Saying Goodbye

Since the time we started this little journey, we both knew that there would come a time when the tears would flow and we would have to say goodbye to our closest friends and family.  We just came back to my parents' house for the last time before we leave (Russ) and I tell ya, the sadness of this whole thing is starting to sink in.  There are so many joys associated with doing God's work on the other side of the world, but at the same time there is grief of leaving your loved ones and knowing that you probably won't be able to see them face to face for two whole years.  We won't be able to shake hands, give hugs, have a meal, anything like that with our friends back home for TWO YEARS.  It's starting to hit me and the first bit of tears have come.  I'm sure there's more.  Please pray for us.. Jess's big goodbyes come at the end of the week, and mine have already begun.  It's hard, so please pray. 

It's all in the details

Russell and Jessica Phillips here.  Ok, we've been referring people to our blog for a while now, but haven't actually put any real meat in here.  Let me (Russ) just give you a little background on this whole Korea thing...

In case you don't know us personally, I'll just give a quick background on us, so if you do, you know how boring we are and you can just skip this paragraph.  Jess and I met in college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania a few years back when she was a freshman, and I a sophomore.  We met through an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ which had just begun to take root on our campus.  We were among the few faithfuls attending the weekly meetings.  We both had Elementary Education majors  and a love of sports in common.  The only problem was her boyfriend..   Fast forward 2 years-  Lucky for me, her previous relationship ends and we admit our crushes on each other..  Fast forward to June 7th, 2008- we happily tie the knot in a sweaty 85 degree chapel on the Warren State Hospital grounds, and live happily ever after.

Now EVERYONE knows us.  Here's how Korea comes into play: 

Halfway through Jess's senior year, and half a year after I graduated (and after getting engaged), we were trying to figure out what should come after she graduates.  Do we try to get teaching jobs near her parents (Greenville, PA)?  Near mine (Warren, PA)?  Do we move south where the weather is nice and jobs are readily available, but don't pay as well?  We both knew we wanted to teach, but earlier in our relationship we had discussed that we both had the desire for missions and travel.  Thinking we couldn't get a job teaching as missionaries, we opted to try to get a job at an international school or department of defense school overseas.  After contacting many schools and finding that you need at least 2 years experience, we began to lose hope.  In retrospect, we can easily see that God was closing the door on those exciting experiences, but was about to open a much bigger door to a much grander opportunity.  One day, just out of boredom, I typed "missionary teacher" into Google.  I was led to a website for an organization called the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS).  With 17 schools in 13 different countries, I felt it was worth it to fill out the one page quick application form.  I submitted it without much thought.

About two days later, we were contacted by a school in South Korea asking us to fill out a longer, more detailed application form.  I filled it out that day and submitted it.  About two days after that, we were contacted again asking if we would like to have an interview over the phone to discuss the possibility of working for their school - a Christian school - next year.  We were overjoyed.  We began to pray for God's will, and thank Him for leading us to where we were.  Two weeks and four late night phone interviews later, we were told we had jobs teaching in Korea if we wanted them.  Our director, Tad, gave us one week to reply with an answer.  We prayed hardcore for about 2 days before we had our answer: definitely!

Since then, we have been getting things ready, praying, and preparing mentally for the next two years of our lives.  We have had to settle debts, sell cars (by the way, we have one left, so please pray that we sell it soon... or buy it!) and buy expensive plane tickets.  We have had to buy lots of new clothes because Korean clothing doesn't usually fit the American body type.  Just today we sent out 4 boxes of clothing, a computer, my guitar, and other household items via Fedex, and let me tell you, the paperwork for that was a nightmare!  We attended a 2 week Pre-Field Orientation (see previous post).  We have been saying our goodbyes and preparing for future communications.  

We have been going through, and will continue to go through some big transitions in the coming months and years.  Our first year of marriage AND teaching, and learning to live in another culture are going to be tough to tackle on our own.  Please pray for us.  Pray that we have patience for each other and for the culture we are going to.  Pray that we shine Jesus' love to our students, and pray that we impact South Korea in a mighty way.  We feel we are in God's will 100% in this endeavor.  Hopefully you join us in our mission by covering us with prayer, and maybe even financial support.  If you are, thank you so much.

Some details:

City we're moving to: Pyongtaek, South Korea (50 miles south of Seoul)

Population: 400,000

School name:  International Christian School - Pyongtaek

Organization sending us: Network of International Christian School (NICS)

Organization website: www.nics.org

Jess's class: 4th grade

Russ's class: 3rd grade

excitement level: very high

nervous level: very high

how you can help: email us at rtphillips@gmail.com

Thanks for reading, and sorry to bore you if I did.  I felt as though some of you would like to read some backstory and some of the details.  If you want any specific information, please feel free to email at the above email.  Talk to you soon.  God Bless!

-Russell and Jessica Phillips