The Roberts in Korea

Wild Animals

I am moving through my last week here on the campus of Drew University.  I am taking one class this week.  I am in the same classroom from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  It gets to be a long day, but we are learning a lot and I am enjoying the company of my cohort.  

I haven't been doing much here the last few days.  Last weekend I barely left my dorm room.  I had a take home final from a class that I completed and I was committed to completing the final and getting it sent off by the end of the weekend.  It took all weekend, but I sent the finished product off to the professor at 10:00 p.m. Sunday night.

The Drew Campus (the woods) is a beautiful place.  I have been enjoying taking walks throughout the campus.  I have seen some interesting East coast birds, I have heard some beautiful bird calls and I have seen some wildlife.  In my walks I have come across many deer, a rabbit or two, lots of squirrels and even a couple of wildcats.  Well, actually the wildcats are on my computer--Becca and Sarah. 

I am missing my family and I count it a real privilege to communicate with them using Google Video Chat.  They are supposed to fly into town (here) on July 3.  I can't wait to see them all.

End of Second Week

Whew!  Week two at Drew University is over...well kind of.  Today I wrapped up my second week of classes and actually finished up two of the three courses that I am taking this summer.  Today was the last day of my "Restorative Leadership" class and my "Theological Models" course.  Now I just need to finish up the take home final exams and culminating papers for these two courses.  It has been a rigorous and rewarding two weeks for me.

Sadly, I said good-bye today to my roommate, Lem.  His ailing mother passed away on Wednesday this past week and Lem is going home to Kansas City to officiate at his mother's memorial service.  We have enjoyed many late night discussions about his mother.  It sounds to me like she was a wonderful woman that leaves behind her a remarkable legacy for Jesus Christ.  I have so enjoyed getting to know Lem-- I will miss him.

I have a ton of studies to do this weekend.  Let the weekend begin!

Tastes Like Home

I must say it again. The best thing about this Drew summer school experience is the people that I am meeting and studying with.  They are all so fascinating and wonderful.  One of the ladies in my cohort is Gina.  Gina is a South Korean Methodist Minister.  She pastors a Korean church here in New Jersey.  I mentioned to Gina the other day that I was missing Kimchi and last night for dinner Gina brought me a full Korean meal...with Kimchi!  It was delicious and tasted just like home.

Matriculation

On Monday morning during the devotional time here at Drew University  I had the opportunity to participate in a special ceremony--it was the signing of the "book."  The book was the Drew University matriculation book.

Since the beginning of Drew University in 1867 they have had every one of their students sign into a large ledger--signing onto a pledge that they will keep as students of the university.  I looked through the book and it was interesting to see the nearly 150 years of names of individuals that have attended Drew University.  Some of the penmanship of those living in the late 1800's was amazing.

It was a nice little ceremony and one that I am thankful to have had the chance to participate in.  Attending school here in New Jersey and working on this DMin degree is a real privilege.  In fact, I consider it a gift from God.  As I signed the book I silently prayed that my life and my learning would be used for the glory of God.  I am thankful to be here at Drew University.

First Week Done

Well, my first week at Drew University is done.  It was a full week, but an oh so good week.  My dorm room is fine, the campus is beautiful, the week of rain refreshing, the classes interesting and stimulating, but best of all about my week at Drew is the people.  The people that I am taking classes with are amazing.  They come from various experiences and faith journeys and I am loving getting to know them and hearing their stories.

It has rained nearly every day this week here in Madison, New Jersey and I see it as a blessing.  I have heard that it is usually hot and humid here at Drew in the summer, but I haven't experienced it yet.  Plus, I haven't been tempted to get out of my room and goof around in the nice weather--the rain has kept me inside and working on my studies.  I did get out of the room a bit on Saturday night.  I stepped away from my shelf of instant noodles and jerky and went out to dinner with a couple of the guys in my cohort.  I walked up town with Geoff (a Presbyterian minister) and Jay (a United Methodist Minister) and we went to dinner at a little place called "Poor Herbie's."  I had a delicious open faced, hot turkey and gravy sandwich and a great time of fellowship with my two new friends.  I included a picture.  (Unfortunately I was so intent on getting us all in the picture that I forgot to smile.)

I am in my dorm room alone this weekend because my roommate, Lem, flew back to his church in Kansas City to preach in the Sunday AM services.  I am really enjoying getting to know Lem.  He is a fascinating guy and a real joy to be around.  I ran across this Youtube video of Lem preaching in his church.  It has been a great week at Drew University.  I am thankful for this experience.    

Drew Schedule

The daily schedule of classes at Drew University is a full one.  I (Ryan) am up early and have coffee and instant oatmeal in my dorm room.  At 8:15 a.m. I go to morning devotions in the beautiful Craig Chapel in Seminary Hall and the first class of the day starts at 9:00 a.m.  My morning class for the next two weeks is, "Restorative Leadership in Church and Community Relationships."  It is a good class.  I spend all morning in class and take a lunch break at 12:30 p.m. I have been eating a turkey sandwich for lunch in the University cafeteria.  Good stuff.

At 1:30 p.m. I go to my second class of the day.  The class is, "Theological Methods and Practice" and it focuses upon the overall construct of the upcoming dissertation project.  The second class of the day wraps up at 5:00 p.m. and I then head back to my dorm room for a dinner of jerky, cup-o-noodles, fruit and licorice.  Good stuff...kind of. 

I then spend the evening in my dorm room reading, writing and studying.  My classes are interesting--it isn't too bad.  As a bonus I have enjoyed some great conversations with the guy that I share the dormitory suite with.  His name is Lemuel Thuston.  He is a pastor of an African/American congregation in Kansas City.  He really is an amazing person and I am enjoying getting to know him.  At the end of the day I usually go to bed around 11:30 p.m.  That's life here at Drew.  I may get crazy and go out to eat for dinner on the weekend.

Drew University

On Sunday I (Ryan) flew into Newark, New Jersey on my way to Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.  As I was driving away from the airport I could see the skyline of New York City--wow.  I will be spending three weeks at Drew University taking classes and working on a Doctor of Ministry degree in leadership.  As I traveled the thirty minute journey from the Newark Airport to Drew University I noticed that the homes in Madison were very similar to the older,  beautiful homes in the downtown area of Boise, Idaho.  There are lots of trees in Madison--it is a very beautiful place.  Here is an excerpt about Drew University:

"Drew is situated on a 186 acre wooded campus in the rolling foothills of northern New Jersey.  The University is four miles from Morristown, the military capital of the American Revolution.  Drew's hometown, Madison, has a population of 16,000 and is 30 miles west of New York City.  Between the contrasting yet equally invaluable resources of Manhattan and Morris County, New Jersey, Drew's location provides an incomparable setting in which to study, learn and live."

I am enjoying this beautiful 140 year old campus.  The staff here on campus refer to the campus as "the woods" because of the many thick trees that cover the large campus.  The campus is made up of many very old, ornate and beautiful buildings.  I have seen numerous deer as I have walked from one end of the campus to the other.

I have a private room in the Foster dormitory.  It is a nice place to live--it is very much like my old dorm room in Chapman Hall at NNC (now NNU).  I will be here for three weeks studying and learning.  I am enjoying meeting the people from my cohort.  Until now I have only known them in an "on-line" context.  This is a grand adventure--the only drawback is that I am away from my three precious girls:  Dina, Becca and Sarah.  I miss them already.  Stay tuned for more Drew updates.

Fun with Friends

Getting back to Idaho means getting to see some special people that we haven't seen for a year.  In the midst of lots of errands and to-do lists we have already had the chance to enjoy some good times with some of our friends and family since we have gotten back to the States.

One evening we had a wonderful potluck dinner with the good people in Chris Johnson's home group.  We so enjoyed sharing a meal with and visiting with that great group of folks.  They peppered us with questions about our lives in South Korea and we loved giving them the answers.  At the end of the evening they all prayed for our family--they are cherished friends.

It was fun for us to see the Gee kids.  They are growing up so fast.  They came to visit us last year in South Korea and it is fun to recollect on the times and adventures that we shared together in that country.

It was Ryan's privilege to get out into the hills of Idaho with Chris. The scenery and environment was great but it was the fellowship with a friend that made the afternoon memorable.  We are thankful to Chris and Liz for opening up their home to us this summer.

Jet Lagged in Idaho

On Wednesday we made the long trek from South Korea to Boise, Idaho.  We had a great trip.  For the last two years we have done a little "stop over" vacation before getting back to Idaho and this gave us a good chance to get over jet lag.  However, this year we didn't do a stop over.  So we are all feeling the effects of jet lag.

We were met at the airport by Aunt LaVonne, Randy, Rhonda, Lukas and baby Brock.  We ran a few errands on the way home from the airport and then went over to Rhonda's house for a good old fashioned Idaho BBQ.  It was delicious.

Becca, Sarah, Lukas and Brock had a good time playing together and then they settled down to enjoy a movie together.  As the adults were sitting in the other room visiting we suddenly noticed that the movie was over and the living room was very silent.  Upon entering the room we found that jet lag had gotten the best of them...even Lukas!  But not baby Brock.  That little cutie kept us hopping.  We are glad to be home to Idaho.

Taco Feed

Last Sunday night we had a taco feed at our house.  Actually, it was a taco feed/potluck of sorts.  Before we left town for our summer trip to the USA we wanted to have a dinner with some of our Korean friends.  So, on Sunday night Jaeyoung and his two sons, Mrs. Jung (high school secretary) and her son, daughter and nephew, Mr. Seo (school finance manager), his wife and two children and the Miller family all came to our house for dinner.  We supplied the tacos and fixings and everyone else brought a potluck dish.

It was a great time with lots of food, fun and people.  The place was packed with over twenty people and most of them were kids.  For many of the Korean kids it was the first time that they had ever eaten a taco.  They all liked the tacos, but found it challenging to wrap up the taco fixings in a tortilla and keep them in the tortilla.  Mr. Seo's two year old little girl really liked the tortilla chips.  She walked around the house all evening munching and crunching on a tortilla chip.

After dinner we pulled out the guitar and Jaeyoung sang some beautiful Korean songs.  The taco feed was a fun time.  There was lots of laughter, conversation and good food.