GOES Brings Help and Hope to Namhae
As other students were preparing for their spring break vacations, a group of 23 GOES students and staff boarded a bus early on a Friday morning and rode down to Namhae, South Korea on March 21. For the next 6 days, the team would embark on a tour of serving communities in a part of South Korea that many of the group had never seen before.
The original plan for this trip was to return to a GOES favorite location of Geoje and Aikwangwon home. However, for this year the Lord decided that the door to Geoje was closed and redirected the team to have a new opportunity to serve in Namhae. The team arrived with a framework of a plan and Adventure Korea trip agency to lead the way. The entire team was pleasantly surprised with how the trip ended up panning out!
The team began the Namhae Service Tour in the beautiful town of Daraengi Village. They stayed in homes that were opened to them by the village community, giving many students a different viewpoint of life than what they were used to. Many of the team members would wake up to walk somewhere to enjoy the sunrise, and a few of the boys would go on morning runs with Mr. Peterson each day. Daraengi Village was a tremendous change of pace compared to life in Seoul. A student from the trip noted, “Being able to step away from school work and not have to think about the busy lifestyle that I lead was so refreshing. The air itself was just different (and much cleaner) than in Seoul, and it really allowed me to reconnect with God's creation. I found myself waking up early (something that I would normally never do) to go see the sunrise and enjoy the nature that surrounded me.”
The team’s works of service began in Daraengi village and included farming for some famous Daraengi Spinach, building a terrace wall, helping do yardwork for a future community center, and providing feedback to the local government as to how to increase tourism and the local population of Namhae. The team then moved into the main city of Namhae where they met with a local football team with disabilities for one day and then served at a local elder care home and a local kindergarten. After a break day of fun in Tongyeong, exploring the town and riding the Skyline Luge, the team concluded the trip by working on a beach cleanup together before returning to Seoul. Each service venture may have been brief, but they were still lasting in impact as the team departed each day.
The trip can best summarized by a quote from another student, “The most meaningful part was the realization of how one can help someone despite not having a deep relationship. Although we weren't like the other GOES trips where we spent every day with the same individuals, I feel like I equally made an impact to the people. It isn't the length of time that matters but the quality of service.”
