Reflections on Gokseong and the near future.

Today my day was made because of this little girl. I’ve been her English teacher for 2 years now. She started in, what I call, the kindergarten “baby class,” at the age of three. When she first saw me enter into her classroom back then, she bursted into tears. I could tell she was nervous around me, since many children in the small town I live in don’t have the opportunity to meet a foreigner from another country – and now all of a sudden, I was in her space. Over the years, I’ve been able to see her relax more and more when I enter into the kindergarten on Wednesday mornings. Today was special to me because it was the first day I walked into the classroom and she RAN to me and gave me the biggest hug around my legs. She was so happy to see me.  The hard part about living in another country is that you can’t always explain yourself due to a language barrier. I’ve never been able to tell her, “It’s okay if you’re scared… I want to be your friend.”  I feel like I’ve never been able to comfort her and to me that’s always been very hard. The only action I could take was waiting for her to come to me and showing her love and patience along the way.

The first picture was two years ago when she just started to smile for English time. The second picture was today! Such a happy little girl.

I am reflecting on all of this because either this week or next, Cory and I will be finding out if we can stay in our small town for another year. Due to budget cuts in our province, it does not look promising… but there is a little bit of hope. When we found this out a few months ago, we were heart broken. Our plan is to stay in Korea for one more year (and leave debt free!). But, now we might have to complete our final year in another town or leave Korea all together. Honestly, we are starting to feel okay about it. After all, we believe God is in control. Right now we are just overly curious to see what the future holds.

With all of this running through the forefront of our minds, I’ve realized that I’ve begun to reflect more and more on our time in Gokseong. I am trying to hold onto every moment I have with my students. Many of them, like this young girl, have been cautious around us. But, through the years, we’ve seen their shyness, nervousness and fear fade away. Most days are filled with feeling like a celebrity and hearing little voices shout out our names everywhere we go!   I am heartbroken to leave because I feel like this small town will never have the opportunity to introduce these country children to people from outside Korea again. I also don’t want our students to feel like we don’t want to be here, when we truly would love to spend another year with them.

So, I guess we’ll soon find out what the final outcome is. I am sharing all of this because I can easily express my feelings and emotions through writing, and I wanted to share what’s been on my heart lately. I am also asking friends/family to pray for us. Truthfully, we are in a great place and aren’t too stressed about this situation. I am overly thankful for this experience in Gokseong, the lives we’ve touched, and the friendships we’ve made.  I am one to know that seasons change and nothings lasts forever. It’s best to remember the good times! 

To the little girl in the picture, you have always been dear to my heart. You’ve taught me about love and patience through no words at all. I could squeeze you 1,000 times and still I feel like it wouldn’t be enough. Thank you for trusting me today and giving me the biggest hug. I hope one day you can realize how much you’ve meant to me.

To all my students in Gokseong, please know that ‘Michelle teacher’ will always love you and be cheering for you to fulfill your dreams.  Life calls us in different directions, but you will always hold a very special place in my heart.

To people that are reading this, please remember to spread love and kindness every where you go. Some relationships may take time and a lot of extra effort, but in the end, it’s completely worth it. Cherish the moments you have with those you love.

I hope you’ve been inspired today.

Michelle