Metaphorical Eating Utensils

젓가락. Or, as we English speakers say, chopsticks.

A brain-involving way to eat your meals. Fun for the whole family.

As an American in America, when one can use chopsticks well, one's friends and family can be slightly impressed. As an American in Korea, when one can use chopsticks well, one's friends, coworkers, students, and random citizens are EXTREMELY impressed and awed. This can then become a topic of conversation.

Yes, chopsticks are great. They make you slow down when you eat. They make you work for your food. They make you concentrate on what you are picking up and shoveling into your mouth. I am ever so thankful that my dad taught me how to use chopsticks at a young age. I can now be the cool foreigner who not only knows how to (usually) skillfully use chopsticks, but is better at it than some Koreans. This fact may or may not make me a bit too pleased with myself at times.

Yesterday, it was the foreign teachers' turn to make Sabbath lunch. Haystacks was the dish of choice. If any of you ever thought it was expensive to make haystacks in America, please come to Korea, buy haystack ingredients, and then tell me if you still think it's expensive in America. After I did all the chopping and most of the preparing (with a little help from a couple of ladies at the church), all things were ready! The church service ended, the people crowded, plates were loaded, and taste buds and stomachs were satisfied. After everyone went through line, we servers got to finally make our own haystacks, and oh the joy that filled my soul as my eyes feasted on the same thing my mouth was about to. However, the only utensils we have at the church are soup spoons and, you guessed it, chopsticks. I gave myself a challenge and gleefully accepted it. I announced to those at my table, "I'm going to eat everything on my plate, using only chopsticks." And . . . I did.

So, you might be wondering, Where in the world is she going with this? Well, this was kind of a long back story to the short thought I wanted to write about. Partially, I was very excited about eating haystacks (even though in the U.S. I continually voiced my despise of them) and partially, I just wanted to let everyone know that I ate an entire haystack (piled quite high) with just chopsticks - every last grain of rice, every last bean, every slice of black olive.

Chopsticks can teach us some life lessons, I've learned.
Chopsticks can't be used alone. If you want to get the job done right, you have to have a set of chopsticks. As people, Christians more specifically. we sometimes try to do everything alone. We don't like to ask people for help or we think we can do it best if we just do it ourselves. God gave us other people in this world so that we DON'T have to do it all alone. Working alone can bring you some results, but with the support and help of others, so much more can be accomplished.

To be used to their fullest potential, chopsticks must also be in the hand of a master. When they are not being used by someone who knows how to use them best, a simple meal can turn into a frustrating, and sometimes embarrassing, dilemma. We need to let ourselves be used by the hands of our Master. He knows the best way in which we can use our lives to their fullest potentials. If we allow ourselves to be guided by Him, every situation becomes better. Chopsticks don't choose where to go or what food to pick up - they depend on the master's decisions. They are tools. Unlike chopsticks, we do have decision making powers. However, we are His tools through which He can do amazing things, if we allow Him to. God's way is the best way. We end up accomplishing so many more things than we could have ever imagined. If we just trust His decisions, His guidance, His advice, life becomes clearer and more purpose filled.

Chopsticks are magnificent. They may have differences from country to country, but they all have the same purpose. Like chopsticks, we as Christians differ from city to city, state to state, nation to nation. However, we also have the same goals - doing God's work, fulfilling His purpose in our lives, working together to show Him to others. Chopstick Christians - it has a nice ring to it. Now bring on the bibimbap!

Project Impact . . . In Korea.

As a teacher, you often never know where, when, or how you will impact someone's life. Classes can be exhausting at times. Days can seem ever so long. Nights can seem strangely too short. You wonder if anything you are doing is getting through to your students, or if your students are even enjoying your  class.

I have often (at least every other day) felt at least two or more of the above things. Am I really doing anything meaningful with my life right now? Is there any good impact being made on any of my students at all? Have I shown Jesus to anyone since I've been here?

Foreign teachers are in charge of most of the weekend programs - Friday night vespers and conversation, Saturday morning conversation club, Saturday morning sermon translation, children's story, etc. Last week was my week to write and present a vespers talk, and afterward lead out in discussion. I finally got around to typing it on Thursday night after all my classes (working here has slightly forced me into procrastination mode many times, much to my despair).

Friday night came and I was nervous, as usual. I always have and always will hate public speaking. Slightly odd, since I'm a teacher and love my job, but presenting material in a speech/sermon like manner still always causes me anxiety for at least 2 days in advance. The presentation went off without a hitch, however. Engaging, yet short and to the point, as my coordinator later told me. We then went into group discussion time.

At the beginning of the discussion, I always like to have everyone introduce themselves to the group and tell us their class level and teacher. One of my former Level 2 students from the January/February term, Kim, had come that night. It came his turn for introduction.

"Hi. My name is Kim. I am in level three and my teacher is Tim. Ashley was my teacher for level two last term though. I came tonight because I really like her."

I was slightly shocked. We always had fun in that evening Level 2 class - laughing, joking, making fun of each other. In fact, Kim was the student who straight up called me weird, right to my face during conversation (which I laughed quite hard about, probably making me seem even more weird). I never knew that my bad jokes and sometimes funny teaching mistakes could have enough impact on someone to cause them to attend a religious evening program. After discussion, as we were all leaving, Kim asked when I was speaking next and asked me to let him know, because he would come that time, too.

How could my weakness and tiredness bring about this result? Just when I was feeling like I really haven't done much of value over here, BOOM! This experience slapped me in the face and woke me up. He may not have came for exactly the right reasons. But, he came and will again come. Those will be opportunities for him to hear God's message to him that he may not have had before. It's kind of crazy when you realize that God has actually used you in some way and you get to see the beginnings of the results. This feeling boils and bubbles deep down in the pit of your stomach and slowly defies gravity until it makes it to the top and ends in an incredulous smile on your face and excited words flowing from your mouth. It gives you strength to press on. It gives you a reason to keep going.

As a teacher, you often never know where, when, or how you will impact someone's life. Last week, I was able to see just a tiny bit of that impact though. And it made all my stress, exhaustion, and frustrations worth it.