Thoughts on LIFE - Both Specific and General

This is hard to read - Team organizing search for four missing on Rainier departs park | The Adventure Guys - The News Tribune

2012-01-27T15:33:00.000-05:00

Team organizing search for four missing on Rainier departs park The Adventure Guys - The News Tribune
The National Park Service Incident Response Team organizing the search for four missing people on Mount Rainier has left the park, spokesman Kevin Bacher said this morning.The incident command role has been turned over to Steve Winslow, a district ranger from Black Canyon National Park. Winslow is a former Mount Rainier National Park ranger and is heading the board of review investigating the Jan. 1 shooting death of Rainier ranger Margaret Anderson.The search for two climbers and two campers more than 10 days overdue has been greatly scaled back. The park visitors were trapped in severe storm conditions on the mountain. It is so far unclear if searchers are taking advantage of good weather today to search.Mark Vucich, 37, of San Diego and Michelle Trojanowksi, 30 of Atlanta, planned to conclude their camping trip on the Muir snowfield on Jan. 15. Sork Yang of Springfield, Ore., and Seol Hee Jin of South Korea, planned to finish their climb Jan. 16. Both climbers are 52.The NPS incident response team organizing the search was the same incident response team dispatched to the park to assist in the aftermath of Anderson’s shooting.

No News

2012-01-24T21:41:00.000-05:00

They were not able to search at all today because of the weather. I know God is just as able to bring Michelle Trojanowski home tomorrow as he was in the perfect weather tomorrow. However, I do not know that he will.

Tomorrow one of our pastors is going to come to our small group, since Michelle is one of our small group leaders and we meet at her house. Our pastors have been amazingly wise and supportive through all of this. God is giving each person the grace to deal with each day and each responsibility.

Today was most of our first nights alone in about a week. We've had prayer meetings, or membership meetings, or just gotten together for dinner almost every night since this happened. It is good to sit quietly alone with the Lord for a bit. Even too much church can make us Marthas.

However, community and unity is wonderful as well, and it will be very good to be together again tomorrow night. Please keep Michelle's parents and brother and sisters in your prayers. Her older brother was on a mission trip and just got back to the States two days ago.

Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning

2012-01-23T22:18:00.002-05:00

Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning

We were certainly filled with joy this morning when we saw the sun rising on the webcams at Mount Rainier. We were filled with joy, because we were filled with hope. They were able to put 40 people on the ground and three aircraft in the air. But when evening fell, we still had no clue what had happened to Michelle or where she and the others are now. We don't know if she is freezing somewhere. We don't know if she is walking down. We don't know if she is praising God in heaven.

Today would have been the obvious day to find them from a natural perspective. This was the first clear day that they have had in weeks and may be the first clear day for awhile. But God's ways are not our ways. I was listening ot The Heavenly Man while I was driving home from church tonight and he said God only cares what his will is. He doesn't care what our will is. This may sound harsh, but it is not. Because God is good and God chooses to love us. So his will is the ultimate good.

In all this, whatever the outcome, God will be glorified and He will give us the strength to handle the outcome.

I don't know if they will find her tomorrow, or next week, or never. As a church, we are still asking God for her safe return. They will be searching hard to reach places that they missed today and the lower roads in hope that maybe they did make it off the mountain.

I'd like for this passage to be a reflection of tomorrow.

I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the LORD, You saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Now in my prosperity I said, "I shall never be moved." LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. I cried out to You, O LORD; And to the LORD I made supplication: "What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!" You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. (Psa 30:1-12 NKJV)

But whatever happens, I will trust and I will praise.

A Message of Truth that Brings Comfort and Hope and Peace

2012-01-22T23:32:00.000-05:00

I highly, highly recommend anyone who has been following the story of my friend Michelle who was supposed to come off Mount Rainier a week ago, but has not been heard from, or who is really facing any type of uncertainty or hard times that are causing them to question the existence or goodness of God to listen to the sermon my pastor preached today. It was absolutely beautiful and profound. I am so blessed to be at this wonderful church and to have really been embraced by this community.
I wasn't sure how to entitle this post, because he didn't really speak about Comfort, Hope or Peace, but he spoke the Truth and that brought all of those things to so many of us.

The weather forecast has changed and and so they expect good weather for the first time all week and anticipate getting the helicopter off the ground and part of the search. The park rangers are still optimistic. They hope to be out there between 1:00pm and 8:00pm eastern time.

Saturdays and Feeling Spoiled

2012-01-21T12:40:00.002-05:00

I'm inside. I'm warm and I'm dry. It's pouring down rain, but I'm snugly in a coffee shop looking at this beautiful, very wet view. But I'm dry. And I'm warm. I don't know where Michelle is. I don't know how she is keeping warm. She's been up there five days longer than she planned. Is she hungry?

I'm trying to keep my heart and mind focused on one thing: on God being glorified. That is the one thing we can depend upon. In all this, God will be glorified. The other thing I know is that God loves and cares for Michelle, her friends and her family. And in that knowledge I must rest.

Michelle posted this on Facebook the day she began this adventure: you Lord keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance....with my God I can scale a (mountain)! Ps 18:28-29.

Note from Michelle's mother

2012-01-20T08:27:00.000-05:00

‎

Michelle's mother just posted this on her Facebook wall. They finally sent out a search team to look for the two groups (four people), but did not find anyone. They hope ot start again this morning in what will hopefully be a break in the weather because another big storm is supposed to move in this afternoon.

1/20/12 Part 1: Dear friends of Michelle, Don't stop praying! Don't stop believing! Don't become disheartened! Our Lord - Michelle's Lord, is just as much in control today as he was from the time she took her first step up Mt. Rainier. As we spent the day traveling across the country yesterday to be here in Seattle, our trip did not go as we had planned. We encountered much love along the w...ay, and we also were able to overcome some big obstacles. Yet, we arrived safely. Without luggage, but safely. As I read on the plane, and again as we sat in an airport that was not on our itenerary, I was again touched by a devotional book that special friends, the Stricklands, gave me recently, Jesus is Calling. "Approach this day with awareness of who is boss. As you make plans for the day, remember that it is I who orchestrate the events of your life...On days when your plans are thwarted, be on the lookout for me! I may be doing something important in your life, something quite different than what you expected...Don't try to figure out what is happening. Simply trust me and thank me in advance that will come out of it all. I now the plans that I have for you, and they are good."

Please keep praying for Michelle.

2012-01-19T22:43:00.001-05:00

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/01/19/1990632/2-experienced-searchers-stay-on.html

Still no word from Michelle. Pray the storm will soon pass.

2012-01-18T18:48:00.001-05:00

ASHFORD, Wash. -- A special team of skilled skiers and climbers is being assembled at Mount Rainier National Park to search for two climbers and two campers overdue from winter outings, park officials said Wednesday.

But even this team has to wait for weather conditions to improve to launch the search, spokeswoman Patti Wold said.

A major winter storm has dumped a few feet of snow on Mount Rainier and brought wind gusts clocking in at more than 100 mph. All of western Washington state is seeing unusual amounts of snowfall Wednesday.

Search plans also call for a helicopter flight once conditions improve, Wold added.

On Tuesday, a search team of two people hiked on the route from Paradise, the launching point for campers at the mountain, and Panorama Point. They reported back to say that they sank in 2 or 3 feet of snow with each step and had limited visibility.

The two parties are believed to be well-equipped with tents, sleeping bags and other gear needed to survive. Rangers hope they're waiting out the storm.

The campers are Mark Vucich, 37, of San Diego and Michelle Trojanowski, 30, of Atlanta. They were due back Sunday from the Muir snowfield at the 10,000-foot level.

The climbers are a Springfield, Ore., couple who have not been named. They were due back Monday from an attempt to reach the summit of 14,410-foot Mount Rainier.

You don't know how short life is

2012-01-18T18:46:00.001-05:00

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. (CBS Charlotte/AP)
— A student at Gardner-Webb University collapsed in class and died on her 21st birthday after thanking God on Twitter for living another year.

A spokesman says Ariane Noelle Patterson was in a religion class at the Boiling Springs school when she collapsed Tuesday afternoon.

Patterson tweeted that day, “Thank you God for a nother year of life.”

Spokesman Noel Manning says Patterson’s cause of death is under investigation. He says the school is investigating whether Patterson had previous health problems.

Four people overdue on Mount Rainier; believed to be waiting out the weather | The Adventure Guys - The News Tribune

2012-01-17T14:06:00.000-05:00

Four people overdue on Mount Rainier; believed to be waiting out the weather The Adventure Guys - The News Tribune
One of these is a very good friend of mine. She was supposed to come off the mountain Saturday and be home by now. This is her first mountaineering trip.
Please pray.

One day after finding a snowshoe hiker, who had been missing since Saturday, staffers at Mount Rainier are awaiting word from four more people who are overdue.Two climbers are one day overdue and two campers are two days overdue, said Patti Wold, spokeswoman for Mount Rainier National Park. No names have been released.The campers are on the Muir snowfield, an elevation of 10,000 feet, where visibility in a whiteout is zero. Wold did not immediately know which route the climbers are on.Heavy snow, winds and cold temperatures have blasted the mountain since the weekend. Another 24 inches of snow has fallen at Paradise in the last 24 hours. Temperatures at Camp Muir have ranged from -9 to -2 degrees since Saturday. With winds reaching 90 mph at times, the wind chill has been around -40 degrees. All are equipped for the conditions, and officials expect they are hunkered down. Rangers are watching the weather to see if it’s safe to check on them, Wold said.Wold says the park advises visitors of the dangers of being on the mountain in the winter, but staffers can’t stop people from climbing or camping in the winter.Yong Chun Kim, 66, of Tacoma, was found Monday afternoon almost 48 hours after he fell down a ravine while leading a local hiking club on a snowshoe trip above Paradise. Kim went home Monday afternoon after being checked by medical personnel.
Read more here: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure/2012/01/17/park-searches-for-four-people-missing-people-on-mount-rainier/#storylink=cpy

Ask

2012-01-15T15:39:00.001-05:00

Ask...
with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6)
persistently though not because God is unjust (Luke 18)
not babbling because God already knows so your persistence isn't educating him to your needs (Matt 6)

So basically, ask for that lightsaber all the time and God will be happy to provide it, but don't be unthankful about all the toys you already have.

2 to 4

2012-01-13T23:44:00.001-05:00

2 to 4 is the approximate number of cups of coffee you can drink in a day according to the Mayo Clinic. What exactly does that mean? Is it unsafe to drink one or zero cups of coffee??

Mother's last post from China

2012-01-11T22:18:00.002-05:00

The Last Day in China

It was so much fun to watch Simon and Jed's reactions to the animals at the zoo today ! They chattered and pointed and made it obvious that they had never been to one before. It was finally relatively warm so a perfect day to stroll through, but cool enough that the animals were all very active. No one here seems to be worried about providing a natural environment for the animals , so they have no place to hide from the visitors, and can be seen much more closely than in any American zoos I have visited.This afternoon we are packing. We will meet tonight with our group for pictures and put our baggage out for the porters at 6AM. We have a short first flight - about 2 hours- to Shanghai and then a 15 hour flight to Atlanta. We will be traveling for 25 hours, but because of the time change, will arrive only 13 hours after we leave. That boggles my mind. I think that means we get on the plane when you are having dinner Tuesday night and arrive Wednesday night. But for us it will be like leaving Wednesday morning and arriving in Atlanta Wednesday night, but living a 25 hour day in 12 hours.
The boys are ready. In fact, they have been in waiting mode, passing the time watching movies, for days now. We are so thankful for the prayers, encouragement, and support from everyone during this whole process, but especially during this trip. It has been a truly wonderful time for all of us. We have made new friends and met people we only knew in cyberspace. We have had more adventure than I thought my fearful heart was capable. I really, really hope that we get to support MANY of you when you make the decision to embark on a similar adventure!
Catherine

How to get the parents home...

2012-01-10T20:52:00.001-05:00

Drive your car to brothers house in Decatur switch cars Drive sister's car from Atlanta to Franklin. Switch cars Drive parents car to meet friend. Switch cars Friend drives parents' car to Atlanta. Switch cars. Friend drives your car from Atlanta to Rabun. You drive friend's car to Rabun. Switch cars. And now we are ready for arrival.

Dad's latest email

2012-01-09T22:45:00.001-05:00

In only 36 hours we leave our hotel for the Guangzhou airport and 25 hours later we are scheduled to be on our final approach to Atlanta. These past 22 days have been a blast with my wife and new boys and new friends and Skyping to the family back home. In an earlier post I misled some when I appeared to be complaining about the length of days in China; I just meant to be explaining how much we were doing each day. We have crammed a lot into our time here and it has been a delight getting to know our boys. This phase is about to end and we will re-enter real life on Wednesday night. I am so looking forward to seeing the mountains of western North Carolina.

We took the oath at the US Consulate today and spent a few hours taking our final opportunity stimulating the Shamian Island economy. Tomorrow we visit the zoo and then have a group picture in the evening; our group had grown to 8 families as two young couples had their Gotcha Day this afternoon. It is great to see so many young couples (4 with our group) reaching out to orphans and offering a home to the homeless. In keeping with a theme often seen on these groups, there are 11 less orphans in the world due to what our group has done this week! Way to go ladies and gentlemen, or, more exactly, mamas and papas!

Thanks for allowing me to emote on here these past 3 weeks!

jerry

Two Parties with Awesome Friends. What a lucky girl

2012-01-09T08:57:00.001-05:00

Wow I had a wonderful birthday weekend! I had an Atlanta party and a Franklin party which is two more parties than I usually have. God abundantly answered my prayer this year for christian friends and fellowship. This is definitely a case of him giving more than I could ask or even imagine. It is also a way he is filling me with faith that he will continue to provide, strengthen and deliver.

A Dad's Heart

2012-01-06T09:17:00.001-05:00

This is my Dad's email about his two new boys written while flying from Xi'an to Guangzhou. These boys are brothers because they now share a father who loves them even though they only met each other a week ago. Without a doubt one of the best things of 2011 was getting to meet all of my brothers and sisters in Atlanta who share a loving heavenly Dad with me.

In air between Xi'an and Guangzhou:

Simon is in the air for the first time in his life. His eyes were as big as silver dollars as we were taxiing out to the runway and we saw another jet out the window just after it had taken off. Then we got to the end of the runway and the pilot throttled up and released the brakes; pure excitement in the heart of one little boy. Shortly after take-off we saw 6 nuclear plants that supply power to Xi'an, and then saw Xi'an from up above and also got to see a series of mountain ranges to the northwest of Xi'an. Soon the pilot whipped the bird around in the opposite direction and we were headed south south-west toward Guangzhou. We got one more peak at the majestic mountains as they were fading in the distance behind the plane.

One thing I failed to mention was that we could see the sun our last 3 days, and that is certainly something worth mentioning. I had asked Celine (our guide from Xi'an) after being there 3 days when the last time she had seen the sun and she could not tell me. This is noteworthy because with the combination of fog and smog (mostly) the sun does not make many appearances at street level for a good part of the winter time. In Urumqi, we could see the sun faintly on the 21st floor, but we only saw a grey smokiness as we were mixing and mingling with the shoppers on the streets. A strong weather front passed through Xi'an giving us one warm day (50F) followed by the past two days not reaching the freezing point. As a matter of fact, the ponds beside the walkway from the room area to the lobby and restaurants had a layer of ice on them this morning. The blue sky has been very warming and the cool clear air makes one want to breathe deeply and enjoy being alive.

Simon Zhien (11 years, 6 months) and Jedidiah Liqiang (10 years, 7 months) are destined to be best buddies if it is true that opposites attract. They are both all boys but Jedidiah is impulsive whereas Simon is thoughtful. Jedidiah jumps at the chance to be helpful while Simon waits for someone to do for him or at least tell him what to do. Jedidiah has the attention span of a tsetse fly, while Simon is focused. Playing ping-pong serves as an example: Jedidiah and I took 1 hour before we set our record of paddling the ball 26 times. Simon and I recorded 22 hits on our first attempt, establishing our personal best of 37. When playing together the other day, within 10 minutes Jedidiah wanted to move on to billiards or swimming; Simon and I played for 75 minutes. Jedidiah is very affectionate; Simon is reserved. Jedidiah is hardly ever without an ear-to-ear smile; Simon has to be coaxed to produce a smile.

On the plane there is flight data on an overhead screen; Simon studied each frame while Jedidiah glanced at it for less than a minute. He is napping now while Simon is committing the data to memory and is trying to imagine what is below the clouds outside. We just used hand signals to show that the plane must go through the clouds to get back to the ground. Museum excursion brings out the foremost distinctions; Jedidiah, like Catherine, whips in and out of each exhibit hall as if in a race, while Simon and I ready and study each panel as if there were going to be a final exam on exit!!! :o

The boys could pass for twins, although, as I have said before, they are not identical! But they are not totally opposites, either; they enjoy the same movies and sprinting to the elevators and seem to have an equal disdain for shopping! :) They are within millimeters of each other height-wise, and are only 0.2 kilograms different in weight. They were totally unaware that there was a bathroom scale in our room until today when I got it out to weigh our accumulations in each suitcase. They then commenced to weigh everything that they could lift that was not nailed down in the room, although Jedidiah ran out of interest before Simon had completed the experimentation. They also share hearty appetites, athletic abilities, and they seem to like ice cream equally well! They are brothers now and forever will be!

Oh, yeah, one other commonality that they share. They have two parents who love them wholeheartedly, unreservedly, and unconditionally, AND, bottom line, that is the most vital feature that they share!

jerry

ps - might be my last post from China as we cannot get to a VPN from this hotel, so I am left with a web-based mail program that only permits email to a limited number of addresses. It will probably take me close to an hour to get this in the phone.
We will still make the effort for Catherine to blog:
andyweiwright.blogspot.com
___________________________________

Needing Dullness????

2012-01-03T21:05:00.000-05:00

Did I really just think that? Did I really just think "I hope my life is dull for a little while?" I don't think it's true. I like excitement, crisis and chaos; but honestly, I like it when it happens to other people. I like to be there to fix things and calm them down. I'm even alright with a little drama in my own life. I like for SOMETHING to be happening. But wow, I have had enough. I'd like some hardworking nothingness. I totally enjoyed my dull evening of walking to the gym and working out. Then cooking dinner and taking down Christmas decorations. And now, procrastinating with my job search. I would like a lot more of this. I don't mean laziness. That really is boring. I just mean that for a few days I'd like to work hard and for everything to be quiet. And calm. And safe.

2012-01-02T22:13:00.000-05:00

Without a doubt, both of my new brothers are now smiling. I wake up each day and immeadiatly check my parent's blog to see how the boys are progressing. I hope that many of you are following along with us. Right now they are just hanging out together. China requires that you stay in the country two weeks when you adopt children. It is mostly so that you will spend your money in the country, but I think it is providing a wonderful bonding time for the boys and my parents.

I left Franklin on Friday so I feel a little removed from everyone now that I am not present for the daily Skype dates. Last year when my parents adopted Rosie and Dominic, I was living in Amsterdam and actually spoke to my parents often because I was only 6 hours time difference. I am so happy that I live closer to everyone and won't have to wait 5 months to meet my new siblings.

A few days ago, when they visited the Terra Cotta Warriors Simon was still not smiling for photographs. I was still at thome when they visited the Warriors and Dominic told me that he was very jealous because he wanted to visit them and that he would some day because he and Dad were going to run on the Great Wall of China when he got older. I hope my parents are aware of this plan.

Finding Nemo - I have a feeling these too may gang up on the others just a little bit. I don't know why. Maybe it is just their matching smiles and outfits.

What a Day May Bring

2011-12-30T21:55:00.001-05:00

Never fear that a day won't have enough for you because you never know what a day may bring. My day is now ended and I'm at a cabin in Maggie Valley with four of the sweetest most amazing Christian women and friends. I had no idea this was in my future when I awoke this morning.

A Little Outdoor Fun

2011-12-29T13:53:00.001-05:00

Choosing God's Best: Watching God Change a Heart

2011-12-29T11:26:00.001-05:00

Here is a letter from my dad about the fairly dramatic past two days where we waited to see if Simon would choose our family which he didn't know or the orphanage that was familiar. How often do we choose what we know over the good God wants to give us.

The thing I have greatly feared has come upon me. As I said about Gotcha Day One: “There is always a concern in my heart that since the little boy is being asked to leave everything in his known world that there may be a reluctance to embrace their new world or maybe even a resistance.” Resistance would be a very mild description of one terrified little 11-year-old boy that we met on Gotcha Day Two in Xi’an. He had been car-sick with anxiety on the way to the Civil Affairs Office and was sobbing as the orphanage personnel answered our questions. After they left the sobs turned into crying which eventually yielded to wailing and he finally worked up a full-fledged fury as we headed to the photography studio for his adoption and travel pictures. On the way he kicked against the van walls and screamed that he wanted to go back to the orphanage and that he would never go to America. None of these emotions were directed at us personally and I could only try to empathize with one amazingly petrified ‘xiao’ boy.

Our guide and others (including our van driver) tried to reason with him but that just strengthened his defiance; he was NOT going to be adopted by us and NOT going to America! Even the photographer’s assistance tried to persuade him to stop crying but that effort was futile as well. The photographer waited patiently and finally had to proceed with taking a picture of the reddest-eyed boy ever (he had quieted to soft sobs)! Catherine and I were invited in to take the travel photos and the shop even offered us a family photo with Jedidiah, but we declined to put Zhang Zhi’en through any more pain.

Our next attempt to pacify to some degree was to make an attempt at shopping (Catherine’s thoughts, not mine! He is male and I knew better!). As we entered a multi-storied Wal-Mart I saw a Dairy Queen (evidence of a civil society) and thought that would have given us a better chance of success, but into the store we plunged. The sobs had turned into a stringent mope as he gallantly refused our offer to buy him anything (Jedidiah gleefully accepted all offers), whether jeans or sweaters or biscuits (cookies) or candy. He tried to walk away a few times but would walk back to the group slowly when corralled. It was time to screw up the courage (for both us and him) and head to the hotel room.

He moped slowly through the hotel, clearly not wanting to be with us or even to be seen with us. He warmed a little while we were eating noodles and fried rice and snow peas and pumpkin, but there was no detectable change. When we got to our room, Catherine quickly put out a world-wide call for help on the internet and received an immediate response. The French family had adopted Simon’s friend recently and they offered to Skype with us and let their son Jude talk with Simon. We accepted and soon the two boys were gabbing away in Mandarin and for the first time I had a glimmer of hope. That hope was soon dashed as Jude told his parents that Simon continued to tell him that Didi (little brother Jedidiah) would go to America and that he would return to the orphanage. Since Simon is 11-years-old, he must consent to be adopted; zero hour for that decision comes at 9:00 a.m. in the morning.

It is now past midnight and we have a 6:30 a.m. wake-up call, but Jedidiah has finally engaged Simon in conversation. Maybe the indomitably cheerful Jedidiah can win the day; we can only faintly hope. We are trying to prepare for either outcome, but it is very difficult for me to accept that he would return to the orphanage. A very emotionally wrenching day for both us and him is ending and we do know which path will be taken tomorrow. I am making a feeble attempt at optimism, but we shall see.

I was too tired to put this in the phone last night, but we awoke and prepared for breakfast. Jedidiah kept asking me when we would fly (feiji) to Guangzhou. I kept telling him 6 more days but he did not understand; he just kept asking. Simon awoke and complied with my request to get dressed, but there was no detectable change in his outlook. We left the room and headed downstairs for our breakfast banquet.

A seventy-five item breakfast choice will brighten any outlook as Simon was faced with probably more choice than had ever been presented to him before. He quickly found many things to consume and we sat down to enjoy the morning feast. Jedidiah had once again asked me about flying to Guangzhou while we were making our food choices. And then, it happened . . .

During the conversation over breakfast, Simon told Catherine that he was going to fly to Guangzhou (our next stop on the adoption journey)! What!?!?! She turned to tell me what he had said, and I quickly pounced on the nearest napkin; this was not to wipe my mouth but to cover my eyes! I could not contain the water as I tried to stifle the flow; look who’s sobbing now!!! I hoped the many Chinese servers who were constantly paying attention to us (read as staring) did not see, but it was what it was. We left breakfast with a newfound hope!

We met our guide and headed back to the Civil Affairs Office with a guarded optimism. It turned out there was no reason to guard as, when it came Simon’s turn to confirm the adoption, he manly stepped right up, placed his palm firmly on the inkpad, and placed his palm print on the authentication document. The deed was done; Simon would join the Wright family forever!!!

Let me introduce to you, Simon Zhien Wright, the newest addition to the Wright family! The Christmas gifts keep on coming our way and we are very Thankful! Zaijian, jerry

Christmas Eve #2

2011-12-25T10:32:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve #1

2011-12-25T10:25:00.001-05:00

Skyping with the parents on Christmas Adam

2011-12-25T10:19:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve Adult Children Basketball

2011-12-25T10:17:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve B team basketball

2011-12-25T10:07:00.001-05:00

Chrismtas in Urumqi - from My Parent's Blog

2011-12-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Note: My mom wrote a great blog yesterday about fighting for the Promised Land. I'll share it later, but since it's Christmas I thought I'd just share the Christmas post. But I recommend clicking on the link and then browsing their whole blog

Chrismtas in Urumqi - from My Parent's Blog

We awoke a tad early this morning to enjoy skyping with the children while they were enjoying our traditional Christmas eve celebration- when the siblings give gifts to each other. There are alot of them, so the gifts are not lavish, but the merriment is. I think the hit of the night (at least in my mind) was Everett and Kathryn's gift to Clara of a doll and stroller. Clara spends alot of hours being pushed around town by her mom and it is obviously a 'like mother like daughter' situation. The children's favorite might have been Travis and Lindsay's gift to them of a drum set. I told Lindsay that I will pay her back one day.
Everett warned me that I should wait to put my mascara on, and of course he was right - it was hard to see all of them and not be able to put my arms around them!
After praying with them, the little kids went to bed and Jerry and I went down to breakfast. We had to laugh to find Minnie and Santa greeting us on Christmas morning ! The breakfast buffet is not your typical western fare.

We try to be a little daring but some things are definitely outside our comfort zone!

This is in a Muslim neighborhood near our hotel. Although the temperature was below zero today, commerce went on as briskly as usual and these men were outside cooking food that looked amazing.

I must have been right about that mix up between Santa's elves and the Seven Dwarves. This was the scene in our hotel lobby tonight.

We have spoken to our adoption guide and he is coming to our hotel at 9 o'clock tonight to help us with some paperwork and give us the plan for tomorrow. While you are finishing Christmas dinner we may be headed to meet Jed ! Merry Christmas !

Days in Franklin - While the Parents are in China

2011-12-21T14:39:00.000-05:00

Of course, the exciting blog posts will come from the parents in the next few weeks as the travel around China, but all is not completely dull in Franklin. Ariel and Ethan made biscuits for the kids last night, and they weren't just plop biscuits.

They weren't even just round biscuits.

They dished out the plates and kept everything in Ariel's organized orderly fashion.

Ariel likes to be organized and in charge and I don't mind at all. Although I will probably wrestle some of the kitchen duty from her. I'll let her "tell" me to cook. :)

OK, maybe it is a little dull around here. But isn't this mouse adorable. Someone made them for Ariel. Butts are chocolate covered cherries and I think the rest is obvious.

Message from Open Doors Regarding North Korea

2011-12-21T12:20:00.000-05:00

This is the email I got from Open Doors regarding North Korea:

You've already heard the news and are probably asking yourself, "What can I do for the people locked inside North Korea?"

With the passing of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, its inhabitants, family members around the world and neighboring countries are living in the fear of uncertainty. And because only God knows what will happen next, we can meet Him in prayer.

Please pray that:

The new leader, Kim Jong-Un, will have a heart of mercy and end the cycle of inhumane dictatorial rule.
Those in government who have been "secret Christians" will gain more power and influence.
Christians who have been imprisoned because of their faith will have opportunities to lead others in prayers. And while they pray the Holy Spirit will be revealed to those who don't know Jesus.
There will be an increase in opportunities to share about Jesus without fear of retaliation.
The joy and hope of Jesus will be revealed to those who are sorrowful and feel uncertain of the future.
North Korean Christians will gain a new boldness and wisdom and will seize opportunities to tell others about the Christmas story of Jesus' birth.
On Christmas day especially, the light of Christ will penetrate every home and heart in North Korea.
Refugees who have fled into China and become Christian will courageously return to North Korea and share the hope of Jesus to a hurting nation.
The horrendous situation with starvation will not escalate even further because of the government's desire to demonstrate control.
The thousands of starving children who are homeless will find shelter, comfort and love in a home with a believer.

Kim Jong Il is Dead

2011-12-18T23:50:00.000-05:00

The keader of North Korea died this weekend. It has been speculated for a couple of years that his third son Kim Jong Un would take his place. It is believed that Kim Jong Un is in his 20s. He went to school in Switzerland for a while, but is considered to have the least 'western influence' of all the sons and to be the most likely to stick to the policies his father and grandfather's harsh regime.

Pray for North Korea during the time of unrest. Remember, Kim Jong Il was not only a leader, but for many he was also their god and savior. This is a time that truth can be revealed.

At the same time Kim Jong Un was moved into the number two position, his sister and her husband were placed into positions of power. It has been expected that the power and brains behind Kim Jong Un would be this more experienced brother-in-law.

There is fear by many that there will be a power struggle and that Kim Jong Un will not be accepted as a leader by all and that this could lead to nuclear instability.

There are many unknowns.

http://www.680news.com/news/world/article/311735--kim-jong-il-s-nuclear-ambitions-threats-stoked-world-security-fears

I did not expect to be writing about North Korea again so soon, but sometimes God moves quickly.

Father, we come to You on behalf of North Korea, asking for a miraculous change in the hearts of the country’s leaders. On our knees we join in prayer for not only a godly government but for fairness and justice in the distribution of food and resources. We also pray for Christians who are suffering and ask for their freedom to worship You freely, as well as freedom from the prison camps. Please strengthen the believers there now as they trust in You as their daily bread. (from opendoorsusa.org)

Ask God to protect and encourage North Korean Christians during these political changes. Pray that believers will be fortified by His love and sustained by His power as they look ahead to the future. Pray that God will reveal Himself to Kim Jong Un and graciously transform his heart and the hearts of his subordinates so that they will embrace Christ. (from persecution.net Voice of the Martyrs Canada)

I'm so done

2011-12-17T23:48:00.001-05:00

OK, I'm just going to say it. I might have gone on my last date. Or at least my date with a guy that isn't already a friend. I know, I know. I should stay open to anything.

But I just hate these random dates. I really think dating gets much 'worse' when you are my 'undisclosed' age. :) I've been on some totally insane dates this year with, the married guy, the guy who started a food fight at a night restaurant, the guy who sent the booty call texts BEFORE the first date. OK, I didn't actually end up going on a date with that last one. But the problem isn't really the bad dates.

This is what I'm hating about dating in this world.

A guy asks you to come to dinner with him. Within thirty minutes it because very clear that this guy's only goal is to have sex with you. You know, not only that you aren't going to have sex with this guy, but that he never had a chance because you aren't going to have sex with anyone (pre-marriage of course). So YOU end up feeling like you are taking advantage of the guy because you accepted the invitation to dinner when you knew there wasn't a chance that you were going to give him what he wanted. It's not that you are expected to say yes to the guy just because he takes you to dinner, but you are expected to consider it and give him a fair chance to get you into bed.

So back to writing in first person, it feels like it is wrong for me to accept a date knowing there is no way I will have sex with the guy ahead of time.

And I'm freaking sick and tired of feeling like that.

It kind of feels like dating a different species. Except in this world I am the alien and I'm cheating all these people pretending I am like them. It was kind of worse in the Netherlands where they had never heard of a person saving sex for marriage. I figured in America and especially the South, they at least knew when they asked a girl out that there was a risk, no matter how mall, that she might be one of those strange Christian people. But now I'm not so sure it is any better in America.

So I'm really tired of it now.

So basically, right now, the answer is No, you cannot have my number, go away, leave me alone. Yes, I know I have pretty eyes.

Love Without Boundaries

2011-12-16T19:15:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite charities is Love without Boundaries. It is an organiziation that to the best of my knowedge was started by people who have adopted babies in China to improve conditions for orphans still in China, primarly by providing medical care and life saving surgeries for babies that would otherwise die. They also provide nutrition, education funds, and funds to place children in foster homes because they believe a every child deserves to be raised in a family setting, rather than an institution. And of course, more than that, they believe every child deserves to be part of a forever family and thus strongly incourage the adoption of these beautiful orphan children.

Here are some photos and blurbs from their website. My parents leave for China to bring two of these children into our family forever on Tuesday. Please keep them in your prayers. There are many hurdles ahead and God will need to open every door.

Baby Emily came into LWB’s hands from an orphanage in Fujian Province. She was born with a medical condition requiring a very specialized surgery. We were so grateful when Dr. Ngan with MedArt agreed to take her case, and Emily traveled to Hong Kong to undergo a very complex operation. This photo was taken in May, about one month after returning to our Heartbridge Healing Home, a unit for babies who need more specialized care. At 14 months, finally able to spend some time on her tummy, Emily wasted no time learning how to “army crawl” around the room. By the time she left us in late October, Emily was pulling herself up to her feet and cruising around the furniture. However her preferred method of getting around was still crawling, which she could do very quickly. Emily just returned home with her new adoptive family to the U.S., and we all wish her every happiness in the world!

LWB has been working with the Pingliang orphanage in Gansu Province to help provide high quality formula and extra nannies so the babies can receive more one-on-one time and be hand fed. The most wonderful news about this special photo is that two of the babies have already been united with their forever families, and the other two babies have been chosen for adoption as well!

Baby Yi is part of our nutrition program in the Guangdong Province. She is a very sweet baby with a mild personality, who loves to smile when her nannies tickle her. Yi was born with thalassemia, and she needs to go to the hospital for blood transfusions once a month. We love this beautiful photo of her peeking out of her crib. Her nanny says she loves to be held most of all… and we think very few people could resist picking up such a beautiful little girl. We hope that a family will choose baby Yi in 2012 so that she can continue receiving the medical care she will need long-term.

Christmas This Year

2011-12-14T23:24:00.000-05:00

No one knows what Christmas will be like this year. The parents will be in China picking up our latest two siblings, so we expect interesting blog posts on Christmas. The older siblings decided to take a year off from present buying this year. I'm not sure what we will do to fill the extra hours that opening all those presents takes, but I am enjoying having all the extra hours that buying all those presents takes. Baby sister of first group has taken charge of organizing everything, but now she may need to have her tonsils out, so we may have to make a few plans of our own.

I'm having a melancholy night. I just finished my last Christmas party, I believe. It was lots of fun. My boss has left for Germany, so I now have my much anticipated freedom. I'm trying to spend at least 3 hours in the office each day and spending the rest of the day working from home. I don't know what kind of work I'll be doing from home, but it has to be productive.

Without a doubt, I'm sure it will all look better tomorrow. That is one thing I love about sleeping. The world looks so much brighter in the morning.

Did he really just say that???!!!

2011-12-13T02:19:00.000-05:00

So it's 2:00am and I'm blogging because I'm still hyper from dancing all night. Apparently Monday Night Swing Dancing is my new thing. I'm loving it.

And I'm writing because I'm in the habit of writing, but also because I want to remember what someone told me today. I'm still not even sure how to think about it, much less, how to respond. I do think I know where the person was coming from and what point he was trying to make, or at least what his goal was . . . but . . .

He actually said to me "You aren't gifted in helping people. You are gifted in making money. You need to do what you are gifted in. Who have you helped since you have been in Atlanta? No one. You should focus on what you are gifted at and make money."

I could respond in many ways, but stunned silence is still kinda working for me.

Pray for North Korea Day 30

2011-12-11T23:40:00.001-05:00

As we reach the end of this 30 days remember . . .

This is about a religion, about the rejection of God as God and the worship of two men, the leader Kim Jong-il and his father, the now dead Kim Il-sung. North Koreans bow to them, their photos and their statue (think Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 1-3); North Koreans are forbidden from speaking anything negative about them; and North Koreans looks to them to provide for all of their needs and thank them for all they have. There is no bigger threat to Kim Jong-il than to have the people worship the True God, who can truly provide for these people.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph 6:12

Today I got an email from Open Doors ministry with a prayer request for an eight-year-old orphaned boy from North Korea. He was living on the streets - now he is in a safe house for North Korean refugees in China. He doesn't want to go back, so Open Doors is trying to find him a safer place to stay and is arranging for him to be adopted by a Christian family in China.

Open Doors was founded by Brother Andrew, the author of The God Smuggler, who started his ministry by smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain in the USSR, and is now active in training North Korean Christians in China and then sending Christians and Bibles back into North Korea to strengthen the believers. This project started when people were asking me what they could do. I can personally highly recommend the work of Open Doors. Brother Andrew is a Dutch man who spoke at my church in Amsterdam and is well known by many of my friends there. Here is a video about North Korea and the work Open Doors has been able to do there.

In North Korea Open Doors has:

Open Doors secretly trained over 4,000 Christians and gave emergency aid (food, clothing, and other goods), to 56,000 Christians in 2011.
More than 30,000 Bibles, books and other materials were distributed.
Open Doors has formed a network to help and train North Korean defectors and believers living in China's border areas. (see country profile)

Here are two bits from letters sent to Open Doors by Christians INSIDE North Korea.

Church leaders in North Korea would like to thank you sincerely for your love, support and prayers. I am immensely grateful for your faith and love and for your prayers for us,” writes one church leader. “This encourages us to continue our activities for North Korean Christians. We are seeing God’s miracles in our country and he is working in every detail of our daily life.”

another church leader is also thankful for your prayers: “Our church feels strengthened and has grown through your support. This is why I am working to strengthen the faith of my brothers and sisters. Despite all the dangers, they continue to follow Jesus. They are also becoming more steadfast in their faith by the teaching that they are receiving through the materials of Open Doors.

God will be faithful to his people. He is showing them miracles. Continue to pray for North Korea.

You can let North Korean Christians know you are personally praying for them.

Free North Korea Radio, run by defectors from North Korea, has been transmitting messages into North Korea since 2004 and there are reports that many North Korean citizens are listening to the programming. The emails should be words of encouragement. To send a message and for instructions on the contents of the message go here

Most importantly, keep praying.

Pray for North Korea Day 29

2011-12-11T00:37:00.001-05:00

So how will I used my last two days of this Pray for North Korea series? I do not have any idea how to summarize everything. Maybe tomorrow I'll try. Or maybe I'll focus on eternal things that are most important. Or maybe I'll just post what's on my mind, because, after all, this is my blog, and even though the 30 days are over, I can still post more about North Korea any time I want. But still, it seems like it would be nice to have some sort of ending that doesn't actually end the prayers at all.

A map of North Korean prison camps, published by the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. According to the committee, up to 200,000 people are believed to be imprisoned without due process, under inhumane conditions, for political reasons; and an estimated 400,000 have died in such camp

But today I'm focused on what I find one of the most horrifying things in North Korea, the labor camps. Not much is known about the labor camps because so few people ever leave them. Yodok is one of the labor camps where many people accused of being Christian end up.

From J. Scott Husted's Blog — Through the Veil I've read:

Reports from inside Yodok are hard to come by. In 2004, a Japanese television station aired what it claimed was footage from inside the camp. The very few who’ve managed to escape testify to stories of torture, starvation and routine executions.

“On July 22, 1999, I was arrested on suspicion of spying by the national security agency,” said Jeong Kyoung-il,one of the few Yodok prisoners who is known to have been released. While he was in the Yodok labor camp, Jeong says the prison guards performed a particular form of torture on him called the Pigeon Torture. In essence, the prisoner is hanged from the wall with his hands tied behind his back, and left hanging in this position for several days. “This happened repeatedly,’ said Jeong. “It’s like you are hanging upside down. Your muscles tense up and your chest sticks out like a bird. I thought I was going to die.”

Other news agencies report that inhumane experiments are conducted on all people including newborn infants. Women are not allowed to scream while giving birth to babies. If they do, guards will beat the pregnant woman until she stops screaming. When the baby is born, if it starts crying the guards usually smother it to death or leave the baby face down on the ground to die. If the baby happens to survive it must endure the harsh conditions the mother must endure. An estimated 1,000- 2,000 prisoners die annually from hunger, beatings, and executions.

-Pray that God will intervene on behalf of the North Korean people.

-Pray that the people of North Korea would be prepared for the huge change that sudden freedom would present.

-Pray that the totalitarian regime would be brought down.

-Pray that the remaining Christians in North Korea would be revived and comforted, even under such severe persecution, especially those held in the camps for their faith.

-Pray that God would release North Korea into freedom and democracy!

Things That Make Me Happy - No, Not Just That - Things I'm Grateful For

2011-12-10T11:14:00.002-05:00

There is nothing quite like ending a title with a preposition. Somehow it feels worse than ending a sentence with a preposition. But, of course, I am a firm believer in using language to convey meaning and that rules of grammar and spelling are only worth heeding if they aid communication. I think it is narrow-minded to think that your grammar rules are the "correct" rules. There is no higher authority that instituted the rules of grammar. Sure, the Ten Commandments, established by a higher authority are non-negotiable. The rules of grammar, instituted by history or self appointed snobs, are nothing more than opinions of certain people about their preferred way of speaking and writing, and people who think their is some righteousness in following those rules and just plain shallow and silly, and for those who think others are lesser than them because they do not follow their rules are just self-righteous. Guess what, ye Yankees who think Southerners don't speak right, the Brits think you can't speak or spell.

Wow, so what just happened to this list of things I'm grateful for? That was a bit of a rabbit trail.

And for another brief rabbit trail, this list shouldn't simply be about things that are making me happy today, because as good as it is that I'm enjoying all the good gifts God has given me, and I know that God is happy that I am happy with them, I also need to recognize that these gifts are from God, because he loves me, and I need to be grateful for the gifts, and for that love.

So . . .

I'm grateful for ...

this tea pot with the warmer that Vintage Girl gave me to use.

this super nice apartment that I never would have even considered looking at, since I always consider 'nice' out of my price range.

an odd metal shape thing from Dutchman that has inspired my latest craft project. (I'll show it when I'm done with it.)

Saturday mornings! Yes, at least this week, Saturday is my Sabbath and it is such a gift.

lavender Bath Milk from Ross's which means it was even cheap enough for me to buy!

Pray for North Korea Day 28

2011-12-10T01:23:00.000-05:00

This is a bit of a continuation of the situation of women who are trafficked into China. As I said, many of these women are sold as wives, and for some of them, the situation is so much better than in North Korea they are happy with staying with their new Chinese husbands. They problem is they don't really have a choice. You have to remember the incomprehensible suffering they left and that they will face again if they are returned to North Korea. These statistics help illustrate the fact that even if they choose to stay where they are, it's not really a 'choice' when the alternative is likely death.

Recently, the DailyNK has reported on a new survey by the Free NG Gulag group in Seoul (in Korean). The study was supported by MOU and conducted between May and August in China. It included 126 North Korean defectors in China; the article makes reference to five male respondents, so we assume the remainder were women. The report does not appear to be available yet in electronic form, so we simply report the DailyNK’s coverage.

The article does not report the share of women who were married, but 64 of the 121 women (52%) experienced violence at the hands of their Chinese husbands
35 out of the 64 respondents who were abused (54%) said that they were beaten more than once a month. Such violence were most likely to occur when husbands were drunk.
34 out of the 64 respondents who were abused (53%) said that they did not do anything about it. Eight said that they asked for forgiveness (12%). 16 would run away (25%) and only six responded that they would fight back or ask help to the neighbors (9%).
The most significant reasons for the tolerance of abuse were because the women had nowhere to go and feared arrest and expulsion by Chinese security forces.
The survey suggested that 41% of North Korean defectors in China are suffering from health problems and 54% report more adverse work conditions China than they faced in North Korea.
Finally, 75% of the respondents said that they would try to enter South Korea. Those not seeking to go to South Korea cited economic difficulties and fear for families left in North Korea.

Pray for the protection of these women and the many other women who kept or stay in bad situations becasue the alternatives are even worse.

Pray for North Korea Day 27

2011-12-09T08:57:00.000-05:00

The Bible commands us to pray for our leaders and those who have authority over us. One thing that has struck me about many of the North Korean's prayers and the prayers of the South Koreans for North Korea is that they pray for their leader's spiritiual and physical health. They pray for his salvation. How often do we pray for our president's health and salvation?

Pray for North Korea Day 26

2011-12-07T23:34:00.000-05:00

Today's post is from the OMF Blog

Praying Biblically

We need to pray the promises of scripture on behalf of the people in North Korea. Let us look at some verses about seeking God and pray them for these people of the North.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 9:13

“Father God, we pray that people in North Korea will seek you with all their heart and that you would allow them to find you. Please make them thirsty for you. Please fan into flame that tiny spark of awareness of you that you have set in each one of them. We pray that you would draw the people of North Korea to yourself.”

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

“Father God, we pray that many in the North will earnestly seek you, even though their teaching says you do not exist. We pray that many will believe in you and will be pleasing to you through faith in Jesus Christ. We pray that, like you did for Cornelius, you would send more light to the seekers, rewarding those who are searching for you.”

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. Luke 19:10

“Father God, we pray that you will search for the lost in North Korea. We pray that you would cause them to seek you. We pray that you will draw them to yourself, to your word, to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to people who can explain the gospel to them. May they hear the gospel and come to you in repentance and faith.”

Pray for North Korea Day 25

2011-12-07T01:43:00.000-05:00

90% of women who escape North Korea and end up in China become victims of human trafficking and are sold as sex slaves according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. Women are often either sold as wives to Chinese farmers or forced to work in the cybersex industry. They cannot complain to the authorities about their treatment because the Chinese government will just send them back to North Korea where they will face imprisonment or death. They are helpless and have no governmental protection.

Here is the first part of the story of one girl:

A 26-year-old North Korean woman, Mun Yun-hee crossed the Duman or Tumen River into China in the dawn of Oct. 22 last year, which at that point was some 40 m wide, guided by a human trafficker. She was being sold to a single middle-aged Chinese farmer into a kind of indentured servitude-cum-companionship. Both of them wore only panties, having stored their trousers and shoes in bags, because if you are found wearing wet clothes across the river deep at night, it is a dead giveaway that you are a North Korean refugee.

Mun was led to a hideout, and the agent left. Asked why she crossed the river, she replied, "My father starved to death late in the 1990s, and my mother is blind from hunger." Her family owed 300 kg of corns, beans and rice and sold herself for the sake of her blind mother and a younger brother. The middleman paid her 350 yuan, or W46,000 (US$1=W939), equivalent to half of the grain debt.

Her story is continued here. It shows the horrors of what happens when you are sent back to North Korea.

Pray that China will changes its policies concerning North Korean refuguees. Pray that women will find a way to defect without selling themselves. Pray for the Christian workers working in China trying to aid these refugees.

Pray for North Korea Day 24

2011-12-06T01:30:00.000-05:00

When I first had the idea to commit to pray for North Korea for 30 days I had stumbled across a calendar online with 30 days of ideas about how to pray for North Korea. Each day had one simple bullet point. I just planned to copy those points to remind myself and other to pray. I had written a few posts about the horribly starvation going on in North Korea and several people had asked what they could do to help. All I knew to do was pray. Unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, when I started the 30 days, I could no longer find this prayer calendar, so I've had to research each day to find things to post about North Korea. This has been quite a journey for me because I've learned so much more, even more than I've shared on here, about the situation in North Korea.
Today my reading took me to North Korean orphans. I read that:

There are two kinds of orphaned and stateless North Korean children today. Hundreds of these children remain extremely vulnerable to abuse, sex trafficking, and starvation, mostly located in China, but also throughout Southeast Asia, and parts of Russia.

De Facto: Stateless North Koreans are often children born in North Korea who escape with their parents to China and other neighboring countries. Usually they lack documentation of their citizenship and birth. Many of these children are lost, abandoned, or separated from their parents when one or both are caught by local authorities and repatriated to North Korea. These children, even if found by NGOs or underground networks, cannot currently seek asylum or protection with any government, as they lack paperwork to prove their North Korean origin.
De Jure: Many refugees who have fled North Korea have children in China and other nations, sometimes by marriage or relationship with local citizens. Most countries in the region do not have a birthright policy – in other words, being born on a country’s soil does not automatically grant the child citizenship, unlike in the United States. Children born to refugees, even if one parent is a legal citizen, are technically stateless – no nation or state considers the child theirs

There has apparently been a movement to get a bill passed to make it possible for Americans to adopt these stateless children. There was a North Korean Refugee Act of 2010 that apparently was never passed, but it was apparently introduced again in 2011 and there is a movement to get it passed again.

Yes, I'll post more information as I find it, but in the meantime, watch this short video about a North Korean man who was adopted by a family in Michigan and why he spent all his money trying to help North Korean orphans. The pictures of the orphans show the obvious suffering and starvation more than words every could. This was posted in May and I don't know if this man is still alive, but he certainly used his days on earth wisely.

Pray that God will be a very real and present father and provider to these children. And remember:

James 1:27

²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Pray for North Korea Day 23

2011-12-05T09:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, I didn't post on day 22, but I hope people still prayed. They say a habit forms after 21 days I think.

Today there is possibly good news in that South Korea is planning to send 5.7M in food aide to North Korea. However, this does little to alleviate those suffering today, and may never get to the intended hands.

Here is a blog post from OMF.org to guide us in praying for the North Korean Economy.

OMF Blog

8. The Economy

NK Blog - Thursday 21 August 2008

Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” Proverbs 30:8-9

The economy in North Korea was originally related to its communist and socialist values. Since the state is all-powerful, the economy is also state-controlled and centrally managed. This is what some of the economies of Eastern Europe were like before 1990.

North Korea’s economy is directed to serve the nation and its goals. The state has decided that military is most important, so the economy serves the military.

In the 1990s agricultural and industrial production in the North declined greatly, creating widespread economic problems. This, combined with the state’s focus on supplying the military, left many ordinary citizens without sufficient food or income. Because of this, North Korea relies heavily on foreign aid. The nuclear issue, however, is leaving many nations unwilling to help.

Since economic decline and widespread shortages began, “black market capitalism” has developed. Though this makes no long-term improvement in the nation’s economy, it is a way of earning the money and food that so many North Koreans need. As men must work in state jobs at factories and offices, often it is the women who are free to develop this illegal way of earning money.

May the men and women of North Korea be able to work and earn money, so they can eat and live.

Praise God that some in North Korea have food and jobs.

Pray that the economy would improve and benefit all levels of the society.

Pray that men and women in the North can work, earn money and have enough to eat.

Pray for North Korea Day 21

2011-12-03T00:15:00.000-05:00

I found this article on https://www.heavensfamily.org/iwh/north-korea

Partnering with U.S. and international ministries, Heaven's Family has been helping purchase tons of rice and corn that reaches starving Christians in North Korea (although the means cannot be disclosed due to security reasons). One of our partner ministries recently received the following letter from an underground leader inside North Korea:

I was so touched by your dear hearts as I received the food you have provided....Seeing this unimaginable miracle, which could only have happened through the love of Jesus, has been an incredible experience. Over and over it has brought tears to my eyes.
I am ashamed to confess that before becoming a follower of Christ, I was one of many who let my children starve to death in order to survive. After my two sons died I wandered aimlessly through life without purpose. Then Jesus found me.
Christ's love has completely changed me and now I risk my life as one of the prayer members, preaching His name to those around me. Your gift of food has strengthened me and I will use that strength to preach that Christ is our savior. If He were not with us, I can only imagine how miserable we would be. There are so many in this cursed land that are despised, looked down on, and going to hell. Without Christ, life is not worth living. This is why we will continue to risk our lives to preach in His name.

Continue to pray.

Pray for North korea Day 20

2011-12-02T00:24:00.000-05:00

Just today the head of the United States Agency for International Development, stated that the United States is unsure what type of aid to give North Korea, because it is unsure that any aid that is given will reach the population that needs it most. It fears all aid will be divered to the military and government officials.
Pray for wisdom for our leaders who are dealing with North Korea.

Pray for north Korea Day

2011-11-30T23:17:00.001-05:00

I don't have my computer tonight so I'll just post a link to this story of a north Korean defector who became a Christian and remind you, on this cold night, to pray for those freezing, without heat or good clothing in north Korean prison camps.

Sent from my iPhone

Pray for North Korea Day 18

2011-11-29T23:21:00.000-05:00

Prayer Updates - November 22nd, 2011 - North Korean Christian Gives Thanks in the Midst of Trauma

When Moon fled from North Korea to China, she thought that she was entering into a better future. But she fell into the hands of human traffickers and was sold to a Chinese farmer. He treated her as a sex slave. After years of abuse she could stand it no longer and fled from him.
Eventually she met another Chinese man, who was kind to her, she married again. The fresh start in her life seemed so good, but it soon turned into a nightmare. Moon recalls, “I became pregnant. A few days before I was to give birth, my two sisters-in-law discovered that I was North Korean. This meant that my child would not have any legal status and would not have any right to education. They wanted me to have an abortion. I left the house and walked all day to find work and a new life, because I wanted to keep my child. In the end, my sisters-in-law found me anyway and forced me to go to hospital. Under the firm grip of a doctor, the baby was murdered. The next day, I gave birth to a dead child.”
Moon still lives with her Chinese husband. Fortunately, she met Li a kind Chinese Christian who supported her as much as possible. They became friends and Moon came to know the love of the Lord Jesus through her. “Through the Bible, I understand how much He loves me. Now I know God, a world has opened up to me. And I know that my baby is with Him.”

Thank you, Father, for the love of Li for Moon and for the many Christian field workers who care for North Korean refugees. Thank you for Moon’s open heart to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we pray that You will protect her and continue to heal her from the trauma she has endured. Strengthen her testimony before her husband and sister-in-law that Your Spirit might draw them into faith in Jesus Christ. And we pray for wisdom for the many Christian field workers who receive refugees. Amen

Pray for North Korea day 17

2011-11-29T01:04:00.001-05:00

Experts on North Korea say that up to 20 percent of the North Korean population listens to illegal foreign radio broadcasts, and an estimated 2 million regularly listen to VOM-sponsored Christian programs, according to VOM’s partners working in North Korea. Radio broadcasting is one of the most effective ways not only to bring the gospel and the voice of true freedom to the people of North Korea but also to communicate with and influence North Koreans. This month on the “Freedom in Christ” program, our partners are sharing stories from the Gospel of Luke as well as eight plays from the “Hardship of Christ.” A special speaker also shared a message of encouragement with North Korean listeners and promised to continue praying for them. “We intentionally focus on broadcasting the biblical gospel through testimonies of believers, leadership training, and equipping resources for this support of the North Korean church,” wrote our partner. The foreign radio broadcasts are understandably hated by the North Korean government.

Please pray that the government’s attempts to jam the broadcasts will be futile and that North Koreans who tune in will be sensitive to the truth of the gospel.

Wait

2011-11-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

Be still and know I am God.

Last night we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent, the season where we wait. We wait for Christ to come. We wait for Christmas. We wait for His return.

We must prepare ourselves, we must get ready, and we must also wait. If waiting equals procrasitnating then I am very good at it. But I think waiting involves being still, and when I procrastiante I am not still. I just fill myself with busyness and spin my wheels.

It's so rare for me to be in silence. I am often silent, but nothing around me is silent. If I'm not talking to someone I am listening to a book, music, a news report, a tv show, a sermon. My mind constantly has input that drowns out the still small voice of God. I can't even complain that my mind never shuts off, because I never shut out the input so that it can even turn on with its own independant thoughts.

So this advent season I am shutting off. I'm not shutting off from sharing. I'm not shutting off from people. I'm not shutting off from electronics and holiday cheer. I'm shutting of the inputs. I'm working out in silent. I'm dressing in silent. I'm showering in silent. I'm driving in silent. In this crazy, busy, wonderful season, I'm going to try to find some silence... and wait.

Pray for North Korea Day 16

2011-11-27T01:11:00.002-05:00

As we were celebrating Thanksgiving here in America, North Korea threatened Thursday to turn Seoul's presidential palace office into a "sea of fire," stepping up its rhetoric one day after South Korea conducted large-scale military drills near a front-line island attacked by North Korea last year.

Just last year, North Korea fired on South Korea twice killing many, and now tensions are escalating again. This only gives North Korea more of an excuse to divert resources to its military while millions of children continue to starve.

Pray that the Lord's will would be done and he would give the leaders wisdom.

Pray for North Korea Day 15

2011-11-26T22:55:00.002-05:00

Pray that the North Korean Christians will commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. Pray that those helping the North Korean Refugees will commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. Pray for those risking their lives to help Christians within North Korea that the will commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. Pray that we will commit ourselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

1 Peter 4:19 NIV
"So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."
See it at YouVersion.com:
http://bible.us/1Pet4.19.NIV

Sent from my iPhone

Pray for North Korea Day 14

2011-11-26T11:02:00.000-05:00

North Koreans cannot trust anyone

Anyone who has had contact with North Koreans has seen the empty and frightened look in their eyes. They do not know who they can trust, because many people are secret agents. Each province has its own security committee, which keeps an eye on local inhabitants. Any false move or statement that does not fit in with the thinking of the regime is punished. A person committing such an offence may end up in a labour camp.

During national festivities and important events, such as the recent party meeting, the security committees carry out more checks and house searches than usual. The additional operations are largely carried out by students who are being trained to become secret agents. The work is lucrative - they arerewarded with a sum of money if they report inhabitants who complain about the leaders, sell smuggled goods, watch South Korean films or make mobile phone calls abroad. And they certainly score if they find North Koreans who are in possession of Bibles or are taking part in religious activities.

PLEASE PRAY:

• F or the protection of Christians during house searches

• F or supernatural freedom for Christians in God’s service

• F or secret service agents to come to know Jesus.

Pray for North Korea Day 13

2011-11-25T00:11:00.000-05:00

Pray for Revival in North Korea
“I want to serve Jesus with all my heart, even if it will cost my life.”

I want to serve Jesus with all my heart, even if it will cost my life,” Pastor Lee passionately declared to an Open Doors contact. “My family has paid the ultimate sacrifice for God. In honour of them, I serve the Lord Jesus with my whole heart.”

Pastor Lee would like to be able to share the gospel with his fellow countrymen, but because of his Christian activities, it is not possible for him to return to North Korea anymore. He saw how the persecution of Christians began in the early 1950s: “When Kim Il-Sung and his wife wanted to wipe out all Christians, I saw how my parents persevered in the faith. The greater the suppression, the stronger they felt, and they made an effort to help the poor. I was also gripped by the Christian faith, but I was only converted and became a pastor after my flight from North Korea to China.”

GIVE THANKS

• F or Christians who have persevered and resisted indoctrination

Please Pray

• F or wisdom and protection for Christians who are spreading the gospel

• F or party officials to come to know Jesus

• F or a spiritual breakthrough in North Korea. Pray that many will find new life in Jesus.

Pray for North Korea Day 12

2011-11-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so many things to be thankful for. I have a warm(ish) house full of warm blankets. I have a house full of healthy family. I can freely worship and praise God.

Pray for those hungry and freezing in North Korea, who fear death because of their belief in God.

Pray for North Korea Day 11

2011-11-23T00:28:00.000-05:00

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, let's take a moment to pray for families in North Korea.

“It is very encouraging to see how the North Korean Christians are determined to establish God’s kingdom in their country. For three generations, through the Korean War and the subsequent persecution, Christians have managed to retain the faith,” says Open Doors main contact, Brother Simon. Lee Joo-Chung is a pastor from North Korea. He grew up in a period when the persecution of Christians became increasingly severe. But despite the difficult circumstances, he saw the strong faith of his parents. “They read the Bible in secret,” he says, “but it was too dangerous for them to tell me about the Lord Jesus. Only after my flight from North Korea to China did I come to faith myself.”

GIVE THANKS• For faithful Christian witness through the generations

PLEASE PRAY• For strong, loving marriages between North Koreans

• That the children of Christian parents would come to know Jesus

• For emotional and physical provision for Christian families

Pray for North Korea Day 10

2011-11-22T01:14:00.001-05:00

I think this is the most distrubing story that I've posted so far. It is 8 years old, but I have yet to read anywhere that conditions are getting better in these prison camps. May this motivate us to pray hard that God bring dramatic change in North Korea.

The following is an excerpt from David Hawk's 2003 report, The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea’s Prison Camps Prisoners’ Testimonies and Satellite Photographs.

"Former Detainee #24 is a sixty-six-year-old grandmother from Chulan-kun, North Hamgyong Province. In 1997, her children were starving, so she fled to China with her husband, who was a former soldier, and five of her children. Two of her children were caught crossing the border, but the rest of the family lived in China for three years. Two of the children who made it with her to China were later caught and repatriated to North Korea, and her husband eventually died of natural causes. Afterward, she lived with her granddaughter in Yangji until they were apprehended by Chinese police while visiting Dandong.

Former Detainee #24 was eventually forcibly repatriated in a group of fifty North Koreans, some of whom were pregnant women, bound together by their wrists. They were taken, initially, for eighteen days to the Namindong bo-wi-bu (National Security Agency) police ku-ryu-jang in Sinuiju, who initially accused Former Detainee #24 of being corrupted by capitalism in China. She convinced them that she had gone to China only for food, so she was sent for one month to the do-jip-kyul-so in South Sinuiju run by the In-min-bo-an-seong (People’s Safety Agency) police. Though she had heard that Kim Jong Il had recently said North Korean repatriates should not be treated harshly, there were beatings.

Detainees were fed the usual steamed corn, and as it was midsummer, most prisoners were sent out to work in the rice fields. This grandmother was too old and weak for such labor, and as she herself had had seven children, she was taken in the mornings to a nearby medical building to help care for the pregnant detainees. She helped deliver seven babies, some of which were full-term, some of which were injection-induced abortions. All of the babies were killed.

The first baby was born to a twenty-eight-year-old woman named Lim, who had been happily married to a Chinese man. The baby boy was born healthy and unusually large, owing to the mother’s ability to eat well during pregnancy in China. Former Detainee #24 assisted in holding the baby’s head during delivery and then cut the umbilical cord. But when she started to hold the baby and wrap him in a blanket, a guard grabbed the newborn by one leg and threw it in a large, plastic-lined box. A doctor explained that since North Korea was short on food, the country should not have to feed the children of foreign fathers. When the box was full of babies, Former Detainee #24 later learned, it was taken outside and buried.

She next helped deliver a baby to a woman named Kim, who also gave birth to a healthy full-term boy. As Former Detainee #24 caressed the baby, it tried to suckle her finger. The guard again came over and yelled at her to put the baby in the box. As she stood up, the guard slapped her, chipping her tooth. The third baby she delivered was premature — the size of an ear of corn — and the fourth baby was even smaller. She gently laid those babies in the box. The next day she delivered three more very premature babies and also put them in the box. The babies in the box gave her nightmares. Two days later, the premature babies had died but the two full-term baby boys were still alive. Even though their skin had turned yellow and their mouths blue, they still blinked their eyes. The agent came by, and seeing that two of the babies in the box were not dead yet, stabbed them with forceps at a soft spot in their skulls. Former Detainee #24 says she then lost her self-control and started screaming at the agent, who kicked her so hard in the leg that she fainted. Deemed unsuitable for further hospital work, she was returned to the detention center until her release several weeks later.

Upon release, Former Detainee #24 returned to China but was again caught and this time repatriated to Hoeryong. Separated from her granddaughter, she became hysterical and started singing Christian hymns that she had learned in China, and ranting against Kim Jong Il for making Koreans leave their native villages while God took care of Korean people in China. Fortunately, her guards regarded her as a crazy old woman, not an enemy of the regime. Indeed, they took pity on her, even reuniting her with her granddaughter and helping the two of them to again cross the Tumen River into China. This time, she met some South Korean Christian relief workers who helped enable her and her granddaughter to make the trek through China to Southeast Asia. She arrived in South Korea in March 2001.

The interviewer had difficulty finding words to describe the sadness in this grandmothers’ eyes and the anguish on her face as she recounted her experience as a midwife at the detention center in South Sinuiju."

Pray for Korea Day 9

2011-11-20T23:22:00.000-05:00

This has all been a little overwhelming, so I want to post some more encouraging news before I most more about the horrors that are happening in North Korea. This is also from northkoreanchristians.com

What is fueling that fear about Christianity?
The secret increasingly being unveiled is that not only is there Christianity - true Christianity - in North Korea, but that Christianity is actually expanding. As evidenced below by seven of Hawk's 40 interviewees, some are of the Christians pre-date the Korean War and have worshipped in secret for over half a century. Others became Christian after hearing the Gospel in China, and still others, through their life-risking evangelism:

"Interviewee 10 brought back a bible from China, which she and her mother secretly read at home under a blanket. She also listened to the Christian radio station from South Korea and told her older sister and her husband about the Gospel."

"Interviewee 13 is a young woman from a pre-Korean War Christian family. Her mother and her mother's friends continued to gather to worship secretly in Hamhung, an industrial city near the East Sea, where many Christian families had been exiled after the Korean War."

"Interviewee 16, a woman in her sixties, also from Hamhung, knew of eight persons who were Christians who met secretly in groups of three and four to read handwritten bible verses."

"Interviewee 17, from North Pyong-an Province, had a Christian mother who attended church until 1947 and who kept her Bible. She had a friend in Pihyeon-goon (near Sinuiju), also near the border with China, who listened to Far Eastern Broadcasting (a South Korean Christian radio station)."

"Interviewee 18, from Musan, also had a pre-Korean War Christian mother who continued to worship in secret with two relatives, using a Bible that her grandfather had brought back from Japan years ago."

"Interviewee 22 never saw any organized worship, but in prison there was a “crazy woman” in her sixties who kept praying to God to save her. Another fellow prisoner, from Namyang, Onsung county, was in jail for a year because a Bible had been found in his house."

"Interviewee 32 was from Musan. She participated in an underground church of 12 members, all relatives, who received missionaries from China, just across the river."

Pray for North Korea Day 8

2011-11-20T12:33:00.000-05:00

From NorthKoreanChristians.com:

"A young woman, in her twenties, was washing clothes in a tributary to the Tumen River (the border between China and North Korea). When packing up the clothes, she dropped what was believed to be a small Bible. The actual words used by the North Korean authorities were “Christianity book” (kiddokyo chaek). Another washer woman reported the girl to the police. According to Interviewee 4, the informer may not have known that the book was a Bible, but all suspicious activity had to be reported to the police. The young woman and her father, looking to be roughly sixty years old, were arrested and held by the local Gukgabowibu police for some three months. During that time, the woman and her father were presumably investigated and interrogated. Apparently, they were deemed guilty of a capital offense. On a summer morning in 1997, the two were taken to a market area near where the Seong Cheon River runs into the Tumen River. The two were accused of trafficking and condemned as traitors to the nation and Kim Jong Il. Interviewee 4 was unaware of any other judicial procedures prior to the announcement of the crime, verdict, and sentence in an extremely brief public “show trial,” which consisted of no more than announcements of the charges and verdict immediately prior to the execution. Teachers and students from elementary (4th grade and up), middle, and high school were assembled, along with persons who had been sent over from the nearby market. Seven police fired three shots each into the two victims, who had been tied to stakes a few meters from the “trial” area. The force of the rifle shots, fired from fifteen meters away, caused blood and brain matter to be blown out of their heads. Interviewee 4 was in the fifth row. She sketched from memory a schematic drawing of the execution scene."
Satelite Image of North and South Korea at Night

PRAY for the Christians in North Korea who worship the Lord in secret, those in concentration camps, those in China, and those who have gone back to North Korea to evangelize. Pray also for the Lord to pierce with His truth the hearts of their captors, torturers, killers and even Kim Jong Il, as well as the Chinese who hunt them or traffic North Korean women. And pray for Chinese Christians and the missionaries in China who are sheltering and caring for them, teaching and supplying them with the Word of God.

Vietnamese pho

2011-11-20T09:35:00.001-05:00

Vietnamese soup makes my throat very happy. The meat cooks in the soup and then you pull it out, dip it in sauce and eat it. And you add the beat sprouts and herbs to flavor it yourself. So good.

Pray for North Korea Day 7

2011-11-20T01:54:00.001-05:00

North Korean escapees about religion in North Korea. Here are some of their responses about North Korea's religion:

"Juche is the only religion North Korean people can have."

"We learned that there were two lives: one is the physical life and the other is the political life. We were taught that political life was forever along with the leaders and the Party. Therefore, I believed that my political life was more important than my physical life."

"According to party covenant, Article 1, section 1, all North Koreans are required to worship Kim Il Sung with all our heart and might, even after his death. We have to venerate the pictures and status of Kim Il Sung."

"We must hang [Kim Il Sung's] pictures. The pictures indicate that Kim Il Sung is god, as we hang the pictures for the purpose of reminding ourselves that we depend on him."

"Hanging portraits of Kim's family is compulsory for every household. The portraits must be hung on the best wall of every home, and nothing else can be hung under the portraits. Families with high loyalty to the Party bow down under the portraits even when nobody is watching."

"Religious freedom is not allowed in North Korea because it will ruin the deification of Kim Il Sung."

"Having faith in God is an act of espionage. Only Kim Il Sung is a god in North Korea."

"Juche itself is a religion, therefore they worry that people may forsake Juche for another religion."

Pray for Truth to come to North Korea

Visiting Burmese Refugese

2011-11-19T20:33:00.000-05:00

I went to visit some Burmese refugese today in Atlanta, well Clarkston actually. A friend of mine manages an apartment complex and had told me that a bunch of Karin refugese from Burma had moved into the complex. He brought me to meet them today. I wish I could have taken some pictures. There were so many absolutely adorable children. I think there are about 8 families living in the houses. Only the children speak English. Actually, I think the men might speak English as well, but they were all out working. From what I can tell online, they may work at a chicken factory. They seem to have been in Atlanta a few years acording to the child who said she moved when she was 7 and she was 10 now. They were beautiful children. Several looked like the curly haired girl that lived in Cheryl's first hosue. We gave them a bunch of toys and some bad cooking items that had come from one of my friends other houses (people often leave a lot behind when they move out.)
There is so much to do in Atlanta. I met a guy last night who is very involved in the anti sex trafficking organizations in Atlanta. I'm trying to find out more about these children and how people can help them. I'm loving living here.
Here is a little more about the Burmese refugees in Atlanta.

Every birthday or anniversary celebration for the Christian Karen is called a thanksgiving and they gather for a prayer and sermon prior to celebrating with food and cake.

Pray for North Korea Day 6

2011-11-19T12:41:00.000-05:00

I know I'm posting a little late today. I had a lot of wonderful socializing last night and am feeling a bit sick today. Those things are very unrelated.

I just finished reading a news article about the problems giving aid to those starving in North Korea. The World Food Program of the United Nations says about one third of North Korea's children under the age of five are chronically malnourished. However, North Korea has just refused shipments of babyformula from South Korea, so South Korea is looking elsewhere to send this aid.

North Korea has been accused of using any aid it is given to support its million man army. It is demanding aid be in the form of rice and concrete and has not accepted nearly 300,000 packs of baby formula.

Pray that God will provide for these starving people. Praise God that some food aid is reaching the country. Pray that it will get to those who need it, and that the Bread of Life will accompany it.

Prayer for North Korea Day 5

2011-11-17T18:21:00.001-05:00

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body." 2 Corinthians 4:11 (TNIV)

North Korea

The secret children of North Korea

Timothy's dad was arrested for being a Christian and his mum just disappeared. Aged eight, he became a 'wandering swallow', one of North Korea's many street children. "We slept under trains and ate grains of rice found in cow dung," he said. Some of his young friends died through malnutrition and one was shot dead.

Fellow North Korean, Eun Kyung, was forced to leave her four-year-old daughter and three-year-old son in search of food, but was trafficked into China and forced to marry. The Chinese police found her and deported her back to North Korea, where she was sentenced to a few months in a labour camp. On her release, she was shocked to discover her children abandoned in an orphanage. Her daughter died shortly afterwards and her son was taken to live with a military officer.

Now Eun Kyung is married to Nam, who also had to leave a child behind when escaping North Korea to find food for his family. They are living in another country where they are free to read their Bibles and worship God with other Christians.

They say, "God saved us, brought us together and gave us another child. We are very grateful for his love. We just pray that someday we can help our children escape, too. They are teenagers now. We miss them terribly."

Please pray:

That North Korean children from Christian families will come to know God, especially those separated from their parents by distance or death
For whole families suffering appalling conditions in labour camps to know God’s comfort and strength

Prayer for North Korea Day 4

2011-11-17T01:57:00.001-05:00

This is North Korea. It is “roughly the size of Mississippi,” featuring rolling blackouts even in the capitol city and children who fight over corn found in “cow dung.” There are concentration camps where guards are told not to believe the people there are even human. “Once they enter, they are no longer human” one defected guard tells an interviewer; he follows up with “prisoners were shot.. just for searching for mice to eat.” Finally, he notes “North Korea can not exist without prison camps–it would collapse.”
citizens

Pray for those in the prison camps in North Korea
Pray for miracles
Pray for escapes
Pray for provisions

Prayer for North Korea Day 3

2011-11-16T02:01:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd start with a little good news today. Unofficial reports are saying that last Friday China agreed to send 19 captured North Korean Refugees to South Korea rather than return them to North Korea where they will face, imprisonment, work camps, or death.
Most refugees escape North Korea on foot, over a river, into China. Despite international law regarding refugees, and NGO protests to the contrary, China has a policy of returning caputured North Koreans to North Korea. Pray that these 19 refugees will be sent safely to South Korea and that China will change its policies in the future.
Pray for the South Korean activists, primarily Evangelical Christian groups, who opearte in China to run an "underground railroad" to help North Koreans escape to South Korea.
Read this

Prayer for North Korea Day 2

2011-11-15T02:00:00.013-05:00

Pray for PROVISION
“Help my people through the winter!”

“God, please help my people through the harsh winter!” was the heartrending cry of Lee, on his knees with Open Doors workers. The North Koreans are facing a difficult time. They have little food, little clothing and almost no medicines. The North Korean people have already suffered so much. The only ones able to make the necessary preparations for the harsh winters and cruel famines are the elite.

The winter period is a difficult time for ordinary North Koreans. The price of foodstuffs is fluctuating considerably after the revaluation of the won. Normally at this time of year people prepare for the winter by making ‘kimchi’, a traditional dish of Chinese cabbage, radish, garlic and dried red peppers. Because of the high price of ingredients, only the elite can afford this. For ‘ordinary’ people, this is almost impossible.

Cabbage costs 100 won a kilogramme, radish costs 150 won a kilogramme, garlic comes to 3,000 won and dried pepper is 3,800 won. The salary of an average worker is about 2,000 won a month. But many people do not even earn this. How are they to survive the winter?

PLEASE Pray:

• For a more stable economy and lower food prices
• For God’s provision for the poor in times of famine and deprivation
• For refuge and protection for the hungry street children.

Information from Opendoorsuk.org

Pray for North Korea Day 1

2011-11-14T10:01:00.000-05:00

"There is no way that we can stop ourselves from falling from the cliff of despair if we only look at the reality," one North Korean Christian writes. "Jesus saves us from it. We try to be positive, always, whatever situation we face. We will keep marching toward the eternal heaven, where Jesus has prepared a place for us."

In 2011, North Korea is once again top of the Open Doors World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most persecution. It is the most difficult place in the world to be a Christian.

The brutal regime of Kim Jong-Il means that all Christians must hide their faith. Christian parents can’t even share their beliefs with their children until they are old enough to understand the dangers.

Owning a Bible could get you killed, or sent to a harsh labour camp. In 2010 hundreds of Christians were arrested. Some were murdered, others sentenced to work in one of the many concentration camps.

Yet despite the risks, and this fierce persecution, the church is growing. There are estimated to be some 400,000 believers today – a truly amazing testimony to the power of the gospel.

I am using different prayer guides to give daily suggestions of how we might pray for North Korea. There are extimated to be between 50,000 and 70,000 North Koreas suffering in labor camps today.

From opendoorsuk.org:
Pray for prisoners

“It was a living hell.” For many years, Lee was held in a North Korean labour camp. “It was a living hell. We had to work day and night and were given little food.” Lee had been a privileged man in North Korea. He was rich and had a high position. Still he was detained. “I ended up there because of my interest in the Christian faith,” says Lee. “I had listened to a Christian trader, who had told me the Good News.’

At the time of his release from the labour camp and his flight to China, Lee no longer owned a thing. Fortunately, he came into contact with a local Open Doors worker, who shared the gospel with him.

Through this, he slowly came to faith in Jesus Christ.

PLEASE Pray:

• For strength and peace for Christians in labour camps
• For opportunities for Christian prisoners to talk about their faith
• For restoration and healing of sick prisoners.

Prayer Initiative for North Korea

2011-11-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

PINK 홍보영상(English) from ANi Ministry on Vimeo.

I Crafted Today

2011-11-13T22:26:00.000-05:00

It has been a private weekend, by which I mean a lot of things have happened that I don't need to share publically. But it all has concluded very well and I had Sunday to relax and recover, literally. I slept in, read, cut coupons while watching TV, recovered a trunk, cleaned up the mess from recovering the trunk, ran, showered, and went to a fabulous church service. The day was very lovely and quiet.
Here are photos of my "new" stolen trunk.

Things that bother me

2011-11-13T01:08:00.001-05:00

"Ron Paul consistently polls among the top three in the key early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire," Benton said in a statement. "He is polling in double digits in most respected polls. Congressman Paul is ranked among the top three in fundraising results. Congressman Paul serves on the House Foreign Relations Committee. Congressman Paul is a veteran. And, Congressman Paul has contrasting views on foreign policy that many Americans find worthy of inquiry and discussion. CBS's treatment of Congressman Paul is disgraceful, especially given that tonight's debate centered on foreign policy and national security.
"Congressman Paul was only allocated 90 seconds of speaking in one televised hour," Benton said. "If we are to have an authentic national conversation on issues such as security and defense, we can and must do better to ensure that all voices are heard. CBS News, in their arrogance, may think they can choose the next president. Fortunately, the people of Iowa, New Hampshire, and across America get to vote and not the media elites."

Sent from my iPhone

Last Night's Debate - Or at least the media's interpretation

2011-11-10T15:32:00.001-05:00

foxnews.com

As I've said before, in addition to liking politicians with integrity, defined as adherence to principles, such as Ron Paul, I also like smart people. So despite the fact that I think it would be ridiculous to choose to support or not support a candidate based on a momentary mental block, I am happy that headlines say a door may be opening for Gingrich.
I didn't get to watch the debate last night because I had a meeting, so I'm only commenting on the headlines and not the debate itself. I do not for one second believe that the media stories or headlines reflect the actual content of the debate, but since many people look to the media to form their opinion, what the media says about how someone did is almost as important as how he actually did.
***I think I need to add as disclaimer that I would not support or vote for a person merely because they were smart or had integrity. I think Ted Kennedy may have had a lot of integrity, in that he really did vote consistent with his values, but I disagree with his values.

When is it religious persecution

2011-11-09T23:45:00.000-05:00

Three Christians Killed in Attacks in Nigeria’s Kaduna State
Attack on Church Compound in Kenya Kills Two, Wounds Three
Coptic Christian Killed in Attack on Village
It's so hard for me to really imagine being in a place where ones faith could get you killed, and I'm so lulled to sleep by easy American day to day life, that I read these headlines and rather than horror, skepticism creeps into my head. Is this really the persecution of Christians, or is this just two warring parties, one of which carries the title Christian and the other Muslim? Are these people really being persecuted for their faith, or are they just in the middle of a war? I hate to admit that I even have these thoughts and I know they betray a great deal of ignorance on my part. I have so, so much to learn, but

I'll go ahead and make this initial comment now (and I am kind of making it to myself). Persecution is persecution whether it is perpetrated by the government or by a religious group or by an individual. And if you are gunned down while attending church by people from another religion, be it Buddhist, Muslim or Hindu, or some other religion, you were most likely persecuted for your faith.

It's easier to spot persecution when it is being done by the government, because usually, the government states its reason for killing or imprisoning. If you go to jail for being a Christian, then its obviously persecution. And again, if you get sentenced to death for being a Christian, it's obviously religious persecution. But when a non-governmental entity acts, unless they stop to explain why they are acting or act in a very systematic way, its hard to judge the motivation.

I have trouble articulating why it matters if you are being persecuted for your faith or just killed by random, or non-random violence. In some sense it doesn't and we should care just as much for the three people who were killed by a gang shooting spree at a Walmart in California (this is a hypothetical shooting spree). But in another sense, sense all who are Christians are one body, and when one body suffers the whole body suffers, we should pay particular attention not only to when one part of the body suffers, as in a tradgedy in a far away church, but also when those people suffer BECAUSE they are part of the body of Christ, if for no reason other than to realize that they not only have to deal with the tradgedy that has happend, but have to face the dangers that are to come.

Major Human Trafficking Bust

2011-11-09T23:06:00.000-05:00

This is a very well done report on a recent bust of one part of a human trafficking ring.

Worlds Collide

2011-11-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

So the German Barney, my genius friend from Amsterdam who learned English from an 1973 dictionary, so occasionally says things like, "I don't know why the police were patrolling the area. It's not like there were any MARAUDING youth," and in his "why I want to be a teacher" essay wrote, "the importance of this symbiosis [between research and teaching] must not be underestimated, lest science proceed ``one funeral at a time'' as in the famous aphorism attributed to German physicist Max Planck." and is very much not a Christian, told me today that two of his favorite blogs are http://www.thinkinghousewife.com/wp/ and http://traditionalcatholicism.wordpress.com/. (Wow that was a long sentence).
Now, I write this partially because I wanted to save these addresses so that I can visit these blogs myself, but also because I am contemplating what is it that would draw a non-Christian male econometrics professor to the political comments of two American homeschooling housewives. I won't share the reasons he gave me. He did tell me American seemed to be loosing so much of what made it great (and idea I think he at least partially got from these blogs). But it does remind me of what Tennessee Dutch boy said to me many years ago. He told me that his parents generation and rejected Christianity, the Bible and all of its teachings and left his generation with nothing. He predicted that his generation would begin to seek to fill that nothingness. I did not see that 10 years ago, but I think I saw hints of it while I was there last year. America seems to be sinking fast, but who knows, maybe Europe is on the rise.

Consistency - The Other Political Post

2011-11-08T07:54:00.002-05:00

This was the only other post I ever posted on my political blog. I thought I'd get this posted now while I'm still trying to settle back into to life in Atlanta (which is really great). I have not forgotten that I was going to start a daily prayer for North Korea. It just got postponed in the madness. It is starting next Monday, November 14, so I hope you will join me.

So to continue the story, many months ago I reestablished contact with a friend from college. He is a very politically knowledgeable and intellectual person and is very involved in the Tea Party Movement, Campaign for Liberty, and a very active Ron Paul supporter. He believes strongly in the importance of the Constitution and a government with LIMITED powers.

He also wrote an email two days after 9-11 saying he would now be carrying a gun and looking for suspicious looking people and encouraged others to do the same. Soon after that he joined the Navy. So when I asked him a question about an issue I had been pondering, i.e. the targeted killings of terrorist suspects by the US military in Pakistan by unmanned drones, I expected an intelligent, well-reasoned, response supporting the military's actions. Instead what I got was an intelligent, well-reasoned response, opposing the killings as violations of the U.S. Constitution. Immediately, I was shocked by the consistency, the consistency with his other beliefs.

So often I find that people base their political theory on their opinions. They have a list of opinions - pro or anti war, pro or anti abortion, pro or anti welfare, pro or anti gun, pro or anti big federal government - and they craft their political theory to support their opinions. This often leads to a good deal of inconsistency. For example, if they don't like how the Federal government is trying to control education, say mandating teaching about homosexuality, they will argue that the original intent of the Constitution does not give the Federal government the power to control education. However, if they like a policy, say giving money to Christian schools, they will then turn around and support that Federal bill, rather than consistently sticking to the position that the Federal government should stay out of education all together.

But what I heard in this friend's answer was a consistent a political theory. In this case, that theory is that we should strictly adhere to the Constitution. The theory was adopted, and then the issue, targeting killings in this case, was evaluated and an opinion was then formed based on that theory. I was intrigued, not primarily by the theory itself, but by the consistency, the integrity of the opinion. Though I know at one point, something in this friend probably wanted to carpet bomb the middle east, his convictions now trumped his emotions and desires.

I started thinking that maybe there were some people left in politics who acted based on what they thought was right and not based on their wants and desires.

Stolen From Lindsay

2011-11-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend watching Wizard of Oz and then stole this recap of the show from Lindsay.

Political Coma - As Promised

2011-11-04T13:52:00.000-04:00

Sometime last year I thought I'd start a separate political blog, but I just didn't have time to keep it up and only wrote two posts. Since I don't have the brain cells to write anything today, I thought I'd post the first of the two posts here, since I promised to in my Debate Time post. I promise I'll post the other soon. Maybe even tonight.

For several years I have basically been in a basic political coma, generally tuning out and being non-responsive when anything of a political nature was discussed. My only occational responses to anything political was a rejection of nearly all things political as being vain and self-interested, and I still stand by that as an appropriate description of most politicians. I find that for the most part, the only people who are sufficeintly motiviated to go into politics despite the obvious stresses and troubles it brings, are motived primarily by an intense desire for power and noteriery, and thus not motiviated by any form of principles.

I have not always been in a political coma. I studied political science in college and was involved in different campaigns. Later, while in law school I worked in the North Carolina State Senate. I probably fell into a political coma while I was there, for it was there that I saw what I called 'the joke of public service.' What I saw was a struggle for more power, pandering to constituent complaints including barking dogs and potholes in order to ensure continued power, and free parties, lunches, dinners, drinks and dancing. It's not that I believe there were no principled politicians who acted based on their believes and what they felt was the good of the state, but I certainly didn't get to see them at work. So I fell into a political coma, and later work with politicians only made me sink deeper into that coma (though I did get to work with few elected officals that were and are stellar).

Recently, something happened to make me start to emerge from my coma, but that is a story for another day.

Running in the rain

2011-11-04T09:19:00.001-04:00

Why not?

$95 Loaf of Bread Just Got Better

2011-11-02T22:43:00.001-04:00

I found hagelslag!! For those of you that don't know, hagelslag is chocolate sprinkles that Dutch people eat on bread with butter. :). Yum yum

Now I REALLY Don't Know What to Think

2011-11-02T22:39:00.000-04:00

I had an interview for a job in Afghanistan this morning that went very well. There are so many things in the Pro list and several very important things in the Con list. I must say, I'm not leaning one way or the other, but I'm interested. Very interested.

New Computer

2011-11-01T22:16:00.000-04:00

So I bought a new computer this evening. My evening plans included stopping by a store to grab something, going for a run, and then going to buy a computer. The power cord on my current computer broke for the 6th time. I've probably spent more money on power cords than I did on this computer.

I bought a cheap computer, but it's still an upgrade. I went with a 15.6 inch even though I wanted a 14 inch, because everyone told me I'd regret it . . . or really because the 14 inch was much more expensive.

The I got a text from the crazy stalker guy again tonight. I was terrified, even though it just said Hi. I called law enforcement, and besides that I'm just going to ignore it. Unless it happens again. I'm still kind of shaking though, and super dizzy.

Actually, I was seeing stars earlier today and probably need some salt, but this certainly didn't help.

I don't know what to say about Dean Williams funeral. I'm still stunded and saddened. It deserves a proper post, but I'm still processing. I'm so amazed at how many ways God showed that he had prepared people for his passing. And then I think of how often I hear stories of God being in control and preparing people for death. But that can't happen in every situation. Or maybe it actually can.

I have an interview for a job in Afghanistan in the morning. A very interesting job, but do I really want to take a job with hazard pay?

Wow, I am dizzy.

People are being brought to justice in the Macon County Courthouse this week.

I've had two chaotic days at work the last two days, which makes my job tolerable.

I turned in my application for the Georgia Bar. I think it will take several months to hear from them.

Grrrr, why does that stalker freak me out so much? I'm 200 miles away.

I should go to sleep. I have that interview tomorrow.

My run tonight was good until I had to take walk breaks to skype with Germany Barney about HIMYM. But that was worth the walk :)

So, do I want to run a marathon before I'm 35?

Photos from the first dress rehearsal

2011-10-30T22:22:00.000-04:00

Lost in my own back yard

2011-10-29T15:42:00.000-04:00

I'd like to blame it on the beautiful Franklin scenery but I think it was just my natural ability to get lost, but somehow I managed to get lost during a 5k race today. There was a person at a fork and I didn't understand her pointing??? I'm not really sure what happened. But I had on my garmin watch and just ran til I reached my 3,1 miles.

Mailed It

2011-10-28T14:30:00.001-04:00

I have finally mailed my application for the Georgia Bar. Talk about a mental block.

Fall and all the reasons to run

2011-10-26T23:32:00.000-04:00

There are so many reasons to run in the fall.

It's getting closer to my next birthday so I have to fight looking older much harder... O yeah and feeling older too.

It's getting closer to winter and I'm getting terrified of winter depression so I'm fighting it with all my might.

And of course, it's freaking beautiful.

How Can We Help - North Korea - Practical Steps

2011-10-25T21:44:00.004-04:00

photo from this site

Several people have asked me how we can help those starving in North Korea and to be honest, I don't know. (see first post on starvation in North Korea) But I have done a little research and found a few groups that seem to be doing something. Of course, the great problem with helping North Korea is that it is a totally closed country, so people are not free to just go in an help or to send aid; and aid sent through the government is used for the governmental elite and the army.

It really is a situation where to some extent all we can do is pray. I hate how it sounds when I say that because it reveals the fact that I somehow think that praying is somehow "lesser" and if I could help I could do more than God can do. I want to use James 2:15-16 as an excuse for my attitude, but it really says:

15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

It isn't talking about acting instead of praying. It is talking about acting instead of talking. Prayer is action. We must remember this.

And for that reason, Open Doors has a 30-day prayer guide for North Korea and starting next week I'm going to post the prayer suggestions daily, so you can all participate.

But there are other actions we can take. There are groups that smuggle food into North Korea, groups that smuggle Bibles into North Korea, and groups that aid North Korean refugees. North Korean refugees escape North Korea by sneaking over the river into China. However, once in China they are still in danger, because if they are caught by Chinese officials they will sent back to North Korea where they will face the harshest punishment for defecting, usually death or labor camps. Of course, you have to be very careful supporting people who are smuggling people, because very often that is a for-profit venture that we more commonly know as sex trafficking. (It is reported that a large number of women and children pay people to help them escape only to end up as sex-slaves in China and other places)

One group that I know is involved in North Korea and is a wonderful organization is Open Doors. This is the organization that was founded by Brother Andrew who lived and wrote The God Smuggler. They do not talk in great detail about what they do on their site, because much of what they do involves smuggling Bibles into places where it is illegal to own Bibles.

Another group that I've found online that seems to be legitimate, although I am not very familiar with them, is Helping Hands Korea. Their focus is:

Providing secret foster homes in China for stateless children of North Korean refugee mothers who have been forcibly repatriated to North Korea or have fled abusive domestic situations by Chinese men who have “purchased” them from human traffickers in China
Assisting North Korean refugees at extreme risk of detention, torture or even summary execution if repatriated to North Korea to make their way to safety along the so-called ‘underground railroad
Sending already prepared (in China) food to hungry orphans and schoolchildren inside North Korea

Please let me know if you find other ways that people can help.

New Statements about the Situation in North Korea

2011-10-24T13:34:00.000-04:00

Read Entire Article

“There are rising incidences of acute malnutrition where children are dying because they are eating alternative food,” like corn mixed with roots and leaves, he said. “They haven’t had enough food or drink dirty water from a flood, or for whatever reason, they got a cold and they are weak enough from their malnutrition that they can’t fight just a normal shock.”

To Mr. Austin, the most telling sign of hunger came when he interviewed North Koreans who said they spent all their household income for food.

“Every single person knew the exact date of when they last had protein,” he said. “People are emotionally fully engaged with their food and their nutrition. Their whole mind-set is about food.”

Asian Food - Doing Home Like a Tourist

2011-10-23T11:15:00.002-04:00

The little strip mall Asian restaurants in the Chamblee/Spaghetti Junction/Gwinette area of Atlanta are a total hidden treasure. On every block there is another ethnic restaurant with amazing food. Recently, I've made it a habit of visiting a new one once a weekend with my Food Loving Friend. (I'm going to try something I've seen on the Running Professor's blog and give people in my stories fake 'names') Most of them are severely lacking in atmosphere but the food is amazing... and interesting. Last night the specials were a choice between chicken and brain. I went to an awesome Malaysian restaurant a few weeks ago. Last night's Indonesian restaurant didn't have a single sign in menu translated into English. But you could flip through some snapshots of dishes to order 'if you didn't happen to read Indonesian.'. I found noodles, but I'm really not at all sure what the meat was. It tasted fine, so I don't really care. This was how they brought the soup. They brought three dishes and you poured the broth and 'hotness' to make soup. :)

Micro Holiday

2011-10-21T09:25:00.000-04:00

1-2-3 CRAM! Yep, I stuffed that mini-vacation into my crowded week. I'm not quite sure if it would officially qualify as a vacation by any definitions, but it was so fun and renewing, it felt like one. I skipped one planned trip to Franklin last week and suddenly I'm energized and ready to drive again. I drove up to Franklin LATE Wednesday night in the rain, because I didn't want to leave Atlanta until after my small group meeting. I needed some good girl talking time.
I spent most of the car ride home thinking and talking out loud to 'myself'. I really was quite freaked out about the stalker text thing again. Something else happend at the beginning of the week. But I enjoyed the car trip, because I really needed that time.
Then I slept in, and then 'rushed' to court. Scary man was there and so the first 30 minutes were awful. But he left and I was able to get out of what should be the last reason I ever have to speak with him again. Once he was gone, court was awesome. I relaxed and had all the fun I usually have in criminal court, talking to people and getting things done.
Then I went to the theatre because my parents house felt like an icebox and spent four hours working on a project that had to be done for my Atlanta job. The work was tedious, but so much nicer when surrounded by bright costumes and funny people and lots of little Chinese sibblings, who think OMT needs to make up his mind and not paint the yellow brick road white, and then repaint it yellow. They don't quite understand what primer is.
Then I went home, packed, and went to the gym. I've been saying I wanted to do this massive ab workout that some of the people I used to work out with have been doing, but I was so afraid of it yesterday I almost skipped the gym all together. I made an excuse as to why I couldn't stay and do the ab part, but when it came time for them to start, I decided I would join. 100 reps in, I wanted to throw up, but by the time we reached 900, I felt pretty darn good again. Except my next activity involved holding my neice and I wasn't at all sure my arms were going to be able to handle that.
So after the gym, I went back to the theatre to watch Wizard of Oz rehearsals. This show is going to be so amazing. I saw Lindsay FLY!! And I got to hold Clara. And I got to talk to so many of my old friends.
And then I headed back down to Atlanta. I listed to a book some, but still spent a lot of time thinking and talking outloud. I need to finish that conversation and really wouldn't mind driving again today. I'll definitly be ready for it when I get to drive back up to Franklin next weekend.
I'm not sure what made the day so nice. Mostly, it was just being around all the old friends that made living in Franklin so great, both at the theatre and the gym. It felt like a holiday. And I'm happy.

Debate Time

2011-10-18T22:11:00.000-04:00

I'm watching the debate. I'm cussing just a little bit. I don't like lies. They make bad words come out of my mouth; bad words, but true words. These are my thoughts as I watch, so they will be random.
I've watched most of the debates. I'm still pretty open at this point. I certainly like some and hate others. I tend to dislike the liars. I tend to think the liars know they are lying. They just think they can BS and that the public won't realize it. And maybe they are right.
Romney just said "the Constitution says . . . " and it says NO SUCH THING.
Grrrrrr.
Certain of these men remind me why I quit following politics for a while. (It wasn't just because I hate the pretty hair look as modeled by Perry and Romney.) I despise people who say whatever they think the public wants to hear and do anything they think will get them elected, with no consistent values or integrity. Politicians tend to be people with minimal morals, who will say anything to be elected. They are not driven by any set of values, ideals, or even a real idea of the best way to run a country. They are driven by a desire for power and a desire to win, a desire to be famous and a desire to be chosen. They are not driven a desire to fix anything or to do a particular thing. They will do what it takes to be king.
I started following politics again when I was introduced to a candidate that believed something and who acted in accordance with what they believed was best for the nation; and not what was best for his campaign. I wrote a post about this political re-awakening on a different blog and I'll repost it here in the next few days.
We have a chairman of Al Gore's campaign and a "former" liberal running for the Republican nomination? Case in point. Flip and flop.
[sorry - short break - i just saw a near infomercial for an oxford shirt, only 19.99, WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!!]
Newt Gingrich cracks me up. I had no idea he was so freaking intelligent. My memories from 1992 are just that he had an ugly name. Whether I decide I like his policies or not, I'd place my bets on him in any IQ test competition. I'm not saying he has my vote, but I'm a fan.

More Like a Music Lesson than a History Class

2011-10-18T09:54:00.000-04:00

My church in Atlanta, Trinity Anglican Mission, has Monday School classes (instead of Sunday School). As I talked about earlier we are reading the book by Eugene Peterson called Eat This Book. But we are not studying the book, we are practicing what the book teaches. Every class we spend a few minutes talking about the chapter we read, and then we take our Bibles and spend 30 minutes 'eating' an assigned portion of scripture, and practicing what we read. Then we get back together and spend some time talking about our reading/eating experience, what we got out of our reading and ways to get more out of the reading.
I like the idea of a class where you practice what you are being taught, and not just once, at the end of the class. I'd like to attend a class on prayer, where we study at home, and then come together and practice praying. Or maybe a class on Bible memorization, where we come together and memorize.
And speaking of, I'm wanting to get together with some people to learn a little more about what is going on in North Korea and how we can best pray, and then pray together. Franklin? Atlanta? I'm not sure where. Anyone interested?

$95 Loaf of Bread

2011-10-16T19:12:00.002-04:00

In my effort to save money I've avoided the grocery store for several weeks. These days its often cheaper for a single to eat out than to cook. But yesterday, I decided to be wild and I stayed home and baked bread. My trip to the grocery store cost me $95 and included the ingredients for two loaves of bread, eight breakfast burritos to freeze and two other dinners. I was not happy. Without a doubt, I could have bought eight hot pockets for breakfast, two nice dinners and two bakery fresh loaves of bread for half that amount. I may not cook again until I either get rich or have someone else to cook for.

Beautiful Day

2011-10-15T17:46:00.001-04:00

Somehow I managed to stay inside long enough to make and freeze some breakfast burritos before going outside to read and take a few photos.

Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it ... yet?" - Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

2011-10-15T11:03:00.000-04:00

There is just something about the sound of birds chirping in the morning, as the sun begins to rise, that makes me take a breath and be grateful for a fresh new start. I don't think its such a bad thing to wake up early on the weekends. For many of us weekends are the days when we have the most freedom in how we choose to use our time. Why shouldn't we try to use as many of those hours as we can?

Each day we have a new chance to grow closer to God and to NOT SCREW THINGS UP. Each day we get to to choose what battles we try to fight again. We can fight to work harder and learn more. We can fight to make more money. We can fight to overcome that temptation. We can fight to spend more time with people. We can fight to eat less. We can fight to get stronger, tone up, improve our health.
But don't forget. . .

Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against authorities and powers, against the world-rulers of this dark night, against the spirits of evil in the heavens.

We can't win these fights by focusing on them and trying harder. Because these are the surface fights. The only way to win them is to fight the real fight. And then only way to fight the real fight is to be strengthened in your Spirit.

I'm in a class that is reading a book by Eugene H Peterson called.Eat This Book: a conversation in the art of spiritual reading. I will not attempt to review this book at the moment, although you can read a review by another blogger here. But it is generally summarized by this paragraph from the book.

Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Christians don’t simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus’ name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son. (p. 18)

And just as I was contemplating what a very slow task this seems to be, a task that will take the rest of my life, I read this part of the book analogizing it to the work of a farmer.

I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but as I have thought through my early memories of being on those farms, I can't remember a farmer who was ever in a hurry. Farmers characteristically work hard, but there is too much work to do to be in a hurry. On a farm everything is connected both in place and in time. Nothing is done that isn't connected to something else; if you get in a hurry, break the rhythms of the land and the seasons and the weather, things fall apart -- you get in the way of something set in motion last week or month. A farm is not neat -- there is too much going on that is out of your control. (p. 39)

It may be a long slow process, but it is one that we must daily be focused on and devoting all of our energies to. Those Words we eat today, that are metabolized into our souls, will strengthen us for tomorrow. I won't win the war today, but today's growth and battle are still important. Tomorrow's battle won't get any easier unless I grow stronger today, unless I make my preparations, unless I Eat the Word.

Swarms of Children

2011-10-14T14:45:00.002-04:00

Swarms of children, nearly naked, living on the streets of China, refugees from North Korea, completely ostracized from society.

“Seeing them at their hideout is a terrible sight. The children are between 6 and 20 years old, have dirty faces and are clothed in rags. That is, if they have any clothes. Most children are half naked when they come out of their country. They have sold their shoes and their clothes, except for their underwear. Their filthy mattresses are often soaked wet. I’ve given them plastic so they can make a roof, but the group has grown bigger. The ‘tent’ is not big enough, so I bought a second one. I also brought clothes, food and money. If I hadn’t, they would steal and may get caught by the police. I pray God protects the children, not only from the authorities, but also from criminals who use the young children as smugglers"

Happy Friday

2011-10-14T08:50:00.000-04:00

I do love that so many of my weeks are broken up by work trips to Franklin, so my weeks go so much faster. This week started a day late due to having to be in court on Monday. It was full and intense, but not nearly as bad as FIVE straight days of this mindnumbing work in Atlanta. My work in Franklin is coming to an end, so I have to trust something else will come along because I'm not sure I can handle full time regulatory work. Hmmm, wonder what's next... God? Any hints?

Mood Adjustment

2011-10-13T12:38:00.000-04:00

I defintily need a mood adjustment today and so I guess I ought to go back to working on my list of things I'm thankful for . . . I don't know exactly what number I'm on, but 167 seems like a good number.

167. I can get out of bed, even though I'm in killer pain from a pilaties class yesterday.
168. Electrolytes. I now know how to get out of my lifeless slumps.
~~169. A job. So that I can pay my taxes.~~

Um, I'm not sure this is working. All it's doing is producing a rant against the government. Let's try again. Focus.

169. A job so that I can help the starving in North Korea.
170. Odorless air
171. Grilled cheese from Carribou Coffee
172. Clean bathrooms
173. A job that I can do even though I'm too sore to move anything but my fingers.

Ok, now things are going better.

174. Answered prayers, aka new friends
175. Freedom from past obsessions
176. Water!

Ok, that's better. Now to get that grilled cheese :)

A little more about dangers to Christians on the other side of this planet - North Korea suspected of poison attacks | McClatchy

2011-10-12T11:38:00.000-04:00

North Korea suspected of poison attacks McClatchy
BEIJING — On a Sunday evening in August, a middle-aged South Korean pastor collapsed suddenly near a taxi stand in Dandong, a Chinese city on the Yalu River overlooking North Korea.
The 46-year-old, who used the name Patrick Kim, had a discolored complexion, spots on his fingers and limbs, flecks of foam on his mouth. He was dead by the time he reached the hospital.
The pastor was a human rights activist who secretly helped people slip out of North Korea into China. And his family and South Korean diplomats believe he was killed by North Korean agents in retaliation. The weapon of choice: most likely a poisoned needle.
"We are assuming there was a murder perpetrated. Although the evidence is circumstantial, it points strongly to North Korea," said Lee Dong-bak, a retired official of the South Korean intelligence service and now an academic in Seoul. "The poison needle has been in use by North Korean special operations for a long time."
The accusations come as North Korean state-run media have threatened retaliation against South Korean activists trying to topple Kim Jong Il's regime. The activists, many of them evangelical Christians, not only smuggle out defectors but also send anti-Kim literature and Bibles across the border, sometimes by attaching them to balloons that float across the demilitarized zone between the two nations.Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/10/11/126860/north-korea-suspected-of-poison.html#ixzz1aa9nXY5N

Cold Dark and Rainy

2011-10-11T20:53:00.000-04:00

When it first started getting dark early, a few weeks ago I was overwhelmed with dread. I just wasn't sure I could make it through six months of darkness. I have enjoyed every minute of warm sun in Atlanta this summer. But tonight, while standing outdoors in the dark mist that Americans call rain, but the Dutch call dry, I remembered how refreshing wet cold dark weather can be. I'm going to return to the attitude of the person I was named after, the C.S. Lewis character from that Hideous Strength, Camilla Denniston. Her husband said "That's why Camilla and I got married." "We both like Weather. Not this kind of weather, but just Weather."

Bring on the rain!