there is Joy ahead

[March 7th-ish]

Yes, I'm a terrible blogger. But at least now I have a lot to talk about! We've officially been in Oz for two months now. It took us about a month or so to really get accustomed to the culture and food and such, but alas! We're enjoying the new customs! I actually prefer some of the food here to food back home, along with the students fashion, attitude, and overall welcoming spirits. The other day we went out to celebrate our friend Tracy's birthday. Some of her students came and they brought their roommates and friends, people who don't even know Tracy. But they came and we all dined together and before we ate the meal, every single one of us gave a "birthday toast" to Tracy, wishing her a year of happiness and telling her what we love about her. Those who didn't know Tracy toasted her as well, as if they'd known her their whole life. They're just the sweetest people who truly wish happiness for everyone they meet. Following dinner, we went to KTV.. aka- Karaoke. It's what most university students do on the weekends and for birthdays. They would sing some Chinese pop song, then hand the mic to us foreigners and we sang Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston (long live the Queen of the Night). That night was probably the first night we felt like we were finally meeting and making friends. 

It hasn't been the easiest transition from spending a month practically hibernating in our apartment while all the students were gone for the Holiday and now going to class every morning and meeting new friends. Our bodies seem to always be worn out and our minds are fried from practicing language all morning. But then I stop and think, I'm in China! When will I ever get this opportunity again? Hopefully some day, God willing.. but I'm not going to waste the time I have here now.

Anyway, Chinese class has been quite the adventure in itself! Danielle, Tracy, and I are the only students in our class so it's a lot of interaction and it's not like I can doodle in my notebook. We're all on the front row and the professors have us repeat and write every single thing they say. It's pretty fun at times and I really love our professors. They're so sweet and interested in American culture just as much as we are interested in theirs. But it is also very exhausting. I've never been the greatest student. I actually despised my first two years of college in Oklahoma. But learning the language is not only a necessity here in Oz, it's also kind of fun to learn. Because once I understand a few words and characters, I can at least have a basic conversation with someone on the bus or in a shop or restaurant. It's a challenge, but it's definitely rewarding.  

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[April 22]

Welp, I'm sure I intended to finish and post the above entry, but, that was over a month ago. Oops. Sorry, Ma. :) 

I decided it's time to post. Mostly because I fell in love today. Some fellow americans and I traveled 3 hours in a jam-packed van to visit an orphanage; little did we know our hearts would be captured by the hearts of little Chinese tikes. We went with the intentions of teaching them about Easter and why/how we celebrate it. There were roughly 250 student ranging from 2nd-7th grade and we divided them by their grades. The facility had about 10 classrooms and dorms for the kids to stay in, about 4 to a room. Here's a pic of one of the rooms (they wash their hair in that bowl): 

With the help of a translator, we taught our assigned grade the meaning of Easter, played games, and let them color easter eggs we had brought. After class, we ate lunch in the cafeteria with them, then it was game on. I hadn't finished my bowl of mystery meat before I was bombarded by a group of girls from the 4th grade class I had taught. I asked them the only questions I knew how to say in Chinese: "Chi fa le ma?" (Did you eat?) and "Hao chi ma?" (Was it good?). haha I need to work harder in my Chinese classes. They watched me eat until I was done and ready to play. Immediately a game of tag/tickle-fight was created and we ran around the cafeteria and then out to the "play ground"-- rather, an empty field with some sort of attempt at a soccer goal -- and ran around some more. When I looked around, I noticed every American that came with us was crowded with a group of students. They all wanted us to sign our names in their journals, like an autograph, if you will, because to most of them, I'm sure we're the only white people they will ever lay eyes on. 

One little girl in particular really took to me and I to her. I'm going to call her Joy. Because that's what she was to me today. We held hands everywhere we went and eventually she took me to her dorm (the first picture). It broke my heart to see their living quarters. For all the places I've seen, it really was a pretty nice facility. But I think seeing where little Joy slept at night, made it really sink in that this is where they LIVE. Where they are growing and learning and making their childhood memories. Maybe it was just because all of us foreigners were there, but they seemed happy as could be just hanging out in their dorms.

Today for them was hair-washing day, so they all grabbed their bowls, filled them with hot water, and leaned over it, washing their hair. Some of the other leaders helped get the suds out and combed their hair, but little Joy just wanted to stick to my side and play with my camera. She snapped pictures like paparazzi! It was wonderful and she captured my heart more than anything. I couldn't understand most of what she said, but our laughs and smiles and hand holding and me telling her "piao liang"-(you're beautiful) was all our time together needed. 

(little miss Joy)

When the time to leave came, I didn't know how to say "i'll miss you" or "be good, remember you're daughters of the King", or anything like that. I wish I could've. So I just told my little huddle that again, they were beautiful, and goodbye. Before loading the van, Joy pulled out a piece of her hair and handed it to me. The rest of my huddle saw and before I know it, all these little black hairs are being handed to me. Then they point to my hair. HA! Yep. I start feeling all these little yanks on my head and one by one, hairs were being taken for souvenirs and ways to remember "Mo Li Hua" (my Chinese name:]) by. It was awesome. We load the vans and the kids are crowding around it reaching their hands in our windows. I grab Joy's hand as she starts bawling. My heart sank as we drove away and we all kinda sat in silence for a little bit just trying to process what just happened in the past 4 hours with those precious little chinese cookies. It was a wonderful, eye opening, heart warming experience.. but a heavy one. It really made me aware of 1. how incredibly blessed I am, 2. how incredibly sovereign our Father is, 3. how deep our faith must be to trust that He will make His Spirit and Love known and evident to those kids. As I lift them up, I can feel the Father's love for them, I know He wants them to have salvation more than I do, so I trust His pursuit of their hearts will be no less than the pursuit He has shown me over the years. His sovereignty astounds me. Keep them in your prayers they they'll find the true Light and that Joy will find the most beautiful joy in knowing her only true Father. 

//

Besides this morning's journey, the rest of this adventure has been good. Concerning spiritual and emotional things, it's been a roller coaster, but the highs outweigh the lows by a long shot. I've learned SO much about myself and new characteristics of God I've never known. I've learned (and still learning) how the joy of the Lord truly IS my strength. Feelings are fickle, emotions sway, but the truth of the Word is what I can and should and need to depend on. 

I have about 2.5 months left on this adventure. Please keep lifting us up! 

Yours truly. 

P.S. A few weeks ago, we traveled to Beijing for a day to see the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. Below are a few pictures from that adventure. :) 

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. // Psalm 28:7

Be still and know...

I said, "Let me walk in the field."
He said, "No; walk in the town."
I said, "There are no flowers there."
He said, "No flowers, but a crown."

I said, "But the skies are black,
There is nothing but noise and din."
And He wept as He sent me back.
"There is more," He said; "there is sin."

I said: "But the air is thick,
And fogs are veiling the sun";
He answered: "Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone."

I said: "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say";
He answered me, "Choose tonight,
If I am to miss you, or they."

I pleaded for time to be given;
He said: "Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide."

I cast one look at the fields,
Then set my face to the town;
He said: "My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into His hand went mine,
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light Divine,
The path I had feared to see. 

-George MacDonald

And the Adventure Continues...

After only a week of getting settled in Oz, Danielle and I set out for Chiangmai, Thailand. We woke up at 3:30am to catch a taxi to the bus stating where we boarded our 2 hr bus ride to the airport. Sat for 2 hrs, caught an hour plan ride to Beijing, sat again for a few hours, caught a 5 hr flight to Bangkok, sprinted through the airport only to find out we need to sit around for a few more hours, boarded our un-airconditioned plane, unboarded the broken plane, sat for an hour, boarded our final plane for an hour flight to Chiangmai,  where we arrived at a vacant airport at 1:30 in the morning. No shuttle. No Thai currency. No internet. And no earthly idea as to the name of our hotel where our reservations were waiting to welcome us. After almost 24 hours of traveling, I was spent, Danielle was deliriously laughing, and another teammate that was with us was doing all the logical things, like trying to find a phone or someone to help. He's a smart one. 

We finally got the idea to find a McDonald's to get some internet and hope someone to be online to tell us our hotel name. (and to get one huge BigMac to satisfy out stomachs and calm my hunger-temper down). God supplied and we got internet, got the name of our hotel, got a "tuk-tuk" (similar to a "beng-beng") and arrived at our hotel at 3:30am. PTL! 

We showered, slept, and by 11 the next morning, we were on our way up a mountain with a tour guide and two Israeli girls, set out to do the "Jungle Flight" zip-line through the tree-tops of a mountain village. IT. WAS. AWESOME. Something I'd noticed by our first tuk-tuk ride to the hotel was that Thai people like to joke around… a lot. They're always saying things to make us believe they're going to do something ridiculous like oh I don't know, take us to the wrong hotel (at the time, it was so not funny), that we'll roll down the hill if we don't lean to one side of the vehicle on our way up the mountain, or push me off a 250ft tree house thinking I'm not hooked in, and then realizing half way down the zip that I was. And after each ridiculous joke, they laugh and laugh until we laugh with them. :) I like those Thai people. 

Other than zip-lining, we also went to a Night-Safari, the Night Bazaar (or Night Markets), got a couple hour long $5 Thai massages, dined at a couple new food places, and hung out with our old teammates we met our first week in Taipei. It was awesome to see everyone again. The one week apart from them felt like a month or 2 at least, so getting to see them and share stories and 1st time experiences with them again was great and much needed. During the day we watched M kids. I was assigned to 2 year olds, 8:30- 5:30. There were 6 of them. And they were 2 years old. And 3 other heroes and I watched them for 9 hours a day, 3 days in a row…

That's all I have to say about that. 

Our travels back to Oz was smoother sailing than on the way to Chiang Mai, but nonetheless, it was still like 22 hours of traveling and once we arrived at our apartment, we slept. For 15 hours. :) PTL, again. 

We've had a few days of down time which have been a huge blessing. Danielle and I have really turned this little apartment into our home away from home. We have groceries that include the closest things to American junk food you can get, warm beds, a shower curtain (which no ones has here), and a good friend Tracy down the hall who's traveled this road before us and helps us get by. During these days of downtime, however, all 3 of us have gotten a cold. Which just keeps us cooped up in our apartment even more. I think it's been good for us though, having time to relax and be still and read and talk to Him and deepen our relationship with Him and with each other. I'm very thankful for this time, and I'm sure I'll be even more thankful for it once the students get back in another couple weeks. I am anticipating a very busy schedule when school starts and I feel somewhat more prepared after this week of soaking in the Word. 

Did I mention Danielle loves to cook? And she's good at it. Two nights ago, Spaghetti. Last night, Stir Fry. Tonight, Chili! God must love me to send me with someone who can attend to my hunger needs with such diligence and skill. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd be eating  cereal by day and PB & J by night for 6 months. :) Not sure I'd necessarily hate that.. but I'm thankful I don't have to. 

Chili time! Hope all of you are well. 

Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your Truth; unite my heart to fear Your Name. I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Your Name forever. For great is Your steadfast Love toward me; You have delivered me from the depths of the grave.  

Psalm 86:11-13

Hello World!

Alllllrighty. Decided to give this thing a go. I make no promises of updating on a regular basis, but ultimately that is the goal. I want to keep you all updated on my life in East Asia over these next 6 months. I'd love to share the stories, the excitement, the struggles, the interesting people/food/culture, the needs, the blessings, the relationships, the breakdowns, and everything in between! The Father has blessed me incredibly with this opportunity and I consider it an honor to relay all that He is doing in my life and in those around me with you.

We've just spent a week in Taipei, Taiwan training and getting to know our team. We were in class for majority of the day and then got to experience different food choices at lunch and in the evenings. Very interesting food experiences. Mostly pork or vegetables covered in oil and MSG. Yum. We've been blessed not to have anyone get too sick, yet.

There are SO many people in Taipei. Like.. millions. And I feel like I see at least a million of them drive through a stoplight on scooters in the mornings. It's like the EAC off Finding Nemo… (hopefully you understand that analogy). In one of our classes they discussed statistics of C-town, just to put us in our place and hopefully increase our motivation of spreading the Love. C-town has 1.6 billion people living there. 24 thousand of them die everyday, which is 700,000 per month. As they put it, that is an entire city being formed in the City below each month. It's an overwhelming number for sure, and I can't help but feel overwhelmed and unable to make any sort of difference in that number.. but as I press on knowing my purpose and seeking out endurance, boldness, and opportunity, I know that is what the Father would desire of me. To spread His Love and encourage others to do the same. (I would encourage you, wherever you are, to stop and ask Him for that boldness as well, because I know the lost East Asians are no different than the hopeless, Fatherless people around you). 

[all of the above was written about a week ago.. since then, I've arrived at my final destination and just now able to sit and work on the internet in a nearby coffee shop]

We arrived in my city.. we'll call it "Oz".. almost a week ago. When we arrived, it was fairly late, freezing, and after a long day of traveling, I was worn out and rather cranky. Our leader Jack picked us up from the airport and it was a 2 hour drive to our final destination. On the way there he kind of filled us in on some details of our living situation, the universities in our city, and other random things. I don't know if it was my weariness or the arctic, unheated bus or the guy next to me hawking lugee's into a sack (that's really common here).. but I started feeling very discouraged and discontent with the task at hand. I had already struggled finding joy in committing to this 6 month journey, but now I was struggling to find joy in any aspect of this assignment. When we finally got to our apartment, it was also freezing and bare. I went to bed in my mittens and as a not-so happy camper. I woke up in a slight haze and still freezing. The Father was quick to get my heart in check and set my mind on the things above during my morning devo. I began reading that day's devo in the book I was given for Christmas (thanks Michelle!). It read:

            "Just as I called Abraham to step out in obedience to My Word, leaving all that was familiar and comfortable to go to a place that I had not yet shown him, so am I calling you to radical trust… Following Me demands that you give up control, predictability, ease, comfort, familiarity, affordability, and autonomy. I offer no up-front guarantees that you'll always approve of My plans for your life, or that you'll always feel ready for the next step I call you to take. But I do guarantee that my blessing will more than match the longings of your heart. The fulfillment of My promises will go beyond your own ambitions by an infinite degree."

I was so comforted just knowing that I was not alone in that moment. That He was there and heard my worldly, selfish pleas of wanting the comforts of home, and supplied the words I needed to hear to keep me going and to remember why I was here. I'm here for one reason. And I'm sure He'll be faithful to remind me of it often. :)

This first week we've just been getting to know the city. Where the markets are, what the bus route looks like, where the one and only McDonald's is, how to order certain foods, etc. And we actually just had our first Chinese tutor session this morning! She rarely spoke in english and it was mostly just us repeating the sounds she made… I slightly felt like Helen Keller repeating the vowels and tones, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of how to read the Pinyin.

We are going to be PWalking the campuses here, but besides that and the Chinese tutor, I think this week should be pretty calm. Almost everyone in this city has gone to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year/Spring Festival. It's kind of like a ghost town here. We leave Friday for a convention in Thailand. I'm pretty stoked for that. :)

Thanks all, for your love, lift-ups, and support. :)

"Pray for us, that God may open to us a door for the Word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison- that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak." --- Colossians 4:3-4
 

[move over for pedestrians]

["Beng Beng"-- translation: "jump "jump".. and that's exactly what it does]

Taipei 101-- [second tallest building in the world]

[Night Market- Taipei, Taiwan]