November 8, 2006

• Hello friends!  I want to introduce you the 2nd orphanage volunteer to come from the States and give a commitment to an orphanage here in Seoul.  His commitment is for 9 months; it may end up longer though.  John chose to work part time at an academy as an English teacher to help cover his living costs.  If you are interested in becoming a volunteer out here and joining our ministry, please read through some of the questions I asked John below. 

   

  Name:  John Lee

  DOB:  7/20/83

  Hometown:  Bayside, New York 11360

  University:  Cornell University

  Graduation Class:  Class of ‘05

  Degree:  BA Animal Science/Pre-Med

   

  

   

  What made you decide to come to Korea to serve at the orphanage?

  Circumstances concerning application to graduate school, allowed me a period of about 8 months to spend however I wanted from the time of application to the expected date of entry.  I did not want to continue working in molecular biology, which I did for a year after graduating from university.  I had a very cursory interest in orphanages, and thought it would be great fun to go and volunteer at an orphanage during this “free” time, to get to know the kids, and to learn as much as I could about the institution itself.  By this point in my life I knew I enjoyed working with children.  I came to Korea for no other reason than for my enjoyment.  I don’t consider myself to be on a mission trip: Christian or Humanitarian.  This was solely for my curiosity on the subject, and a desire for an exciting, culturally stretching experience. 

   

  How do you feel about your experience so far?

  I am having the best time of my life.  I experience more consistent joy on a daily basis than I have ever before.  I have never felt more satisfaction with how I spend my days, and I feel a worth in living that was hard to achieve consistently while I was in school, and wasn’t as intense while I was in the working-world.  I have come to genuinely love the children I see and work with everyday.  They have become a part of my heart, and I would die for them knowing my life would not have been wasted.

   

  Could you possibly do this for life?  Why?

  I know I will be working with kids for the rest of my life.  I am hesitant to say that I can do what I am doing now, for the rest of my life.  Only because I think it would not be enough.  If I were to continue working at an orphanage, I would want to be more involved than I am now; I want to be more than just a teacher.  I would like to be an older brother to these kids, or maybe something more.  Definitely, this kind of work satisfies the need for “Worth” in my life.  A life working at an orphanage is a worthy life.  It would not be a life wasted.  But there may be another, equally satisfying role God has planned for me to play in this life.  I want to be open to the specific work God has planned for me.  Although at the moment, I am leaning toward orphan work as part of my life’s calling. 

   

  Any advice to others from your experiences?

  I came to Korea because where I lived in the States, New York, there are no orphanages.  It is completely a foster care system.  I chose Korea because I am Korean American, and can speak some of the language.  Both these facts have been an IMMENSE advantage for me.  Unlike a true foreigner, I had no trouble adjusting to the food or the culture.  Also, I imagine it would have been much more difficult for someone who cannot speak the language at all to have come to Korea and tried to build more than a superficial relationship with these kids.  But speaking for myself, I do not hesitate to say that this was one of the best decisions of my life.  Thank God the kids have eagerly accepted me, and I have felt hardly a bump during my transition into this family.  I still have some months to go, but I am confident my joy (and my faith) will only increase and mature as I continue my work here trying to love these kids daily.  I can also say confidently that God has met my every need for me to be here at all: visa, money issues, housing, friends – all of which were up in the air when I got on the plane.  I say come at your own risk.  Not for provision, for God will give you everything you need to stay, but for what God may do in your life.  You may very well find Him changing your old life-plans, for something unexpectedly more exciting. 

   

  Pictures of John with some of his kids at his orphanage…

   

  

   

  

   

  

   

   

   

  One more pic… his sister Hannah (top right) was a study abroad student last Spring and helped me out at my orphanage earlier this year, that was how he found out about our ministry. 

   

  

   

  I did not know John at all from back in America.  We traded a few e-mails including his testimony and I prayed about it a bit, and then invited him out here.  I have visited many orphanages here in Seoul, so getting him established with one was not much trouble. 

   

  Interested in joining us?  I am always looking for and praying for more God-loving people to come join us… pray about it and let me know if you have any questions at jm@comequicklyministries.org

  • 2:44 am
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