Just another 40 days and I will have been living in S. Korea for a total of 4 years. I seriously don't know where time has gone! This is the longest I've ever lived in one place since first leaving home for college, back in 2002. Life in Korea has definitely been good to me, or rather, since God has called me to this city, this nation, there's no other place I'd rather be. However, after having lived here some time, there's definitely a part of me that's hungry for a change in scenary. I suppose my feelings are only natural. 

Last year, 2010, was a difficult and challenging year for me. Nothing was ever quite what it seemed, and definitely, nothing was as I had hoped and expected it to be. I'm actually quite surprised I never packed my bags and left this place, after having to face one challenge after another, after another. Yet, as much as I pleaded with God to let me move on, He refused to give me peace to do so. In hindsight, I'm glad I stuck it out, because I learned a LOT about who God is and who I am to Him. I was stretched a lot, but I firmly believe that I grew a lot because of it. Also, because I stuck it out and chose to follow God in obedience, he opened up new doors of great blessing for 2011.

At the start of this year, while one chapter was coming to an end and a new chapter was just beginning, I kept hearing the same message over and over again. The message that 2011 is going to be the 'Year of Jubilee;' the 'Best Year of Your Life.' After all that happened in 2010, it didn't take much to have hope in such a blessing. But, then, one by one, I have been seeing my goals for this year being accomplished. I still have a long way to go before seeing everything on my list realized; none of them are small things, yet I know I serve an awesome and faithful God, so anything IS possible. 

With the start of a new year came a new job, a new home and continuous transitions within the ministries I'm a part of. So far, my new job as an English teacher at a Private Christian Elementary School has been a huge blessing. The people are awesome to work with and the students are descent, as well. I'm currently teaching English through a Health & Fitness class to grade 1 and 2 students. I'm also teaching an English class titled "Step Into Music: Music & Movement" for grade 1 students. I teach aproximately 200 students, twice a week. In church, I continue to serve as a vocalist on the praise team and to lead the college ministry. The college ministry recently gave themselves the name "D2ONE" (Devoted to ONE God, another and community). We meet every Friday night for about 2.5 hours of worship, the Word, fellowship and prayer. We have about 15 commited members and several others who come from time to time. This college ministry offically began at the start of this year. Our focus has mostly been on maturity rather than growth in numbers, so we're encouraged by those who have commited themselves to the community.

The past year has also had it's share of physical challenges. After falling ill with bronchitis in early 2010, my lungs and sinuses have never quite been the same. I reguarly suffer from sinus and lung infections. I also discovered that I have a fractured tailbone which causes me great discomfort from time to time. And just recently I injured my knee playing v.ball for my school's staff league. Illnesses and physical limitations can be cause for great distraction, especially when living abroad, alone. However, God's constantly reminding me to look to Him and to trust Him; to not allow the physcial to disrupt or discourage me in the spiritual.We serve an almighty and all powerful God. So, while I can't  see His purpose in these obstacles, I KNOW that He's at work and that even these times of frustration are in His hands and will amount to something good, in the end.

I love YOU, and it is my greatest joy to serve You all the days of my life.

I Surrender All

This evening brings to a close another long day of doing ministry here in Korea. I'm very blessed to have so many opportunities to serve God and the people of Seoul; it's truly a privilage. I'm honoured that God would use someone like me ~ so fragile, so insignificant. And yet, I find myself wanting to complain and rebel, mostly because of legalistic issues. I know that God has called me to this ministry and to serve him, yet sometimes it's so hard to stick it out. The war within me, to pass off the 'hard jobs', rages within me. I sometimes find myself wanting to ask, 'Why? Why me? Why this ministry?" I never asked to be used in this way, nor in this area; it wasn't my first choice. But then I hear His ever soft voice saying, "That's right, you never asked for it. But, I have chosen you and I am asking you to trust me and to obey."And then I can say nothing but, "I surrender All."

It didn't take me long to realize that God has plans to stretch me this 3rd year in Korea. I suppose it's been a while since I've felt stretched this much and really found myself needing to depend on Him. For years now I have been building up a wall around me. I have become so self-dependent, independent. I have defind myself as a perfectionistic workaholic, second to being a follower of Christ. But, in actuality those 'titles' are likely to have swopped places from time-to-time. And now, I can see God in the process of stripping me of that self-built identity. Thus far, it has been a painful process, and yet I know He's being very gentle and loving in how He goes about it. I also see Him making me into a woman of prayer. I used to think that I wasn't much of a prayer, especially not an intercessory prayer person, and I was fine with that. But now I'm learning that I need to rid myself of such excuses and change my daily routine to include more sincere prayer. Living alone it's easy to talk to God throughout my day, and I used to think that was enough. But now I know that I need a much deeper and more intimate prayer life to take me to the next level. God has great plans for me, that I don't doubt. I also know that He has called me to be in Korea for now and that my time here is training for something much greater. Yet that doesn't make it any easier... So, again, I find myself sitting at the foot of the cross and raising my voice to say, "I Surrender All!"

Yet another attempt at returning to blogging

I've now been living and working in Seoul, S. Korea for nearly 3 years. It's hard to believe how quickly time has flown by. Some days it feels like I just got here while others it feels like I've lived here an entire life time already. Most of the people this side of the world already consider me at least 1/2 Korean. ㅋㅋ Nevertheless, I'll always remain Canadian at heart. ^ ^

Part of the reason I have decided to give blogging another go is because I need an avenue to journal my thoughts, rather then just keeping them to paper. It's also quite possibly one of the easiest ways for me to get re-connected/re-inform those living back 'home' of my happenings.

Last week was rather challenging. As much of my life can attest to, when it rains it pours! However, as quick as it comes, it usually (thankfully) leaves all at once, leaving a calmness after the storm. There's nothing quite as soothing as the feeling of knowing that you're being carried along by the prayers of others and that God has never left you. With much gratefulness that's the exact feeling I got to bask in today, thanks to the wonderful church community (family) I have here in Korea. If it weren't for them, living abroad, alone, would not be nearly as peaceful.

I also found the time to get back into my personal Bible reading tonight, something which was much needed. I found myself continuing my readings through the psalms, Ps. 81 in particular.

In Ps. 81 I was once again reminded of God's abounding love. He loves us so much that He's willing to give us the desires of our heart even when He knows it's not best for us, simply because He knows that only once we've tried going our own way, thinking it's best, will we realize our mistake and come back to Him.

So often we think we know what's best for us, and we think our timing for it is also perfect. We get impatient waiting for God, who's knowledge and timing are actually perfect. We plead to God and complain to God; we try to compete with God, though there is only ever one winner, God. But finally, after failing to listen to His voice and refusing to submit to Him, he gives us over to the stubborness of our hearts, waiting for the day when we will choose to listen to Him and return to Him to walk in His ways ~ something He will never 'force' us to do, because if it were by force there would be no heart in it.

I pray that I might be submissive enough to lay aside my own thoughts and seek the heart of God. Then, our desires will be as one and I will listen to His voice and walk in His ways.

Roller Coasters

I've always thought that roller coasters are a great metaphor for how our lives so often look. The best of them are fast, have lots of twists and turns, as well as flips, highs and lows. They're all about extremes and an outpouring of emotions. However, when our lives start to take a similar shape, the ride isn’t nearly as fun and exciting. In fact, after running the course a few times too many, we feel sick and simply want off. But the tracks for this roller coaster are rarely looped. They just keep going and going and going, with no real end in sight. So instead, we must learn to cope with the ride and to find enjoyment while we’re on it.

Lately, I’ve really been feeling the affects of this roller coaster type journey. It seems as though the twists and turns, and the highs and lows just keep coming without any real opportunity to slow down. I’m left with no choice other then to stay on course and to hope for an upcoming plateau.

I also find assurance in knowing that the tracks are secure, they’ve been looked over by the best engineer. So I’m not about to fall off, nor do I need to jump off. I simply need to remain seated and to hold on tight.

Update x 3

Most of life is full of surprises, we never really know what can or will come our way. So, we must learn to be prepared for the most unexpected experiences and opportunities. Also, there’s no real way of knowing what lasting affect such surprises will have on our life or the lives of those around us.

I just spent the past year living and working in S. Korea. Never in my wildest of dreams could I have foreseen this opportunity. I grew up as a small town/city girl who had next to no experience in global traveling and who hated English with a passion! Yet I found myself living alone in one of the world’s largest cities, teaching English as a second language. Better yet, I loved the experience so much that I’m headed back for a second year. Only this time I’ll be working in a slightly different environment – a local broadcasting company.

While in Korea I also had the wonderful opportunity of connecting with a local church, and serving within their various English speaking ministries. For a number of months I was a part of a young adults ministry where I served as a vocalist on the praise team. I also had the opportunity to serve on two different summer mission’s teams (Japan and S. Korea). Again, none of these are opportunities which I foresaw prior to my time in S. Korea. Upon my return to S. Korea this fall, I will be taking a 32 week Discipleship Training course through my church, which will hopefully broaden my Biblical knowledge and further prepare me as a disciple of Christ.

After having spent nearly 15 months in S. Korea, I have spent the past 3 weeks back in Canada resting and catching up with old friends and family. However, while some might assume that such a return would be a wonderful experience, my transition back into Canada has been full of its own surprises. I think that I’ve experienced more culture shock/stress over the past three weeks than I did in an entire year in Korea. Partly what makes it so difficult is that I can’t put what I’m feeling into words. Similarly I find it hard to summarize an entire year into a single conversation. I somewhat fear that I’ll return to S. Korea before I ever have the chance to make sense of the past year and all that I’ve seen and learned. So, here’s one attempt at it:

1. God knows best, so there’s no point in trying to live a life of disobedience.
2. Avoid those temptations which you KNOW will lead to no good.
3. We must be open to change and willing to step-forward into new opportunities (even the unknown).
4. God is extremely patient!
5. Don’t live on regrets. Instead, learn from your experiences.
6. Don’t play the comparison game. Learn to be content with where your life is headed, rather than trying to model it after another's.
7. Truly cherish your time spent with loved one’s.
8. Don’t live for things of the past. Learn to live in the present with your eyes set on the future.

Mission's Testimony: Hapcheon, S. Korea

When I first considered joining the Inland mission’s team, I was disappointed because I had other plans for that week. However, as the time drew near and the need for more English speaking members arose, God seemed to change my heart and plans. So when I showed interest in joining the team I was warmly welcomed.

Our time of preparation was both rewarding and challenging. It was rewarding because I got to meet several new people from within NHM, and I got to learn about both the heart for those in Hapcheon and the need that was there. But it was also challenging because I was also preparing for my mission’s trip to Japan, which was really capturing my heart as well. So over time it became increasingly more difficult to put all of my efforts into the Inland mission. Then, when I came back from Japan, it was hard to refocus myself on the Inland mission because both my heart and mind remained in Japan. I expressed this difficulty to several close friends who included it in their prayers (which helped), however I still felt somewhat guilty of not being as dedicated to the Inland mission as the other team members.

As we arrived in Hapcheon, I continued to pray that God would soften my heart towards the people of Hapcheon. I also prayed that even though I felt inadequate and slightly displaced, that He would be at work both in and through me.

Overall, I felt that the mission’s trip ran more or less smoothly, and that the Spirit of God was at work in the lives of those at camp. It was encouraging to see how the children warmed up to us and truly appreciated what we had to offer.

Though I was uncertain of how God was going to use me and what he was going to teach me through this mission’s trip, he was faithful. As I was obedient and relied upon Him, when I felt like I had nothing more to give, He worked in and through me. So He challenged me yet again to trust that He knows best. He also really showed me that all of the children of this world are His and just how much He loves and cares for them regardless of where they’ve come from or where they are today. As Christians, we are to love God and others; we are to do our best to be reflectors of God’s love to the world. I was also both challenged and blessed by the cultural experience which took place in Hapcheon, having been a very Korean environment.

Mission's Testimony: Kawasaki, Japan

From the moment I first heard about NHM’s summer mission to Japan, I felt an instant tugging on my heart to go. It was as though God was telling me that it was my opportunity to show him just how much I love him and his people, and how much I desire to be obedient to him (even if it means going to the ends of the earth). I was totally amazed by God’s perfect planning, both of the trip and of my spiritual wellness. Had I known of such an opportunity a year ago, or even 8 months ago, I likely wouldn’t have been ready due to some backsliding. But having seen just how patient God had been with me and the way in which his hand has been guiding me, I knew that I had to be obedient to him calling me to go forth on this mission’s trip.

As I prayerfully thought out my contribution to the team and the nation in which we’d be serving in, God started to bring to mind all of my past connections with Japan. He also started to grow a passion within me for the people of Japan. I also started to sense that God might have a greater plan for my life in sending me to Japan on this short-term mission’s trip. From that time forth, God started to give me visions about serving in Japan as a full-time missionary, however I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions.

As we began our weekly meetings to prepare for the trip, I found God both stretching and strengthening each of the members on this team. It was a blessing to discover everyone’s various giftings and abilities, and to see how they could be used in Japan. Likewise, I was encouraged to be able to serve in my areas of gifting and to see how God could use me in the areas in which I felt weak (i.e. languages).

From the moment we arrived in Japan, I felt warmly received by the members of the church where we’d be serving. We also got to partake in their house churches, which was a truly blessed experience.

Our main ministry in going to Japan was running an English VBS for children in the neighbourhood. So, I was a slightly stunned when there were no children in my age group to be taught. Nevertheless, I knew that God had another plan. I became the co-teacher in another classroom, however, that posed to be a personal challenge and learning experience because of differences in our teaching styles.

I was also stretched and challenged by our outreach experiences and the opportunity in which I had to share my testimony.

This mission’s trip had the potential to be both physically and spiritually exhausting, however despite my exhaustion I was truly blessed by this experience. In the end, I felt more blessed than I was perhaps able to give. I plan to return to Japan in the future, but I don’t know when or what I’ll exactly be doing.

To the Ends of the Earth

This evening we sang this song at my small group ministry here in Korea. It is this song which I sang for the first time many years ago, when I initially committed myself to following God into missions. Still to this day, when I sing this song God speaks to me...and I feel as though it's my confession to him. My confession to faithfully follow Him 'to the ends of the earth,' regardless of where that might take me. Also, regardless of all the fears of the unknowns which I might have. It regularly reminds me to place my trust in Him, and to know that He knows best.

Update/Summer Missions

“…For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”(Jeremiah 29.11-13)

Dear friends, family, and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, it is with much excitement and anticipation that I write to you.

Following my graduation from Providence College in the spring of 2007 with a B.A in
Intercultural Studies, a B.A. in Business Administration and a TESOL Certificate, I accepted a one-year ESL teaching contract in Seoul, South Korea.

Having now lived and worked in S. Korea for nearly a year, I can say that my time here has been well spent. While my initial months here were not the easiest, my experiences during those times have brought me to where I am today.

Only three short weeks after I arrived in S. Korea, God lead me to SaRang Community Church’s ‘New Harvest Ministry’ (NHM) and ‘SaRang English College’ (SeC) group, both of which are very missions minded. I have spent the past eleven months being nurtured by these two ministries, and serving on a praise team within SeC.

When I first came to S. Korea, I was still living in a state of spiritual rebellion. I still desired a life of normalcy despite the calling I had felt into missions in years prior and my passion to serve God and others. I found myself ‘sitting on a fence’ desiring both God and the things of this world. However, after much heartache and exhaustion I realized that the life I had come to live was not God honouring. In fact, I was living a life which shamed Christians all around me. It was then that I decided, with God’s help, to get my priorities straight (Gal. 5.16-17, 24-25). After all, God had not sent me to Bible college and trained me in his ways for nothing.

God has since recaptured my heart and has drawn me into a state of constant, sincere fellowship with him and other believers around me. Furthermore, I have recommitted myself to obeying His lead, and have ended my desire to flee from it. I am forever grateful for God’s endless patience and his promise to never leave nor forsake us.

I first learned of NHM/SeC’s planned summer mission to Japan in February 2008. I instantly felt a nudging on my heart to go. The timing could not be more perfect! As I resubmitted myself to God and opened myself up to his leading, I found myself presented with several opportunities to serve in missions. In addition to serving in Japan, the world’s largest unreached peoples’ group amongst developed nations, God has presented me with the opportunity to serve in Hapcheon, S. Korea. This is an area in the countryside of southeast S. Korea, where the majority of people are both poor and Buddhist. These outreaches will challenge me both physically and spiritually, and will allow me to apply my various skills and giftings.

As I step out in faith and journey along the path which God has planned, I’d like to invite you to join me in prayer.

Prayer Requests

• Patience for the future yet unknown; openness/obedience to God’s leading
• Dependence on God for strength and vision
• A focus on God’s mission vs. man’s
• Team readiness and unity
• Good health and overall well-being
• Openness and an acceptance of the gospel
• To be an encouragement to those in need
• That satan’s deception and tactics would have no bearing
• That language barriers wouldn’t hinder the effectiveness of our ministry

God Bless,

Jennine Best

(jennine.best@gmail.com)

Kawasaki, Japan: July 19-27, 2008

• English VBS, worship dance, college outreach, and church visits
• Cost: $1,000

Hapcheon, S. Korea: August 10-14, 2008

• English workshops for middle school and high school students, team leading, recreation, and spiritual nurturing
• Cost: $300