The Roberts in Korea

New Campus Celebration

On Thursday of this week all of the students and staff at TCIS gathered to celebrate the new Techno Valley school site and to thank God for helping TCIS make the transition to the new campus.

It was a long, hard road to get to the new campus.  At one point the construction process was stopped due to funding problems.  The staff, students and parents of TCIS never gave up.  Students prayed for the school and even wrote some of their prayers on the unpainted, partially finished walls in the building. 

Now the walls are painted, the buildings are finished, and school is happening, but beneath it all the prayers are there.  God's providence and blessing are foundational to the work and ministry of TCIS.  Ted Adams put together a great slide show/video highlighting the new school site and the new school year.  Take a look:

busy with vball and friends

School and volleyball are in full swing and Sarah is keeping busy.  Her weeks are filled with school, practice, travel, games and homework...and some fun with friends too.  So far the girls' volleyball record isn't as good as they would like, but they have lost some close games.  They will be tough to beat in the tournament.

Sarah is fortunate to have many good friends at school.  She spends a lot of time with her close friend, Gentry. Winning, losing, practice, homework...whatever, is always better with good friends.

SEW and Tim

Last week at TCIS was Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW).  We shut down classes for three days and the school launched into games, activities, worship, Bible study, community groups and fun.  This was the first SEW to be held on the new TCIS campus in Techno Valley.  The weather was great and the space and facilities at the new campus enhanced the already rich experience.

The special speaker for this year's SEW was Tim Milburn.  Tim shared at an SEW event a few years ago at TCIS and he came back this year to help us kick off the new school year at our new site in just the right way.  It was a great week!

muddy

In a good year Idaho gets about 19 inches of precipitation.  This makes for nice, dry trails for mountain biking.  In a dry year South Korea gets about 40 inches of precipitation.  That makes for a lot of mud.

The other day I ventured off of the solid asphalt bike paths along the river and found myself covered in mud.  My trip home included a stop at a nearby car wash.  I used the power sprayer to clean off my bike, my arms, my legs and my shoes.  It made for a good, but muddy memory.

new gym, new year

The new school year has started.  Sarah is learning in brand new classrooms (ooh).  Dina is teaching in a brand new classroom (aah).  Ryan is sitting (yuck) in a brand new office (yay).  The TCIS volleyball team is playing in a brand new gym (wow). 

In case you didn't know, TCIS is now fully moved into and using their brand new campus in Techno Valley.  It is huge, new and nice.

The volleyball season kicked off this week.  Sarah is playing middle hitter on the varsity team.  They played their first game of the season in our brand new gymnasium and they beat Seoul Foreign School (SFS) in three straight.  It was a great win, a great beginning in a new gym and a great start for Sarah (go Dragons!).

biking and bells

This past summer I (Ryan) got into bike riding.  In Idaho I enjoyed riding the trails, seeing the countryside and getting into shape.  Upon my return to Korea I still had that itch to ride.  So I bought a bike and have been hitting the trails on a regular basis.  Here in Daejeon there are miles and miles (or I should say kilometers) of trails that run along the main river and its many tributaries throughout the city.  I have a mountain bike, but I don't really need its rugged design. The trails that I am riding here in Korea are smooth.  The only obstacles and/or challenges that I come across here are people--lots of them.  Because of the many walkers, runners and bike riders on the trails I have a bell on my bike--yes, . . .  I have a bell on my mountain bike.

I finished my ride this morning before the sun rose over Chicken Foot mountain.  Mornings are a great time to ride here in Korea.  The morning calm is soothing--interupted only occasionaly by the whoosh of the KTX bullet train flying by on its elevated track above the bike trail and the ring of my bicycle bell.