Burning

We use this word in many ways. You could say, "I am burning the candle at both ends" to say you are very busy. You could also say, "I have a burning desire to..." to say that we really want to do something. It can also be used to say, "I am burning out" to mean that we are getting tired of a particular situation. I could actually say all three of these about my self right now.

I am burning the candle at both ends because I am working my full-time job at the kindergarten, am teaching one private lesson a week, am attending an evangelism class after that, am teaching English to North Korean women refugees every other week, and am meeting with one to two people a week to share the Gospel through my evangelism class. Now add to that that I am married with 5 children and living in a foreign country and you can see why I would say that I am burning the candle at both ends.

I could also say that I am burning out. My class schedule seems to be one of non-stop classes with no time to prepare for the next one. I am supposed to have time each day to prepare for my upcoming classes, but that has pretty much disappeared. I either have to stay late or arrive early to prepare. Luckily, I am pretty good at winging things and one lesson plan teaches multiple classes. I still feel very tired and am in need of a good vacation away from work.

Lastly, I have several burning desires. Mainly, I have a burning desire to share the gospel with the people here in Korea. I am fulfilling part of this desire by evangelizing through my church, but I am only witnessing to foreigners from America, Canada, or elsewhere. I desire to share with Koreans in Korean. I also have a desire to see family and friends that I haven't seen in over a year. My final burning desire is to know God's will for my family here in Korea.