More Waiting

Hello everyone!

A lot of people have been asking, "So when are you leaving for Korea??"  Well, there's not a simple answer.  I received an email from Connexus this week that explains my situation.  The following is a section from that update:

"I feel sad sharing this, but here at Connexus our student numbers are not growing much. We actually lost a couple students this month, due to long vacations, but we're hoping they'll join again in September. Our total student capacity with our current three teachers is 60, and right now we have 36 students...After another month or two, we will update you again about our situation and perhaps then we will be better prepared to make decisions."

 

So what do I do now? For now I am finishing my paperwork so that I will be prepared to go to Korea when the time comes.

What's the time frame? This is something completely out of my control, and out of the control of Connexus at that.  Everything is dependent upon how many students join the English program in the months ahead.  The program is still new (not yet a year old), so things are very unpredictable right now. It could be 2 months, it could be 6 - we just have to take it one day at a time.

What is next? Yes, I still hope and plan on going to South Korea. But with having no certain idea when I may be needed there, I am coming up with different plans of what to do while waiting. I want to wait actively!  My brainstorming includes work options here at home, local ministries, and maybe evening pursuing student teaching in Knoxville next year. 

If I do not have a more definitive idea for Korea in the next month or so, I think I will have to give Connexus a general date that I can come in the future (for example, in the spring semester or when the school year starts again next fall).  So many things are up in the air for me right now, including my retail job which keeps asking how long I am here for..  But I know God is in control, even if I cannot see His plans.  I just want to be used where ever I am - whether at home, in Knoxville or in South Korea!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragement!  I am very blessed because of you.

Seeking Him, ~Katelynn

Change in Departure Date

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Connexus asking if I would consider delaying my departure from the original plan of August to the end of September or October this fall.  While the afterschool program there is growing steadily, they now have enough teachers to get by until October, when new students will join the program.  They were very gracious and told me that if this is too inconvenient, they would love to have me in August as first planned.  While I was very excited about the quickly approaching move, I saw no point in me going if I was not yet needed. (Besides, the thought of having a few extra months at home sounded great - not to mention relieved a little stress.) And so, I agreed to wait till this fall to fly over.

In the meantime, I am continuing work at my retail job, learning more about the Korean language and culture (in hopes of avoiding at least a little culture shock ;), and soaking up every minute spent with my family and friends.  My prayer is that God will use this extra time at home to prepare my heart and mind for whatever it is that lies ahead this year in South Korea.

Seeking Him, ~Katelynn

* If you would like receive email updates of my blog and journey to Korea, you can subscribe by entering your address in to the "Get My E-Mail Updates!" box on the upper right hand corner of my homepage (you will receive an e-mail and must "verify" your subscriptions in order to start receiving my updates). Thank you for your encouragement and support! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.

Conquering the Paperwork for Korea

After my college graduation last month, my move to South Korea has begun sinking in more and more as reality.  I am so thankful for all my college experiences and the priceless-friendships that have sprouted from the last four years.  But it is time to move on and to learn outside of the classroom!

This summer has already been very busy - working just about full-time in retail, babysitting, participating in several small groups, and spending time with my family and friends has occupied so much of my time.  One of my top priorities however has been on collecting all the documents needed to prepare for Korea in August.  I have been making numerous phone calls and sending emails to people from the FBI, the Office of Authentications, the State Department of TN, my University, Connexus (my employer), and even family and friends who are knowledgeable in foreign travels.  It has been a long and complicated process and I ask for prayers for clarity and the speedy return of my last few documents, everything needs to be ready to send to Korea by the first week of July.

Some blessings thus far: I received the results of my background check two months earlier than I could have received it and I still rejoice over the recent recovery of my lost SS card.  I know that God will continue providing as he has (sometimes I just forget!)!


In Him, ~Katelynn


PS. If you would like receive email updates of my blog and journey to Korea, you can subscribe by entering your address in to the "Get My E-Mail Updates!" box on the upper right hand corner of my homepage (you will receive an e-mail and must "verify" your subscriptions in order to start receiving my updates). Thank you for your encouragement and support! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.

Korea Bound!

One of my biggest fears as I looked toward graduation this May was that I would get my diploma, move back home, and just get comfortable.  I love everything about home - my family, my friends, my church fellowship, the familiarity.  But I also know myself well enough to realize it would be easy for me to fall back into the mundaneness of life if I moved back to Maryland at this time.  With this knowledge I began asking God for opportunities that would grow and stretch me, my worldview, and my faith.

I had no idea what this opportunity would look like, though I definitely felt the tug of my heart toward youth and community work.  Looking into several different organizations and jobs/volunteer positions, nothing really stuck out to me at first, but I was encouraged to keep looking.  In January I got a text from my brother Aaron about a teaching position with a Christian organization in South Korea.  Connexus Language Institute has been teaching English to adults outside Seoul for years, but just this December started an after school program for children and were in of teachers who would commit for a year to developing the program.  Aaron forwarded me the information and I was in contact with Connexus right away.  I had so many questions for them, all of which they answered thoroughly and promptly - the more I found out the more it seemed too good to be true!

It took me nearly two weeks to send my application after I had completed it.  I'm not sure why I waited so long - whether it be fear of getting the job or fear of rejection.  Less than 24 hours of hitting the "send" button, I received a reply that the president of Connexus and his wife wanted to have a Skype interview with me!  Now it began to feel more and more real.  Though I still was not sure if this is where I was supposed to be - I always wanted to travel but not live overseas - I decided to enter my interview with an open mind.  The interview was complete confirmation; as soon as our conversation was over, I told some friends: "If they offer me the job, I wont be able to say no!"  Sure enough, after a week of waiting in anticipation (and not being able to focus on absolutely anything except Korea :), I received an email inviting me to join the Connexus community!

Knowing that I possess the sometimes terrible ability to talk myself into or out of absolutely any situation or feeling, I have been journaling throughout this entire journey.  As I look over the pages of entry I have written these last two months, I can find no error or doubt in this decision to go!  Of course, some of the gittyness has begun to wear off as I move from shock to starting the process of paper work, background checks, and looking into getting my visa.  There is so much to do and learn these next few wee and months in order to be set for leaving in August!

Please be in prayer for me, as though this is an exciting time, it would be a lie to say that my heart lacks fear.  The idea of living in a new culture with a language and people so unfamiliar (let alone teaching!) scares me, but it also ignites the fire inside my soul.  I just want to be His hands and feet, no matter in what corner of the world He places me!

Seeking Him, ~Katelynn

PS. If you would like receive email updates of my blog and journey to Korea, you can subscribe by entering your address in to the "Get My E-Mail Updates!" box on the upper right hand corner of my homepage (you will receive an e-mail and must "verify" your subscriptions in order to start receiving my updates). Thank you for your encouragement and support!  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.

It's a Wonderful Life

How is it possible that another year has come to an end? But what a beautiful year it was! If I could sum the last 12 months in just a few words, I would say that 2011 was a year of rapid and irreversible growth. As with any growth spurt, the change was not always pleasant; in fact sometimes the growing cut deep, causing pain that seemed almost unbearable at the time. But through all the stretching and shifting, I have come to realize that the outcome is immensely worth it. God has taught me to trust in Him perhaps more that I have ever needed. He has proved faithful through and through!

Each day is a precious, unrepeatable gift.

This has been so heavy on my heart lately. As I look toward the light at the end of my undergrad-tunnel, the days seem to be slipping by so quickly. Though I am ecstatic about graduating in only a few months, I do not want to forget about the potential held by each and every day - even the days in which my to-do list consists merely of study, eat, and sleep! Life doesn't begin once I have a degree, nor will it begin tomorrow - life is happening right at this very moment. May I make the most of every breath given to me!

My (4) Little Life Lessons

I'm so thankful for the life lessons God teaches me through babysitting. Patience, humility and love never fail to be at the top of the list! The more time I spend watching kids, the higher appreciation I gain for parents who are truly striving to raise up their children in the Lord! It can be so easy to take shortcuts and compromise when you feel spread thin and are simply exhausted.

This weekend I have been so blessed to babysit 4 children on my college campus while their parents are away on a trip. Tonight the eldest of the 4 (11-years-old and the only boy) decided to take a break from video games and came to the kitchen to talk while I was washing dishes. From snakes, to food, to county fairs - we ended up talking for 2 hours!! And it is time I would never regret, even with the monstrous pile of homeworking waiting for me in the other room.

Time spent investing in relationships and in the lives of others is never EVER a waste!

Here is a little piece of what my days have looked like:

- Make breakfast, lunch and dinner for 5: CHECK.
- Play with play dough while listening to Disney songs on Pandora: CHECK.
- Hours of hide-and-seek: CHECK.
- Teach the an origami lesson: CHECK.
- Help the girls decide on a movie to watch (though it may take an hour to just agree): CHECK.
- Make muffins for tomorrow's breakfast: CHECK.
- Keep on top of the seemingly never-ending pile of dirty dishes: CHECK.
- Finish two loads of laundry: CHECK.
- Work on home work for this week: ....well, something had to slide, haha
- Get a shower myself: CHECK!
- Go to bed with time to journal and in the Word: now in process.

Desperate Times Call for Creativity!

What a busy summer it has been! With working my retail job, house and baby sitting, taking an online summer class, spending time with my family and friends at home, attempting to be prepared for an upcoming CLEP test, and trying to get everything lined up for my senior year at at Johnson University, "So much to do and so little time" is beginning to feel like quite the understatement.

Yet among the craziness these last few weeks at home have brought, I have been able to squeeze in some time to catch up on some of my favorite pastimes. I couldn't be more thankful for time to just relax my mind and body! As funds are rather low for school this year, I have spent some of my "me-time" sewing and it has been a blast!! (I know - I sound like a house-wife from the 50's ;) I've been able to sell a few of the purses I designed myself and took my first whack at making shorts out of an old t-shirt ealier this week. I always jump at the opportunity to make and save money! Here are just a few of the projects I've worked on recently.

I hope you enjoy and are inspired to be creative in your own unique ways!

I just sold this purse to a wonderful lady from my church: This one is the same design, just different colors :)
I found this t-shirt in the free closet at school last year (BEFORE): T-shirt AFTER - a comfy new pair of pj shorts! :)