations, and anything the Lord is doing in your lives. We watch for them daily! God bless you all, and to all a very good night. I will close this entry with a benediction shared with me by one of the finest Christian Pastors I have ever known...Charles Trull!

‘ Lord, support us all the day long, until the evening comes, the shadows lengthen, the busy world is hushed, and our work is done. Then in your mercy, grant unto us a safe lodging, a holy rest, and peace at last, through Christ our Lord. Amen.’

Friedhelm & Susan Illian
a.k.a. Sung-Ho & Su-Ji

August through September 8, 2008

Hello,
My name is Friedhelm Illian, and you are receiving this because you are considered a good friend of mine or my wife Susan, or both in many cases. It has also come to our attention, that you may not have received some or perhaps any of our recent journal entries. To be very honest, this whole journal writing thing is pretty new to me too! I have come to the conclusion at the age of 51, that life is finally getting so fast and exciting for us that we cannot keep up with just talking on the phone anymore. We have so many friends now, around the world, that we want to keep in touch with on a regular basis. You are one of them. We thank you for your friendship, and welcome you to read about our Adventure. It is only six weeks now since we have moved to Korea, but already we are very excited about being here and cannot wait to see what the future holds. In the summer we will be in the USA, so we will hopefully be able to see each one of you for a short time each year. Enjoy our adventure with us…

Journal Entry August 12, 2008 (one week in Korea)

Today we looked at several apartments and finally walked into one, and Sue said, "This is it!". I guess as long as she is happy, I am too. It is a really nice place. All brand new, with marble floors with in-floor radiant heat, and air conditioning throughout. The thermometer has been above 90 for the high more than below it. And when a shower cools things down to 86, it is humid over 90%! So we are adjusting to the time change and the weather. But we are eating well at the 5-star hotel. Once in a while we are venturing off-post and tasting the local cuisine. It is delicious!

The local Koreans attached to the American military are sometimes a challenge to deal with. For instance, we had to have them authorize our ID passes to move off and on post. They insisted we show them our marriage license! After 30 years together, we kind of take it for granted that we are married. The US government already verified that we were married and put our names on the Orders, but the local Katusa had their own rules, and did not bother to tell us about them before we packed our marriage license with other important papers in a box that has not arrived in Korea yet! Oh well, another adventure!

Met a lady named Mona. She is a member of the "remnant", their word for Christians who are still on earth. The scattered loyal to God faithful referenced in Isaiah 10. and 2 Kings. (check your bible). She is researching the "Church of God" congregations in Seoul for me. She thinks she may have found one of our Pastors in Seoul. She will bring him to our apartment for dinner when we get settled. I think she will be a great friend in the years to come. She is Presbyterian, but first and foremost a "member of the remnant". I kind of like that concept too!

Our apartment has four bedrooms, so we have lots of room if you ever want to visit. I would suggest you cut the trip in half with a week layover in Hawaii. But that should make it a wonderful trip.

Got my haircut today. Under $8! Great cut too by a beautiful Korean girl. Ah, life can be difficult sometimes! They give an automatic massage after the shampoo and cut. I just took the cut and was done in 10 minutes. (too embarrassed for the full treatment--have to work up my nerve for that).

Stay in touch my friends, the best is yet to come!


Journal Entry August 14, 2008
Glad to see you are still on line. We are now living in South Korea and loving it. I decided 14 years in one place was long enough, so I applied to teach overseas, thinking it might take a couple of years. Well, low and behold I got offered a position with the Department of Defense Dependents Schools right away. Let me tell you, this is not just another teaching job. This place is incredible! We are in a beautiful hotel, waiting for our beautiful apartment to be filled with our furniture...all paid for by this job. I thought I might have to take a cut in pay, but it is more than teaching back home. We are experiencing something we have never experienced before every day!
Today we went to a department store. The whole first floor was cameras! From $2000 to $200. The next floor was computers, the next televisions, and on it went. We found a movie theatre where you can watch the latest American movies (with Korean subtitles). Plus you can get two buckets of popcorn, drinks, candy and some pastry treats for $10!!! It was very cool, and they even let you purchase your ticket and select your seat, just like on an airplane!
In the grocery store they must have had 100 people handing out free samples of every meat, fish and pasta imaginable! Four little Korean girls walked up to me, and the bold one said "Hi" in English. I said "hi, how are you?" They all giggled like I had just tickled them, and the bold one responded with, "I am very fine, thank you!" Then they all laughed out loud like they couldn't believe their friend had actually spoken to me in English! I moved to another free sample vendor and they all came running and jumped in front of me to eat up the free samples! I just exclaimed, "Girls, what are you doing?". They giggled some more and proceeded to follow us around the store. Just another fun day in Seoul!

Journal Entry September 27, 2008

It has been a while since I sent out a Journal Entry. With school getting fully underway, we have been very busy. Susan with Vincent, her special education student, and me with teaching and cross-country. We sometimes are finding it difficult to get quality time together. We now have many new friends, and we love to spend time with them, but sometimes there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day! You know that feeling to, don't you?

This morning we hosted our first home cross-country meet. Naturally we won again. It is fun to see our young men and women constantly working hard in practice and then improving on their own best personal times! We beat our Korean International competition pretty easily, in fact we ran all the boys in one race and all the girls in another race, just so our JV kids could give our Varsity some competition. I handed out the popsicyle sticks with their place on them, and of the first 10, 8 or 9 of them were from our high school.

We decided to try to find a German Restaurant in Seoul for dinner. Sooner or later, I am going to take my students out to eat at a German Restaurant. So we found one called the Bärlin Restaurant, located in the beautiful Somerset Palace Hotel. It would also be our first ride on the subway to get there. From our apartment, we walked about 15-20 minutes up and down a good sized hill to get to the subway. It was an interesting walk, and we say many shops for the first time on the way. The subway was everything they advertise over here. It was clean, inexpensive, very efficient and safe. We paid only 1,000 KRW (about 85 cents) each to ride the subway from Seoul station to Anguk. We only had to change trains once. The traffic was pretty heavy, but there were places to reach up and hold on for the ride. It was a very smooth ride, but the subway moves so quickly there are jerks, especially at the start and finish of the ride. People were not pushy or overly stressed. They just moved around quickly and went from place to place. Several people stared at our friend's little girl, (she has blonde curly hair, and she always gets lots of attention from the Korean women for it), but nothing unusual. One very old and poor looking man did try to hold the little girl's arm, but he let go when he saw she was not interested in getting a "new grandpa". I think Uncle Friedhelm is quickly growing into that role! Once we got to the Anguk station and stepped off the subway, we still had to go for quite a walk. Altogether, I would say riding the subway ended up being about a mile and a half walk too!

When we got to the Hotel Restaurant, it was worth the effort! It was a very large, and beautifully furnished modern German looking restaurant. The wait staff was polite and friendly, but none of them could speak German. Nevertheless, the Jägerschnitzel, although it was pork instead of veal, was very good. The cucumber salad and pommes frites, (French fries), were also good. And the Kaiserschmarren for dessert was divine! The bill was not so heavenly, but it was a very special two hour dinner for us all, and we enjoyed the company of three teachers from the school. Coming home was a trip! I mean literally! There were no lights along the sidewalks and much of the way we had to walk was torn up. I was really afraid I would stumble over something or someone and hurt my back or something. So I suggested we just take a Taxi home. Very good suggestion! Hailing a cab was easy. You just hold out your outstretch arm and hold your hand face down. Once aboard, the cab driver took us on a very direct route home, and we made it back in less than half the time it would have taken with the subway. And the cab fare??? Only 540 KRW, (less than $4) and there were four of us in the cab!!!

Riding in the cab we got to see how lovely this city is at night! It really is a beautiful and bustling place. The lights, the traffic, and the very beautiful and interesting people, scurrying everywhere and really looking like a safe and happy bunch, just makes me wonder why God has so richly blessed us to be allowed to live and work here in Korea! God really is good, and this is a wonderful place. Colonel Jang told us at the Wednesday night Bible Study, that God wants us all to be fishers of men. Then he looked right at me, and said, right Pastor Illian? Don't you know it has been a long time, since I was so excited about going to church on Sunday morning, as I am this Saturday night in Seoul?

Take care, and have a wonderful day!

Journal Entry September 29, 2008

Whew! Our furniture and household goods from Vassar Michigan have arrived! It took six Korean men to unload all three trucks and "squeeze" everything we own into our four bedroom apartment in Seoul. It was spacious and huge when we did not have any furniture. But now it is crowded and very overwhelming. Many things are still in boxes, especially the books and paperwork. We asked them to open all the boxes, but we had to coax one of the men to stay behind and cut open boxes. The rest all left when they felt the job was done. Susan and I will have many evenings opening boxes and finding a place for this or that. Wall-hangings and pictures and knick-knacks, all the things that make a house into a home will still have to be done. Susan and I are already looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas, hoping to catch a break from all the unpacking! Yes, and we are just getting started!

"A Moving Encounter"

One brief encounter with the English-speaking mover made the whole experience worth it to me. I have, as some of you know, quite a collection of books from teaching, and ministry, and just plain historical interest. While I was unpacking a box, I came across an old Bible in pretty good condition. I sensed the Lord telling me to give this Bible to the mover who was working by my side. For a moment I thought this might seem a bit cheesy, after all, if the Lord wanted me to give him a Bible, I could afford to give him a brand new one. But again I sensed the Holy Spirit urge me to give him the Bible. So I handed it to him and said, "Look, it is an old Bible in English. You know enough English to read it, don't you?" He answered, "oh yes, and it is very nice." As he started to hand it back to me, I told him to look in the front at the year it was published. It read 1895. It was in remarkably good condition. His eyes opened very widely, as he slowly handed it to me. Again, I felt the urging of God's spirit to give him the Bible to keep. So I handed it right back again, and this time I told him, "you are a Christian?", yes he replied, "then this is for you...God has blessed me with many books, and this one I am supposed to give to you as a gift. Will you read it?" He looked at me incredulously and then he did something I cannot imagine anyone in America doing. He clutched that Bible and brought it to his face and kissed it three times, and held it tightly over his heart! It was all I could do to keep from weeping, as I just barely got out the words, "You're welcome!"

Every day in Seoul just makes us more convinced, that we are here for a reason that goes way beyond "just having a job!" May you also find true happiness today in everything you do, as you listen for HIS voice too!


Friedhelm & Susan Illian
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us; to him be all glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen"

Journal Entry February 15, 2009

Yewon Presbyterian Church:
Talking with the kids:
Today we were asked to help out with the children's choir.
So I asked the 5th and 6th grade Korean choir after practice today, "How would you like to be speeding through the streets of Seoul in a bus driven by a six-year old?" Nooo...they replied. How about getting on a big ship in the ocean and going out to sea in the Pacific, only to find out there is no Captain on board and no one who knows how to steer or navigate the ship back safely to a harbor? NOOOOO....they replied. Again I asked, "How would you like to get on a big airplane and fly to America, only to find out halfway there, that you don't have a pilot anymore?" NOOOO...they exclaimed! Then why do so many people live there lives like they know by themselves how to direct their spiritual bodies safely into heaven, without guidance from the one who knows the way to eternity...who has been there and back...who knows how to overcome death...and who already understands how your body will someday die, but your spirit will live forever and ever. Wouldn't you want to have the "Captain of your soul, your spirit be the one who made you and knows you best? Jesus is the captain of my spirit, he has been since I was seven years old. Today I am 51 and looking forward to letting my Captain guide my ship or spirit into eternity! You can invite Jesus into your heart today, and he will be your Captain too...forever! Then the Korean teacher explained this simple message of salvation to the children once again.

Susan had introduced us to the children very well, and the kids were eager to listen. The leader of the choir was a man who sings in the opera, and boy can he sing! He had those kids doing vocal exercises that few of us in Michigan get before high school or college! When they sang "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the the highest", I thought I was listening to a choir of angels. Their little voices, when they talk, instantly transformed into a well-trained harmony of music. Wow! Were their voices loud, powerful and incredibly on key! I got goose-bumps! They are soooo good!

Church was wonderful again today! When we arrived in the church's parking garage, our vehicle was blocked in. This is very common in Korea. With so many people, and so many cars in so little space, you simply park wherever you can. At church people usually leave their keys in the car, so a deacon can move it to let others leave. Since there are four services every Sunday in our church of about 10,000 people, car owners are coming and going from the parking garage at all different times of the day. They also leave their cell phone number visible in the window, if the car is locked. Two cars parked in front of ours were locked. We were about to contact the owner of one car, when our friend Bang happened along, and he pushed one of the cars out of the way! It was in neutral! So we tried the other car and again, it was in neutral! So we were able to get our car out and drive home. Driving to and from church used to take 75-90 minutes each way. But we are getting comfortable on the roads in Seoul now. With the help of our friends, we have learned several short-cuts. Now we can make the trip in 25-45 minutes, even with traffic!

Our Lead Pastor Chung is going to Los Angeles this week. They are officially opening the Remnant University in Los Angeles. This is a state and federally approved University of higher learning in its early stages. Students from Korea and other countries will be able to study there and obtain their degrees. I don't know very much about it yet, but it intrigues me, and we are asking for more information about this educational/Christian endeavor in the USA. Perhaps we shall visit there someday!

Road Trip:
Yesterday we went to the DMZ, De-Militarized Zone, the border between North and South Korea. It was an awesome and educational experience! It is easy to forget that six million people lost their lives in this war. The North is about forty years, or more, behind the South Koreans today. The income, $1,400 annual average per capita in the North betrays the awful desperation and even malnutrition that many people in NK are forced to live with. They are led by a tyrannical dictator who has gone to great measures to "protect" his country from the influence of the "decadent" South Koreans, who still try to reach out to their brothers and sisters to the North. It has been estimated that two-three million people have died of starvation and disease in the North in the past 12-15 years. Many more could die in the years to come. These people have been systematically brain-washed into a type of hero-worship of their Idol-leader. It may be hard for many of us to understand, since we are so free, but try to see this kind of sin for what it is not. It is not the arrogance that fosters such independence that makes a person unable to depend on the true and living God. It is not the lust for wealth or even such a high standard of living that makes a person forget his poor and hurting neighbor. No this is something we westerners cannot really understand. This is a type of sinful nature that only survives in the heart of a starving, under-developed ego of one who only wants to survive to see another sunrise and sunset! North Koreans, about 22 million of them, are very much a forgotten people.

We saw soldiers and buildings, monuments to fallen heroes and dioramas depicting the area along the border. Susan and I were allowed to step across the border within the building located right on the border. We were shown tunnels used by would be insurgents to infiltrate the South, given briefings to better understand the war that has no end yet, and shown some of the most pristine wilderness areas, protected by soldiers, farmers and minefields. It left us with a better understanding of those who gave so much, a hunger to learn more about the language and culture of this interesting people, and a yearning to see a better day with reunification and reconciliation. Perhaps the Lord will return before that day, but I suspect he will give us a chance to reach the little remnants of the North before that great Judgement Day comes. For some, it may come too soon, and for others it is long overdue!

Our picture album is available on facebook. It is free and easy to navigate. I hope you all will get to take a look.

We met a Pastor from South Carolina who was also on this tour of the DMZ with us. He was here doing research for his book. He represented for us just one of the many interesting people we can meet every day in Seoul. His current book is on the topic of prayer, and he is wise to do research here on that topic. I know of no where on this planet where millions of people get up every morning for Worship and Prayer Topics six days a week! Even if you do this yourself, try getting a few million people to join you tomorrow! Do you think a country that keeps this up will see incredible revival? I am thinking, YES!

Holiday:
Well, tomorrow we take a day off to remember our nations' Presidents. Yes, a good time to reflect on what just happened in America. Our new President, Barack Obama, has the most difficult and I dare say perhaps the most important job in the world now. He will need everyone to pray earnestly for him, his family and everyone in his administration. As a federal employee myself, I covet your prayers for our Commander-in-Chief! It is time for us all to move forward to a better day. I pray that it is not too late to correct the path we have been on in the banking industry. It may be too late for many of us to save our homes, but I pray that those who are just barely hanging on, will be able to fix a broken system. It may have cost us a great deal, but we are optimistic about the future and we hope we can rebuild our own finances as needed. My father told me that he had to start over financially, three times in his life from nothing. He never earned more than $10,000 per year in his lifetime. And yet, as I reflect, he was able to send me to Germany three times before I turned 18. I was never starving, and I remember our times together growing up under the Oak tree in the back yard of our 112 acre farm in Millington as a very blessed time!
 
Friedhelm & Susan Illian
a.k.a. Sung-Ho & Su-Ji
Prayer of the Remnant (from scripture, it means God's faithful people still here, especially Youth)
Lord, I cannot see You, whether my eyes are open or closed,
At times, I wander because I cannot believe, though I want to,
But even then, You hold fast to me with Your mighty right hand.
You knew me before the time of creation,
Before I was even formed in the womb,
You know me and You called me by name,
As Your son, as Your daughter,
And for that, I sincerely thank you, O God of the Covenant.

At this time, fill our souls, hearts, and thoughts with Your Holy Spirit
So that we may look only to You.
Lead us by Your Holy Spirit so that our eyes and feet
May be led to Your greatest desire.

May we quietly make our way before You,
To receive the grace and love that You have prepared.
So that we may speak of Your consuming passion.
So that we may live out Your consuming passion.

In Jesus Christ's name I pray. Amen

March 2009

We have been living in Seoul, South Korea for six months now! We are finally starting to get used to our surroundings. Today I went to the market a few dozen meters from my apartment to buy some eggs. I found some very beautiful strawberries. I bought $9 worth, enough for several days. They are delicious!