Delivering coal to some beautiful 할머니 (grandmothers)...

In Korean the word "halmoni" means grandma, and on Saturday morning we had the privilege of helping bring coal bricks to the homes of four beautiful elderly women in Daejeon. Our school's NJHS group connected with Social Services and a local pastor who heads up a ministry that delivers coal to the homes of very poor people in our city. Many of the very old and traditional little homes in Korea are still heated with circular coal bricks, and it takes between 1000 - 1400 bricks to fuel a home throughout the winter months. We delivered 200 bricks to each of the four homes we visited, so our grandmas will have a source of heat for the next month or so. Thankfully, this ministry is ongoing so these grandmas will receive another visit when they run low on coal and, as a consequence, they will be able to survive the winter. We traveled to these homes in the van of the pastor in charge, followed by a flat-bed truck laden with coal. When we arrived, we would figure out where the coal needed to be stacked, and then we would make a line so we could pass the brittle bricks carefully from one person to the next. Brian was at the end of the line, piling the bricks into neat piles so the grandmas could easily reach them and put them into their small coal furnaces as needed. One grandma (the one featured in the close-up photograph) was in tears as we prepared to leave. She lived in the smallest and oldest little home I have ever seen. It consisted of a tiny courtyard with two little sheds, and her home seemed to just have one very small and old little kitchen (which probably measured only about 4 feet x 4 feet) with a little sleeping room behind. Her face was beautifully etched with wrinkles and seemed to tell a story all its own. We think she might be about 75 or 80 years old, which means she has seen a lot of history unravel in Korea. She would have been in her early 20s during the Korean war, and the way her nation has transformed itself during her lifetime must be truly mind-boggling for her. It was the coldest morning we have ever experienced, temperature-wise, in Korea (about -11 celcius). In a way, what a fitting morning to deliver coal bricks to these wonderful women. We were blessed in so many ways by being able to participate in this project, and came away reminded of the beauty of pouring our lives out for others in acts of love and service. We desire more of these opportunities as we live and grow with our girls.