Change is a comin...

Folks, God is good.

Every month, we get a statement from Marc Johnson, our financial guru for Kids International Ministries, telling us how much God has provided through supporters in the previous month and how far along we are.  Last month's statement (October's) showed that we were at about 70% of our one time support needed to get to the Philippines, and at about 13% of our monthly support pledged to us.  We need 80% of our monthly support pledged to us to even book a flight to the Philippines, so we had been sweating for a while there, thinking we wouldn't be able to leave on goal.  But God does some amazing things.

This month, our statement shows us being at 92% in one time support, and at 73% in monthly support.  All that happened in one month!  God is good.  We have full faith that we will be leaving for the Philippines by the end of January, and we can't be more excited.  Please pray that God will bring in the remaining support we need, and that plans will go smoothly to book flights, ship clothes and other household things, and to transition from a freezing climate to a scorching one.  Bring on the sun!

Thankful.

For a wife that God provided me.
For family God provides.
For friends God provides.
For what Korea meant to us, and still does, because God led us there and worked on our hearts.
For God leading us to Kids International Ministries.
For even though we feel like we've just been scraping by for the last 2 and a half years, we've managed to pay off over $20,000 in college loans.
For just when we think we'll never get to the Philippines, God provides yet another supporter.. or four.

For my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, dying a terrible death on a piece of splintery wood in order that I won't have to meet a standard I could never meet.  I'm so thankful that I know him and that he chased after me for 27 years.  I am thankful.

And I'm thankful for this little boogie:

Ain't She Cute?

It's been a while since we posted some pictures of our daughter, Micaiah.  I thought these might make you readers smile.  They sure do for me.

 At 5 1/2 months

 Love the fuzzy hair.

 I love this picture.  Snot dripping, eyes wide.  She's a beauty.

 Driving cousin Abrielle around the kitchen, Flintstone style.

 Aww.. don't the cousins love each other?

Nope.

 Our cute little Carebear.  Halloween 2010.

 Getting ready for the parade in Greenville.  A Carebear riding her very own cloud.

 The I-Don't-Carebear.

Carebear and cousin Monkey.

Help us help others

To God be all the glory.

When we found out the costs involved in getting us established and sustained in the Philippines, we did one of those big gulps that means, "Wow, that's a lot." Just to get ourselves there and get established, we need just under $24,000.  Our monthly costs of living and ministry are going to be just under $3,000.  Gulp.

To God be all the glory.

To date, God has provided a little over $15,000 of our one-time costs!  He is so good!  We have no trouble having faith that the rest will come in.  But those monthly costs.... gulp.

To God be all the glory.

To date, people have pledged (or started already!) to give about $350 of the near $3,000 we need a month... and our goal is to be there by January.  Gulp.  It's a lot harder to have faith that God will pull that together in such a short amount of time.  Please consider giving monthly towards our ministry in the Philippines.  We DO have faith that God will get us there.  We have faith that He will provide through his saints- you.  

If you know of any churches that are looking for missionaries, or would allow us to speak there, please let us know.  We'd love to get the vision of KIM out to the masses.  Thanks!

Book Review - City on Our Knees by TobyMac

I have to say going into this review that I was biased against Toby Mac before reading this book.  I've always found his music to be cheesy, and for him to be a bit of a narcissist.  That bias carried over into my reading.  I normally would never read a book authored by Toby Mac, but a description I read before going in told me this book isn't about him; it's a collection of stories about other people.  True as that may be, I was annoyed right off the bat by his shameless uplifting of the song he wrote which gave the book its title.  

Once I got past the beginning pages, which might I add are splattered with pictures of Toby Mac looking pretty fly for a white guy, I found that I actually enjoyed the stories he has recorded.  While his writing style isn't exactly on par with the professionals that do this kind of thing for a living, the stories were very encouraging and inspiring.  Fortunately, the stories are the bulk of the book.  Unfortunately, they're really the only thing I liked about the book.  There are four sections of them, and in between Toby Mac filled pages with his own blog posts, quotes, and other unnecessary filler.

To a Toby Mac fan, I would definitely recommend this book; it's a win-win situation when you enjoy seeing his face all over the pages and getting fed great inspirational stories.  For those of you going in with a bias like my own, borrow a copy and just read the stories; they're worth a read and they're really short, so you can read for a few minutes at a time and not feel disconnected from the book.

I should say that I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House publishers for the purpose of writing a review.  Obviously, I wasn't required to write a positive one- they want complete objectivity.

Micaiah's Good Morning

Every morning, Micaiah is so happy and alert. We love talking to her and seeing her react. We decided to catch a little bit on camera so you can enjoy it too!

Micaiah at 5 Months Old

Our sweet little daughter at 5 months. We thought some of you who are far away would like to see her now :)

Book Review - Outlive Your Live by Max Lucado

You only get one, and yours is the only one like it.  At the end of your life, what will you have to show for it?  In Outlive Your Life, Lucado challenges us to step out from our comfortable shell of a life and live a lifestyle that will impact our world beyond what we could ever imagine.  He takes us through a tour of the book of Acts, giving examples in each chapter of another one of God’s faithful who lived in a way that changed the course of history, and calling us to do the same.

The overall message of the book is one that American Christians need to hear.  It resonated strongly in my heart, and challenged me to my core. Can I recognize the needs of others?  Do I act on them?  Do I have biases against certain groups of people?  At the same time, I felt both convicted and encouraged by the examples Max gives of real people who are making a difference.  My only criticism is that while Max’s story telling style works great for modern stories, it seemed to detract from the biblical accounts he recreated.  

I should received a copy of this book for free from Thomas Nelson through Booksneeze, and in no way was I asked or required to write a positive review.  It's all my opinion.

If you want to find out more about this book click here.

Book Reviews

Ladies and Gents,

   Thanks for reading our blog.  Thanks for taking the time to get to know us and for being interested in our lives.  I just want you to know that starting now, from time to time, I'm going to post some book reviews.  See, we found this really cool thing called Booksneeze that sends us a free copy of a book, and then I read it and write a short 200 word review for them (then we get to keep the book).  It's a cool deal, and they're not looking for fluffed reviews, but objectivity- so all of what I write in them is my own opinion, not pressure to write a great review.  Just so you know, I'll post the words "Book Review" in my title with the title of the book and the author's name, just in case you don't feel like reading a book review, then you can just skip it if you want to.   Again, thanks for reading.  - Russell

Visit to the Diary - Part 6

"Wed. Jan. 15, 2003

Satan was tempting me with sleep in class today.  I fought it hard, but it still managed to steal my train of thought every once in a while.  I did manage to lean something very important!
[LUKE 12:48: "...from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."]
-In application to life:
   The more knowledge I am given about God and His will for me, the more I am responsible to obey it.  And the more I learn about how to be more like Christ, the more I am responsible to BE like Christ.  Also when I learn new things, the way I think about things changes.  My point of reference is different with my variance of "light" that God has shed on me.  I never had really thought about that before.  All these revelations are coming at me so fast.  It's amazing!  God speaks so well through our speakers!

P.S. This side of the journal is hard to write on because of the little spiraly metal thinger- that's why your writing is messy.  Hey, I just talked to my future self- weird."

Mickey's 4 Month Shoot

 

  

Visit to the Diary - Part 5

"Tues. Jan. 14, 2003

Ok, I've really decided to go for the religious discharge from the Army.  I just pray it would follow through.

I don't want to be a good enough Christian.  I like that.  It means I don't want to say, "Ok, I'm here, I'll make it to heaven now." and live my life.  I want to constantly seek God's will and call for me.  Things are happening at an amazing speed.  I am getting that fire God wants me to have.  Sorry this is short, but I feel I should read my bible now and pray.

-signing off-"

This might seem like a small insignificant post, but it really wasn't for me.  First, I was determined that I should be in missions AT THAT VERY MOMENT, and that getting in at any later date would be a lack of faith.  I researched military discharges and found one, basically for pacifists who say they disagree with all things the military stands for.  To do it, I had to fill out a long application and write an essay on why my religion barred me from any form of war-type activity or institution.  It was a bit of work, but I was determined.  After I got it all written and edited, I put it in the envelope and sealed it up.  Throughout the process, there was a guy at the base named Patrick who had been sort of coaching me through the whole discharge process.  The day I sent the letter out in the mail to my commanding officer, we prayed over the envelope that God's will would be done and that it would reach its destination.  I waited for a reply... and waited.  


It never came.  I wondered why, but I was too afraid to call the home office and ask about it.  The guys there weren't exactly friendly, and (being the new 'pacifist' that I was) I didn't really want to be ridiculed or have any sort of conflict with them verbally.  I prayed about the decision to call it quits on the Army quite a bit.  After a while, I decided that I had made a mistake- I found a way to stay in the military and still be in full time missions with YWAM.  This, by they way, was not God's will for me- more details in a later entry.


When my DTS ended, I went home and checked in with my National Guard Armory.  I was expecting a change in their attitude toward me.  I figured they must have gotten the letter and just ignored it.  Either way, they never mentioned the discharge attempt, and never treated me worse for it.  I know what happened though- when I prayed over that letter with Patrick for God's will to be done, it was.  I know that God caused that envelope to not reach its destination.  He had other plans for me.  More later.  

Visit to the Diary - Part 4

Just a little about this entry first.  In 2003 when I was in DTS, I was also in the Army National Guard.  Having made a 6 year commitment, there was virtually no way of getting out.  To me at the time, this was a huge obstacle to what God had put on my heart...

"Jan. 13, 2003

Steve Sizemore spoke in class today.  I think he is here for the week.  It's amazing how just when you think you've learned something about everything, a speaker talks about a totally new concept, or really puts things into perspective.  I love it here.  I am asking God to really put a fire in me and He is!  I'm getting more and more into prayer, worship, intercession, etc.  I've decided to give it all to God and seek His will.  I feel He is calling me to full-time missions (I'm thinking overseas).  I have a problem though.  I will give up school, I will give up home and friends there, but the Army- I don't know if they will give me up.  But God said to go into all the world and speak the good news, and so I feel called to do that.  I'm going to research religious discharges from the Army.  I'm still confused though, as to God's clear will for me.

Ok, new subject.  God is really working in me.  I find myself judging people less and less, and I am really working on my humility.  I want to achieve pridelessness.  I am finding things in me I never thought I could have.  It's wonderful.  Today has been good.  Thank you, Father.  Good night.

Me before   : /          Me now  :)   [those were smiley faces I drew]

p.s. I'm finding myself being transformed.  It's so much easier to be nice now."

Even then, I felt God pulling me toward the path I would eventually take, even if it didn't pan out like I thought it would.  I remember feeling so energized by the whole experience, that I thought I needed to give up everything right then and there and go full out for God.  He knew though, that if I did it then, I would have burnt out.  I wasn't ready.  More about my thoughts on the Army next time...

Visit to the Diary - Part 3

"January 9, 2008

Today we watched a video of Dean Sherman talking on attraction and romantic attraction.  He said there are two traps the devil puts us in on the topic of love.  He tells us that "we must be in love" and that "we don't control when we fall in love with someone and out of love."  He [the devil] also tells us that there is only one person we can truly fall in love with.  NOT TRUE."

Visit to the Diary - Part 2

*Things in [brackets] aren't really in the entry, they're just to give understanding.

"January 8, 2003,

When I look around at this place while worshipping, I see people shouting out to the Lord.  Every time, I think to myself, "I WANT THAT FIRE!!"  I want to be open.  I also read constantly about how people's faith brings them the Lord's riches.  I found this verse:

MATTHEW 9:20-22: ...a woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years came up behind (Jesus) and touched the edge of his cloak.  She said to herself, "If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed."  Jesus turned and saw her... he said, "your faith has healed you."  And the woman was healed from that moment.

Powerful stuff.  I wish I had that kind of faith.  Child-like faith indeed.  I am getting there though.  As I learn to hear God's voice, I listen for His call for me.  I cannot wait for the moment I know what He wants for me.  Hopefully, my faith is strong enough to drop it all and pursue God's plan."




God had been preparing me for this life.  It's really neat to be able to see it unfold in retrospect.

Visit to the Diary - Part 1

*Just so you know, the stuff in [brackets] isn't something I actually wrote, it's just to help things make sense for you.

"January 7, 2003

During our 3 hour independent quiet time with God, I climbed the cliffs [behind the campus] and just took in God's splendor and beauty.  It's amazing that He created all that there is.  Every little nook and cranny, every drop of water, every blade of grass.  I went in for a drink after exploring and saw a verse written on a paper by the kitchen:

LUKE 16:10-12: Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches*?  And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?------------------------------------------------
*true riches meaning riches in heaven.

To me, this means if I can't be responsible with things like praying every night, how can I expect to disciple to others?  Coach always said, "What you do in practice is what you will do in the game." How true that is...

Learn to be responsible and trustworthy in every aspect of life.  Apply this daily."

Visit to the Diary - Intro

The other day, I was in my parents' attic looking through some boxes for my books that have been in storage while we were in Korea.  When I found them, I also found a journal that I had been keeping 7 years ago while I was in a Discipleship Training School with YWAM Nashville.  It was my first missions experience, and really my first experience of taking ownership of my faith.

I really hate journaling.  It's probably why our blog only gets updated every so often (that will change when we get to the PI!)  It's also the reason that the journal I kept in YWAM only had 8 entries, and all of them were in the first month of the school.

Well, as intimate and personal as they are, I've decided to share them with you.  Not because they're great or funny but because I believe that God will be glorified through it.  I think it's great to be able to look back and see the seeds of God's calling on my life from that early stage.  I hope you enjoy them. :)

What is PI?

For all of you who have been to this blog and have thought, "What in the world is PI?"...

It is simply the abbreviation for the Philippines.  Sort of like us Pennsylvanians say, "I'm from PA."  And now you can brag that you know the abbreviation for the Philippines!

And for your viewing pleasure, the PI flag:

God's Faithfulness

A couple weeks ago, I was calling churches, trying to find places that we could speak to the congregation in hopes of garnering some financial support.  Of the many churches I called, only 1 or 2 pastors would even agree to meet with us to hear about what we're doing.  Don't take that the wrong way.. pastors get called all the time from missionaries seeking support.  They can't possibly hear us all out.  Nonetheless it was frustrating, and it planted a seed of doubt our minds. 

After some much needed reminding that God is in control, and it's not me "raising" any support, I sought Him in prayer.  That was a few days ago.  Yesterday we got a call from Jess's mom saying "Oh hey, I talked to a friend of mine and their church wants to support you."  It was yet another reminder that God is faithful, and our financial burden is not really ours, but His.  We had never contacted that church or done any "work" to garner support there.  But the Holy Spirit had been working behind the scenes on our behalf.

Today I spoke with two pastors who were more than glad to have us come and speak at their churches, offering as much time as we need, and possibly support from the church.

God is good.  Good and faithful.  And in control.

Dear God...

Dear God,

You know that I'm typing this blog post addressed to you, but secretly hope every person with a large wallet reads it.  God- Jess and I have a very daunting task ahead of us.  Or so it would seem.  I guess it depends on how much faith I really have in you.  You see, we want to serve you in the Philippines, and our goal is to get there by January.  But God, that can only happen if we raise all of our upfront costs and have at least 80% of our monthly needs pledged to us by supporters.  And there I go again- I said "if we raise."  Yeah, a lot of the time I start to get down on this whole "support raising" thing because I view it as just that- me doing all of the work trying to nag people into giving us enough money so that we can go to the Philippines.  Sometimes I forget that it's YOUR HOLY SPIRIT who begins to work in people's hearts to give before I ever interact with them.  I forget that it's YOU that owns the cattle on a thousand hills and is pouring your resources into YOUR ministry in the Philippines.  Sometimes I forget that this whole missionary endeavor is for you... and I'm sorry.  

Father, grant me more faith.  Allow me to trust that every day that You are going to meet my needs and that you will eventually meet our financial needs in this area.  God, to me $23,000 is a lot of money to raise for one time expenses, not to mention the close to $3,000 we need monthly.  But to You, it's peanuts.  God, it's not me who does this thing, it's You.  Keep me on track.  Never let me forget your faithfulness.  Help me be disciplined in sharing Your Holy Spirit's movement in my life with those you have appointed to support us.  And God.. I love you.

Your sometimes faithful son,

  Russell

Chilled Mickey

Back and Busy!

We returned to the states a couple weeks ago, and if the lack of posts is any indication of how it's been since, then you'll know that we have been busy.  Upon returning, we spent 3 days at Jess's parents, living out of a suitcase.  Then we boarded ANOTHER plane and went to Kansas City to meet with the board of directors for Kids International Ministries, and to enjoy the annual KIM golf outing.  A bit of praise- we have been accepted into the KIM family, and are now on the official ministry staff!  After 5 days in KC, we flew back to Jess's parents' house and stayed for 2 days again.  Then it was up to Russ's parents' house so that Russ could be in his cousin Jayson's wedding.  After a week in Warren, it's back to Jess's house for a baby shower- and that's where we are now, still living out of a suitcase.

It's been a whirlwind tour of northwest PA, and we haven't really had time to slow down and take a breath, but it's been awesome to see all of the people that we've missed so dearly while in Korea.  The little munchkin is growing and changing so much, and we've been doing our best to document it.   Here's a little sample of what's happening at this very moment while I type:

Anyway, we have yet to get into a routine, but we hope to establish a regular blog update schedule and to get to work on a monthly email newsletter, as well as a bi-monthly or quarterly paper newsletter.  If you'd like to receive either of those, please email us at rtphillips@gmail.com.  Thanks!

All packed up and ready to go

It's time.  We have one final day in Korea and then we leave first thing in the morning on Tuesday.  We are so very excited to see our friends and family back home, but it's hard to leave a place like this.  For all of its quirks, we love Korea. 

So here's to you, Land of Kimchi.

Here's to you, oh land of bad drivers.  We secretly like to drive just like you.

Here's to you, oh land of the men who pee on the side of the road.  We envy your freedom.

Here's to you, oh land of people who absolutely adore my daughter.

Here's to you, oh land of delicious dishes like Kal Guk Su and Dok Galbi.

Here's to you, oh land that tries really hard to learn at least a little bit of English so you can sell things to the me-gooks.

Here's to you, oh land with pizza topped with corn and sweet potatoes.  

Here's to you, oh wonderful country that has embraced us and loved us.

We will miss you!

It is done....

Welp, the school year is officially over. The students are gone, and the hallways are empty. Today was a day of sadness and joy mixed with hugs, tears, and laughter. Jess and I shared our last moments, maybe ever, with the students we've grown so close to over the last two years.

It was a little hectic at times, with Micaiah with us. But the students absolutely love her and we were glad to have her at the school with us. At the end of the day, with about 10 minutes left, I knew the time was drawing near. I had been waiting for this moment for a long time- half in want, half in dread. When it came time for the students to file out of the classroom for the last time, I knelt down and hugged each one as they left. To each of them, I said, "Goodbye (name), I love you and I'll miss you. Thank you for being my student." It wasn't so bad for the first few, emotional yes, but I was still going strong. But when Lucy came up to get her hug, I just couldn't do it anymore. The tears came, and they came abundantly. The remaining students, and some stragglers in the hall were a little bit surprised by it. The remaining third graders who hadn't received their hugs yet were affected as well, and showed extra affection.

It was bittersweet for sure. Maybe more bitter than sweet, but either way, it's done. I'll always have a place in my heart for those kids.

Join with us to sponsor a child for a year! Go to http://rtphillips.chipin.com/sponsor-a-kim-child for details!

More Micaiah Pictures

Our little diva. Or Thelma and Louise.. you decide.

She took the pacifier for the first time!! Hooray for free pinkies!

Micaiah and Mommy!

Smiley baby!

Micaiah and Daddy!

Micaiah is here!!!

It's been a long time since we've written... and we don't feel bad about that at all! We've been super busy the last week or so because OUR DAUGHTER MICAIAH LAYNE PHILLIPS ARRIVED! YIPEE!!!

On May 8, Jess and I went to a school banquet in Seoul. Jess has been having contractions for a couple months now, but the ones she was having at the banquet were a bit different. Stronger and very consistent. After the banquet at about 5, we decided to go to the local birthing clinic to get checked out to see if it was labor or not. At the clinic, Jess's mucus plug came out, which was a clear sign that yep, it was time. The doctor there confirmed our suspicions and it was back to Seoul for us.

We waited out about a billion more painful contractions in a little labor room at Samsung Hospital from 7pm until 5am when Jess just couldn't take the pain from the frequency, strength and duration of the contractions. She opted to get an epidural, which was a blessing. We finally got about 10 minutes of sleep! The whole time, we sat there watching Micaiah's heartrate and Jess's contractions on a monitor. At about 4am, the nurses put Jess on oxygen because the baby's heartrate showed that she was under a lot of stress. If that were to keep up for a couple more hours, Jess would have had to have a C-Section. We prayed about it, and God answered quickly. It had taken 12 hours for Jess to get from 1 to 3 cm dilated, but after the epidural, she quickly progressed and at 11am, she was at 9cm. A little pitocin pushed her the rest of the way and Micaiah was born at 11:32am, May 9th-- Mother's Day, also Micaiah's due date.

God's timing in this whole endeavor is nothing short of miraculous. Months back, the doctor told us that Jess was in danger of having pre-term labor. We fully expected her to go a month early. But she kept on. Finally, due to time constraints, we told the doctor that we wanted to be induced on May 10th. This was because we were going to be leaving 4 weeks from that time, and it takes 3 to get a passport for a baby. Also, Jess has relatives who have birthdays May 8, 10, 11, and 12. So it was very unlikely at this point that Micaiah would have her own birthday. A small prayer request, but it meant something to Jess nonetheless. On top of it all, we didn't really want to be induced at all- it was a last option type of thing for us.

Buuuut, God is good. He put Jess into labor at just the right time so that we wouldn't have to induce, Micaiah would get her own birthday, she was born on her due date (only 5% of babies are actually born on their due date!), and to top it off, she was born on Mother's Day. Also, we leave Korea on June 8th. Korean law says that if a child is in Korea for more than 30 days, you have to get them a Korean visa and an alien registration card. Well.. Micaiah was born May 9th- one day less than a month before we leave. No Korean visa for her. Blessing after blessing. God is good, He answers prayer!

From Micaiah to her cousins

You Guys Are Everywhere!

Sooo.. we added this cool little gadget thingy to the right side of our page because we were curious how many people actually look at this blog and where they're from. Check out that little map on the right side.. if you click on it, a page will come up with more info on where all of our "viewers" are from. Turns out, you guys are all over the place! Makes us feel all warm and mushy inside.. either that, or we need to change our diapers.

Thanks for stopping in!

Jongmyo Shrine and Changdeokgung Palace

A couple weeks ago, our school was on Spring Break, and we took the opportunity to go to some landmarks in Seoul that we hadn't visited yet. We decided to hit up some historic sites and see how cool they were. Despite Jess's 36 weeks of pregnant belly and footache, she hiked through these cool places like a trooper. We probably walked 3 or 4 miles that day.

Outside of Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul, there are tons of old guys sittin around playing a game sort of like chess, but with pieces that look like big black and white skittles. This particular "ajushi" (korean for old man) was totally drunk on soju and was somehow drawn to us. We showed him some love and left him at the gates.

Here's Jess with the mighty guards at the entrance to Jongmyo Shrine.

The whole reason we wanted to go was so we could have a picnic. It sounded romantic. We decided we were hungry once we got into Jongmyo Shrine, so we plopped down on the only available bench; all the others were taken up by geriatric onlookers. We got some nasty stares from a lot of people and we sat there thinking, "Man, these people are seriously rude." Turns out, we weren't supposed to be eating there (we got yelled at by a worker) and we were the rude ones. Open mouth, insert foot. The Shrine, as we found out later, is the place where they keep the Tablets of the Kings and Queens. I think that means the tablets are supposed to hold their spirits or something like that. Yeah, we were lookin like fools.. but at least we were satisfied fools.

After our insensitive meal, we walked around to several buildings that hold the Tablets of the Kings and Queens. The road that Jess is walking on has a lot of significance to the Shrine. When a new tablet was brought to the shrine, an official tablet holder (some kind of monk or something) held the honor of walking in the higher middle path. The king and prince would walk on the lower paths on the sides. Jess is a monk....ey. Tee hee hee! Shhhh.

All of the buildings have some pretty cool details on them.

The shrine used to be connected to a palace called Changdeokgung Palace, but during an invasion, the connecting path was destroyed. It's since been reconnected by a bridge, so we hopped over and explored the palace grounds. This is behind the main building of the palace. On the other side of the wall that Jess is against is the throne of the King.

This is the courtyard and main building of Changdeokgung Palace. The stonework is pretty cool.

This building was the sleeping place of the king and queen. It's basically a house that's one giant bedroom. Hmm.. The cool thing is that underneath the house, water was heated and provided floor heat to the building. Pretty awesome. Hundreds of years later, Koreans are doing it the same way. Hurray for progress!

There are two ponds at the palace filled with carp and ducks. We took some time to feed them while a flock of wild Koreans gathered to watch in awe.

I had some chips leftover, so I found some needy pigeons to give to. I'm so generous :) And no, I didn't kick him once he took the food.

The Doog

At our doctor's appointments in Samsung Hospital in Seoul, we often stop to check out the doctor's names. This office belongs to either a pediatrician or Doogie Howser, we're not sure which.

Funny Slippers

Koreans are funny.

Filming the Filmers

In our last doctor's appointment, the film crew from EBS (a Korean television station) taped us going to our sonogram, the non-stress test, and our visit with Dr. Kim. Just to get proof of our newfound fame, and to show you a little "behind the scenes" of Korean television, I got THEM on film. Enjoy!

We're Gonna Be Famous!

You may have heard or read that we were approached by our doctor at Samsung Hospital to take part in a Korean documentary on EBS (Educational Broadcast System), a Korean television network. We asked some questions to the doctor during our last appointment and decided we'd help them out by showcasing our lovely faces on their network. We're sure it will increase their viewership :)

Here are some questions we asked, and the answers we got:

Q: Are we the only couple doing this?

A: We are the only foreign couple participating. There is one Korean couple who is also in on the gig.

Q: How much of Jess's body are they going to show?

A: They will only show her stomach and her face. The delivery will be filmed from behind, and no private area of her body will be shown.

Q: Will this make the cost of our hospital bills go down?

A: Yes, the filmmakers are going to pay us for participating. We also heard the doctor mention the word "discount" as we were walking out of his office. We likey :)

So there you have it. Our little baby Micaiah is going to be famous the second she comes out of the womb. On a side note I, Russell, have been letting my beard grow as a vow that I wouldn't shave until Micaiah is born. Now I'm gonna be on TV. Should I shave? What do you think about the TV stuff? Comment!

School Certificate

Great news! For all of you who heard us speak last summer about the major dilemma our school faced this year, and for all of you who prayed alongside us, God has answered. After many months of going back and forth with the Korean government, having our hopes raised again and again just to be dashed again and again, we have finally been OKed with the Korean government. On Friday, they delivered the good news that we will get our certificate and International Christian School Pyongtaek will be able to hire new teachers (and they will actually get their visas) and the school will remain open.

God owns the school, God is in control, God wants kids' lives to continue to be touched, molded, and formed. Praise God!

Elizabeth, Sumin, and Jamie

Three students that Jess and I have both had the honor of teaching are Elizabeth, Sumin, and Jamie. After learning about evangelism in both chapel and Bible class, Jess asked her class if they had anyone they would like her to pray for because they didn't yet know Christ. Here was the response:

(Above) "Dear Mrs. Phillips,

Hello~ My grandfather was a Christian but know he doesn't trully believe in God. I'm going to help him and I need too. Can you pray for my grandfather? If you can, can you pray for my grandfather trully believing in God.

THANK-YOU :)

from your student, Elizabeth Ha

P.S. My family is praying for our grandfather and helping our grandfather believe in God too!"

(Above) My grandfather doesn't believe in God. I tried many times but he still doesn't believe in God.

-Jamie-"

"My dad doesn't believe in God and my aunt believe everything.

-Sumin-"

"Please Pray for them."

Our kids really care for their families. They really care for the unbelieving world. Please pray along with us and them for their parents, grandparents, and communities that are living in darkness.

Baby update

Yesterday we had another doctor's appointment at Samsung Hospital in Seoul. This was our second one. The hooked Jess up to a monitor with little suction cup thingies attached to her chest and belly- they were to monitor her heartrate and the baby's for a test called a Non-Stress Test (NST). Every time Jess felt the baby move, she was to push a button so they could see how the baby's heart rate changed when she was moving and measure how much stress she is under.

Apparently, the test measures contractions too. About halfway through, the nurse asked Jess, "Did you feel that big contraction?" Jess hadn't felt a thing. Afterward, the doctor looked over the test results with us and showed us that Jess had had 2 really big contractions, and a few slightly less significant ones. He said that it makes him worried about preterm labor (full term is 37 weeks, Jess is 33 as of tomorrow-Sunday). There are different kinds of contractions- false labor, and true labor. Doc said that Jess was borderline between the two. He checked her cervix for dilation, and asked her to come in next week instead of every 2 weeks. This of course makes Jess all super nervous, so make sure you pray for peace for her. We don't mind having the baby early, but we'd like to hold out until April 24th, at least. Jess's last day of teaching is the 23rd, and she will be full term earlier that week. Pray that Micaiah can hold on!

On a funnier/weird note, the doctor told us that he would like to use us in an educational television broadcast on the Korean TV network, EBS (Educational Broadcast System). We're not sure why he picked us, but they want to film our doctor's appointments, the labor, and the delivery. Not sure exactly what they're going to use it all for, but we told them we will give them our answer next Friday. What should we do? We're going to ask for a discount on our hospital bill, and what exactly they will film/show on the show. We'll keep you updated!

Pray for Lucy

This is Russ. I just want to let you in on a little of what goes on in some of our students' lives.

On Friday Lucy, one of my students, came up to me after Bible class clearly shaken. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that she wants to believe in Jesus, but her mother wants her to believe in what they believe in- which is a form of ancestor worship, close to Buddhism. I was quick to give Lucy the standard "no one can make you believe in anything" answer. I made sure she knew that just as I couldn't force her to believe in Jesus, her parents can't force her to believe in what they believe in. We also talked about how the Bible says to honor your father and mother, but that God is who you should honor first.

That was all well and good with her, but she was still upset. She said, "I know that, and I'm going to believe in Jesus. But, I'm afraid for my mom and dad because they don't believe in Jesus and I don't want them to go to hell."

I was floored. This is an issue that adults and more mature people deal with, not kids. Right? Wrong.

Sometimes I second guess my purpose for being here. Some days I try to teach them about loving Christ and how to live their lives and honor him, but seem to get nowhere. I still have students who give the standard Bible answer, but go on acting like little demons who don't care. But then Lucy shows me such maturity and such love, that it reaffirms my decision to come here, to be with these kids. Lucy and I talked more about her situation and decided that just like no one can force us to believe anything, we can't force her parents to believe in anything. But the good news is that there is a loving, faithful God who could soften the heart of a murderer on a whim. Lucy (in tears) and I decided that all we could do is tell them about Jesus and pray for them every day, and that maybe one day-possibly very far off- God will change their hearts and they will be delivered from the fate Lucy fears for them.

Man, I love my students. And I love my God. He has a purpose for Jess and I to be here in Korea, and He has a purpose for us in the future.

32 weeks and counting!

This picture was taken at 31 weeks

So, here we are at week 32 and we are getting very anxious to meet our little girl. I have been a lot more uncomfortable lately and the size of my belly continues to grow! We had our first doctor's appointment at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul on Friday. That is the hospital where we plan to deliver, and it was actually kind of exciting to go there and get familiar. We met our doctor, Dr. Kim, and are very thankful that he speaks English. We were told by some experienced friends to make some demands known upfront, such as: request that Russell can be in the room during delivery (otherwise they won't- Korean men aren't usually in the room, although it's getting more popular), a private room (Korean women give birth in a room with up to 3 or 4 other women beside them, also giving birth), and last to nurse the baby (otherwise they will whisk the baby away and start her on formula because Korean women tend not to produce breastmilk as readily for some reason, maybe it's their diet).

We have a couple other requests to make, and our next appointment is Friday, March 19, so we'll be making them then. Some cool news is that the baby is healthy, according to Dr. Kim, and weighs 4lbs! That'sa one big baby! She's in the normal range, but bigger than average. We're thinkin 8lbs at birth, any other guesses? Also, since we're doing a guessing game- when do you think she'll be born? Our due date is May 9th, but she's big- and my mom and sister both had babies at least a week early (moms were all 2 and more weeks early!). Whaddaya think? Leave a comment to guess!

Basketball Season Over!

February 6th ended our second and final season of coaching the ICS Pyongtaek Basketball teams. This was the first year that Jess coached the girls' team. Last year she helped Russell coach the boys. With Jess being pregnant, this put a bit of strain on her and we focused more on the pregnancy than on coaching, but it was rewarding and we had a good opportunity to know these guys and gals. We're sure glad the season is over now, though, so we can relax a bit and catch up on our rest!

The boys team went 5-7 for the season and ended up 5th in the tournament after losing our first game to a team we had beaten twice in regular season play. Overall, we improved on last year's regular season play, and that was good.

The girls' team won two games in regular season and played really hard in the tournament, but fell just short of winning some important games and ended up 7th. They had a really young team of mostly first time players, and were a bit timid in important places. They improved a lot, however, and there is a lot of promise in these girls for the future. Too bad we won't be here to guide them through it! Jess really enjoyed getting to know her girls!

Philippines Christmas (very late!)

By now, we are figuring out that we are very bad bloggers. But, with basketball season over (we'll blog about that next) and Jess soon to be a stay at home mom, we should be able to get back away from the busyness and communicate a little more in the coming months. Not to mention, we'll be back in the States before we know it.

Over Christmas, we had the awesome opportunity to visit our friends at Kids International Ministries (KIM) in Antipolo, Philippines. We had gone over Thanksgiving as well, and we came back this time to finish some business. Part of our reason for coming was to sit down with Jeff Long, the president of KIM, and discuss plans for joining them full-time in the ministry. We worked out a rough budget, discussed support raising, and what our responsibilities/areas of opportunity are there. In the end, we came out with some numbers of what we will trust God to supply us with, and a "job position" for Russell. We plan on moving there sometime shortly after Christmas of 2010, and Russell's job will be to communicate with and organize the short-term missions groups that come in from all over the world. Right now, Jeff is doing that job along with many others, and it will be a weight off his shoulders when we get there. We will post more of those kinds of details, and talk with many of you in person, but for now, here are some pictures and details of what other things we were able to do while there over Christmas.

Step One: Buy a bunch of groceries in bulk and bring them to our friend Myles's house.

Step Two: Organize and package the groceries into 100 different bags (this took the better part of a day).

Step 3: Get a picture of all the goodies in each bag. Those little bags at the bottom are vitamins and fever medicine for adults and children. We had to separate them into these tiny little bags.. it took us like 5 hours.

Step Four: Stay up late wrapping over 500 articles of clothing to give away with the groceries.

Step Five: Invite over 100 families (plus the extra that just showed up) to Myles's roof-top ministry place for her pastor to give a short sermon. Then give away all of the goods to the hordes of people pushing and jumping line to get SOMETHING for Christmas. Lots of smiles here, and it was exhausting, but rewarding.

Steps Six-Ten: Take shifts watching the orphans at the KIM Children's Home so the Filipino staff could have a couple weeks off for Christmas.

Step Eleven- Have a fun Christmas with the kids at the Children's Home, and watch them open gifts they received from friends all over the world.

Step Twelve: Meet a family of 11 kids, a drunk abusive father, and a mother who has been pregnant for the majority of her adult life who live on the equivalent of 20$ a week. These are two of those kids. The older girl's name is Sunshine- she basically tends the rest of the children, and she's only 11. The little one is over a year old, but her body is that of a 7 or 8 month old due to malnutrition. These kids ate and bathed at the Children's Home a few times while we were there. Their mother wanted to give away 3 of them. Tell me, how could a mother choose 3?

Step Thirteen-Fourteen: Really enjoy our time at the Home, and get to know the kids well. The picture below is of a new 4 year old to the home named Danilo. He's funny. The picture below that is of the princess of the home, Angel Miles. She's so stinkin cute!

Step Fifteen: See this face from all of the kids as we tell them we're leaving. Hugs and kisses came in plenty after that. We love these kids and can't wait to be back with them!