Busy Vacation

House searching.
Tax filing.
Application submitting.
Money ordering.

It's all finally done. It's been a busy vacation. Let's start March already.

Thought of the Day: Registration Number
Song of the Day: Deli Spice-고백

Ned Flanders = Walter White

I search through hundreds of pictures whenever I make a powerpoint lesson. Sometimes, I find some pretty interesting and unexpected pictures.

Thought of the Day: 생활 규정
Song of the Day: Eric Satie-Gymnopodie No. 1

This week's persecuted church: Pakistan

On February 17th, when Saba BiBi was working in fields of Landlord, there appeared one Muslim man namely Muhammad Akram (also known as Amar) armed with Pistol and forced her to take some secret place with intention of rape and she started to weeping and crying loudly. The culprit also torn her clothes and made her naked, “told Naziran Bibi her mother".

The plight of Christian girls and women who have been forced for conversion to Islam, kidnap, abduction,rape and sexual assault in Pakistan has been on large number published and confined to run-of-the mill articles in the local and international press, sluggish cases in the courts, and common expelled charges due to bribes and personal influence, threats of further violence and family pressure on the victims to avoid at a great distance ‘remorse’.

Thought of the Day: 대동

Poor Ankles

I didn't know he made another one.


Thought of the Day: Productive
Song of the Day: Living Sisters-How Are You Doing?

This week's persecuted church: Indonesia

CCTV footage obtained by the Jakarta Globe shows details of the attack where a gang of about 50 members from the hard-line organization scaled the gates of the religious facility, caused havoc and destruction within the place of worship and physically threatened the minister — at one point using Bernhard’s necktie to strangle him.

Bernhard was arrested by officials from the Sumedang Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) two days later for continuing to hold services without a valid permit, which breaks a 2005 local government law.

The minister is currently serving a three-month sentence at the Sumedang prison as he could not pay the Rp 25 million ($2,600) fine ordered by the district court.

Corry said this is the third major act of violence the FPI has inflicted upon them in the past two years.

The grandmother explained that the latest attack on the church, which has been running for 26 years, had significantly traumatized the 400-member congregation, many of whom are now too afraid to return.

Thought of the Day:  Great Morning
Song of the Day:  Eric Satie-Gnossienne No. 2

Mr. Sick Chap Stick

There are seven essential things I always take with me whenever I go out:  glasses, watch, keys, wallet, cell phone, ear phones, and chap stick. I don't consider myself a forgetful person, but I accidentally leave the house without one of those necessities from time to time. Today was one of those days.  The chap stick.

It's not the end of the world or anything, but I feel like I'm missing a part of myself if I don't have everything with me.  I guess it has something to do with routine and security or something.  BUT! out of my seven necessities and out of all the days I could have forgotten one of them, I'm glad it happened to be the chap stick and I'm glad it happened to be today.

I've been coming in to school these days while most of the teachers have been enjoying their last few weeks of vacation. But there are always a handful of teachers coming in for random duties or supplementary classes. One of the teachers that came in today was this sick guy who coughs, snorts, and spits loudly into the garbage can, almost like he's making it a point to make sure we can all hear his nastiness. We'll call him Mr. Sick.

Anyway, most of the teachers don't really bother to talk to me, let alone make conversation with me. But Mr. Sick decided to have his loud morning coffee next to my desk and make small talk with me.  "Did you go anywhere during the winter vacation? Do you know so-and-so?  I used to be his homeroom teacher." Stuff like that. He eventually went back to his desk, and I got back to work. But after a few noisy coughs here and there, Mr. Sick returned and asked me if I happened to have any chap stick for his dry lips. Disgusted and relieved, I told him I did not. And he went back to his desk.

Nasty Mr. Sick. And that's my Valentine's Day morning for ya. Hope yours is better than mine!

Thought of the Day: Double Down
Song of the Day: Eric Satie-Gnossienne No. 1

This week's persecuted church: China

Cao Nan, a 39-year-old charity worker from the southeastern city of Shenzhen, was detained on December 15 last year after meeting with other Christians in the city's Lizhi Park to sing hymns and preach.

Mr Cao, who worships at an unofficial local 'house-church', said he had been accused of "falsely using the name of Christianity to harm social order" – charges he rejects.

"I am indeed a Christian," he told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, a day after filing a lawsuit against police. "I did not pretend to be one or use the name of Christianity [falsely]. We were just singing the gospel and preaching Christian principles. I think they just found an excuse to detain people, to warn and to threaten." Mr Cao blamed much of the persecution he claimed to suffer on "national security" agents.

"They are worried that if they allow Christianity to grow, its influence will surpass that of the Communist Party, win the public's favor and challenge the governance of the ruling party. They also have worries that it might be used by anti-China parties or countries," he said.

Thought of the Day:  Lint
Song of the Day:  Jay-Z-La La La

It's a Doozy

It snowed like five inches last night.  On the way to work this morning, I totally stepped into this huge black pool of ice water.  Six seconds after my feet jumped out of that cold nastiness, I heard a woman scream her own icy surprise.  That doozy is deceivingly deep!

Thought of the Day:  Niners!
Song of the Day:  Beyonce-Halo

What a Wonderful World

Thought of the Day:  Word
Song of the Day:  He's Got the Whole World

This week's persecuted church: Syria

Opposition fighters had “deliberately destroyed religious sites” and that the attacks had been carried out after the areas had fallen to opposition control and government forces had left. Churches were raided by armed gunmen after they seized control of the Christian villages of Jdeideh and Ghasaniyeh in Latakia.

They took control of the former on 11 December and, once the government troops had fled, broke into the village church; they stole items and fired numerous shots inside, causing structural damage. The rebels also used the minister’s quarters next to the church to fire at a neighbouring village, where government troops were present.

One resident told Human Rights Watch that opposition fighters stole medicine from a church-run clinic, looted homes and kidnapped civilians. Events in Ghasaniyeh followed a similar pattern. Rebels entered the village in late November, broke into the local church and stole petrol and diesel fuel. They looted homes and kidnapped one resident. The violence and dire humanitarian conditions in Jdeideh and Ghasaniyeh drove Christians to flee the villages in large numbers.

Thought of the Day:  Study
Song of the Day:  Yang Dong Gun-골목길

This week's persecuted church: Pakistan

The young daughter of a Pakistani evangelist remained in hiding Wednesday, January 23, after Muslim extremists allegedly threatened to kill her.

"My 10-year-old daughter Shifa Gill is not going to school," said Reverend Kamran Gill, who survived an assassination attempt while evangelizing in Pakistan's Punjab province.

"She is hidden in a secure place right now," he added.

Gill, who lived in provincial capital Lahore before fleeing to the United States this month, told BosNewsLife that the troubles began in June last year when he attempted to preach among those suffering in some of Punjab's notorious brick kilns.

Thought of the Day:  Future

7 Billion

My next speaking class topic is World Population.  Here's a cool video I found for my students:


Thought of the Day:  Taxes
Song of the Day:  6kies-확인

Super

Bowl!

Thought of the Day:  Dinner
Song of the Day:  Sandra McCracken-Rock of Ages When the Day Seems Long

This week's persecuted church: Myanmar

Catholic and Protestant leaders in Myanmar have issued a rare statement calling for an end to conflict in northern Kachin state where three civilians including an elderly deacon were killed by artillery fire on Monday.

Bishop John Hsane Hgyi, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar, and Yin Yin Maw, president of the Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC), yesterday urged an end to recent aerial bombing and artillery fire by government forces and called for international monitors to be permitted access.

The government this month admitted for the first time that it was carrying out air strikes.

The three civilian fatalities on Monday were the first for some time in Laiza, the stronghold of the rebel Kachin Independence Army on the border with China.

Following the attacks, about 200 residents fled to take shelter in two churches in Laiza.

Thought of the Day:  Bingo
Song of the Day:  DC Talk-Colored People

What do we say to the god of death?

Not today.

I thought the show was slow in the beginning, but I'm really enjoying it now.  After this, I'm gonna move on to Boardwalk Empire or Homeland.  Those should keep me busy enough until Mr. White returns.

Thought of the Day:  Game of Thrones
Song of the Day:  Angus & Julia Stone-Big Jet Plane

This week's persecuted church: Colombia

On Monday, Jan 7th 2013, as the family's pastor finished an evening devotional in the home of widow Alicia Castilla, assassins entered the home and opened fire on her with pistols, killing her instantly in front of her three children and her father.

An Open Doors worker who cannot be named for security reasons told World Watch Monitor that before leaving the home, the guerrillas told Castilla's son, 18-year-old Hernán, that the rest of the family had three days to leave the region. After that, the killers warned, they would return and one by one kill other family members.

Castilla's death follows the murder of her husband, lay evangelist Nelson Ramos, two years before, in January 2011, also at the hands of the ELN. The armed rebel group holds a virtual sway of terror over the area.

Ramos, who had come to faith in Christ two years before his death, often shared the gospel in Saravena, a border town near Colombia's frontier with Venezuela. A few months after his conversion, the ELN issued its first expulsion order against him and his family.

Thought of the Day:  Nap
Song of the Day:  Deli Spice-고백

Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak

For today's speaking class, our topic is about North Korean teenage defectors.  Instead of merely imagining and discussing opinions, I think it will be good for my students to see and hear from real defectors directly.  I think it was good for me to see and hear this for myself as well.

Thought of the Day:  Cold School
Song of the Day:  Aha-Take On Me

I Dreamed A Dream

Not for everyone and not easy to watch but very impressive.

"Anne Hathaway reportedly blew everyone away at her audition, leaving them in tears."
-IMDB Trivia

Thought of the Day:  Look Down!  Look Down!
Song of the Day:  Fantine-I Dreamed A Dream

This week's persecuted church: Colombia

For more than 40 years, Colombia has been terrorized by kidnappings and murders resulting from power struggles between drug lords, revolutionaries and paramilitary groups. But in the midst of the chaos, brave Christians in Colombia are risking their lives to spread the gospel. VOM is committed to helping them, and our readers from across the country are joining the effort.

One of VOM’s partners in Colombia is a pilot named Russell. VOM helped Russell purchase an airplane, and today that plane flies over FARC-controlled areas of Colombia dropping small packages attached to parachutes. The packages, which float down into FARC camps and villages, each contain a selection of Christian books as well as a solar-powered Galcom radio pre-tuned to a Christian station. Before the parachutes are dropped, the radio is turned on so that even if the parachute catches in a tree, someone will hear the radio and climb up to retrieve it.

Thought of the Day: HAPPY Birthday
Song of the Day: The 5, 6, 7, 8s-Woo Hoo

계란 한 판

I turned 30 in Korea a few days ago.  It seems like everyone feels more depressed than thankful on their birthdays once they become an adult.  We get so focused on losing youth or not accomplishing certain things by a certain age.  There is no longer HAPPY; it's just BIRTHDAY now (and often a secret one).  What happened to celebrating the fact that you're still alive after so many years?  Why do we limit these celebrations to 100 days or the first birthday for Korean babies?  I say be thankful every year for how long you've been alive but also for how you're being "recreated" along with the rest of the world.  Let's learn to embrace our new age this year and anticipate the eventful years ahead.

Thought of the Day: Bow

Song of the Day: Angus & Julia Stone-Big Jet Plane