The third trip of the DBU Global Sports Initiative kicked off with the Patriot Basketball Team and Cheerleading Squad traveling to Seoul, South Korea. The group left DBU at 4:30 AM on Friday morning and after a layover in San Francisco, arrived in South Korea at 6:00 PM on Saturday night Korean time, 4:00 AM Dallas time (14 hour difference).

After clearing customs and immigration, the teams had their first taste of American chain food in Korea, McDonalds and KFC. Saturday was a national holiday in South Korea, very similar to the American Thanksgiving holiday, so traffic was pretty heavy and most restaurants and stores were closed.

After checking into the hotel, most of the group was exhausted and retired to bed before midnight.

Sunday started early, as we left the hotel for the first of two church services at 6:45 AM. The first service was at the Central Christian Academy, home of Wonchon Baptist Church. Dr. Billy Kim, the “Billy Graham” of Korea, delivered the message and recognized DBU, all in Korean, which was very interesting to say the least.

After breakfast with the congregation, we boarded the bus and headed to Suwon Central Baptist Church, a more traditional service. The church was also all Korean, but they did offer headsets that translated the service into English.

The second service finished around 12:15 and the group was invited to the International Food Festival hosted by the church, where we experienced Bangladesh curry, kim chi, Phillipino egg rolls and many other foods from across East Asia.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel for relaxing and downtown shopping. The evening ended with a meal at TGIFriday’s near the hotel. Everyone is having a good time and thankfully there are no illnesses to report. Just a little jet lag…but nothing too extensive. We thank you for all of your prayers and ask that you continue to pray for safety and guidance for the entire group throughout the trip.  More updates to come…