Thursday, May 24, 2012

"They blessed us. That was a real blessing"

Yesterday was the best day of the trip so far -there was not anything about it that was bad, or even "mediocre." To start off the morning, we participated in Taekwando lessons. I think that the only way to explain this is to use pictures.
Amber -READY TO GO!

Trying to do one of the warm up jumps.

Class starting

Todd fell down, he got the dumb quack.

Benta rocking the front kick

Our masters. They were pretty much awesome.

I'm a little bit proud of this picture, not going to lie.

Yeah, Natalie!!!

Alex posing with his board.

Resa and Sam doing some partner work.

Dr. Mennicke and the certificates.

The whole gang.

Kayla was really good at all of it!
After taekwando we went to lunch at a buffet where you could pick out your own ingredients for a soup that was made on a burner at your own table. After lunch we took a drive to a mountain where we could look out over Seoul. Following this we went to Insadong, which has a beautiful river running through it. I believe that Pastor Riemer said that the river used to be the sewage, but now the city has turned it into an absolutely breathtaking centerpiece for the area.  There are many colorful statues in the water, plant life, stepping stone paths, pieces of artwork, waterfalls, and lanterns adorning the river. The city is a large, and well known, shopping district. Many of us went off to explore the street vendors and souvenirs, bringing back more than we know how to fit in our luggage!


After shopping we went to the World Vision Korea center. Upon our arrival, there were snacks of fruit and cookies waiting for our consumption. Then we all changed into little bedroom slippers and went upstairs to warm up.   The two children's choirs came up. The first showed us their warm-up process, and the second performed 4 selections for us.  The group is made up of primarily 8-13 year old children and they sounded like absolute angels. They had a rich sound that resonated throughout the room. Their second piece involved traditional Korean fan dancing. The girls who performed the dance were in the older age range for the group and were absolutely stunning. They wore traditional costumes and had fans that were decorated with hot pink flowers and feathers.  Against the plain background of the room, the girls really stood out and shone in a way that our choir is not capable of doing! The director walked off for the fourth piece, which was a well known "do-wop" sorta piece that involved adorable choreography. We did NOT want to get up and sing when they finished! We would have preferred to continue listening to their gorgeous sound.

We got up and sang three of our best pieces, and then finished with "E'en so, Lord Jesus Quickly Come." Here's when the heartbreak started. This piece is our signature song, as well as a blessing on the audience and on the choir. We chose to hold hands when we performed yesterday, and a few of the children in the front row did as well. The children were captivated by our music and I couldn't help but NOT watch Dr. Dave (oops.) and watch the faces of the smiling children instead. I really felt like "Lord, Listen to your Children Praying" and "E'en So..." really blessed these kids. I truly felt God working in us and through us during this performance. One of the things that makes World Vision Choirs so powerful is their background.  The organization was started in Korea during the Korean War, and many members of the choir were orphans, or "vulnerable" children.  The mission of the choir is "to give a voice to the voiceless."

The concert ended with their blessing to us. I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it now. The children came up to the stage and held their hands out to us and sang an English blessing to us. The conviction on their faces was astonishing. It was as if they really meant it and weren't just "trained" to sing it. They truly gave us the richest and fullest blessing that we've received on this trip. At least half of our choir was in tears by the time they finished. It was beautiful, breathtaking, astounding, incredible... I can't find powerful enough words to adequately express how much they touched me, and the rest of the choir.

That's it. Nothing else from the day matters.

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