Korean Thanksgiving

My parents are here, and here we are, relaxing at my aunt's house in Anyang, which is south of Seoul. Yesterday I had my first Korean Thanksgiving, aka "Chuseok," which is the harvest holiday that occurs usually near the start of the Fall season here in Korea. It is a three-day holiday where Korea is on a mass-movement escapade. Millions of families hit the roads to return to their native hometowns, gather with extended family, pay homage to their ancestors, and eat. So being in Korea, this is the first time I got to experience this holiday with my parents and with all of my Korean extended family.

It was pretty fun. We went to my uncle's house in East Seoul to get busy with food and fun. We had loads of Korean food, with all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins came, and we spent time talking and chowing down. Then, we finished the meal off with traditional rice cakes, called "song-pyong," which come in a variety of colors and sizes. It was great.

My parents are here for their third and final week. It was really awesome for them to come out and visit our family, re-see Korea together, and see what my new life is like. They spent a great deal of time visiting family and friends, and we also made frequent trips to the army base in central Seoul, where my father used to work.

Its really nice to see my parents again. They are fine and keeping strong in the faith. As parents, they are concerned for my future and want to make sure I am staying the course on my faith with Jesus Christ, as well as making the right choices in my day to day living. As a free agent coming up next March, which is a lot of time to consider the future, I am not sure if God is calling me to continue to grow, evangelize, and become a better man in this land. I have set some goals for myself, such as learning more of the Korean language and to continue to travel East Asia., and become a more stronger man that is dependent on the power of God.

But, for now, I thank God for my family. There is a song by Christian rap artists DeepSpace5 called "Truth Be Told." Their chorus runs with the main line, "when life gets old, these suits get old, let the truth be told, I thank God for my family." God gives us family to strengthen us when life gets old, and that's the truth.

Family first.