Holiday

Greetings from Korea to all! December 2015

Ive been putting off my annual Christmas epistle long enough, because I
suffer from a condition known as chronic procrastination. However, its encouraging to
know that 20% of the population also have this ailment; and you are one of those
unfortunate ones who will have to decide whether to delete it/throw it away--or read it,
and hope it will put you to sleep if you have insomnia.
Eun-Hee and I started our travel early this year with a mission trip the Thailand/
Myanmar border where we helped conduct a music camp for
Karan tribe refugees. These people live in an area called no
mans land on the Myanmar side, and have been harassed and
persecuted by the Burmese military for many years. (There
have been no bad incidents in the recent past, but they dont
trust the Gov., so remain cautious about the future.) I taught
trumpet, choir, and music theory, and Eun-Hee helped teach
the flute. It was remarkable what they were able to learn in
less than 2 weeks. (We are going again in January 2016).
In late January, Eun-Hee & I joined friends Norbert & Chris Schwer on a trip to New
Zealand. What a beautiful country. We rented a car and drove thru much of both
islands enjoying fantastic scenery, and breath-taking hikes. Highlights included about
everything we saw!

The SDA college in Bangladesh asked Eun-Hee to help start a nursing program. She
visited the college in late February and came back saying that she couldnt say no,
because the need is so great, and we feel that God has called us to help there.
Although she has the teaching background the degree (Ph.D.) they were looking for, they
would like me to teach accounting, English, and music at the college. We expect to move
to Bangladesh in late spring of 2016 as volunteers.

In
March, Eun-Hee and I joined a Maranatha group building a school in Namibia. One gets
instant gratification in helping to build around 18 buildings in less than 2 weeks with, the
One-Day School kits Maranatha uses. Eun-Hee helped with cooking and the medical
teams while I screwed up trying to use a drill. At the end of the trip, we visited Victoria
Falls, where we walked with the lions and cheetahs. Fortunately, they fed them before
our walk, so we were able to enjoy the experience without losing any body parts. This
experience made Eun-Hee so brave that she flew over Victoria Falls in a microlight
plane, and joined me in swimming/wading in Angels Pool about 1 meter from the top of
Victoria Falls (see photo).
Before returning home we took a 3+week trip through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and
South Africa, with a small group staying mostly in tents we put up each night. The
biggest highlights of the trip were skydiving over Namibia, enjoying Table Mountain in
Cape town, and visiting Cape of Good Hope. It never entered my mind that Eun-Hee
would consider skydiving. However, after she decided to try it, I didnt want to be a
wimp, so we went up in the same airplane.



Eun-Hee went to Nepal in late May with a small group of medical personnel from Korea to
provide some much needed medical assistance to the people of Nepal after the
devastating earthquakes in April-May. The villages she visited looked like a war zone
she said, and it was especially sad to see school buildings that completely collapsed
killing many children. Nepal has a special place in my heart since I have been there
hiking and on mission trips numerous times, and really love the gentle and friendly
people there.

In June, Eun-Hee and I went hiking in the Mont Blanc region on France, enjoying some of
the most beautiful mountain scenery we have ever seen, and we stopped by Ireland on
the way back. In July, we attended our churchs quinquennial conference in San
Antonio, staying with good friends (DeWayne & Shirleywhat are friends if you cant
use them!) Speaking of using friends, unfortunately, we only had one couple (Bill &
Cathy Ward) visit us this year in Korea. We always welcome and enjoy friends visiting
usMaybe we would have more visits if we were home more often??
I left for Africa at the end of July to spend 10+ weeks on the Africa Mercy shipa
Christian NGO that provides free medical services to the poor. What a rewarding
experience.. This was my 2nd time volunteering with this org. This time the ship was
based in Madagascar. No, with my medical background they did not let me near the
patients. I served as a cashier in the ship shop and barista in Starbucks caf, which
supported the all-volunteer crew. You can learn about them at: mercyships.org. I
encourage anyone interested in helping humanity to volunteer with them.
While on Mercy Ship, in my spare time, and after returning to Korea, I have been
practicing the piano with limited progress at 2-3 hours a day for the past 5 months, in
hope of playing my favorite Chopin for a parlor recital. Im finding that I do not have
the musical ability, memory I once had, or finger dexterity to perform my chosen
repertoire in public. Anyway, the practice may help delay Alzheimers (pronounced oldtimers) disease. Meanwhile, Eun-Hee has been taking ukulele and ocarina (a musical
instrument similar to a recorder) lessons, with much more success.
December finds us preparing for my annual Christmas Cantata, (which I enjoy conducting), and hoping to receive Holiday greetings from friends and family. Noel continues
working for Southwest Airlines as a flight attendant. The world has had a continuing
increase violence, terrorism, and disasters in 2015, which makes us all long for Jesus to
come again. We look forward to Jesus 2nd coming which will put an end to these
increasingly horrific events. Wishing everyone Gods richest blessing in 2016!
Leon & Eun-Hee