The weather has changed- we are now actually seeing the sun occasionally. It is still not warm- around 50-60, but we are on the up-side now. We are excited and our moods( all 6 of us) seem to be feeling a lot better mentally. It is hard to be up-beat when it is cloudy every day, very cold wherever you are, and raining. For the past 2 months, really even since Christmas, I have really doubted why we are here and wished I were back home.
But then the weather change came and with the nicer days came a nicer me...lol.
I know that this is where we are to be. It has been an extremely difficult winter for us. The boys have had a hard time, but with spring coming and a trip home soon, we all see the light at the end of the tunnel.
My dependence on Daddy has grown so much this year. He can handle my anger at the way my kids have been treated, he can handle my frustation at the way this society squelches "individual thinking", and he can handle my depression from the weather and being sad from lack of opportunities to do what I feel soooooo strongly led to do.
We are building relationships here, that like the beautiful cherry blossoms all over Wuhan, are beginning to bloom and grow. We have a few close Chinese friends, plus all the school staff of Chinese locals, and others we are now meeting at the English corner we help run on Wednesday evenings.
We go out to dinner with our local friends, go on picnics, and even roller skating.
Several of them visited our school last week which was a great opportunity to share with them all of our curriculum.
I continue to pr-y daily for opportunities and the right timing for things to fall into place for us to do as we have been led. Patience is definately needed here, as we take advantage of times here and there to share.
There is a staff member at our school who doesn't know Him. She asked me the other day why I sing all the time. I told her because of Him I have joy. I may not be happy all the time, I may have problems ( which they have all seen our family go through), but I have HOPE and thus, joy....so I sing.
I hope that little things like that make a difference. We are planting, but may not be here for the harvest, but that is ok. As long as we are being used.
So with spring comes new life. We just returned from a short trip to Hong Kong for the kids mostly. They needed a "China time-out" and a day at the amusement park helped with that!!
Continue to remember us as we finish out our first year here. We will be stateside for most of the summer getting medical help for Jack's anxiety and OCD. We hope and pr-y he will have a better year next school year as he starts middle school.
Remember us as we try to raise more funds over the summer to help with expenses, as well as m-ssion opportunities we have here to go to other areas of Asia and really speak truth.
Thanks for all your support!! Hard to believe we have been here for 8 months already!!!
Spring is here and we are ready to grow, be green, and share new life.
But then the weather change came and with the nicer days came a nicer me...lol.
I know that this is where we are to be. It has been an extremely difficult winter for us. The boys have had a hard time, but with spring coming and a trip home soon, we all see the light at the end of the tunnel.
My dependence on Daddy has grown so much this year. He can handle my anger at the way my kids have been treated, he can handle my frustation at the way this society squelches "individual thinking", and he can handle my depression from the weather and being sad from lack of opportunities to do what I feel soooooo strongly led to do.
We are building relationships here, that like the beautiful cherry blossoms all over Wuhan, are beginning to bloom and grow. We have a few close Chinese friends, plus all the school staff of Chinese locals, and others we are now meeting at the English corner we help run on Wednesday evenings.
We go out to dinner with our local friends, go on picnics, and even roller skating.
Several of them visited our school last week which was a great opportunity to share with them all of our curriculum.
I continue to pr-y daily for opportunities and the right timing for things to fall into place for us to do as we have been led. Patience is definately needed here, as we take advantage of times here and there to share.
There is a staff member at our school who doesn't know Him. She asked me the other day why I sing all the time. I told her because of Him I have joy. I may not be happy all the time, I may have problems ( which they have all seen our family go through), but I have HOPE and thus, joy....so I sing.
I hope that little things like that make a difference. We are planting, but may not be here for the harvest, but that is ok. As long as we are being used.
So with spring comes new life. We just returned from a short trip to Hong Kong for the kids mostly. They needed a "China time-out" and a day at the amusement park helped with that!!
Continue to remember us as we finish out our first year here. We will be stateside for most of the summer getting medical help for Jack's anxiety and OCD. We hope and pr-y he will have a better year next school year as he starts middle school.
Remember us as we try to raise more funds over the summer to help with expenses, as well as m-ssion opportunities we have here to go to other areas of Asia and really speak truth.
Thanks for all your support!! Hard to believe we have been here for 8 months already!!!
Spring is here and we are ready to grow, be green, and share new life.
