The door opens wider

I was able to meet with the pastor/principal here last Tuesday. God definitely went before me. I told the pastor that it was time for us to part ways like Paul and Barnabas separated to do more ministry. I explained that God had opened a door we needed to go through. He was very gracious in the meeting and understood us leaving. Several times in the meeting he stated that we were Christian brothers and that he wanted to maintain a friendship and to pray for each other. I agreed with him on this matter. I also gave him my proposal about giving us the furniture in the apartment as past payments. This was offered to give him an honorable way to get out of his debt and it would help us move on to our new position. He said he would like to read over the papers and he would give them back to me in the next couple of days. He gave them all back to me the next day. He was very sad giving them to me, but he understood that God was moving. This has removed a barrier between us and has relieved a burden from him. I had a meeting with him on Friday and he asked how things were going with our paperwork for updating my visa. He has listed our apartment to be able to rent it out to someone else. This makes one more bill he doesn't have to pay. Now, he is able to focus more on the school without having to worry on so many debts. I received an email of my new contract for review and should have a copy of it to sign in the next few days. I will send all of my paperwork back to the new school so they can get them processed at the immigration office. When they have my approval number, I will have to leave the country to go to a Korean consulate and get my new visa. This will be done in Taiwan or Japan, probably. We are supposed to move on Tuesday the 22nd or Wednesday the 23rd. My parents are supposed to arrive on Friday the 25th. Lastly, I am supposed to start my new job on August 4th. It sounds like so much to do in such a short time, but I don't really have any stress over it at all. God has given us peace about this whole situation. Please continue to pray for us as we try to accomplish all of this in this timetable.

In His service,

Derek (for the Woods)

Closed Doors, Open Doors

Closed Doors

As most of you know, we have been in Korea for a little over 6 months and have received less than $4,000 from the school where we work. It isn't that they don't want to pay us, they just don't have the money. The school only has 13 students. They are trying to pay for the school expenses (rent, utilities, loans, food, books, etc), our apartment rent, and their own bills (rent, utilities, food, etc.). There just isn't enough money for all of the expenses. When he contracted with us, the agreement was we would be paid every month for our work. Last month, I talked to him about him fulfilling his obligation to pay us. I told him that I didn't see that there was anyway he could pay us on a consistent basis with the current situation. He paid me in two installments what he owed me for my teaching for May. We had Pamela stop teaching in the school and start homeschooling again. He told me that he would make paying me a priority each month. He said that he would pay me in full without fail on the 3rd. He said that if anything came up where he couldn't, he would tell me a week in advance. On the 3rd of this month, he told me he didn't have the full amount and that he would pay me half as soon as possible and the other half by the 20th. This weekend he put a fourth of my monthly salary in my account. I talked to him last month explaining about keeping our word and not sinning by making promises that he couldn't fulfill. On top of this, there is little to no communication between us. I am supposed to administer testing on Friday to my students to evaluate them to see about their placement for next semester. He hasn't told me what he wants on the test or how he wants them evaluated. I asked him last week about it and all I got were some generalities, then he proceeded to tell me which students he was planning on putting in what class. So, it seems the test is just to tell the parents the children were tested to put them in whatever class he deems they need to be in instead of what their ability shows. This is just one example of the many communication problems we have had. So, needless to say, we feel that God has closed the door for us here at this school. That leads us to our next section, open doors.

Open Doors

While I was having the meetings with the pastor last month about his integrity and paying us, I called several friends from our home church that live here in Korea to update them and have them pray. I spoke with one couple, the Williams, and they told me about a friend of theirs that had a school that would need teachers, but when I called her she didn't need anyone until September. I spoke with another couple, the Levundusky's, and they said they had a friend that was planning on expanding his school, but they weren't sure when. They asked if I would mind them mentioning me to him. I said that would be fine. Their friend, Mr. Kim IkSang emailed me and told me that he wasn't needing anyone until September himself either, but he had a friend that needed a teacher or two as soon as possible. He forwarded my information to them and we have been corresponding back and forth for a couple of weeks. This school is in the Bundang area of Seoul which would put us closer to many things. Currently, we are in a brand new small city over three hours away from Seoul. This school teaches character from Character First in their kindergarten and they have opened the language school to continue teaching character along with English. I had a meeting this last Sunday with Mr. Kim, the school owner, and the school director to discuss our requirements for coming. Everything we needed to be able to come, they said would be no problem. We are finalizing the contract terms now and should have everything done on it by the end of the week. I am going to be talking with Mr. Kim after school tomorrow. Please pray that all goes well with our meeting. Since he owes us over $10,000, we are going to try to alleviate the debt by asking for the large furniture in the apartment like the refrigerator, bed, wardrobe, and the washing machine. I am going to propose that he give us these items and we will call the debt paid. Also, please pray for us as we will be moving in two weeks. After we move, my parents are coming on vacation and will be here for a week. Please pray as I will have to leave the country to update my visa sometime during this time also. I will start on August 4th at the new school. God sure does move in mysterious ways. Before we came to Korea, I met with our pastor to tell him about our trip and to have him write a letter of recommendation. Pastor Jerry Wells may not tell you he is a prophet, but his words from that meeting certainly came true. This is what he told me, "What are you going to do if when you get there, this school can't pay you. As a Christian, you don't want to take a fellow Christian to court. So, you will hit your knees and ask God to help you and provide for your needs. Remember, Derek, that sometimes God will move you one place to get you to another where he wants you to be." These were definitely prophetic words for us and I have held on to them for the last six months. I think that the part about God moving you one place to get you to another may come true many times over in my life in the coming years. Thank you all for all of the time you have spent before the throne of grace on our behalf. I want you to know that He has been faithful to hear and answer exceeding and abundantly over what you could ever know. If there is anything we can lift up to the Father on your behalf, feel free to email me and we will pray for you.

In His service,

Derek

Most people would say that I am a new missionary, considering I have only been in Korea for 6 months. I would say that I have been a missionary for years, only now I have crossed the ocean to continue what was started in America. The mission hasn't changed, just the location. The mission continues to be the same one that Jesus started and has been carried on through the centuries; to seek and save that which was lost and be a servant. I am serving now in the capacity of a teacher in a Christian school. I find it quite ironic that God sent me halfway around the world to have me teach in a school that uses American textbooks and is totally taught in English. I mean he could just as easily let me stay in America and teach the same material as I am teaching now. There are many schools that use the same Bob Jones curriculum there. I also find it funny that he would move us here to confirm that we are supposed to homeschool our children. God definitely has a sense of humor. For years, my wife and I were burdened for the hispanic people. We worked at a Spanish speaking church, had friends who were hispanic and even lived in a predominantly hispanic neighborhood. However, God decided we needed to go to South Korea. When we came here, I didn't know any Korean language and had only met a few Koreans. I didn't know anything about the country, it's people, or it's history. I am learning much about these things each day.

Before coming to Korea, I spent many hours passing out tracts, talking to people one on one or in small groups, and occasionally preaching in the open air. I sometimes went with a team, or if no one else was available, I went by myself. I enjoyed this very much, but God wanted to stretch me spiritually so he arranged for me to come to Korea. If you want to know more about how we came to be in Korea or about our current situation you can read my other blog.

Welcome

This blog is dedicated to my musings about theology, apologetics, evangelism, cross-cultural communication, cultural differences, and the Bible in relation to Christ's mission for all of us to make disciples of all nations. Sometimes, the musings will be serious and at others they will be very humorous. I hope you enjoy the writings. If you have any questions, or comments feel free to leave them here. Please remember that these are my musings and my memoirs, so they will be slanted in that they are my personal viewpoints. You may or may not agree with all things written.

6 months in Korea

We have been a complete 6 months in Korea now. I think we may have learned more than we have taught in the last six months. I know that God has been using this time to mold me. There is one thing that I know for sure; being molded is a painful experience. It is through difficult circumstances that God is able to change us the most. I want to be more like Christ, but I don't like the work and suffering to get there. God has truly been working on my character. He has been teaching me about patience, deference, mercy, meekness, flexibility, faith, discernment, discretion, resourcefulness, decisiveness, wisdom, determination, tolerance, contentment, forgiveness, and endurance. (If you want definitions for each of these qualities, click here.) Let's just say that God is still working on me to make me what he wants me to be.

After having two encounters of confrontation with the pastor, we have finally been paid one person's monthly salary. He paid part of the payment on the 4th and the rest on the evening of the 17th. On the afternoon of the 17th, I called a hagwon (academy) owner in the Cheonan area to see about the possibility of teaching at her school. This is a Christian lady that is friends with Cathy and Terrill Williams from our church in Oklahoma. Her school has been established for quite some time and she came highly recommended from the Williams. She said that she would love to have me come teach, but that she doesn't need anyone till September. On Friday the 13th, I had called another man from my church in Oklahoma that is currently in Korea. His name is Tim Levendusky and he works for IBLP-Korea and CTI-Mongolia. He is the one who gave the character training class I attended in March. He is also the one that I went to see in the Seoul area a couple of weeks ago to attend a homeschool meeting and to purchase some character curriculum for my family and the school. At this meeting, I had informed him of our situation and he had been praying for us. I called him to give him an update and to have him pray. He gave me some good advice and prayed with me over the phone. During the conversation, he mentioned that one of the people who has translated for them before has a kindergarten and is looking to open an English hagwon (academy or institute). He said he would mention us to him then next time they spoke. I received an email from this man on Tuesday the 17th also. He is looking for some teachers that understand character and will be able to help teach character as well as English. His school is in the city of Anyang which is very close to Seoul. He is going to open his school in September. So, it looks as if God is preparing us to leave here and start somewhere else in September. The school semester here will end on July 25th. On that same day, my parents will come to visit for 10 days. We will probably take the rest of August to get my visa changed over to a new school. I may have to leave Korea to complete the visa process, but I don't have to come all the way back to America to do it. I can fly to Japan and go to the Korean consulate to do it. My parents when they leave are going to spend 4 days in Tokyo, so I may have to crash in their hotel for a couple of days to complete this process.

Praise God that we have received a payment from the school. Please continue to pray for us as we transition Pamela and the kids back to homeschooling. We don't have a lot of curriculum here for teaching, but they are going to concentrate for the next couple of months on Korean language learning. We have some video lessons, a computer language program, and they will go three times per week to the school to continue lessons with the pastor's wife. Please pray as we try to discern God's leading as to what he wants to do with us here in Korea.

Special Update

Many of you are wondering, and some have asked, what happened in my meeting with the pastor/principal. So, this update is just to let you know what I said to the pastor and what the outcome has been so far. I am copying the letter that I wrote to the pastor and used as an outline to talk to him so you can somewhat see my reasoning. I will continue the story after the letter.

Pastor Kim, June 5, 2008

The Bible tells us that we are supposed to live at peace with all men as far as it is possible with us. I want to ask your forgiveness for having bitterness and anger in my heart at times because of the situation we are presently in. I have asked for God’s forgiveness in this and would like for you to forgive me also.

I now need to talk with you about our current situation very frankly. This is very difficult for me to do, but I feel it is necessary. I know you are under a great burden with your school and with the situation. I have shared in your burden and have spent many hours praying about what my personal responsibility and my family’s responsibility has been. After months of prayer, I feel the Lord has revealed the problem and how we can fix it. Matthew 18:15 tells us if we have been sinned against, we should go to him alone and try to reconcile.

Reconciliation

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

(Mat 18:15)

Before I came to Korea, you said you wanted to do right for my family and you offered to pay us for each month of teaching, but this has not been done. I understand that this is a new school, but the Bible is clear that we should fulfill our vows.

Yes be Yes/Promises

But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

(Jas 5:12)

Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.

(Mat 5:37)

It is also very clear that we should pay those whom we owe money.

Pay what is owed

Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

(Rom 13:7)

The following verse also tells us to owe no man anything except to love.

Owe no one

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

(Rom 13:8)

The school is running right now on your credit. This does not honor God. I personally owe people in the states for medical services. I told many of these people I would pay them as I started getting paid here.

Above Reproach

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

(1Ti 3:2)

As a pastor, you should be above reproach. You are bringing reproach upon the name of Christ by not fulfilling your promises to my family and by living contrary to God’s word about credit and debt.

Like Jesus

Rom 8:29

(29) For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Character exhibited

Meekness- yielding my rights to be paid

Deference- putting other people’s needs above my own. (Pamela going home, we felt two months ago she should)

Patience-

humility

Father’s Responsibility

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

(Eph 6:4)

Deu 6:6-9

(6) And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

(7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

(8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

(9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

God has called me to live out his words to my children and to teach them to them at all times. I am responsible for what they learn, who they have as friends, what they listen to, and to ensure that they know God’s word.

Mother’s Responsibility

Tit 2:3-5

(3) Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,

(4) and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,

(5) to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Pamela also has a responsibility that we have yielded for her to be teaching in this school. I believe God has done this for a reason. He has confirmed to us through this experience that we are supposed to homeschool. This will allow Pamela to fulfill the above by working at home.

God has taught me many things through this time and has grown my character. I thank Him for molding me through this time.

Considering we have not been paid our salaries, there are several things that need to happen now.

1. First, Pamela and the children need to stay home and let her teach them there. She will maintain teaching for a short time for you to have enough time to re-arrange things.

2. Second, you need to pay us for our labor here as you promised to do.

3. Third, if you can’t pay us, you need to give us a letter of release so we can find another place to work that can pay us. The Bible says that a father who doesn’t provide for his family is worse than an infidel. The contract was voided on February 3^rd when you didn’t pay us, but we have been gracious for four months trying to work this out. I will maintain teaching here until I am able to find another position somewhere else. You can consider this my notice and we can discuss the final date as circumstances arise.

Beginning this week, we will not be attending church at JDC also. We have many things we need to be training into our children. We are not able to do this through the church, so we are going to have our church at home. I pray you will understand our reasoning.

In conclusion, I am not angry or bitter at you. I don’t come to you just to demand my rights, but feel that God cannot be honored without us resolving this issue. I pray that you have heard my heart and know that I care for you and your family, the students at the school, and the members of the church. I don’t want any evil to come upon you.

In His service,

Derek L. Woods

So, Pamela and the children will begin homeschooling again after June 20th. This gave him some time to adjust schedules so that all classes can be taught. This was the first point of reconciliation in my letter. I didn't give him options on this, I just told him it had to happen. He was fine with this, although he did ask if Samuel and Adriel could stay in the school since they were already here and had textbooks. I firmly told him that this was not negotiable.

The next point was he needed to pay me or release me. He paid me $800 of the $2000 he owes. He hasn't paid Pamela anything since we have come. He paid $200 in April, $600 in May, and had already deposited $800 in June the day before our meeting. He was planning on only paying me $800 even though last month I told him I needed at least one person's salary every month. I told him that I knew he was probably not prepared to answer me right then and that I wanted him to pray and talk to his wife about it first. Friday was a holiday, so he had three days to think about it, pray, and discuss it. I told him we would need to talk by Monday after school. This meeting was very difficult for me, but he was gracious in receiving my words. I don't like confrontation. Most people don't. On Monday, after school, he stopped me in the hallway and asked if he could have one more day to pray. At first, I said okay, but I went into my office and my spirit would not let me leave it. So, I went back to the pastor and asked to go ahead and talk. I told him that he had three days to pray about it and that one more day wouldn't change the situation at all. I told him that we needed to be honest. I told him that I didn't see any way he could pay me and maintain paying all of the other bills he has. I said that he needs to be honest with me and tell me if he can pay me the rest of the money for this month and on the 3rd every month thereafter. He said he didn't have the rest of the money for this month right now, but that he would by the 18th, next Wednesday. I asked him if he could pay that and still come up with the $2000 he would owe me on the 3rd. He assured me he could. I asked to step out of the room for a minute and went to talk to Pamela. I wasn't sure what to do. I felt like I should just tell him to write me a letter or release, but I didn't tell Pamela my thoughts. I asked her and she said that if he could pay, then we should stay. I went back and told him that we would agree to being paid the rest by the 18th and then a full payment on July 3rd. My gut feeling is that he is stalling and won't be able to pay me. He has a field trip scheduled for next Thursday to a city one hour away. This means he is going to be renting another bus to take the children. If he tells me on Wednesday that he can't pay, I am going to hand him a letter of release to sign that I will already have drafted and printed. This second meeting was harder than the first. As I said before, I don't like confrontation and I have had to do it twice in less than a week. Now, I think I will have to do it again next week, because the pastor's pattern is to put off everything as long as he can. Please pray for us during the next weeks as there is likely to be more confrontations. I have tried in my dealings to speak the truth in love. I covet your prayers for my family during this time. We are being tried and we are not always passing the tests. Please pray that we will depend on the Spirit to guide us and to continue to seek Godly counsel.

In His service,

Derek

5 (and a half) months in Korea

This update is late and I apologize. We have traveled some in the last few weeks and I have started an online course also. This has caused me to not have as much free time to write.

We have been in Korea for over 5 months now and have only received around $1200 of compensation. Several hundred of that has been from the pastor buying our groceries. In April, he gave us $200 and in May $600. When he talked to me in May, his first question was, "How much money do you have? Are you doing OK or do you need money?" I didn't answer the first question about how much money we have, because he didn't really need to know. I explained that it was time for us to start being paid. We were promised $2000 each/month for teaching. We haven't even had one month's salary for one person yet. I told him that we needed to see at least one person's salary this month because we can't live forever on no income. I know that God is the one who provides, but I also know that man should honor his word. I know that God uses difficult circumstances to develop His character in us. I have learned patience(which I didn't pray for), meekness (yielding my rights to be paid), humility, truthfulness(keeping my word), and deference(putting the needs of others before my own). After three months of prayer and study, I feel that it is time to confront the pastor. In Matthew 18, it tells believers to confront someone who has sinned against them and try to reconcile. I am planning on doing that this Thursday. PLEASE PRAY!!! I do not like this type of confrontation, but I feel it is necessary. As I have been studying character qualities, I have learned that we should be people of our word. As the Bible says, "let your yea be yea and your nay, nay." This pastor promised and contracted with us for a payment for services rendered and has not fulfilled it. He has purchased things that were not necessities for the school, has paid for a tour bus trip to Seoul for the school, but hasn't been able to pay us. As a pastor of a church the Scriptures say he should be above reproach. He is bringing reproach on the name of Christ by not fulfilling his promises. He also has started and grown this school on credit, not on the reliance of the Lord's provision. He goes deeper and deeper in debt each month. However, he talks about how he is going to have 5 or 6 classes in September, yet can't pay the teachers he has now. There are also philosophical differences on education between us. Lastly, there are Biblical differences between us. He is very liberal in his interpretation of Scripture in my opinion and he doesn't look at the historical background and context of the passages. He prefers teaching about having a vision for your life and positive thinking than giving a Biblical message. Once again, PLEASE PRAY as I will be talking to him on Thursday afternoon Korean time.

In His service,

Derek