What Am I Thankful For in 2019?

My favorite holiday in is coming up in a few weeks in the United States: Thanksgiving. Why? It reminds me of what God has done for me and what I should be thankful for. Here's a great verse to remember and it's in fact a famous Christian song: 1 Chronicles 16:34- "Give Thanks to the Lord. For He is good; his love endures forever".

So what am I thankful for?

1. My wife- She is fan-tas-tic! She knows everything about me and knows what I need. If I need time to rest, she gives it to me. If I need time to get out of the house and do something fun, she's right there with me. She is an amazing cook, never complains about doing housework, never complains about me snoring, and loves me more than I can imagine. I couldn't ask for a better wife.

2. My dad- I've lived in South Korea for 16 years and although he definitely wants me to come back to California, he still supports me no matter what. I'm thankful for his unconditional love.

3. My friends- Some of them are like family if not closer. We have group chats on our phones and we support each other through prayer. I'm blessed to have friends that I can share my problems and praises with.

4. My job- No job is perfect but I'm thankful to have been at Wall Street English for 11 years. I still like 95% of my students and I have some great coworkers and a supportive manager. Unfortunately, a lot of them will be leaving soon, but I might not be far behind them.

5. Living in Seoul- It's a great place to live in as an expat. It's safe, the public transportation is convenient, there are many choices of restaurants, many cultural activities, and it's modern and traditional at the same time.

6. My home- I live in a quiet neighborhood on a hill and near a children's playground. There are two local cafes run by very friendly people, the local market has people that are kind, and there's a small chicken store that is run by a kind older couple. I couldn't ask for a better neighborhood.

7. God's provision- While living in Korea, I haven't had to worry about major expenses and it has allowed my wife and I to save some money. That's a huge bonus.

8. An exciting future ahead- My wife and I plan to be missionaries within the next five years. I can only imagine where the Lord is taking us. I'm scared but thrilled at the same time!

9. My travel experiences- I could never imagine that I would be able to travel to 16 countries and still not have any debt. Jesus, you're amazing and I'm very thankful for that.

10. Cute nephews and nieces- I'm thankful that I have two nephews and two nieces on my side and one nephew on my wife's side. And you know what? They're all adorable and amazing!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy



1 Thessalonians 5: 18- Give thanks in all circumstances. for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

God Knows What You're Going Through

Two weeks ago I sprained my left ankle coming out of a bathroom that had a high step. I forgot how high the step was to the platform outside the bathroom, so I fell down and rolled it. On top of that, it was the same ankle that I sprained two years ago as I was jogging down a hill. Due to that, I think this ankle has been healing at a slower rate.

Fast forward to two days ago. I was on my way to work at 6:00am (from Nakseongdae Station to Samseong Station on Line 2) and I had to stand because there weren't any seats available. One seat became available but it wasn't quite close enough to me and an older lady quickly took that seat. I was standing alone with my sore ankle and figured that if any seat opens up, I would be able to get it and rest my ankle. Once the subway stopped at Seocho Station, an older man in his late 60s stood next to me waiting for a seat. The subway continued to Kyodae Station and once it stopped there, the seat in front of me opened up. I really wanted to sit down because my ankle was aching a bit, but I couldn't sit and let the older man in his 60s stand, so I let him take the seat. But I was thinking, "Lord, my foot isn't feeling that good. Why can't I get a seat this morning?"

As Gangnam Station approached, an older man in his 50s who was sitting next to the older man in his 60s, got up and I immediately took that seat. What I didn't know is that he noticed that I had allowed the older man in his 60s to take my seat earlier and he seemed to appreciate it based on his body language. Then he asked me in Korean, "Which country are you from?" I said "USA". And he gave me a thumbs up sign and said "Good!" with a big smile on his face.

It made me realize that the Lord appreciated my gesture and he knew my pain. Don't ever think that God isn't watching out for you. He loves you and he knows everything you're going through. Don't ever forget that!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

What Am I Thankful for in 2018?

Although Thanksgiving has passed, I can still be thankful because one of the most important holidays as a Christian is approaching: Christmas. Therefore, let me go over my list of things to be thankful for as 2018 comes closer to ending.

1. I am beyond thankful for my wife. She's amazing and does so much for me! She cleans the house so well, she irons my clothes, cooks wonderful meals, and she's so supportive. Most of all, she loves God and we can talk about meaningful and deep conversations. She also is very expressive towards me when she has problems that she wants to talk about. She's definitely my best friend. I love you sweetie!

2. I'm also thankful for our home. We almost moved in July but our landlord made a deal with us. We had gone on vacation to Vietnam and the plan was to move right as soon as we got back. That would have been extremely stressful. However, the Lord had other plans and I'm very thankful for that. Despite it being on a hill, it's in a quiet neighborhood, and our house has a good amount of space for a home in Seoul. I really can't complain!

3. I can't leave out the true friends that I have and you know who you are. These are friends that hold me accountable as a Christian, those that I can talk to when I have some problems, coworkers that are there when I'm frustrated with a student, and ones that just enjoy hanging out with me. I'm very happy to have each one of you as a friend. I'm truly blessed. I lost one friend out of greed (I'm thankful that God helped cut that friendship off) this year, but there are plenty of other good friends that have stuck by me. Thanks for your love and support guys!

4. Most people have a hard time being thankful for their boss or manager and I would have to say I would have been one of those people in 2017. Fortunately, 2018 was a different story. I have a manager that doesn't micro-manage, trusts his teachers, and has the same expectations for everyone- not just for a certain few. When I see him walk in, I'm genuinely happy to see him instead of dreading his presence like I did when a previous manager arrived at work.  Having a good manager makes work a lot easier to handle and I'm very blessed that I have had this blessing in 2018.

5. I'm thankful to have a place of worship. In some countries, proclaiming God's Word is a crime or seriously looked down upon. In some cities in Europe, people might not think you're that bright for believing in a God. Thankfully, South Korea is a wonderful place to express your love for Jesus. I sometimes forget to realize how important that it is, but it's huge.

6. I lost a friend this year (Ben Coyner), but I'm thankful that he's in Heaven with the Lord. He loved being on the praise team at church and I'm 100% certain that he's singing with the angels in Heaven. I miss you Ben, but I can't wait to see you again!

7. I'm thankful for my dad. He truly has unconditional love for me. I know that he and my brothers would love to have me move back to California, but my dad supports me no matter what. I do get a guilt trip once in awhile. On the other hand, my dad knows that my wife is amazing, so the guilt trips don't happen nearly as often as they used to. When we talk on Face Time on our I-Phones, we just continue where we left off in our previous conversations. Thank you very much for that Dad. I love you!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

A Late Thanksgiving Message

Although Thanksgiving has left and Christmas is on its way, I want to express how thankful I am for the many things that Jesus has given me. Where do I start?

1. I'm thankful that I have a loving and understanding wife that almost never gets upset. We rarely argue because we're both easygoing and don't let things annoy us for that long. The last time we even came close to an argument was when I came home after an exhausting and annoying day at work a week ago. My wife was on the phone for an hour after I arrived home and I was a bit annoyed that I couldn't express my frustration and had to hold it in. When she got off the phone, I expressed my annoyance that I couldn't express my frustrations to her. She promptly told me that she told her friend three times that it seemed as if I wanted to talk to her, but her friend finally got the point after the third time. I quickly got over it and I told her about my day at work. And even these situations are few and far between. I'm thankful for that. I'm sure my moodiness can annoy my wife as well, but she never tells me. I'm very blessed to have a sweet wife.

2. I'm happy to have a dad that receives my mail in the U.S. and lets me know when something important comes to his house. He's also very happy when I call him and doesn't judge me if I hadn't talked to him in awhile. My dad is pretty cool and I'm thankful that he supports me living in Korea despite him really wanting me to go back to California. He's wanted that ever since I extended my time in Korea after living here for a year. God has other plans for me though, at least for now.

3. I appreciate that I have a church that is very multi-cultural and full of great people. In L.A., I went to a church that was mostly Caucasian, but they were a bit cold. Then I went to a smaller church that was mostly young and Hispanic and felt like I never fit in. New Harvest Ministry in the Gangnam area of Seoul is full of people from different ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and ages. I'm thankful for that because that reduces the number of cliques, which can naturally happen if you hang out with people that are exactly like you.

4. I've worked at Wall Street English for the past 9 years and I just passed the nine-year mark. Although it hasn't always been a smooth ride, it's been a great job. I love teaching adults because they want to learn and have a strong desire for various reasons. Some want to travel, get a better position in their careers, study abroad, or just want to have an extra hobby. Prior to working at WSE, I taught elementary and middle school students. The experience was great, but teaching middle school students at an academy at 9:30pm wasn't rewarding. They had already studied at their regular school during the day, came to the academy to learn from the Korean teacher at 9:00pm and then had my class at 9:30pm. Needless to say, they didn't want to be there and I realized that I was contributing to the "hagwon" (private academy) problem among the youth. I got out of it and haven't looked back ever since.

5. I'm thankful to live in Seoul. It's not perfect and most places aren't. Sometimes the crowded subways annoy me at 10:00pm, summer can be too humid, and winter can be too cold. However, Seoul has many things to do, various restaurants, and the public transportation is the most convenient in the world. Not many people can be thankful for those kinds of things.

6. I'm thankful for the friends that I have in Seoul. Many are like family and if I'm depressed, they pray for me. We also hang out together, have dinner, and just have a great time talking about sports, church life, and our jobs. I also have non-Christian friends that have lived in Seoul for a long time and talk about what we love about living here and things that we don't exactly enjoy. It's great to have a support system in a foreign country especially when you don't get to talk to family members that often.

7. Finally and most importantly, I'm thankful to God through Jesus for all of the things that I mentioned. Without all Him, I wouldn't be blessed with the above mentioned. I'm still amazed that I've lived in a foreign country for the past 14 years, grateful that I found a wonderful wife, so happy we have been able to travel together. Now we are focusing on the next chapter (having a baby). I pray that 2018 will be an excellent year for us. So far my life has been pretty awesome and I'm so full of joy that God has helped me get to this point so far.


Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy