loweenm's Xanga

He's Here!

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:32:06 GMT

Great News!

On Saturday, September 22 at 1:25pm Jaci gave birth to a healthy baby boy! Jacob Michael Loween came into the world a sizable 4.02K (approx 8 lb 13 oz)! Jaci labored and pushed like a champ, but eventually the doctors came to the conclusion that c-section would be the best route to take.

Jaci and Jacob are resting well tonight. Please keep them in your prayers as Jaci heals from the surgery and Jacob adapts to a new world.

Summertime Fun!

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 04:31:09 GMT

Our summer started in early June with a trip to Maui! We had an extended layover in Japan so we took in a few sites with some fellow TCIS employees, and then it was on to fun in the sun. We stayed on Ka’anapali beach, and it was beautiful. We spent most of our days at the beach and traveled inland one day for a little hike, and visit to a marine aquarium. Everything was terrific (with the exception of getting the car towed one day), and we would recommed Maui to anyone.

After Maui, it was on to Minnesota! Our first night in we caught a Twins game which was a great way to start off our time at home. We were also able to spend a few days in Canada with Jaci’s family (the Malones). However, the bulk of our summer consisted of remodeling our house in Alexandria. We purchased the house in January, and have been renting it since then. We decided this would be a good summer to do some overhauling. Basically we stripped out all of the flooring, and gutted the main bathroom. We installed laminate flooring in the livingroom and kichen, tiled the entry ways, bathrooms and a kitchenette, and put carpet in the rest of the place. We installed a couple new toilets, a new tub and new sink and vanity in the bathroom. We also repainted every room in the house. Thank you to those of you who helped us!

We were also blessed to visit with many of our family and friends. Our five nephews are all getting SO BIG! Each of our families had a baby shower for us, as well as our church. It is safe to say we are not hurting for baby stuff. It was quite the trick to get most of it back to Korea, but Jaci is the master organizer, so she made it happen. Anyway, it was great to feel the love and support of so many people. We really feel blessed to have such a supportive group at home.

We returned to Korea on August 4, and have been busy preparing for the upcoming school year. Jaci will not be teaching this year, and will be able to focus on being a mom. She will be working part-time helping the English department with cirriculum and literacy support, as well as substitute teaching and coaching. I (Mike) am working in the same role this year (Student Life Minister). We are excited to see how God is going to work in our school this year. We have a lot of new staff members, and there is a new vitality in the air (although we are really missing our friends from past years). We are trusting that God will move in the hearts and lives of the kids here as we do our best to serve them.

We went to the doctor last Tuesday for Jaci’s check-up and everything is going well. Aside from the regular discomforts of pregnancy Jaci is doing great. The doctor here thinks the baby is “too fatty”, and is also concerned that Jaci has gained too much weight as well, but we just laugh about that. Jaci had an ultra-sound, and it was amazing to see the baby. He even opened his eyes!

We pray God’s best for you and ask that you pray for us as we start another school year at TCIS. Pleae pray that God will work in us, and also through us to reach our students. Please pray that they will come to know God and serve Him. Also please pray for us as we prepare to be parents, and pray for the health and safety of Jaci and the baby.

Friends and Fun

Wed, 30 May 2007 12:06:42 GMT

May 27th, 2007

Our school year is wrapping up, but we are still keeping plenty busy. Last weekend some of our friends hosted a baby “sprinkle” for us (similar to a baby shower). It was a great night filled with fun and friends. We were really blessed to realize how much support we have here, and will miss those who won’t be here with us next year.

Last weekend we also went for a hike with some friends up to Daedunsan Mountain. It was a gorgeous day, and we had a great time. Ok, we didn’t hike all the way up (we took a cable care for a good portion), but we still got some good exercise. Here are some photos:

Steuernagel’s, Brownlee’s & Loween’s

Robyn, Jaci & Julie

Mike & Jeff

Mike & Jaci

This weekend TCIS held the annual Prom. Jaci and I were chaperon’s, and had a nice time. The students all looked so grown up in their formal apparel. Anyway- here we are:

Take care!

Spring Break Adventures

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 01:15:51 GMT

Spring Break has been over for a few days now, but the memories will last for a lifetime. I (Mike) was able to take a team of 5 staff and 15 students from TCIS to Chiang Mai, Thailand for the week. It was an amazing time and I was blessed to be apart of it all. We left Korea on Saturday morning and arrived in Chiang Mai that evening. We bought some supplies upon arrival and then got some much needed rest. Sunday through Tuesday we worked with Reverend Kwon (a Korean Missionary) and the children (26 of them) at the Grace Home Orphanage. We led VBS-type activities, and also took the kids on some fun adventures. Wednesday and Thursday we were in a remote mountain village working with local children with whom we also led VBS-type activities. On Friday we were back in Chiang Mai and took the Grace Home kids “trekking” (trekking included ox cart rides, elephant rides, and bamboo rafting). Saturday we took in some Christian historical sights of Chaing Mai and headed for home.

It was a tiring trip, but it was amazing. Our team was full of wonderful people who really showed me what serving others is all about. The children at the Grace Home are precious, and it was hard to leave them. Reverend Kwon and his wife are inspiring and I really enjoyed getting to know them better. The mountain village experience was truly unforgettable. I am thankful God allowed me to be apart of something so amazing.

Here are a few shots of the trip:

Me & Kop (one of the Grace Home boys):

Two brothers at grace home:

Woman with baby in mountain village:

Older Woman in mountain village:

Elephant ride!:

Enough about me… Jaci was blessed to have her sister, JoAnna, come out and visit her. The weather was a little crumby, but they had a great time anyway. As far as I understand they spent a lot of time watching “chick flicks”, so maybe it was better that I was gone. They did some other fun things too like going to the lake, shopping downtown, and enjoying a couple barbque’s.

Jaci and Jo at the lake:

Jo at TCIS:

One other cool thing JoAnna got to experience was a pre-natal doctors visit. I was jealous I wasn’t able to be there for that. The doctor’s report was good. Jaci and the baby are doing fine (although Jaci is still frequently sick), and the baby is approximately 6 cm. The doctor did an ultrasound and they were able to see the baby.

Thanks for checking out our Spring Break adventures! We hope all pray all is well with you and yours.

Seoul International Marathon

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 10:54:15 GMT

First, I must pose a question: If the original marathoner (Phidippides) died from running 26 miles straight- who thought it would be a good idea to turn this into a regular sporting event? With that question out of the way I will assure you that neither I, nor any of my counterparts (April, Christie & Virginia) died today. We did have a rockin' time, and were amazingly stiff afterwards.

My time was a little higher than I was hoping for, but not bad for a novice (3:48:54-unofficial). I really gunned the first 18 miles (relaive to my abilities), and struggled heavily from there. I really wanted to quit around mile 20, but decided I worked too hard to give up.

It was really an exciting event. There were fire works at the beginning, with LOTS of yelling. There were a lot of traditional Korean drums played along the route. We even had our own fan club (Jaci, Sally & Kirsten)- they were awesome! In general most people were very encouraging, and some runners even dressed in "unique" outfits.

With all that said I am confident of this: I will never run another marathon.

Way too happy before the race:

FYI: Approximately 23,000 people ran the Seoul International Marathon this year:

Spiderman even made an appearance:

Our awesome fan club:

This is earlier in the race (i.e. before I thought I was going to die):

My #1 fan!:

Me & the TCIS Marathon Team (Christie, Me, April, Virginia):

The whole crew (Kirsten, Christie, Me, Jaci, April, Virginia, Sally):

It's finally over!

busy but good...

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 06:05:27 GMT

Life's been full lately, but it's been nice. I think God's been helping me keep the stress of life under control. Yesterday (Saturday) we had our LASA Fun Run which is kind of a lot to organize, but it turned out well (I was really pleased that my 5K time dropped over 2.5 minutes from last year). Today I got the call to "preach" at CIC which was a great opportunity, but time consuming as well. In less than 2 weeks we'll be sending out 5 mission trips (I'll be leading one), so life will continue to be hectic, but I'm not as worried as I should be. Like I said, I think God has been giving me peace, and I appreciate it.

Oh, by the way- I'm running the Seoul International Marathon on Sunday the 18th. If you never hear from me again it means I didn't make it. :)

Friends

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:58:13 GMT

Today was quite nice. After church I went out to lunch with some friends, and then without letting my food settle, I engaged in some high-powered (well maybe not) floor hockey with another group of friends. I am blessed to have good friends. As I have gotten older I appreciate the people around me more. This has intensified recently because I know in the near future I will be saying goodbye a lot of close relationships. It's not that these people are sick and dying, but they are moving on to different things. And we all know that it is different when people move away. Email and phone calls are great, but I am a poor communicator (as you already know) and it can become more difficult to maintain friendships when you are not sharing experiences and making new memories with people. I realize this is apart of life, but sometimes it is still hard.

In the meantime I will enjoy the people in my life, and look forward to the people God brings into my life in the future- more people that I can call my friends.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 10:25:28 GMT

Wow- time is flying. I can't believe it's already February. Anyway- life has been busy, but good. Here is something that has been on my mind:
Character. It's one of those christian buzz words that maybe gets too much use (and not enough real attention), and then it becomes cliche. It seems when we are younger there is a lot of attention placed on character growth (attention devoted to who we are, or who we are becoming, or being who God wants us to be). Many times this translates into a time of growth (shedding unhelpful or sinful habits, adopting habits that help us in our faith journey). However, as we get to adulthood much of this character building can slow or stop. I think it is because maybe we think (consciously or unconsciously) that we've arrived. Maybe we think that God is done forming us, and now we're ready for the "real work" that God has for us. However I think more than anything God wants to keep shaping and forming us- no matter how "spiritually formed" or mature we may already be (or think we are). Another possibility might be that we feel so busy with life, that seeking God for real, life-change (character formation) takes a back seat to all of our other time commitments. Maybe grades are due, the kids need dinner, or the laundry needs to be washed- and spending time seeking intimacy with God doesn't seem possible- let alone taking the time to let him really work on changing our lives. Why am I talking about this? Because lately I feel called to examine who I am again. To let God strip away the things in my life that don't need to be there. I feel the need to slow down all of the meetings, activities, and cross out some dates I have marked in the calendar so I can spend that time with God...seeking him...and letting him mold me and change my character - my life- into what he intends it to be.

Christmas Break...

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:57:11 GMT

Christmas break is nearing it's end, but it has certainly been amazing. It was good to be gone, but it's great to be back. Jaci and I were able to travel back to Minnesota to visit friends and family over the holidays. We were even able to road trip to Iowa to see Jaci's brother wrestle in a big D3 tournament. We had a lot of fun with a lot of people, and it makes me look forward to this summer when we will see them all agian. Here's a few pics:

Jaci's parents farm:

Jaci and I:

Me & Brandt:

My nephew Blake:

the boyz:

Take care.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 07:12:50 GMT

IT SNOWED TODAY! That's right it's December 17, 2006 and we got snow! Here are a few pics:

Jaci:

Jaci's snowman:

Sunday afternoon football:

I actually caught this one!:

TCIS Campus:

Anyway, all is well in Taejon. It has been a great semester so far, and there are only three days to go. Jaci and I will be traveling to MN for Christmas, so we are very excited about that. I hope you are well and that you have a blessed Christmas season!