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I love Korea! Love, love, love, love, love it!
I think that one of the main reasons that I had such a wonderful trip, and that Korea left such an impression on me, was the people.
I got to see my friend, Kihoon, whom I've missed very much since he went back to Korea from Japan, as well as Chihye, another missionary who lived in the town north of me. Through both of them I met some wonderful, kind, amazing people!




This is post-Pizza Hut dinner. I had a sweet potato, pineapple pizza. Yummy!
Going clockwise from bottom left is Kihoon, Chihye, the two Mrs. Nishis (they're sisters that I studied Korean with), Miss Choi, Miss Min, Nobuyo (a member of my church who I also studied Korean with), and Miss Park. I hope I am spelling everyone's name right!
Kihoon lived for one year as a missionary at my church Kisei Chapel. He is actually the person who helped me to find my faith in God again. He invited me to come to his Korean class at Kisei Chapel, and to play taiko drums and make Japanese pottery. Then I decided to try going to a church service. Wonders never cease, because then I started going every week!
Chihye lived for 2 years as a missionary in Odai, the town north of mine. I didn't know her very well in Japan, but I got to know her better while I was in Korea. She's so sweet, and I felt very inspired by her faith.
The Nishi sisters both studied Japanese at my church. They are very funny ladies.
I met Nobuyo at church, and we also studied Korean together. She is a junior high school English teacher.
Miss Choi, Miss Min, and Miss Park all lived at Kisei Chapel in the past as missionaries. They all speak Japanese really well.




It was funny hanging out with this group, because although I was in Korea, I got a lot of Japanese practice! The ladies from Japan said it was really funny to watch Koreans and an American speaking Japanese together, instead of one of our native languages!


This is Grace, Esther, and I in the subway station near Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul. Chihye introduced me to them and we all went sightseeing together. Grace is a member of Chihye's church. She was sooo sweet. She's 20 years old, and has never been overseas, but she speaks English so well! She was so kind to me, and went out of her way to help me have a great time in Seoul! Esther was a former classmate of Chihye's. She is a school teacher now. She also went out of her way for me, and I am really grateful to have met her!


This is Chihye and I posing beneath what is supposed to represent a typical Korean face. Both of Chihye's parents seemed to think that I looked Korean. No, I don't know what they were talking about. Maybe it's my cheeks. Chihye's mother even asked if I had any Korean relatives or ancestors! Hilarious!


This is Samonim, the pastor's wife at Kihoon's church; me; and Kiyoung, Kihoon's 16 year old cousin. We all ate dinner together at the church and then played ping-pong on my first night back in Busan. Samonim is really, really hilarious. She was one of my very favorite people that I met in Korea. She really likes speaking English, even though she's not very good at it! Kihoon explained to me that she had prayed for God to send her someone to speak English with, and then one day an American woman named Sarah showed up at her church. She became friends with Sarah, but Sarah is living outside of Busan now, so she doesn't get to see her very often. Then she prayed again for God to send her someone to speak English with, and I showed up at her church. She was soooo happy to spend time with me! I love Samonim!


Samonim, Kihoon, and Kiyoung. Kiyoung was so sweet. He studies English in school, and has studied Japanese for fun. So, I was able to speak both English and Japanese with him. I hope that he'll keep studying both, because it's such a wonderful thing to be able to communicate with people from other countries!


Samonim, Kihoon, and I. I miss them.