Revived

Overwhelmed, stressed, fatigued, insignificant, incapable, empty--these are the words that most capably describe how I felt before this past weekend.

I won't deny that even though I haven't entirely experienced "culture shock," I have had some difficulty adjusting to my new life in some ways. My appetite, in particular, has undergone the greatest change of all. But then there's the job factor: some days I love my job. Other days I feel incompetent and just want to go back to my apartment.

My relationship with God has suffered the most. When in the mission field, moreso than at home, missionaries are always giving--giving of their time, energy, advice, knowledge, resources, love, support .  . . But missionaries struggle to receive, or be filled. An individual's relationship with God is the most important, yes, but fellowship with other believers is vital to sustaining one another in service. Accountability and encouragement are significant, but worshiping God together is the greatest act and need of all (Hebrews 10:25).

This past week we had a special term break in honor of a Korean holiday called Chuseok. While Koreans here in Seoul packed their bags and traveled to their hometowns, my three friends and I journeyed to Dong-Seoul Station where we would meet and catch a bus to the eastern city of Sokcho, best known for both its beach and its mountain, Seorak.

Sarah and I arrived early and later heard from Joy and Simone that they were running late and might not make it in time. Our bus was scheduled to leave at 8:59 a.m., and they were going to be pushing it to the last minute. Once I had that information, I got back in the ticket line and asked if anyone spoke English. A man, who I assume was the manager, came to my aid, and I explained to him the situation. He assured me that we could change out our tickets at no extra charge, so we would just wait until the other girls arrived before doing so. They arrived precisely in time, Sarah and I ran to meet them at the gate and then discovered that the bus had just pulled out. Now what? The manager apparently had seen us running out and followed us. He explained to us as best he could that we could take the next bust at 9:05 without even having to change our tickets. It was such a blessing!

We got on the bus, and while Joy and Simone slept, Sarah and I chatted away, catching up on our last month of teaching for the duration of the two-hour bus ride. About 30 minutes into our journey, our hearts leaped with joy and anticipation as we began to see mountains! At last we were leaving the city--the hustle and bustle, the pollution, everything we have come to call home.

When the bus ride was over, we all picked up our luggage and looked around hesitatingly for the direction of our hostel. All we could find was a tourist information desk, and the lady there gave us a map to the hostel, which was quite confusing. We walked around aimlessly for a while until we asked a stranger for directions. Instead of explaining the way, he offered us a ride and drove us to our destination! We probably never would have found it otherwise!

The House Hostel is incredible. It is so homy and comfortable. Because it was designed specifically for foreigners, we enjoyed meeting all of the other guests. There was an older couple from Sweden who were traveling the world now that they are retired, there were exchange students from Canada and Germany, some French and Malaysian guests, and the list goes on. Everyone at the hostel could speak English in addition to another language, so that was cool.  :) We had some really interesting conversations when we were eating breakfast or cooking lunch.

Seoraksan National Park Entrance

On Saturday morning, we began our journey to Seoraksan National Park. We had wanted to climb the mountain in time to see the sunrise, but when 5:00 a.m. came along, we weren't as eager to do so as we had been the night before. Therefore, we snoozed a bit longer and left the hostel in time to see the sunrise from the bus stop. It was gorgeous and good enough for us. :)

Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the park entrance and began our trek. To say that we were thrilled to breathe fresh air and hike in the great outdoors is an understatement. The journey was incredible. The mountains on this side of the world are so different to what I am used to. They have a distinct rugged beauty. We walked for a long time before approaching the stairs of doom--the 800-step pathway that would lead us to Ulsanbawi Peak, one of the highest in the park. Some steps were normal, while others were very narrow or steep. At some point, Joy and Simone broke ahead of Sarah and I due to our constant stopping for picture-taking, which ultimately placed us about 30 minutes behind them.

The stairway of doom

One of the most gorgeous views on the trail

At last we reached the top. We kept telling ourselves that if the older couple from the hostel could do it, and the old British man with the cane that we had just passed could do it, then we could, too! The wind's strong blasts were nearly overpowering, but they did not stop me from exploring the peak. I shivered under my raincoat as I snapped picture after picture of the majestic view. We had feared that it would rain that day, but God answered our prayers and provided us with a beautiful, clear, sunny day.

View from the top of Ulsanbawi Peak

We met the other girls at the top and eventually began our journey back down the mountain. It was too cold to stay up there for very long. When we reached a warmer location, still overlooking the surrounding peaks, we sat down and began to sing praises to our God and King. Hymn after hymn flowed forth from our hearts and minds, ranging from "God Is So Good" to "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." God had done so much for us.

We closed with prayer and then found our way back to a nice spot near the beginning of our trail where we could have a Korean-style haystack picnic lunch. We met some other foreign English teachers and talked some before going back to the entrance to start our next trail, which would lead us to a waterfall.

The lovely waterfall

Aileen, one of my co-Korean teachers whose hometown is Sokcho, joined us on that one, bringing her mother and a friend. They met us at the end of the trail, and we talked for a while before heading back together.

At the end of the day we calculated how many hours we had spent at Seoraksan: 12! 'Twas a long day, and another one lay ahead.

Sunrise at the dock

The following morning, Joy, Sarah, and I again rose early to see the sunrise, this time walking down to the dock. The site was breathtaking. Pictures could not capture its full beauty. I never fully appreciated the splendor and majesty of nature until this year when I became a resident in a large, stinky city, destitute of any sort of nature. The lights are too bright to see the moon and stars, and the sun always rises and sets while I'm at work, sheltered by the skyscrapers. Trees and mountains and animals are only distant, unreachable figures . . . until the weekends.

We took lots of fun ocean pictures :)

The rest of the day we spent at Sokcho Beach, having a picnic pasta lunch, and then at the local cultural history center where I learned how to walk on stilts--at least for 28 steps. We closed the day by watching the sun set over the ocean at the world expo tower. The moon was full and bright and sat parallel to the city's bridge across the way.

This was addicting!

By the end of our mini-vacation, we had had many meaningful conversations and worshiped God together every day, praying, singing, and studying the Word. He had done much for us, including providing us a place to stay on the third night since we had to relocate due to a booking misunderstanding. Even more significantly, He put us in contact with many English-speakers to assist us every step of the way!

Energized, refreshed, revived, prepared, filled--those are the words that describe how I feel today. I'm ready to face what lies ahead, but only with God's strength and the encouragement and support of like-minded believers.