November 20th

This morning I awoke around 7:00 AM to go to a meeting for a job with a kindergarten school I will be working for while I attend school at Seoul National University. However, while I was walking towards the bus stop, I received a text telling me not to come and that they had to revise the contract some more and I could sign it on Monday. Needless to say, I had some time and thought I would share my thoughts.

Since I have moved to Korea, I have felt that I was brought here for a purpose. It has been my goal to constantly strive for that purpose, whatever it may be. Throughout my stay in Korea, I have developed a desire to reach out to the people of Korea. I sincerely believe God has been putting this in my heart. However, the past few months, I have been so busy with everything, I feel I have completely forgotten why I am even here. Every now and then I will have a conversation that brings it all back, but it seems to vanish as quickly as it came.

I get caught up in my every day life and forget about all those around me. I haven't called my friends or family in such a long time. For that I am sorry. Living here has really shown the importance of friendship. But more importantly than that is the relationship with God. I believe at times, I have sacrificed my relationship with God for my ambitions or for His goals. I get caught up in why I "think" I am somewhere and forget to allow the Holy Spirit to lead me.

I remember in Florida that when these situations arose, I always had my friends who could set me straight. They could call me out and I appreciate that. That is the one thing I desire here. I want a friend who can call me out. A friend who can say, "Hey, what you just said wasn't right." Or just a friend who could ask, "How is your relationship with God these days?"

It's funny. Out of all the things I miss the most, having friends who were not afraid to call each other out is by far top of that list.

Life: Past, Present, Future

Okay, so I think a few of my friends have begun to wonder, "What's going on with Johnny?" Well, I am here to give you the scoop.

Last year about this time, I was preparing for my big move to Korea. I had no idea what would be in store for me. I had never traveled before other than to Mexico when I was a child, so I really didn't know what to expect. I knew that the transition wouldn't be easy. Not only would I be moving to another country, but also to a country where most of the people speak a different language. However, even knowing all of this, I had a peace with me the whole time. There was never any doubt or fear. I knew where I was going was the direction I was suppose to go in. (Quite possibly for the first time in my life.)

Then, I got to Korea. I immediately fell in love with the place and the people. Korea is beautiful and hopefully my photos are able to show just a little bit of that. (Which I have a ton I need to edit. Hopefully, real soon.) Anyway, since I have been here, I have done some traveling around Korea and was also able to go to Japan. It has all been quite exciting. As my year was beginning to end, I began to wonder what my next step was. I had begun to learn Korean, but I wanted to know more. I also began to feel that I wasn't done with Korea yet. I believed and still believe that I have more to do here in Korea.

Currently, I am still working. I have about 3 more weeks before my contract is up. I have decided not to extend my contract with my school and have given them my notification. However, I still had this desire to live in Korea. I have prayed about it for awhile now and I finally decided to apply for 서울대(Seoul National University.) Well, I was accepted and will start class on December 7th. I will study Korean 4 hours a day for 5 days a week. This will hopefully go on for the next year and a half. My contract with my school now will end at the end of the month. From there, I will go straight to school.

Which brings me to the future. I will not be able to come back to the States this year. I would not have the time to visit nor the resources to do so. I have been saving up for my school and housing. I am hoping that this allows me more opportunities to speak to those whom I think God would like me to. I have also found out that teaching is not something I would like to do for the rest of my life. I studied film and would like to pursue something in that field. My hope is that when I finish school, I will be able to speak enough Korean and get a job here in the film industry. It is really growing here and there is progress being made in expanding to do more overseas. I hope I will be able to contribute to that some day.

So, my dear friends, I am sorry to tell you that I will not be coming the States this year. However, I am happy to say that I am completely happen with where I am and who I am. God has huge things in store and I ask that you would keep me in your prayers. A lot has happened with me over the past year, some of which happened overseas, and at times things can seem difficult. Know, that I constantly think of you and pray for you as well.

Heres to another year in Korea!