Search

There and Back Again!

I’m fading quickly as I type this, since our family has been up and about for the past 21 hours. We just got back from a trip to Seoul, Korea.

Starting 3:30 AM Seoul Time (2:30 AM Manila Time), we had to hail a taxi, wait for a bus, take an hour long ride to Incheon Airport, fly to Manila, hail another taxi, drop by my office, eventually get home, go to a dinner, then back home to sleep.

This trip was a first for me because it’s the first time in our young family that we would take an international trip entirely for recreation. Carla won a contest last December that got her this free trip.

Every trip we’ve taken in the past had a ministry or professional component to it, which we both really enjoy anyway, and anything personal we do on the side. Whichever one of us gets invited usually has their travel costs taken care of, then we save up for the ticket of the other person.

So going to another nation without meeting any locals was completely new for me – no one to meet us at the airport, figuring our own way around, setting our own itinerary, etc. But it was extremely fun and a great learning experience for us as a family. I just loved how we were able to function as a team, each one bringing their own strengths and contributions.

Joe: My biggest contribution was carrying heavy things for Carla and Philip so we could go everywhere we wanted to. That and the cash we spent there.

Taking a break from carrying stuff up and down stairs.
Taking a break from carrying stuff up and down stairs.

Philip: Philip was a big hit everywhere we went. His cuteness and alertness earned us smiles from most people on the subways, better service at restaurants, and friendlier responses when we were lost.

He also loved all the new experiences, craning his head in every direction. He was also very patient and easy to bring around on the planes, trains, and automobiles.

Our little world traveler! You're gonna bless the nations, son.
Our little world traveler! You’re gonna bless the nations, son.

Carla: My wife was really the linchpin behind this trip. I agreed to it only because I knew she would like it. But I wasn’t expecting anything for myself. And boy, was I wrong! She organized the sites we would visit – complete with pictures, tour guides, schedules, train stations, exits, etc.

If it were up to me, I’d have stayed in the hotel room the whole time making the most of the uberfast internet. But thanks to my wife, I experienced and learned so much about Korea’s culture and history.She was also a real trooper with feeding, bathing, and taking care of Philip most of the way.

I love going on adventures with this girl.
I love going on adventures with this girl.

So, thank You, God for giving me this great family! Thanks for the free trip and for taking us home safely. We know that every good and perfect gift comes from You.

Check out Carla’s Blog and Instagram for pictures!

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Join the discussion

More blog posts

Our National Purpose

I’m posting something I wrote for one of our discussion forums in Asbury Seminary. (I’m in seminary, by the way.) I just wanted to...

Connect with Joe