Monday, June 6, 2011

Fun Times and Then Some

Well, I ain't wrote in a while.  Time's a tickin' and life just keeps plowing ahead.  I can't find enough time to do all that needs done and my random variety of sicknesses and problems keeps me behind all of the time.  There just ain't enough time to do all that I need to do.

However, this weekend was great.  I was invited to visit an Anglican church in Seoul with a friend.  He is into that sort of thing more than anyone I've ever known.  I never would have gone if he had not invited me.  When you are in Korea, more random things happen than most places in the world.  So, I went to an Anglican church. It was in English and that was a plus.  There were world leaders from the English speaking world among the 50ish people.  It was random.

Every detail of this two day trip was planned by a nun I had never heard of in a city that is 5 hours away.  5 hours away means the opposite side of the country.  My friend knows this lady, so she was cool and arranged that we visit this place.  We was greeted by the owner of a Korean packaging company who is just plain rich.  I doubt I've ever talked to anyone richer.  He let us know that we'd be staying at their 'guest house'.  It was nothing short of a mansion.  I ain't never even heard of a fireplace in a Korean house.  This one had one and a library to boot.  We toured a university or two with the dean of the university giving a personal tour.  Of course, we had coffee with him as well.  These are the things that only happen in Korea.  This guy had no idea who we were.  However, he give it his best shot to give us a tour and show us around.

After dinner with the host family, we went to a crazy expensive chocolate store and then off to the bar and finally to a 'singing room'.  I sung several country songs which made them very very happy.  My friend from New Zealand told me that he didn't think people like me existed anymore.  It was funny.  The really funny thing is he meant it as a genuine compliment.  In the morning we went their house after getting picked up in a luxury car.  We drove into the gated community and parked in the underground parking lot.  I was shocked to see the crazy expensive cars lined up.  We got out and went up in the most fanciest elevator I ever seen in my life.

Then we went into the house.  The living room was bigger than my house.  It was crazy.  We was so awestruck, but we had to act like it was totally normal.   This is not normal in Korea and I don't think I know a Korean who has even had such an experience or anything similar.  We are talking rich and famous type house.  Way crazy!  We ate some really good food and then did our day of touring Anglican stuff.  I saw the first Anglican church built like a Buddist temple.  It was sorta like a church inside, but you had to take your shoes off.   On the outside it was more like a temple.  There were pictures of all people that was killed for their faith during the Korean War.  The priest was more than excited to greet us.  It was cool.  Then we went to visit another church with similar history on a remote island.  The early Christians would hide on these remote islands so they wouldn't get killed.  The woman drove us everywhere and paid for everything during this voyage.  He great-uncle was one of the first priests here.  I could see just about the whole history of the message of Jesus within this family.  What a great thing to have seen from the inside.  Just amazing.  The impact that this family had for the Kingdom of God is just insane.  The largest church in the world is in Korea now.  Without this family, it wouldn't have happened.  Just amazing.  They were the first.  They risked their lives and the Gospel is rather well known here now.

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