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Easter Sunday Heading East


A blessed and joyful Easter Day to you!

It's after midnight, early Easter morn, and the family is sound asleep.
The Easter eggs are dyed and ready to be hidden for the girls to hunt in the backyard, which they still love to do every year, even though they are fully teenagers. Easter Sunday Service at Central Pres promises to be one of great music with the sound of joyful Easter bells in celebration of the ancient Christian (pre-Christian) Feast.

Several years ago, when I was first involved in ministry to the children of Chernobyl, I learned how to say in Russia the traditional Easter greeting: Kristos Voskres! Voistinu voskres! (Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!)

But this Easter Rebecca and I are heading East. We fly late tonight to South Korea to teach and preach and be among the Korean Methodists. Now I need to learn the Korean version of the Easter greeting: Kristo gesso! Buhar ha sho nay!

Our hosts and sponsors for this week are Dr. Se Hyoung, Professor of Systematic Theology at Hyupsung University Graduate School and Dr. Younglae Kim, Professor of Christian Education at Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea.

They invited us to co-lead a 4-day 'spiritual direction' retreat for Methodist pastors and their spouses based on the Korean edition of our newly published book by Henri Nouwen entitled Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith.


http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Direction-Wisdom-Long-Faith/dp/0060754737

If you want to follow our Travel Log this week, here's our daily schedule:

April 8, 2007

Depart JFK for Seoul, Korea

April 10

Arrival at Incheon in the early morning
Rev. Jongbok Kim and Mrs. Kim, and Dr. Se Hyoung Lee will pick us up at Incheon Airport and help us check-in at Lavidol Hotel near Hyupsung University.

Lunch at Hotel
hosted by Hyupsung University (with the President of Hyupsung
Univ. Dean of Theological School, Dean of Graduate School, Chaplain, and Rev. Kim and Mrs. Kim)

1:30 p.m. Afternoon Worship with the Graduate School Students at Hyupsung
(Rev. Rebecca J. Laird will preach)

2:30 p.m. - 5:20 p.m. Dialogue with Students at the class (Topic:
Henri Nouwen's Spirituality. Presider: Dr. Se Hyoung Lee)

6:00 p.m. Dinner
hosted by Yeonsoo First Methodist Church
Stay at Laviedol Hotel

April 11

Check in Elim House (where the pastors' retreat will be held)
Retreat begins at 7:00 p.m. on April 11 and ends at 7pm on April 14, 2007.

April 14

Check in Songdo Ramada Hotel

April 15

Dr. Christensen to preach at Yeonsoo First Methodist Church.
Interpreter: Dr. Se Hyoung Lee

Dr. Young Lae Kim will host Rev. Rebecca J. Laird who will preach at Seshin Methodist Church.

Lunch: Traditional Korean Feast followed by Korean traditional musical, visit to historical sites (Insadong, Namdaemoon, Namsan's Korean House, Kyoungbok Palace and
others) and shopping.

Stay at Incheon Songdo Ramada Hotel

April 16

Free day

April 17

Return to USA

I will try to post a Travel Blog as time allows, and reflect a bit on Korean culture, church and society, and see what connection there may be (if any)to my Malawi mission--the main theme of this Blog site.

Thanks for visiting my Travel Blog.
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