Westerners Outing

We all went out again on the 10th June, to visit an historical village near DaeCheon Dam. The day was a little misty, but we had a great time, looking at the old villiage.


Later we went to the CheongJu fortress to show some of the others (see some earlier photos)


Afterwards we all went for dinner (Mama's and Papa's buffet pizza) We ate so much! But it was good

Visit to Brad and Laura

Some of the Foreigners (Westerners) went on the 6th June (a public holiday) to visit Brad and Laura Lemon at their school near Miwon. It was a beautiful day, and we spent a good time looking around the school, and having fellowship with each other.


We forgot the cake, but we had a great time eating watermelon
Brad and Laura made us very welcome, and have a very comfortable apartment.
We had a great time.

Trip to Soraksan with The Pastors

We went on a 2 day trip to Soraksan. This is the highest mountain in South Korea. It is situated on the north east, near the sea.
We went to Jeongdongjin beach, where we both had a ride on quadbikes. Great fun!
The boat on the hill is a hotel and restaurant.
It was beautiful to travel along by the sea. We went to a great restaurant at Sokcho. Sushi was the main menu.
That night we went ten pin bowling, and got to bed very early the next morning, after going to another restaurant at 1am for another meal.



Guess what happened the next day? We were both sick and had to be brought home early! What a disappointment! We missed the rest of the sight-seeing. We will go there again!

Chan Ho and In Kyung's Wedding

We were really blessed to attend ChanHo and InKyung's wedding on the 27th May 2006 . It was held in Seoul in the Lotte hotel. Chanho is our doctor friend, and has always been a great help to us, and many other 'foreigners', since we arrived in Korea. He asked all the 'foreigners' from Englsih worship to be there. What a beautiful wedding. The flowers were abundant and gorgeous.

InKyung had 3 beautiful wedding dresses. One for the first part of the wedding ceremony. One for the cutting of the cake (which had 5 tiers) and reception. And a traditional Korean wedding dress for the Traditional Korean part of the wedding. The embroidery on this dress was beautiful.



There were about 600 people at the wedding. 3 buses took ChanHo's friends from Cheongju to Seoul. Pastor Chung conducted the wedding, and I had to say a few words of congratulations
The food at the reception was delicious, especially for us foreigners, as there was a western style 6 course menu. (The main course being steak) We had a wonderful time, sharing in the beautiful wedding of our friends, and we will always remember the day.

Vacation in South Africa

We left for South Africa on the 21st March and returned to Korea on 14th May. We spent the first week in Capetown with our daughters, Merisca and Katy, and then went Gaansbaai for a few days with Merisca. After this we flew to Pietermaritzburg to spend the last 10 days with our son Brendan and his wife Leanne and our granddaughters Joel and Erin.











We flew on Syngapore airlines with a time difference of 7 hours altogether. The flight was great and it was good to land in CapeTown, and see the girls.

Cape Town as always was beautiful, and it was good to go to the beach again. Spending time with our grandaughters was a real bonus to the holiday.
But this web page is not about South Africa. This web is Kamminga's in Korea. We'll have another one for places we visited.

Farewell Dinner

We were taken out for dinner on 19th March as a farewell dinner to us before we left for South Africa on vaction. We also went for a drive to DaeCheon dam, and had some fun there.

Foreigners Fellowship

Foreigners Fellowship is for Westerners in the church, or anyone who is interested to attend. We meet once a month for fun and fellowship. Usually the time is spent eating something good.
Pancake evening, Hamburger night, Turkey dinner etc. We also go on outings, and ten pin bowling etc. Some good fun.

DMZ Tour

14 of us Westerners from church went to the De Militarized Zone between North and South Korea. We went to Seoul in a church vehicle, and met up with the tour bus, and tour guide for the DMZ tour. The information was extremely interesting, and also very sad. This area is controlled by the military of both North and South Korea. The first place we visited was the Unification Bridge which divides the two Koreas. Many people had returned to their families over this bridge after being apart for 50 years. Some family members are still separated by politics.
Some of us can be seen standing in front of the bridge barrier where many messages have been
left by family and friends

We also visited the new station which has been built to one day (hopefully) be a link between the two Koreas.
All the immigration buildings etc have already been built.


I had my passport stamped to show that I had been at the DMZ
There is also a special viewing place where you can look over the river and look into North Korea. The day was very misty, so we did not get very good photos of the North side. Maybe we will see it again. In this photo you can see Maria and I by a statue, trying to push the divide together.

English Worship Retreat 2006

We had our Winter Retreat at Seowon Church which is situated in the Seowon Valley near Boeun.
60 people attended of which 30 were children. The day was cold and snow was on the ground, but there was warmth in our hearts.
We arrived at 10 am by bus and had breakfast together.


Rinze led all of us in a time of "Getting to know you" with games and fun.
Even the children were very good in joining in with the games, and they were an example to many of the adults as they bravely spoke in English.
There was also a time of "Yarn Sharing" where everyone had to give their testimonies.
Worship Time was based on Romans 12:1-2 and Isaiah 64:8. "What shape are you in"



During the adults worship time, the children went on their own with Tere and helpers, and had their own childrens retreat.
They learnt about God's creation and love.
Later they came into the adults retreat, and sang a song to us, and told us about what they had learnt.




Lunch was in a restaurant near the church owned by one of the elders. The food was pork rashers barbecued on a gas ring in the center of the table, with many side dishes, and kimchee.
The idea is the take a lettuce leaf in your hand, place some meat in it with a little rice, and a little chilli or side dish of your choice. You then fold the lettuce around everything and pop this into your mouth. Yum. Very Tasty!
This was followed by group Bible Studies, and a final summing up of all that we had learnt.

After this we had recreation time and went to visit a historical national site in the area. The Sun family house built in 1912-1921 with 99 rooms. It was very interesting to see this huge traditional home.
It was beautiful inside, and the wood work was really impressive.
Traditionally 99 rooms is symbolic of a rich home in the history of Korea. Only the king of Korea could have 100 rooms or more.

We then went for supper to a restaurant on the site, and then travelled home by bus, arriving in Cheongju at 6pm.

Visitors

Derik and Doreen Smit (all the way from Kuilsrivier in South Africa) attended our service . They were visiting some Korean friends in Daejon, who brought them to English Worship. We had a lovely time chatting to them about home, and listening to their tales about their travels.

Scenes from the Main Church

There are 5 Korean Worship Services in the main church on Sunday morning, one on Sunday night, and two on Wednesday. Each of these services have a different choir of about 120 people. As can be seen by this photo, of the 11.30 worship, the choir has an orchestra. The choir sing fantastically, and although we cannot understand the words, they bring us great blessing. There is also a male voice choir in the church
Translation (through ear phone) is given in English and Russian at the 11.30 service, so we always attend this service. As has been mentioned before, the church holds 2000 people in the body of the church, and has 3 baby rooms which hold about 50 people.
Foreigners, as we are called, normally sit on one of the balconies, and the sound technichians sit on the other balcony. we have a great view from there.
This picture is Liz with the Russians. They come to Korea to work and can obtain visas for 3 months only. They must return home and reapply for visas again to come back. They are very friendly, and we have formed bonds with some of them
Sunday Evening Worship also has a Praise Team who lead us in worship. They sing so well. They are led by Bill (Yum Mog Sa Nim) who also has a very nice voice. He is also in charge of all the church music teams in the church.
These 2 photo show the elders of the church, with Pastor Chung Sam Soo (Mog Sa Nim) who in this first picture, where blessing the congreagatio on New Years Eve. Pastor Chung and his wife were also prayed for and blessed by the whole congreagation, for the coming year. They can be seen kneeling on the stage.
One Sunday night, all the choirs came together, for a Choir Festival. They sang first of all singing on their own, and then altogether. It was a fantastic sight and sound for us to see and hear.

Scenes from English Worship

English Worship is held in the Vision Hall which holds about 450 people. The attendance is between 70-90 people.
We have a Praise Team called "The Cherubim" They sing well, and are really in tune with what is required in Worship.
We started a Childrens Choir called "The King's Kids" and they sing in church once a month, learning English praise songs (See Christmas Eve play)
A Drama/Skit team has also been formed, and they perform Bi-monthly, bringing us a message in worship. They speak only in English, so it is a great confidence encourager for the young people to act in English.
Bible Study is great, and now has about 20 people attending. Both Westerners and Koreans. We have a blessed time together.

Liz's Birthday 2006

Liz had a birthday party at Nam Jae Young (Jib Sa Nim)'s apartment.

It was lovely to have all our friends there, who have been so helpful, kind and supportive over the past year. Chung Mog Sa Nim came as a surprise to everyone (by Rinze's request). A few people could not come as they were busy with other obligations.


During the evening everyone sang a song of love (in Korean) to Liz which made her cry (typical woman).


She received many wonderful, and thoughtful gifts of love.
The evening seemed to be enjoyed by everyone.

Winter 2006 - by the stream

A field trip that Rinze had with his English conversation children was to go to the Cheongju stream and play on the ice on sledges. The children had a good time. I think Rinze was very cold!



Old and young alike have fun on the ice, - even in high heels? OK!

ONE YEAR IN KOREA.

Good morning, It is now the 30th of December 2005 and we have just celebrated our first year in South Korea. We thought that this method of keeping everybody updated with what we are doing, would be better than sending individual e-mails. In case we forget to notify everybody.
SO, ......... KEEP LOOKING
Love from Rinze and Liz

Christmas Eve 2005

The King's Kids (childrens choir grade 1-3 elementary school) were asked to take part in the Christmas Eve Youth Evening in the big church. All the Sunday School groups took part in the evening. We did a nativity play in English, and we were all dressed in Traditional Korean Clothes (myself included!).
The children did so well and their English and singing were so good. They worked very hard, and were a blessing to so many.

NaeJangSa

Another beautiful place to go and see in the autumn time is Nae Jang Sa National Park which is also in the south west region of Korea. Our friends Oh Won Tae and Jeong Young Shin guided us for the day.
We went on a Monday (our relaxing day) hoping that it would not be so busy, but it was, and thousands of people were visiting the park the day we were there. All the car parks were full, and we had to walk far to reach the park from the furtherest car park. The people had all come to see the colours of autumn, and to relax in the beautiful area at that time of the year
There was also a Buddist temple in the park, and vendors were also selling traditional foods along the way. We tried to eat roasted silkwork lavae. (Not so nice) Rinze was the topic of conversation with many people and was given many strange looks and stares, because he was wearing shorts! Unheard of in Korea! Only children wear them!

Seonunsan

Seonunsan is the place to go in the autumn! It is a national provincial park in the south west, not far from the west coast. The wild flowers are beautiful, and the scenary around the temples are great. Won Tae, Young Shin and a friend, took us there for the day.

All the temples here are painted in very bright colours.
We walked next to a stream all the way to the top of the hill, stopping for a picnic on the way.A guide (a student) offered to tell us all about the history of the place, and the traditions of a Budist temple. She was very sweet, and spent the whole day with us. Along the path berry juice was being given to sight seers. (A berry of that area)

We went for a traditional Korean meal after our tour (which included eel, being the food of that area) Every time we eat in Korea, it is an experience!

Everland

The church home group (Bible study) leaders completed a course, and afterwards we were invited to go with them all on a day retreat to Everland. (Like Disneyland) All the other pastors went too. Altogether we went in 4 buses. It was good fun and we sang songs (karokie) on the bus until we arrived.
The autumn flowers and the rose garden were beautiful, but we didn't have too much time looking at them. We also avoided the small shops and amusements so that we would have time to get around the park and see all the main rides.
There were so many people at Everland! Sometimes you had to queue for 1 hour for a ride. The rides were quite exciting. Rinze went on one of the loop the loop ones, but I only went on one of the water rides. That was good enough! Bill (Yum Mog Sa Nim) and Richard (Hong Mog Sa Nim) (2 pastors in the church), came with us on some of the rides, and guided us around Everland.
The day was great, but too short to see everthing,
so we will have to go there again one day
. The picture of the buses is only part of the great car park, and gives some idea of the amount of people at the park.

English Worship Retreat

58 people attended the retreat. It was about 30 minutes away from Cheong Ju, in a little church called Ssang Sam Church. It was a beautiful place in the country inbetween all the farms. The theme for the weekend was "Being awake to see God's Glory" There were 5 Bible Study groups
and our 'Quiet times' were spent outside, walking and talking to God.
We had to wake up early for the usual excercises. This was very difficult for most of us, after our very late night the day before. A plant treasure hunt was also organised by some of the young people. Great fun, and fellowship helped us to get to know each other, and bonds were formed throughout the weekend.
We ate under a tent. Food was varied and interesting. We had one Barbecue (called Braaivleis in South Africa) with so many varieties of meats, and salads. Breakfasts were also interesting and so much variety of food, for everyone to choose from. All the food was very delicious, and the ladies worked so hard to fill our hungry appetites.
This is a picture of most of the group. Some people had already left, due to other committments.
Some of the young people sitting together eating lunch. It was great to think that so many nationalities were all united in God's love. Korean, South African, Polish, Vietnamese, Canadian and American.

Rinze's birthday

Rinze didn't want a party or a fuss this year, but we gave him a surprise lunch at Subway ( a sandwich/foot-long outlet) owned by one of the church members.(Choi Gon Sa Nim)

A few friends came, and we had some fun as we celebrated another year of blessing.
Rinze was also presented with a giant sandwich all wrapped up

In the evening we went to ChungBuk University to do our Englsih Bible Conversation class, and the young people gave Rinze another party.
The following day someone else brought Rinze another birthday cake. 3 birthday cakes! Not bad for someone who didn't want a fuss!

Dangjin

One day we took a friends twins, Daniel and Ariel on a Field trip to Dangjin which is on the west coast. We travelled from Cheongju through Cheonan, and Asan northwest to the sea. The weather was warm, and Daniel caught some fish. He was very happy! Even Rinze tried to catch some fish. We spent a few hours there, and then travelled back over the Seohae bridge on the motorway,through Pyeongtaek, and eventually arrived at our home.

Sang dang Church Retreat

On the way to the retreat our windscreen wipers gave up! The rain was very heavy, and we had to follow behind Hong Jong Hwal (Mog Sa Nim)'s car with flashing lights until we reached the venue.

During our time at the retreat we had to go and find a workshop in the village to repair the windscreen wiper motor. Very cheap!

The annual retreat for the whole church was for 2 nights, in a special suit of buildings owned by a church, with about 4 accommodation buildings. It was in a mountainous area in the north east of Korea, near a place called Jecheon and the Chaksan National Park. There were over 1000 adults attending. And probably about 200 young people.


The accommodation was great, and we had a room with bathroom. The organisation was fantastic, and the food was great. The services were wonderful, and we were blessed to have good translation by Ko Young Man (Jib sa Nim) The praise and worship was also a blessing, and we really enjoyed the fellowship, and atmosphere we shared with other Christians.

Eumseong Mission

Our King's Kids, (childrens choir) and a team of helpers went to Hyang Ae orphanage in Eumseong (1 hour from CheongJu) on a mission trip. We sang for the children, ministered to them and took gifts. We had a tour of the orphange, and had lunch with the children in their dining room.
The Orphanage orchestra also played for us, and we were very impressed with their musical ability. We invited them to come and play at English Worship in Sang Dang Church 2 weeks later. The blessed us with their ministry. Just before we left to travel home we got together for this photo with the head of the orphanage, and our team. It was a very blessed time for all of us.

Summer Vacation On Jeju Island

We decided to go to Jeju Island which is off the South Coast of Korea, for our vacation. We travelled by car to Wando island on the south coast, where we spent the day looking around. There we went to a pebble beach, and looked at all the fish shops and souvenirs.
We went over the sea to Jeju by ferry at 3pm. We met up with our friend Hey Sun and her son Isaak, who were also on vacation on the island, with their family .
We booked into a "love hotel' in Jeju city. This is a place where 'illicit affairs' take place. We found this out a 2am when the ladies said goodbye to their clients beneath our window. Our room was really great though, with bathroom on suit, TV, fridge, and huge double bed. These places are the best value for money for short, cheap holidays.

Jeju Island

We went to some beautiful resorts, and went for a swim in the sea. One day we decided to travel the 250kms around the island, looking at all the beaches, fishing villages, and resorts. It was such a beautiful time, and a very relaxing holiday for us.



It was so good to meet Hey Sun's family, and spend quality time with our Korean grandchild, Isaak. After our holiday we travelled back on the ferry, to Wando, and then home to our apartment in Cheongju.
This picture is of the room in the 'Love Hotel'

The beaches were beautiful!

English Worship Leaders Retreat

Our summer retreat was just for the leaders of English Worship. We went to a beautiful place in the coutry, for the day, and sat on the rocks in the shade. The river was running over the rocks below us, as we studied. The setting was beautiful, and relaxing.
Rinze and a few others went for a swim after lunch. We would love to go there again very soon!

Seoul

We went to Seoul for the day to do some shopping with Mr Kim. First of all we went to the English shopping centre at Itaewon. We both bought a very smart suit each!
Later we went to the top of the mountain on the cable car at Namsan park. It was a bit misty, but on a clear day I'm sure you can see many historical places from the top. Like the palace, and the biggest church etc.
After lunch we also went to the Korean war museum to see the history of Korea wars. This museum is so big, you would need at least 2 days to see everything.
It was very interesting to see that South Africa Airforce also supported Korea with the 1950 Korean war.
See the picture of the window showing the SA display.

We hired a portable cell phone type translator. When you get to a display all you do is enter the display number and listen to the translator telling you all about the display and the history of Korea.

Muju Resort

We were priveledged to go with a group of married couples on an enrichment retreat for 2 days at the beautiful Muju ski resort in the mountains. Although it was not winter, the views were beautiful.
There were several ski lifts, and ski slopes, and the hotels were built against the mountains like swiss chalets. There were also other amusements like horse riding to keep one occupied.
Elder Kim Hag Seong, took us to the top of the mountain to see the sights.

It was so peaceful and although there was no snow when we were there, the atmoshere was great, and we would love to go there again one day.

Picnic in the mountains.

One day a crowd of us went to a place in the mountains for a picnic. As you can see Rinze had to have a swim in the mountain stream. The water was cold, but the day was warm.
The walks were beautiful, and the flowers were everywhere.
Rinze found another place to swim. A beautiful clear pool in the middle of the rocks. Where there was water, Rinze could always be found in it!

CheongJu Fortress

We went with our friends Oh Won Tae (Jib Sa Nim) and Jeong Young Shin (Jib Sa Nim) to see the ChungJu fortress. It is 5Kms to walk on the wall all the way round. The wild azaleas were also very pretty. Many people go there just to sit on the lawns and walk in the country. The weather was warm and sunny. Summer is coming!






Having a cuddle for the photo!

Spring is Beautiful

The Korean spring is beautiful. Wild azaleas are everywhere in the mountains. Wild cherry trees, and other fruit trees line the streets. The flowers are so pretty.

Wedding in Korea

We were invited to go with friends to Pastor Chung's daughter' s wedding. 4 busses took all the people from Sang Dang Church to Seoul. The tradition is that the guests first eat in a big dinning room in the church, followed by the wedding ceremony. After the wedding ceremony it is time for the bride to be formally introduced to the bridegrooms family in a formal reception. After the wedding we all travelled back from Seoul to CheongJu.

Winter 2005

Korean winters are cold for us. After growing up in Africa, it took a bit of getting used to. The snow was beautiful though , and fun.
Here is a picture of us visiting one of the temples in the south near Gyeongju.
Everything was strange and new, and the food took a bit of getting used to.

Historical HaHoe Village (pic to follow)

On our journey back home from the East Coast we travelled on a different route through the mountains, past the Imhaho lake. We visited a historical village called Ha Hoe Villiage. This is near a small place called Pungsan. It was very interesting to see how Koreans used to live. It was very cold and windy that day, and we were glad to get back into our warm car and travel back home to CheongJu.

Scenes from the East Coast

The East Coast is very beautiful, with small villages, and beaches. The resort we stayed in was inland in the mountains about 20 kms from the coastal town/beach of Gusan. One of the really nice beaches was called Hupo beach.

Crab Lunch

We went to a small village that specialises in crabs and seafood called Daejin. We picked our crabs at the seaside market, and they were then sent to to the restaurant to be cooked. It was a delicious meal.

East Coast

During the special Lunar New Year Holiday in February 2005 we went away with some friends to an East Coast resort called BaeGam Hot Spring. The snow and the cold made the car very dirty, so one day Rinze and Jeong Jang Hae decided to wash it. with a hose pipe near the hotel.
It was our first experience of swimming in an indoor pool in Korea. Rinze was upset because he had to wear a swimming cap.
Another first was sleeping on thick mats on the floor. You can see from the photo there was no bed! We got used to it very quickly as the floor was warm and cosy.

Birthday Party

Liz was given a surprise birthday party! It was a real surprise! The head Pastor Chung Sam Soo was also there. We went to a restaurant where we could sit on chairs, and the menu was steak! Wow! Everyone was so kind, and thoughtful! One of the traditions on your birthday is that you have to sing a solo. (ha ha) Rinze sang with me to help! How do you like the wreath of flowers on my head?

Daecheon Dam

The first thing Rinze had to learn, was to drive a car on the right side of the road, and to drive a left hand drive car. He adaped so well and very quickly! We decided to go out one day on our own. So armed with a map and lots of courage we went for our first drive to Daecheon dam which is south from CheongJu on the way to Daejon
The weather was cold, but the sun was shining, and it was exciting to get out and about on our own in a strange land. Now we felt independant!

Introduction to the Church

Our official welcome to Sang Dang Church meant going to the front of the big church, and making a speech.

Our Apartment

We arrived at a beautiful apartment with 3 bedrooms. It also has a front and back balcony, with views of the surrounding area. Everything was in the apartment including furniture, washing machine, microwave, rice cooker, and of course a gas oven. It had been tastfully decorated, and was made so comfortable for us. Professor Jeong Jang Hae and Ha Ki Hwa had made a lot of effort to prepare our new home.
The apartment is on the 14th floor. Check out the photos of the snow from the balcony!

Arriving in Korea on 29th December 2004

We arrived at Incheon Airport, near Seoul, and were met by Jeong Jang Hae (Jib sa Nim) and Ha Ki Hwa (Jib Sa Nim), with one of the pastors from Sang Dang Church, who presented us with a huge bouquette of flowers. Wow! History has been made! We are in Korea! The 150km trip from the airport to CheongJu seemed so long, but then we were very tired.
Our first stop was Sang Dang Church, in CheongJu, (above) to meet the Head Pastor, Pastor Chung Sam Soo and the other 10 pastors. We were taken on a tour of the biggest church we have ever been in. The height of the building is equal to a 10 story apartment building. The style of the building represents Noah's Ark. The main church holds 2000 people. What a beautiful place! The whole building has 3 floors, each with smaller churches and rooms to accommodate 8000 members (sunday schools, high school students, college students, etc) What an experience for us!

INTRODUCTION

The Kammingas are in Korea! That really is a miracle. Who would have thought we would sell up and travel half way around the world to be missionaries in a church in Korea! Only thing is, God has a special plan! And we are in it!
This is a neat way to make contact with all our friends and family.
Please visit this web page anytime you want to see what we are up to.
Have fun and browse through the pictures.
Love from Liz and Rinze