From the East Coast to the Eastern Hemisphere

It has been quite some time since I've written something. I've been busy, distracted, and lazy. I've probably been lazy and distracted more than the other two, but that's alright since I'm writing now. As many of you know, I'm already in South Korea. I've been here for almost three weeks. I want to just tell you about the experiences so far.

For me, my trip started before I even boarded the plane at JFK airport. It all started when I needed to go to Manhattan for my visa. When I got to the visa office, I realized that this trip was going to be like none other. I've been blessed to have gone to many countries in the past. I've even lived in another country for an extended time. This time, I realized that I don't know the language. It was insane to me. I walked into the consulate and saw all these scientific characters (Hangul-the Korean alphabet). As I stood in line, I looked up, then closed my eyes and asked God, "what am I doing?!"

When I lived in Argentina it wasn't as bad, because I at least could recognize the characters in the Spanish alphabet since it shares the same Latin characters with English. Going from "How are you?" to "¿cómo estás?" doesn't compare to going from "How are you?" to "어떻게 지내?". It's not even close! Another thing is, my purpose going to Argentina was to actually learn Spanish. I went to classes everyday and studied the language. I won't have that luxury here. If I want to learn the language, I'll need to dedicate extra time outside of preparation for the classes I'm teaching and the weekend programs I'm helping out with.

10 Animals I Would Never Eat (Life or Death)

A friend and I were talking about animals and how people decide to eat them. Have you ever thought about it? I mean, who was the first person that looked at a chicken and decided that it would taste good. Did the first pig eater really think they were going to get a good meal? How about the person that saw a crab and figured it would be tasty.

Then I wondered, what animals would I never eat? What are the most disgusting animals, that if even my life depended on, I wouldn't eat. So I did a little research. The key word is little, because I only have 10 on this list, and I promise you that the list is sooo much longer than that. So here's the list of disgusting animals I found, that you couldn't pay me to eat.

10. Alligator

People Actually eat this thing. Can you believe that? I really don't know how people could look at this and say, "this is gonna be a great meal!"

Stand Up: Part 2

John stood there. He was scared. He didn't know what to do. He certainly wasn't ashamed of his Christianity, but he knew that if he said yes that he would go to prison. He looked the officer in his eyes, remembered his favorite verse, and said "I am a Christian, and I'm certainly proud to be!".

The officer grabbed him by his arm and said that he was under arrest for being a Christian. John's uncle yelled:

"You can't take my nephew, you have no proof!"
"Sir, your nephew clearly stated that he's a Christian. Now you know the laws, so get out of my way. If it makes you feel any better, he'll get a trial"

The trial date came. Citizens from the town served as witnesses for the trial. For John, there was more than enough proof of his Christianity. Neighbors told stories of Bible lessons that they received from John, many times he would pray for them when things were wrong, and countless times they saw him reading the Bible.
Everybody said that his characteristics were that of a Christian, and that John's lifestyle was indeed of a Christian. He was a warm individual and he always was cheerful. They said that even when he lost his parents he constantly prayed. They even explained that they have seen God work in their lives through John.

Stand Up

If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? The truth is, many of us are scared to really answer this question. There's a lot of individuals out there that wear the name of "Christian", but they only practice it when "the right people are around". What would happen if somebody secretly put up cameras in your house? Followed you around? Tried their hardest to find evidence of your Christianity? I have a scenario that I want us all to consider:


Let's say the year is 2098 and the world has united under one "World Government". They've grown tired of the "Jesus talk", the "Jesus activity", and they want it to stop. "All Christians are to be arrested!" they demand. Cops are scouring through every neighborhood, looking through every house, for any evidence of Christians. In a small town that hasn't been searched yet, lives a young man by the name of John. When John was 9 he lost both his parents in a car crash and was taken in by his uncle.


The passing of his parents was pretty hard for him to deal with. Obviously it's not easy for a boy to lose both his parents (at the same time), but it hurt John more because his parents crashed while they were on his way to pick him up from his after-school program. In a way he almost felt like it was his fault. Although he was very young, he was exceptionally smart. He knew all about God because of his parents. They taught him a lot, and he even read the Bible on his own so that he could learn even more.


John's favorite verse was Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." John didn't know why he lost his parents, or why he had to endure so much pain as a result of it. He did know this: that God had a plan for him.