SUNDAY SUPPER

 We just passed the five month mark of our mission. Time is passing so quickly now. Our routine is made up of scheduled events which repeat daily, weekly or monthly. We also include planned or spontaneous adventures. These  are the kind of experiences that we will only be able to enjoy here. They are the truly Korean adventures. I enjoy the routine and the adventures.

One of my very favorite routine events is what we have come to call "Sunday Supper". Like everything else we have done here it started as an idea and evolved into a tradition.

We began by inviting a different family from church  to come to our apartment for a meal after church each week. Our goal was to have every family in our small branch in our home for a meal at least once. We almost completed that goal when we began to feel a need to invite the unaccompanied soldiers over for a home cooked meal each Sunday. Then after a couple of weeks we realized that others, not just soldiers, were also alone on Sunday afternoon. That is when it morphed into the "Sunday Supper". Some Sundays we have only two or three join us. Some times a lot more choose to come. So now I just fill two slow cookers, prepare sides or dessert to go with them,  then head to church. Our meetings end at 1:30 and I walk home quickly to take care of any finishing touches and wait to see who comes.

Yesterday we had ten guests. This included four soldiers here without families, another soldier and his wife, a young American English teacher, an American college professor, a  student here from Bangladesh and a young Korean woman who is also a teacher. Our apartment has become their Sunday home away from home. They are so appreciative of the meal, but that is not the real gift. The gift is a sense of belonging, a sense of family, a place to go where they feel welcome, a place to relax. I love to watch them talk and laugh. Its so rewarding to hear them share their ideas, experiences and offer one another support. I am so happy to have them here to share our Sunday afternoons, it keeps us from feeling lonely also.

When we were raising our children we tried very hard to have our dinner meal sitting together at the table. We were mostly successful. As they grew and got busy with sports and school activities it became more difficult. We still had family meals at the table, just not as often. The family meal was and is an important part of our lives. Having dinner together is about so much more than just food. It was true during those busy years raising a large family and its true here on our mission.

            Food feeds the body. Friendship feeds the soul!