| Hi friends, Just want to send an update and a Christmas greeting. I'll be coming back to the states on the 19th of December for a time of vacation. I'm excited to visit with my family and even some of you at church. The closer I get to this time, the more I realize I really have needed a break. This semester has been busy unlike any teaching year so far, and God's mercy has allowed me to meet each new challenge head on. However, I am thankful for a short time away to relax and not really think about work. Okay, now to catch you up on what's been happening since September. Answered prayer coming right up... The last time I wrote, I asked you to pray for our volleyball team. The reasons were varied: inexperience; lack of facilities to name a couple. Well, the Lord really proved His Grace is sufficient because we had an incredible season. Our record of wins and losses really reflects the team's ability to play; 0 and 6, but we learned so much this year. We not only learned specific aspects of the game, but also how to honor God even in volleyball. Here's a story: I guess if ICS Pyongtaek had a rival school it would be Osan American High School on Osan Air Base, a mere 8 miles from our school. Playing Osan in sports is especially challenging for several reasons: first, they have the same resources as any American high school, complete with gymnasium and supplies. Second, many of our students are friends with their students. So, when sports is the question, reputation is on the line. When we went into the Osan gym, the girls were really intimidated, so we prayed together, and I asked the Lord to allow us to honor Him as we played. Well, He answered that prayer and a few others throughout the course of the game. I prayed that the girls would call out to Him for help as they played. After the game, I asked the girls if they prayed during the game, and every one of them did; including those who I know have not begun a relationship with Christ. Not only that, but during the game with Osan, I prayed that if we were going to lose the last game that He would run the score up and make it really close. The score ended at 28-30. How cool is that? Thank you so much for praying for us this season. We truly had a great time worshiping the Lord in sports. Changes... I've been the Secondary English teacher at ICS for 2 years now; working on the 3rd. This year I took on the responsibility of lead teacher in the high school, and it's been a challenge, but one I will gladly take on again next year. Many of you already know that I plan to return to ICS next school year, so that information will not come as a surprise. However, not many people know that I will be moving into a position as part-time Guideance Counselor. This is an area of education that I have always been interested in, and this is a great opportunity to experience yet another new challenge. I am planning to take the GRE this coming summer and enroll in summer distance courses to begin working towards a Masters in School Counseling. I'm excited about this change, and I'm asking for your prayer support as next year I will basically start a Guideance program well....from scratch. Please pray for God to continue to enable me to do the things I am required to do. Again, I want to thank you for your faithfulness in prayer. It's invaluable. Please pray with me about.... ICS Discipleship Program. It's going well. Please pray that the students who attend the sessions would come with open hearts ready to receive the Word of God that is spoken into their lives. Please pray for the teachers who lead the discipleship times. Pray that they will remain faithful to God and live holy lives as examples. Community of Believers Please pray that our staff would unite even more closely as a community in Christ; that we would have the same mind and be led by the Holy Spirit as we make decisions together. ICS Missions Program This is new, so things are going to be in the experimental stages. We are planning to do two major school-wide missions programs a semester, beginning in the Spring. Our first focus is raising support and supplies for a school in the Middle East. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would lead the students as they think about people who are in need. Not only are we doing things at home, but we would also like to take a team of teachers and students on a short-term trip over Spring Break. We have several locations we are considering, so please pray that we would hear the voice of the Lord clearly. So that's it for now. For those of you at Carriage Hills, see you soon! For others, thanks for your interest and prayers. May this season find you at peace with the Lord. Much love and prayers, Emily Wiltshire zb183@yahoo.com ICS P.O. Box 24 Pyongtaek, Kyung-hi Do 459-600 Home |
| Pyongtaek Post December 15 |