Did you all have a good Lunar New Year holiday?

Last Monday for our Prayer for the World we met specially at Dae-ah Church. So, village community members were able to join and Brother Song after coming back from ocean training and the Taiwan preparation meeting and Kaia after coming back from the Taiwan preparation meeting on that day, were especially welcome at the meeting. Because we could join all together face to face, intercessory prayer for one another was better than usual. 

During the longest holiday in four years did each of you spend your time in meeting and rest, long journeys and the ‘holiday syndrome,’ etc.?

Nona and Uno came back from spending the New Year in Daegu, and Cheol and Minjung’s family and Yebonn and Dahu’s family also came back from meeting their families.

I, Mama Song, personally had a calm and satisfying holiday. On the first day of the New Year, my younger brother visited us and we went to my older sister’s house in Deokso. Although it is close we can’t meet because our hearts are distant, but during the holidays we try to make this distance smaller. I felt full of pride to see the grown children visiting and bowing to Saemter Grandpa. One problem was that I was so focused on that time that I couldn’t take any pictures. Anyway, big holidays seem like a good way to make the distance smaller between family members and share greetings with each other.

Kaia was with us the first morning of the New Year then she went on her way with fairly organized plans for the holiday.  She visited friends at KOPI in Deokso, went hiking at Samak Mountain with Connexus members the next day, and then she met her friend Jin Hyang (Grace) Lee and came back with her on Saturday after enjoying all these things. Jin Hyang is a volunteer with The NEST, an organization that works with leprosy colonies in China, Japan, and Korea. Already she spent one month on Sorok Island. She was born in the United States, but it is not difficult for her to communicate in Korean. We can see how she puts a simple faith into practice. This kind of unexpected meeting always opens up a new world for us.  

Also, we have some special news!

Sister Younghee is pregnant! She told us that she has morning sickness so she will stay longer to rest at her mother’s house. So because she was going to be absent from the monthly meeting, Brother Song called the baby “Ddaeng Ddaeng-yi” which comes from a joking expression meaning  “you’re absent” rather than using the name “San” (“Mountain”) which Younghee and Seongho are using. By all means, we hope she will have a healthy pregnancy and birth.  

Prayer requests:

1. Pray for Saemter Grandpa who didn’t go to the hospital last winter and the all the community members health 

   and brother Jigeon’s recovery

2. For needed finances and helpers to be available to help with construction and for the workers safety and health.

3. That the pregnant women in the community (Soyoung, Minjung, and Younghee) will have easy delivery of healthy babies.