The Roberts in Korea

Spring Fever

Spring has sprung here in South Korea.  These days, when I look out my office window at the end of the school day, I see lots of kids milling around the grassy area, hanging out together and enjoying the warm weather.  The other day I looked out my window and I was surprised to see some kids tossing around a football (because football isn't a very common sport here in South Korea), but I was even more suprised to find that one of the "football players" had long blond hair...it was my daughter Sarah!

From my perspective it looked as if she was "schooling" the Korean boys on how to throw a football.  (They are amazing with their feet and a soccer ball, but it appeared that they weren't too adept at throwing a football.)  I was impressed and pleased.  Go Sarah!

(I nabbed these pictures from her Facebook account.)

Dorm Spiritual Retreat and the Big Story--Year 3

At the end of March, I (Ryan) got the privilege to be a part of the Dorm Spiritual Retreat at TCIS.  (Becca got to participate this year too--as a partcipant/camper--and she isn't a dorm student!)  This was my third time to engage in this wonderful event.  Here are links to the first time and the second time.

The Dorm Spiritual Retreat is a weekend where 20 dorm students journey together through activities, events, times of prayer, worship, Bible study and fun, on the way to a closer, more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.  It was my opportunity to spend some time singing songs of worship with the students and then I got to share with them a bit about the grand Story of God and about how their lives are an important part of that Story.

Sharing in the Dorm Spiritual Retreat is always a highlight for me.  Even though I didn't have time to change out of my suit I was so glad to be able to step out of my administrative role and to engage in the lives of kids.  It is and will be a treasured memory--all three times.

Crystal Gala in Seoul

Right before Spring Break the TCIS Development Office sponsored a fundraiser in Seoul called the Crystal Gala.  It was a grand night of performance, fancy dresses, great food, friends and fun.  The highlight of the evening was the musical performances--primarily by the students.  Sarah sang in the high school choir presentation that night, plus there were some wonderful instrumental numbers played by students that sounded outstanding.

The development office wanted some staff acts in the program as well.  A few of us at the school put together the first ever, TCIS staff jazz band.  It was especially fun for me (Ryan) because playing in the band was a blast from the past.  It was just like our college days, George Zickefoose was on the drums and David Miller was on the trombone.  It was fun to dust off the instruments and give it a go.

I also enjoyed the opportunity to sing in a quartet with our Headmaster, Dr. Penland.  The night was filled with reflections upon the meaningful history of the school and dreams about its hopeful future.  It was a memorable evening.

 

 

15

Sarah's fifteenth birthday was on the Monday after Spring Break.  We didn't get a chance to celebrate her in a big way over Spring Break because we were in India.  Her actual birthday fell on a Monday night--of the first day back to school.  We partied anyway.  We went out to dinner and then got a bucket of Baskin Robbins ice cream.  Sarah opened her birthday presents and we celebrated her and ate ice cream--a lot of ice cream.  Happy Birthday Sarah!

The Real Beauty

India is a unique and beautiful place.  Of course, the real beauty is realized in the people of India.  We have some amazing friends in that part of the world.  There were eighteen of us on our school service team from South Korea and it was our privilege to spend a week making friends with the over one hundred kids living at the children's home.

  Dina spent the week hugging and holding all of the little ones and she did a lot of teaching.  She is a great teacher! 

Sarah carried a myriad of little ones around on her hip all week.  She sat and talked with the the older children and enjoyed a lot of laughter and fun with Aliba.  He is a wild and crazy little guy.  

Becca hung out with lots of kids throughout the week, but one of her special friends was Simba.  This picture is of Becca and Simba in the area where he keeps his "locker."  The kids at the home don't have rooms.  They keep their things in a bucket or in a box on a shelf.  Becca and Simba were looking through some of his keepsakes, momentos and treasures...that's what friend do. 

I (Ryan) was glad to hang out with my buddies, Raja and Yung Mat.  They are precious young men who serve as Godly, male role models to the rest of the children at the home.  What a blessing it was for us to spend Spring Break with our precious and beautiful friends.

Perspective in India

Sorry for the lag in blog posts.  It is time to resume what we (the Roberts) consider to be our digital scrapbook.  (Did you know that we turn each year's worth of blog posts into a book using Blurb?)

A look through the pictures from our most recent Spring Break trip to India gives us cause to laugh, cry, reminsce and be thankful.  It affords us a bit of of much needed perspective.

The following are some photos of the children's home that we visited in India. Over 100 children live in this place.  They are cared for by 3 adults.  They have their water shipped in via a tank pulled by a tractor.  (All of the wells on the property have dried up.)  The children water the plants on the grounds by hand.  They do their own laundry, by hand.  They hang out their own laundry to dry in the hot sun.  The children wash up each day via buckets showers, in the open area between the two buildings.  The only toilets they use are out houses. 

During the days the children's home offers schooling to not only the children residing there, but also to the children that live nearby the school.  The motorcycle picture is one where a grandfather is picking up his grandchildren from school.

The conditions in India are amazingly difficult.  However, even more amazing are the elements of joy and gratitude that resonate out of the hearts and lives of the people at the children's home.  In the midst of so much scarcity is found abundance.

LASA 2011--Bangalore

Two weeks ago we went on a Love All Serve All (LASA) service trip sponsored by Taejon Christian International School.  We were a part of a team of five adults and thirteen students (Dina was the team leader) that spent a week at a children's home in Bangalore, India.

We spent a treasured week playing with kids, teaching kids, singing songs, laughing with and loving kids.  This video is a glimpse of our trip.  Earlier today we shared the video and testimonials about the trip in our high school chapel gatherings.  There are no words to describe the week.  It was a life changer.