Hello! This is Sally. How’s everyone doing?
This is the English version of my first blog post.
In this post, I will introduce myself and express my gratitude for our beloved SeonSaeng.
15th May is the teacher’s day for Korea. As for Malaysia, it was coincidentally the next day, 16th May. By the way, Teacher’s Day in the States is the first Tuesday in May, Taiwan on 28th September, while World Teacher’s Day is held on 5th October every year. You can check out more on teacher’s day celebrated in other nations here.
Why do you think Teacher’s Day is celebrated on different days across the globe?
In Korea, Teacher’s day commemorates the birthday of Sejong the Great, who instituted the Korean script, Hangul. As for Malaysia, the date is when the Razak Report which laid a fundamental groundwork for the education system in Malaysia, was formally endorsed.
So we can deduce that Teacher’s day commemorates pioneers and pivotal milestone in the nation’s education system. That is why there is such variation in the date celebrating Teacher’s Day in each nation.
I have been taught by many teachers in my long years of education. But in junior high, my ordinary life took a sharp turn due to this one phrase from my English teacher. “English is the key to the world”.
Albeit raised in the countryside, this gave me hope to venture out to the world. So I mastered the language quickly within a few years, driven by my dream of going overseas as well as the guidance from my English teacher. With the language proficiency, I got myself into the top local private university fully funded. And later I was also granted a full scholarship to further study in the nation with the world’s 3rd largest economy, Japan.
So the door to the world had opened to me with that one short phrase.
Now working in Japan, I’m living my life with a sense of fulfillment and genuine happiness. But this is owing to my SeonSaeng, who taught me the path of life.
Even having graduated with honors, being the cream of the crop did not boost much of my confidence about life. “What am I supposed to do in my life?” I was so insecure about my future and at the peak of anxiety, I met SeonSeang, Pastor Joshua Jong. He told me the purpose of life, and he set a clear standard none other has in this world of ambiguity.
Whenever I fall into a slum due to language barrier, perceptual and cultural differences, SeonSeang’s word is my source of salvation, putting me back on my feet. Because of that, I can move on with perseverance and a bright smile in this constantly changing world. Therefore, with SeonSeang’s word I can challenge on with confidence everyday for the betterment of my life as well as my eternal spirit.
“When you know by having <wisdom>, you will take action twice as much as someone who doesn’t know and you will take action ten or twenty years ahead of other people. Therefore, you will do things ten times or twenty times faster. Therefore, it is as if you are ‘living longer.’
I gave the Word about each subject through <sermons and proverbs> so that
– from the time of your youth, you would know through [having] <wisdom> and take action more than twice as much
– and so that you would take action twice as fast with knowledge ahead of time.20170514 Sunday Sermon
I’m utmost grateful for meeting SeonSeang, who gives me God’s wisdom, which enables me to gain so much more than others by taking action swiftly.
I am the way and the truth and the life.
John 14:6
And for sure, I will take this path of life until the end.