"The Mentorship Has Ended But The Friendship Carries On"

This is what my sister-in-law said to me two weeks ago as she put her arm around me as I walked out of my Korean class for the last time, tears sliding down my cheeks.
I know some of you might think "It's just an end to a class, everyone goes through these kinds of things, why does it matter so much?" So I will give you a little history about it and let you experience a little of the love and kindness (I can't even begin to tell you how much!) I was shown by this wonderful person I am so blessed to call  선생님, my teacher.

As I have told you all before, two years ago the Lord really laid the North Koreans on my heart. I began to research everything Korean, not just North Korea, but all of it! The food, people, etiquette, culture,  government, everything I could. At first I began to study the language by myself, using the Internet, books, Cd's, anything I could find. But I wanted to be able to speak Korean not just to get by and say I could, but to really know the language and to be able to communicate with the locals the way that they communicate within themselves.
 I told my mom about my desire and what I wanted to do. We talked about the possibility of getting a Korean teacher but we really didn't know where to start looking. At the time I was only just barely fifteen and so my mom wanted to find some one who was trustworthy :)

One day we walked to the corner by my house and went to eat at a Korean fusion restaurant that was there called Genkiyaki: House of Teriyaki (It's amazing by the way and is home to the infamous Death and Zombie Taco's! Check it out next time your in Lakewood CA!) The restaurant had just opened up not to long ago by a Korean family. In the seven years that my family lived there, there was probably four different restaurants in that same location. I suppose the others went bankrupt or moved to a different location or something but anyway, David (the shop owner) ended up buying the property and started Genkiyaki.
My family had been going to this little shop since the day we moved to LA, even through the change of hands the restaurant kept going through, so we ended up going to Genkiyaki's opening day and absolutely loved it and continued to go back. At the time we knew the owner and his family by being there a lot, but not super well. But on that day that we went up and got some food my mom said to me after we got home "Gabby, you should go up to Genkiyaki and ask David or the Ajumma (David's mom who works there with him) about getting Korean lessons. They are Christians and we do know them somewhat... You should ask if any of them or any one they know would be interested in helping you!" At first I was kind of reluctant to go and ask them something like that. I had spoken to David's mom a couple of times in Korean and they knew I was interested in learning, but to go that far and ask them that kind of favor when we didn't really know one another on a personal scale seemed a bit awkward. But somehow I found myself walking up to the shop the next day :)

David wasn't there when I had gone and so I had to try to communicate with his mom who spoke/speaks little English!  I ended up getting my point across I think with her Korean and broken English and my English and broken Korean, lol. She told me she had someone in mind and to come back the following week. The next week I went up and was greeted by Ajumma and a small, petite, older Korean Lady whom I will call Halmoni (Grandmother). Now David again wasn't there or was to busy in the back to come out and help me translate so I was on my own again, and Halmoni knew less English then Ajumma did!

Halmoni asked me basic questions like: How old are you? Where do you go to school? Have you taken Korean at all before? And then she asked me something that kind of threw me off... she asked me would I rather she teach me or her husband? I think I kind of stared at her with a blank expression. I thought I was having an interview with the woman who was going to be my teacher but she was asking me would I rather her husband teach me. I thought to myself "How am I supposed to know if I've never met him!" She went on to tell me that her husband was so funny and is good with younger people, he was a teacher and a principle back in Korea, and he spoke better English! I could only laugh inside myself thinking about what I was getting myself into. I ended up telling her that I would go with whatever she thought was best.

As I got up to leave Halmoni told me to come back in two weeks on Wednesday at 10:30am and I would start Korean lessons ( I would later learn that David opened up the shop early for me every Wednesday so that I could have a peaceful Korean lesson before the shop opened and people started flowing in. God has been so good to me!) She told me that we would do it for three weeks and see how it goes and then  I could decide what I wanted to do after that. So again I left and came back two weeks later.
I walked into a pretty empty restaurant and stood waiting, waiting for I wasn't sure who exactly. Not but a minuet later an older Korean man walked in. He was skinny but had a warm, round sense about him and was about the same height as me (though I think I'm a little taller now) and had this certain look on his face, as if he wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen but was just as excited for the journey as I was. He spotted me standing over in the corner and walked over to me. "Excuse me miss, are you Barbie?" He asked in a think accent. I had to giggle a little at that. "Hello," I said, "I'm Gabby". "Gabby?" He said, trying out my name. "It's nice to meet you." I said, offering my hand to him. After a moment he nodded and took both of my hands in his and looked up at me with his deep brown eyes and smiled. "Gabby, It's very nice to meet you."  I knew at that moment that the Lord had placed this person in my life, had led me there to meet this person, had a purpose and a reason for it.
We never did ever end up discussing whether we would continue classes or not :)
Continued in part two.

 Hangeul, the Korean alphabet

Beach Day!

A couple of days ago my two older sisters were teaching in Hunington Beach. It was a beatiful day so my mom decided that the rest of us should go to the beach while we waited for classes to be out.

It was one of those lazy afternoon's where the sun hit your cheeks just right as the wind travled through your hair. It was a very fun and relaxing time with my mom and two younger sisters.

While the two girls went and got wet my mom and I sat up on the beach and got to do a little bible time together. We read from John and Proverbs (Proverbs 8 is an AMAZING chapter by the way). It was a sweet time of fellowship with just my mom that I don't get very often, so I was glad we got to do that :)  (My mom did not put make-up on that day and told me not to post any of her pictures, that's why she is not in these)



The three of us girls, taking pictures of course.

                                         

This is what you get when you try to take to many pictures of a five year old while they are trying to build sand castles :)

Maybe this will become a fun a weekly tradition for us this summer!

Start Something that Matters Contest & Adventures in Adoption Land

Last month I entered a contest by Ellie Fun Day called "Start Something that Matters". I entered by posting a comment on their Facebook page about what I would do if I could start something that mattered. I posted about North Korea and how I wanted to help them and also to bring awareness to other Christians about their struggles and last week I got an email from the company saying I won! I was shocked at first, honestly I had kinda forgotten that I had entered in the first place!

I won a book called Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycoskie (the founder of TOMS), $50 to start something that matters, and I also get to be a guest blogger on their blog! I am so excited and honored that I was chosen!

For the challenging part (actually starting something that matters) I am going to be giving a presentation/speech on the struggles of the N Koreans and telling people how they can get involved and how to help. I don't know where I am going to have it at yet or how its all going to work out but I am oh so exited to actually be starting this and I pray that the Lord would guild me and lead me through it :)
On another note, here's an update of my families adoption.
We thought we had completed our homestudy but our agency called us and told us that my dad has to get his diabetes under control before they will approve us. Ugh! So my entire family (not including the two little ones) have decided to go on this raw food diet for thirty days with him to try and heal his body and bring his numbers down. We can not eat anything cooked only raw veggies, raw fruit, and raw nuts and seeds. We all honestly thought that my dad would not be able to do it but he's really doing well and is sticking with it and here's why.... Are you ready for it? We got our referral! Yes we finally have a hard match to a little girl in the DR of Congo! My dad now has someone he wants to do it for, a goal he is working toward and we are all so proud of him for sticking with it!We are all so excited and anxiously awaiting the day we can travel to Africa and bring Little M home but until then we will be growing and trusting in the Lord in this hard time waiting.

P.S. Here's a picture of one of the roses that is growing in our backyard. I didn't want to write a whole post on it but I wanted to put it in here somewhere :) so here it is

Isn't it pretty!

The Call to Act

For about two years now the North Korean people have been laid heavily on my heart, especially the North Korean Christians and orphans. I want to go to the border of China and North Korea and be a missionary there, to help the severely persecuted Christians and also the Children who have defected and ultimately lost their parents but I thought, "Only certain people can do that. Only people who have it all together, who are spiritual superstars can get there." But God has been telling me something different.

Last month I went on my first mission trip with my orchestra to Chile.... it was absolutely amazing! God really used the people there to show me that what I thought before wasn't true at all. God sent ALL His people out. He has a plan for ALL of His children, great and small. He calls us in different ways to different things but I believe the Lord has called my name along side the North Koreans. I don't know how necessarily, maybe it be to just bring awareness to people right here where I am or maybe He would have me to go. Whatever it is He has in store for me I want it to be just that... What HE has in store for me and not the plans I have made for myself.


I think maybe someday I'll write a longer post about how this all came to be and also my experiences in Chile, but for now I want to share with you all a short story I wrote last year.
It's called:    Somebody

My name is Nobody, I am nothing years old, my parents' names are Gone and Absent and I live in Nowhere.

I wonder the streets of Nowhere, looking for crumbs that the Others drop at their feet. I pass one of Them, they beat me, but no one cares. I am Nobody. My body sways and falls my hair, once dark, is now light, my naked feet bleed till they're numb, but who cares? I am Nobody.

I see some sneaking behind the trees and into the bushes, I follow behind. We cross over Wetness, keeping low to the ground but Some is too slow, we see Them coming. Some runs but with a bang is still forever. I stand and look. They grab my hair and pull me out of Wetness. They drag me to Torment and throw me into Sorrow with Some’s and Others. My bones ache, my stomach pleads, does someone care? I am Nobody.

Darkness comes, and then Lighter Dark, I see Them come into the room; They grab my arm, shoving me out. They make me work in Relentless with Others and Somes and strike me if I don’t. They come and send me back to Sorrow. It goes on, but no one will care. I am Nobody.

Chilly sweeps through Sorrow as if trying to bring some comfort, but I much rather have been visited by Warmth. I do not feel my toes or fingers anymore but They continue to make me work in Relentless.

Today another Other has Passed, They come and drag him out. Something falls out of Others hand. I run and pick it up. I turn it over in my hands. It is small, black, and looks insignificant but I can feel Warmth spread through my finger tips. This is Something.

When Darkness comes I sit on the cold ground and take out Something from where I had hidden it. I open it and look inside. Something is filled with Warmth and also a thing I have never heard of before, Happiness. There are also Them in Something and there is Anguish, but there is also Someone. Someone is in
Something and He is Good and Light. I want Someone in me too, but does He care? I am Nobody.

I close Something and start to lower my cold heavy body to the ground, but a voice stops me.
“Nobody, Do you want me to fill you with Warmth, and Strength, and Light? Do you want me to protect you and keep you? Come Nobody, will you let me in?” I did not see Someones face, but I felt Someones presence. “Will you come into Nobody?” I ask. “Will you protect and keep Nobody?” I hear a sigh from Someone. “Nobody, Someone cares, I care.” Dampness falls from my eyes Yes!” I say. “Then,” says Someone, “You are no longer Nobody, you are Somebody and you belong to Me.”

I see Someone standing outside of Sorrow. “Come.” He says to me. The doors open. He is waiting for me. I walk up to the doors but stop, afraid. “What if They get me? What if They find me? Help me! I can not do this alone.” So Someone reaches out and pulls me out of Sorrow. He takes my hand and leads me through
Relentless, and then He guilds me to the gateway of Torment. “I can not go through!” I tell Him, “I can not make it. I am Nobody.” Someone picks me up and holds me in His arms. “You are not Nobody, you are Somebody. You are Somebody in Me and I will carry you out.” Someone began to walk forward and He carried me out of Torment, and He carried me out of Nowhere, and He brought me to Somewhere and led me through the gates of Splendor into the kingdom of Eternity.

“You are Somebody.” He said. “And you belong to Me.”

My name Is Kim Suna, I am twelve years old, My parents name's are Kim Yoona and
Kim Chun sul, and I am a North Korean. Jesus took me and brought me home to
Eternity.
My name Is Kim Suna and I am Somebody in Christ.