And so.....before you read ANY further, you HAVE to check out this link~~it's literally 30 seconds long. It will give the the basis against which to read the rest of this post. ^.~
....which brings me to last weekend.
Jade and I, after going to a Mannam (a huge volunteer organization here in Korea and elsewhere) cultural event, met a couple new friends and went to dinner at one of the best (although still no where close to the real thing) "Mexican" restaurants here in Daegu (Caliente), followed by Seth showing us all to one of the salsa clubs in Daegu, Babalu. To find it, from where we started (and I'm partly writing this for myself, so I won't forget! Sorry to the Daegu people~~I seriously don't know ANYTHING about Daegu, so the directions might suck~~please, kindly help me!), you go down cell phone street in downtown Daegu and turn left at the end of the street at that BIG intersection, then walk straight a few blocks and turn left on the street where the taxi stand starts. This is the "club" street, I have been told...and it will be a few blocks up on your left (club Frog and an ATM are across the street). It is on the 4th floor...Babalu Salsa Club. I hear the cover is 8,000 W, and I am not sure what this includes (maybe a drink?). There is a beginners lesson 730-9pm , and the dance starts around 9pm and goes until 2am.
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And THUS brings me to the topic of this post...
So, they always say...you can smell the Latinos when they come in. Yes, very true. I can honestly recall being in my second salsa club in Seoul and all of a sudden I caught a wiff of something. Now, I can't smell very well, as many people can attest, but my nose picks up on this. I stand up straight and start sniffing again to make sure my faulty nose wasn't lying to me. Yes, indeed, it was there: the smell of Latin America. My eyes start to scan across the dimmly lit dance floor, as I seek to find the one face that will stand out. Ah ha! And there he was, a latin guy from Venezula!
And so...last weekend, at Babalu, it was no different. Ahhh...the sweet smell of Latin America. Doesn't it always make your heart smile?? And these times, while in Korea, my heart smiles extra big since guys in Korea don't really wear cologne. Every country I have been to seems to have a different scent, you know? Have any of you traveled and experienced this? But I find Korea is the one country that doesn't really have a smell. I can completely understand my Korean friends now when I ask them what the USA's "smell" is: perfume. Haha.
But let me tell you the best part (oh, who am I kidding? This whole NIGHT was a best part!)...Jade and I are sitting chatting earlier in the evening, and I turn to her and say, "You know what, Jade...I really miss the Latin culture. I miss dancing with my aunts...I miss all my Latin friends. I'll tell you what...I am going to pray right here: God, please bring me Latin friends. Yes, God, even here in South Korea, IN DAEGU. And Jade, I TOTALLY have faith He WILL do it! I know it seems crazy to ask for Latin people...IN KOREA...and in Daegu, of all places...but I have total faith and complete trust that He will do this. I prayed and prayed for a group of Korean friends, and look at the big family He's now given me. He's gonna do it."
And not but an hour or so later...
GOD IS GOOD!!! CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!
I went over and started talking to this couple that came in: Julio and Jasmine. Jasmine tells me how they are from Peru and are working at a factory here in Daegu. They had been here for 5 years already (or was it that they were going to be there for a total of 5 years? It was hard to hear/shout over the loud music). And slowly, more and more walked in...all, from what I found out, from Peru. Some for different lengths of time and for different reasons. Oh, it was a gift from God! And if you read my previous post, you can understand this next statement even more...it was nice to be dancing with real men...bring it on, Shakira! (haha, maybe this should be my new nickname!). It was so nice to just dance...not the ballroom style like Koreans are strict to follow...but to just feel the music.
I forgot for the night that I was in Korea. I felt like Cinderella who didn't want the clock to strike midnight. I wanted to stay in this moment...the scents, the dancing, the Spanish-speaking, the culture...all of it. I felt like I was back home again. It was, once again, a beautiful reminder of God's promise to give us the desires of our hearts. Sometimes we are even afraid to desire. As Christians, many of us feel that we must put aside our desires, which we see as selfish, and live a boring life. As Eldridge writes, "Worst of all, the modern church mistakenly teaches its people to kill desire (calling it sin) and replace it with duty or obligation (calling it sanctification). As a result, at best Christians tend to live safe, boring lives of resignation." But this is all wrong...we are called to freedom. God places desires on our hearts and invites us to awaken those desires.
*May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed. ~Psalm 20:4
*Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. ~Psalm 37:4
*He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them. ~Psalm 145:19
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