'13 JAN: Visiting then Readjusting

Half of January was spent separated, which was a blessing as well as an incredible challenge. Mark flew back to Seoul soon after the new year while Malia and the kids stayed in Hawaii for an extra two weeks. This allowed Mark to focus on the new semester as well as his PhD classes while Malia was able to visit with many friends that shorter stays on Oahu had not accommodated. However, it was hard to be apart, and Google chat can only do so much for communication. January 19 (our reuniting date) was blessed!

Readjusting to Korea and our "normal" routines took a while. Because our 7-month-old Kona Mae had hit milestones on our vacation (crawling and eating solids), she required more attention. Malia became more involved in Awana teaching as well as leading at Seoul International Playgroup. Mark now had to balance family time with work, school, and outside ministries. It took us a few weeks, but the jet lag and changes finally smoothed out, and we are excited about 2013 and the learning and teaching that awaits us.