Timothy Pent Family
"Lead us in the way everlasting..."
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August '06 . . . September. . . October '06 |
9/30/06 THE FINAL PUSH BECOMES A SHOVE,
The 20th (first day of fall) becomes FIRST FAMILY FLIGHT,
SUBMERSION deep into East Asia,
THE FINAL PUSH BECOMES A SHOVE “They will thrust you out hence altogether.” Exodus 11:1 Like getting little children ready for church or making a recipe from scratch, you seem to have to do a lot of things the last minute. This makes the actual accomplishment reminiscent of a rocket launch. The three contracts needed attention until the last minute and beyond (I’m still doing pay requests and directing Jared on “punch list” items from Seoul). We found out Susanna had scoliosis and needed a brace exactly 2 weeks before we were scheduled to leave. Her brace came in special delivery through your prayers on Friday, September 15; it was fitted on Monday, September 18; we left on Wednesday, September 20! The drainfield backed up the last week before departure. Twenty-seven suitcases and nine carry-ons had to be purchased, packed, and re-packed to achieve maximum weight. At 3:15 pm Friday, September 15, the Korean Consulate in Atlanta confirmed our visas were approved so that we could confirm our flight. Like a NASA countdown, we now had to do or die. We were going to South Korea in five days ready or not!
FIRST FAMILY FLIGHT
“Remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee… which you did not know.” Deuteronomy 8:3 Four-fifteen AM came quickly that rainy fall morning after many late nights of preparation and packing. All the luggage fit in our one ton van after removing all the seats. Our kind fellow servant, John Hill, packed the people in his van, and we were off to Orlando International Airport. With security on “orange” code, I wasn’t careful enough to make sure a driver was with each van as we made several trips to check-in with all our bags. As the final bag was being rolled in, a “stinger” tow truck had backed under John’s van, and we had to run outside to plead its release.
With a total flight time of 18 hours, and a two hour layover in Toronto for lunch, we arrived with only minimal complaints from bed sores at Incheon International Airport just outside of Seoul at 5:30 pm the next day. From thirty thousand feet, we were able to visually track Alaska, the Bering Sea, and the desolate Siberian Peninsula before turning south over Japan and finally arriving in South Korea. SUBMERSION “For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land…” Deuteronomy 8:7 This is where it hit me, “How did we ever think we could do something so bazaar as to bring our family to the other side of the world?” But like clockwork, out of this sea of Asian faces and Korean script pops the familiar faces of the Sumralls, one of the two American families working together with us. Joo Yun, the representative from Global Mission Church, our receiving church, was also there to welcome us. We were whisked off for an hour drive to our new apartment where the American delegation here (Brad Voeller, FMI general director; the Sumralls, co-op and curriculum developers; and the Willings, home school orchestra developers) along with three Korean families were waiting for us. They had all so graciously spent the day getting the apartment ready for us. (It had only come available that morning!) We are now big city dwellers - but what a unique high rise setting with a definite oriental feel - very spacious, modern, breezy, and inviting, overlooking gardens and mountains.
THE FIRST WEEK “…How I bear you on eagles’ wings…” Exodus19:4 As we were recovering from jet lag, thanks to the sacrificial preparations and generosity of the volunteer network of brothers and sisters here, we were (maybe supernaturally) able this first week to… “…He humbled you… that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone but by every word of God.” Deuteronomy 8:3 It’s obvious to us that we are not adequate for this opportunity. If it does succeed to bring these families and hundreds looking on to a point of spiritual reformation for themselves and their families, it will be in spite of ourselves and our weaknesses and due to the self-sustaining power of God’s Spirit and Word. The things that to me indicate a supernatural stir this week were, first, the setting at Global Mission Church. That pastors at Global Mission would choose this humble track of home education and want their church to be the center resource for their country is quite amazing. Then there was the unusual willingness on the part of several parents at our first planning session to come forward with enough English to volunteer with concrete ideas on how they could come alongside us to help do the co-ops. Then there was the timing of the supply of our house set up. The very date we chose to arrive was the date our landlords said the apartment would be available. That same day Brad received a call that another family was leaving for the States and wanted us to have their furniture. This was over and above all the myriads of household items that so many have and keep donating to help set us up here. And then there were the prayers and testimonies at the open house that indicate either husbands are being drawn to the Lord by wives home educating their children or wives are being asked by their husbands to home educate and are praying for courage to pioneer what they believe is God’s call on them for the sake of discipling their families and influencing their culture for Christ. THE MINISTRY BEGINS Please keep us in prayer. You can keep updated on our needs by checking our prayer requests page.
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