Be careful what you pray for

You just might get it. I got it this morning.

So my sister sent me the book Irresistible Revolution for Christmas, and I have finally started reading it. This guy is nuts! He is so trusting of people and of God that he steps out and makes some serious impact in the world. His trust really touched me, and the best word I could think of to describe it was brave. He is brave in his faith. I am not. I am a world-class weenie when it comes to my faith, so I prayed God to help me be brave in my faith, so I could step out and make a difference...and now I'm a small group leader.

Yes, weenie little me. So this started a few weeks ago, when a friend of mine asked me to help her with her small group. She said it would be good to have a buddy for those mornings she couldn't be there, etc. And I thought, well, that's a little step forward in my Christian life! I can help with a small group! So I said yes, envisioning some small, behind-the-scenes role, and I figured I'd hear about it again once we actually started the groups. Then this morning in church, they announced the creation of the small groups and called each leader and asked them to stand so people would know who they were. To my surprise, the pastor called my name. What? So I waved and smiled, and I started thinking about how I was going to get myself out of this mess.

They called a leader meeting after church to talk to us about our responsibilities as leaders, and to give us some ideas on how to lead groups, and I started to get a little nervous, but as the pastor kept talking, I started to realize that this is something I can do. If I'm a little brave in my faith, I think I can care for a small group of Christians. That's most of what they want us to do...just show people some love on a regular basis and pray for/with them. I'm a co-leader with my friend who originally asked me, so I won't be going it alone. But I'm suddenly a leader where I've always been a sheep. I'm slightly freaked out, but I asked for it, and God gave it to me.

Climbing the walls

Climbing is a sport I have participated in on-and-off over the years. When I worked for the rec center, I would go on their trips. When I had friends who enjoyed climbing, I would go to gyms with them. Needless to say, I never amounted to much as a climber, but I always had fun when I went. So when a friend of mine here invited me to go to a climbing gym with him, I figured, "why not?"
It is a Korean climbing gym, so it's denizens speak little English, but I think that is part of the fun. The ceilings are only about 10-12 feet high, so we don't use ropes or harnesses. The climbing course covers every wall and the ceiling, and it provides some inclines and plenty of challenges with the grips. The floor is covered with mats to fall on, and after lots of testing, I can say they are sufficient cushion for a fall. :)
The folks there are awesome. The two guys who run the gym try valiantly to teach me, and I think I'm getting better. Everyone else tries teaching me too, so I know I must be pretty bad to still need so much help. It's hilarious though because of their limited English and my more than limited Korean. Most often I get told to, "Sit down!" which means bend my knees more, and "relax!" which means I'm using way too much muscle and not enough balance.

My favorite part is the language lessons though. I'm not really learning many words, but I'm getting really adept at reading voice intonation and body language. The bottom line is that some social interactions look the same in any language...especially teasing and match making. It's like being part of a big family there because they are all constantly ribbing each other and challenging each other to try tougher courses. The ladies there offer to set me up with a variety of the men that come, and the men that own the gym are constantly teasing me about how weak I am and how much I stick my butt out when I'm climbing. I smile and laugh because I get the gist, and they always ask me if I understand. Not the words, but definitely the intentions. I feel like family there because in addition to the teasing, I get lots of pats and encouragement, and a warm spot by the heater when I first come in. The folks there also bring in food to share sometimes, and we even sat and had a picnic on the mats once! Who would have thought I would find so much culture and companionship in a gym?

A day in the life

So I most often write about the random interesting things here, but many of you email me inquiring if I actually work, and what I'm doing when I'm not globe trotting or singing karaoke. So I figured I'd start writing a bit about the more mundane aspects of my life as well. Not all the time, but at least once a year or so. Don't worry, I won't bore you with daily updates on the length of my nose hair.

Right now I am looking at the bleak aspect of working for two-and-a-half whole months before I get to travel again, so I decided to take an online college course and start knitting a hat. Online courses are weird. I'm used to having some direction, and frankly some level of creativity: projects, essays, etc. Despite the fact that the course is ridiculously easy, I think I'm failing it because all the grades are based on multiple choice tests, which I always over-think and do poorly on. Oh well, at least this is a relatively cheap endeavor. The hat is hilarious. I didn't figure out the whole knit/perl thing until I had about two inches finished, so I have a crazy spider web looking edge that suddenly ends in neat ribbed rows that continue the rest of the way up. The lady who is helping me said I could tear it out and start over, but then it would look like a plain old hat. No one will mistake this one for being store-bought! When it's finished, I'll post a picture.

I've also decided to round out my exercise. I walk everywhere, so I'm not worried about cardio. Instead I've been looking for fun ways to work on my strength and balance. I've been doing yoga twice a week for about a year now, and I love that. I've also recently started a tai chi class that meets in the mornings. It feels very um, natural I guess. Fluid. It's a great way to get the day started. I always leave there with a smile on my face. I've also started frequenting a rock-climbing gym. This is a story in itself, so I'll save it for another blog.

And finally, just so you know, I've put in applications world-wide to see if maybe I can transfer within my system to another school! It's sort of like playing the lottery, and I don't think the odds are much better, so I'll keep you posted on that one. :)