Week 1

Hello friends and family!

I hope everyone is doing well! I was going to update my blog next weekend after my first week of teaching, but I had some time this morning before church. The past week I have been training at Poly Magnet school. It has been great! My coworkers are so kind and helpful! I am very blessed and thankful to have them. My students are so adorable!!! In Korea, they don't say Ms. Hughes. They say Jena Teacher. So as I walk the halls of the school, I often times hear some of the students yelling "Jena Teacher" "Jena Teacher" and they run up and give me a hug...so cute!!! Additionally, the whole week, I was living in a hotel. My apartment wasn't ready yet, but it was fine because the hotel was about a 2 minute walk from the school. Yesterday (Saturday), I moved into my new apartment, unpacked...FINALLY, and walked around the neighborhood for a while in the evening. Here are a few pictures of my apartment and a picture of the buildings across the street. The clouds are really cool! 

Moving to a new place let alone a new culture and country that doesn't speak your language is very difficult. There have been moments of loneliness and tears. It's uncomfortable and scary, but God doesn't want me to be comfortable. I've been working on leaning on Him especially in those moments. It's been challenging but it's brought me even closer to Him. 

As I begin my first day and week of teaching, can you please keep me in your prayers?? There is a lot to remember and do and I am praying that God would help me not get too overwhelmed. I need to remember He is there with me always. Please pray that I remember I don't have to be the "perfect" teacher, I just need to do the best I can. I am here for a reason so I will do this with a heart for God and a way to serve Him and His kingdom. 

Thank you friends and family!! Love you all. 

God bless,

Jena 

The Start of a New Adventure :)

Hello!!

Well here I go...I am off to South Korea in 2 days! What an adventure it will be!! :) I wanted to share with you some information about what the next year will look like. I will be teaching English at a school in Cheonan, South Korea. Cheonan is in northwest South Korea about an hour bullet train ride south of Seoul and give or take 15 hours ahead of most of you. I will be there for at least 1 year and will not be returning to the states during my contract. I will be teaching 1st-5th grade which will be a challenging yet very rewarding experience. I am so excited to see how the LORD will use this amazing opportunity HE has blessed me with to bring HIM glory. HE has given me a passion not only for children but for the nations and so my heart is full of so much joy as I embark on this journey of a lifetime. Thank you to all my family and friends for your love, support, and prayers during the start of this next chapter. I love you all and will stay in touch via this blog, email, Skype, and Facebook.  You will not be able to text or call me using regular U.S. rates. However, if you have an iPhone, you can download an app called WhatsApp. It's lime green and has an image of a phone on it. You can send messages, pictures, videos, and call using this app and it is used to stay in contact with your friends and family who are in other parts of the world.

This past week has been a roller coaster. Fear, anxiety, worry has gripped me at times but in those moments, I have been praying that God would ease my fears and replace them with faith. He has called me to this, therefore He will get me through it. Something that has helped was the advice my mom gave me recently. She said, "Jena, don't worry about the final result of all this, enjoy the journey God has you on now. Maybe there are things along this journey He wants to teach you and show you." This is definitely outside my box and very uncomfortable, however God doesn't want me to be comfortable. It gives me the opportunity to trust Him even more.

Will you please keep me in your prayers. Please pray that I arrive safely to Cheonan and that settling in will go smoothly. Also, that my eyes remain on God during this time of uncertainty and change both for me and my family. Thank you. :)

Britt Nicole is a Christian artist and one of her songs has been very encouraging. Here's the link if you'd like to listen. It has helped me focus on what is important. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeTu8twnGvU


Isaiah 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 

I will talk to you soon! God bless!

Jena