비 온다-- It's raining.‏‏

It's delightful that the new email system actually supports 한 글. I was getting sick of trying to sound out weird Korean words for you all. The one problem is that most of you DON'T read Korean...so I guess it doesn't help. There goes that plan.

Spring has sprung. Except it keeps raining and my Korean companion keeps promising me that it doesn't usually rain like this in the Spring. I'm inclined not to believe her. :)

Along with the Spring has come two suprises...one is that the Yellow Dust is back. Every year the winds switch and the industrialism in China gets carried over to Korea....it leaves a nice little yellow layer of dust on everything...and whenever you go into a building with normal lighting after being outside you are suprised by just how BLUE everything looks (because everything outside is yellower than normal). It's kinda like the phenomenon of taking off your green-tinted ski goggles and thinking the world suddenly changed colors to a hazed red. The other suprise is that 잠외's (cham-ways) are back---it's a melon-like fruit....I don't think I've ever seen one in America. You know you've been here a long time when the fruit that was in season when you were a greenie is popping up at street vendors around the city.

I'm having less of an allergic reaction to the Yellow Dust (황사) than I anticipated. I guess my years of surviving inversions in Provo have paid off :). A lot of the 외국인's (foreigners) are getting way sick and assume it's a cold....but it's just allergies. I usually have a tickle in my throat in the morning, but I'm usually fine once I down some water and shake the stuff loose with some exercise. Knock on Wood.

I got to go on Splits with Sis. Hadden on Monday. This is a miracle, really. I've always wanted to serve with her, but I was sure that Pres. Jennings was keeping us at opposite ends of the mission for a reason (the reason being that if we are together for too long the world will implode or something because of our similarities). Anyway, my companion, as the Sisters' Representative wanted to split with Sis. Hadden's trainee (that word sounds stupid...it's really "greenie" and you all know it...besides....it took generations of missionaries to get the Korean members to understand missionary 말투(um..nomenclature)...we can't just go and switch it up all of the sudden)....where was I? Oh yes, Sis. Park wanted to split with S. Hadden's greenie so...YAY US. It was a lot of fun. It's relieving to be around someone who understands and builds on Sci-fi and Fantasy references I throw out so often. Plus it was in Ulsan...which is just a great place, anyway. And when we taught it was really a miracle to see how far we both have come in Korean and teaching. We really DO learn this language. THAT'S a miracle.

Everyone is moving right along fine. The work is slow in this, the Land of the Morning Calm, but it truly moves on. People are overcoming the chains of doubt and culture and language and coming unto Christ. It's exciting to be part of something so important and so fruitful that it's beyond my comprehension.

Apparently I eat seaweed soup better than most foreigners.

I just discovered that when I try to type Korean characters at a keyboard I try to do it like I'm texting (on a cellphone) in Korean...It's strangely different. You'd think that my dictionary skills would translate to computer...but no...I'm still thinking in numbers for typing Korean. That probably made no sense to anyone who doesn't use Korean cellphones and dictionaries and computer keyboards, but there it is.

I'm to the point of talking about things that will simply bore you all, so that means I better take off and get a nap in.

Love to you all!

~R~

P.S. Read your scriptures---say your prayers.