September, 2005

Text Box: NEW COURSE FOR K.C.U. September here, probably yours too, has flown by.  Is it a sign of getting older, or just getting busier that makes time sprint past me?   Either way, this past month went very well here in Seoul.   I am enjoying all my courses at K.C.U. this fall.  Even though I taught Acts of the Apostles in the spring of this year, the administration is having me teach the course again to another group of students.   I am also teaching Paul¡¯s Letters (part 2), which means everything Paul wrote in the New Testament except for Romans and Galatians.   So far, we have spent time in 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians and Philippians.   The nature of the course is such that I can only introduce the main content of each letter and then move on.  Hopefully, the students will continue to delve deeper on their own.   I am also teaching Revelation again this fall.   It is sad that a book with such a clear message, namely, The Lamb and His people will win, has spawned such controversy. My new course this fall is ¡°New Testament Church.¡±  It had been assigned to another professor, but for some reason the administration thought that I could communicate the material better to the students.   The result of their discussion was to assign me the course about a week before the class was to begin!!    I would have enjoyed more time to prepare for this course, and find myself praying more that usual that this one will go well.  Last week, I shared with the students what the New Testament says about entering the church.  The class focused on the examples from Acts on how people in the first century became Christians.  After class a student came up to me, saying that he was confused since he had been sprinkled a long time ago.  He asked whether this method was acceptable.   My response was that the Lord is more qualified to play the role of judge than I am.   However, in my opinion, I always need to present the material faithfully as I see it in God¡¯s Word.   Historically, sprinkling did not begin until a few centuries later, and only as a last resort, I told him.  We both decided that we needed to talk about this again.  Please pray for this young student, and others who are seeking to come to the Lord in the proper way.     OUR VOICES LIVE ON Just when we thought that Korea had grown tired of listening to the ¡°Don and Vicki¡± dialogues, originally aired on the daily C.B.S. radio broadcast of Bible English from 1998-2003, Koreans find new ways to listen to us.  Beginning in September, SK Telecom, a large cell phone server in Korea, is offering to its subscribers a way to hear Don and Vicki over their cell phones.  The material is the same dialogues we wrote and recorded earlier, used in conjunction with the radio program and the Korean booklet, ¡°Power for Today.¡±   At this point, I have not heard the feedback on whether people are listening or benefiting from our material.  I will keep you posted. INTERNATIONAL ZONE  My work still continues as a facilitator/helper with K.C.U.¡¯s International Zone.  For those who may have forgotten, this is an area on the fourth floor of the main building on campus where people can come and practice their language skills in English.   I am in this area about 12 hours per week to answer any questions, help with students¡¯ English assignments, and so on.  Some of these students are hoping that as their skills improve, they may one day go to the States to study, perhaps at one of our brotherhood skills with which we have recently signed Exchange Agreements.   There is a strong push in some circles to make English the second official language in Korea, thus making it mandatory for every student in the nation to excel in English, and, as Koreans believe, to be better prepared for life in the 21st century. CHURCH WORK, Etc.  Our small English speaking congregation, which we began last year, still limps along, small but faithful.   Nearly every week we have at least one visitor who attends our services.  Some return and some do not.  Paul Whitehead, who works with me in this endeavor, recently had intestinal surgery and was out of commission for a few weeks.  His surgery went well, and is now slowly returning to his health. Please pray for his continued recovery and for our work in establishing a work in Korea that not only assists Koreans in their spiritual walk, but brings honor and glory to the One who deserves all of it. Because of extra duties at the International Zone this year, and my teaching schedule, I am unable to squeeze in language classes this fall.   My goal is not to forget what I have learned over the last 3 semesters at YonSei University¡¯s Korean Language Institute, but to actually move forward in my goal to conquer (wrong word), survive in this culture and language.  My best study time seems to be during the quiet moments at the Zone when no one stops by, though these study breaks are getting fewer these days.  Keep praying. I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5) Home
Kinder in Korea