South Korea, day four (Sunday, Dec. 30)

Church at Anthony's Korean (Presbyterian) church is an all-day thing. He shows up at 9am to help with the youth group lesson teaching, and stays for first service from 11-noonish (more traditional). Then a buffet-style lunch is provided for the whole 100-200 person congregation. Young adults' group follows lunch, and the second service is held in the afternoon (more contemporary). After the final service is over around 3pm, then Anthony usually has meeting time with the pastor (his Korean father).

At Anthony's Korean church

I got to partake in this experience, accompanied by some interpretation and explanation by Anthony and an English-speaking missionary leader. It was lovely to meet more of Anthony's Korean friends and adoptive family.

Then we went downtown Pohang to the "Five-Day Market" site and put on a flash mob. Also performing was the church's youth dance ministry team. Cold, but fun, as I suggested that we blast the music from the stereo of a friend's car, instead of using wimpy speakers and an iPod.

Some of the flash-mob crew!

That evening, we were invited to a friend's traditional Korean family home, which is a basic, square structure with just two rooms with an adjoining kitchen and little shower corner. The outhouse, a few meters away, lacked a door. But, to my pleasant surprise, the house did have heated floors! The birthday boy, studying to be a chef, prepared a fantastic crab supper... and the traditional bibimbap dish (veggie-rice-egg bowl) for me, the vegetarian. It was SOOO yummy and I felt so special and honored that such a special meal was prepared, and I jokingly proposed marriage to the bashful birthday boy, on account of his good cooking and taking such good care of his new vegetarian-friend.

What a lovely Sunday!

Look through the album of photos from my Korea trip, with more details and images of the day's sights and doings. Follow this link. (also see link on the photo menu to the right)