The Wedding Run

>Date: Saturday, 28 March
Time: 3:18:57
Distance: 15.92 miles
우리는따로였던 두 영혼 앤드류 링크하트와 강유리가 이 결혼의 서약을 통해 하나로 함께 되는 것을 축하하고 기뻐하기 위해 모였습니다
Friends we are gathered to celebrate the coming together of two separate lives, to rejoice with Andrew Linkhart and Yuri Kang as they enter into this marriage covenant.
Woo-ri-nuen / ddaro-yut-dun/ du young-hone /Andrew Linkhart-wa / KangYuri-ga /e-kyul-hone-nui / sah-yah-kuel / tong-hae / hah-nah-ro / ham-ggae / dwae-nuen- guh-suel / chookha-hah-go / ghi-bbauh-hah-ghi, we-hae / mo-yut-suem-ni-da Just a few simple words. The groom was a handsome young American. The bride a beautiful young Korean. This was a very special day for Andrew and Yuri. Andrew’s twin brother and his parents from Longmont Colorado were here. Friends and extended family were present. The focus of the day should be on these two wonderful people who have blessed my life with their friendship. I now had the honor of officiating at the ceremony. I had practiced all week a few simple lines in Korean. Kim Me, who translated what I had written and served in that role during the ceremony, had patiently worked with me on diction, pronunciation, phrasing.

Is it possible to have language dyslexia? I swear the words that came out of my mouth are not the words in my brain. I have officiated at dozens of weddings spanning 35 years of ministry. Why was I so nervous with this one? Thankfully, the congregation had no interest in paying attention to the foreign minister. The focus was on the bride and groom. And a lovely wedding it was. It was so much fun to be a part of this celebration.

However, having a wedding buffet before a 16-mile run is NOT smart. I begin with this introduction to my long run because of what happened during the next three hours. As I headed down through Yonhidong, the words that I could not pronounce correctly or memorize were now flowing freely as I rounded corners, crossed streets, and moved with traffic. I could shout out the vows to folks passing by and they instantly recognized the words I was saying. I put the phrases of Shin-boo Yuri, hah-nue-nim-ggae / soon-jong-hah - yah / doo-sah-rahm-e / hahm-ggae / hah-nuen / sal-muel / chi- jahk- hah-myun - sah / kyul-hone-ui / sung-yak-uel /bah-dah-d(t)uel-(ria)yuh / Andrew-ruel / dahng-shi-nui/ shi-rahng-ue-ro / mah-ja / oh-nuel-boo-tuh / ah-pro / gyae-soke / jo-uel-ddae-na / nah-bbuel-ddae-na / booyoo-hahl -ddae-na / ga-nahn-hahl-ddae-na / ah-puel-ddae-na / gun-gahng-hahl-ddae-do / suh-ro / sah-rang-hah-go / ah-gge-gaet-suem-ne-gga? 신부 유리는 하느님께 순종하여 두 사람이 함께 하는 삶을 시작하면서, 결혼의 성약을 받아들여 앤드류를 신랑으로 맞아 오늘부터 계속, 좋을 때나 나쁠 때나, 부자일 때나 가난할 때, 아플 때나 건강할 때도 사랑하고 아끼겠습니까? to the music of Aretha and Willie. I introduced the couple to congregations gathered at stop lights and street crossings: Ghi- bbuen / ma-huemeuro / Kang Yuri -wa / Andrew Linkhart / bubu-ruel / yah-rah-b(p)oon-gge / so-gae-hahm-ni-da. (It is my pleasure to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Kang-Linkhart.) Folks would pretend either not to hear, or step back, clearing the way for the crazy guy. Words that would not come out properly during the ceremony, were now forcing themselves through my teeth, as if I had turned on the self-cleaning button on the oven. (You know, the ones, that once the cycle begins, you cannot stop until it is finished!) It was only in the exhaustion of mile 15 that the words subsided and I could think again.

Outside my head, Seoul was a busy city on this Saturday afternoon. Filled with hope and Hite, dozens of protesters rallied at Seoul Station around the cause of the oppressed. Police busses lined the streets coming into the station. Further down the boulevard, in the Yongsan area, another protest was in progress regarding the plight of poor home owners being forced out of thier homes by the government, some of whom had lost their lives in a severe fire just two months ago. Running along the railroad tracks, I passed a food kitchen sponsored by a local church. As I swung through the Hongik University Campus, a group of students were passing out phamplets raising awareness of the extreme conditions of poverty in North Korea.

In the last mile, I passed through a block long neighborhood of simple one-room homes, some with tin roofing. Two women were squatting in the street, sharing the news of the day. See, the poor are invisible in the shadows of the multistory apartment buildings that are so prevalent in Seoul—but they are here, just as they are present across the urban landscape of our global village.

Often the poor only have words with which to fight their cause. Their voices are their only weapon. They need to be heard. But will we listen? Join me in running to end poverty one child, one family, one village at a time. Lift your voice in their cause. Let your words flow.

Catching Up

Oksu Station, Line 3 up Cheongyecheon Stream to Cheongye Plaza, back Jongno Blvd to Kwangjang Market crossing Cheong gye to Bangsan Market, west to the Hammer Man and on past Ahyeon Furniture Street and Ewha Wedding Street into Sinchon and home

Date: Friday, 20 March

Distance: 14.39

Time: 3:04:08

Walk to Soccer Field, hit the track for speed run, and then back through ‘hood.

Date: Sunday, 22 March
Distance: 8 laps on track
Time: 22:13

Leisurely jog into campus, then aerobic workout on steps of Amphitheater.

Date: Monday, 23 March
Distance: 3864 steps Yonsei Amphitheater
Time: 25:02

Seodaemun-gu run past Gu office around back on Ansan, past Independence Park, through Kyonggi University Campus back into Sinchon and home

Date: Wednesday, 25 March

Distance: 7.14 miles

Time: 1:22:52

Time is piling up like dirty laundry and I really need to get back on schedule with the blog, so here are the latest stats. Yes, I have been, thankfully, staying on schedule with the runs, just not disciplining myself to be accountable via the blogging. The building is in the final stages of construction and we have spent considerable time there the last few days. As we move into relocation mode and develop work schedules for a variety of projects, even Jenny gets ignored. Running this week has an added urgency, as I try to shed one more kilogram before the wedding of Andrew Linkhart and Yuri Kang on Saturday. Not sure it will stick—these last two week, I have a ravenous appetite following the long runs.

The Comfort women are back in the news. These women, survivors of WWII, continue to testify of the horror and violence of being kept as prostitutes for the Japanese army during that dark time. Unfortunately is it not so different today. A recent entry on outreach-international.org goes, “When we think of poverty, images of sick children, starving mothers, war and more come to mind. But there are many more abuses of the poor. Most residents in impoverished communities do not own their homes, making them susceptible to the whim of the owners. Homes are made of impermanent materials and need repair often. When unskilled families attempt to fix things themselves, leaking roofs and broken toilets remain…Sometimes parents allow their children to migrate to find jobs in other regions, but it is risky because they can become victims of sex- and labor-trafficking industries. Even when children remain in school, some teachers require them to spend long hours cleaning the school, rather than learning in it, and even require children to buy food and equipment from them personally.

Outreach International helps persons who are taken advantage of. Helping people come together in a working community … People become empowered to resist abuse. And meet their challenges in new ways.”

The Japanese occupation in Korea was one of abject poverty. To force young women into army brothels was often seen as a step up from the squalor of their living conditions created by an unjust and violent occupation of their homes. Join me in running to end poverty one child, one family, one village at a time.

The Kitchen Sink or Sometimes a Run is Living Life

Distance: 5.1 miles
Time: 1:17:20

After a wimp week of making excuses about the cold and rain, I hit the pavement today. This was my first walk-run since last November. When I think of "going for a run" it is usually with a distance/time goal and specific training tasks along the way, like speed work, tempo run, sprints, hill training, yada, yada. Now, honestly, you know I suck at some of it--like my speedwork is Jack's turtle run, and hill training sometimes becomes survival training--but I do make the effort.

But sometimes "going for a run" just becomes living life. Today was one such run. First, I was trekking to A4 translation to drop off some stuff. On the way, I passed the Yonsei University Traditional Folk Music Drumming Team out practicing on the Soccer Field. One of them recognised me (even with the new white hat I was sporting) and waved me over. Kim Young Ho offered me the drum, because he knew I liked to bang on it (yes, they know me, I like to watch and cheer them on). So after an embarrassing routine--embarrassing for me, they were laughing hysterically, I jogged on. My friend Jack had just seated himself at the snack tent in front of the A4 translation entrance, so, of course, we had a chat and a fish snack.

Later, following the boulevard and then up toward Bongwonsa Temple, I got a little lost, stopped to visit with a wonderful little lady--never understood a word she said, but she did point in the right direction, and loved my beard and laugh. Of course, I was laughing as I was telling her not to pull it, just stroke it. Next stop was the observatory and since I was there, a quick 10 minute workout on the Yonsei Amphitheater steps. After my heart calmed down--and a restroom break, I took off toward the back campus. I thought it would be fun to run down heart attack hill instead of up it. Well, you don't --at least I found out I don't, can't-- "run" down a hill that steep.

At the bottom, I pounded through the intersection just as a bus bounded past. Close call. Up the hill to check in on the construction project and then into the final stretch through Yonhidong. KEB Bank Manager spotted me and waved me down. He had a great time kidding me once it clicked with him that I was out running because I wanted to do something so silly as a marathon--only "crazy people" do that type of thing. So, I told him his bank ought to sponsor me and give generously to the cause. Knowing the culture here, I'll probably get a fruit basket in April.

So, I'm not deceiving myself. I really didn't get a run in today. But I did enjoy living! While poverty often brings misery to one's life, it cannot stop the human spirit from living life. Poverty can consume one's efforts and the struggle to survive can be mundane, routine, painful and/or goal driven --just like some runs I've done. Joy, however, even in the worst of economic, political, and social circumstances, comes from living and loving. My run was filled with both.