From the girl in the attic...

another moment

2010-06-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

I forgot to blog about this - but this happened last Friday night - May 28th

I have a burden for refugees. I love them and want to help them and encourage them but so many times I am just overwhelmed. Just about a month ago, I went and made pizza with a group of Burmese refugees with my friend Kristin. We were both really blessed by the experience and I wanted to do it again and so did she. We told some of our friends and they were interested as well so I thought, hmmmmmm, what can we do next time....so I came up with making a big pot of speghetti and taking games and things to play outside since the weather is so nice. I (albeit afraid) asked some of my friends to come with me. I am only hesitant because you never know what you're going to encounter, etc...It's hard to communicate with refugees and know they are understanding what you're saying. I also called Thblay, the contact person I had for the apt. complex where many refugees live. She told me she wasn't going to be there because she had to work but we could come anyway. :) Adventure. All the friends I invited were able to come except one, so one hot Friday night we gathered to pray at the Hollicks house before heading to Aurora and this apt. complex. There were four guys and three girls.

When we arrived it seemed that no one was around. Finally I saw one of Thblay's kids and they let us into their house but no one was there. So, we just started making the speghetti, and I took a deep breath and started out in search of people and started to knock on doors and speak and gesture to try to get people to come outside. I got the guys (friends) started in setting up games outside and before we knew it we had the whole yard full of Russians, Burmese, Africans, etc...it was beautiful. We played for a while and then served plates of speghetti for whoever wanted some. Unfortunately we forgot cameras because there were definitely some picture moments there. There was a little Russian boy literally covered from head to foot in sauce. :) He ended up going home and changing. Then there was Court (one of the guys) rolling in the grass with the children and having grass fights and Kristin and Viki serving speghetti and teaching about volleyball, it was all beautiful...such a mix of people. Connections were being made and the community was coming together.

For the next time, we got requests for some music and a Bible story. :) I think we can manage....and fortunately my friends have caught the vision and would like to make it a cookout style time....

God - You are so creative....thank you for using us, your children with so many weaknesses and flaws to serve and love others.

moments...

2010-06-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a long day. Needless to say my life is an exercise in flexibility. No day is the same....I am looking forward to a little more routine when I start my new job next week but there will still be a lot of flexibility in that as well. I have found that instead of getting upset with changes I need to embrace them - sometimes this is much easier than others. Anyway...last night after "teaching" four students at a factory near Wheaton (filling in for two teachers) I made my way through crazy traffic and heat to my friend Kristin's house to meet her and Viki to go bike riding. We made it about 14 miles, which was more than I thought we would since we didn't have tons of time...anyway - I hadn't had much to eat so my stomach felt like it was eating me from the inside out so I decided to get some dinner before I headed to small group (I didn't have time to go home), so I decided to splurge on Chinese food since there was a restaurant close by so I walked in, placed my order for a yummy egg roll and jiaozi and was waiting. (Usually while I am waiting I say NOTHING to the people around me...I don't think it's because I am unfriendly but I just feel uncomfortable or something) but this night was different. I started talking to this lady about what she liked to eat at this restaurant because it sounded like she had been there many times...so we started talking etc...and I mentioned that I was just stopping to get something between biking nearby and heading to Bible study and then we continued talking about food and other things. But, on her way out she turned to me and asked me what I was studying at Bible study. (I was surprised she even caught that I had mentioned it) and told her we were having prayer and praise night that night and that we would pray for each other and worship, but that we were going through the book "Lady in Waiting" as well. Then she asked about what church I went to and I asked about her....she said, she went to one sometimes but not all the time, so I encouraged her to try the one I go to and give it a chance, more than one week because I love the sermons and worship there. On her way out she said, you might have just stopped here tonight to tell me that. Thank you.

Wow - just makes me want to be more available for God to use.

Then later - I was at Bible study and we got a call from one of the girls that usually comes and she was stuck in the hospital with her mom because her dad was taking a break so we decided as a group to move our group to the hospital. I brought my guitar because I was already planning to play for group but instead of that our group was able to reach out and sing a few worship songs and pray over this girls mom and family. IT was powerful. I am so thankful to serve a God who cares so intimately about His creation and I am honored to be used by Him in whatever way I can.

falling in love...

2010-05-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

So, lately I feel like I have been learning of God's love for me and for people in general and that it's my job, as well as most people's to spread that love through the way they live, treat, and talk to others. I have been challenged in this way. I have also been praying that I can really FEEL the love and be filled by it to overflowing...I am not sure how well it's working but I do feel like I am "falling more in love with Jesus". I think it's why the song, "More Like Falling in Love" from KLOVE radio has been stuck in my mind....it's about our relationship with Jesus and the chorus keeps coming to my mind....(in reference to our relationship with Jesus)

More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love
by Jason Gray

Then when I was looking over stuff from my past and found a song I had written. I wrote it and it was as if it was a love song to me from Jesus when I was going through a hard time....(in high school). Here's part of that....

Say you fell outta love
with no place to stand
Say your hearts on the mend
from a broken romance
Say you don't want to trust
cause it hurts too much
You think I never understand
Tell me what have I got to do
To make a believer of you

Do I have to turn water into wine
Turn some stones into bread
Do I have to paint my heart across the sky
in a blazing shade of red
Do I have to put the sun into the sea
to make you fall in love with Me
Oh, it that's what it takes
then let it be...

I have been memorizing Psalm 19 and spending time thinking about that....through all these things I am learning that God reaches out in His love in many ways, his commands, statutes, precepts, the sky, the heavens, through our lighted eyes by spending time with Him, etc... It's a miracle really. I have prayed for accountability about memorizing that Psalm and it's been a couple of weeks and I only have 4 verses left. God is good:)

Classes are going good as well. I love my students and can't believe this job ends at the end of this month. I am trusting God will be there to lead me in my next step soon but at this moment I don't know...and I am learning to be content in the here and now and not knowing....I am learning to surrender the drivers seat of my life and how I think things should be going and really just try to love and serve where He's put me as well as keep my eyes and ears and heart open for what He might be saying.....much freedom found in that.

Ok, I am kind of rambling but I wanted to give this brief update. :)

Go out in love.

Student story of the month...

2010-03-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

So for my new job we have to do something called a "monthly folder" and I am not really sure what that means because I haven't done it yet but I do know that I need to write a story about my students or something that happened in my classroom this month....so I have been wondering what to write because my students are very limited in their abilities in English right now but I am liking them more and more each time I teach them wishing I could know their stories....I am so I would be amazed. I thought about writing about my Chinese student who is in her 60s and how it's been neat that I can speak and understand simple Chinese because this helps her to be able to feel more confident in class. She will most likely never progress much in English because of her disposition and shyness and age but I would like to think she will and being able to have the Chinese connection with her and another student has been great. It makes me miss all my Chinese students. I still can't believe I lived there for three years.

But I think the story I will share about is one day we were working on writing and saying out addresses and phone numbers and I was writing mine on the board and thought, I should have them write my number in their books to be able to call me if they aren't going to be in class a certain day so I had them copy it down under their names in their books thinking we'd have a lesson on leaving messages and practice later. I told them what this was for but I didn't know how much they understood until I started to receive messages:) I think three different students now have left phone messages for me about reasons why they weren't going to be in class. This might not seem much to you but just think if you were in another country and you'd only been there for three to five months and you were given a phone number to a teacher you've only known a couple of weeks and you were expected to call and speak a foreign language to a teacher who only understands that language giving an excuse why you'd be absent for class...ha..it's hard. I think it took me about a year to work up the courage to call for water when I was living in China and my drinking water was delivered to my apt. when I needed it. I made my roommate do it my first year:) I am very proud of my students and the progress I see them making as well as their confidence growing. We laugh a lot and smile when we can't understand each other but perhaps the most endearing thing is when I see them helping each other and being patient with one another as they all struggle to learn the strange language of English in this "new land"....:)

I am blessed.

What are you thankful for?

road trips...

2010-03-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend I spent 14 hours in the car.....with nothing but music and my thoughts...I tried to get a couple of books on tape but my library card had expired! I guess I need to get a new one if I want entertainment for future road trips.

I just want to say I am thankful for my family and friends. I have been blessed with some awesome people in my life.

I think my favorite part of being with them is the laughing....singing rates up there, too...

Lots of talking.....
Eating cookies for breakfast...:)
Visiting a Mexican store and cafe....
The local library...very nice.
Catching up around the Benish table...
Watching Will and Rachel perform in "Fiddler on the Roof"...very good performance...
Church with Josh and Kassie...
Shamrock shakes....

...and my thoughts are not cohesive right now so I think I'll come back later. :) I am sure pictures will be on FB soon.

88

teaching again :)

2010-03-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

So, I'm back in the classroom again. I have had two days of teaching in my new job, so far. I am liking it:) I knew I missed it and this confirms it. I love my students already and I have quite a range of ages, ethnic groups (Burundi, Burmese (two different minorities), Iran, Eritrea, Taiwan), and gender. So far I am up to 11 or 12 students. Who knows how many I will end up with. You have to be flexible to people coming and going. I am going to have to learn how to do that better but I did have some good practice in China....:) I do like having people from different cultures but I have a lot of learning to do. They are very low English users so there is a lot of guesswork right now. I did get a surprise today when they showed up with my textbooks! Maybe they already had them or the order went through really fast but that makes me happy I won't have to make copies EVERY day:)

Today at the end of class I didn't even realize it was the end and the students started laughing as I was obviously surprised at the time! I hope they are enjoying it, too. I know I am pushing them but I hope to somehow level out with challenging them but not overwhelming them. I am finally able to put to use some of the education and I am still paying for:)

This has been a very interesting time of my life....I feel as though I am walking through a lot right now but that God is carrying me through a lot of things right now, and He's been asking me to directly look Him in the face and surrender and trust Him with no conditions of my own but that He knows what I am going through and is shaping me and making me better for it, even when it hurts. He is teaching me to stand on His foundation and find security in Him and not people and circumstances and He's challenging to get me to let Him hold my heart. I keep wanting to take it back, but I have to learn that He knows me best and loves me more than I know. I am learning to receive love....which I believe will be a life long journey.

I am loving the hints of spring:)

slouching stockings and job interview...

2010-02-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

Sooooo, I guess it's been a while since I've blogged.....Life has been a little crazy and scheduleless as of late. There is some sort of schedule to my non-schedule but in a flexible way...how about that for an explanation.

Today. Today I had a job interview for a part time teaching position at World Relief. It would be with beginners and maybe only 10-15 students four mornings a week for two hours a day. I would really like the job but as in every area of my life, I am placing it in God's hands to have me where He wants me and with whom. It's amazing the peace and Joy He gives when you surrender to Him....why don't I do it more often? So, I was trying to look a little nicer because of the interview and right now both pairs of dress pants that fit me are too long unless I wear heels so I wear heels....and it's kind of cold to go without tights but I don't like wearing them under and I just happened to find some knee highs in my dresser...hmmm, this is good I thought....

Well, on my way into the building for the interview I could feel them starting to creep down my legs and tried to pull them up to no avail....haha....by the time I had reached the office they were around my ankles and I was laughing inside that I was like an old women with her stockings around her ankles....making the wrinkles already there look even worse! ha....fortunately I had a free moment to scoot around the edge of the office and pull both of the stockings off and shove them in my pockets....so much for trying to be professional and now I have blisters on both feet from wearing heels all day....mistake.

Despite all this preamble the interview went well. I enjoyed talking to the director and hearing more about the job. I should know my results by the end of the week.

I have also been learning more about my insecurities and putting my trust in the only thing that is secure....Jesus. It's easy to say but not so easy to do when the rubber meets the road, but I can almost hear God saying, Who do you think I am? Do you believe what I can do what I promise? What I say I can do? Wow. If I believe all that, just think of what he could do in and through me and people in general...

Who is God that He is mindful of us?

I do believe this weekend I will head towards Midlandia to visit my sis. It's been too long since I've taken a road trip...and it will be good to get away.

Monday Morning

2009-12-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

So I was awoken by my mom on the phone....haha....it seems people like calling me before I want to get up! I had a good conversation but I have a headache I can't shake. Oh well, such is life...haha...I really am blessed in so many ways.

I was just sitting on the couch downstairs checking email and thinking about starting to work on my resume when I heard Gpa Jones crying at the table so I went up to see what was wrong and he was just crying because of how different Christmas will be this year without Ruth (his wife who died in October). He talked about when she died and how he felt and how it was just difficult this time of year and how after being together for 63 years he misses her a whole lot. He said that for a while after she had died he still went in to look at her bed every morning just wishing she was there but now has become more comfortable with it and knows she isn't and that she's in a better place. He told me that the night she died she was struggling so much to just take a breath and that he finally prayed God would take her and restore her even though he knew it would be rough for him here.

It was a touching moment where he shared some memories. I guess it just reminds me to live now. To enjoy now. Life goes so quickly and it will slip right by if I am not intensional about living and loving others and following Christ to even make it worth a life to live.....if that makes any sense. I hope your Monday is going well.

I am really thankful for so many friends and family in my life. I hope you all know that.

Love.

Graduated

2009-12-20T22:06:00.001-08:00

So, I have an MA in Intercultural Studies and TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language). I am not sure what this means yet for my future. I haven't had a lot of time to really think about it. I feel like life's been a bit of a whirlwind lately. I am really looking forward to break but then I need to figure out job stuff....etc....learning to trust God through all this. I am excited to see what He's gonna do in this new year.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack:)

2009-12-04T15:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone who probably aren't reading this blog anymore because it seems I fell off the planet...well, I decided today was the day to come back. I'm a week from graduating with my MA degree and I am overwhelmed with the blessings God has bestowed on me. For example, just today I was meeting with my supervising prof for student teaching and my cooperating teacher to discuss my student teaching experience. It was an encouraging time as student teaching was a very positive experience for me. I LOVED it. Flat out...but anyway, at the end of the meeting my cooperating teacher turned to me and handed me two letters of reference for me and said she'd love to be one of the references in my resume. What a blessing! I didn't even have to ask and I think it shocked my prof a little even:) Then I had a little time before I had to go to work and I was right next to an Old Navy, and thinking, hmmmmm, I need some jeans since I ruined my last pair and I don't have any that fit me very well I mise will go check out the selection, so I did. First I was distracted by all the new and bright colors of the season :) I like bright colors but I soon focused on the goal at hand....and walked up to the giant wall of jeans and probably looked confused because I was with the different labels like "Flirt" "Diva" "Classic" etc.....what in the world did it all mean....well, fortunately a sales lady was standing by and proceeded to walk me through it all and I grabbed different styles, lengths, and sizes. After trying them on I decided on an Diva 8 short (never wore that size before and am not exactly sure what it means anyway)....continuing on I took my jeans to the front to pay for them. I was resigned to the fact that I was going to pay a little over $20 for them but they fit well and that's important (according to my friends) so jeans didn't have any tags on them but I didn't want to go back and find another pair so she said, it's ok, I can ring it up. Soon she had this puzzled look on her face and told me they were on major discount, and I was like, yeah, they are 19.99 down from 30 or something, and she was like, where did you get these from and I said, the wall of jeans over there...she said the jeans must have been put away wrong because they were ringing up a different price. I then asked for the price again...and she said $3.74. I had her repeat it again and she said, wow what a deal and I was like, wow, what a blessing with my jaw probably on the counter in front of me:) What a blessing.

Another blessing is that my WHOLE family plus a few extras might be in Wheaton for my graduation next Friday. I am VERY excited about that, possibly even more than the graduation itself:) I love my family and friends.

I am blessed.

refer to title on previous post:)

2009-06-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

So, we'll start with, it's been a great week. My brother got married. It was a beautiful day. We all missed my sister, Kelsey, being there but I took over the job of pictures and didn't quite get the 500+ she would have taken but I got a few:) The ceremony was beautiful and meaningful...It was also good to see all the grandparents. Afterwards the reception was at the cabin and it was a good time of bonding for both families. That night mom, dad, and I drove back home bc dad needed to work on Monday.

I planned to head back to Chicagoland on Tuesday and asked mom to come with me. Af first she wasn't going to come, but ended up being able to be "spontaneous" and join me:) on what would turn into quite the adventure to get back to Chicago area. HAHA. We left around 2pm MI time and were hoping to get to St. Charles between 8 and 9pm IL time. Well, my first mistake was thinking I knew part of the way WITHOUT VICKI (my GPS). Yeah, so mom and I were just talking along as we drive through Bad Axe, Imlay City, Flint, Owosso, etc....the last city I noticed was Lansing. Mom was sleeping for a bit but had woken up again by this time as called dad to let him know how we were doing.....as she was talking I started noticing signs for Port Huron and eventually Farmington Hills.....(not good)...mom quickly ended her conversation when she realized what I was saying and we realized that probably someplace in Lansing I had accidently gotten onto 96 headed towards Detroit (the opposite direction we wanted to be heading). At this point VICKI was brought out in haste.

Mom tried to keep control and just verbally tell me the directions but quickly realized with my prompting that I wasn't that good at audio instructions and I did much better if I was seeing VICKI so quickly turned her over to me. At this point it was time to find a place to stop for restrooms, eating, and gas but we just wanted to get back on the right track. We quickly redirectioned ourselves and headed towards Ann Arbor (bringing back memories of driving Kelsey to and from school). Once we finally got back on the right track I pulled off at an exit I thought looked good for getting quick food and gas....haha....so did EVERYONE else it seemed and it was too late to turn around. Finally we made our way to a restaurant and gas station and were on the road again, this time using VICKI even though we "knew" where we were. We had lost two hours of our time. Finally after seeming to drive forever in MI we reached Indiana and Illinois. By this time it was starting to get dark and raining a little.

I was telling mom how happy I was to have an ipass and that it made the toll roads a lot easier and quicker to use. Just as we were driving down the first major toll road in IL VICKI started telling us to get off at "random" exits. I then started to fight with VICKI and mom (being level headed as she is just kept driving)....VICKI would say to turn off and I would say "Don't listen to her....she's wrong....I don't recognize this at all!" and mom would be like, well, ok I'll keep driving but I think we need to get off sometime....during this time I am turning her off and on and re programming her for the route to Tobey's house but she keeps insisting we get off the main road. After this continued for sometime we finally decided to listen to her because I didn't know how to get us home even using the main roads. The rain is coming harder now and it's dark out.

When I was at home I thought it would be a good idea to put some rain-x on my windshield so the rain bubbles up and doesn't smear all over the windshield. Little did I know the directions on the bottle weren't very good. I just smeared it all over the windshield and let it dry. I asked dad about it later when I was at home and he said I needed to make sure I really rubbed it off or it would give me trouble but I didn't even think it would be a big deal and I forgot about it....that is until it rained on our trip back and started to do the opposite of the intended effect. It started to smear the rain drops INTO the windshield making it even harder to see esp. with the lights reflecting at night......so mom started at every stoplight to turn on the wipers like a maniac and then stop them while we were driving bc we could actually see "better" without using them. At this point I decided to call dad and ask if he could google how to rid yourself of unwanted rain-x but ended up telling the story of taking a wrong turn and mom and I were laughing so hard it couldn't have been safe:) He must have thought we were going crazy....and we weren't sure we were ever going to reach Tobey's that night because we were heading through all these small towns with bunches of stoplights we kept seeming to hit. We took roads I have never heard of and drove through cities that were probably very nice but not when you're just wanting to get to your destination the quickest way possible. During this time I am still fiddling with VICKI and mom tells me to check and see if I accidently pressed the "avoid all toll roads" option...sure enough I had and we had more of an adventure then we wanted!

In Aurora (a city about 20-30 minutes from Tobeys) I was almost giving up hope and started calling out names of motels along the road such as the City Council Hotel the Happy Motel, the Country Motel, etc....but we ended up forging through and made it to the Tobey's by about 11:15pm. All's well that ends well I say.......just chalk it up to another adventure in the car....be careful when riding with me!

This week has been great having mom here, too. We've walked a river path at a park near here (beautiful)....I don't know how many miles we walked and then the next day biked around 15 miles on trails around the Tobeys.....visited with the Harpers (old family friends), and enjoyed time together. It's been so nice to have someone to do some active things with....although I think my body might be protesting a little now:) I love it.

Blessings. Sorry so long!

rain-x on opposite day....

2009-06-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

Oh fudge!

2009-05-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

If you know anything about me, you know that I shruggle (struggle) with things like eating. My sister once crocheted me a bib, but I don't like to wear it in public.

The other day, I was driving through the McD's drive thru and felt the urge to get me some ice cream. A normal person driving in the dark would choose something safe, like a milkshake... with a lid. But I like to live on the edge. So I ordered a hot fudge sundae.

I decided to take a little lick before hitting the road again, so I stuck out my tongue in the general direction of the ice cream, and amazingly enough managed to connect. Did you know the tongue is one of the strongest muscles in the body?

Rachelle (the smart one, you know, with the milkshake) soon pointed out to me that my ice cream was now all down the front of my shirt. Of course I didn't believe her. Who me? Make a mess? I don't think so.

Wrong I was. And sticky.

Now I'm back to wearing the bib.

God Shines...

2009-04-23T19:24:00.001-07:00

So today was a good day. I had my morning class cancelled so I had stayed at my friend's house the night before to hang out and watch a movie and talk. We then got up and continued talking until I had 10 minutes, to my dismay, to get ready. I was like a whirlwind - showering and packing up to go to Ladies' Refugee Tea about 45 minutes away. Despite my worry, I made it early and began to set up. We ended up having about 15 refugee ladies come from Iraq, Burma, Togo, Eritrea (sp), and Burundi. We had about 5 American women volunteers to help out. I then proceeded in leading a discussion on "welcoming rituals" in various countries. How do people welcome people in their varying countries, etc... I grouped the women into three groups according to the regions they were from and they began to answer various questions about their culture as well as what they thought about American culture. They were laughing and loved sharing "new information" to the American volunteers helping out. After working for a while in country groups we all came together and took turns sharing answers to questions about their different countries. The women were silent when others were speaking and seemed to learn so much from each other. There were so many "a-ha" moments and I, as the facilitator, felt for once I was in the right place at the right time and I am indeed in the correct major in grad school. It was like a little bit of "heaven" where all the cultures were speaking together and learning from each other and supporting each other. Many of the American volunteers also had their eyes opened and were so surprised at all they had learned. IT all just made me smile. It was a very good day. Now I am exhausted...but very satisfied and thankful.

Gma-isms :-) and Easter

2009-04-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

So, my grandma Brown (mom's mom) decided to come over to Chicago to visit me for Easter since my parents were out of the country and I didn't want to do another road trip so soon after going to KY to visit Joe and Kirstin. So, she bravely took the train and made it with little to no mishap....here are some funny things that happened when we were together that weekend. I think I get more from my grandma in terms of personality than I originally thought...haha

Gma and me in a Thai Restaurant for lunch in Wheaton.

Gma: "You can really eat with those sticks? (referring to the chopsticks I was opening) I guess I'll have to see this. I know your DAD can. He even did it when your parents were first married."

Me:(laughing)"Gma, I lived in China for three years, of course I can eat with chopsticks!"

Gma: "I'm just gonna hafta see this."

Gma and I walking down a downtown street in Geneva, IL. We stopped at a place that many people had recommended me to try sometime but I had no idea where it was. IT's a fondue place. I still haven't tried it but at least I know where it is. Anyway, out front there are some interesting works of art in the form of metal creatures, and one being a knight in shining armor...haha...Gma was like, I'll take your picture by him, and I laughed and said, sure. (I had been taking pictures of HER throughout the day)...so I walk over to stand near it but I don't want to step into the garden that it's in...so I stay on the walk. Before gma shot the picture she said, "You're gonna have to get a lot closer to him if you're really interested!" I don't know why but that statement just really made me laugh. Dating advice from gma for starters but the fact she was talking about a metal man just struck me funny:-)

There were other things but my mind is fuzzy now as it is relating to most things...haha:-)

We celebrated a good Easter weekend together. The Tobey family is away for the week so her brother and his family was there for Easter and then Sarah had stayed behind, John her finace came to visit, and Alex was over since he was fixing stuff in the basement for Tobeys. Also the grandparents were here as well....it was an eclectic but fun Easter. A great way to celebrate. I loved being able to share the Easter story again with the refugee women I work with. Some of them were so surprised they had never heard or known the story. I was blessed to be able to share it with them.

Also this Easter I went to a Maundy Thursday service for the first time I can remember. I don't know if I have ever been to a more beautiful service. Describing it I cannot do it justice, but i was so thankful I went. God's Spirit was there and it was a time to remember everything He has done and continues to do for us, His creation! Amen. :-)

my poor sense of direction

2009-04-18T13:00:00.001-07:00

So, to go along with my theme of poor sense of direction I will tell of Thursday when I was driving home from the Ladie's Refugee Tea. I was taking a way a little different from normal but I was confident I knew where I was going. It was a sunny afternoon and I had my window rolled down and my tunes cranked up. So, I was just driving along...singing along and I was like....hmmmmm, I am pretty sure I missed my turn. Sure enough, I had. Instead of turning around I decided to be a little adventurous and take a different way home. I got there but it got me laughing to think I wasn't even using Vicky and I didn't have another person in my car....I managed to distract MYSELF enough to miss the turn....aiya....this is getting scary:-)

i have so much to post I can't do it all now...

2009-04-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

So, my adventure from yesterday....I remember my friend telling me about a quicker way back to school from dropping them off at the airport on roads 55 and 355, etc...but I didn't know the directions so I missed 55 (because I didn't know if I was supposed to go north or south) and Vicky (my trusty GPS) ended up taking me some weird way (a LONGER way) through some very sketchy parts of town. I called Rachelle (my good friend in Wheaton) as I was driving and told her I'd be late for class and I had no idea where I was but Vicky was guiding me....haha....I was like, wow, I just had no idea Wheaton was this close to places like this. It was real eye opening for me. I saw many street people and beggars and even thought for a while that I was in a different city or country or something...anyway...I did my best not to freak out and just follow the GPS (me and my poor sense of direction!)

So, also, I had been drinking a bottle of water and needed to use the bathroom but I didn't want to stop because it was a little scary ... haha...and I was late for class, so I forged on! Finally, I got to 38, a road I recognized and and continued on to see 355 as I got closer to Wheaton and about hit my forehead thinking, that's so close....I wish I had understood my friend's directions! haha...by this time I had to go to the bathroom worse than I can ever remember to the point where I had to take off my seatbelt and pray I would make it to the BGC in time! I pulled into the parking lot thinking, I am going to wet my pants and that's not cool because Rachelle is in class and I will have nowhere to change.....and talk about embarressing...so....I pulled in and of course the only spots available where pretty far from the building since I was late....so I walked/waddled awkwardly towards the building with my mind on the goal...the restroom on the first floor....(I made it, btw)...whew...and I made it in time for the second part of class....what an adventure at it was only 1pm:-)

I hope you're laughing. :-) B/c I was while I was writing this.

Now I better do some homework...more stories to come....

I have a computer NOW!!!

2009-03-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

I have a cat staring at me...while I eat peanutbutter cups.....I think he just likes the shiny paper wrapping:-) at least I hope so, because he's not getting any candy!!!

Wow, time is flying. I am already in my fourth quad in graduate school....time is moving quickly. A few updates on life...hmmmm....

I got a computer (not new, but looks pretty good) named "Jake" :-) He's a black Macbook and we're working on boundary issues. I don't want to be using him as much as I did my last one...poor Mac...dying.....anyway....I love this computer but I am far from figuring out how to use everything on it....haha...but I have a camera now so I can skype people and see them and they can see me. I like the first part of that sentence but am not so crazy about the second:-)

I have been really enjoying the more spring like weather we have been having. Last sunday I was out playing frisbee with David and Alex and this Sunday the three of us played tennis, or attempted to anyway....it's been great to get out and spend more time outside then just a short jog here and there or a walk outside.

I've had a couple of games nights since being back this term and it's been great fun. I think there will be more of those to come. I just started two new classes....Assessment (I think you can guess how I feel about that one...haha) and Contextualization which is really interesting other than the fact that it is at 830 on Tuesday and Thursday morning! Aiya! I think I will really like the context of the class. I know I like the prof.

I have also started playing vball on Monday nights. It is pretty intimidating right now but I am going to try to stick with it and become more confident. I think it will be good for me....stretching...God has also been teaching me a lot about living with the Spirit in control instead of me....hard but very worth it and about worshipping Him no matter how I FEEL.

I need to take some pictures and put them on this computer. Right now I have nothing. It's a slow change over from old to new, but I am really liking this one! :-)

Grammar class, though, continues to kick my bottom....please pray I can have a clear head to receive and understand that and a good attitude.....it's a challenge for me although I know many people face MUCH harder ones. I suppose I do, too, but that's the main one I like to complain about...haha....

So, there you have it...my life right now....becoming fuller....becoming happier.....becoming healed...:-)

Love to all as you begin this new week!

still no computer but yay God!

2009-03-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

The radio announcer was talking about "Yay God moments" on my way driving back from Wheaton tonight. I feel like I have a lot of those moments recently. I just spent an awesome spring break away from school and things in the Chicagoland area. Now I don't have anything against things in the Chicagoland area but I needed a break and I got it. I am not sure I am any more rested from before I left, and actually maybe less but my spirit feels refreshed and I am looking forward, expectantly, to what God is going to do in and through me in this next quad term at Wheaton.

My friend, Rachelle, asked me the other night what I thought about going into this new term and I told her I am excited. That was no the answer she OR even I expected to come from my mouth, but I AM excited to see what God's doing. He's healing me. He's putting me back together after what I feel like was being broken in a million pieces. (it takes a long time to put a million broken pieces back together) haha....so I am learning.

This past week I spent time mostly with my cousin, Dee, (the great hugger and encourager) and my mom (with Wafs and my dad thrown in there a little bit:-) I was encouraged. I got to talk a lot to my cousin and listen to her stories...and then spend quality time hanging out and painting with my mom (and hanging out with her youth kids - who still think I am pretty young and I LIKE THAT) with some great discussions sprinkled in. Our livingroom and diningroom are now painted moss green with the ceilings being painted something candlelight. :-) We got a new fridge..my parents first new fridge since they've been married and I personally think it's awesome. I like to call it "Fridgee" :-)

I am reading a book called "THE NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE" and think that's a funny title...but it's written by a Chinese man and translated into English and that for some crazy reason helps me to understand it:) It also ties in nicely with a conversation my mom, sister, and I had over skype about Kelsey and I being "not normal"....or not leading "normal lives" and my mom chimed in with a good statement...maybe we are just the "new normal" so that's what I like to think now...I'm just a different normal than "normal"----whatever that means but I think it's good:-) Ok, enough of that confusing stuff. I ended my break driving back to Tobey's on a BEAUTIFUL Saturday day and getting here in time to help make Asian food (which I love) and hang out with the fam a little....some were visiting. I then woke up early to go to worship practice and sing in the worship choir...which was only my second time but I LOVE IT. I love to worship! It brings me great joy and I just have SO much to be thankful for and praise Him for! After the first service, a lady came up to me and said, it looks like you guys really have fun in the worship choir and it sounded great....I was like, I love it and I love worshipping so we got to talking a little. She's a social studies teacher and found out I had lived in China and she has a unit coming up on China and Japan, so she got my number and email and I might help her with a little presenting, we'll see. Then I met up with a couple of ladies from Ladie's Tea and talked.....I LOVE making more connections! The service was rockin with worship but also with a challenging message. What water am I thirsting for?

After church I went jogging because the weather was again, BEATIFUL...the first day this year I wore shorts and a tshirt. I felt so free and joyous (and for those of you who know me, you know that joyous maybe does not describe me as much as it should...:-) I just bought a new red frisbee when I was home and dying to try it out so when I returned, Alex had come over and agreed to play frisbee with me and I was able to convince David to come out and enjoy the sunshine as well. I had a BLAST. It was just so nice to be outside and just running around like a...well, like a kid. haha We ended up playing frisbee golf on our "own course" through the neighborhood...getting many odd stares.

Later on, I guess Sue and Dick Tobey were going out to walk and some of the little neighbor kids came out and said are you looking for those kids who are playing frisbee golf and come from all those cars in your driveway? They went THAT way....(haha...we were called "kids"...a 29 year old, 26 year old, and an 18 year old) It was funny, probably coming from an 8 year old:-)

After that I proceeded to assemble some kind of fried rice. I don't have much experience with it but I told my friends I would bring it to a dinner I was invited to so I was attempting it. Luckily I had Alex there for taste testing and holding the heavy pans (because there was a lot). It actually turned out pretty good but next time I will use not so sticky rice! :-) I then drove to Wheaton to meet my friends for an Asian dinner, fellowship, and ended up learning and playing the game of Settlers...pretty fun times! I am exhausted now and should go to bed and I think I've written a book, but....I want to encourage whoever has read this whole thing that God is awesome. He knows what we need when we need it...and it's TRUE! I will continue to trust in Him and learn about Him!

Blessings to all. Love. (Pictures later when I get my LONG awaited computer:-)

Generating silence....

2009-03-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

The title comes from a function I use when I am doing audio editing for work. If you have to take something out but still need a pause you can generate many lengths of silence. It's kind of cool actually in a computer geeky kind of way. Not that I am real into computers but doing my job is forcing my skills to be honed a bit. :-) I am also learning how to add sound effects to a voice track and my first try at this is including barn yard animals. I was cracking myself up the other day when I was listening to a cow and just thinking....hmmmm, I wonder what people are thinking in surrounding offices...? hahaha...

Along with audio editing I had my first grammar test (which I am pretty sure I didn't fail and I was actually pretty worried about it). I drove my friends crazy when we were studying for it on Monday night. BUT the moment of truth as far as a grade for that happens tomorrow.

I don't know if I wrote about this before in my blog but it's going on three weeks without a computer to call my own. The screen light went out and it was going to cost all sorts of money to fix it and it wasn't worth that much so a gracious friend said he would try but that the computer really is on it's last legs, so long story short...I have to buy a new computer. I am excited about the new computer part but not the money part. I was hoping my current one would last through grad school but no....and I can't blame it after spending three years with me in China! :-) So...as soon as my dad orders a new one, hopefully I will have it for starting after Spring Break! YES!!! Spring Break starts next saturday night for me! VERY excited. I have been a little restless and in need of a get away, so here I go! Just gotta successfully navigate one more week!

On a more serious note...not having a computer has made me think a lot about different things I wouldn't normally think about. Wouldn't America be in trouble if someone was actually able to knock out all the computers. I have to depend on one and do, entirely TOO much. Not having one has given me more free time to spend with God and that's been GOOD. I have gotten back to journalling and meandering my way through the Old Testament and Proverbs. I like it. Not necessarily all the readings but I like that time. A down side is I feel a little less connected to my "world friends"....anyone who does not live near me, which are a lot of friends...anyway...that's hard sometimes but it is also forcing me to live a little more in the here and now....and making connections where I am at. That's good for me. I feel more healing has occurred and I PRAISE THE LORD for that!

I might have even found an open volleyball gym night to go to at a church around here. If I am brave enough I will check it out tomorrow night. It's always hard to walk into new situations alone but I think I'll at least see if I can find the place:-)

Another thing going on sometimes in my daily drives...have turned into REAL, as opposed to not really listening or being tuned into, worship times. That's been neat as well.

Lots of good going on amidst the struggle of my classes and not really feeling like I am using my gifts and talents at work!

Oh yeah, three of my friends from school came over this past saturday nite and we ate, took pictures, played games, and talked and laughed a lot....so good for the soul...thanks girls.

So...on that note....have a blessed week! I would post some pretty wild pictures but I will have to wait to get my new computer for that! Till then...peace. Love. JoY!

PS...I forgot to mention my time with the refugee lady's this week. It was awesome. I was praying about making some deeper connections, etc...and I feel like it's slowly starting to happen and that's REAL encouraging!

Ice Cream Dr.

2009-02-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

Yes, there really is an Ice Cream Dr. on my way to "Refugee Tea" every week I cross over it. There's a big dairy there on the corner. Someday I outta stop and check it out. It looks pretty interesting, along with it's fuel tanks out front painted like cows...yup...cows. So, I just realized I haven't posted on here in quite some time....life has been a little wild these days....a new semester...new things to deal with...obstacles and challenges to overcome...but healing is happening and I am SO grateful for that. A couple of the evidences of that physically is I am getting fatter and my hair is getting a little thicker. I was SOOO, and still am, so self-conscious about my hair. I don't remember ever worrying this much about it and just as I was about to give up it started to get a little fuller and it's starting to look a little nicer...people have even commented and that's just one of the signs. I am now not so emotional. I mean, I will always be emotional..that's part of me...but I don't cry everyday now at any little thing. That's refreshing. I am starting to feel a little better and just realizing the magnitude of what I had "lost" and how far I had "fallen" from healthy. God is such a healer and restorer but on HIS time and not mine. I have been spending more time with Him and just started paper and pencil journaling again. It's refreshing and like a breath of fresh air. I feel like I am always talking to Jesus these days, though. Maybe not about things that matter but i have had to really rely on Him a lot more than I thought I would...which is GOOD...don't get me wrong, but can get lonely for physical people here on this earth, sometimes, too. I think I am just getting restless and I am glad spring break is coming up soon. I need to get out...I need a new adventure away from school and academia....I still wonder, oftentimes what I am doing here. God is really working on me because I am humbled everyday.

As for other news....I live in couples land and many times feel really left out but not because people purposely exclude me but it just feels that way. In fact, some of the Tobey's friends from Ireland are visiting now and there was a bf and gf and they just got engaged in the Sear's Tower on Friday. I am really surrounded. I think David would be engaged too if he was old enough! :-) I am not complaining but it's just the place of life I am in right now I guess. It's sometimes hard to feel sometimes that something isn't wrong with me...I mean, I know there are many things that need work but it's just such different timing for people and what they are doing in their lives...and most of the time I think I am pretty content...just sometimes....ya know....but generally I know God loves me, He has a plan for me, and he is guiding me when I allow Him to and don't get selfish...so I continue to trust Him with the desires of my heart and wait for the dreams that He has for me and plans He wants me to have.

I feel like I have so many things to say but I always forget them when I blog. I got to do a little painting in the Tobey's basement today. That felt really good to do something physical. I hate all the sitting and studying, reading, and working I do. I much prefer a more active lifestyle...but such is life. Oh yeah, one of my favorite cats at the Tobey's died this week...his name was Jojo. He was almost two years old and just died on the night on Tobey's bed. Very sad. He gave me hugs everyday and basically caused a lot of mischief but is sorely missed around here. He was friendly with everyone. I miss the little bugger.

Ok, I am just rambling now and not saying anything of too much substance...so I will sign off...but not without leaving you a quote from a book I was reading the other day....

"I wonder what fool it was that first invented kissing." -Jonathan Swift

God Bless! :-)

Chinatown

2009-02-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was enjoyable for the second half:-) I had a long day at work on saturday and just didn't feel that great but on Sunday my friend, Rachelle, and I went into Chicago to go to the Chinese New Year Parade there. I might have been to Chinatown once before but I don't remember it. Anyway...it was a great day. The temperature was in the high 30s which was good for here. We have been having single digits and minuses way too much...anyway, the parade was hilarious. I am posting some pictures to prove my point. At many times during it there were just people, in everyday dress walking down the street....hmmm....Ronald McDonald showed up there. I don't know what he has to do with Chinese New Years. There were three marching bands? I never saw a marching band when I was in China....yes, there were bagpipes...a whole fleet of them...men in skirts and all sorts of advertising for WESTERN union. The irony....I was pretty much laughing the whole time. The people around us thought it was pretty funny, too. We then went into some Chinese stores and a bakery. I generally don't like Chinese bakeries but it just felt so familiar. I got some egg tarts, a taro bun and some cookies for a Chinese friend. All tasted great. I was pleasantly surprised! We then found a little "hole in the wall" restaurant after talking to one of the shopkeepers about what was a good but fairly inexpensive restaurant. She was right and our food was very tasty. After that we went on a search for bubble tea, even though my stomach was packed I hadn't had the tea since I returned and I really didn't have it then because they just ran out of bubbles before they served me BUT that felt like China, too. All this time I am able to use some of my Chinese and I feel strangely comfortable there.

We then walked through some stories and I ended up buying a lantern to hang in my attic sometime..but right now I can't get the electrical part working and so I'll have to see what to do about that....I don't know any electrical people who live near me. Anyway...kind of like China with things not always working although I am not close enough to Chinatown to just run it back. I also found some pretty awesome Chinglish wedding cards for those weddings I have coming up. Watch out if you're one of those people:) So yeah...it was a very enjoyable day and I felt strangely content as a result of it. Now if I could just start feeling content in my grammar class.

It's getting to be a real struggle for me. I just think of it like make because it's HARD to stick in my brain and make it understandable...too many letters, abbreviations, and all kinds of crazy things I have never used....anyway...pray that I can get some wisdom in that area and be CONTENT. :-)

I hope you're all having a great week. I am so ready for winter not to last this long but I don't think I have any hopes of it being shorter! Aiya~ :-)

frozen

2009-01-19T13:36:00.001-08:00

So, it's been a little cold here lately. I am not used to dealing with car maintenance anyway but throwing temperatures into the single digits and below definitly makes a difference:-) My left turn signal now works when it wants to and when it doesn't I must look like a maniac trying to turn left and manually moving my turn signal up and down...haha...then today on my way to work (which I found out too late that I didn't need to drive all the way to Wheaton for) my tape deck started doing funny things to a tape I put in. About halfway through the drive I got it working...I think it just needed to warm up. IT's only about 9 degrees today. The sunshine has been beautiful everyday to accompany the very low temperatures but it's deceiving when I am thinking I'll go out for a jog and enjoy the sunshine! Haha...that's if my throat and nasal passages don't freeze shut! :-) Fun times...

I don't know if I already wrote about it but this last weekend was a lot of fun. Friday night I had a "Picnic in January" with 6 friends from school. I think the temperature was below zero so it kept me from dressing the part, but we had hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, jello cake and lots of laughter. It was great. I taught the crew my family's game of aggravation and we took lots of goofy pics. I'll share a few. It was a great way to end the first week of a start of a new semester. When I got home there were roses on the counter...(not for me) but I wondered if they were from Mr. Tobey because it was their anniversary this weekend or John, Sarah's boyfriend who often brings them for her. I found out in the morning they were from John to Sarah...but later that day Dick and Sue got home from their romantic overnight getaway for their anniversary and Sue had one rose for every year they had been married, and one for each of their kids and a few left over. So, needless to say it felt like a flower shop and even looked like one at home. (Still does) To escape all the love and flowers I took off to use a few gift cards I had to go shopping and then meet up with my friends again to go to an opera/musical called "Patience". I have to say my expectations weren't too high. We paid $10 for the tickets and it was a Wheaton college performance but I didn't know much about the show. It turned out to be hilarious! It was very funny. Check out the summary online if you want a laugh and then imagine 20 girls following one guy and hanging on every word he said....that's part of the play...quite hilarious. Anyway, it's hard to describe but I would definitely go see it again if I got the chance. Essentially it was making fun of athestism (sp?) in the 1800s. So, very fun night.

On a more serious note...I have been reading through the OT lately from Genesis on and am now in Exodus. Very interesting since I haven't read it in a long time. I haven't just read the Bible, period, in a long time. I mean I have read it to go with devos or for church etc, but not just read it to read it. So, that's kind of cool. I am in the area right now about the plagues and Moses trying to get the Israelite's out of Pharoah's control and land. So many times God hardened Pharoah's heart against Moses and the Israelites...why? He could have just gotten them out the first time or not even asked Pharoah? What was the reason for so much destruction? For so much asking? Was it building Moses's faith? Making him stronger for what he had to endure ahead of time? Was it giving the Egyption people punishment for all their wicked ways? Was it meant for a display of things God could do? I'm not really sure. I am open for answers on this one....I just think wow, how persistent we must be sometimes...how much faith we need to have and KNOW that God hears but has His own plan...but that doesn't mean we stop asking or believing that He knows and is listening to what is going on...anyway..it was definitely food for thought and made me think to keep praying for those people I have been praying for for years it seems to come to know Him. He wants to draw them near to Him and redeem them, but I must be faithful in my small part...prayer.

I hope your week is getting off to a great start!
Love.

answered prayers....

2009-01-15T09:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was good. Not because anything extraordinary happened but because I met with God and He answered some simple prayers. I really want to be closer to Him this year. Rely more on Him for fellowship and spend more time in His Word learning about Him....so far I am in Genesis 40 or so. I haven't read in the Old Testament or any of the Bible stories of old for quite some time so it's interesting.

Anyway, back to my title...answers to prayer...I just feel like I prayed for a better attitude yesterday about a couple of things and without even realizing it until afterwards...when those situations came up and I DID have a better attitude and made some connections with people. For so long I felt "I am not myself" but not even really knowing what "myself" is right now. I am still trying to wade through things and figure that out but I feel like just once in a while God gives me a glimpse of what it is to be His and doing exactly what He wants me to...and those glimpses are what keep me going...reaching for more outside of my own selfish desires...growing...changing...working through challenges because He really is a God who cares for each of His creation individually and I am continually amazed when I allow myself to be.

I feel like I am always "blogging" in my mind but when I actually sit down to write it's hard to think of all that's been going on...on a little more day to day level...I have started classes. I have three right now....Culture and Teaching (I think I will really like this one), Grammar (compared to human anatomy on the first day of class)...not really sure about liking that one, and Curriculum Development...aiya...that sounds pretty teacherish...:-) I just had my first class in that one last night. Our prof. said that most people enter this major for one or a combination of three reasons...because they are a Specialist in the field and need help with the Education side or just want to learn more...the Educator who is good at teaching but needs more information and specialist skills, and the Opportunist who is looking for new opportunities and adventure and English Teaching is a good platform for that. I would have to say that I am a combination of the Educator and Opportunist and am definitely in grad school for help with the Specialist area...:-) We'll see how that goes. This term is going to be stretching...actually, I think this whole year will be...but I am looking forward to the adventure...

Until next time....:-)

Do you ever wonder if you're good enough? smart enough? loving enough? patient enough? a good enough.....

2009-01-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

ahhhhh....the start of something new....new semester, new schedule, new year, new goals, new responsibilities, new classes, new friends (hopefully), new adventures, new situations/circumstances, "new" weather...

Going back to my title...Do you ever wonder if you're good enough....I feel like I wonder that ALL the time...can I "make" it in this world? Can I be successful? Can I support myself? Can I listen to God and do what HE wants me to do without my own crazy ideas getting in the way? I don't know where all this "thinking" is coming from....must be because I am back in my room in Chicago and started back at school again today. Grammar class! Aiya...it reminds me of math but our prof. compared to to learning the anatomy of the human body but I think that sounds much more interesting than learning grammar. But supposedly it's a pretty good foundation for teaching English....hahaha..who would have ever thought I would become an English teacher...NOT me!

I struggle with doubt all the time....and I want to KICK IT OUT...by realizing who God made me is good even if I don't always seem to "fit into" the world I am currently in...being here in Chicago in Grad school or the world in general. Do you ever feel you were made for something more but you cannot be it on your own.....greatness only comes out of surrender to God and His flowing through but what if I can't surrender my own ideas and ways and thoughts? What if I can't give up mediocre to get great? What if my faith is too small? Do I always have to live in fear of not being good enough, smart enough, doing enough? I don't think I do, but it's breaking free from those bonds that is hard sometimes....all the time. I want to be more committed to Him but it's hard, ya know? I feel like Paul when he was saying somewhere about doing what he didn't want to do and not doing what he should or something like that...well, I am not even really sure what I SHOULD be doing sometimes...but I KNOW I am here (in Chicago) for this degree...then what? I don't know...sometimes I am ok with not knowing and other times, no...but I do know this...I want to get closer to God who does...my Father and Friend who never leaves me even when I am unfaithful.

I know this isn't all that encouraging and is a little deep and questioning for one of my blogs but it's a little bit of what's been going on in my head lately. I will end with a prayer from my journal the other day...

Thank You Jesus. Thank You for the Plan You have even when I am unfaithful or don’t really know what my next move is. I thank You that You are in control despite what Your children do but You long for our love not because You need it but because through loving You and serving You, You impart life to me to us. You bless and You hold up and You guide. It doesn’t have to be in big miraculous ways, yet You do. You are always there. You know the needs of Your children and I cannot explain the suffering and the hunger that is happening around the world but I know that You know…You see. You see the hurting girls and children being trafficked and You look upon them with compassion and mercy and grace. You see all the beggars and people I turn my back on and am ashamed to be involved with and You care. You cry for them. I want to be more like You. Please show me how and make me bold. Help me to have Your eyes and heart for Your children. To rely on You in trust that You can use even me, an unfaithful and selfish servant. You can use me even when I feel broken and weak. You are awesome and beyond compare. I thank You for all You are doing around the world…I pray for Your glory to be spread through every circumstance. Please be the Lifter of the heads of those suffering and please give courage and boldness and comfort to those serving You in hostile situations and perhaps most of all be with and guide the failing nation of America. You have blessed me with freedom in You and freedom in my country. I thank You. I know that I am not grateful enough. Please help Americans to turn to You and reach out to those of us around us…those hurting and confused…those suffering and alone. Please help me have Your heart.

I pray for my friends and family in China. Please strengthen them. Call them to Your side. May Your Truth shine into and convict their hearts and may they be drawn to You. May You be praised in their lives. May they not work for themselves or their own purposes but their own. Thank You. El Roi, thank You, God who sees. Please help me be involved this coming term with what You want me to be involved in. Please block anything You don’t want to happen and may You guide me to what You do…where You are working and can use me. Give me a selfless heart because only that can come from You. Please help me. Guide my path now and for the future. I want to place it all in Your hands because where You want me is where I am supposed to be. Thank You.

Sprinkled throughout are some very random holiday pictures....I had a wonderful vacation seeing family and friends and being in America for my favorite time of the year. I am wondering if I am going to make it through all this snow, though! I guess it will make spring all the more sweet! :-)

My little bro is engaged....

2009-01-03T15:37:00.001-08:00

It happened January 1, 2009 - You'll have to ask him to get the rest of the story. :-) His fiance's name is Kassie.

Pizza Pizza Pizza

2008-11-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

Ok....so this past week just flew by and I am not sure where it went? It ended pretty well, though. Thanks again to Josh and Elisa and family for my wonderful flowers and choc.

As many of you know the weather is getting pretty cold. While in China it got cold but not this cold. The only difference in China was that it was cold inside and out and here it's just extremely cold OUTSIDE. Anyway, this means my fingers are having problems again like in China....I think they must have just gotten sensitive there and now they are super-sensitive to cold. Anyway, I have been searching around for a good hand cream (I still haven't found it, but I am getting close). The newest installment is a ointment for breast-feeding mothers, yes, that's what I said, breast feeding mothers:-) So, it's supposed to be good at protecting "things" pretty well, so my wonderful friends Rachelle and Jen got it for me to try out. All this searching because after going to the nurse's station at Wheaton they told me just to look it up on the internet because they didn't know what to do....aiya!

(Side note---I would have to say I have some pretty awesome friends) and I have just been in a mood of thankfulness lately. I don't think it's because it's the season for it but it's just that kind of season in my life. God is rebuilding me and who I am in Him and who I am emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc...it is good...slow but good. I am so thankful for many things amid the craziness of school and all that entails.

Another funny story from this weekend...I was the pizza runner on Friday night for pizza and stuff for dinner from Meijers and movies at red box...anyway...first stop was pizza..it was the farthest away. I was making two different orders, one for me and my friends and one for the Tobey family and their guests, so I asked if I could do two separate ones and use two different coupons. At first, they didn't think they could do it and then they said, alright. Then not even thinking, for Sue's order I gave her credit card (which she wanted me to use) and signed her name then after making her order I made mine and gave her a different card and coupon and signed my name. After that I was thinking...wow, um, I suppose the police could come arrest me for stealing someone's card or something but luckily the girl who helped me didn't even notice or seem TOO concerned that I had used two different cards and signed two different names:-) Pretty funny. I don't know how I would have explained if they would have asked. It would have sounded pretty suspicious. :-)

Then I was off...it was freezing outside so I wanted to get back as fast as possible but I needed to stop for ice cream and salad at Meijers...then...my windows started to fog up...my car was saturated with the smell of pizza and I had to put all the defrosters on. :-) Ok, so I only have one. Then I got to Meijers, ran in, got my stuff, made it out to the car, turned the seat warmers on to keep me and the pizza warm, made it out of the parking lot even though I could only see out of the front window because of the steam off the pizza. Then onto Walgreens to rent a movie from redbox and meet my two friends from school. It was FREEZING out but we ended up getting a couple of movies and then hurrying back to the warmth of the house...for a nice friday night of pizza, cookies, cake and movies:-)

I am so THANKFUL that next week is THANKSGIVING! I hope you are too.:-)

I was expecting another textbook in the mail...but what I got...

2008-11-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

was MUCH more exciting:) I have such good friends God has blessed me with.

it's snowing...

2008-11-17T07:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I am very glad right now that I am not in China while we are having this weather and that instead I live in a house with heat:-) Novel concept, huh:-) Anyway--I had a great weekend. It was full of fun things and I got a lot done, too. God is good. He was the one helping me to focus. I took all of Friday off. Usually I do homework, but instead I got up late, talked to Sue for a while, went and got my hair trimmed, and then onto the Christmas shopping. I really enjoy Christmas shopping or shopping in general:-) So, I did some of that and then did some grocery shopping for the evening. Sue graciously said we could have dinner here before going to girls night out at the church. I had invited five friends from school to come as well. David's gf and Sarah's bf were also here so we ended up making dinner for 15 or so people...but it all went really smoothly. Then we went to the lady's night out and it was wonderful to laugh. We had a female comedian and I don't remember her name but she was quite funny...:-) You'll have to ask me about "happy hair" haha. Then following the girl's night, Dick Tobey took the whole family and me out to the new Bond movie. I am pretty sure I should have watched the first one again before going to see the second one but it was nice to be out.

Saturday started with making monkey bread and a big breakfast. :-) I then worked on my paper all afternoon and into the evening after a short jog outside. It felt good to get farther on that. Then I made some cookies and headed off to meet two of my friends from school, Rachelle and Jen, who said they would go with me to my games night for singles from my church. We got to this huge old house in the middle of St. Charles where the game night would be. I guess it used to be a hospital a LONG time ago. IT was an interesting house and there was a big stuffed polar bear in the entrance...talk about an interesting welcome:-) IT was a great time, though. A lot of people didn't know each other so we spent some time talking then played Apples to Apples, Pictionary, and catch phrase as a big group of 12. Lots of laughter again and I left feeling very refreshed. It was great to make some more connections.

On Sunday I went early to help with handing out pens at both services for mission sunday. I got to hear more about the mission opportunities the church I go to supports, so that was neat. The short term mission coordinator is my small group leader:-) So that was good...I took a nap in the afternoon to catch up with some much needed sleep and then worked on more of my big projects for this term...again productive:-) Praise God!

Praise God for so many things. I feel like I am slowly becoming stronger and slowly being healed in many areas and that feels GOOD. I feel like I am "coming back" from a place I didn't know I had even gone. I am so thankful for friends who care about me and make it a point to connect with me, and for the Tobey family for letting me live here, and for my family that I LOVE and enjoy connecting with as well, and for SOOO many other things. I hope you're thankful, too!

Happy Monday!

RED PANTS~

2008-11-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

I'm happy about my new red pants...but I am even happier with my good friends! This Friday night I went out with a couple of my school friends to eat soup and salad at Olive Garden and then we went to the movie "Fireproof". If you have not see it. GO! It is good.

Here is one of the songs from the movie that really spoke to me in my situation right now. I am waiting and I am going to choose to worship and obey. Great song.

I Am Waiting by John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently I will wait

I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not fade
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You Lord
I'm peaceful
I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully I will wait
Yes I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not fade
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

a couple recent pics...on my broken camera:-)

2008-11-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, these pictures aren't that exciting but neither is my life right now. I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just a different season of life. A different chapter in the book. I am excited though, because tonight, FRIDAY night I am NOT going to stay home and study and spend it alone but I am going out to dinner with a couple of classmates, friends, and then to the movie, "Fireproof" I am pretty excited about having something to do since the weekend stretches long and far when it's just me in my room with my homework and reading!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend.

Just in case you wanted to know what I was working on:
My Gender In Leadership Journal and Reading: Topics for this week...What does headship mean? Are women subordinate?
Also for Gender and Leadership I have a group presentation due on Tuesday about single women in mission in the late 1800s and a review of a missionary woman and her theology during that time as well as a project proposal for the end of the semester! Is this really a only a two credit class?
In Methodology I have to do a 20 page paper by the end of the term and I am looking at the iidea of how to teach large, multi-level classes in China.
In Speaking and Listening (the most manageable class) I am working on writing lesson plans for Oral English (better than ones I did before) and coming up with a project proposal for my unit on Oral English!

There you have it...my weekend and the beginning of the rest of my semester! Cheers!

i have a fat cat on my lap and there's a perfect moon sliver out tonight...

2008-11-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

Hi ya'll...it was a BEAUTIFUL day here in Chicagoland. The temps were in the 70s and it's the beginning of NOVEMBER...and the leaves were all brightly reflecting colors all around. I have a tree with yellow leaves right outside my window and when the sun shines through it like today, it's breathtaking. I am sure going to miss those leaves soon.

I don't really have much to say except I am THANKFUL for friends and fellowship. I don't have much of it lately...but I sure do enjoy it. I was writing to comment on a couple of things. On my drive back from school tonight I was listening to yup...you guessed it..."Adventures in Odyssey:-)" and was thinking about all the hours me and my fam spent listening to those together and measuring road trips by them...well, as I was listening I looked over (dark outside) and noticed a huge truck next to me and I thought it read "STUDENT DRIVER" on the side but thought I must be seeing things but sure enough, when I got up next to it at the stop light it did indeed say "STUDENT DRIVER"...it was a truck driver training program I guess. I don't really like big trucks by me anyway, but I guess they have to learn how to drive someday:-)

Another highlight of the day...well, i am not sure the previous two were highlights, but I got to talk to my Chinese brother, Stephen on skype this morning and see him on a webcam. I think technology is so cool in that regard. I love my China family and still miss them severely at times but God is teaching me a lot about relying on Him and His timing in my life.

Another random thought or question? Does a skirt on a girl make you look THAT beautiful? I wore a skirt today because of the uncharacteristically warm weather. It was NOTHING fancy with no fancy shirt or anything but I am beginning to wonder what people normally think of me after their reactions of me in a skirt today:-)

Tonight my two friends from class, Rachelle and Jen persuaded me to stay in Wheaton and go to eat with them. I usually just drive home for a late dinner. Well, the fellowship was sweet. When we got there we saw another one of our classmates in line, Brad...and we laughed because he was there to do an assignment. This week for our speaking class we had to transcribe with the correct symbols a 2-3 minute conversation. So, we invited Brad to sit with us but he said he need to be observing and listening for conversation. He finally decided to listen to us (from a distance) feeling a little creepy but soon the three of us were talking away not really paying him any mind. When the three of us girls get together it's hard to tell where one ends and the others begin and we FLY through topics like no tomorrow so yeah, needless to say we ended up being a little too quick for his listening preferences. Thank goodness for us! It was pretty funny, though. We then decided to start talking as if we were orally transcribing our own conversation and that was even more hilarious. Maybe because we were all a little tired and loopy? Maybe?

Maybe if you're lucky I'll put up some of the discussion from my Gender and Leadership class next time:-)

I hope all your weeks are off to a great start...:-)

TO quote "Adventures in Odyssey" ... "I love you from the inside out!" :-) haha

my camera ate my pictures...

2008-10-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

I had taken some pictures from the last week or so but my camera ate them or something....it's very sad. I might need to look into getting a new camera. I remember looking at them on the camera but now they are gone and no where to be found. Things haven't been too crazy this week...just classes and working like normal...with the usually MOUND of homework! I am still working on a social life but it might just not really exist for a while....

So, until I have more interesting news...I'll close with a quote from a Chinese friend,
"I love you more than I can eat...and I'll eat a lot!"

I can't believe it's November tomorrow! I love this fall season! Just LOVE it.

where is my camera cord?

2008-10-26T18:34:00.001-07:00

Hi ya'll....just wanted to sound a little southern....I would like to let you all know, for the record, that I frequently have pondered blog titles and things I should be putting in here throughout the week and I just don't ever seem to get it in...it seems funny and neat at the time but as quickly as the ideas come, they seem to go...I guess that's what you get when you are constantly "feeding your brain" or something crazy like that. I now have one quad "under my belt". That feels really good...it means I finished two of my three classes and started another two. While it's a little break right now....I know it's going to be another really busy quad, academically. I think I am getting a little more settled into life in general but there's still just so much adjustment. I am learning to be "brave on my own" to kind of copy from another friend's blog. I am learning to step out and live a little...don't get the wrong idea...I am not really doing anything different but maybe I am just getting a little more comfortable...if that makes any sense...

I have been LOVING the fall colors, brisk weather, and blue skies. I did not realize how much I missed that in the past three years....I love this holiday season and I am so happy to be in the states this year for this time...I just love the atmosphere...

Also, I have lately been thinking about all the "worlds" I am a part of...and how hard it is to juggle it all and not really feel a real part of any of them at one time but kind of moving in between them all the time. I think it's taking the phrase...in the world and not of it in a very different meaning...:-) I think this is a normal part of any person's life to have feelings like this...I just feel I have a few too many worlds at one time, sometimes. I feel like a part of life here at Tobeys (St. Charles), Wheaton community, Home in HB, Friends from Undergraduate, China, and friends from other places, family from other places, etc...just seems a little crazy sometimes...but it's all part of the adventure, right???

Well, it was great this past weekend, because my great cousin, DEE came to visit me here in St. Charles and just _do life_ with me for about 24 hours. I really appreciated that. It was great to have he here...and the weekend before I was able to take a break and go back to MI and see a lot of family and a couple of college friends who I enjoyed seeing and hanging out with and catching up with. I think it's just slowly sinking in that I am 26 now and many of my friends are married and having babies now...what a different time of life.

Beautiful days!

2008-10-06T13:11:00.001-07:00

I LOVE fall and I have missed it for the last three years living in China. I love all the leaves changing colors and the cooler but not cold weather with crips air, blue skies, and fluffy white clouds! So many decorations are going up for the seasons of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas already and I love being a part of that again.

These past few weeks have been busy with work, school, homework, driving between things and hanging out with friends. Mostly the former. It's crazy being a student again and I know I keep saying that but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it a little more as we are quickly approaching the end of A Quad and I have some projects and big things due before I start two new classes. It's a different system here and about the time I get used to it I think I will be leaving.

Another thing that happened this past week on Thursday night around 930 or 10pm the power went out in the Tobey's house where I am staying. I felt like I was back in China and thankfully I was prepared and had a couple of candles and matches up in my little attack room so I could light them and then went downstairs to see what the problem was. I guess just a row of houses were without power for a few hours but I am still not sure why. It ended up coming back on around 1130 or 12pm as I was reading my candlelight, all of a sudden my light just came right on. I thought it was kind of funny actually. That kind of thing happens all the time in China but I didn't expect it so much here but thankfully it was only a short time. You never realize how many things you do, esp. at night that involve electricity until you don't have it anymore! :-)

This past weekend I did homework as usual on part of Friday and then on Saturday went for my first time since moving here, into the city of Chicago with the Tobey family. They are so great at including me and giving me some good adventures on the weekends. We went to the Shedd Aquarium and then walked along Lake MI in the BEAUTIFUL weather. I am told it only lasts for about another month. Then Mr. Tobey, Dick, wanted to go to a certain place for dinner, Lu Manatis (sp???) for Chicago style pizza. We started walking and he was like, I don't really know how to get there but I will figure it out, so we walked, walked, and walked some more...they ended up looking up the distance once we returned home and it ended up that we had walked a little over 3 miles trying to find our restaurant for dinner...we were a little sore and hungry by that time. :) Dinner was delicious, though and we enjoyed a relaxing dinner there before heading back to find our car, parked a little ways out of the city (so we had to take the L train)and were home by 930pm.

Sunday was the day we celebrated Sarah's birthday even though it's this coming Tues. so we had a wonderful dinner and dessert. Homework took the next 5 hours or so with brief interruptions from cats visiting my room....they like to for some reason...crazy cats!

Anyway - there's a little update on my life. Oh yeah, Sarah's new boyfriend, John, came to visit this weekend and brought with him some MI Apple Cider....it was SO good compared to the stuff we had bought here. Good stuff. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

And another side note, I am reading the book "Love and Respect" now because many people have recommended it and even though it's for married people or people headed in that direction I think it can be applicable to us single people, too. I haven't gotten very far yet so I don't have much to say, but I just keep thinking...wow, men and women are surely so different...it's a wonder we can even have happy marriages:-)

Ok, enough babbling...I need to mail a few things for work and get to class!

Love all! I'll post a few pics later when I get home.

Blessings...

2008-09-29T07:58:00.001-07:00

(A few) Things I am thankful for....

Jesus, and His overwhelming blessings in my life even though I am not always comfortable...He never leaves me...

My sister, Kelsey, in Guinea and her great attitude towards a total life change to follow Jesus and her interesting blogs about the experience.

My brother, Josh, and his passion for God and International people...esp...those close to my heart from China. He is constantly challenging me with my living for Jesus as well.

My bother Joseph and his wife who are coming to visit me soon and who are just really neat people in general. They are a great example to me and an encouragement.

Mom and dad. They do soooo much for me. They are also a great example.

My new friends at Wheaton. They are all so good to me and I have only known them for about a month God gave me some really neat people in my classes to connect to.

Thanks for Cathy and Rachelle letting me crash at their apts during the week so I don't have to drive so much!

Thankful for music and how people can express themselves so strongly through it.

I am thankful for all the birthday wishes, cards, emails, and presents I have received. I am blessed.

I am thankful for all my Chinese friends and family who keep in touch with me and still care so deeply for me.

I am thankful for Bill who is ALWAYS an encouragement in my life.

Thankful for Ellie who makes me laugh all the time and loves me deeply and is being transformed day by day into a new person.

Thankful for Leo, Stephen, Eva, Cinderella, Hayley, Betty, Charming, Eileen, Sunny and so many others who support and encourage me still even though i am in America.

Thankful for the Tobey's, who with open arms, invite me into their home and family to live and heal and be strengthened.

Thankful for my car that is running ok and for my aunt who put it on her insurance.

Thankful for the clothes I have had given me :-)

Thankful for awesome cousins who encourage and spur me on.

Thanks for Josh J. who is always encouraging me and helping me to be a better person.

Thanks for Andre who makes me laugh and keeps me on my toes...

Thanks for old friends who write me and tell me their stories and listen to mine.

Thankful for the LIGHTHOUSE church in HB that has been a constant source of support in my life and encouragement. There are so many beautiful people there...

Thankful I have a good job.

Thankful that I can study and go on for further education.

AND the list could go on and on....

But I would also add...I am SO thankful for GRACE, MERCY, and LOVE from my Father. He is so good to me. Praise Him!

I hope your week is off to a wonderful start!

Love all.

Joshua 1

2008-09-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

I have used these verses to get through many of a hard time and so now I go back to them as I am still seeking to transition into life here in America. I love that God walks with us wherever we go and that He never changes.

I have been meaning to blog for a long time now. I read my sister's, brother's, and friend's blogs and am always encouraged but for some reason can't even keep up my own. I feel as though I spend most of my life eating, sleeping, studying, working, and driving. It's so different from the last three years. I am making some great new friends and doing some things with them. I have started to swim a couple of times in a week. I enjoy that, too.

To go back a few weeks to the weekend I went home...it was the weekend before my sister left for Africa. I was great to be home. I guess I didn't realize how much comfort there is to be in your own home or place you are comfortable in to be yourself. I really like the family I am living with now and they are super nice to me but I am still not as comfortable there to make it my own space. I think that will just take time. I do have a friend, Rachelle, who's apartment I crash at at least one night a week and I feel pretty at home there now. She's great. I feel like our backgrounds have a lot in common and we are easily able to talk and hang out. It's nice. Anyway, the weekend home was kind of crazy but just what I needed. There was a chili tasting festival on sat. and even though it was drizzling out, the fam went out to taste with Gpa Max and Kim. It was good times as we tried to be chili conesseurs (sp??). Then we had a celebration at church to dedicate the new building. It was a great service and dinner afterwards, seeing so many people and how God worked to build the new building. I am excited to see what God will be doing there in the future.

The time went way too fast. Oh yeah, my parents also gave me a GPS for an early birthday present and I was thinking...I am not sure how helpful this is going to be, esp. if it's at all difficult to use, but the next weekend I was able to try it out as I was going to a church 45 mins. from my house that I hadn't been to before. I was meeting my friends there and we were going to worship with Darlene from Hillsong Australia...(great worship time!) and the GPS was so good to get me there. I love it. It makes me want to be more adventurous. Following the worship with friends and a huge church we all went out to lunch at an Asian restaurant. It was amazing food and it was also Rachelle's birthday so we celebrated that, too. :-) In the afternoon I worked on some homework with another friend, Tracy and had some good fellowship. That evening I got to see Brother Yun, who wrote "The Heavenly Man" and has endured all kinds of persecution in China for being a Christian. The place was packed out and it was a powerful message. A lot to think about....are you chasing after miracles or are they following you?

I stayed the night at my friend, Cathy's apartment because in the morning I had to be in Wheaton again for a classroom observation. I observed an adult literacy class and it was so fun. It was so refreshing. Here were all kinds of adult refugees trying to learn English. They were so beautiful all dressed in their colorful clothes from other lands and many of them as they came in, shyly looked at me and said, "Hello teacher" even though I was just observing. In my heart I was like, THIS is what I want to do. This is what I am going to school for. I need to keep working hard so I can be a better teacher and help students like this either in America or abroad. It was good for me to be there and I might see if I can go and help sometimes or be there just for fun.

Then followed a crazy busy week and a homework day all day friday. On saturday I was going to do more but the Tobey's decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go to the zoo and invited me so I went and enjoyed that much more than studying all day:-)

This past week was busy as well and as always I am very happy for Thursday night because that's the end of my school week. When I got home that night I found a box on the stairs in my room. I wasn't expecting it so it was a surprise and I opened it and it was a Wheaton sweatshirt. I was really wanting one but they are a little expensive but my sister knew and somehow she ordered one from the bookstore and had it sent to me so even though it was in the 80s outside and I had just gotten home from sweating my ride home in my car with no ac, I put it on and took a picture to send to her:-) A little crazy I know...but I was excited.

Friday was another homework day and then Friday night was a rehearsal for a recording of a children's CD to go with the textbook project I am working on with my professor. I am basically the organizer and gopher but it's all very interesting. The kids were so cute. There are 6 of them. They will be recording today in a real studio here on campus and so now I need to go get ready for that....and I have just written a "book" as my sister would say so I need to go...but I will post some pictures later. Oh yeah...I just got my camera back and working again! I feeel good. :-)

God bless you, esp, if you read this whole, not so interesting, blurb about my life:-) which is not in China anymore:( but I haven't changed the title of my blog yet:-)

Two Nice Guys at Office Max

2008-09-08T19:25:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I've updated this place. So many things have changed in the past couple of months and my brain is having a hard time living in reality and not being overwhelmed most of the time. It seems surreal to be here (sometimes)....here as in America, Chicago, a nice house with a car, a whole different life from the last three years for me. I have to say, though, that God has been so faithful. I have been reading through the Psalms in the morning and it gets me...how much suffering David or the other writers of the Psalms are going through or experiencing and yet at the end of many of them there is PRAISE and thanksgiving. I am trying to be like that...no matter what I feel or am experiencing (which is not suffering at the moment but just being pretty uncomfortable...hard to explain) I am trying to praise and notice God around me.

Since arriving here in "Chicago" I have many things to praise God for, not even counting how He made it possible for me to be here. Knowing that I am SUPPOSED to be here helps when I am struggling with all the details and school work. I have heard it gets better...not the school work but being able to handle it all. I think it's just going to be pretty busy for the next year or so....I am enjoying the more cross cultural community I am in now, though. I have been making some great friends, even a few from China. I like that and most everyone in my program either grew up overseas or has other culture experiences. There are so many interesting stories and I feel understood for the first time in a long time. It's a good thing.

Just this past Friday night I had a jiaozi (Chinese dumpling) party with those new friends. Tracy knew how to make it so we all got together and made it and swapped stories. I almost felt like I was back in China and the food was awesome and authentic. I look forward to doing that again. I miss times like that with my students and friends. Life at the Tobey's is pretty different to what I am used to so far. It's not bad but I spend a lot more time alone and people don't just drop in here. It's too far out, so I find I have to be the one to drop in on others. A new things for me I haven't quite adjusted to.

There are so many other things going on, but I don't want to just ramble on and on....

I will just end with it's been great having chapel for the past couple of weeks and church. I really missed that in China. Now I am just looking for some ways to be plugged in a little more in a smaller community...

I will have to try to have something a little more interesting next time but for now, peace out bean sprout. :)

entertaining reading from my roommate and our students....

2008-06-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I am officially done with all my school work and just trying to figure out what to do with three years worth of stuff and the relationships with people that go along with three years in one place. Sometimes I feel good about the future and sometimes I feel a little like I am suffocating from anxiety about the future and what to do now....but I am learning more about trusting the Father...He is so good when I make so many mistakes! I don't really know what else to write now...my emotions are a little haywire but I will leave you with these answers from my roommate, Michelle's exams. In her reading classes she did Sound of Music and the story of Moses this term...these are some of the entertaining answers from their exams. :-) We hope you enjoy!

Sound of Music:
Why is Maria worried she won't make a very good nun?
"Because she always late for everything except every meal" -Nancy
(sound familiar to anyone? like the song?)
"She loved the Captain but a nun couldn't do like that" - Bailey

What happens at the end of The Sound of Music?
"At the end of the story, they climb the mountain and arrived the
Austria." - Jasmin
"They climbed the Alps. At last they escape Australia and lived a
happy life" - Kennedy
"The Captain had to took park in Australia. The Captain's family took
part in the progrem, and then they run away." - Anna
(the geography of the story really confused them. None of them had
ever heard of Austria before.)

Story of Moses:
How did Moses become a prince of Egypt?
"His mother put him in a ball and he drifted to the king of Egypt's
house" - Famia
"He was put in a basket and floated on the river and the Egyptian's
princess found him and absorbed him as her own son" - Jade
"Moses' mother couldn't hide him any more. So she basket little boy
flew into a river." - Paris

Why did Moses escape to Midian?"
Because he killed an Egyptian and he might be published if he didn't
escape" - Helen (published and punnished are often confused here,
don't know why...but clearly she means that Moses didn't want his
story to make it in the local tabloids, right?)
"Because he killed one of the Egypt people with his careless." -
Kennedy (careless is really dangerous - kills a lot of people)

How did the Lord first appear to Moses?
"When Moses stayed with the sheep he saw some unusual fire then he
came into the fire and saw Lord" - Senny
"The Lord first appeared to Moses with a blash fire on the God
Mountain." - Selena
"There was a fire on tree. but the tree wasn't bount. and with sound
of "moses, Moses." -Shelia (all three of these got full credit. I'm
such a nice teacher, I know what they meant)
"In a bursh, Moses killed a man run to brush" - Koala
"The Lord appeared to Moses. After Moses and Aaron married. Then
attouted him to a hool." - Jasmin
"The Lord was on burnt mood, with smog." - Kelly
"In a forgest, Lord give he a gup" -Serenity (these kids were more
than a little confused!)

What happens to Egypt when Pharaoh refuses to let the Israelites go?
"The Lord put the plegue into Egypt, like blood, flies, festering
boils, grant, livestock dead, hail and grasshopper."

Is Moses successful?
"No, I don't think Moses is successful. The Lord helped him" - Koala
(pretty good insight from a student, don't you think?)

And my personal favorite of all the answers on the test!

What happens at the end of the story of Moses?
"All the Israelites were independend and went to Switzerland" - Senny (this is one of my favorites)

Hope you are all smiling now!
88

Some new pics....goodbyes all around...

2008-06-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

I think I am pretty much done with my school paperwork for this term. It's now just saying goodbyes and packing and cleaning up and working on a few things that were put on the back burner at the end of the term. It has not been easy and I am not always thinking that it is so near the end or I could fall apart, but I feel that I have been blessed to be here. I have been blessed to know and live among the people here and I am thankful. These pictures I have posted are from our last meeting for Girl's group at hot pot. It was 22 people in all and went rather smoothly. Also we had an open house with probably around 300 students in and out more or less...maybe 250....and just to be a little Chinese and buy the same clothes as your friends, Mim, Michelle, Ellie, and I did the other day and had a little photo shoot in a nearby park. I hope you enjoy some of the craziness....hopefully I will have my thoughts together a little bit better later and be able to blog more....

Love to all. Thanks for all your support. It's what's holding me each day!

Pictures from the past few weeks...

2008-06-12T01:57:00.001-07:00

My 100th post!

2008-06-08T03:51:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I can't believe that I have 100 posts up. I guess I have been here for a while. It's nearing the time for the end and I have been saying some goodbyes...NOT EASY but I believe the Father is really holding me up and supporting me in this life change and new adventure ahead. I am SO thankful for Him. I know I will have days where I just can't seem to go on or days when I see no purpose in life but I KNOW He's my purpose no matter how I FEEL and that He has plans for me for His glory. That's good.

So, my real reason for this post was to say that I am going to Wheaton College next year (as an international student...lol...j/k but that might be where my English ability is at now!) This is a big step for me. It's a lot of money and going to be going back to being a student again BOTH big challenges as well as living in America and adjusting and perhaps I will need even more pryer than I do now but I think/am pretty positive this is the next move for me....it's very exciting and scary at the same time to step out in faith that He will catch me when and if I fall. My relationship is building more and more with Him each day and I feel will have to continue to do so in the next crazy months of my life!

This past weekend was our last TA weekend and had to say goodbye to a couple of my good friends and colleagues. I don't think it's sunk in yet! It hasn't. We had a good weekend, though...moving Becky to her new house...she's moving to the International School in Wuhan as an ESL coordinator and teacher and hanging out...eating at Aloha for the last time...and then fun times swimming in the wonderful swimming pool there before heading back "home" to Xiaogan. It really does feel like home now...as we speak, students are here cooking dinner for us. They are so sweet. AND we have no school tomorrow because of some holiday so I can hopefully recover from Wuhan and I am planning on spending some time with my good friends, Stephen, Leo, Sunny, and Allen. These last days gotta count! Actually...everyday should! Thanks for all your support and pryers. I can DEFINITELY feel them and they are DEFINITELY helping and supporting me right now...He has given me joy and peace for the moment and I'm holding onto that!

Love. Love. Love.

continued...

2008-06-03T01:57:00.000-07:00

...

I have never seen someone so frightened in my life...after I got her to stop screaming histerically I was able to figure out she found the bat or rather came face to face with it on the curtain next to the water cooler downstairs. So Mim and I armed with a bucket, a cutting board, and a little courage we went to trap the bat and help it back to it's home. Michelle was cowering in the background by thankfully not histerical and Ellie was bopping around somewhere. Sarah wanted to come down and "tape it" but I was like, if you scream and scare it I will scare you so get yourself together. She was able to do it and we were, after careful manuvering(sp?) able to set it free. It was a little larger than any bat I have seen before but it really wasn't a problem to trap it and get rid of it but it was certainly an adventure and a story to tell the SAU kids after getting back from their scavenger hunt, which they did very well at considering the heat they were working in. I really hope they had some good times with the students. After the SAU team left we ended up taking out to eat what was left of the Chinese helping students to street BBQ and dishes. It was fun but a long day. We were happy to get our electricity and water back later that night.

Cinderella's party was on Friday night. A lot of our great friends converged at our house on Friday afternoon and evening and we made some food, talked and laughed a lot, bought some food and played a few games. It was a good time. I had to say my first hard goodbye to Eva. I haven't seen her a lot this semester anyway because she has been in Beijing working and doing school stuff a lot but it was still difficult. I have to believe I will see some of these friends again sometime...

The weekend was spent on a spur of the moment trip to Wuhan to spend some times with a special family, the Culps. They have been here as long as I have and although we have never lived in the same city they have been a huge support for me. I was going in...thinking it was the last time I would see them in a long time and I found out I will be in Portland the same time they will this summer so now we are planning on spending the fourth of July together. So I didn't have to say goodbye quite yet. That was nice...I was able to enjoy a good weekend just hanging out with them and being a part of their family. They are always so good at including me and just letting me be a part of things...such a blessing in my life. I was even able to be a small part of the hype of the Olympic torch passing through Wuhan. It was crazy there! I didn't officially get to see it but I did see all the people all dressed up and pretty excited about it all. I also got to go swimming...I think that was a HUGE highlight for me as well as being able to join in their worship time on Sat. afternoon....overall it was a weekend well spent:-)

It's now less than a month before I leave. This week is the second to last week of teaching and then a week of exams. The end is in sight. I am very glad for the break in teaching and planning and grading but I will miss hanging out...being with students...and being here in general. Right now I am just taking one day at a time!

Love you and thanks for your prys! I am so blessed by Him! He is so good to me.

Breaking Free

2008-06-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all...

I haven't been so good at keeping up at this blogging thing this term. It's definitely been an interesting term and now I find myself in an interesting place once again...I have no idea where I am headed next year but I am leaving the place I have been a part of for the last three years of my life...(life outside of being a student myself) What a journey. What a learning experience! What joy! What pain! What a Father we serve!

This is an interesting time now...my last month here and trying to figure out how to close well and bring closure to this chapter in my life without falling apart or seeming callous. Please lift up these things if you remember.

As far as what's been going on...this past week a team of students from SAU (Spring Arbor University) my university came to visit for a day with their prof. for their cross cultural trip to China for three weeks. It was about 8 days into their trip when they got here and I could see the strain of the trip starting to show on some of their faces. It was interesting because it seemed that the team consisted of a person from a lot of the different social groups at SAU....kind of interesting. Anyway...they didn't get a ton of time in the classrooms because of arriving a little late but the students LOVED them and loved meeting new foreigners. I was glad that the SAU students could come and expand the world for my students a little more. Also, we chose some students in particular to eat lunch and do a photo scavenger hunt with the SAU students in the afternoon and I think some good bonding took place there as well.

The SAU students really got a taste of our life here when the school informed us the night before they came that we would have no power or water on the day they would be visiting...and that would be city wide...so yeah, everyone got to use the Chinese toliet whether or not they wanted to and just be really hot and sweaty because of no air conditioning....:-) good times. While it was nice having them visit it was also very tiring....and I realize I need a crash course in relating to foreigners once again! I am so much more comfortable with Chinese!

Another adventure happened while the SAU students were out looking for things for the photo scavenger hunt....Sarah had a bat in her house the night before and hadn't been able to find it or get it out...so Ellie, Michelle, Mim, Sarah, and I headed over in search of the renegade bat or "flying black bird at night" lol...anyway...after searching all over we were just about to give up hope of finding it and Sarah let out a blood curling scream (to this day I don't think I had ever heard one of those) and came racing up her stairs and flew through her curtain, almost pulling it down and running wildly into her room and slamming the door! To be continued when I have a little more time!....:-)

A few pictures from the last blog....and more news.

2008-05-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

On a whole, things went pretty well this week. The weather has been getting hotter and muggier but I have really been enjoying the sunshine lately and I know it will get even hotter so I am just trying to make the best of it! We learned about book and movie description in my freshmen classes this week so I showed the movie "Enchanted". I LOVE watching my students watch movies. You would have thought you were at a live performance for some of the reactions I get. It's pretty hilarious. It's a nice break, too, for the students. Also, GG (Girl's Group) went really well this week. It was my turn to share and I have been wanting to share "The Story" all term long but finally felt able to this past week. I used my own personal story with a diagram, and then we made bracelets/rings with the color of beads representing each step. I always get a little nervous when I share this stuff but He always comes through and gives me the words. It wasn't until right before I shared that I believe He told me to put my story into it so I did. One girl came up to me later and said I shared the story with someone else and they want a bracelet..it really touched their heart and moved them and me as well. Thanks for sharing. She also asked if she could share it with more people, which of course my response was YES! :-) He is so good to me.

Along the same lines one of my Chinese brothers called up yesterday evening and as we were talking it came out that he is now living next door to a believer that believes G put him where he is currently at and has been sharing with this guy for quite a while now. I have been lifting him and so many others up so hearing this I was very encouraged that the Father can and will take care of my friends when I leave and it's no my job anyway...I just need to be faithful to Him and what He's asked me to do. (A lot easier said than done)

The same night I received a message from one of my other Chinese brothers who is still living around here that said, "Hey sis sorry to message u so late..i just back from the shower..and wanna tell u...now u are a very good {believer} not like that last year u told me you were not {believer like}..u really did good..take care of everybody..never doubt you did anything wrong..u showed me the image of a good sis..tolerant person or maybe a good baby sitter:-) the things tell us the truth..tolerance makes an harmonious world...unfortunately someone dont know it:( be happy and good night.:-)"

To explain that a little more...they don't really use tolerant the same way we do...I think they use it more as we use accepting and understanding even though we are different..Chinese people and me or foreigners in general. To the references he made to last year...at the end of last year I feel like I kind of had a blow out where I became burned out and it was hard for me to be around anyone, even my foreign team, so sometimes my attitude showed that and I didn't act very well. I am glad to say that I feel much better this year and I guess it shows! PTL. I am so excited about all He is doing here. It's so hard not to write about it more and in more detail but I just want to encourage you all to keep on supporting and thinking of us here...I have about 5 or 6 weeks left and I really want to finish strong and listen to and follow the Father but I cannot do it on my own....I am so weak and so human on my own...I NEED Him. Thank You!

This weekend has been good so far and it's almost over already! Where does the time go? Yesterday afternoon we got some of our friends together here to play frisbee but we didn't really have enough so we decided to teach them kickball. Wow, I don't think you've ever seen a more entertaining game:-) Just think there was NO prior knowledge of baseball or anything like it so all the concepts were new. SO HARD TO TEACH esp in a second language! We had people running all around the bases when they should have stopped at one but I couldn't stop them with my yelling, I think they just thought I was encouraging them! LOL. Sometimes Michelle or I just had to physically move people into position and I am not sure they ever got the concept of "outs" and "innings"...needless to say, it was very entertaining for those of us that knew what was SUPPOSED to be happening. :-) After that we took everyone out to dinner. There were 11 people in total so we went to a restaurant that had seating outdoors. They ordered the little crawdad things that make Michelle, Mim, and I skworm (sp) ie wriggle in disgust but Allen promptly offered to peal one for me so I got to "enjoy" them as well. You would have thought the kids never get to eat the way that they dug into those. Then we also enjoyed a lot of other very delicious dishes as well. When it was all over one of the students turned and told Michelle that it was the most luxerious meal she had ever eaten in her life! (that touched and broke all of our hearts) We have so many students with so little.

We then came back to the house and watched an animated movie about Bees and just hung out. Mim made us some delicious brownies and it was a relaxing night with great friends and fellowship. I feel so blessed to have been able to be a part of this life here in China and these people. It is surly a time I will never forget.

Love.

The internet is kind of crazy around here so I don't always get the pictures posted with the blog. Here are some now, I hope you enjoy!

I'm still here...

2008-05-14T05:04:00.001-07:00

We are praising the Father for keeping us safe here but saddened by the ever rising number of casualties surrounding the earthquake a couple of days ago. We did feel it here, 18 hours away by train from where it originated....Ellie and I were sitting on the couch and Michelle and Mim were working on something in Michelle's room and came out saying...is our house moving!?!?...we looked around and realized it was and non of us had any idea what to do but we were running around like, aiya...our house is swaying and it definitely should not be. Our house cleaner was here at the time and didn't seem to be affected at all by it. It was weird. Whenever you experience something moving that should not be moving...ie. the floor of your house...it is a surreal experience.

The weather is definitely hotter and muggier than I would like but I am handling it. I bought some material in Wuhan a while ago but just had it made into three new shirts for teaching and they turned out really well and are nice and cool. I was very pleased. Actually yesterday in the office I had teachers telling me I was beautiful and really looked like a teacher....(they rarely speak to me) but they were like where did you get your clothes and couldn't believe that I had them made in Xiaogan. It was pretty funny. Then I was thinking...hmmm, I wonder if these clothes really are nice or if they are just fashionable to middle aged Chinese women:-) haha....funny thought anyway....I don't really care about fashionable...they were a good price and I needed some clothes for teaching....:-)

We also got to go to a wedding last week for someone I have known since I first got here. He was my waibon my first year....Lyndon....and he finally got married:-) I was very happy for him bc my first year they were trying to set him up with me! The wedding was very Chinese, of course...haha...we went and got seated at a round table in a hotel with many other guests, mostly from our school so I knew a lot of them and then they did a "ceremony" while we were eating that we couldn't understand with some not so pleasant music and then they came around and each table congratulated them and they we left. The food at these things is almost uneatable because it's for face so they order all kinds of weird stuff like turtle....yeah, I had flashbacks to Goldie making turtle in my house and you eating it:-) I have grossed so many people out with that story!

Then we went to a dinner with Ms. Fan (our dean) because her mother recently died and when someone dies you give some money so we did. We didn't know that after the funeral you have to have a big dinner for all those who gave money so we were invited to that as well. The weirdest part about it was that Lyndon came the day after his wedding without his new wife...she is out shopping someplace and we asked him how he felt and he said, busy! We asked him why he and his new wife were apart and he didn't seem to think that was weird and then started talking to me about a translating company he would like to open and that he would like to invite us to his new house so his mother in law can cook for us. Aiya...sometimes I just don't understand Chinese people!

More and more people are asking about next year. I just found out recently that I have only 4 weeks left of teaching and 1 week of exams and then this term is over for me and I have one week to pack up and say goodbyes and I am outta here. That is hard to deal with when I allow myself to think about it. So I was telling some of my classes since my classes are ending earlier than some of their others because we have to leave and they about mutinyed (sp) on me bc they thought I was saying I was leaving forever...which I kind of was but i couldn't let them know that yet or I believe they would stop responding in class....so I just told them I was going for the summer and that I would let them know later if I was coming back or not but it's pretty decided that I am not. That was HARD. They students are so upset if I even hint at leaving. It's hard for me.

Emotionally, surprisingly, I have been better. PTL. I have really been trying to give things up to Him and just live life the best I can now. I don't feel on the verge of tears all the time like last week but I feel like i could probably get back there pretty easily. It's just quite a time of change in my life and you know how i LOVE change:-) haha....I have also had some time to do a little scrapbooking for Michelle's birthday present and a book I am making for Ellie when I leave. That's been great therapy for me and I have really enjoyed it. We are also making a pinata for Michelle's Mexican Birthday Fiesta and a few other things so I have had some creative outlets which are good for me!

The party was this past saturday.

We even made a pinata...of a goldfish with the puffy eyes. It was quite the experience. It took a long time...long long...but it was fun. It was a little sad to watch it be whacked to death at the party but the kids really loved it. I was sick most of the day of the party but thankfully most everything was planned out and many people pitched in to help. It was a great day. I am really blessed by my friends and family here in China.

As far as graduate school, I am going forward until doors close for this term. The money is still scaring me but I am trusting the Father to take care of it all. I have no idea whether or not I will be able to go this fall....we'll see. I also have to be studying for the GRE...I need to take it this summer. It's a little stressful finding out how much I don't know...I am just trying to take it a little at a time.

Mim, Michelle, and I got to have fellowship together outside today...we have been eating outside a lot recently because of the nice weather...it's been wonderful! It was a great time of P and W. Thank you all for your support and care! Four weeks left of teaching and then exams...I will be back in the US so quickly. I cannot even comprehend it right now.

Love.

"Remember, self-made fortresses not only keep love from going out, they keep love from coming in."

2008-04-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, I would have to say this is not the most favorite time in my life, yet it is still very good in some ways. Right now is an official, "I HAVE NO CLUE WHERE MY LIFT IS HEADED - moment" Sometimes I am able to trust Him and give it all up and other times I have a heavy, overwhelming feeling of uncertainty and instability. It's a battle that I have to keep claiming victory in Him. Wow, I am glad He still continues to work despite our weaknesses.

Time is flying by these days. I just get to the beginning of another week and it's quickly over only to start another new one bringing on the feeling it kind of always feels like Monday and I just can't seem to catch up and slow down to enjoy things. I can't believe we are in our 9th week of the term already and I only have about 2 months left in China before heading back to America. How do you say goodbye after living in a culture completely across the world and so opposite yours for three years but with people you have deeply connected with and become "at home"??? I have no idea. I don't want to worry about it but I find myself already fighting the want to withdrawl, and sometimes losing that battle. I want to say healthy goodbyes even though I know I will feel like I am losing part of my heart. This is going to be a hard chapter of life to close and adjust to. I live in the hope that better adventures are yet to come and that He sees what I am going through and He knows what I am feeling.

This past week I did mock weddings in my freshmen classes. They had a blast! It takes a lot of energy for me to do it but they really like learning the vocabulary and seeing a little bit of what a western wedding is like. It was also the week for the school wide spring sports meeting. We got Thursday and Friday off school and the weather was beautiful for the sports! Sarah made us pancakes on thursday morning and then I went to watch some of the meeting with students. It's a great time to just connect with students and have them feel more comfortable around you. Then in the afternoon I met my Xiaogan Uni family at Number 1, my favorite nai cha place (bubble tea) where I go everyday...yes, I'm addicted. It was Leo, Stephen, Allen, and Sunny (Leo's gf) we just talked and hung out for a while then with the other foreign teachers and a few other friends went out for hot pot. I love hot pot....I will miss that too. It was a great time of fellowship and just being together. I love those guys. We walked home and watched a movie together...well they did...I talked to my mom online and was a little teary just thinking about everything that will happen and change in the next couple of months and just not knowing what to do...anyway, Ellie soon entered my room and came and sat next to me and started talking to me about stuff. I was just telling her a few of my struggles...there had to be some reason I was crying, and she said, the Book says, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow has enough troubles of it's own...live for today and trust Gd. WOW...from someone who has no relationship with the Father that was conviction for me. I need to find my joy in Him and place my worries and anxieties in His hands. I heard something similar from Stephen (my chinese bro) when I expressed being a little overwhelmed. What keeps these friends from Him? I don't know? It's my greatest pryer that they all come to know Him personally. It seems they respect Him now and know He's a big part of my life but they just can't or won't choose Him......maybe that's how He feels when I ignore Him and don't live in His victory even though He has given me new life...hmmmmm

Anyway - keep prying and hoping for a strong finish to this year! Keep prying about energy and wisdom in all that I do and love to cover all...Thanks.

This past weekend I got to go to Wuhan with our team. Sarah and I stayed with Becky so on friday afternoon when we got there we decided to borrow some bikes and go riding around campus and into the countryside a little...I almost felt like I wasn't in China anymore...it was FUN. Then we ate a wonderful dinner at Aloha with our whole team and I got to talk to my friends there and connect a little. That night we just kicked back and watched a movie. On saturday we just got a slow start with some p and w, just the three of us. It was a little unbeautiful:-) but He knows our hearts..it was refreshing....it was mostly a relaxing day and then the other half of our team called to say that Broadway in Asia was in Wuhan doing "Sound of Music" and we could get tickets but it would be a little expensive. We decided to go for it and it was a WONDERFUL treat for all of us. It was beautifully done...what a neat thing to do and feel a little "normal":-) Then sunday we were able to go to foreign fellowship in the afternoon before catching the last bus back to Xiaogan to ready for this week...never a dull moment~!

Thanks for all your support and love!

wow

2008-04-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

When I think back over the last week, I just think...WOW...I don't even know how to communicate all that is happening and going on here...and for protection reasons I need to be even MORE careful now. Please be thinking about that for us here. We just received warning and need to be extra careful.

To start...as you know I have been accepted into the graduate program at Wheaton College in IL for Intercultural Studies and TESOL. I now feel overwhelmed at the fact I could be going back to school next year and all that entails and I am trying to lift that to the Father each day and sit under His peace. I guess it's not so easy to get in and I did, so I feel His blessing there. I still need to take the GRE this summer so somehow I need to find time to review for that. I feel very out of the loop and to add to the craziness, I just found out this week I did not get the big scholarship I was kind of planning on to be able to help with a lot of the costs of the program as it's quite costly. I am just trying to trust that He will provide since the last three years haven't been the hugest financial gain for me, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

On top of that our team had a HUGE ordeal that we had to walk through together this past weekend and beginning of the week together. We all were getting close to our breaking points and the Father showed up in a mighty way and brought some healing and continues to do so to a very hurtful situation and we are praising Him for that. He is so good. He is so faithful. The enemy tries to divide and destroy and rip us down but we serve someone greater and more powerful and we are claiming victory in Him!

Sarah and Mim have decided for sure they will be coming back here next year and that makes my heart happy. As you all know...my heart is here in Xiaogan with so many of the people here and I would hate to lose this school...not that it's anything we are doing to change it but He is and it's amazing to be witness to. I definitely don't deserve it. He is so full of grace and mercy. BUT we are reminded daily that we are fighting a battle not of flesh and blood but in the spitual realms. A fight for the Truth to be free and shining through us in a dark place.

Michelle is still waiting to hear from another program that she applied to where she would be able to use her Spanish that she is fluent in and work with kids. Please lift this up as she is still waiting to hear and it's hard.

As far as school...He's been carrying me. Classes have been going fairly well and I praise Him for His inspiration and ideas He's given me. I can't claim any credit. We got to play frisbee on Wednesday and that was a lot of fun...even though it was only 5 on 5 (quite the workout)..it was fun and for dinner Stephen and Eva cooked. Eva had been gone for over a month observing teachers in Beijing so it's great to have her back for more than that she's a very talented cook:-) That same night was a program at the school hall and one of my students asked me to help support her by speaking some Chinese to encourage and support her. Every contestant in the contest was allowed to have a teacher come and speak for them. As you know...my Chinese is TERRIBLE even on a good day. I understand quite a bit now but my speaking is very bad....anyway, I ended up with a speech written in pin yin on paper and stumbled through it in front of 100's...talk about having no face and being humbled. I hope it helped her some but whoa...you just never know what you're going to get yourself into here. I need to be more careful about what they really want me to do I think! Aiya! Never a dull moment.

Also this week, Michelle's sister, Kasey, arrived after a little bit of a rough trip from America. We are glad to have her here but one of her bags were lost in transit and we are hoping to get that back somehow. It's so great that Michelle can have her sister here. We have been enjoying it too. It makes me miss my sister! (I love you, Kels and am so proud of what you are doing!)

Girl's group this week was pretty cool as we talked about the 5 "Love Languages". It brought out some interesting discussion and we hoping to continue talking about it this week. It's been real great to get to know the 18 girls who have been coming every week...to go a little deeper with them...please continue to "think" about this. Thanks.

This weekend has already been busy with dinner out last night with the nursing department because Michelle's sister, Kasey, is a nurse so they want to learn as much as they can from her. Then today we are going to visit a primary school that Ellie's sister works at to play with some kids and then to Ellie's house for lunch. This afternoon I believe that we are going to try to move some of Mim's stuff to our house to start getting ready for next year and then KTV or karaoke tonight with Kasey for the cultural experience. Somehow I need to fit planning in all of this! I know He will help me:-)

Anyway, thanks for all your support and for even reading my blog. I appreciate all your "thoughts" and am looking forward to what He's going to continue doing here!

Love and blessings from Xiaogan.

Currently, according to Ellie, we are experiencing "mental patient weather" IT's been crazy this spring! LOL

celebration!

2008-03-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

This past week was so FULL and beautiful weather to help with the enjoyment:-) Since the weekend it hasn't been that great but we sure had FUN! A few highlights from the last week were I was told my ping pong style is completely unacceptable and have found some students that want to help me :-) We will see if that ever happens. I had fun messing around though. I was also able to talk to one of my Chinese brothers this week about the Book and the Father and you can be "thinking" about that. Very exciting. He is moving so much here....I am always in awe that he can use broken and messed up people to accomplish His goods works...or at least be witness to them.

We went out to dinner with some Canadians who were here this last week to try and set up a partnership with their school and ours. It was with all the leaders and important people and of course we were only invited 20 minutes before hand while we were at English Corner. We did enjoy a good dinner, though, and it was nice to meet some new foreigners. I was even offered a job teaching in Canada:-)

Classes went well but it was definitely a recovering week from Easter week! The weekend was a ton of fun even though the weather was terrible. Ann and a friend of hers (student teacher) from Shanghai came out to visit Xiaogan and experience the "real" Chinese life! LOL. I am not sure we gave them the REAL experience but I think we did give them quite a few experiences. I could just see the Father's handprints all over the weekend's activities. Friday night there was a Western dinner at Mim and Sarah's. There were about 14 people total by the end.....with 6 of those being foreigners. We made speghetti, garlic bread, cookies, and raw veggies with dip. It was lots of fun seeing the student's reactions to western food. They represented three different departments in our school as well and there was lots of laughter and talking. It was a very enjoyable night of fellowship.

On saturday our plans for frisbee didn't quite work out so we improvised. The morning started with an earlier than wanted awakening but I just couldn't sleep. The weather had turned colder and rainy. I was not planning on running this day but I got a message soon after I was up about running with Ellie, so I did. It was an interesting experience. She is a sprinter and I am a distance runner so I had to keep slowing her down and she kept burning herself out...so we finally made it back home after many sprints, jogging, and walking spurts all thrown together and FREEZING because I didn't wear enough clothes and I was all wet! Ellie then came back to my house afterwards and entertained our two guests from Wuhan and gave them Chinese names and helped them to learn to write correctly.

We were all taken out to lunch by the school because a previous foreign teacher at our school, Suzanne, was visiting to lecture and encourage our students. She is now fluent in Chinese and works for a Chinese company in the north. What a wealth of knowledge! We enjoyed an excellent lunch and then came back to clean our house for the party we had saturday night. We have a new brother in the family and when we offered to take him out to eat with his gf he said he would like to cook hot pot at our house. It started out being for 7 people and yes, turned again into 14 and he was just fine with that! What a celebration! We had friends over from Xiaogan U and friends from here and 3 extra foreigners. In the afternoon we all practiced some dancing. Our new Shanghai friend knew a new dance for us to learn so we learned a dance to the "Boot Scootin Boogie" LOTS of fun. We then danced everything else we knew and learned many new interesting moves and generally just had lots of fun. When it came time to chop up a HUGE amount of veggies for the hot pot everyone pitched in and made quick work of it. We enjoyed a slow dinner and lots of interesting conversation. Our new brother along with some of our good friends said they would come with us to fellowship the next day and we ended the day watching a movie and just hanging out. Sweetness. Michelle and I even attempted to make milk tea again...it turned out pretty well.

Sunday morning was fellowship and then out to bubble tea with our new brother and a couple of friends to talk a little deeper about things and then on to a nice lunch provided by our school for us because of Suzanne's presence:-) The afternoon was quiet and good because I needed to lesson plan and do a million grades! Things got done and it was a very satisfying weekend! PTL for all He is doing in and through this little gang in China:-) He is so faithful!

Thanks for all your support!

Love from China!

It's been a busy week and weekend...

2008-03-23T02:08:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures mostly from the last weekend! Enjoy...there are always more pictures on my picasa site!

carrots, cucumbers, and Ranch dressing....

2008-03-21T17:24:00.001-07:00

I don't even know how to begin to tell you about my Friday...this whole week has been one thing to the next with an overwhelming sense of the battle we are in. Our battle is not against flesh and blood but sometimes it feels that way. Again problems pop up with team stuff when He is really working but we have pryed through and claimed victory there.

At English Corner on Thursday we took 250 boiled eggs and stuff for dying and coloring them and saw about 200 kids come through and decorate eggs and hear about the theme of NEW LIFE for Easter. We were all so tired but it was an amazing time and the students loved it. The power of the Easter story is alive and well. New life and the longing for something better, I believe, is in every human's heart...the longing for love and for relationship with our Creator through New Life in His Son.

This whole week I have been struggling physically...not with being sick but with some anxiety and discomfort in my stomach making it a little more difficult to eat and feel hungry....I believe just another manifestation of the battle we are in and one to keep me on my knees this week about all that we are sharing and for protection over that. Anyway, all that introduction brings us to Friday...

I woke up to the familiar stomach discomfort and immediately spent time with the Father lifting up all that has been going on. For my classes that day I had many things planned, including talking about food with my freshmen class and taking in cucumber and carrots and Ranch dressing for them to try an "American Snack". LOL. I was also planning to do the Easter Story re-enactment in their class so I had props for that, as well as materials for my second year class to do their presentations, and on top of it all, a basket of leftover colored eggs from English Corner to hand out to our colleges and bosses to celebrate Easter. It was rainy and grey outside befitting of the Good Friday day of remembering the greatest thing ever done for us...

Before I went to class I went to the office to pass out some eggs to teachers and coworkers who thought it was great we were giving them something. Very fun...and to my surprise I found a package with my name on it there in the office. I don't get mail very often anymore so I was VERY surprised. I quickly opened it and found out it was from my good friend, Beth and she had sent something for all of the foreign teachers here keeping their interests in mind. It was so nice. I almost cried. Happy EASTER!

My first class is my craziest class, my first year Business class. We talked about food and you would have thought I brought in cookies and candy for the way they ate the carrots and cucumbers. To fully appreciate this you need to understand they just don't really eat raw veggies here and the Ranch was really different for them because they don't eat a lot of dairy products either. It was a good experience for them and fun for me to watch. They did an excellent job of listening and participating in the second half of the class with the Easter story. I am always amazed, although I shouldn't be, of the power of that story. The kids did a wonderful job of acting the characters.

My second class is second year students and I wasn't planning on doing the Easter story with them because most likely they had heard it last year but I found out most of them didn't so even though I had a lot to get through I just felt I needed to do it again....so I did...and saw some even moved to tears...which ALWAYS gets me. What a lasting experience...Truth going out is a beautiful thing. Praise Him!

At lunch we tried a new place to eat and shared some of our good experiences from the week with each other praising Gd for His faithfulness and victory in our lives. We then went and did a little shopping for Goldie for her dunking on sunday. We found a beautiful shirt for her to wear as well as a few fun presents for Ellie's birthday which was also this day. As soon as we arrived back at our house, the doorbell began it's incessant ringing.

We had two different repair men come to fix the toilet and lights in our house and then students coming for various reasons. We seriously had the bell ringing every ten minutes or so, but Gd was active in our house this day. I was able to have a conversation with one of my good friends about Him and she is reading His Book and was convicting me with how she is applying it to her life and isn’t even a believer….yet. Another teacher came by at night bc of a previous conversation and wanted to know as much about the Father has I could tell and how to get Him in their life. That was AMAZING to be a part of and witness. I have known this person since the beginning of my second year here. WOW, what a change. It was a surreal experience. I was so glad for the wisdom He gave. While I was talking and prying with the teacher another student came by and was sharing what she was reading in the Book with Michelle and she was also having a Father experience. We are so thankful for all those supporting us.

Then Michelle and I went out with Ellie for her birthday dinner which we thought was going to be with a million people but it was just us….then a small group to go out for KTV – Chinese karaoke. It was a lot of fun…and we were flying high from the day’s experiences. He is SO good so faithful. I felt like I was finally really fulfilling some of my purpose here, the purpose He gives us for each day – to live for Him and tell others of His Truth that brings FREEDOM!

Happy Easter! He has risen indeed!

Easter Week.....

2008-03-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Well, what craziness has been going on here? Well, to start at the end of last week, we celebrated Leo's passing of the CET 6 English Test. That's quite an accomplishment for a non English major. Many of my students will never get that high. It was great to hang out with some of my good friends to cook and celebrate together. I am very blessed by my Chinese "family".

This past weekend was a TA (Teaching Abroad) Meeting in Wuhan. Friday night we were stuffed with chocolate and even had a pizza delivery. We felt very spoiled. On Saturday we had meetings most of the day but with more good team hang out time. We had many things to discuss about making TA better and how to be better teachers. We had three visitors from our organization in America visiting us so it was nice to have some other foreigners to talk to. On Sunday we went to a chch English corner for young people. It was very interesting. They were teaching wship songs and having the students discuss the meanings and act out the words. My group had the song, "Open the Eyes of My Heart" and I never realized before how hard it is to even explain the title of that song, esp. to VERY low level English learners. At the end different groups were supposed to demonstrate their motions to the song they had discussed.

Another group had to same song as us so we were off the hook. When the song, "Shout to the Ld" came up there was no one to do it...and the leader who was a foreigner pointed at me and said do you think you and your other foreign friends could do it for us? I was like, me? We have never done with or even talked about it but Mim and Michelle being the good sports that they are went up with me as we choreographed the song as we were singing it with everyone following us. It was inspired:-) You never know what you are going to get to do in China.

The foreign fellowship afterwards was also very refreshing. We got a ride in a van back to our school because we had our visitors from America (that was such a blessing not having to take a bus) We had the foreigners here for a day to negotiate contracts for the coming year and observe us. The visit went really well. Our students always like to see new people. We also had a dinner with our vice president and other leaders. It was a very enjoyable time except I have now taken the role of "head teacher" and was FORCED to sit in a seat of high honor which I can usually avoid. I did enjoy talking to our vice president and our leader of education. Knowing a little more Chinese and understanding it better has definitely helped me. It was an enjoyable evening.

This week has been a crazy busy week with English Corners we were teaching some dancing there and we are doing some of the Easter story and dying eggs.......it was an interesting interaction when I ordered 250 eggs from the egg lady. She didn't even bat an eye and said she would have them, so now we are boiling or rather Michelle has taken the task of boiling most of those eggs for English Corner tomorrow to tell of NEW LIFE of this holiday and that our Ld brings. It is an exciting time to share Truth but also usually one of my hardest weeks as far as spiritually. The battle rages on between good and bad and we are so THANKFUL for those supporting us in pryer. The enemy is alive and well unfortunately but we are claiming victory in our GD! He is so good....a strong tower...the Most High.

On a lighter note the weather has been much more beautiful and I have enjoyed being outside in a few spare free moments. I have been able to play ultimate frisbee the last couple of Wednesdays and it's been great fun. My endurance definitely lacks compared to my young guy and girl students, but I enjoy hanging out with them. It's a great time to make connections. I am prying some of them can go deeper and become more meaningful than just frisbee.

Love and blessings to all!

Bonnie Schwartz

2008-03-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Bonnie,
You left a post on my blog earlier but not a way to get a hold of you. Please let me know if you want to be in contact and how I can contact you. Thanks.

Gifts and Garbage?!

2008-03-10T00:38:00.000-07:00

A new week has started but I keep thinking about things that have happened. First, if you would like to see a few of our gifts we received from students at Spring Festival check out my newest Picassa posts at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ah7914/SpringFestivalGiftsAndMollyBabyFromTheGarbage

There are also pictures of Molly, the garbage baby. This has been an ongoing story but I am not sure I have blogged about it before. Last semester we (the foreign teachers) found out about a baby living in the dump near our school. She had been unofficially adopted by the people who live in the dump and move trash and sort trash for a living. Anyway, Sarah's heart really went out to her to do something about this. They had found her with her umbilical cord still attached this past May and was actually the third baby they have found but the only one alive. You can only guess why she was left. She has a slight cleft palate and she's a girl...so sad. Anyway...Sarah decided to get some clothes for the girl as well as food once in a while and a bath once a week at one of our houses. This past weekend we did it here. She really hates the bathes but is so nice and clean afterwards. Sarah is also very gracious to wash her clothes each week and feed her...and we get to play with a little baby. There is also a medical service in Wuhan that will be doing a free surgery to help her cleft palate. We are still prying for direction for the baby and whether or not she should continue to live in the dump or we should try to get her out with another family. We'll see, but it's been quite a story to be a part of. Taking care of the orphans and widows as we are instructed...very humbling for me.

Also, I have been thinking back on last week and the dollar a day experience...a few things I learned...
-Many of our students are living on this or even less
-You cannot eat many fruits or veggies on this "diet" bc they are too expensive and you need things to fill you up
-Street food gets boring after a week of only being able to have that
-G has blessed me so much I need to continue to bless others with it and be THANKFUL always!
-I don't know how to solve the world's hunger problems but it does help to "walk in their shoes" a bit and be in discomfort
-7 RMB a day leaves me filling hungry most of the day esp. if I am active
-I wonder if this is why sleeping seems to be so popular here during free time bc many of the students, esp. girls starve themselves not only to look thin but bc they don't have money for more food
-I am so thankful for other drinks besides water!
-SWEETS and desserts (my favs) are def. special and I am VERY thankful for them:-)
-G wants me to love all, no matter rich or poor with a love that doesn't discriminate
-Being uncomfortable really helps you to listen better to G:-)

Anyway--just a few musings from the week.

Another new things---the weather is a little spring like lately...and I am LOVING it! and getting some spring cleaning done and deciding I want to do more sports:-) yesterday I played bball for the first time since coming to China. For those of you who know me you know I am pretty terrible at bball...anyway...I had to let my pride fall down and play with a bunch of people who only spoke Chinese yesterday and had a ton of fun although I am not sure everything I did was legal....still learning to break out of the box I am others put me in sometimes! Yay for new things and experiences.

Thanks for all your support and prys! So appreciated. Love.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ah7914/SpringFestivalGiftsAndMollyBabyFromTheGarbage

claiming VICTORY in the darkness! :-)

2008-03-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

What a week's it's been...physically, emotionally, spiritually, but the MOST awesome thing I can say is that I FEEL victorious through my Father! I feel like this week was FULL of not so pleasant experiences and circumstances but He never left my side and He was encouraging me the whole time and meeting me in my many weaknesses and PROVIDING in my insufficiences (sp??) :-) I still can't spell. :-) I am doing a study on the Names of the Father and I LOVE it. It's reminding me of all the things G is that are so easy to forget....and lose focus of.

Lately I have been reading about Him as Creator, El Elyon, El Roi, and El Shaddai....G Most High, G Who Sees, and G All Sufficient. As I read about them once more and see evidence in the Book I have been claiming those Truths in my life and I am encouraged.

Every morning I feel as though I wake up with the world on my shoulders (so many thoughts and worries) but it's not me who has the world it is Him and He works mightily through our weaknesses if we surrender to Him.

To give all a little update....I have sent my application into Wheaton, via my wonderful mom who is helping me stateside and have received an email from them that it will probably be 4-5 weeks until I receive my answer about that one. Please keep that in your prys. I am trusting Him for my next step. It's going to be VERY hard to leave this place but I am tired and I need to do something different...to be filled again...more education spiritually and mentally, etc...

Also, I have decided to do my BEST this term with HIS help. I am going to rely on Him and see what HE does because it definitely won't be me this term. I already see His working in so many ways and I only pry I can be a help and not hinderance.

A funny story from this week happened on Wednesday. We (the foreign teachers, Sarah, Michelle and I) were told about it on Tuesday. The school was having tug of war contests for Women's Day. Who would have ever guessed! haha....and they asked us to join the teacher's team...um, yeah, we are a little bigger than most of the other teachers...smart move on their part...i am not sure why they didn't before! Well, Sarah had to go to Wuhan to work on things for next year but Michelle and I "accepted the challenge"!!! haha...little did we know they would tell our whole department so many of our students were there...HUGE crowd. After Michelle and I got over our tug of war jitters we just stepped up and joined our team amidst the crowd of Chinese. Our other teachers were glad to see us and proceeded to tell us they had never won before or done well. We felt bad. So, we put Michelle as our anchor in the back and I was forced to be up front with the rest of our little teachers bet. We didn't end up winning the whole contest but we came in third! We were happy with that. We were also happy we beat the nursing department because we know many teachers and students in that department! HAHA

little did I know that my body isn't what it used to be....ok, I did know that but I didn't know that for at least 3 days afterwards I would feel like I had a knife cutting into my midsection and back! WOW...I guess I really have no muscles there and I guess you might need those muscles in tug of war since I don't have any!?!? who would have known....:-) It was great though...good bonding...the students loved seeing their teachers "fight" and we had the whole crowd going. Fun times. As Woman's Day gifts, (which is actually today, Saturday) we received a little money, a bunch of toliet paper and kleenex (for our third place prize!) We are happy with such practical gifts:-)

An update on our "hunger week" or maybe just our 7 RMB a day "diet"....wow...SO much harder than we anticipated. I feel like I learned SO much...was so mindful and feeling so blessed for how much I have. In America's standards or and Western part of the world...I am POOR but after this week it was reinforced again how RICH I am, not only in resources here in China but in friends and people who care about me. So many students and people wanted to GIVE me food and pay for things but Michelle and I were most of the time, together this week and decided we just needed to stick to 7 RMB per day and no more...HARD....MUCH HARDER than we thought...but so good...so good to step into others shoes and have a even a feel feelings of those who live like that all the time or perhaps MUCH worse. What an eye opener. He is my PROVIDER! Every morning I got up hungry and went to bed hungry but He sustained me...gave me energy for class...enthusiasm for teaching and love for my students. This week ended up being more physically demanding than others (we had no idea before we started) Michelle and I taught 18 hours to cover Mim (but she is back now and we are so happy and so are her students..haha) and then went to three English Corners, played tug of war, kept up jogging, and worked on cleaning Dorothy's house...no small feat. BUT found out that He is sufficient. Praise Him!

MIM IS BACK and we're so happy! She came in last night around 930 back to Xiaogan and to break our "fast" we had brownies and swapped stories. So great to have her back! She is such a great part of the team here! She also brought me some neat paper for card making and rubber cement...very happy and new Book study books for our team....excited to start that....then as a last minute request from my lovely roommate because of my gender confusion problems here in China...brought me some colored lip gloss to wear AT ALL TIMES...haha...yeah right! VERY funny though...

I hope you're all enjoying a great weekend! So glad I could give you an update and I hope you are encouraged! To go back to what I am learning in my devos, I just love the Name of G, El Roi, the "G Who Sees" He sees all good and bad and is there...never leaving...He knows...

Proverbs 15:3
"The eyes of the L are in every place, watching the evil and good." AND HE IS IN CONTROL! MOST HIGH!

Love.

update on dollar a day...

2008-03-03T05:03:00.001-08:00

Made it through the first day....kind of felt like I was fasting at times because I am so used to snacking so much throughout the day or drinking Cola or Nai Cha (Milk Tea)...it was a good time to reflect and think about people who really do live on less than a dollar a day and don't have all the other luxeries I have this week while I use my computer, cell phone, DVD player, toliet, washing machine, running water (hot and cold), etc...I really have SO much to be thankful for! I was hanging out with a couple of friends after English Corner tonight, Ellie and Haley and was reminded again how little some of our friends and students have. Ellie has more money than a lot but Haley lives on about seven yuan a day almost all the time. Wow, there was something to put me in my place. AND just because I am doing this they were offering to buy me nai cha and make food for me but Michelle and I decided no, we need to do this week without extras but it was very humbling.

dollar a day?

2008-03-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

So, during our (Sarah, Michelle, and I) stay at Crossroads, an awesome place in Hong Kong. We were told that about 1/2 of the world's population lives on $2 USD a day or less and maybe 1/3 lives on about $1. I could have that wrong, but the point is that A LOT of people don't have a lot of money to live on.....so to step into their shoes a little bit (with Michelle as our fearless leader) we, Sarah, Michelle, and I have decided to try to only spend a $1 a day for a week on food. We can only eat the food we buy with that money...and we cannot spend other money. We have to make our lives as simple as possible. (I guess I will be drinking a lot more water - no nai cha:( everyday) One USD amounts to about 7.1 RMB (Chinese money)....it will be an interesting week. While there are cheap foods here to buy, we usually spend more than that a day on drinks, food, etc...so thins will be interesting...and hopefully enlightening...

No more taxi's, pop, nai cha, or extras.....(we are allowed to have TP, though:-) We aren't really even going to come close to stepping into those people's shoes but with a little bit of being uncomfortable we hope to learn something new:-)

That is our challenge for the coming week...I'll let you know how it goes.:-)

boy or girl?!

2008-03-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

So, just to share an amusing story upon my return to Xiaogan. Goldie is one of our good friends here in Xiaogan. She is also our Sister. Her mother brought her back to school after break so she wanted to introduce us to her. She also has an "adopted" mom from the fellowship here in Xiaogan so we decided to take them all out to dinner one night to get to know them a little better. I went jogging that day and didn't have time to shower and change into nicer clothes because students came over so I went to dinner a little scruffy....anyway, it was a wonderful dinner and nice to get to know Goldie's two mom's a little better. The following night Goldie extended an invitation to the foreign teachers to come to her "adopted mom's" home for dinner, so we went. This time I was wearing my teaching clothes. Upon arrival we all walked into the house and sat down. Her second mom started talking to me (I thought she was saying that she didn't recognize me since I looked different from the night before) Goldie then explained with a red face....she recognizes you but the night before she thought you were a boy!

This is just a funny little story and Michelle and Sarah think I just need to start wearing earrings and lipstick all the time....Anyway, there are many times I don't really know if Chinese are girls or guys....so I guess it goes the other way too!

On a more serious note. It was great to make a little deeper connection with someone from fellowship. I really miss talking to people and the wisdom older people bring and the joy children bring when I don't have a "normal" fellowship here..

the rest of the adventure during Spring Festival 2008

2008-03-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

I think I left off everything since getting to Hong Kong, so I will try to start there....(to be finished later)

fireworks...

2008-02-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

So, in the net bar again and on my second computer again...it seems that every time I come I get a bad password or computer and Michelle gets a good one. :) Tis my lot in life....I guess it could be worse.

Back to traveling back from Dali....a beautiful day....pretty non eventful...about 6 hours. There were a lot of foreigners on the bus and I guess it was freaking Michelle out a little bit. It wasn't so bad for me but I remember my first year when seeing a lot of foreigners I was a little scared after being surrounded by Chinese people for so long. We arrived back in Kunming on a beautiful day and were dropped at a bus station, and after asking directions were able to, thankfully, find the train station without much hassle. We were both very hungry though and carrying many things...darn shopping....we found our favorite bus, number two and headed to Lucia's home. After resting about 2 hours we took off in rush hour traffic to get to a performance that Lucia was going to be dancing to a Latin song with her partner...."Just One Last Dance". It was for her mom's company's Spring Festival Company Party so there were a ton of people there. They also served us food and while it all looked well and good we have had much better, but enjoyed the rice noodles Yunnan is famous for. Lucia's performance was probably the best of the 20+ some or so we watched. Most of them were old ladies or old men singing or dancing, not usually on key or in a range pleasant to the ears but such is a Chinese party. Michelle and my favorite was an older lady "dancing" to Techno music. We were embarressed for her. The host, a little elf like man complete with a white suit, long black shoes, and spiked hair with a pixie face got up and started dancing with her....very interesting...Michelle and I were just like....never would we see this in America....well, who knows...

We then turned our attention to one of the girls eating at our table and we called her a "good eater"...she took every part of the chicken from the soup and put it into her mouth and eat what you could off of it...very interesting to watch....the hours wore on and Lucia said some of her friends wanted us to come to their table, thinking it was some girls, we were like,"ok" but then looking up we saw a bunch of young men from across the hall waving at us....yes, then commenced the trying to get us to drink...offers to take us to their hometowns, give us massages, and just generally try to talk to us and flirt with us in their limited English...needless to say, it didn't really go in their favor. We soon found an excuse to leave the smoky hall and went in search of fresh air. I think the whole ordeal took about from 530 to 1030 or so. On our walk we found some drinks and candy so we were happy. :-) Lucia and her partner ended up receiving number two for the competition that we didn't even know was taking place....and then being very Chinese and giving her gift that she received to a friend at a birthday party the following night. Michelle and I had done this with some things around Cmas time and felt like we were just fitting into the culture:-)

Cock a doodle dooooooo! The night was filled with cries from roosters all around. I think they are being gathered to kill for spring festival but for now they are just hard to fall asleep to. Gone is the thought that they are just supposed to wake you up. They make noise all day long! We woke up early at the prompting of Lucia to get to the train station to try and secure tickets to Shenzhen and ultimately to Hong Kong on the 7th which is Spring Festival here. We thought it was going to be really really hard so had been prying for a while that it would work out. It did!!! After only getting in a few different lines before someone took pity on us, we got tickets not to Shenzhen but to Guangzhou about three hours north by bus from Shenzhen. Soon after I was reading an email from my friend Josh, that said:

GUANGZHOU, China -- Millions of Chinese workers battled for a precious train ticket home Sunday as authorities struggled to keep order here following a stampede for seats that left a woman trampled to death. The savage winter snows and freezing temperatures that have brought much of the nation to a standstill have transformed the southern city of Guangzhou in particular into a seething mass of frustrated humanity....

Yes, that is the destination where we have purchased tickets too and are hoping for the best since we're traveling on Spring Festival and the day after so maybe some of the frustrated humanity will be sorted out:-)

In between the train station and net bar we went to Carrefour..a foreign owned store in China and just drooled over the foreign foods section for a while and ended up buying stuff to make speghetti for Lucia and her mom that night as well as a few local products from Yunnan....we had a hard time "escaping" the store as it was not very well labled and there were tons of people there but we finally made it out to daylight again:-) glad to have our new treasures.

After the net bar we met up with Michelle's friend (actually Mim's friend) but Michelle knew him too and he and his sister are teaching here in Kunming so we took a taxi to their house and it was beautiful compared to ours and we felt a little like we were walking back into America. He even had PIZZA DELIVERED for lunch. To us that was just amazing. We traded many travel stories with him and his sister and found it nice to talk to other Americans. We then headed out in search of ice cream and got it before heading back to Lucia's and meeting her and her mom on the street where they took us to a hair salon and Michelle had her hair trimmed and I had mine washed. It felt good. :-) I really appreciate being clean now:-) but it's not a necessity....

Very tired now but went to buy veggies to put with speghetti for dinner and made dinner. Her mom wasn't too sure about it but Lucia loved it. :-) Her mom cooked a little of the food we bought that we didn't know what it was...some kind of special cheese she fried with eggs...we were stuffed! and tired but now time to go to a birthday party. We tried to beg off but were taken so it ended up being a lot better than we both imagined. We went to an outdoor cafe near a river and it was a pleasant night. The girls whose birthday it was could speak fairly good English as well as her friends so that was good for us. She also had an ADORABLE little husky puppy she let us play with the whole time. IT was so cute and nice and clean:-) We set off fireworks and were only hit by a few of them...those are dangerous little critters and then sang Happy Birthday and had the customary spongy Chinese cake. Over all it was a very enjoyable time and since Michelle and I were so tired I think we were even more loopy than normal and ended up singing Lion King part of the way home:-)

Now I know this is way too long but I want to remember some things. I don't feel bad when you don't read it all. This morning I woke up because I was having trouble breathing. I am not sure if it's alleriges or my cold is back but yeah...anyway, washed some clothes by hand and it brought back a lot of memories. Had to boil three kettles of water so my hands wouldn't freeze off and then took a much needed shower. SSOOO thankful for that! IT's a beautiful and relaxing day so far!

Enjoy!

yummy food.

2008-02-02T02:43:00.000-08:00

Yeah---we just had another wonderful day in Dali, Yunnan, China. We just ate the most wonderful dinner at a restaurant here in town called Stella's Cafe or something like that, anyway, I had lagsna (cannot spell that) and breadsticks and I think they were the best ever and my and my roommates meal's together only cost $4! Super good. I wish we had a place like that closer to my home in Xiaogan. G has also been blessing us with amazing weather. IT's slightly chilly as I am always wearing long underwear and 4 layers on top but the sunshine and blue skies are HEALING to my being and I am really ENJOYING it. It will be hard to get back to gray skies and cement buildings but I know that I am called where I am for a purpose.

A few random observations from today....while on the way in a little van to a tea ceremony in a town about 20 KM away pronounced a lot like the CHinese word for shower...haha...we saw a huge dump truck full of animal carcasses..fortunately for you I did not have time to get a picture but that was interesting. We got to see some courting dances by the Bai people who are most of the people in this area and taste a lot of different teas at a ceremony and Michelle and I ended up buying some of the expensive stuff...I don't know where this tea drinker came from but yeah...I guess we will be drinking even more tea in the future. We have done so much shopping in the past couple of days we had to make another trip to the bank and are already wondering how we are going to make it home to Xiaogan, let alone America!

Another random thing...on our way back from the tea ceremony our driver just stopped in a random place and said something about yifu (clothes) and got out of the car. We kept waiting and waiting but he was taking a long time to return, so I saw the keys in the ignition and started talking about just taking off. There was another CHinese guy in the car but he couldn't understand any English and soon he just got out of the car after we had been talking for a while....my perfect opportunity but I held myself in check...soon he came back with the driver and that was good bc it really did cross my mind to take off. I Think I could have gotten us reasonably close to Dali Old Town where we are staying.

This morning we woke up saying we wanted to go on a boat tour and so went across the street just to ask again to make sure we had the correct number of the bus to take us to the boat port and we did so we were just going to take off into the unknown but the travel lady (who speaks VERY little English) called us back and ended up booking us for a boat tour that we had no idea what we would be doing on but just went for it. It fortunately turned out pretty good. We had so many times everyday where we aren't really sure what's going to happen.

My "limited Chinese" has really been coming in helpful this trip with Michelle and I. She has been here less than 6 months and is doing pretty good but having my little friend and sidekick, Ellie, around this past semester I have been forced to listen more and learn better Chinese and that has helped a TON. I think we would be pretty hopeless without some Chinese. PTL.

also...showering has been a little difficult and few and far bet. since leaving our home in Xiaogan, I think Michelle and I figured we have only taken 2 showers since then...the 24th of Jan to the 2nd of Feb.....I don't recommend this, but it just comes with the adventure I guess. I think we might get a shower tonight if we can fiture out our hostels weird system and get some warmer water than ice temp. :-)

There are so many other random things we have seen and that have happened on our trip but I quickly forget them...too many to remember but some pretty crazy adventures! We are heading back to Kunming tomorrow to my student's home and Chinese food. It's probably good...we are getting too spoiled with this western food and def. adding to our waistlines! Aiya!

One of the many blessings, though, has been Michelle and my devo time at night. We have decided to take turns reading a passage and then discussing it a little and then prying together before bed. I think this has been very good. G is so good to us.

Still waiting for a computer to be able to upload some of our pics. ....

Love.

in the land of sunshine...or at least more than before:-)

2008-01-31T23:20:00.000-08:00

I think the last time I blogged was the night before Michelle and I adventured on our own to a huge village where you can see all the minorities in China and different various interesting things. My student was going to be really busy so just gave us some directions and sent us off the next afternoon after eating the famous rice noodles of Kunming...they were pretty good except they seem to like to stick mint leaves in about everything or at least soups....very interesting. Not bad, just not my favorite either. I think mint def. goes best with chocolate. :-) Anyway, we made it to the village with no problems....only avoiding disaster by a thread when I asked the bus driver what stop we were at because we had to transfer buses and it just happened to be the one we needed to get off at! PTL He was with us. IT was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and sunshine! We just walked around mostly enjoying the weather but also the different minority groups in China and of course shopping! The shopping is really good in Yunnan, unfortunately for our pocketbooks. We ended up getting back find too and picking up a few things we needed and then ordering noodles again for dinner before realzing that Lucia's mom was waiting for us to make dinner. That was good because our noodles turned out to be not very good and the dinner much better! We got our stuff around for heading to Dali the next day...a city supposedly 4 hours away that took us around 8 full trip. I don't know about this traveling in China thing...pretty much you just have to plan a whole day for traveling. Most of the bus ride here to Dali was BEAUTIFUL but I was a little distracted as I needed to use the WC not far into the trip and we were supposedly on the bus for 4 hours. After praying bc I didn't think I could make it we finally stopped at a rest stop a little less than half way and I was VERY relieved. We then continued on our great journey and 6 hours later (total on that bus) we reached Dali, but not where our hostel was. Thankfully someone helped us to find another bus to take us there (15 mins away). It had decided to RAIN and storm though once we arrived in Dali and the weather was decidedly colder than Kunming and we weren't quite prepared but with a little shopping I got some good socks and felt better. I am glad I was wearing some long underwear:-) We went out for pizza after taking a while to find our little book worm guest house we were staying in. The pizza was heavenly and we got a side of broccoli just bc they had it and it's my favorite! After we were stuffed we just wandered around for a bit shopping and just seeing things in the rain. I bought an over priced (I now know) bracelet but I really like it so I am not too mad:-) Then we went back to our hostel to watch a movie. We were the only ones staying there so basically the WC and lounge room are ours. We had brought some DVDs so enjoyed a night of relaxing and hanging out. Today was much like the same....lots of shopping, relaxing, eating western food (omelets, cheesecake, and chai tea) and just looking around and planning for a tour of the area tomorrow. We are in a charming City, voted one of the most charming in China...although I don't think that's TOO difficult to do but it is beautiful here! We are really enjoying our stay in Yunnan.

Thanks for all you prys! Gd has been so good to us!

how to start???

2008-01-29T03:03:00.000-08:00

Has it only been a week? Have I only been without a shower for 6 days!? It FEELS like longer than that....(Ok, I did get to take a shower today for the first time in 6 days) and it felt SO good. Michelle and I started our Spring Festival break by hanging out in Xiaogan with our adopted Chinese sister, Ellie and other friends and getting a few things done around the house. After that our travels began on a bus to Wuhan. Becky had come out to visit us so we went back with her and had a LOVELY dinner at Aloha diner (mine was a juicy hamburger with french fries) --- (am I making you drooool? b/c I am:-) Anyway, we had a couple of hours to kill before leaving so we checked to see if Culps were home (my good friends in Wuhan who live close to the diner) and they were so we went there and had a little hang out time with them. I love that family. Our time to leave came too soon after Kim tried to persuade us all to work at the INternational School next year.....she even flaunted the job I would probably LOVE as an ESL teacher full time will be open next year. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if school works out at Wheaton...anyway...our time flew and soon it was time to taxi to the train station for our train leaving at 1040. We waited in a crowded waiting room of people trying to get home for the holiday. There was a mix of upper and lower class and lots of staring...at us. This was Michelle's first train trip so we talked a little about that and then just hung out waiting. We were finally herded onto our train. We chose to go first class for her first time....and that was a good choice. :-) We were in a small room of 4 people....an older gentleman, a young girl student from Wuhan, and us. We all just went to bed pretty quickly but almost as soon as I could open my eyes in the morning the older man was peppering me with questions. I am so glad my Chinese understand and speaking is improving but it was quite a test for me....esp after I had just woken up:-)

Yeah, the whole train ride there Michelle and I had forlornly been looking out the windows hoping we'd stop seeing ice and snow but it never happened. All of China is uncharacteristically cold right now. Xiaogan has been covered in snow for 2 weeks and we just heard from Sarah who is still there that it snowed some more and is now around 10 degrees.

Betty went to buy tickets and left me and Michelle standing outside of the train station for nearly two hours. That's how bad the lines were. Michelle and I were growing colder and colder...losing feeling in our hands and feet. We started dancing and waving our arms around, by the way hundreds of people are already staring at us because we're the only foreigners maybe in this whole province. We haven't seen any others! By the time Betty came back it was after 6pm and the tickets weren't until 8:30. So Betty, her mom, Michelle and I had to sit in the train station for another two hours becoming even more cold. Betty hadn't told us much about her hometown she just really wanted us to visit. So, as we sit in the station she informs us her house has no running water and you must go outside and walk a little ways to get to the WC (bathroom). I then say, "What will we do for a shower?" Betty said "Oh, you want to shower while you're at my house?" Michelle and I exchanged a look like "oh no! We left on the 24th and aren't going to Kunming, our next destination, until the 29th. That's a long time not to shower.
Well, what can you do? We smile and say, "Well, maybe not, that's fine." We finally got to Betty's house around 10:30pm that night. Michelle and I had been so cold that we couldn't feel our hands or feet since 4pm. We got out of the train and while Betty and her mom were trying to find transportation to their house our teeth were literally chattering from the cold. We were pretty sure we'd never be warm again, but Betty's family has this table that has a coal burning fire inside and if you sit close enough you can warm up. Michelle and I were sharing her parents bed, so that night we slept as close together as we possibly could. I was still cold when I fell asleep, but I was warm by morning, PTL.

Yes, Betty's house has no running water and the WC is just three holes in the ground a little ways away from her house. But, the house is clean and warm if you're in the kitchen and her parents have been so gracious, doing so many things for us. The first night Michelle and I didn't eat much meat because we have a hard time knawing it off the bones, so the next night her mom had taken all the bones out of the beef (or water buffalo) something unheard of in China. They also gave us their room and have been spending so much money on good food for us. We wish we could do something for them in return.

For the past three days we've had "Ice Adventure Walks" for entertainment. The roads are all covered with a sheet of black ice but it's not like we can stay inside all day so we devised a very handy penguin walk/shuffle for getting around on the ice. The first day Betty showed us the source of water, which has made me rethink drinking any of it (its a natural well with snakes and fish swimming around in it, not to mention garbage) but they boil everything so I think it's safe. I hope its safe! She then wanted to show us a temple on the mountain side but that path there really was an ice slide and Michelle did the splits and slid a few feet within the first few minutes of the walk so we decided to turn back.

Haha, I wrote everything before this a few days ago in Betty's hometown. We were in a net bar and the electricity went out for the whole city. Of this five nights we were there, three had no electricity so we spent a lot of time sitting around the coal stove/table with a few candles burning eating sunflower seeds and peanuts and talking.

Betty's house was quite the experience. We got to go into the town (she lives on the outskirts) for market day and it was really interesting. We bought some ribbons embroidered by Chinese minority women. We saw various stages of chickens being slaughtered. One of the most bizarre things I saw was a lady standing with a heart on a string. Yes, a heart. Maybe from a pig or cow, I don't know, but Michelle took a picture because we were so surprised! I have no idea why she had a heart on a string, she was just standing there, but she did! The town day was also interesting because people come down from the mountains once a week to buy and sell things for the week so the town is filled with people and things to buy....but still very cold. IT was such a weird experience, like many things are to see modern conveniences next to things we haven't used in the US since the 1800s I would guess...

So many more things happened, such as Michelle's pretty spectacular fall on the ice where she slipped into me who slipped into Betty and all three of us hit the ground hard. This was on the way to see the chch in their town. She had never been there before but she wanted to take us. She had to get someone special to open the door. IT was a nicely upkept building with many hard wooden benches for the mostly elderly congregation to sit on...

Michelle and I left Betty's house yesterday. The buses still weren't running because it snowed the night before, again, so we had to take the train. There was still no electricity anywhere in the city so we couldn't buy train tickets. All we could do was go to the station, hope a train came, and jump on. Which we did, with Betty and her mom. The bus from Gui Ding to Gui Yang should take 45 minutes. The train should take 1.5 hours. We were on that train for 8 hours. I am not even kidding. All four of us were stressing because Michelle and I had tickets for a train to Kunming, Yunnan at 7:30pm and this super slow train from Gui Ding arrived at 8:30pm. Because of all the bad weather and no electricity many trains were delayed so we made a crazy dash through the train station and made our train to Kunming, thank goodness! However, once we got on the train didn't move for hours, it finally started moving around 1am.

Michelle was going a little crazy because of all this. I was a little too sick to notice much and just trying to breath. My head cold had just gotten worse with all the smoke all day long in the train. Michelle and I had beds again for the train to Kunming but we were in the cheeper section with three beds on each wall and we both had top bunks which means there's about two feet between the bed and ceiling, which is not our favorite position to be in. Michelle was really anxious and couldn't go to sleep until the train moved even though the lights went out around 11:30pm. I went to "sleep" a little sooner trying to breath through my mouth successfully and cracked and dried lips from not having water all day and little food.

I can't tell you how happy we were this morning to wake up and see no ice, no snow and blue sky through the train windows! We almost cried. Michelle and I finally found some warm weather in Kunming. We arrived around 12:30pm today, so a train trip that should of taken 11 hours took 24. We also had not showered since Xiaogan, a week ago, which made her student Lucia laugh. Lucia has a shower in her house so we both showered right away and also took some of our clothes to get washed. We feel a million times better now! It's about 70 degrees during the day time here and the sun in shinning! It's wonderful! We're going to stay here for about a week and then travel to Hong Kong. Please pray that we can get tickets. They won't let us buy train tickets more than 5 days in advance, but we're worried about getting a spot on a train because it's right before Spring Festival, the equivilant of traveling on Christmas Eve in the States.

It's so nice to be here in Kunming, the year round Spring City. IT's such a nice change. We took a shower and then got to eat after not eating a good meal since breakfast the morning before....then we felt much better even though my cold is hanging on...they have given me some unidentifiable meds for that too:-) Then we just got to go exploring a little, go to the spa where Lucia's mom works and have a free foot wash and massage and get ice cream from McDonalds and her mom is cooking us dinner tonight...oh yeah and we took, most of our clothes to have them washed by someone else.....ahh..this is the life:-) Now it's time for dinner cooked by Lucia's mom.

(as a disclaimer, part of this blog was written by Michelle and edited just a bit to save time) Sorry it's so long but this isn't even all the adventures we had! Life is fun! Who knows what's going to happen next!?!?!?!?

cold but still smiling...:-)

2008-01-19T04:45:00.000-08:00

So, I have been meaning to blog again for a while. I have MUCH more free time now with school done, grades done, and most of the students gone:( I don't know what to do with my time. Anyway, last wednesday we finally had the repair men come to fix two of our wall heaters that were blowing cold air only. Come to find out...the part on the outside of our house was covered in ice. No wonder we only had cold air. Needless to say, this meant I had been sleeping in all my clothes, with my little hot water bag by my side, my hoodie up over my head, and 3 layers of thick blankets. Our problem was finally going to be solved. BUT it took over two hours to thaw the things out..the whole time our windows were open and our house was the same freezing temp on the inside as the outside. I had to boil a lot of water in large pans to pour over the outside part of our machines and I was in the middle of making a cake for that nights fellowship. We also had students coming and going during this time....mad house:-) That night we had fellowship and we hadn't had that in a while....it was a blessing. We had it at Sarah's house and she had converted her MONDO bedroom into a living room and we had fellowship there with a big heater and three space heaters going. It was so cozy and warm Michelle and I threatened to sleep with her that night and not even go out in the cold again! :-)

The rest of the week has been without incident. We have said goodbye to many students, some getting quite emotional as they will not see us for a month! OH NO! It is kind of a long break, though...they forget so much English and I forget so many names!

Also, in the past couple of days we've had a new brother added to our family...very cool....and I have had a lot of questions from another one of my close friends...some call her the magnet....G is working. It's so cool. It's nothing I say or do, I just have to be obedient to Him. Be here. I have no doubt in my mind now why I am here but I really struggled with that coming back this year. He is so faithful and KNOWS what we need even when we have no clue. I find so much comfort in Him and Him having my best interests in mind and that He never leaves or forsakes me. So cool.

Anyway...looking for things to do in the next few days before we take off for our travels the night of the 23rd....no telling what kind of adventures we might have! :-)

PTL for all He's doing!

Oh yeah...another random thing....I took a shower the other day and when I got out I went to brush my hair and all the dead parts from the Chinese frying months ago just started breaking off. Fortunately Sarah was here, the jack of all trades, and was like, ok, I am going to cut your hair and I figuring it couldn't get any worse than what it was said, ok, go for it. It turned out looking MUCH better. Thanks Sarah.

Another hair story from this week was Ellie took me to where she usually gets her hair cut and washed to have mine washed and styled. Anyway, it's a fairly big place with many workers with crazy hair and clothes and usually I am a little wary as I walk by but that day I conquered the fear and went in. It was a great time. Many of my students were there getting new do's for the New Year so I just talked to many of them. Then Ellie informed me that the guy doing my hair was a Xiaogan Hair Superstar. Everyone knew him and he studied in Shanghai. He owns two shops in Xiaogan and I was like, how old is he? He is only 21! He then asked how old I was and Ellie conveniently answered...."she's an old woman!" she's 25" and he said, I thought she was more like my ago..20 or 21:-) I think I am getting older looking but just the other day a lady on the back street thought I was only 17! Aiya!!! :-)

COLD....CoLd....cOlD.....brrrrrrr

2008-01-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

So, lately things have definitely been slowing down. Mostly all I have to do now is finish up my grades and paperwork for this semester. :-) I am a little over half way done now. Lately we've have the most snow and cold I've seen since I've been here in China. Our house is definitely below the "normal" temperature of a house in America in the winter. AND of course my heater as well as the heater in the living room have stopped blowing warm air but this just stretches our creativity in how to keep warm. Yesterday morning Michelle had some students over to help her grade some of her exams and I was sitting in my bed under three covers in long underwear, a hoody sweatshirt with the hood up, a scarf and my big pink robe over all that working on my grades. I soon had to come out and I received quite a few laughs from the students and I was like, hey...you do what you gotta do when you are cold. I think Chinese people are just better able to deal with being cold where is we don't even like to be a little cold. I looked at the temperatures last night here and it was 29 degrees...so the bottom part of our house was that temp. and the top was just a little warmer I think. So, I am not saying this to be pitied, but I just want to remember:-) Also, unlike MI where I am from, they don't have salt trucks or many snow shovels here so the roads have now been huge sheets of ice for about three days now. I wish I had some ice skates...haha.

I also just recently sent in my application for Wheaton College for the graduate program in International Studies and TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language to Foreigners) That is a big step for me. I never seriously thought about further education until this year. I never though I would do that, but the longer I teach, the more I realize I don't know and I want to know more about what I am doing, how to help my students, etc....so I am lifting this up right now. It seems like a big mountain to climb. In order to go I need to get a scholarship to help pay for a lot of the school (which also stipulates that I go back overseas for 4 more years after I receive my degree in an "M" capacity) I also have not taken the GRE and cannot take it here in China so the school either needs to say it's ok and waive it or I need to take it when I get back or they just plain say, "No way. Do not enter. Do not pass go." SO right now I am in a waiting time....trusting that something will be revealed for my time next year.

SO on a little different note, a funny text conversation I had lately with Ellie (my little magnet)

Ellie "I need warm I need you I need you hug because I'm very cold."
Amy "Awwwww...poor Ellie."
Ellie "My feet like ice cream"
Amy "You're making me hungry for ice cream. I love ice cream."
Ellie "You can eat My feet"
(Amy laughs at Ellie's sense of humor:-))

Another one from her on the day I was really sick but had to go and give oral exams...
Ellie "You look very bad. You want have some xue li cha?" (pear tea)

Ok, all that to say my English is definitely loosing to Chinglish. Even my roommate, Michelle, says that I need to get back to America soon before I lose all my English speaking AND writing ability. I don't even see many mistakes anymore. Sad.

Well, I think that's about all I have to write right now. I have been putting off my grades long enough. I hope you are all having a loverly day!

Blessings!

Oh yeah...a few pr requests:
Sarah (one of my colleagues from America) is traveling with our dean, Amy Fan and her son for spring festival. She needs much pry about being patient and being a good example even when she is tested.
Mim (another colleague from America) is in America right now with her father who is dying of cancer. Pr for wisdom and strength and healing within her family.
Many ppl who are interested in Him and opportunities to share more...wisdom and inspiration in this area. Sorry I cannot go into more detail but He truly is working.
Michelle and I - our travels and travel plans for this holiday.

Thanks! I am encouraged by you all!
Love.

Enough is enough.

2008-01-09T03:03:00.000-08:00

Hi.

I sm not even sure I can remember the last month to recall what happened in that whirl wind...and I am not sure how long it will take to recover but I did have a great time with my friends who came to visit me from America. I always love showing people around and seeing their view of things I have seen everyday for three years now. I still can't believe it's my third year here, sometimes. (I am pretty sure the previous sentence is not correct)anyway... I think things that I thought would never be normal are starting to seem vaguely familiar and normal to me now. Sometimes this is a good thing and others...not so much. Such as the statement from my little sister, Ellie..."I can only understand your English, not Bob's." (Bob was visiting from America with his sister, Beth) The reason she can understand my English is not just because I speak slower now, but also I speak like a Chinese person speaking English in something we refer to as "Chinglish" Yeah, not so good if I am looking at applying to Grad. school, huh...

So, I have some great pictures of some of my experiences in the last couple of weeks so I will just post those since my head isn't really remembering much. We got to experience Hot Pot, Chinese hair washing and foot washing, KTV (Karaoke in a group of about 23), lots of different types of food, and adventures in Wuhan for New Years...and of course....MANY students and feeling slightly like superstars. If you think you might want to be famous you can come here and try it out for a while and you might be cured of those thoughts:-)

I just froze doing three hours exams today in outside weather because our building is open to the world but this classes' exams were called "Turning Points" and they had to write and talk about some event in their life that had a big impact on them up until now. I think I almost cried a few times as they shared parts of there life that made them more like real people to me, friends and family that had died, pressure from school and tests, etc...it was an interesting experience for me and a humbling one as well to realize how blessed I have been, also the impact that teachers have on their students. Many of them had been hugely affected in some way by a teacher in their life and it just reminded me the important roll we can have in students' lives.

I hope you are all enjoying your New Year!
Love.

Catching up...

2007-12-20T21:34:00.001-08:00

This is just a jumble of pictures from the last month or so. I don't know what Australia did but ever since I've gotten back I have been extremely busy or at least feeling that way. IT has been a wonderful holiday season but one filled with many things to do and be a part of. The weather is definitely colder now. In comparison to my home town of HB, it would seem warm but when the inside and outside are the SAME temperature you tend to take a different view on what's really cold. :-) So, going way back to the beginning of November, it was a great time in Australia. It was just what I needed. The travel to and from wasn't all that great but I loved being there and relaxing and spending some time with friends who have become very special to me. I loved seeing Zeke (baby born in Xiaogan last year) and his parents and Naomi and her, now husband, Craig. What an awesome couple and example to me to see and follow....neat. It was a great honor to be such a part of their big day.

After Australia we had some hard times with the team....just some dissension and things going on and then Michelle's good friends getting into a horrible accident and Mim's dad being diagnosed with some pretty bad cancer....some rough stuff, but I believe the Father brought us closer together through it all. During Thanksgiving in Wuhan we had some team building time which was really difficult but needed and did succeed in building our team, I believe. Defeating the enemy!

After Thanksgiving it has been Christmas someone almost everyday it seems with making cookies, decorating, working on the Christmas program, classes, English Corners, friends coming over and just the normal busyness. Also, students are starting to become more comfortable with us and coming to our house and cooking or hanging out so there has been a little more traffic. I am tired now. I had four hours of teaching this morning and two more this afternoon because I don't want to teach on Christmas EVE so I am doing this extra. Also, a thing to PTL for....our dean gave us Christmas OFF, completely with no make ups. I have never had this before, anyway, on top of that the school asked what we wanted for Christmas and I jokingly said, we want to go to the hot springs about an hour away. Of course they came back with that is too expensive and I was like, yeah, I know....I was just throwing it out there, .....haha...well, it turns out they are taking us to the hot springs on Christmas now:-) Our dean is supposed to go with us to "hang out" that should be interesting:-) We also have our TA Christmas together this weekend. People are arriving tonight and we are doing foot massages, present exchange, and a nice dinner tomorrow. We have our Christmas rehearsal and program on Sunday and then monday a few parties and things and then Christmas Tuesday but at least I don't need to be teaching monday and tuesday.

Another blessing is my three friends coming from America to visit next week towards the end of the week and staying for a week or so. I think that will be really great to have them here. I hope they don't get too cold! I love showing people around my little corner of the world. I hope that they are all encouraged.

Overall I have been really enjoying this holiday season! He has blessed me in so many ways and when I am focusing on that, all the other crazy things in my life are put into perspective! Thanks for all your prys and support! They are certainly felt! Love!

Catching up...

2007-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

from down under....Brisbane, Australia

2007-11-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

Naomi (my good friend) has to work a
lot but yesterday we went into the city with her and her fiance,
Craig, and had a lot of fun hanging out and eating and shopping:-) It
was a beautiful day. At the end of the day we ended up getting some
groceries for the week and I was just going crazy at all the new
things and selections and being able to read. :-) haha....Cheryl
(the other American) and I were cold bc of the air conditioning inside
so were rotisserating with some chicken there for a while. It was
pretty funny. We had both Craig and Naomi laughing pretty hard. We
also got to eat some fish and chips in a picnic lunch and some amazing
CHAI tea at a tea house in the afternoon. It was a great day of
talking and hanging out. Today I am kind of on my own. We have
Naomi's wedding shower tonight and I have been helping to set that
up...pretty crazy. We're doing the theme "Lady in Red" with all red
things and just relaxing....I hope it's good and she likes it. Then
tomorrow we are going to the Australian Zoo with Pete and Dan and
baby. That should be interesting with all the different animals. It
has been weird just seeing different animals in the wild that I have
only seen as pets before like certain birds. We only have them for
pets but they are pests here. It's pretty crazy as well as driving on
the "wrong side of the road"....that's weird. I am going to try
driving sometime when I am here but haven't been brave enough yet.

Yeah, I have gotten to meet a lot of great people and friends of my friends here. It's been good...relaxing and good. Thanks for the prys and support. Pictures to come when I get my computer back on the internet!

Love.

same old.....same old.....or brand new every morning....hmmmmmm?

2007-10-22T05:53:00.000-07:00

Wow....last week is hard to remember...it was so full. G is sooooo good. I had to lean heavily on Him this week with so much going on. I was at three different English corners, making up an extra class, learning to dance, going to bball games, preparing for normal classes, and preparing for when I am gone to Australia in less than a WEEK! :)

This past weekend I spent in Wuhan with a lot of my TA team after Dorothy's birthday party on Friday night. I was COMPLETELY and utterly exhausted come Friday after my four morning hours of teaching. I could barely put one foot in front of another and my headache was raging from probably not drinking enough liquids. So I passed out on the couch until the door bell woke me up and it was Karen with my ticket to get to Hong Kong. I was greatful but amazed that I was in such a deep sleep. The party was successful with Michelle's and my creative singing and movements. I am not sure you could really call it dancing, but it kept the party lively! That's for sure...and we crashed afterwards.

______________
There's been a couple of more days since I last wrote on here....there is just so much going on, I can't keep up with it all. To summarize. We definitely have an Enemy but we also definitely have a Savior who is much STRONGER than that Enemy. We need to be more and more aware of that and living in His Word and Truth, so if you think about it, please pray for amazing protection! Thanks.

To back track a little bit...I was able to have a good last weekend in Wuhan. Miriam, Dorothy, Michelle and I went in to hang out and do a little shopping and just talk to our other teammates about things going, pick up some western food, and get a few more teaching ideas. Probably best food there was pizza! My first since being back in China. It was SOOOO delicious. I was so inspired that this coming sat. we are having a pizza party at my house (homemade of course) after a possible game of ultimate frisbee. We'll see how that goes since it hasn't happened yet this year. It was a refreshing weekend. We were able to go to foreign fellowship on Sunday and hear an awesome message which had a similar title to this blog and has been challenging me ever since. I, as a believer, have a chance to choose every morning whether to follow Him and be changed into a new creature...the old has gone and continues to go and new comes each day! I can choose life! I can choose "brand new every morning" So cool. Trying to employ that in my life. Good times. Definitely an adventure.

SO, a funny story from the end of fellowship. The people at the fellowship were going to play some games to get to know people better because there were so many people. So, soon, a small Indian man was making his way to the front of the room we were in and yelling, "Everybody needs to take a chit!" (say it out loud in your best Indian accent, and you'll get the idea:-)) So, after repeating this an inordinant amount of times....our small group (unfortunately sitting in the second row of the fellowship) could not contain our laughter and even had a few tears flowing I think. Chit is indeed a real word, but just not one we are used to hearing everyday! Good times at fellowship! All in all it was an awesome experience. We got out quickly hoping to get an earlier bus back to Xiaogan with no sucess...even though we were to the station by 330..the next bus we could get on was at 530! Oh well, we got to hang out and chat and eat some sweet green pea soup....food is always an adventure here...especially when you only know SOME Chinese. I was thinking some kind of green tea...well, I was wrong...oh well:-)

This week has been pretty hard hitting (same as last week). I am so thankful for my time with the Father each morning and that He walks with me all through the day if I invite Him. He is so good to me even when I mess up and do or say the wrong things! He is so good.....so faithful. I have had a few hard things to deal with this week but I am prying that Truth is prevailing and just clinging to Him and His Truth when I don't know what to say. It's been a good growing and learning experience.

On a lighter note...a couple of my favorite text messages from this week are:
"Amy, your smile make me fall in love. he he..." from Ellie (one of my new little girl friends trying to teach me hip hop dancing)

Translation: "Ellie let me say sorry to you.Because of her poor english,she express wrong meaning of her's to.She mean she like your smile and your cute." from Cinderella (Ellie's translator:-))

I have had a few references to my smile this week from various sources, and while I don't think it's anything too special...it's natural and it's something very easy to do, so I have decided I want to start trying to do it more often! Shine His light out of my face in natural reaction to my relationship with Him! :-) So there you have it...hard times, good times...growing times...that's what this life is all about.

I am getting VERY excited about going to Australia for two weeks. I will miss my new "family" here in Xiaogan, but they probably need a break from me:-) I have been working hard to have everything smooth for when I go. I still can't really believe I'm going! I am very excited to see my friends there and hang out in a country I have heard so much about! I want to be a blessing to my friend, Naomi, who is getting married as well. I am a little apprehensive about all my travel to get there. It starts in Wuhan flying to Shenzhen, then taking some kind of turbo ferry to Hong Kong Airport and then flying to Singapore and then to Brisbane, Australia. There are quite a few steps which will make for a long day and just trying to figure it all out, so please remember that if you have time, too.

(I just got a phone call from my roommate last year, Anjee, and she gave me the good news that she is 4 weeks pregnant! Ever since going through Pete and Dan's birth last year she has wanted a baby of her own, and it looks like she will be getting that blessing in about 8 months!)

EXTRA: an excerpt from Michelle's writing student "in a word. said. bore the pants off someone." All this in reference to WINTER. HAHA.

Here are some random pictures from the last month interspersed throughout this blog. Enjoy! :-)

i made it back from Xian...

2007-10-08T03:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...I made it back to Xiaogan after about 11 hours on the train starting at midnight last night. Fortunately it stopped in Xiaogan and we didn't have to go all the way back into Wuhan and then take a bus back to Xiaogan, which would have taken about three hours more. I would have been bummed with that. It pretty much made my day that the train stopped in my town, I was able to figure that out and get Sarah and I off in time to shave 3 hours off the trek back in which we had already missed our monday morning classes. Such is life when you are trying to travel on one of the busiest times of year in China. My time in Xian was good but a little long...I could have cut a couple of days off and been happy. I think the Father had other plans, though.

We were staying at a nice little hostel....an apt. converted to a hostel with two great hosts. The Chinese one, Mei, is also a believer or close to it and has spent much time with foreigners while working in Beijing. Her and her bf had just recently moved to Xian to try out hosteling. He is also an English teacher. (New Zealander) So, while we were there she had her 29th birthday so Becky and I decided to get some flowers and ribbon and decorate for lack of better things to do. We got to listen to chrstan music because Mei had some from her American friends. That was neat and Mei was happy that we liked it because she felt weird just playing it for regular guests. Anyway, we surprised her with the display and gifts, but before that, while she was out, her bf, Todd came in and was like, I am going to propose to Mei tomorrow on her birthday...do you guys have any ideas for me? LOL>...both Becky and I had to quickly recover from our surprise and eventually helped him to figure something out. Wow, anyway..he's not a believer so I think that's a little rough.

The next day after they had come back from that and we got back from eating out, we had a little free time before we had to leave and were able to pry with Mei and encourage her. We were sent there for a reason I believe and I was also able to share a little of my faith a few other times.....sometimes G works through the small things.

Another fun thing we did was see the terracotta warriors which I have heard, there are only 3 pits open to the public but around 600 in total around this certain kings tomb from over 2000 years ago. It's going to be quite an attraction once they get it all uncovered. I just couldn't believe that any one person would go through all that extravagance for such a crazy thing as thinking he could basically take his whole town into the afterlife. Crazy.

We, our whole group which was Becky, Me, Sarah, Becky's dad and sister and friend as well as Mei and Todd our hosts, another guy staying at the hostel and a colleague of Todd's went out to eat a a hot pot resturant which is known and very famous. I guess there are four in Xian and they are always packed. They are known for their good food and hospitality and I have to admit it was a lot of fun. We were quite a mixed group but I really enjoyed it. Afterwards we were able to locate some Magnums - albeit a little old, that is one of the best ice cream bars I have tasted in China. Good stuff.....a little pre-celebration for Mei's bday since hot pot is her FAVORITE!

So, it was all basically good. I am back and have a million things to do before Australia in about 20 days...time is flying by....thanks for all your prys. I can feel them and need them continually to stay in His will and act as He would want me to. It's SO HARD sometimes...or many times I should say.,...too easy to be selfish and impatient. He's definitley trying to mold me.

Love.

from the land of terracotta warriors and Muslim food...:-)

2007-10-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

I am currently in Xian for my Oct. holiday. I was able to get some work done the day before I left, thank goodness...because we couldn't get train tickets back until late sunday night so I am missing my class on Monday so I will have to make it up. The train ride was uneventful. We ate peanuts, instant noodles, and oreos and chatted while people walked back and forth causing us to move each time. IT is very crowded at this to t) ime of year bc much of the country is on holiday. We got to Xian at 5 something AM on wednesday morning and were trying to get tickets back and they wouldn't sell them 4 days ahead of time so we waited for Becky's family to show up. They were coming in two hours later on a train from Beijing. So, we plopped ourselves down on little stools and pulled out some food and ate a little breakfast. There was a little old man trying to sell us instant noodles and suddenly Sarah noticed her purse was GONE! I got this sick sinking feeling in my stomach because I knew if it was gone there was no getting it back. It was gone. Somehow someone had been sly enough to fool the four of us and take her bag which contained her credit cards, 2000 RMB, passport, ipod, sunglasses, VISA, Teacher Expert Card, and basically everything important to have. So, we reported it to the police...which I was sure wasn't going tot do anything and I was right. It was an obnoxious thing to do. The police officer blamed it all on us and then took her (Sarah and our translator Shirley) to the station.

While they were gone the police officer was like that of a bad cop out of a movie. He got out his blow horn and about every 5 minutes air threw it to get our attention and yell at us in Chinese that we were not doing that great of a job watching the rest of the bags, which were def. not as important. I even offered to give him one...that caught him off guard but a minute later he continued yelling. Oh well, such is life in China!

Finally Becky's family arrived. We all piled in a city bus and were taken through multiple alley ways to our hostel...a converted apartment that has 12 people now staying in it which one bathroom and free internet. Our hosts are very kind. It's kind of like camp, though:-)

We got to explore some of the city yesterday. IT's so different from Xiaogan so it's cool. I am looking forward to seeing more.

Oh yeah, a note about my bus ride to Wuhan before I left...I sat up front most of the way in the bus monitors seat. Anyway, with only about 15 mins left to go I moed back because some people got off. I sat next to this boy who could speak English and I got to share some Truth....I was bummed I only sat there for a few mins but I pry G will use it. He asked me why I was in China and I responded with "Teaching..." and he said, that's neat but is that why you are really here? Then I got to share a little....PTL.

OK....signing off...sign in later for more adventures in Xian and hopefully someday pics!

update on life...

2007-09-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

well, to start off, I have had no internet since the morning of my birthday so I have been frequenting the nearby net bars each day to try and keep up with things a little. It's a little frustrating not having it at home but such is life. You learn to deal with it and if you're lucky, be content:-) I am hoping to get it back after this Oct. holiday. My holiday began yesterday at noon. I have until next Monday off and am planning on leaving tomorrow to travel to Xian...the land of the terracotta warriors and ancient city of China. It should be an adventure. I am going with Sarah, one of the new teachers here in Xiaogan and Becky, another teacher from Wuhan. We are meeting her family there and staying for three days or so. I have never been there so I think it will be a good experience. I am hoping someone knows more than me about the city, though. I haven't been reading anything about it.:-) So much for being prepared!

I feel like I have been SO busy lately....not a lot of down time to actually process things or keep up on them. The latest two events were the school welcome program on Friday night and my birthday party on saturday night. The school welcome party was for a bunch of freshmen and leaders of our school. It had 15 performances and we, the foreign teachers, were number 2. We did the song, "My Guy" as featured in Sister Act 1. I was the "guy" and borrowed a suit from one of my fellow teachers and bought a hat. The other four teachers dressed up nicely including sparkly headbands and stage make up! The program went really well although I am sure none of us really need to hear "my guy" anytime soon:) The school loved it and it showed we were good sports about it. My favorite part about it was fooling so many people. Lots of people were wondering who the new foreign guy was, including the President of the school whom we had had dinner with earlier last week (thank goodness he speaks some English...it was a pleasure to chat with him). I throughly surprised him as well as other teachers and students. One of my favorites was the family that lives by our gate. Miriam and I walked up to their store arm in arm and she introduced me in Chinese as her new boyfriend. They were happy to meet me and then I took off my hat and she was like....WOW, you scared me! She was quite surprised...so, I guess I am more of a "boy" than I thought.

This past week we were also in a welcome program for the nurses and had a couple of other dinners and things to do as well as starting English Corner...I am still also busy helping the new teachers with getting settled in with all they need. Sarah is happy with her new mattress, sheets, and two full length mirrors in her room:-) Whew....it's quite an adventure shopping with her. She's learning it's not the same as shopping in the US...you must be much more patient. Thanks for Stephen who has been helping us out with getting a lot of things!

I also had my birthday on Saturday and it was a nice day. The weather was a little cooler and I was SOOOO thankful! Mr. Tian, a leader in our school took us all out to lunch and then I had my hair curled to try and cover up the really straight part...it helped for a little while:-) And Sarah and Mim had us over in the afternoon for a little dessert. At night I have no idea how many kids showed up for the party but I think it was pretty fun for most everyone. I am glad to have it over but it was nice. It's hard to host your own party and be the guest of "honor". It's a humbling thing to be reminded...it's not about me....ever. :-) So, I hope His light showed through it all. Among a few interesting and nice gifts I received was a Chinese cookbook from a student who remembers me saying I would like to learn more Chinese cooking! How sweet. IT has many delicious looking pictures and Stephen has promised to help me try some of them along with others. Also, from Leo of the North I got a bouquet of my fav. flowers here...I think maybe they are called Gerbers...anyway, he remembered the way I liked them and brought 25 of them...one for every year of my life! I am so blessed with friends here. Stephen got me a red and black cross necklace and Goldie a silver fish bc she knows that means follower of the Father! These all were very precious to me.

A couple of blessings from my "foreign family" here were a candy bar from America, Tim Tams from Australia (I love them), and some awesome looking Spearamint tea from America! G is so good. For those of you prying I would feel His love and provision, I definitely have.

Also, a couple of nurses have taken a liking to me recently. They are freshmen and look like boys...they are what I affectionately call "punks" but they are promising to teach me to dance so I gave them some music for a possibility. Another one offered to clean my home or teach me to cook so she could practice English. I don't even work in the Nursing Dept. this semester but G is bringing more and more people into my life to love. Please pray that I would have HIS love. I want to get so much closer to Him!

I have a ton of great pictures but unfortunately I will have to wait to add those as I am not on my computer!

Blessings. Love.

----Sorry these are so long. I am really bad at doing a bunch of short ones!

bad hair day? OR....longer...hmmmm

2007-09-25T07:12:00.001-07:00

Spinning, spinning, spinning, sometimes all I feel is that my head is spinning with so many things. BUT my time with G in the morning has been going well, so along with your prys, I am doing well, I think, even when I don’t think I am doing so well. I am working on a “love relationship” with Him first and then watching to see how other things fall into place and what He wants to teach me and see where He wants me to join Him. Hard to do.

Crazy hair do!? So, basically everything we do here is an adventure, but some are just more memorable than others. It was last Wednesday night and I decided I wanted to try a hair washing/cutting place on the backstreet near where we live….I had never gone to one back there and I had some time so some of the other teachers went with us. This thrilled the Chinese staff who promptly pulled out their digital camera and found it was missing batteries so went out to buy some and photo shoot our experience there. Pretty funny. I was just getting my hair washed and straightened temporarily or so I thought. I ended up with some “permanent” hair chemical in my hair that for some reason was only put on one side…so when I washed my hair, ½ stayed straight and look fried and the other half was back to being wavy curly. I went back to my normal hair dressers and said there is nothing to do about it unless you want your hair cut very short and I didn’t so now I am setting a new fashion trend with my burnt bangs and curly on one side and straight on the other side look and trying to be “happy” about it. I also had to buy some new hair products to try and “help” my hair….I am so out of my league. Ah well, TIC (This is China)

On the other hand, Sarah (the “super star” of our only talked about and never filmed movie of our time in China) was like, I love this place and asked where she could get a hair dryer like the hair salons….she had been looking for one and hadn’t found a good one…to make a long story short, there was a lot of bad communicating with my limited Chinese and hand gestures but eventually one of the guys from the shop said he would go buy one for her that very night. Off he raced on his motorbike and came back 20 minutes later with one. They are so good to us. We just walked away unbelieving. We are very blessed and taken care of here.

I am now in my 4th week of teaching, but first week of teaching 14 hours, starting English Corner, and working on welcoming “performance stuff” for the school with the other foreign teachers and students. Things have been wild. Then, this past weekend we took Michelle and Sarah into Wuhan for the first time. Fortunately the Culps, the family that kind of has taken me in a little and helped me so much while I am here, let us use their home for a home base for our team because they were going to be gone on a retreat with their school so we had quite a blessing there. It’s a beautiful apartment with a nice kitchen and just all around comfortable. It doesn’t even feel like China. ☺ Our whole team (TA team) got to meet up a couple of times and that has been a real blessing this year, PTL. We got to go to fellowship twice (so cool! – one of them was with mostly Westerners, and then the other one was mostly Africans and Indians, I do believe – tons of fun for both and what an awesome time of wship…..just what I needed!) , and get some things from Metro (a foreign store here) that the new teachers were needing like a shower curtain (which we had to perform some fun charades to obtain) haha. I only knew the Chinese word for shower so I was acting out taking a shower and then trying to describe the curtain. It took them a bit but they understood and it worked out perfectly.

Another praise is my conversation with one of my former students, who now works at the American Aloha Diner in Wuhan. Things have been a little rough there this year with interns from our school working there and many left but a couple stayed. They weren’t feeling too great about it but this weekend I talked to one of them and it was like a corner was turned and they were “growing up” a little and it was so encouraging I almost cried. It was so great to see G working things out there. It’s hard to explain it, but it was good. PTL. I was encouraged.

Transportation and population in Wuhan is definitely growing and getting more crowded. It’s wild there and makes me appreciate my “hometown” of Xiaogan, more. We did quite a bit of traveling around, but made it everywhere safely. Also, World Cup was going on while we were in Wuhan and a few of our team got in free to watch a game with N. Korea vs. Germany or something like that. They were pretty excited. The stadium was within walking distance to where we were staying.

This week, it is only Tuesday night but already feels like Thursday with all I feel that has been packed into the last couple of days. Last night, our school took all the foreign teachers out for our welcome dinner and to give us our certificates for teaching this year here and to give us Moon Cakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival that was today. It was nice because our school got a new President this year and he speaks a little English and has traveled to many countries including America a few times. I also got to talk to him a little bit about real Truth and that was cool. You never know what will happen. ☺

Ok…I feel like much more has gone on and it has but my head is tired and I have another full day tomorrow ahead of me! Please keep remembering us here. I need wisdom and love and a good heart to help the new teachers and students and serve with His strength and love and inspiration! Thanks for all your encouragement thus far!

Love. Above all, love.

I will add more pictures later!

drink deer blood?

2007-09-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a crazy second week of classes and EVERYTHING else….I am working on forming my goals for the year as well….I have a lot of dreams but we’ll see how much will really happen: (some are definitely more important than others)

--Spend more time in the Word…specifically seeking to hear from Him and follow
--Learn some more dancing☺
--Spend a little more time in the kitchen…learning to cook…haha
--Get better at speaking more Chinese instead of just listening
--Getting scholarship forms and admission forms, essays written, and references for possible grad. School at Wheaton College
--Studying for, setting up, and taking the GRE
--Making the most of my time in China….and this time in my life….learning to be content…

SO yeah, we’ll see how all that goes☺ At least I have some ideas.

So, two more of our new teachers arrived Tuesday night, late, from this past week….Sarah, and Michelle (who is my new roommate). I feel like we have kind of been “running” since then trying to get them all settled in and shown around their new place for the next year at least. With that and then we were unexpectedly invited out to lunch with a boss of a student (Goldie) from the summer job she had. He invited us to lunch to meet the foreigners she spoke so highly about and he ended up renting a small bus to take us about an hour out to his farm/business that has plans to be a resort for vacationers. It was a beautiful day with a breeze. We were taken to see the deer they kept and Michelle and I got to feed them a little. We’re not sure if it was ok or not but it was fun. It was weird seeing deer that I am so used to seeing in the wild….all penned up and so up close. It was kind of cool. The farm was also setting up to be a cattle farm and had just moved a bunch of cattle in that were apparently very sick from traveling and moving all the way here from Shandong, I believe. We’ll see if that really works out. They looked pretty sad and sick.

We also got to ride horses, and enjoy walking around much of the property. Later in the afternoon we got to do karaoke, because, of course, in the house they had a set up to sing, like in the ever popular KTV’s here….so we all got our turn at the microphone singing such songs as “Beauty and the Beast,” “Big Big Girl,” and of course….Titanic’s theme song. We also got to hear some crazy Chinese songs. It was pretty crazy. Dinner was outside cooked by the ladies who do the dinners for the farm hands and to drink….the famous “Deer Blood Wine” they made there. After repeated attempts to make me drink some I was like, I have made it for two years in China already without drinking. This is not going to be the day I start. I respect you and am ever greatful for the kindness you have shown us but please do not make me drink. I was able not too. After the huge dinner we went for a short walk and then sat outside talking until the driver’s were ready to take us home around 8 pm. It ended up being a longer day than we had planned but very fun. Our driver on the way home was great considering that when Sarah thought people were signaling for him to turn his brights down and he didn’t…she reached across him and did it. (It means I am coming through, move over here, not turn off your brights when you flicker them) Anyway, he was of good humor and even let her control his sound system. It was quite the ride home “flying” through small villages and straw that had been laid across the road to drive. Fortunately we did not hit anyone at our top speeds…whew!

On Friday we had the other three from our TA team come out to Xiaogan for our first meeting and just to welcome the new teachers that had come. There will be no shortage of laughter of this I am reassured. It’s great. I love it. I love laughing. I love that we can do it often☺….what a blessing. So, sat…after one failed attempt at cinnamon rolls I was able to successfully pull it off for a later breakfast followed by some wship and sharing. It was a good time. We got a team picture and just had a great time fellowshipping. In the afternoon we rehearsed a routine for a “Dance Party” that all the foreigners had been invited to attend and perform at. Our chosen song was “My Guy” from Sister Act and we came up with a routine to go along as well. This also brought much laughter and bonding. We had a great time at the performance after a few technical difficulties. It was fun. We also got to do a lot of other types of dancing. Three of us were dressed as guys and three girls…so that was pretty funny as well. It was a great way to connect with students and I saw a lot of old faces and friends. It was good. We then went out for street food and a later night Nai Cha…(milk tea or bubble tea)…

Sunday has perhaps been just as busy with all the things on my list of stuff to do. I have been able to share the Father a few times already this year and that has definitely been Him. I am just trying to work or be used in ways and areas He is already working. We practiced also for another program of “My Guy” using some nursing students. We have another one or two programs coming up that the foreigners are supposed to do something in….never a dull moment☺ We made jiaozi or dumplings or Chinese ravioli☺ tonight with our Chinese friends…it’s pretty labor intensive but fun and a good way to socialize. Now I will head to bed as I am sure this next week holds it’s fair share of things to do and be a part of!

Blessings to all and thanks for your support!
Love.

First week of teaching...

2007-09-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

Blog after first week of semester Fall 2007

Happy Teacher’s Day in CHINA!

Well the first week of teaching has come and gone. It’s hard to believe that I am beginning my third year teaching and living in Xiaogan, CHINA! What a wild idea. I thought it was a one year “deal” with G but I guess He had other plans and that is what I am trying to figure out or walk in now. I have been struggling a little bit with direction for this year but have decided to surrender each morning to Him for the day that lay ahead and just see what He does and what opportunities I get to share Truth. I am planning to start Girl’s Group again after October holiday and you can pry for a direction for that and someone who wants to partner with me on that.

Two more of our new teachers, Michelle (my new roommate) and Sarah are arriving Tuesday night later this week and I am looking forward to welcoming them into our team here in Xiaogan and see how G works through them and their talents and different abilities. I am excited about that and it will be good to have a roommate again. I am kind of getting the hang of living alone but I think I like having someone else around. ☺

One big thing I have learned from my “Experiencing G” study lately is that it’s not about MY dreams or things that I think up to do for Him but it’s about HIS plans and HIS dreams that I need to sometimes wait and join Him…watch Him work and join Him…not try an build anything out of my own power so I am waiting to see what He has for me this year trying to be faithful for time with Him and in other areas.

I only have 8 teaching hours right now so my week isn’t too filled with teaching yet but I am sure it will be once the freshmen start classes. So I have been working on other projects such as cleaning (yes I am cleaning my own house, no cleaner yet☺) I have gotten two new book shelves made and painted one so far. It smells so strong it’s giving me a headache even with all the windows open and fans on so I think I will do the other one outside. It’s nice for me to have projects, though. Also, last Thursday we celebrated with our friends Leo and Allen who got into Xiaogan University. They showed us around their new campus and then took us, Stephen, Eva, and another foreign teacher, Jimmy out for Hot Pot for dinner. It was delicious and a great time of fellowship. It’s so great to have some good friends still nearby this year.

Another thing we did was show Miriam our hair washing place and had a great time with that and trying to communicate with the guys who work there. They are very nice so that’s why we like it. Afterwards we enjoyed some of the lights and fountains turned on at our school to welcome the new freshmen. The weather has been unseasonably beautiful here lately. It’s still very humid but not quite as HOT so it’s been more comfortable if that is possible at this time of year! ☺

This past weekend our team that is already here got together in Wuhan and had lots of laughs and good times just hanging out and being together. I am so glad the team seems to be coming together a lot better than last year. PTL! I got to see Marilyn, one of my coteachers teach and meet some of her students. That was fun. Miriam and I slept together in a room in Ann’s house and froze. Both of us were too lazy to turn off the air conditioner. That’s not a problem we normally have in China at this time. We didn’t realize how great the new ac was in her house. Next time we will be more prepared☺ We also got to go to the foreign fellowship in the Han Yan are of Wuhan and it was great to praise together and talk to other foreigners who are new and old and working in many different capacities this year. Good stuff.

Thanks for all your pryers and support! I am also considering grad school in America for next year so please keep that in your prys. A lot would have to happen in order for that to become reality…but most importantly I want to be there if that’s where G wants me.

Thanks! Love. Blessings.

Back home.

2007-08-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone....

I'm back. I have been back in China since this last Saturday night. It's feeling pretty normal to be back so far. Our small team spent a little time in Wuhan before splitting up to go to our schools. By little team I mean part of our team is still in America. My roommate to be is Michelle and she is still in America taking the GRE and being in a wedding til mid-September. Another team member, Sarah, had to stay back to sell her car. She is hopefully coming with Michelle, so right now it's Dorothy, me, and one new teacher, Miriam, here.

Back to our time in Wuhan...our traveling went really well and actually training before that went pretty well, too. I got to stay at Nora's house. She is one of our TA board members now and such a sweet person. I was very blessed to be able to stay at her house while I was in Oregon.

In Wuhan we really didn't have training per se because we were also missing Marilyn at the time...she had to come late, as well but we hung out at Aloha Diner and got some good food and fellowship as far as some shopping and essentials done while we were there in Wuhan.

Now I am in Xiaogan again. It feels more and more comfortable and I guess that is good. I have been able to see some good friends and students since being back. Last night I felt like I had a hotel with 4 students sleeping here bc they don't have beds yet. I was thankful that Miriam decided to stay so I wasn't so outnumbered.

Please continue lifting up our team. We will hopefully all be together in 1/2 a month.

I will write more later!

Blessings...
Amy <><

PS The picture of all of us putting our hands on the car is prying that it will sell so Sarah can come:-) Unfortunately it still has not sold. :(

PSS I forgot a funny story...
Our second or third night here in Xiaogan we decided to go out for BBQ for something different and so we were sitting at our table eating our food near a table where the people were definitely drunk. One man, shirt off and red body (from all the drinking) kept making his way to our table trying to pay for our meal and the only English words he seemed to know were..."I like you" "I love you" and "Chinese man/Chinese woman" He was quite loud but fortunately didn't touch any of us. We had two guys with us that were pretty protective anyway....anyway...eventually, there was this girl walking around with her guitar that you could pay to sing for you so the guy paid the girl to sing for us and we were serenated (sp??)...it was an eventful time....his friends were so embarressed for him and tried to keep him away from our table but it's hard to tell the story...it was just hilarious. :-)

PSSS Now I have a little bit from yesterday to write about...we are getting some shelves made to help make our houses be a little more organized. That was an experience going to the wood shops and bargaining. Thankfully we had Stephen to translate and help but another fun experience. We'll see how are 100 yuan shelves work out. I also have had a lot of guys hanging out bc they don't have beds in their university yet so my house has been like a hotel...well, they were all sitting around yesterday afternoon watching a movie in my house and I was like...hmmm...Pete and Dan gave me their furniture when they left because it's a little nicer than mine and it hadn't been switched from their 6th floor home to my 3rd floor yet, so I sent a message to them from outside and asked about them helping to switch furniture. They come running out thinking they were just going to be moving some furniture around Miriam's new house and when they found out they were laughing but gladly did it. It was a cooler night for some reason which saved us but we were all pretty tired, hungry, and sweaty when we got done! But it's done! I have new red furniture in my house! :-)

Blessings!

back in America and feelin' good...

2007-07-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hi friends and family and whoever reads the updates of my life....I have been back in America for just about a week now and am loving it. (I needed a break.) I am still in a trasition stage but I think it lasts almost all summer to when I have to go back to China but for now I am enjoying the smell of clean laundry dried in a dryer, blue skies and big white fluffy clouds, all the western food I want to eat, seeing friends and family, hanging out, swimming and feeling like I am 15 again, trying out my parents new kayak, getting emails from people who miss me:-), sleeping on my very comfortable bed and realizing that I am truly blessed and now that I am in Harbor Beach and not at the cabin anymore I feel like my cat, (very old and feeble) is following me around everywhere like he knows me but I know that he's not quite that smart...but it's pretty cute/funny. I really want an animal.

I spent most of my first week back at "The Cabin" a place of many memories and my second home growing up. It's on a small inland lake and many of my relatives were there in and out all week and I even met some new ones....some crazy kids that made me feel like I was 15 again during our matress and king of the raft wars out on the lake. The weather was beautiful and the food abundant. It was a great time. I went to Sylvestors ONCE only in that whole week which is very surprising. (BIGGEST ice cream cone place I have EVER been to) Anyway, I couldn't even finish a kiddie, which is the smallest portion...something to work up to this summer:-) I have a little sugar overload coming back from China where the sugar just isn't quite as intense. Anyway, the week was a good first one back. I am now in HB for a few days hanging out at home and seeing various people. I got to see our new church and all the people there this morning when I went. The church is BEAUTIFUL and it was great seeing a lot of people again. The kids seemed to know me still and were hanging all over me by the time I had to leave. I also shared some video about China and that went over real well. It was nice having the video...then I had less talking to do:-)

So thanks all for your prayers and support. I have a busy summer ahead of me....here are my "rough" summer plans....
JULY
4th-6th of July Weekend at the cabin - reunion
Home for a bit in HB seeing people
Hang out with Dee in DC - Friday 13th-16th (monday)
July 19th-24th - Week in Cali with Amanda with Kelsey
Detroit Run (stay with Gma, maybe see Suzi and Glee) bet. DC and Cali
Weekend in Kentucky with family 27-30th

AUGUST
Summer Splash at Cabin - Kelsey first weekend of Aug. 3-5(Rachel comes?)
Grand Rapids time (Jen and girls, Patty) - second weekend in Aug 10-12th...go with rents to the cabin and go on from there...

Things could DEFINITELY change and I want to see as many people as possible.....so if you're reading this and see a spare moment of my time...write me in.

Blessings and love,
Amy <><

moving forward...

2007-06-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 4:12-18
“So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the L Jsus from the dead will also raise us with Jsus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of G.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal…”

I read this yesterday in my time with the Father and was inspired. Yes, we are all wasting away but we have a chance to impact people for eternity...how cool:-)

SO....fellowship last weekend with Becky was amazing and I am sorry that I have not gone sooner in all of my two years here. I mean, I don't think it was always so organized but it was like going to a chch and the praise and wship was just awesome! Amazing! I felt so freed and I could raise my hands and dance if I wanted to and sing loud and I wasn't playing...it was SOOOOO nice. Like water in an empty cup or a scorched land...I think I could have sung all day...then the message was good too talking about being more thoughtful in where you are sowing your seeds, (priorities for time and money). So, yeah, I came away pretty pumped from that. The congregation was mostly Africans and Indians but a few white people and then people from other countries as well, it was just COOL...almost a little overwhelming with all the foreigners in one place like that! :-) It was just cool.

I got to see Marilyn after. Becky, Kathleen (her sister), Chabi (Becky's boyfriend), and I met Marilyn and one of her teacher friends at Brazilian BBQ for dinner and that was fun. I mostly talked to Marilyn's teacher friend and that was INTERESTING. She is a strong believer but her husband is an athiest to this day and she was real honest and said it is HORRIBLE but used slightly more graphic language but it was so good to talk to her and hear how G provides for her and hear of her faithfulness even in a marriage like that...just some interesting conversation. Then we left late and went to Marilyn's to do some video recording for the stuff I am working on and left there late and had to get a taxi all the way back to Becky's...a little expensive but ok. We also talked about all the TA craziness and things are now different but I really don't want to take time to write about it all...let's just say friday night talking and sat. morning were a little tense, not among us per se but just wanting to get everyone's paper work done before we leave in less than two weeks seems a little crazy, so please cont. prying.

Then on Monday, I was doing things from Becky's house like calling our boss in America about paper work and trying to work more things out...Becky and I then went out later in the afternoon to do some video of her by her lake near campus. I really had never walked around their campus before and it is beautiful. I am sorry that I hadn't done it sooner. Then around 4pm we went to Janie's house (the one who owns the restaurant) and hung with her, Diane, and Aaliyah and then she took us out to an expensive Japanese restaurant and then also paid for a driver to take us around instead of taxi or bus...pretty amazing. Then we went back to their house later and just had tea and some of Diane's candy stash and just hung out and talked...good good. Went to bed late again....got up around 830 and had a good time with the Father, watched a great movie "Freedom Writers" made me cry and then raced back to Xiaogan to monitor an exam...I barely made it in time....then back home to do and almost finish my paperwork, put laundry in, etc...

This past week has been crazy, perhaps even more so since I wasn't teaching but it's been filled with working on projects I want to get done, cleaning out my house, and seeing and hanging out with people and old friends. It's been SO great to have a couple of my best buddies from last year come back and spend time here. On Thursday night I had Leo N, Leo S, Bill, Daniel, Allen, and Jason here and it felt just like old times. It's such a good feeling to have people around you that know you and that you care about and they care about you. I can just be myself and not worry about impressing them but they like me anyway and they are my brothers here. It always surprises me how much they remember about my and our times together last year and in the past. I can see the Father working in all of their lives even though very few have made a decison but it's still encouraging and I lift them up.

On Friday night I had a chill night. Anjee was in Beijing working on her VISA to live in India with her husband next year and I was alone and it was wonderful. I just worked on a couple of things but then relaxed, watched a movie and soaked my feet. It was good.

On Sat. day I was running around working on different projects and things and that night had a small open house for third year students and some second year students. It was a lot of fun. Many of the students that came were from my favorite class last year, Class 12 and it was great catuching up with them and hearing more about their lives. Very encouraging. One girl is even getting married at the end of this year and invited me to her wedding but I am not sure yet whether I will be able to go. Of course they were all asking about MY wedding and I was like, hmmmm, I think you're going to have to wait a while. I am so young, what's the rush...a response to which of course I received many laughs. Bill and Allen entertained us with some impromptu singing and guitar playing. Bill (always liking to be the center of attention but also the life of the party) decided that the jeans he cut off needed to be shorter so Leo and I helped him into a more "acceptable" style. It was a great night. I ended up having 4 of the guys sleepover and a girl. We were up till 2 or 3, it's hard to remember just talking and hanging out - it reminded me of my college days and it just felt good.

I am SUPER excited about going back to the US and seeing people and traveling around with people that I love and have missed. I am in more need of a break this year for some reason and hope to be blessed as well as a blessing to others this summer and just be filled up, ready to come back and serve and love for another year. I have been so blessed by the support and prys I received this year! Thank you to all of you. I look forward to seeing many of you soon and hearing your stories for the last year.

Love.

PS The baby (Zeke) is doing very well. He is up to 6 or 7 pounds now which is good since he's a month old....he's still tiny but we are enjoying him esp. as he starts to gain a little personality and facial expression. Fun times....

videography...hmmm...

2007-06-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hi.

I guess it's been a while since my last post my conscience has been bugging me about that as well as another more tangible source:-) So, I guess it's time for a little life update....:)

Hmmm, what's new? I have tried snake since the last time one here...nothing special...kind of tasted like most Chinese meat that I've eaten..must be the spice:-)

I don't have any new pictures because I have been doing some video. I don't know how great I am with video but I wanted to get some for chch and TA stuff so I am trying my hand at it. Right now I am just collecting a lot of "unedited" material...I'm not sure how the editing will go but I thought I would try my hand at it since I have Pete's video camera to mess around with. It's really small and easy to use with a touch screen. I am a little envious of it:-) It's been fun. Hopefully it will help to give some people a better example and picture of my life and my friends/students here in China.

School is now over for me except my paperwork, helping to monitor a few exams, and helping the nursing dept. with a few things...then I want to work on some video stuff and presentations for when I get back. Don't expect anything TOO super or even super at all but I'll see what I can do. Speaking of SUPER, I am SUPER excited that I only have 14 days left til I fly out of here, but who's counting? This has been a good year but I am ready for a break - to see friends and family and be around people more similar to myself in many ways:-)

So, hmmm, what's been happening??? I got pretty sick the last week of teaching classes but I had no one to sub and it was the last week of classes, so only on G's strength I got through that. It was rough...I was pretty much DOWN for the count and I can't remember feeling that miserable for a long time:-) I hope to never feel that miserable for a long time again but about the same time my body was sick my spirit was on the recovery. I have been working through a new study called "Search for Significance" about standing on the Truth instead of other's thoughts and opinions and even my own twisted ones. It's been great and with the combination of that and being in a valley time in my life here, G decided that it was enough I suppose and lifted me out. It was cool...now if only I can get my body back into shape I will be doing great:-)

This past week was my oral exams, and that is always interesting, or not....picture listening to around 300 students speaking English and somehow coming up with an evaluation...no, not quite the fun you were all looking for I would suppose and I still wasn't feeling that great so it was a little rough but it's done now and so is most of my paperwork and for that I am greatful! I just have a few things left to work on. Last weekend I took a little breather in Wuhan with some friends there and that was great and I plan on doing something similar this weekend but on sunday and monday this time to go to a new foreign fellowship I have never been to and have lunch with some friends who are normally very busy when I am visiting but have Monday off. It should be fun.

I have also been planning my summer and realizing my time in the US of A is VERY short to fit in all the things and people I want to see and do! It's crazy, but I have decided to take a little break from my practical self and just spend the money to see and visit people. Relationships are really the things that matter and I don't want to go another year here without seeing and hanging out with some very special and important people in my life.

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support! They mean more to me than anything really! You all lifting me up has gotten me through all the craziness of this year. It's been a good one but I have been tested and learned a lot...I have students RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGING my bell so I need to go! Love you!

why do i do all the things that I do when I want to do what is right?

2007-05-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

What a crazy time the last month has been! Even the last week has just been a little hectic with the little baby coming, Dan's mom coming, TA meeting, and Naomi visiting and trying to keep on top of teaching and classes and things with students as well...wow.

Update on the baby - he is very healthy and both mom and Zeke came home last tuesday. They are both doing well. Pete, the dad, just flew to Shanghai and back yesterday working on the passport and VISA for the little guy. I haven't heard from him yet but I hope that everything went really well with that. There's a lot of paperwork that has to be done when a baby is born in a foreign country that he does not want citizenship in:-) I have gotten to hold the baby almost everyday since he was born and he's precious. He loves to use his arms and hands, so the traditional Chinese method of binding them all up so they can barely move, let alone have motion with their arms and legs, he doesn't really go for that. :-)

The TA meeting went pretty well. It was hosted at my house and Dorothy and my coteam members from Wuhan came out to stay here for a couple of nights and discuss many things that need to change in our group/organization and things we need to do to be ready for next year. Pry for wisdom in all that. We need a lot of help! The meeting went fairly well and people were able to speak somewhat honestly about things and that was really good. It's been a rough year for this team. We want to be better as we have 4 new people coming next year. 2-3 of them could be coming here to Xiaogan. I am looking forward to meeting them all. Please pry that placements can be finalized for next year soon. It's hard when everything is up in the air.

Also, then after that (I was exhausted) and Naomi, my good coteacher and friend from Austalia who lived with me here in Xiaogan last year, came to visit for a couple of days. It was so good to see her again. I took one of the students that she connected with well last year to the airport with me. The student was clueless and had no idea that Naomi was coming and that we were going to pick up Naomi. It was really funny actually. I saw Naomi through the gate and started waving and the student was like, who is that? What's her name? And I started to walk closer and she was following me and then all of a sudden realized it was Naomi and let out a loud squeal and ran towards the gate. Pretty funny. :-)

Then Naomi and I were doing quite a bit of nonstop talking and catching up when she was here. It was so great to have her here to talk to and share with. She became like a sister to me last year and really brings out my crazy and joyful side. I blame the watermelon spitting fight we got into with a bunch of our students and friends in my living room on her. I was covered in watermelon and seeds by the end! It was crazy but reminded me of last year and all the wild stuff we did. I have been more subdued this year I guess. I am hoping some of them coming next year like to be a little wild and go out a little more:)! So, it was a blessing to have here here. I found out her wedding is in Nov. and she wants me to be a bridesmaid and I was helping her get some decorations and things for it while she was here so I am hoping the school agrees to a couple of weeks in Nov. so I can go to Australia! I am really looking forward to that and prying that it all works out. I have never been to Australia and it will cost some money to make that trip so I don't want to just go for a couple of days. I'm leaving it in His hands. It was so good to have her here, though.

Things have been rocky in the last month, esp. It's like I almost feel like two people....a strange feeling...along with getting tired of dealling with Chinese culture (which is normal) I have almost felt emptied. I feel like there is me and then there's this other "self" I don't recognize with so many negative feelings and a cold heart that responds not so well to people and situations. It's hard to feel like this. I just realized what was happening in the last week or so and there really isn't a "cure" to what I am experiencing but it helps to kind of know what is going on....this year has been a rough one and I am not blaming anyone (really)...I have also grown a lot. I realized, just this last week that I was given out...I have nothing left to give...my cup that has slowly been being emptied is now empty with only a few drops at the bottom. I haven't had the support I needed to continue flourishing...and so I have been falling at the Father's feet each morning asking Him to change me...help me to LOVE and live and serve with JOY that only He can give and not to have to depend on what people give or don't give me but to just depend on Him and He's awesome. Yes, I still feel somewhat broken but He has been able to carry me and change me when I need it. I will make it through this month and it can even be a victorious time for me and His kingdom if I allow HIM to work through me and carry me. I need to remember, I am working for Him and not for people. I have to let His supernatural power come through me and work...

Thanks for all of you who HAVE been supporting me in pry and other ways. I couldn't do this without you! Please continue on as I march through this next month expecting G to work and come through in a MIGHTY way and help me to be a deeper person in Him! He is soooo good...and so faithful. I praise Him for that! for WHO He is...

it's a boy!

2007-05-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Well, as of yesterday, May 24th at 12:20pm, we have a new foreigner here in Xiaogan. He's 5 lbs and healthy and his name is Ezekial Michael Wright, Zeke for short. Both baby and mom are healthy. It was quite a day, though. It started at 1am for Dan's mom, Pete, and Dan. I didn't show up to the hospital until 8am, but stayed untul 7pm that night. In China, the hospital and nuses don't do a lot of the care, friends and relatives do, so that's what we got to do. I did videoing, gathering stuff for their room, counting minutes between contractions, just talking to Dan to keep her distracted. We started out at one hospital in the morning because that's where they had had all their check ups but it turns out they lied about Pete being able to go in for the birth, so with contractions 3 minutes apart we decided to move Dan and crew to another hospital! It was crazy and the taxi driver was saying, "She will NOT have her baby in my taxi!" She didn't. We found at after we got to the newer and nicer hospital that the baby hadn't turned all the way before the water broke and so it wasn't going to be able to be turned or delivered naturally, so Dan went in for a C-section. It was a crazy time for us all, but all our foreign family got to see the baby right after birth and watch him be cleaned and weighed and then see Dan right after they were finished with her as well. Everything went well. Later on Dorothy and I got to play nurses and clean Dan up and help make sure IV bottles were being changed and just sit and talk with Dan and hold the baby. It was a crazy day! Thank G for all He did and that His presence was there surrounding everyone the whole time. He is so good to us.

it's been a while....

2007-05-20T03:08:00.000-07:00

I am still here, but it's been an interesting couple of weeks after May Holiday. Things have been a little rough. Before May Holiday I was really feeling the need for a break and then during May Holiday, we had a break from teaching, yes, but I was with students most of the break and as fun as it all was, it wasn't real relaxing and removed from the Chinese culture, which seems to be what I need right now....but as you all know, I do not leave China until July 1st...so, yeah...just this morning during devos. I had a good time with the Father, pouring Truth into my heart and mind and just telling the Father I am totally dependant on Him...He reminded me that He wants me to have His joy and work hard for Him and not for men. I need to focus on Him and work for Him and not so much the people around me that are driving me crazy. It's not even their fault...it's just being overwhelmed and at the end of my rope in a different culture. It's normal, but it's hard to deal with at times. So, if you could remember me in your prs, that would be great. This cultural sensitivity didn't come until later last year and just seems to have hit a little sooner this year. I feel like my heart has turned cold towards Chinese people and culture and not because I am being treated badly or even different than I always am, it's just a normal thing that I have to work though...a valley to teach me and make me stronger. I am so glad, though, that there are only 3 teaching weeks left and then a week of exams and then finishing up paperwork before I go back to America.

A couple of positive things that happened in the last couple of weeks....we had a dinner at my house for some teachers and the dean of our dept., Amy Fan, and about 5 of the teachers young kids came as well. We did kind of a Western/Chinese mix for the food and I think it turned out pretty well. Teachers and their little kids eat a lot less than students, though, we learned:-) IT was a good time of talking a little and mainly watching the little kids running all around and their parents chase them. Our chicken nuggest were perhaps the biggest hit - thanks Anjee.

Also this past week I did mock wedding in two of my freshmen classes for oral English and they were a lot of fun and turned out real well. It's amazing how different western weddings and culture are different from Chinese. The word I would use to describe the Chinese wedding I was in would be described as "CHAOS!" I couldn't understand a lot of where people were coming and going to and it seemed so random and not so special, but I am sure it was in their own way. The other weird thing is the "matchmaker" that was quite a big part of the wedding. I don't think it was a "love match" and it was just weird being IN a wedding where I really knew no one and couldn't even speak the language...and it wasn't even that they really loved each other. It was VERY interesting.

Speaking of weddings....my good friend and co-teacher from Australia last year, Naomi, is getting married most likely at the end of this year sometime and has asked me to be in her wedding. I was planning to go to Australia next spring festival break anyway and have been saving for it, but it turns out the trip could be a little sooner than I thought. I will get more details when Naomi spends two days here on the tail end of her won trip to Beijing. I am so glad she's able to come if even for a short time. It will be a blessing to see her again and really talk....she comes a week from Monday.

I am also looking forward and trying to plan out some of my summer to be able to see more people than last summer, so that hopefully goes good as well.

Well, the weather has been getting hotter and hotter as normal here. I am planning on playing frisbee this afternoon with a group of students. Rachel coming and starting the tradition with me was really a blessing last year and I miss her each game, but we still continue to play and it is a fun "break" and time to hang out.

Thanks for all your support and prayers! I am learning a lot and hopefully growing through it.

Please keep in mind our TA team for next year. It looks like we have 5 new teachers so a possibility of 3-4 new teachers coming to Xiaogan next year. Please remember our meeting we have with the current teachers this coming weekend. Meetings have always been a little hard for this group and this promises to be no exception, but we have a lot of things to talk about and work out for the end of this year and the beginning of next as far as training...etc...

Thanks and blessings!
Love.

I just listened to this song the other day and REALLY identified with it....

WHY by BIG DADDY WEAVE
Walking down the road this life is on
The narrow path I try to stay
But I must confess I have a tendency to stray
I'd love to call it a mistake
A momentary lapse of faith
But the truth is sometimes I feel like Iâ€™m being dragged away
By the other side that people never see
A war is on between the good and bad inside of me
Why do I do all the things that I do
When I want to do what is right
Change this wicked heart of mine
Let me walk with you in the new life
So what will ever put an end
To my recurring bout with sin
It seems I âm always at a loss for a way to win
When what I really need to do
Is to confront it with the truth
And let Your words of life sink in and make my mind brand new
A transformation that happens over time
Is the product of a renewed mind
Create in me a clean heart
Place Your spirit deep inside
Capture every thought
'Til there's no place left to hide
Why do I do all the things that I do
When I want to do what is right
Change my heart renew my mind
Let me walk with you in the new life

May Holiday...

2007-05-07T03:17:00.000-07:00

Here are a bunch of pictures out of order but they tell the story of my May Holiday....I will get back to the update later...in progress...:)