The Blackmons: Summer...

Summer is almost here. We've hit the high 80's, but I know that's nothing compared to Georgia heat! It's very humid here, too. It does a number on my guitar strings!

I enjoy keeping up with folks by looking at pictures on facebook. I am so excited about all the babies that we will meet when we get back!

Communication is not what I had hoped it would be. I think if the time change weren't so drastic it might be a bit easier, but, like I said, I try to follow folks through blogs and fb and the pictures speak a thousand words. We'll pick up where we left off once we get back!

So! This summer Barry will travel to Mongolia for 2 weeks in July and then in August we'll have our team from the States fly over to help out with 2 weeks of English camps. I may have mentioned this already, but, one camp will be at Horeb (you can see pictures in the previous post) and the other camp will be in Shanghai.

We're still involved in our weekly meetings and such. I'm still leading worship for the Y.E.S. English Worship service on Sundays as well as helping out monthly with kids music and Barry teaches Saturday nights and Sundays throughout the day. He's such a good teacher. I admire his mind. Though we are so, so different, I really value and appreciate his strengths.

My burden for Korea continues to grow. So many people here are burdened and weighed down by so many things -- social pressures, expectations, busy-ness, etc. Jesus said that "his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30)." For many people it would seem that the fear of man or what others think hinders them from the freedom that would come if they could take up only the yoke Christ has assigned them.

I know this is a challenge we all face. I, too, have to learn to continually keep watch so that my inner convictions line up with my use of time and energy in my "outer life." It's not easy in a world so full of "urgent" requests and demands on our time, especially when we want to say yes and convey our willingness to help in any and every arena of life.

I guess it's like they say, "good is the enemy of best." We have to ask ourselves, "what is the best use of my time?" "What has God called me to do?" It's not helpful to just blindly fill our schedules with "good" things or be at the continual beck and call of that which drains us, but is unproductive or unhealthy.

Anyway, that's a snap shot into some of my thoughts lately.

I'm still teaching Monday through Friday. I love the kids, but I find that it's a very tiring job. I guess that's to be expected. That's why they call it work!

Here are some random pictures that were on my phone: