Beijing 2010

We just returned from Beijing and the rest of the trip was a time to see the sites and also a good reminder for us about our purpose.
We met a driver who took us to the great wall that has been a "brother" for 5 yrs. He and his wife have 2 boys, Matthew and Luke are their English names.

When we asked him about his family being "in the family", his response was "not yet". I love that faith- pr-ying and waiting....faith.

He was talking about their fellowship and that there are 1000 of them in his group and they divide up to meet.... different places, different times,... takes a lot of locations for that many people.

Said that the sisters are 80% of the group....less brothers.....need to "remember" these new family members as they look for spouses and try to find like minded partners. Gonna be tough.

This trip was a good break for us. I had a conference in Beijing for school first, so since I was already there ( and it was paid for) we decided it was the best time for the others to come too.
But where ever we go, we are constantly reminded how we are there for HIM and that we are dependant on Him in a world so very foreign to us. I spent a lot of time talking to HIM on this trip- and we always found our way afterward.

More to come....

Beijing.....angels and "others"

As stressful as travel can be in America, it can never compare with travel here. Not being able to read signs, not being able to talk well with those speaking "Northern" dialects of Chinese, it all adds up to confusion and frustration for us.
We have had several bumps in the road this trip- having our hotel "changed" for us even though we had a reservation, getting frustrated with cabdrivers that cannot understand us, having our hotel move all of our things to another room without permission while we were not here.....sigh.,....makes for a stressful trip.

Well, we reached a breaking point and that happened right when we got off the subway, where we were supposedly in a city area to catch a cab quickly to Happy Valley Amusement Park.
The subway exit instead put us out in an apt development....with no cabs and really not too many people around. We walked and walked, not knowing if we were heading to the entrance and the city streets or the opposite direction.
As my family began to complain and get more upset, I reminded them to begin to Pr-y, not complain,,,,put that energy to use.
Well, this is the truth, believe it or not.....literally....2 minutes later, a very nice looking Chinese guy appeared and said" Do you need some help?" in perfect English and I said "Yes!!!"
His name was Chen Jin and he was on his way to the gym. He is an architect and is on vacation for the National Holiday week. Not only did he help us with how to get to a cab, but he said, "Never mind, I will just take you". So we all piled into his very nice Audi......(found out he has a girlfriend so no setting him up with my friends) ...and he drove us to the front gate of the amusement park!!! Things are so different here- you would never dream of doing that in the US, but here, you just have a different level of trust with people.
He was so nice and helpful. He said he works in the US 3 or 4 times a year in NYC. He was around 30-35 I would guess.

So that is our second time having an angel to help us. I told him he was our angel and he just giggled.

THAT was a lesson for our children- that G-d is there, He just wants us to ask for help when we need it!!!

More to come from Beijing......

Bits and Pieces...

We are back in the routine of school and life. Lots going on- wanted to share a bit.

#1- my class at school only has 5 students, but I am getting to teach Bible to 16 kids!!! So glad!! I teach Bible to 3rd and 4th graders. We are having a great time and it also gives me multiple opportunities to share the good news with them often through the year.

#2- 3 kids are doing great, 1 still needs pryer.....Jack is still struggling. He just needs to mature a little and learn to get it all together. He does have a teacher who is trying really hard to help him so that is a blessing. It is just a bit much for him- changing classes, 5 teachers, a locker, ....middle school. So please remember him. A praise though is that he seems to like school better!!!

#3- English Corner- going really well. Had a great chance to talk to about "World Views" the other night and really share what I feel life is about. They listened carefully and it got some of them really thinking.
We hope to continue those conversations in the weeks to come.

Going to dinner with a bunch of them tonight so we will see what He has planned!!

#4- Work with Chinese Educational English Materials Company- we are going to do more work with them this week- the boys modeling and Charlotte doing voice work. One of the ladies e-mailed me this week to see if I knew the song Zacheus. Not sure where that came from, but I will be more than glad to share with her ALLLLLL I know about that song.....lol.

So that is where we are right now- settling into the routine, seeing friends again, and looking for opportunities. This year will pass quickly- pry we do not miss any chances to do the work we are called here to do.

More to come....

Back to Life....

After a wonderful, relaxing summer in South Carolina, we are back at work here in China. Bob came back the first of July and I returned with the kids and 15 suitcases and 9 carry-ons the end of July. We brought back 6 suitcases of food...the extent we will go to for the foods we like!!!
That was a very big praise though- that we made it safely, in good humor, with all our baggage....good day!

School is starting up so right now all of my energy is going toward getting my classroom set up. We will only have 6 students to start the year, but it will still be a lot of fun. Great opportunity for me to really mentor Julia in her teaching and help her build her confidence up before she flys out to get a teaching job. She wants to teach in a "like minded" Chinese school....yes, there is such a thing...

We had a lot of the staff over for dinner 24 hours after arriving. Yes, I am crazy. But it was fun- casual dinner and Apples to Apples for hours and hours. Lots of new staff with the same lost look in their eyes that we had last year- the first few weeks are completely overwhelming.

Bob has been continuing with the English corners and building relationships with other school families while we we re still stateside. I look forward this week to going to English corner and planning weekend activities with our Chinese friends.

One limiting factor has been the heat. This Friday the high t emp is expected to be 105 with a heat index of 136 !!!!!! Kinda hard to do anything in these conditions. If I remember correctly, it should cool down a bit by the end of August....highs in the low 90s....yes, that is a cool front.

So, I will try to update more often. Please remember us often as this is the year we want to give all we have and come home completely exhausted for HIM in June....not a single wasted opportunity.....

After school each da, weather permitting, Bob and I head outside to play with our kids....and now all the neighborhood kids from our school.

Kinda our own "kids club". They really love the attention and some do not get a lot at home.

This is another way for us to "reach" people-most here are not b-lievers.

They love to play basketball, go on bike rides, and take goofy pictures!!!

If nothing else, it is good for them to see a family that enjoys spending time together....

Wrapping up Year One

I can't believe it, but our first school year here is about over!!! We have 5 weeks left and then we head home for the summer.
It has been quite a year. Now that we feel pretty well adjusted, it is time to go back the states and mess it all up! No, I am kidding really, but next year will be a lot LOT easier since we know how to go places, how to communicate a little, and are forming wonderful friendships with friends from English corner.
I hope in the fall to do even more English corner type work at the university near our school. College students love talking to us and they are a lot of fun. I feel like this is an area I am called to serve. And when we return home, that is an area I can continue working in- helping Asian students adjust to American culture, since I will have lived here and can see/ experience the difference. It has got to be as hard for them in America as it is for us here.

Before we wrap up the 2009-2010 school year, I hope to finish up strong with my students, especially teaching them truth, continue to build relationships with Chinese staff and English corner friends, and spend time with all of the above enjoying the weather now that is has finally gotten warm. Did I mention it was close to 90 today?

Thanks for all your continued support. We will be visiting churches this summer to share what G-d is doing in China and in our lives. If you would like us to come to your church, let me know- we still have a few open dates and we love to share as much as possible, where we can openly.....

Until next time,
Angie

Spring is here!!!

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.