A change in plans

As for Circuit riders....hold that thought.



Picture and floral arrangement
for the viewing



Last night, around 10:30 PM Korea time, my grandfather passed away.  Although it was the primary reason for me being here it came as a shock.  The wave of grief and mourning that came over my family shouldn't have been unanticipated.  When I first arrived I learned that my grandfather had been in a coma for a week and that he was slowly declining.  It was strange to have arrived in Seoul for a funeral when he had not yet passed away.  But if I had not come early, I would not have been able to see him before he died.  Korean tradition doesn't allow open caskets for the viewing so I won't be seeing his physical body again. 



My uniform for the next
3 days


My family was on 24 hour watch at the nursing home with him, so that someone would be with him when he would pass.  My dad's younger brother was at the home keeping watch when his heart rate slowly declined until there was no more pulse.  The rest of the family arrived about 5 minutes after he had passed.  His body was still warm but slowly losing heat.  To me it felt like he was still there, sleeping,  the reality of it still hasn't settled in me yet.  He was in a deep sleep before he passed and now it seems like a continuation of it.  In some ways it is but also its so very different.

On Saturday, we decided that we would all stay a little longer so that we could be here for the funeral, not knowing he was going to pass away when he did.  My original flight day was July 25 but I have extended my stay in Korea until the 31st of July.  The doctors said that my grandpa would have up to a week left but he passed 4 days after we had arrived. 

Now, for circuit riders:  I will be missing 2 weeks of a 5 week seminar.  I'm not fully sure if I should finish it out or if I should just return and be along side the school.  Either way as of now my flight still returns to Kona so I will have some time to decide.  I will also be missing the birthday celebration of my grandfather on my mother's side.  But in it all I know that the Lord has me here for a purpose beyond the funeral that I am not aware of yet.