A gift, then another unexpected gift.

Elysabeth came to visit last Thursday.   A sweet gift.  The kids' prayers for two days prior were for home school and the days to go by fast so Sissy can be here soon.  The way they gave her tours of the campus, city and their favorite places, one might think they'd lived here two years instead of two weeks.  It was too short of a visit but with her work and a husband she missed greatly, she left early Saturday morning for her 5 hour bus ride back to Seoul. 

I had over two hours to kill between seeing her off and meeting a group of wives for a Saturday morning fellowship.  Rather than heading back to campus just to turn around and come back, I decided to walk to our meeting place couple of towns over.  That walk turned out to a surprise gift.  It was an amazing experience and may remain one of my favorite experiences in Korea.  I cannot adequately describe my emotions of overwhelming joy and peace as I passed through each neighborhood as they slowly stirred awake even while another neighborhood was bustling with activity and probably had been for some time.  Pictures from my iPhone can't do justice but I hope you can see a little bit of what I saw.

An early morning farmer's market with so many shoppers I could hardly get through.

 A junior high school.  Looks like it could be from any other country, doesn't it?

Rubbery astro turf on the Bukbu Beach boardwalk.

 I wonder what they catch with these baskets?

Folks up early for their jogs, walks and rides to the beach.

 A sculpture of a fisherman.

Difficult to see but it's the Pohang Port in the distance.

I saw a handful of these workers sweeping up the sidewalks and the streets getting it ready for the day's visitors to the beach.

Can you spot a Starbucks, a 7-11 and a McDonalds where I'm to meet the wives?

 Waiting for the ladies.  I wish I remembered to take a shot of the ocean view from this table.  I was so impressed with the mug they gave me that's all I focused on.

The 3 hour visit with the ladies was priceless.  I hope for many more.  The family may agree with me.  They got Big Macs and McNuggets for lunch.  Funny how a place we try to avoid back home is now a special treat here.