A New Year in the Land of the Morning Calm

The Psalmist declares in Psalm 90:4-6, "For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night.  You carry them away like a flood; they are like a sleep.  In the morning they are like grass which grows up: in the morning it flourishes and grows up; in the evening it is cut down and withers."

As we all look forward to what the New Year presents, I am reminded of the Psalmists declaration concerning the frailty of our existence.  Each new year presents us with opportunities for growth, as well as a chance to begin again.  I eagerly await what the Lord has prepared for you and me as we tread on new ground, and as He leads us to uncharted territories.

2013 led me away from my home in East TX to a distant land a world away.  Here I have been exposed to a mixture of an ancient and contemporary cultures in a land that many of my Senior Adults saw in their youth during the Korean War.  It has been said that after the cessation of the hostilities of the Korean War, that you could not find 3 bricks stacked on top of each other in this land.  I wish that they could see Korea today.  It is a land filled with opportunity, that stands at the cutting edge of technology and innovation.  It is one of the most prosperous nations, as well as one of the leading economies in the world.

Yet with all these new found discoveries, my heart still remains in East Texas with a brilliant, blue-eyed woman who I love with all my heart, and our 4 exceptional children.  I miss spending time with my family in/around the Baton Rouge area.  I miss friends from my church at New Hebron Baptist Church, as well as back home in/around Baton Rouge.  I have missed birthdays and other times of celebration, but I thank God for His strength and sufficiency through it all.

I am blessed to be loved by so many.  I truly do not deserve the expressions of appreciation and encouragement that have been expressed to me, but I cherish every card, e-mail, text, FB post, and phone call that further affirms the calling of God on my life.  I could have never imagined God opening the door for me to serve in this distant land.  I am blessed beyond measure to serve at Special Operations Command Korea.  In this Joint Command environment I have the distinct privilege to serve with some of the best men/women in the military and DOD.  They are truly an instrument that the Lord is using to further shape me into a vessel of honor for Him.  I have been blessed to touch many lives with the life-changing power of the Gospel here in Korea.

In the last few months 3 specific ministries blessed me with their cooperation in support of 3 orphanages here in Korea.  The people of New Hebron Baptist Church, Greenwell Springs Baptist Church Early Learning Center, and Sandy Creek Baptist Church provided embroidered blankets, sock hats, winter coats, and gloves for these orphaned children.  I have attached a few photos of us presenting the items to the orphanages.  They do not allow pictures of the children, but we are joined in the photos with some of the Mothers who oversee the orphanages.

I have also posted some photos of me & Finn (my adopted dog) and our Charlie Brown Christmas tree with one Elysian Fields High School ornament hanging on it that was generously provided by some great friends back in EF at NHBC.

I guess that's all for now, but I pray that you will live each moment of the next year as if it were your last.  Sow mercy, grace, forgiveness, encouragement, hope, and love into the lives of those within the sphere of your influence.  Never forget that the Lord has a plan to use the immeasurable potential He has placed inside of you to advance His Kingdom and glorify His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

A Fellow Pilgrim,

Joe Sherwin