Well. It’s hard to figure out how to write this as this blog is usually meant to be amusing and entertaining but today, I want to ask for prayer.

I have also been hesitant to post about topics like these because I am not an expert in anything, especially Korean culture. I do not intend to post on here as some sort of authority and I fear that people will think that. I only want to share our experiences here and while I try to be well informed, my knowledge is certainly limited.

There have been two things on my mind that are pretty heavy and I want to talk to you about one of them today. I will hopefully post soon about the second.

A few weeks ago, I had been running around the apartment all morning doing laundry and taking care of the kids, completely unaware what was happening outside my window. My friend stopped by my apartment around 11am and asked if I had heard what happened. Over the next few days more details came to light. Early that morning in the wee hours, a woman had jumped from the apartment building next to ours in our complex, committing suicide. Sadly, this is more common here than it should be. (This situation is a bit different than most as we were told that she was American military personnel, and not Korean).

According to data from the World Health Organization taken in 2012, suicide rates here in South Korea are the second highest in the world. I have also been told that there is a large number of suicides specifically among teens here due to the extreme pressure to excel in academics. The societal pressure here can be overwhelming and I fear that there may be a stigma with receiving mental health treatment. I have heard through an expat (individuals living outside their native countries) support group that many have had similar experiences with people committing suicide by jumping out of their apartment buildings. There is even a bridge crossing the nearby river known as the Suicide Bridge. I really don’t know what to say, but I see a problem, and I know people need prayer. Many people are obviously hurting and they need hope that only God can give. In a culture that is so motivated and driven to be successful, we have seen that failure is not viewed as an option.

My heart is broken. Every time I walk past the spot where she landed, I get chills. I am overwhelmed thinking about how this has affected her family. The darkness she must have experienced to feel so alone. I pray, and I ask you to pray that her family would feel a peace that only He can give. It is so erie how life just goes on. Most people that were at work when the police came to process the crime scene were completely unaware that anything had happened. Everyday there is a car parked back in the spot where she landed. But He knows. He knew her, and her hurt, and her heart, and every single hair on her head. Please just pray.