Romans 13:1-3

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.

I know that Paul was in prison when he wrote the book of Romans, but it was not for calling for the death of Caesar.  The government at the time of the Apostle was wicked, corrupt, and totally anti-Christian.  Yet God calls for us to be subject to the governing authorities.

You can read about the prayer, as well as other “issues” (issues nothing, this man has an entire subscription) that this pastor has had here:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/godingovernment/2009/06/former_sbc_official_prays_for_obamas_death.html

If you want to actually hear him defend his position, you can listen here:

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/pastor-drake-prays-obamas-death-im-not

I know, I know, I need to get out more.

My son Josiah left today for San Diego where he will be for a month of training, after which, until Christmas, he will be part of a team that travels the New England area raising awareness of the problems generated by children being used as soldiers in Uganda.  The organization for which he works is called “Invisible Children.” When seeing him off today, it was really, really tough.  I came back into the house after seeing him leave and burst into tears, weeping like a little girl.  My little beagle Mo tried to dry my tears by licking them off and I was reminded of two things: A dog saved my life; the history of the world was changed by cheap thread; and we must depend upon the providence of God for the protection of those whom we love (I often make unusual links between ideas, it’s due in part, to the fact that I have many, many characters living rent free inside my mind.  Many of these characters make themselves know when I do ventriloquism).

The story of the history of the world beingchanged drastically by the use of cheap Egyptian thread is an old one.  Remember that Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers.  Becoming a slave of the very powerful leader “Potiphar” where he was made the second in command over much of the empire.  Joseph was a very handsome man according to the apocryphal book “Joseph and Asneth” which answers the question of why Joseph, a fine Jewish boy would marry an Egyptian girl (Even the ancients had trouble with teaching their children whom they should and should not marry.  I can imagine Jewish mothers telling their sons not to marry a non-Jewish girl and hearing the answer “But Joseph did it!” The book Joseph and Asneth answers the problem by telling of Asneth’s conversion to the Hebrew God.)

Joseph’s looks get him into trouble when Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him while the master of the house is away.  Joseph will have none of that and eventually flees from the “shameless hussy” (as my father would have said) who holds on to Joseph’s cloak (a garment that was the main article of clothing).  Because of the cheap Egyptian thread, the cloak tears and is left with Potiphar’s wife who uses it to claim attempted rape.  Joseph is thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit.  Through a series of incredible events orchestrated by God in which getting thrown into prison was critically important (Read Genesis 30-50 for the entire story), Joseph eventually becomes second in command in the entire land of Egypt.  Through this, Joseph saves his brothers and family from starving, thus saving the entire race of Israel, and by default, the people of God.  That is correct; the existence of the people of God, the nation of Israel in the Hebrew Bible comes down to a cheap piece of thread and an unfair prison sentence.  God is in control of even the little things.  As Joseph says to his brothers who sold him into slavery, “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” (Gen. 50:20) The fact is, as the Joseph story shows time and time again, there are no little things.

The history of my life was changed drastically by a dog.  I remember my father telling me of a dog he had whom he loved greatly.  My father grew up in Indiantown in the 1920s (moving there from Arcadia in a covered wagon) and did a lot of hunting out in the swamps.  One day, in 1925, as he and his beloved dog were walking through some saw-grass, a surprised diamondback rattlesnake lunged to strike at my 15 year old father.  My dad, never tiring of the story told how his dog jumped in front of the snake and took the bite and died.  My father survived because of a dog who took his snake bite.  I exist today because of a dog who took his snake bite.  In a world run by God, there are no little things.

So while I will worry about my boy, I will also trust the God of cheap Egyptian thread and life saving dogs to take care of him.  Perhaps the Lord will send some thread, a dog, or who knows what else to keep him safe, but I will be praying mightily for him.

One of the greatest gifts that a parent can give to a child is trust.  Both of my children, Charity and Josiah, have earned my trust.  I love them with an incredibly strong love and would do anything to keep them from being hurt.  I am not, however, able to control everything.  That is the reason that I turn to my heavenly father who controls not only the “big things” like the hearts of kings (Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants. NET Bible) but also the small things, right down to the throwing of dice (Proverbs 16:33 The dice are thrown into the lap, but their every decision is from the LORD. NET Bible).

The pain at seeing Josiah leave today, only for sixth months and for a very safe and wonderful activity, reminds me afresh of the incredible sacrifice that our heavenly Father made for us when he sent his son.  What an incredible thing to think that our Father sent his son on a trip that was anything but safe, and which had as its basis nothing but grace.  Jesus came to die, sent by his father who knew the terrible pain, humiliation, and spiritual hardship that he was to face; for us.

I’ll be waiting anxiously until Josiah gets home; taking comfort in the fact that God is watching over him. He is, as Peter reminds us the shepherd of our souls (1 Peter 2:25 For you were going astray like sheep but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.NET Bible)

But even more than that I take comfort in the fact that I have a Father and a Savior who will be waiting for me until I get home.  I will not be going home a minute before my time, nor can I survive a second after it.  It is all worked out down to the last detail.  There are no small things with God.  I am very thankful for that.  The last thing I said to Josiah was a phrase that my mother used to say to me, “I love you, now don’t forget who you belong to” (I know that it is grammatically incorrect, but I am not going to correct my mother).  She meant not just to remember that my father had worked very hard to keep his name unsullied and a thing of honor, but that I was also a child of the heavenly father and that what I did reflected on God as well as my earthly father.

God has some great plans for both of my children.  No matter what career they decide to pursue, the most important thing they can remember is to never “forget who they belong to.” All else is small in comparison.  As Charity works on her master’s degree in social work so that she can be an instrument of grace in a broken world and as Josiah speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves, I could not be more proud.  God has been so gracious to give me such great and beautiful children (the credit goes to the Lord’s goodness and to Cindy’s incredible parenting skills, I shudder to think what they might be like without my unbelievably patient wife who has parented me as much as the kids (lines like “honey I don’t think hanging off the roof on a rope with a running chain-saw is a good idea” come to mind).

After seeing Josiah off this morning, having my tears dried by my little buddy “Mo” I wondered what the dogs must think when someone leaves like that.  It reminded me of a paragraph from a book called The Year of Jublio by Howard Bahr.  In the scene a young man is leaving his home to become a confederate soldier.  As he leaves his old dog follows him up the road:



The dog had been old, toothless, feeble, but she had followed the boy when he left for the war, had stumbled blindly down the lane after him until the future soldier stopped and knelt and petted her , said “Go home, France-you can’t follow where I’m going.” The boy had gone, quickly, not looking back, and the dog had sat in the road and nodded her head, swayed her grey muzzle back and forth trying to find him again, until father had lifted the old dog up and carried her home, still looking for the boy.

I am looking for the day when we will all be carried by our Father to the “city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” No more separation.  That will be a great day!  All because a father selflessly sent his son to an unworthy group, to give them an unparalleled gift.  There are no little things with God.

Please pray for my boy as he travels and I’ll try to “man up” and not cry if you ask me about him.  More importantly pray for the gospel to go forth in a mighty way as the news of the greatest Father continues to be spread.

For the Lamb,

DSL

As most of you who know me know, I read a lot. Usually three to four books a week, sometimes more, sometimes less depending on how life is treating me.  I wanted to bring to your attention a couple of new books that I just finished reading that were very good.

On the Christian front, the book Risking the Truth by Martin Downes is a book of interviews with pastors and scholars on the nature and problem of error in the church.  This work is really helpful on a number of levels.  It is a very interesting way to deal with such subjects at the New Perspective on Paul, Annihalationism, End Times, and other issues.  As is to be expected in a book like this, the interviews range from very strong and helpful (Horton, Duncan) to not as clear and not so helpful.  All in all this is a very good place to start if you would like to know more about current issues in theology that are making their way into the church.

The second book is as far away from the first as is possible.  It is a novel that contains some adult language as well as adult themes (death of children, war, the holocaust).  The book is called The Book Thief and is narrated by the character of death.  On every page I found beautifully written sentences and the story carried me along like a magic carpet.  It is the story of a girl who loves books (thus the theme of this blog) and who sees the power of words in the books that she reads as well as in the speeches of Adolf Hitler.

The story is deeply moving and wonderfully redemptive in many ways.  It is a rare thing for me to miss “characters” after a book is over.  I miss Rudy and the book thief.  If you love good writing and a good story, I believe that you will miss them as well.

Pick up a good book and read it, but don’t forget that the greatest of books has been given to us by our Father in heaven.  Don’t neglect THE book for other books (I speak to myself here).  Whether you read electronic books, or still prefer the old fashioned paper kind, remember that words have power.  Never forget that The Word is most powerful, has become flesh and dwelt among us, and has made it possible for us to be seen righteous in front of a perfect and holy God.  The Word is powerful!

Here is the story:

… And Harlots

July 13

Eva J. Alexander was born to believing parents in Chennai, India, and born again at age 12 during a Billy Graham meeting. In 1963, she married R. D. Alexander, and the two took positions with the Indian government. Eva’s job exposed her to the plight of women in her country, and she began speaking out about their status and suffering. For awhile, she became so socially active that her spiritual life suffered. Politics became more important than religion.

But the Lord sent a serious illness that brought her to her knees. “God, if you’re real,” she prayed, hovering near death in the hospital, “do not allow me to die. I will serve you.” Returning home, Eva began reading her Bible again and two words in Matthew 21:31 tore through her mind like torpedoes—and harlots. Jesus wanted to bring harlots into His kingdom.

A week later, a nearby pastor told her of a prostitute who had run away from the brothels, and he asked Eva to provide a room for her. “I can’t,” said Eva. “You keep her.” Eva had a husband and four children at home, including two teenage sons. But the Lord again brought Matthew 21:31 to mind, and Eva relented.

Her family was aghast: “What is this? You’re turning our house into a brothel!” But their attitudes soon changed, and they accepted this ministry as coming from God. Other girls began showing up, and the Alexander home became a rehabilitation center. Police officers and prisons referred troubled women to Eva, and today up to 15 women live in the Alexander home at any one time. The Alexanders provide medical treatment, job training, and a strong gospel witness. Eva has started a home for the children of prostitutes where 60 children, age 12 months to 13 years, find refuge.

Her husband and children joined her work, and, spurred on by Matthew 21:31, they are bringing many harlots into the Kingdom. *

Today’s Suggested Reading Matthew 21:28–32

Jesus said unto them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.” Matthew 21:31

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James 1:26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

I was reminded of this passage lately because my son, Josiah, is getting ready to leave home for several months.  He will be working for an organization that does exactly what James is speaking of, helps orphans.  I am really proud of both of my children and the way that they have decided to do kingdom work.  Charity is now a social worker (having just graduated with a degree in social work) and Josiah is now working to help children who cannot help themselves. 

If you would like to know more about what Josiah is doing, and maybe even help out a little, check out his blog at http://brosiah.blogspot.com/2009/06/so.html I think that you will see why I am so proud.

Real Christianity does something.  James is clear about that.  So let us all not just sit here, but do something for the kingdom!

For the Lamb,

SamLam

The next day I taught again in the morning but by this time I had abandoned my lesson plans.  I didn’t feel like my teaching on Bible study methods was really getting through to the students so I asked them, through my fantastic interpreter, Professor Kim (a true genius and a great scholar as well as the kindest host that I could imagine).  I was told that they would like to hear some American sermons so I would do a sermon, answer questions about the exegesis, preparation, and delivery, and they try to tie it in to the lessons that I was teaching about the methods of Bible study.  It seemed as if I was beginning to communicate a little so I was glad to have made the change.

Time for lunch came on Thursday and I had been promised that we would be taken out to a special restaurant that serves dog.  There are a couple of things that are important.  First, they all wanted me to make sure that I alerted everyone to the fact that they do not eat pet dogs.  The dog that they eat is raised for food, much like a pig or a cow would be.  Second, the restaurants’ that serve dog are few, and very low key.  We went down an alley and into a sort of hall to get to the place and there was not a westerner nor a scrap of English to be found.

The pot of meat came to the table where it was kept hot by a heating element.  The pot was filled with some sort of greens with strips of meat on top.  This was the “Korean Beef” that we had heard so much about.  I got my chopsticks ready (there were never forks on the table) and put a little of the meat on some rice, dipped it into a sauce that had been mixed for me by Dr. Sohn and took my first bite of dog.  I have to tell you that it was a case of mind over matter.  I could not think about the fact that I was eating dog while I was chewing.

The meat was a little fatty and greasy.  When I asked for a knife to cut off the fat I was brought a pair of scissors.  It was certainly not the worst meal that I have ever had, but I can’t say that I like dog or would ever want to eat it again.  It was an experience, and our clothes smelled like dog for the rest of the day.  Just a little reminder of what had happened.  I let Mo smell the shirt when we came home and he seemed quite puzzled by the scent coming from that article of clothing. Here is Professor Kim pointing at the dog.

The next morning was my last class and after giving them a final sermon, complete with the story of Lonnie the bus driver and his “I’ll see you at the party” line, I told them that I would see them all at the party; the great feast where we will no longer be separated by language, race, or color but will all be sitting down at the supper of the Christ as members of the Kingdom.

After I finished, the students gave me wonderful gifts.  The first was a box of beautiful handkerchiefs that were silk and will add a wonderful touch of class to my suit or a magic trick needing a handkerchief.  One student gave me a beautiful dress shirt, asking me if I wore size 100.  I told him I thought so, not knowing what else to say, and amazingly the shirt fits very well.  Professor Kim gave me an RTS Korea memory stick in addition to the RTS Korea book stand (the nicest book stand that I have, and I am have a lot of book stands) that he had given me earlier in the week.

We took pictures of the class, hugged our goodbyes and I genuinely felt the love of Christ in that room.  A wonderful thing was to realize that no matter where one is in the world, the symbol of the cross (which can be seen all over Seoul) brings together the members of the kingdom.  I loved those men, even though I could not communicate directly with them and I pray that the Lord will use their work greatly for them.

I was finished teaching for the week, so the kids and I took the subway (very clean, safe and easy to use) to an area where there were many tourists and lots of things for sale.  I did find out that during the rush hour there is a professional “pusher” to get the people into the cars.  His job is to push people into the car until there is absolutely no more room.  We rode during off hours so it was not so crowded, though if we were fortunate enough to get a seat, we noticed that the locals would move away from us whenever they could.  We were told that there was much fear of the “swine flu” from Americans and this may have been the reason.

The tourist area had all kinds of things for sale.  I bought a hanging painting of a tiger and a rabbit smoking a pipe together.  I don’t know why, but I just thought “where else are you going to get a hanging painting of a tiger and a rabbit smoking a pipe.” We saw a demonstration of Korean candy making from honey and nuts.  The candy was actually very good.

To give you an idea of how kind the general person was, I walked up to a stand looking for water.  The stand only sold some kind of honey juice which I didn’t want.  I saw some water in the refrigerator behind the juice dispenser, and thinking that the owner didn’t understand what I wanted I pointed to the water.  She took out the bottle (I realized at that point that it was her personal water) and poured me a cupful, then refused when I offered her money.  I wonder how many American street vendors would do that for a person who could not even speak the language.

I took a taxi back to the hotel (taxi service was very inexpensive, a thirty minute ride for six dollars) and slept, still feeling like I had never really gotten the time change worked out.  I’ll write about visiting the market on Saturday, and the trip home in the next few days.

First of all let me apologize for taking so long to get these up.  A fourteen hour time difference takes a while to get used to, and when you have gone for nine days and then come back you get just enough adjustment to the Korean time before you leave to come back to EST.

On Monday morning I tried to sleep in, attempting to get on Korean time.  I was picked up for lunch by my van driver and my translator, the most wonderful Professor Kim, who is finishing his dissertation at the University of Chicago.  Kim was not only our guide, translator, friend, but also our protector for the week, making sure that we were not forced to engage in any Korean meals or customs that we were not comfortable with.

I was taken for lunch, along with Charity and Josiah, to a special “buffet” in downtown Seoul.  My host was my former student and friend Sung Cho (called “little Cho” to differentiate him from his father “Old Cho”).  This was a truly cosmopolitan experience.  Walking around the restaurant, I saw squid, eel, duck, seeweed, cookies, ice cream (without the beans, thankfully), and many many types of raw seafood.

I braved the squid, eel, seeweed (not good) but mostly ate the duck with Korean bread and sauce and filled up on cookies and ice cream.  The squid area had not only tenticles, but also the entire squid body that one could take if you were a real squid lover.

After lunch we moved hotels because I thought that the AC in the first hotel was not working.  The second hotel was in the middle of the city.  At this hotel we could walk down the street to the McDonalds as well as many street vendors (all illegal I later found out).  The McDonalds was a saving grace.  I can’t remember the last time that I ate a Big Mac and enjoyed it so much.

I began my class in the afternoon, meeting my students and trying to find out what level they were at and what I could teach that would be helpful to them.  I began with teaching a 12 step process to use when preparing a message.  I find teaching through an interpreter (I think this is a better word than translator) very draining.  It is difficult to stop every sentence or so and wait for the translation.  It makes it very difficult to get any rhythm going, and almost impossible to use any humor.

I taught for three or four hours and went home exhausted to the second hotel.  It was just as hot in there as when I left.  It was then that I came to realize that the Korean law calls for no thermostat to be set below 80 degrees in a public building.  It was a very hot week!

Tuesday morning I was back for more teaching and made an attempt to download a Korean Bible from Logos so that the students could see the Korean translation as I spoke about the text.  Unfortunately I was unable to make the download work so they were forced to look at the English, which was as helpful as me looking at the Korean.  Tuesday afternoon I went home and slept because of a headache, caused I was told, by the time difference.

Wednesday was a very busy day.  I taught all day and then we picked up Charity and Josiah for a trip to a church outside of Seoul.  After about an hour and a half van ride, we arrived at the church and were taken to a traditional Korean dinner.  We took our shoes off at the door, sat on the floor, and immediately the food started coming.  As you can see by the pictures, the food just kept coming and coming and coming.  I have never seen so much food in my life.  Just when we thought that the mean was over, there would be another set of dishes brought out.  At the end there were over 40 dishes on the table.  Here are a couple of pictures from this restaurant.

Here I am sitting on the floor with the other pastors: Old Cho, myself, Dr. Sohn, and the host pastor

Here are the 40 dishes from the meal

Here is a particularly tasty dish.

I must commend both Charity and Josiah (who were the best traveling companions ever) because they ate whatever we had, no matter what it looked like or tasted like.  We did our best to fit in and eat like locals.

After the meal (I didn’t each much because it was a lot of raw fish), we went to the church.  I preached (very hot in the church but only Charity, Josiah and I seemed to notice it).  I never know how much good I am doing or how the message is coming across so preaching in a different language is quite a challenge.

After the service, we go back to the pastor’s office where there is more food for us.  We were then given a book by the pastor (in Korean, I reciprocated with a couple of DVDs from Coral Ridge Ministries that feature me on the Historical Jesus) and an envelope with cash.  The churches are very gracious and generous to visiting speakers.

That was about it for Wednesday.  I’ll leave Thursday for tomorrow, since that was the day we went to the dog restaurant.

For the Lamb,

DSL

I had been asked to teach and preach in Korea by Reformed Theological Seminary of Seoul, with whom Knox enjoys a partnership.  I was to go to Korea for eight or nine days and teach a class, speak to local churches, and meet the professors from our sister school.  We arrived in Korea on Saturday night after leaving W. Palm at seven A.M. on Friday.  The flight from Atlanta to Inchon airport (about an hour from Seoul) was fourteen hours straight.  That is the longest flight that I have ever taken.

Upon arriving, before Charity, Josiah, and I could get out of the airport a passport was misplaced by one of us (who shall remain nameless).  By the time we realized it, we were a train ride away from the area where the passport had been laid down on a bench a forgotten (not that hard to do when you have been on the road for over 25 hours).  A Korean policeman, complete with gun, was not happy to have three Americans standing around looking through their luggage for a lost passport.  The passport had been left lying on a bench at the last stop of the train.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to get back on the train.  After some serious attempts to communicate, and English speaking helper was called, others were sent to the bench and the passport was given back to us.  A breath of a sigh of relief and a reminder that the passport had to be guided more carefully than money.

We were picked up by my friend and translator, Professor Kim from RTS Korea where I would be teaching.  Kim speaks perfect English and was a wonderful host and tour guide during the week.  The seminary driver took us to our hotel room where we were given a half an hour to shower before being taken out to dinner by our hosts.

The bath/shower in this particular hotel was very different.  To start with it was made for someone the size of Frodo Baggins.  You can see the picture below, with Josiah sitting in the tub.  Notice that there is no shower curtain.

At supper we ordered and began to see that the size portions in Korea are very different from those in the US.  I was not very hungry, because of being so tired, so I only had a bowl of soup.  The rest ordered some sort of cooked beef.  When the plate came, I thought that it would be for the whole table to share.  Turns out that this was just Charity’s portion.  People eat in Korea, yet none of them seem to be overweight.  I don’t know if this is because of the type of food they eat, the fact that they walk a great deal more, or just good genetics.  Whatever it was, I was constantly amazed at how much food was served.  At this dinner we were joined by Dr. Sohn, the president of the seminary and Dr. Cho (called “Old Cho” to distinguish him from his son “little Cho”).  Considering that it was four o’clock in the morning US time, we did pretty well eating supper.

The next morning I started realizing that the AC did not seem to be working.  We opened the windows and put a fan on so things were not quite so bad.  We took a walk to a small family mart store and bought a few snacks, including dried squid, Korean soda, and some local cookies and chips.

In a couple of hours we were picked up for my first official duty.  I was to preach at a large Korean church (through my interpreter of course).  The message seemed to go OK; though speaking through an interpreter is very, very difficult.  It is impossible to get any kind of a rhythm of speech going, and none of my humor translated which left me at a decided disadvantage.

An interesting thing about preaching was that as one steps onto the preaching platform, you take your shoes off.  This is a reminder that the preacher stands on “holy ground” as he delivers the word of God.  There are slippers to wear, as there are in many places.  The picture below shows the slippers in the hotel room.

After church we went on a tour of the church which had several tall buildings with rooms used for prayer, youth group, a cafeteria, and even a driving range cage (golf is very big in Korea for the upper level economic people).  All of these things were free to church members.

After the tour of the church we sat down in a small, excusive “restaurant” where we ate lunch.  After traveling and preaching, I was not very hungry but ate a little.  It was then that I had my first experience with “Old Cho” telling me that I needed to each much more. Cho also has an interesting philosophy about eating sugar.  He puts about ten spoonfuls of sugar in his coffee, not to mention sugar on virtually everything else he eats.  He believes that “sugar makes you live longer.” It seems to be working for him.  He is over 70 years old and in great health.

After the meal, we were offered some special “Korean Ice Cream.” I thought, “finally something that I can really enjoy.” When the ice cream came, it looked really good.  It was ice chips with whipped cream, some sort of ice cream type substance and lots of fruit.  I took my first bite and tasted something unusual.  Black beans.  Yes black beans in the ice cream.  Needless to say, I ate what I could without eating any of the black beans, but it was not what we think of as ice cream.

After lunch we were taken back to the pastor’s office, who was a graduate of Knox’s Korean D.Min program.  He proudly showed us a photo of him receiving his diploma from Dr. Kennedy (who is loved and revered among evangelicals in Korea).  We were given a gift of some very, very nice Korean skin soap as well as an exceptionally gracious honorarium.  Here is a picture of all of us after the service.  Charity, Josiah and I are in the front, just in case you can’t tell.

After church, we learned that we would be taken to “Lotte World” the premier Korean amusement park.  The only strange thing was that we were going straight there in what my mother would call our “Sunday go-to-meetin” clothes.  So we walked around Lotte world, a sort of scaled down Disney world, in our good clothes.  One of the funniest moments was the list of rules for one ride.  Look carefully at the rules toward the bottom and see if you spot what might be some sort of a mis-translation.

Here is a picture of us at Lotte World.  Does it remind you of anything?

Finally at about four in the morning our time we had seen enough.  Our host, the ever gracious and kind Professor Kim, allowed us to get a cab back to the hotel which took about an hour or so and cost less than twenty dollars US.

We all slept like the dead until about three o’clock in the morning when we woke up and had trouble going back to sleep.  The fact that the AC did not seem to be working may have had something to do with this.  Professor Kim spoke to the desk about the AC but to no avail and so we decided to move to a hotel that was in downtown Seoul for better AC. More about that move and the AC in Korea tomorrow.

That is the end of day one, day two coming soon.  Don’t miss the stories of the many strange things that we ate (including dog) and experienced the rest of the week.

Glad to be back in the USA,

DSL