Rodgers Move to Jeju
Our Jeju Home
We are moving to Jeju Island! We are so excited to join this branch of the Word of Life ministries here in Korea. The Jeju Bible Institute is unique in the world. Not only is it a beautiful location, it has beautiful, eternally minded people. There is a vision here to see generations of young adults trained and discipled in God’s truth. Now, more than ever, this is an urgent need. As we begin to feel the cultural current pulling and pushing against our faith, it is critical that we are all prepared to take a stand firmly on the foundation of Jesus. Everything at the BI on Jeju is intentionally structured to give that strong foundation. We are eager to join the work that is happening there! For our family, this is the biggest thing we have done since moving from America to Korea. In many ways, we are starting over. Will you please pray about how you can be a part?
~The Rodgers
UPDATES:
March 2024: Removing Walls and Rot
While in Korea to teach at the Bible Institute, Jeremy, his father, Bob and Betty Stone, Ben Koehler, and a work team from Texas, and many others worked hard on the renovation. Click the pictures below to scroll through the different projects completed in March.
Mold removal: A lot of rot and mold were removed:
Kitchen updates: The kitchen dishwasher and oven were bought (under budget!) and installed along with the start of the kitchen cabinets:
Wall Removal: The wall was removed to add light from the door and window and to add space to the kitchen area:
Turning stairs: The stairs needed to be turned to separate it from the entry area (in Korea people take their shoes off at the door, so this will prevent dirt from spreading through the apartment):
Fixing porch: The porch was adjusted and a permanent staircase was added:
Adding bedroom: The large master bedroom was divided to make 2 smaller rooms. Now the apartment has 4 bedrooms:
Log repair: Some of the exterior logs were treated, sealed, and repaired:
Straightening wall: The corner in the living room needed to be made flush with the rest of the room:
Bathroom gutted: The bathroom was worse than expected and needed to be completely gutted:
Floor repaired: The floor needed new cement from where the rotted wall was removed. When the floor heating was added, it created troughs below the floor line that rotted because of water leaks:
December 2023: Moving Company and Ferry Update
The moving company was able to pack up our things and fit them into the storage space according to the bid that they gave. This is great news and saves from added unplanned expenses. We were also able to successfully ship our personal car to Jeju Island this month for only $200. We are letting a missionary friend use it while we are in the States. We will ship our ministry van in July. Since it is a larger vehicle, it will cost slightly more. Despite some unforeseen challenges, God answered our prayers and we were able to renew our visas and change our address to Jeju this month as well.
October 2023: Moving Company Bid and Furlough Date Change
Our shipping date has been pushed up to early to mid December 2023. We have received a final bid from a company able to pack up our things, store them in Incheon until July 2024 (when we return from furlough), ship our container to Jeju Island, and deliver our things to our apartment on campus. The bid is for $5,200 USD. Storage is $11 USD per day, which will be roughly $2,500 for the duration. We bought tickets to the US for December 20th through July 2nd. Jeremy will travel back to work on renovations and teach two classes on Jeju the end of March through early April.
September 2023: When will we move?
We hope ship our things to the island in early 2024, and officially move there after our furlough ends in the Summer of 2024. This will allow the dorm to be remodeled into an apartment for our family. It will also allow our kids to finish the Korean school year, which ends early January.
July 2023: Where will we live?
Dorm number 3 is the middle one in this picture. Our family will live in the first level and half of the basement. This building (and several others on the campus) need some major updates. This will involve structural repairs and renovations, plumbing, electrical work, and new windows. We will need to add and remove some walls to accommodate our family’s and ministry needs.
Project Overview
Relocating to Jeju will be very similar to our move from America to Korea. As such, here are major aspects included in this move:
Housing: We will live on campus to be available for staff and student care. To make that possible, we will be remodeling one of the dorms to suit our family’s needs.
Shipping: We need to ship our belongings to the island before our 2024 furlough and pay for a storage option until we return.
Tickets: We will need to purchase ferry tickets to the island for our family and pets. This is the best way to ship our personal car and ministry van to the island so that we can immediately drive on arrival.
Setup Funds: It is more practical and affordable to replace some household items rather than pay to ship them. Included in this category would be a clothes washer and dishwasher.