Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

Tennessee

Dear Friends and Family,

I have a new job in Goshen, Indiana. It is demanding, and there is so little time to reflect. Yet I am enjoying the new environment I'm in and its new challenges.

This week we are in Tennessee at Paul and Mary’s house (Mary is Tom’s younger sister). They were a couple I've always admired for their ability to give so much. In Streamwood, Illinois, they served the young people. High schoolers were constantly in their home for fellowship, meals, or just to have fun.

Mary’s desire was always to bless others in her blessing. Now their home in Tennessee is continuously filled with family and friends of all ages who desire to come, rest and soak in God’s beauty. Rolling hills, view of Smokey mountain from their front window, 2 horses to ride on, swimming pool on hot days, acres of land, and continuous provision of wonderful cooking,… oh the peace that God could provide in his beautiful creation…They are also enjoying rich church life…

One of the couples at Tuesday evening Bible study, has for pets – 6 peacocks, a goat, lambs, a pig, dozen chicken or so, cats, and many dogs, a small petting zoo…. Many neighbors own horses, land is so plenteous… and it seems each family owns so many animals.

Tom and I took a walk this morning, oh the fresh fragrance of woods, the music of cock crowing, cows mooing, birds singing, dogs barking….horses stopping to gaze at us,…thank you Lord for your beautiful creation….

This weekend we will go on to Canada for Faith’s wedding (my niece). Henna, Mary, and Faith were born within six months of each other. They spent so much of their youth together. It is amazing that one is getting married already…. We will have a wonderful big family gathering.

With love,
JaeHi

Still Discovering Goshen

Slice of Life Index

I am still discovering Goshen. We walked along a canal and river today(5.16.07) just a few blocks from my house… we discovered a woodland-like state park which includes marsh, river, canal, and wild Midwest grass land. We saw a wooden walkway out onto the marsh. Along the pathway there were nice labels of tree types which Tom especially appreciated. As a city person, I often don’t know or distinguish many different trees. Oh what beauty God created for us to enjoy. It was a discovery so amazing and unexpected. Hidden beautiful flower park, ...I am fast forgetting that I am a Chicagoan. I am always seeking the beauty of nature on vacations or when the stress of life gets to me. I had no idea that God provided that for us within minutes from my home. As Tom and I stroll in these lovely woods, it’s so reminiscent of our courting days, just in love and loving everything surrounding us and appreciating God for His creation and so thankful for His provision.

Oh the joy of being in Christ…Oh the joy of having Him speak to us in our daily lives, …Oh the joy of serving in Christ…. Oh what precious Jesus we have….

Here are some amazing things.
City Hall is 3 blocks away.
County Seat is 5 blocks away
The center of Goshen downtown is 3 blocks away
The only hospital in the city, less than 5 minutes away
The only library in the city is across the street from us
Lizy’s Middle School (the only one in town) is less than 5 minutes away
The only High School is less than 5 minutes away
The only college; Goshen College is within 1 mile
Now we discovered “wilderness” within minutes
My first Indiana job, just walking distance from home…

Goshen is very artistic town, in paintings, pottery, woodwork, quilts, baking, and music.
We walked into a music shop where the owner actually carves and hand makes guitars and other instruments. He said he is one of the few artisans making everything by hand. He gets commission from music artists. His wife owns “Rachel’s Bread” shop. She makes bread from open hearth fire place as well as modern ovens.

In our move to Goshen, we downsized to a smaller home built in 1860, affordable even if we have difficulty in selling our Chicago home…Thank You Lord for your wisdom in directing our paths…

Beauty

Slice of Life Index

Beauty in Music

Yesterday (5-20-06) my family had the privilege of attending a concert with Mary Rose Jordan as the solo piano player accompanied by the Elkhart Symphony Orchestra. She has won many musical competitions in Indiana and now she is somewhat of a celebrity here. I know her as Henna’s childhood friend and not as an accomplished musician.

I am not a musical person, yet in Mary’s music I was taken into a wonderland of imagination. It was like I saw sceneries so diverse: I saw the thundering of wild horses stampeding through vast grasslands; I saw gentle fawns munching on sweet grass, delicate fairies dancing in the air, wild storms causing all creatures to seek safety, a rising sun bringing new hope and a fresh dawn. Then I would watch Mary’s face as she played on stage. She also was lost in her music. Mary has won a scholarship from Northwestern University to continue her music program in Evanston.

My drive home from Indianapolis

It was an experience of God’s beautiful creation—majestic land, fields, farms, trees as far as the eye can see. Coming home from Indianapolis (job training & orientation, 6-5-07) I took US-33. With the winding and bending of the road, I was never quite sure what beauty lay ahead for me…like our lives. As we travel our lives’ paths, following Christ, we see the bends in the road, yet we’re never quite sure what awaits us…quite a romantic life.

Oh the beauty, oh the fresh air, partaking of God’s beauty, what healing for my soul. Then we slow down to pass small towns, just two stop lights or stop signs, then out into the open vast field of winding road to be interrupted by another small town, and again the vast expanse of beautiful fields. Oh, I see Wal-Mart. I am coming into Goshen, college, downtown, then my neighborhood…old Victorian homes…another type of beauty, so similar to my Chicago neighborhood I left behind. Thank-you Lord, any beauty You bring to me reminds me of You.

Rejoice with Me

Slice of Life Index

Oh dear friends and family,

Come and rejoice with me...for my father who is 80 with failing health, bed-bound, has received Jesus Christ into his heart. He has had a very difficult life, and when his oldest daughter (JaeHi) became a Christian, it was very hard for him to take. I got saved at age 14, and at age 18 met a wonderful group of Christ-centered Christians in the local church in Chicago. He disowned me at age 18 and told my brother and sister never to be so foolish as me. I feared him and respected him all my life. To his dismay, I later chose to marry a Christian man who would choose to serve the Lord full time. I prayed for my father since age 14, never quite believing that he would receive the Lord.

On Tuesday when I was visiting him I asked him if I could pray for him. This was the third visit where he did not protest my praying. I started out by saying, “Dear Jesus, please give my father comfort and peace.” To my surprise, he repeated after me, “Dear Jesus, please give me comfort and peace." I said a few more prayers which he made into his own prayer. Then I said, “Lord Jesus, I pray that my father would ask You to come into his heart.” He followed me by saying, “Lord Jesus, please come into my heart.” I was amazed. My prayer of unbelief had been answered.

I told him, “Father, Jesus waited your lifetime for this moment!” and he replied, “Yes, Jesus waited my lifetime for this moment.” I asked him, “Father, would you talk to this Jesus about all your concerns, cares, sadness, and fear?" He said, “Yes, I will!”

Dear family and friends, please pray for my father that he would have much experience of Jesus Christ during the short time he has here.

With much love,
JaeHi

Busy life

Slice of Life Index

Dear Family and Friends,

So much has happened since I last wrote to you. The Lord is so rich. His grace and supply are so available to us in His word. I have passed the Indiana State Board which means I can look for a job. My intention is to get a job working about 20 hours per week.

From January till now (I worked full time in Chicago till December ’06) has been a precious time, getting to know the saints (believers in Jesus) in Goshen, studying for my exam, waiting for the result, getting excited about all our plans for the gospel—oh, the precious and wonderful church life!

Elizabeth has won first place in an art contest, and her sixth grade orchestra has won first place in a regional competition. She has adapted to our new home and the new church life very nicely.

This morning I was enjoying Romans 11:33: "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and untraceable His ways!"

There is a group of us who have committed to reading the Bible one hour per day. I don't always make it, but it is a precious and wonderful experience as I fellowship with others concerning how the Lord spoke to me.

I am in Chicago now preparing for my first open house. Oh, by the way, our home is finally ready for sale. If you know anyone who wants to buy a home in the Old Irving Park area, please forward this link [no longer active]. I don't have all the info uploaded yet.

with much love,
JaeHi

Small Town Life

Slice of Life Index

Dear family and friends,

I would like to share some experiences of small town life. I have only known big city life.

In Goshen, as Tom and I enter a shop, people are curious as to who we are. We tell them that we bought a home recently across the street from Goshen library (the only library in town). Often they know which home we bought and who the previous owner was.

During a heavy snowfall, I asked our neighbor if I could borrow a snow shovel. The next day I found all of our front, side, & back sidewalks shoveled. Lizy and I made a thank-you card for our neighbor. An old lady (between 80 – 90 years) came to greet us with a pan of cinnamon rolls. She told me that if I needed anything, I should not hesitate to call her. She owns a local coffee shop where she bakes pies and sometimes cooks. She opens her shop at 4:30 AM every day for her regular customers.

Our next-door neighbor came with a batch of cookies—the same neighbor who shoveled about two feet of snow for me twice. They knew that Tom was at Chicago.

This is one of the memorable incidences: I left Chicago at 10:30 pm with Lizy. (We are often coming to our Chicago home as we are preparing it to sell. We often leave Chicago very late because there are so many things to do and people to visit, including Henna and Christian who are in Chicago.) We had been on the highway for 1.5 hours when we ran into a snowstorm, a common lake-effect blizzard (locals are very familiar with these) on I-80/90. Snow (more like sleet) was pounding against the windshield. The direction of the sleet was changing every few seconds. Visibility was so poor that the rear lights of the car in front of me was just a faint glow. I could not see anything else. To my side could have been a plain or a precipice. Even the road signs and exits were not visible. We were crawling, just following the light in front of us. I saw the US-31 exit sign. I knew I was supposed to take US-31, but I wasn't sure if this was the exit. I exited only to realize it was the wrong exit. The toll collector told me to go straight and turn onto US-20 until it turns to US-33, then follow it to Goshen. I kept going. The signs disappeared. I was in a small town somewhere in Indiana. I looked for signs of life. The whole town was asleep. I stopped at a gas station. It was empty, deserted. I filled up the tank—thank the Lord for automated machines. It was 2 am. Lizy woke up and was determined not to fall asleep so that mommy could find her way home. I saw that I was somewhere in South Bend. I had never been in this town and had no map. I couldn't even find a motel. As I talked to the Lord about my dilemma, a car pulled up next to me in this totally deserted town. A lady of about 60 got out of the car and asked me if I was in trouble. She told me to go down two stop lights, turn left, go another three stop lights, turn right, then go two more stop lights and keep going straight a long haul all the way to Goshen. She was not able to give me any clearer directions, such as street names and distances. We repeated her directions twice from where we met her before realizing that her directions did not take us anywhere. Then there was another car opposite from us. I rolled down my window. This time a young girl in her 20s told me to follow her and at a certain point turn right and then straight. I passed South Bend, Mishawaka, a couple more towns, Elkhart, and then to Goshen. We arrived home at 3:30 AM, so happy to have arrived home. What is normally a 2.5 hour trip took us four hours. The Lord took care of us the whole time.

The church life is very sweet. So far Elizabeth is somewhat lonely in the meetings. She is the only child there most of the time. She is getting accustomed to it. She is learning to make friends with adults. There is one sister (46 years old) who has bonded with Lizy. You will often find them laughing together almost like children. Lizy and I are praying that the Lord would bring a girl of around 12 years old to be a companion for Lizy.

Lizy has adjusted very well to Goshen Middle School (the only middle school in town). Already she has many friends, and she feels at home there.

I have so much to tell but I will save it for next time. Grace be with you!

JaeHi

Move to Goshen, Indiana

Slice of Life Index

Dear family and friends,

We have moved to Goshen. I would like to update you on what we are doing and how the Lord is working in our lives. I feel that writing to you periodically is one way for me to keep all of you in my heart.

Elizabeth has been attending Goshen Middle School since August of 2006. She is in orchestra and loves it. She plays violin, and she is improving daily. She is also taking art lessons in an adult class. So far the teacher says she is the most advanced student. She is fitting in well with four other students who are in their 40s to 60s.

Our older three children are in college. Christian and Henna will stay in Chicago. Henna is going to Harold Washington College studying languages: Spanish, French, and Swedish. Christian is at the University of Illinois (UIC) studying Industrial Design. Seth is going to Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Tom and I bought a house across the street (about ½ block south) from the Jordans. Mark and Sherry have taken in Sherry's dad. He is 82 years old and has Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. He needs full-time care, and Sherry is providing the care. When she needs a break, Elizabeth or I stay with him to give Sherry a break. It is such a precious experience for Elizabeth to see the care a daughter is giving her elderly father who is not able anymore. It is also so good for Elizabeth to participate in Milford's (Sherry's dad) care. The care that Mark and Sherry give to her dad is such an expression of the love of Christ.

The church life in Goshen is very sweet. The congregation is very small, and there are so many new ones who are just babes in Christ. At our last Bible study meeting, Mark told us that 75% of the participants were new since last year. I see that we will be very busy. Mark and Sherry are so glad to have us here and happy that we have some foundation and years in Christ.

A sweet highlight: In October, one new couple invited the whole church for dinner, bonfire, breakfast, then morning meeting on Sunday. There were about 15 children and 30 adults. We camped on their land. Everett, the brother, hired a local musical family (four children playing violin, ages 12 to 17) before dinner. They were from the denomination he used to meet with. Oh, they were so good! They reminded me of "The Sound of Music." This event itself was such a sweet time of fellowship. There were so many testimonies of how the Lord is working in each one's life. The children had a great time too.

The Lord is so wonderful.

Your sister,
JaeHi