This trip has been totally led by the Holy Spirit and it has been amazing seeing God do things none of us could have ever imagined doing prior to this trip. None of us were exactly sure what we would be doing here and by the grace of God we have been able to join God in brining His Kingdom through many blessing us and allowing us to be a light to others as well. On Friday day night Mike Hojnacki asked me to go to a church right outside of Suwon Village in South Korea to teach a wrestling clinic to some kids who have never wrestled before. Ben Wise, Larry Cannon, and Lukas Malmburg also went. We arrived early Saturday morning and it was a beautiful church. Ben and Lukas split into a group to teach middle school and high school students while Larry and I taught the elementary students. Both groups taught basic skills for wrestling and played games with the students. As Larry Cannon said "the most important rule is to have fun" and that was something not only they had but we did as well. It was a joy for me to see our gifts used for good. I loved seeing how good Larry is with younger kids while Lukas and Ben were able to serve older youth with their gifts and do great. While teaching the kids wrestling was great and fun what we really loved most was each of us being able to share a message of hope in Christ through what God has done in each of our lives. Only God can produce a fruit from the seeds He put in us and to Him be the glory, forever, amen.
After the wrestling clinic we were able to spend time with the youth group and eat lunch with them. It was great being able to build a relationship with them and learn more about each other and our differing cultures. They told us more about South Korea's relationship with North Korea and allowed us to see how we can be praying for them and their country. Peace is something we pray for and that from, through, and for Christ one day they can be one nation again with North Korea. After lunch we then went and got a famous dessert dish in South Korea called "milk snow ice," it was amazing. Two of the youth knew english and allowed us to talk to all the youth. The youth in this church are on fire for the LORD and it was very encouraging seeing their faith. God is at work here in South Korea and its a blessing to see brothers and sisters in Christ half way across the world. God used each of us to encourage them as they did the same for us. The love, faith, and joy here is contagious and we are so grateful to have met these youth and their youth leaders. After desert we then went to an ancient castle which was a King's second home called "Kyung Pokgoong," about a thousand years ago. This castle was something straight out of "Mulan," and it was really fascinating. This time at the Castle allowed us to get to know the youth more and build a lasting relationship with them. To top off the day we went archery shooting and as a hunter I loved every second.
We came back Saturday night to the church to have a wonderful meal and continue to get to to know the youth and their families more. It was such a joy to meet their families and let them know how much their kids are a blessing and light to others. That night we were randomly chosen to go to different host families. Ben and Lukas each went to a different host family while Larry and I went to the same host family together. Each of us had amazing hospitality. This allowed us to get an experience living in a home of a South Korean which was much different than being in a hotel. The family Larry and I stayed with truly have an incredible amount of faith. They told us how they started their own school in the church called an alternative school so they could be centered on God in all they do. For the first year of the school they simply studied the Bible. They seek to be centered on God and wanted to put Him first as their foundation before they considered studying academics. This made our jaws drop in awe of their faith. They love God and His Word and inspired us to love His Word more as well. Praise God, amen!
Sunday morning we worshiped in the Church and even got to share the wrestling team's worship song. None of us are great singers but we led the church in singing a song we sing after competitions to give glory to God whether we win or lose. Larry explained how though our goal is to win our purpose is to glorify God. Thus, whether we win or lose nothing can take away our purpose to glorify God. Lukas Malmburg was then able to share how God has used wrestling in his life to transform him more like Christ. Upon the service we had lunch with board members and the Senior Pastor. This time of fellowship allowed us to pray together and encourage each other in each of our callings. All in all we learned that God is at work here and going on missions trips or as we like to call them global church visits does not always mean going to the un-evangelized. Rather we can encourage fellow sisters and brothers in Christ and grow in our faith together so we can be the salt and light to the world. Thanks be to God who works all things for our good and His glory, amen.
Blessings,
Jared Furry (Class of 2016)
Monday, May 30, 2016
Thursday May 26, 2016
On Thursday, after a tough three days of wrestling, we got our first full day of break from training to visit two places that hold great cultural significance in Korea. This was also the first time that the whole team had been reunited in those three days, since groups of wrestlers have been travelling all over Seoul and staying in different locations. We first stopped at Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery, and then one of the most popular tourist destinations in Korea: the DMZ.
We took an hour bus ride from the hotel in order to get to Yanghwajin. It is located on the north side of the Han River, just outside of the city. Inside the welcome center, the director of the cemetery greeted us and we watched a video about the first missionaries in Korea and the establishment of the cemetery.
As we were guided around the cemetery, everything became a bit more solemn as we remembered the lives of the missionaries that first spread Christianity to Korea. Many of them sacrificed everything in order to teach in schools, run hospitals, and spread the love of God to a country that had never heard of Christianity before. There was also a small museum dedicated to these individuals, and it contained some of their journals, Bibles, and medical equipment that they used over 100 years ago. It was moving to think that these people indirectly gave us the opportunity to visit this great country as missionaries and help spread God's kingdom.
After we toured Yanghwajin, we got in the busses and went north toward the North Korea / South Korea border. We got to see the memorial which commemorates the United States involvement in the Korean War, the train tracks that runs through North Korea to connect South Korea to the rest of Asia, and the observation post from which one can safely view across the DMZ to North Korea. Unfortunately though, it was so overcast that we were not able to see across to North Korea.
The highlight for many of us at the DMZ was the tour of an underground tunnel that North Korea had created after the Korean War in an attempt to dig their way to Seoul for another attack on the country. A total of four of these tunnels have been discovered, but they were not very successful (none of them extended more than a few hundred meters from the DMZ.) The tunnel we toured was approximately 75 meters underground, and we were required to wear hardhats so that we did not hit our heads on the exposed rocks. We were forced to uncomfortably squat as we walked along the damp path, and it was bizarre to imagine that the North Koreans thought that these tunnels would be successful. Also, we got to see Coach Brunk get stressed out about being in such a tight space and refuse to continue on through the narrowest part of the tunnel. We definitely all got a laugh out of that.
For dinner, we had one of the most interesting entrees of the trip: pig's feet. Many had mixed feelings about this meal, but others claimed it was the best dinner we've had yet. Most of us were just excited that this restaurant gave us Pepsi with our meal, because we have only been served water at every other place we've been to. Once we got back to our rooms, we had a bit more free time than normal and so many went out and continued their explorations of Seoul. Others made a more responsible decision and went to bed in preparation for our early morning workout the next day.
Matt Darok (Class of 2019)
On Thursday, after a tough three days of wrestling, we got our first full day of break from training to visit two places that hold great cultural significance in Korea. This was also the first time that the whole team had been reunited in those three days, since groups of wrestlers have been travelling all over Seoul and staying in different locations. We first stopped at Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery, and then one of the most popular tourist destinations in Korea: the DMZ.
We took an hour bus ride from the hotel in order to get to Yanghwajin. It is located on the north side of the Han River, just outside of the city. Inside the welcome center, the director of the cemetery greeted us and we watched a video about the first missionaries in Korea and the establishment of the cemetery.
As we were guided around the cemetery, everything became a bit more solemn as we remembered the lives of the missionaries that first spread Christianity to Korea. Many of them sacrificed everything in order to teach in schools, run hospitals, and spread the love of God to a country that had never heard of Christianity before. There was also a small museum dedicated to these individuals, and it contained some of their journals, Bibles, and medical equipment that they used over 100 years ago. It was moving to think that these people indirectly gave us the opportunity to visit this great country as missionaries and help spread God's kingdom.
After we toured Yanghwajin, we got in the busses and went north toward the North Korea / South Korea border. We got to see the memorial which commemorates the United States involvement in the Korean War, the train tracks that runs through North Korea to connect South Korea to the rest of Asia, and the observation post from which one can safely view across the DMZ to North Korea. Unfortunately though, it was so overcast that we were not able to see across to North Korea.
The highlight for many of us at the DMZ was the tour of an underground tunnel that North Korea had created after the Korean War in an attempt to dig their way to Seoul for another attack on the country. A total of four of these tunnels have been discovered, but they were not very successful (none of them extended more than a few hundred meters from the DMZ.) The tunnel we toured was approximately 75 meters underground, and we were required to wear hardhats so that we did not hit our heads on the exposed rocks. We were forced to uncomfortably squat as we walked along the damp path, and it was bizarre to imagine that the North Koreans thought that these tunnels would be successful. Also, we got to see Coach Brunk get stressed out about being in such a tight space and refuse to continue on through the narrowest part of the tunnel. We definitely all got a laugh out of that.
For dinner, we had one of the most interesting entrees of the trip: pig's feet. Many had mixed feelings about this meal, but others claimed it was the best dinner we've had yet. Most of us were just excited that this restaurant gave us Pepsi with our meal, because we have only been served water at every other place we've been to. Once we got back to our rooms, we had a bit more free time than normal and so many went out and continued their explorations of Seoul. Others made a more responsible decision and went to bed in preparation for our early morning workout the next day.
Matt Darok (Class of 2019)
Friday, May 27, 2016
Thursday May 26, 2016
On Thursday, after a tough three days of wrestling, we got our first full day of break from training to visit two places that hold great cultural significance in Korea. This was also the first time that the whole team had been reunited in those three days, since groups of wrestlers have been travelling all over Seoul and staying in different locations. We first stopped at Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery, and then one of the most popular tourist destinations in Korea: the DMZ.
We took an hour bus ride from the hotel in order to get to Yanghwajin. It is located on the north side of the Han River, just outside of the city. Inside the welcome center, the director of the cemetery greeted us and we watched a video about the first missionaries in Korea and the establishment of the cemetery. After the video, Jin Kang, the director of FCA for all of East Asia, shared his testimony with the group and expressed his appreciation for all that Messiah Wrestling has done for FCA in and around Seoul.
As we were guided around the cemetery, everything became a bit more solemn as we remembered the lives of the missionaries that first spread Christianity to Korea. Many of them sacrificed everything in order to teach in schools, run hospitals, and spread the love of God to a country that had never heard of Christianity before. There was also a small museum dedicated to these individuals, and it contained some of their journals, Bibles, and medical equipment that they used over 100 years ago. It was moving to think that these people indirectly gave us the opportunity to visit this great country as missionaries and help spread God's kingdom.
After we toured Yanghwajin, we got in the busses and went north toward the North Korea / South Korea border. We got to see the memorial which commemorates the United States involvement in the Korean War, the train tracks that runs through North Korea to connect South Korea to the rest of Asia, and the observation post from which one can safely view across the DMZ to North Korea. Unfortunately though, it was so overcast that we were not able to see across to North Korea.
The highlight for many of us at the DMZ was the tour of an underground tunnel that North Korea had created after the Korean War in an attempt to dig their way to Seoul for another attack on the country. A total of four of these tunnels have been discovered, but they were not very successful (none of them extended more than a few hundred meters from the DMZ.) The tunnel we toured was approximately 75 meters underground, and we were required to wear hardhats so that we did not hit our heads on the exposed rocks. We were forced to uncomfortably squat as we walked along the damp path, and it was bizarre to imagine that the North Koreans thought that these tunnels would be successful. Also, we got to see Coach Brunk get stressed out about being in such a tight space and refuse to continue on through the narrowest part of the tunnel. We definitely all got a laugh out of that.
For dinner, we had one of the most interesting entrees of the trip: pig's feet. Many had mixed feelings about this meal, but others claimed it was the best dinner we've had yet. Most of us were just excited that this restaurant gave us Pepsi with our meal, because we have only been served water at every other place we've been to. Once we got back to our rooms, we had a bit more free time than normal and so many went out and continued their explorations of Seoul. Others made a more responsible decision and went to bed in preparation for our early morning workout the next day.
On Thursday, after a tough three days of wrestling, we got our first full day of break from training to visit two places that hold great cultural significance in Korea. This was also the first time that the whole team had been reunited in those three days, since groups of wrestlers have been travelling all over Seoul and staying in different locations. We first stopped at Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery, and then one of the most popular tourist destinations in Korea: the DMZ.
We took an hour bus ride from the hotel in order to get to Yanghwajin. It is located on the north side of the Han River, just outside of the city. Inside the welcome center, the director of the cemetery greeted us and we watched a video about the first missionaries in Korea and the establishment of the cemetery. After the video, Jin Kang, the director of FCA for all of East Asia, shared his testimony with the group and expressed his appreciation for all that Messiah Wrestling has done for FCA in and around Seoul.
As we were guided around the cemetery, everything became a bit more solemn as we remembered the lives of the missionaries that first spread Christianity to Korea. Many of them sacrificed everything in order to teach in schools, run hospitals, and spread the love of God to a country that had never heard of Christianity before. There was also a small museum dedicated to these individuals, and it contained some of their journals, Bibles, and medical equipment that they used over 100 years ago. It was moving to think that these people indirectly gave us the opportunity to visit this great country as missionaries and help spread God's kingdom.
After we toured Yanghwajin, we got in the busses and went north toward the North Korea / South Korea border. We got to see the memorial which commemorates the United States involvement in the Korean War, the train tracks that runs through North Korea to connect South Korea to the rest of Asia, and the observation post from which one can safely view across the DMZ to North Korea. Unfortunately though, it was so overcast that we were not able to see across to North Korea.
The highlight for many of us at the DMZ was the tour of an underground tunnel that North Korea had created after the Korean War in an attempt to dig their way to Seoul for another attack on the country. A total of four of these tunnels have been discovered, but they were not very successful (none of them extended more than a few hundred meters from the DMZ.) The tunnel we toured was approximately 75 meters underground, and we were required to wear hardhats so that we did not hit our heads on the exposed rocks. We were forced to uncomfortably squat as we walked along the damp path, and it was bizarre to imagine that the North Koreans thought that these tunnels would be successful. Also, we got to see Coach Brunk get stressed out about being in such a tight space and refuse to continue on through the narrowest part of the tunnel. We definitely all got a laugh out of that.
For dinner, we had one of the most interesting entrees of the trip: pig's feet. Many had mixed feelings about this meal, but others claimed it was the best dinner we've had yet. Most of us were just excited that this restaurant gave us Pepsi with our meal, because we have only been served water at every other place we've been to. Once we got back to our rooms, we had a bit more free time than normal and so many went out and continued their explorations of Seoul. Others made a more responsible decision and went to bed in preparation for our early morning workout the next day.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Wednesday May 25, 2016
During the morning debrief, we got to hear from Jeremy Bailes, Karrington Washington, and Matt Darok. We got to hear from them how doors are opening among all the groups we are sending out. We are telling others about FCA, sharing testimonies, and showing others how we love each other as teammates.
After some morning downtime, my group got to go to the National Training center where we were able to wrestle with the best wrestlers in the country of South Korea. Some of which have lived at the training center as long as 18 years. This was an opportunity that many people will never get to do and I will never forget and am so thankful for. The wrestling on this trip has been humbling and amazing, as I have been taken down, taken others down, and been thrown through the air.
After practice, we were able to eat at the National Training Center with some of the athletes we wrestled with. Eating (more) duck soup, raw beef, octopus and a few other different foods, I think it was the best meal I have eaten so far. When we were done with dinner, we were welcomed to join the church service at training center. The worship was really fun, involving us in dancing and simple lyrics so that we were able to keep up. We were doing conga trains throughout the room and using simple hand motions. They made the joke our job was to clap during the korean songs. The pastor then spoke on 2 Kings 5: 1-4. She challenged everyone to preach the gospel everywhere that we go and through any way that we can at all times. She challenged us to continue to pursue what the Holy Spirit is asking of us and told us that she looks forward to us finding our callings, and for us to remember that God is always with us wherever we go.
To end the service, we were praying Korean style. This was one of the most passionate God moments I think I've ever experienced. The crazy part was is that I could not understand what they were saying. When they pray "Korean Style" everyone prays at the same time, they play music and are what I could only describe yelling out to God. There was praying in Korean, English and what seemed to be praying in tongues (I do not know enough about it to say either way but it was like nothing I have ever heard).
At the end of the service, Coach Brunk was able to give a testimony and talk about our goal as Christian Athletes. He talked to the service with a translator about how our goal is to win, but our purpose is to be prepared to be the aroma of Christ whether we win, come dangerously close, or fail entirely. After we were welcomed to the front of the service to sing our team competition song, I Will Glorify the Lord, and lead the service in the song as well. With the translator Coach Brunk explained we sing it after all competitions whether we win or lose. We then were able to pray for the athletes in the service and went back to our hotel for the night.
This whole trip so far has been an outstanding experience and has been just as beneficial to myself and our team as anyone we have contacted here which is more than I ever could have expected. I am so excited for the remainder of this trip and what is in store for us when we return.
Nick Havener (Class of 2017)
During the morning debrief, we got to hear from Jeremy Bailes, Karrington Washington, and Matt Darok. We got to hear from them how doors are opening among all the groups we are sending out. We are telling others about FCA, sharing testimonies, and showing others how we love each other as teammates.
After some morning downtime, my group got to go to the National Training center where we were able to wrestle with the best wrestlers in the country of South Korea. Some of which have lived at the training center as long as 18 years. This was an opportunity that many people will never get to do and I will never forget and am so thankful for. The wrestling on this trip has been humbling and amazing, as I have been taken down, taken others down, and been thrown through the air.
After practice, we were able to eat at the National Training Center with some of the athletes we wrestled with. Eating (more) duck soup, raw beef, octopus and a few other different foods, I think it was the best meal I have eaten so far. When we were done with dinner, we were welcomed to join the church service at training center. The worship was really fun, involving us in dancing and simple lyrics so that we were able to keep up. We were doing conga trains throughout the room and using simple hand motions. They made the joke our job was to clap during the korean songs. The pastor then spoke on 2 Kings 5: 1-4. She challenged everyone to preach the gospel everywhere that we go and through any way that we can at all times. She challenged us to continue to pursue what the Holy Spirit is asking of us and told us that she looks forward to us finding our callings, and for us to remember that God is always with us wherever we go.
To end the service, we were praying Korean style. This was one of the most passionate God moments I think I've ever experienced. The crazy part was is that I could not understand what they were saying. When they pray "Korean Style" everyone prays at the same time, they play music and are what I could only describe yelling out to God. There was praying in Korean, English and what seemed to be praying in tongues (I do not know enough about it to say either way but it was like nothing I have ever heard).
At the end of the service, Coach Brunk was able to give a testimony and talk about our goal as Christian Athletes. He talked to the service with a translator about how our goal is to win, but our purpose is to be prepared to be the aroma of Christ whether we win, come dangerously close, or fail entirely. After we were welcomed to the front of the service to sing our team competition song, I Will Glorify the Lord, and lead the service in the song as well. With the translator Coach Brunk explained we sing it after all competitions whether we win or lose. We then were able to pray for the athletes in the service and went back to our hotel for the night.
This whole trip so far has been an outstanding experience and has been just as beneficial to myself and our team as anyone we have contacted here which is more than I ever could have expected. I am so excited for the remainder of this trip and what is in store for us when we return.
Nick Havener (Class of 2017)
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Tuesday May 24, 2016
So Today Jeremy, Andres, our translator Melinda and I went to the Korean International School to practice. Many of the students there were actually from the States so everyone spoke English. The coach is actually from Minnesota so he actually taught the students American Folkstyle instead of international Freestyle or Greco-Roman. The students were all in middle school so we actually taught them some things about Folkstyle. The practice was very short so we only drilled for about 25 minutes. At the end, I had an opportunity to share my own testimony and Andres and Jeremy shared other experiences and knowledge about wrestling.
When we got back, Jeremy, Andres, and I were able to walk around the local area and checked out some shops and the local fresh market.
When we got back from our excursion, we left for Songlim high school to talk with the volleyball team. We got through traffic much quicker than Melinda thought we would so we talked to the Head Volleyball coach, Coach Kim. Later we found out that he used to be the Olympic coach. He is a Christian who has been a part of FCA for two years. We found out that of his 12 athletes, none were Christians. Immediately, we knew that we had a great opportunity coming up. We finally walked out and and met the team which was sitting on benches. We each shared our testimonies and they eventually had a lot of questions about how we deal with pressure, how to be a leader, how our team operates, and many other things. We all did a great job answering their questions in ways that we hope will make them think about having a relationship with God. I was really surprised about how much pressure these high schoolers feel. They mentioned many times their goals of being in the olympics. We kept reiterating how we find our identity in Christ and how we do not find our value in wins and losses. The conversation took a long time since none of them spoke English and every word had to go through a translator. All in all, we felt blessed to be able to talk to all these athletes today. This day is an example of why we are here. We may never know if what we said will make a difference in their lives, all we can do is plant a seed. It is up to the FCA teams here to water the seed. And it is up to God to grow the seed.
Tag Wilbur (Class of 2017)
So Today Jeremy, Andres, our translator Melinda and I went to the Korean International School to practice. Many of the students there were actually from the States so everyone spoke English. The coach is actually from Minnesota so he actually taught the students American Folkstyle instead of international Freestyle or Greco-Roman. The students were all in middle school so we actually taught them some things about Folkstyle. The practice was very short so we only drilled for about 25 minutes. At the end, I had an opportunity to share my own testimony and Andres and Jeremy shared other experiences and knowledge about wrestling.
When we got back, Jeremy, Andres, and I were able to walk around the local area and checked out some shops and the local fresh market.
When we got back from our excursion, we left for Songlim high school to talk with the volleyball team. We got through traffic much quicker than Melinda thought we would so we talked to the Head Volleyball coach, Coach Kim. Later we found out that he used to be the Olympic coach. He is a Christian who has been a part of FCA for two years. We found out that of his 12 athletes, none were Christians. Immediately, we knew that we had a great opportunity coming up. We finally walked out and and met the team which was sitting on benches. We each shared our testimonies and they eventually had a lot of questions about how we deal with pressure, how to be a leader, how our team operates, and many other things. We all did a great job answering their questions in ways that we hope will make them think about having a relationship with God. I was really surprised about how much pressure these high schoolers feel. They mentioned many times their goals of being in the olympics. We kept reiterating how we find our identity in Christ and how we do not find our value in wins and losses. The conversation took a long time since none of them spoke English and every word had to go through a translator. All in all, we felt blessed to be able to talk to all these athletes today. This day is an example of why we are here. We may never know if what we said will make a difference in their lives, all we can do is plant a seed. It is up to the FCA teams here to water the seed. And it is up to God to grow the seed.
Tag Wilbur (Class of 2017)
Monday May 23:
We woke up and had breakfast at the Bali Hotel, shortly after that we began our walk to a meeting with Josh, head of the FCA in South Korea. In the meeting he explained exactly what we would be doing, who would be going to each of the various locations, and what our jobs as followers of Christ are. After the meeting we had lunch at a little family owned Korean restaurant, that owner of the place was an Olympic champion in shooting. She was kind enough to allow the team to take pictures with her. The food we were served was a soup with various meats mixed in and was originally made for the United States Army soldiers who were stationed here.
After lunch we had a little time to go back to the hotel and get ready to go wrestle. Our first wrestling practice we went to the Korean National Sports University, which takes the top three athletes from each sport and allow them to attend the university tuition free. The athletes at the University were extremely friendly and spoke broken english however it made wrestling much easier and allowed us to bond with our fellow athletes. Practice was structured similar they cheer each other on the entire time and challenge each other just like our wrestling team does. I believe the coming days will allow us to take the sport of wrestling and further God's plan through athletics and hopefully help lead these young men to Christ.
Jared Wehrmann (Class of 2019)
South Korea is an interesting place. Every time we walk out of the hotel we learn something new. Our experience here has been pretty awesome and even though we only have wrestled with the wrestlers at the university once we have already developed a bond with them. It is amazing to see how the sport of wrestling can establish an unspoken connection between individual athletes. Starting these relationships and meeting these people through wrestling has been opening up doors. Some of them we can see and some we can not but we know love is growing in this area and God is working in people's hearts. As long as we continue to reflect Jesus in all that we do we know amazing things will happen.
Vctor DeFrance (Class of 2019)
We woke up and had breakfast at the Bali Hotel, shortly after that we began our walk to a meeting with Josh, head of the FCA in South Korea. In the meeting he explained exactly what we would be doing, who would be going to each of the various locations, and what our jobs as followers of Christ are. After the meeting we had lunch at a little family owned Korean restaurant, that owner of the place was an Olympic champion in shooting. She was kind enough to allow the team to take pictures with her. The food we were served was a soup with various meats mixed in and was originally made for the United States Army soldiers who were stationed here.
After lunch we had a little time to go back to the hotel and get ready to go wrestle. Our first wrestling practice we went to the Korean National Sports University, which takes the top three athletes from each sport and allow them to attend the university tuition free. The athletes at the University were extremely friendly and spoke broken english however it made wrestling much easier and allowed us to bond with our fellow athletes. Practice was structured similar they cheer each other on the entire time and challenge each other just like our wrestling team does. I believe the coming days will allow us to take the sport of wrestling and further God's plan through athletics and hopefully help lead these young men to Christ.
Jared Wehrmann (Class of 2019)
South Korea is an interesting place. Every time we walk out of the hotel we learn something new. Our experience here has been pretty awesome and even though we only have wrestled with the wrestlers at the university once we have already developed a bond with them. It is amazing to see how the sport of wrestling can establish an unspoken connection between individual athletes. Starting these relationships and meeting these people through wrestling has been opening up doors. Some of them we can see and some we can not but we know love is growing in this area and God is working in people's hearts. As long as we continue to reflect Jesus in all that we do we know amazing things will happen.
Vctor DeFrance (Class of 2019)
Monday, May 23, 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Our day began with breakfast at the Bali Hotel in Seoul. We were served by former national freestyle wrestling coach, Coach Kim. After finishing up breakfast, we took the subway to church. After 2 trains we met with our contact, Joshua.
Joshua took the team to New Family at the Global Mission Church Vision Center. We traveled to the 8th floor to meet the congregation in the main chapel. The music was beautiful and the worship team was massive !!! We heard some familiar songs and some new songs. The pastor gave his sermon on loving our neighbors and use the words of Jesus Christ from Matthew 25: 34-40.
After the first service we had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. Then we went back for the All-nations service, which was held in English. The sermon was given by Peter Chung from Compassion International. He spoke about the Great Commission.
The last activity of the day was a tour of Seoul Olympic Park given by some of the wrestlers from Seoul Sports High School. We saw the art of the Olympic Park and visited the Alone Tree. The tree is famous for its appearances in music videos, films, and tv dramas. We also visited the Baekje Museum and learn about one of the many dynasties from Korean history. We ended our tour with beef soup for dinner.
While here the team has had many opportunities to show off our abilities to say hello and thank you in the Korean language. The language is very difficult, but Professor Sang and Gloria have helped us with proper pronunciation. Trying different and new foods has its challenges but still remains a memorable experience. All in all, the start to our trip has been a good one.
Andres Gutierrez (Class of 2016)
Our day began with breakfast at the Bali Hotel in Seoul. We were served by former national freestyle wrestling coach, Coach Kim. After finishing up breakfast, we took the subway to church. After 2 trains we met with our contact, Joshua.
Joshua took the team to New Family at the Global Mission Church Vision Center. We traveled to the 8th floor to meet the congregation in the main chapel. The music was beautiful and the worship team was massive !!! We heard some familiar songs and some new songs. The pastor gave his sermon on loving our neighbors and use the words of Jesus Christ from Matthew 25: 34-40.
After the first service we had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. Then we went back for the All-nations service, which was held in English. The sermon was given by Peter Chung from Compassion International. He spoke about the Great Commission.
The last activity of the day was a tour of Seoul Olympic Park given by some of the wrestlers from Seoul Sports High School. We saw the art of the Olympic Park and visited the Alone Tree. The tree is famous for its appearances in music videos, films, and tv dramas. We also visited the Baekje Museum and learn about one of the many dynasties from Korean history. We ended our tour with beef soup for dinner.
While here the team has had many opportunities to show off our abilities to say hello and thank you in the Korean language. The language is very difficult, but Professor Sang and Gloria have helped us with proper pronunciation. Trying different and new foods has its challenges but still remains a memorable experience. All in all, the start to our trip has been a good one.
Andres Gutierrez (Class of 2016)
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