Along the Journey

Little Fish, Big Pond

2012-01-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

Tuesday I went to one of the largest clubs in the US (which also happens to be close to where we live) to meet with one of their guys in a department of interest to me. I have spent many hours listening to messages by their head guy and read/consumed many of their leadership resources.

When I first sent them an email requesting the meeting about a month ago, I never dreamed that I would receive a reply or be granted a meeting. To my surprise and delight, Jim agreed to meet with me.

From all I had read, this club has a reputation of excellence that goes from the executive positions all the way through the organization. This was confirmed to me when I first walked in the door. I was about 45 minutes early for the meeting (I had misjudged the traffic) and had some time to kill.

The woman at the front desk, Cynda, was extremely kind and gracious to me and allowed me to interrupt her other work for about 25 minutes. She shared that she and her husband were charter members of the club and and that.her husband, an architect, had designed/collaborated on several of the club's campuses.

Shortly before Jim was ready, I had the good fortune to be at the front desk when the head guy himself walked out to chat with Cynda. Barely able to overcome that starstruck feeling, I introduced myself, gave him a card, and asked to shake Andy's hand. Quite a moment for me personally.

After a pleasant meeting with Jim, he offered to refer me to someone who might be good to talk to and then escorted me to their bookstore. He spent the next 20 minutes handpicking out resources (books, DVD's, and CD's) he thought might be of help to me. I was dumbfounded as he loaded them into two large sacks, asked for a receipt, and then GAVE them to me.

Though I didn't leave with any promises, I definitely left with an impression. This organization, from the top down, walks their talk. And though I felt like a little fish in a big pond, and have no guarantee of further interaction, I'm still mighty grateful for the opportunity.

A Leader is a Learner

2011-12-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

I've been privileged to be around quite a few gifted leaders during our time here in the US. I've been reflecting on what traits they possess that make me inclined to listen when they speak (and sometimes take notes!).

The first trait I have observed is that a leader is always learning. Regardless of their profession or season in life, you don't have to be around these folks long before you realize they have somehow grasped some timeless life principles that are always applicable and always relevant.

When you begin to investigate a bit, you'll also find that this kind of person always has their eyes and ears open if the right person is speaking. They seem to intuitively know who to talk to in order to find out whatever they need to know at that time.

Whether they are learning from books, periodicals, online material, or people their curiosity is easily piqued and rarely satisfied.

Even if you don't find yourself agreeing with this person, they are almost always able to earn your respect. Contrary to popular opinion, a true leader doesn't know everything. But he/she is willing to learn anything that is worth learning.

Stay hungry my friends. Let us lead by learning.

Risky

2011-11-30T09:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was sitting in my friend Jody's office, listening to him share with me something he is really passionate about. Even though I bristled a bit at one of his conclusions, because of my respect for him personally I felt compelled to lean in and and try to understand his point of view. Though the mood at the end of the conversation was a bit subdued, I believe a bond was formed because of our mutual willingness to fully engage the topic. It is risky to really consider another person's point of view, but a necessary prerequisite for real friendship. It is also scary to reveal your personal perspective on a sensitive issue, but again necessary to gain and build trust.

Just Breakfast

2011-11-28T13:31:00.000-08:00

I was having breakfast with my friend Rob this morning. I listened intently about what's been going on in his life lately. He listened just as intently to what's been happening with me. Because we have much the same values (faith, family, etc.), we very naturally go beyond empathy to exhortation at times. Just a reminder to be that person for your friends and family. Rather than living our lives "asleep at the wheel," let us engage with the people we care about, and maybe even with people we don't know or don't know well. Let us, like our Father, be AWARE and ACTIVE as we journey through this life.

Minority Ceremony

2011-10-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

In March, we attended a minority ceremony in a town two hours south of where we lived. Here is a portion of the ceremony where the people were wearing cloth horses. Horses are an important figure in the culture of this minority group.

Caleb reading to Emily

2011-10-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

This is a video Gracy took of Caleb in our apartment in Asia taking some time to read to Emily.

Singing in the Park

2011-10-03T10:36:00.001-07:00

Here is David trying to follow along with the lyrics of some men singing traditional folk songs in a local park.

On Purpose

2011-10-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

During this season, I was encouraged by a veteran worker to map out the next twenty years of my life by "beginning with the end in mind." What do I want to accomplish in the next 20 years? What kind of person do I want to become? And what specific steps do I intend to take to see these long-term goals become realities.

It made me realize my own tendency to settle for general aims in different areas of my life (career, parenting, marriage, spiritual, etc.). And rather than working steadily and intentionally toward a well-painted target, I find myself hoping that Father will somehow intervene through the circumstances of my life to re-direct me toward His best.

Be thinking of us during this time as we thoughtfully map out the road ahead.

Warmly,
David and Grace

Jump rope

2011-09-27T07:35:00.001-07:00

Just another market day

2011-09-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

We went to this town about 30 minutes from where we live on market day. Market day happens here every Saturday and local farmers bring produce, livestock, chickens and a variety of other things to sell. Here are a few snapshots of what it looks like.

Caleb looking over several baskets of baby ducklings for sale

Market day is crowded and buzzing with activity

Emily examining the different medicines available

We're Back

2011-08-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

We've been back in the US since May 12 and have had a great time connecting with friends, family, and fellowships over the past couple of months. Be thinking of us during this time and also let us know when and how we can plan to spend time with you.

Your friends,
David, Gracy, Caleb, Susanna, and Emily

"Miles and Miles" of photos...

2011-04-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

In January, we took a road trip across 2 borders for some time with Dave's mom and some meetings (see the post "Miles and miles..."). Now that our internet connection is loading photos a bit better, thought we'd show you a few scenes from our big adventure.
The first two days of driving was mostly things we'd seen before, and then highway, but the third day as we drove the final piece down to the border, we enjoyed the scenery of a more tropical climate than where we live.

We crossed through some beautiful mountains on our way down to the first border crossing-- had to give the kids some Dramamine for this ride!

About an hour before we reached the border, a stand-still traffic jam due to large trucks and narrow, curvy roads gave us the opportunity to get out and stretch our legs, and to spot probably the biggest spider I've ever seen out in the "wild"-- legs and all it was about the size of my hand, fingers outstretched!

That afternoon we successfully crossed the border and drove most of the way across our neighboring country.

It was interesting to see a glimpse of local life there and to see both the similarities and the differences in theirs and our host culture's material world.

Wish we'd had time to stop and visit--I felt a little em- barrassed hanging out the window doing drive-by shootings (photos, that is), but we were trying to make it the rest of the way across the country so we could cross the second border the next morning. So... I guess drive-by's better than nothing!

We did reach the border that night, and the next morning drove down to the river where we planned to catch the ferry across to the next country for our final leg of the journey.

Dave parked the van in this line of trucks and went to the office to handle the paperwork to get us across while we waited in the car. We watched as truck after truck passed us, loaded onto the ferry, and rode across to their destinations...

...while we sat.

Minutes turned into nearly an hour, so we went up the office to look for Dave and the bathrooms. That's when I learned the fateful news that we needed a car passport, according to a law that had been passed within the last 2 weeks (which had not yet been circulated, thus of which we were unaware).

We spent the next two hours trying several times in several ways to get permission to ferry our car across, all to no avail. During that time, I experienced a depth of helpless frustration that I don't think I've felt very often in my lifetime. After 3 days of driving, we were tired, hot, and ready to get there! We'd almost made it! The last thing we wanted to do was leave our car--our independence, our freedom, our comfort--in a strange place with strangers and carry our stuff by hand on who knows what kind of adventure--but Dad had other things in mind...

So in the afternoon, we decided to take some time to cool off (in more than one way!), eat some lunch, and think about what to do. We found this guest house a couple miles from the river...

After lunch, Dave went to the immigration office and then back to the river to see what he could work out. Meanwhile, the kids and I took a walk to see what was around.

After our walk we ended up back at the guest house to wait for Dave, where the ladies who worked there shared fresh coconut with the kids. First they enjoyed drinking the milk, and then watched as one of the ladies shredded some fresh.

In the simplicity of the moment, their kindness touched me and reminded me of what really matters.

Dave returned to let me know that we'd be leaving the car, and that we needed to sort through our things and decide what to carry onward with us. We decided to pay the guest house to watch our car for the 2 weeks we'd be gone, and then notify the immigration office just in case something happened. So off we headed, essential luggage in tow, back down to the river to ride a motorized canoe across.

The ride was short--only about 2 minutes-- but it was fun to feel the breeze on our faces, and it set the kids to squealing and giggling. Though we were sad to leave our car behind, it was a relief to finally be on our way again!

After landing and handling the appropriate paperwork to enter the country, we caught the last shuttle bus of the day and rode all the way to our final destination. The kids did great through it all, and we arrived 6 ours later, checked in, and hit the sack.

You can imagine how nice it was to wake up to a nice, quiet, green place with places to relax and playgrounds for the kids... and not have to get in the car and go anywhere! I took advantage of the scenery and the matching dresses Mom sent for the girls and did a mini-photo shoot.

We also really enjoyed having time with Dave's mom, Linda, whom we met at the airport that evening. It was a special time for all of us--we hadn't seen each other face to face since Emily was born!

It was fun to meet workers from various areas as well. The kids made some new friends too!

The next week, we went to a new location for a time of continuing education. Linda was able to join us during that time and help with our kids. During our time there, we also celebrated my 30th birthday. Family, pizza, and shopping made for a great time! =)

The day came to say our goodbyes and head back. The first day we rode the 6 hours back and arrived at the river.

Back on the other side, the kids and I enjoyed the view and the afternoon sun while Dave handled the paperwork to cross the border.

We arrived back at the guesthouse, glad to see our car, eat a good meal, and get a good night's rest before starting the drive across country to the next border.

This time we crossed during the day, and saw village after village harvesting and drying crops. Not sure what it was, but locals were carrying it on their backs and lining it to dry along the roadsides and in the fields.

Most homes were empty as the people were out working, but I did see a few ladies weaving on hand-made looms in the shade beneath their homes.

These people weren't home, so I didn't mind having Dave stop while I took a picture of their work in progress.

The border crossing that evening, as well as the next two days of driving all went smoothly. We arrived on the evening of the fourth day, reeaaallly happy to be home and sleep in our own beds again (at least for a few nights until our trip to the village for Spring Festival)!

Friends

2011-04-21T00:20:00.000-07:00

One thing we have continually asked Dad for during our time here is relationships. As we’ve mentioned before, this is not always easy when you are living in a culture that may be curious about you, but doesn’t really need you.

One thing we've learned over the course of our time here is that no matter how good our language is, no matter how interesting we may be, and no matter how cute our kids are, people don’t naturally have a lot of room for us in their lives. Their lives were basically full before we arrived - full of relationships and full of responsibilities. So for them to make room for us is a sacrifice. And for each person who is willing to make room for us and include us in their lives, we are so grateful to our Father. Some of them know him; some of them don’t. But because of the unlikelihood of these relationships developing at all, we trust that he has a plan for each one.

Tom is one such friend. Several months ago, I (David) was playing basketball with a friend who introduced him to Tom. Tom runs an English school in our city of residence. He studied in the US for 3 years and also spent a year working with chemicals in Germany. During his time in the US, he came into contact with several believing families who were kind to him. He even attended services with them. Though he doesn’t think our faith is for him, he feels a responsibility to repay the kindness he was shown while living abroad.

We thank Dad for providing a friend such as this. I help by teaching at his school and Tom helps by giving advice and helping us get things done. When there is free time, we hang out together, like this time when he took us and some of the other teachers at the English school to a little farm outside town.

Locals go there to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet, to play mahjong, and to eat a healthy meal.

They grow their own vegetables and raise their own meat there (pigs, ducks, fish, etc.), so everything they serve is fresh and organic.

We enjoyed our time there with our friends. Thank the Father with us for his involvement in our lives.

The real thing

2011-04-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

Wow--we've been MIA on our blog for the last couple of months!!! Guess time flies when you're busy... =)

So just last week we finished our language and culture evaluations, and... drum-roll please... we are now finished with formal studies of the national language and culture here!!! Woohoo! It's been a long hard haul, but we're to the end, and very grateful for those here who've helped us along, befriended us, and encouraged us along the way. And above all, grateful to our Father who gives us the desire and the ability to do all that He asks us to do!

Sooo.... we now have exactly 3 weeks (THREE WEEKS!!!) left before we on a plane to the States for a visit. We just got the boxes out and began the sorting/packing process today. We'll be putting most of our things into storage in a friend's garage here for when we come back. A few things we'll take to America, and the rest we'll get rid of (the great advantage of moving--the opportunity to simplify!)

So in light of our upcoming transition, lately I've been taking more photos of things in our lives here that we'll miss while we're gone. One of those things is noodles. Breakfast, lunch or dinner--doesn't matter what time it is, someone here is eating noodles. When we first came I could hardly stand even a few bites. But they're as much a part of local life as rice, so we figured we better get used to them. Now three and a half years later, we eat them regularly and crave them when we haven't had them in a few days. Funny how things change!

So we were out the other night and walked down this alley in an older part of town so we could have dinner at a little hole in the wall noodle shop we've been to a few times.

The owners are Muslim and make the noodles fresh for each order. Go to an American Chinese restaurant and they'll likely have "la mein" on the menu. Maybe it's one of your favorites. Well, here's a little glimpse of the real thing in the making...

Locals call them "la mian". "La" means pull, and "mian" means wheat noodle. They boil in the broth for a few short minutes, and then are served with a bit of meat in a huge bowl. (This is an order for one person...)
You can add a variety of condiments to your noodles... fresh chives, cilantro, mint, peppercorns, MSG, salt, vinegar, red pepper, white pepper, pickled cabbage, soy sauce, garlic...

...or leave it plain like our kids do.

Mmmmm.... good to the last drop! =) We'll miss it while we're gone!

Miles and miles...

2011-02-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Are we really halfway through February already?!?
I'm still writing '10 on things...

Anyway, January can be described in one word for us--TRAVELING! We left at the beginning of the month to make a 4 day road trip (are we insane?!) to spend a week with Dave's mom in a "nearby" country =) before launching into a continuing education seminar that was there as well. The road trip was quite an adventure! We got to see alot, have alot of "family time" =) and learned alot about how to be flexible in unexpected situations... The trip itinerary involved:

Day 1: driving to the bigger city
Day 2: driving almost to the first border
Day 3: driving across the first border and across the country
Day 4: riding a ferry across a river, crossing the border into the next country, and then driving part-way across that country to our final destination

Days 1, 2, and 3 went as planned, but Day 4 we hit a snag when we tried to leave that country and cross the river. They said they had a new law (passed within the last week) that we had to have a passport for our car, which we did not have of course, since we didn't know about the new law. So... after many hours spent trying in many ways to get permission to take our car across on the ferry (which has been done many times by many other people in the past!), we paid a guest house to let us park our car there for 2 weeks, carried our essential luggage down the hill to the river (leaving the rest in our van and asking Dad all the while to protect it all while we were away!), rode across in a motorized canoe, crossed over into the other country, went through customs, and got on the last mini-bus out to ride 6 hours to our final destination.

Needless to say, though we were sad to leave our car, we were glad to arrive safely and begin our time with Dave's mom, whom we hadn't seen since Emily's birth 2 years ago. We all got lots of quality time with her and treasured our time there!

Our week of continuing education was helpful and encouraging, and Dave's mom got to be there with us through that week as well. I had a very special birthday there too, and have now entered a more "mature"-sounding age (which will remain nameless!). We started into our 4 day return adventure with renewed vision, refreshed and thankful for our sustaining Father who gives us both the desire and the ability to do all that he has planned for us.

The trip home was smooth--and our car was just as we'd left it! We were glad to see home again, if only for a few days... just long enough to do some laundry, rest a bit, and re-pack for a week at a brother's village to celebrate Spring Festival with him and his family.

But we'll save that for the next post... =)

2010

2011-01-02T21:03:00.001-08:00

Just another day in the park...

2010-12-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

I'm always amazed at the variety of hobbies and activities going on at the park on any typical day... flying kites, playing cards and checkers and chess and majong, playing instruments, singing, dancing, exercising, studying, sleeping, knitting, selling all kinds things, and more. Here, the park is not just a place, it's a rich cultural center full of life and opportunity for connection and relationships.

Dancing is especially popular in the mornings and evenings...

(Can you find David?)

These folks are selling locally grown medicine--an interesting variety of roots, dried plants...

and other ingredients for home remedies...

No matter what season, the park functions as the old folks' home, the playground, the gym, the dance studio, the music hall, and everyone's backyard. No matter whether you're looking for a home remedy or religious consultation, a date or a good workout, a glance at your future with the fortune teller or a new front tooth, you can find it all right there in the park.

The other day we were out with Caleb and this monk was selling "blessed" prayer beads. People would choose the trinket they wanted and then wait while he sang and chanted over it...

We also saw this guy, who was selling hand-made spinning tops...

and this little guy...

who thought Caleb was almost as interesting as the tops were...

Loss and Life

2010-12-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we said goodbye to our helper (again!) -- you may remember the one whose wedding we went to during the summer. After her wedding she started working for us again, until just a few weeks ago when she needed to quit work to get ready for her baby due in February.

One Saturday while she was with us, she took us to her hometown, and we were able to meet her parents and see where she grew up.

At that time, the rice (behind us) was a few weeks away from harvesting. Her dad had just purchased a machine that would help them process the rice, and he was carrying it back from the market as we were arriving, so the kids got to ride the rest of the way on the ox cart.

We followed them up the hill to her childhood home, where her parents live...

Inside the center room was the traditional alter where they offer food, alcohol, and incense to their ancestors...

We enjoyed meeting them and getting a glimpse into their lives, as well as the opportunity to get to know our helper better.

She was also with us through my parents' visit a few weeks back and acted as our guide when we went on a day trip to a nearby market town.

While she worked for us, I talked with her about life and important things, and found within her seeds of trust. But neither she nor I knew how that trust would come to be tested in such a difficult way.

Last Friday I got a phone call and found out that she--seven months along--had lost the baby. Because of the nature of the culture here, it was innappropriate to ask too many questions about what happened; I just know that she became ill and when she went to the hospital for treatment, the doctors said the baby wasn't healthy anymore.

She was out of the hospital in a few days, and culture requires a month-long period of "sitting in" (staying inside) after a pregnancy, so I went with a friend to see her.

With a heart for counseling and a great big love for my friend, it was very difficult for me to sit with her and not talk or cry together with her about her tragedy. For me, talking is sharing--sharing feelings, sharing burdens, sharing love and support and care. And crying is grieving--grieving the loss of hopes and a little one who'll never be known.

But for her, being together is sharing feelings and burdens and love and care; and in just sitting quietly together, there is grieving over the loss of things loved and hoped for.

Though we didn't talk about her baby, we did talk about the baby that was born 2000 years ago, whose birth we will celebrate soon. And as we read and sang and turned our hearts together toward him, I believe that in spite of the loss, in spite of the pain--perhaps even through it--those seeds of trust grew.

Thanks for continuing to remember my friend, for healing of body and heart and soul. Perhaps one day, somewhere else, you'll have a chance to meet her...

Big Man!

2010-12-10T23:26:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe, but our firstborn is now 6 years old! Looking at pictures from even just a year ago, it's clear how fast he's growing up! One of the most enjoyable parts of being a parent is getting to know your child's personality and interests, talents and unique characteristics as they grow older, and this is certainly true with Caleb. He's always been a playful, social, loving, energetic little guy, but most of all, curious. He's always thinking, always wondering, always wanting to know more, always asking questions. "What's faster than a millisecond?" "How do you make a bomb?" "How do you know where to dig a well if you can't see the water underground?" "How many hundreds are in 17 million?" "What's stronger, rock or metal?" He keeps us on our toes sometimes!

So to celebrate the six years we've had him with us, first his grandparents were here a few days before his birthday and enjoyed giving his gifts to him in person...

...and Caleb enjoyed receiving his gifts in person!

On his birthday, we had a family time of celebrating him and giving gifts and cards...

...and that evening we had his friends (of all ages!) over to play and eat cake.

Emily enjoyed the watermelon most of all!

Here's the birthday boy!

He wanted creepy crawlies on his cake, so that's what he got!

Here's a little clip of the birthday song...

Next year, we'll have to start singing faster! =)

We love you, buddy!

Culture event

2010-10-31T23:19:00.000-07:00

Recently, while out on the road with a friend, we came upon a large gathering of people on the side of the road. We decided to stop and investigate. My friend pointed out it looked like a traditional funeral procession to the grave site. The attendants welcomed us to tag along, so we did.

Below are a progression of video clips documenting what we saw.

Funeral Procession @ Yahoo! Video
We followed these men for about a half an hour to the burial site. Along the way we asked some questions to understand the situation better. Apparently, by the roadside, several villages had gathered to observe the occasion. But only the men from a couple of those villages attended the actual burial (along with the wife and daughter of the deceased).

Burial Site @ Yahoo! Video
When we arrived at the burial site, we discovered the grave had not yet been dug. Apparently, burials in this area are a day long event. They said after they finished they would have a feast in the evening. In fact, a friend we met at the site called me later that night in high spirits, inviting me to attend.

Burial Rites @ Yahoo! Video
At one point during the ceremony, this gentleman used uncooked rice to essentially write words in the grave's bottom. They then placed a chicken in the bottom of the grave. They explained that if the chicken was willing to eat the rice, then the place chosen for burial was appropriate.

Burial Rites 2 @ Yahoo! Video
Finally, they lowered the coffin into the ground and began to fill it in. They added a headstone before covering the entire grave with earth. The whole process took several hours. From what I understand, the actual burial is important for two reasons. First, you want to ensure that your loved one is comfortable in the afterlife. Second, you want to make sure they don't bring you trouble from beyond the grave by upsetting them.

Choosing a Fitting Analogy

2010-10-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

Analogies can be very helpful when it comes to understanding our role in a project. For instance, do you see yourself as out in front or behind the scenes? Are you a trail blazer or a team player? Sometimes an appropriate analogy can help you think clearly about the present and plan for the future.

The analogy I have been thinking about for this season is that of being on an expedition. In a race, the goal is to get from point A to point B faster than any of the other contestants. An expedition is not about speed but success (and in some cases, survival). Here are some of the more crucial elements of an expedition:

Planning - This is a season to do your homework. You hunt for relevant resources that will help you to prepare well (materials, people, etc.). Once you feel you understand the situation as best you can, you decide what steps you will take to move forward toward your goal.

Execution - You begin taking the steps outlined in your preliminary plan. You will want to find some way to document these steps in order to effectively incorporate the next two crucial elements.

Evaluation - You must regularly evaluate your progress. Are your planning and execution moving you toward your goal. If not, is there a problem in your planning and/or execution?

Adjustment - As a result of your evaluation, what adjustments need to be made in your planning and execution in order for you to reach your end goal.

Being a bit of a driven person, it is helpful for me to think of our work in this way. In a race, sprinting toward the finish line can be entirely appropriate. During an expedition, intentional plodding is preferable. Both inaction and rash action can take you off course. Teamwork is also an essential element of a successful expedition.

Ask for wisdom for us as we continue to engage in this process.

Small Business

2010-10-13T04:56:00.001-07:00

Small Business @ Yahoo! Video
Recently, Caleb and I went to a nearby small town on market day. Once a week in towns like this, people come from all around the area to buy and sell (some folks may walk 3-4 hours just to participate!). A new acquaintance welcomed us to hang around his truck as he sold daily necessities to locals. This is a video of the perspective Caleb and I had while sitting in his truck during peak selling time. A customer is haggling with him over price. He says he deals fairly with people and indeed seems to have a good rapport with his customers.

From stories to life

2010-09-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago while the students were on break, we went with friends to visit one of our girls from the English corner. I love rural traffic...

We arrived mid-morning at her family's place, where my friend (beside me), two of her cousins, (beside her) and her younger brother (with Caleb below) met us outside the gate to their home.

Inside the courtyard, after we began getting acquainted with her family, the kids of course began getting acquainted with the creatures.

Susanna was too chicken to hold the baby chicken--afraid it would jump out of her hands. But she liked to admire it. =)

Caleb on the other hand, loved holding it.

Meanwhile, Emily soaked in the attention, too. I love this part of culture--people here love children and treat them like their own. I never have to worry about my kids when there are other ladies around--there's such a communal aspect about life here. As the saying goes, "It takes a village..."

Anyway, after brunch, we took a walk. Emily was ready, bottle in tow. Ironically, she doesn't get much of a workout when she goes for a "walk" in the village, but Daddy sure does.

Susanna noticed this, and quickly found a ride as well.

The water buffalo kept us in good company on our walk. Our friend's cousin was taking him out to feed, so the kids hopped on for a ride.

Susanna stayed on for all of 5 seconds before she decided she'd had enough water-buffalo-riding adventures.

Caleb thoroughly enjoyed himself, however, and rode for quite a while, until the water buffalo stepped up to get a better bite of something... at which point Caleb slid off into the mud, a little dirtier than before, but unharmed nonetheless. =)

In addition to a water buffalo ride, the walk afforded us the chance to see more of our friend's homeplace, the community where she grew up, and the farmland where she and her loved ones have spent countless hours toiling in the sun to keep food on the table and a good future on the horizon for her and her brother and sister.

Over the time I've known her, she's shared many stories with me about her childhood, her family, her home, and being there with her was like bringing those stories to life...

She's lived in this area since she was born. The house we visited is the one her family moved to when she was nine years old--what turned out to be a life-changing time for her.

Shortly after her family moved to this home, during her third grade year, the power line running just along the road here fell on her as she was on her way home from school. She was electrocuted, resulting in damage mainly to her wrist and hand, where the electricity exited. She had several surgeries, for some of which she was unable to undergo anesthesia because of complications. She told me of how during one such surgery, the doctor was cutting away some damaged bone, and as the pain grew unbearable, her father began telling her the story of a national hero. As she listened, she forgot about her pain enough to endure until the surgeon was finished.

I was glad to be able to meet her father, knowing how much he means to her. This was how I first saw him...

He was carrying a load of cornstalks back to feed the water buffalo. Later, as we talked with him during the meal, it was evident how proud he is of his daughter, and how much he loves her.

Another place where the stories came to life was her elementary school. As a result of the accident, her right arm was rendered unusable, and she had to learn how to do everything with her left hand. She was in the third grade that year, and she told us how patient and helpful her teacher was as she learned how to write and struggled to keep up with the load.

This is the school she attended,

and this was her third grade classroom, still in use today.

I sat in the desk that had been hers--the last desk in the back left corner--and looking up at the podium imagined what it must have been like for her, a nine year old girl learning to overcome, growing and dreaming of what someday might bring.

As we passed by this mountain near her home, the story of her grandfather's funeral came to life as she shared that he was buried at the tallest point. When I began studying about funerals last year, she shared with me all about her grandfather's passing two years ago, and all the traditions surrounding it. I could just picture her in the long line of family members and friends as they clasped hands and climbed single file behind the casket up the mountain, stopping at different places along the way to sing as the village leader performed certain activities to determine where the grave should be. Every spring her family climbs up to his grave for Tomb Sweeping Festival to honor him by cleaning his grave, offering him food and wine, and burning paper money and other things for him to use in the afterlife.

This is the bride he left behind--84 now. Being with her reminded me of my own precious grandmothers, both of whom have gone home since I've been here in Asia.

It was nice to hold a grandma's hand again for a little while and have my kids experience that aged love that comes from one who's lost and knows how precious life is.

As we ate dinner that evening, I couldn't help but smile as I looked over at Emily's neighbor...

Not sure what Emily thought about it ("Don't eat my head" maybe? =) Being a farming family's most valuable possession, the water buffalo gets a room right inside the house rather than risk being kept outside and getting stolen.

So there he is, right next to the couch. =)

He ate dinner right alongside us, but I think he got a little spoiled... Caleb hand-fed him stalks until every last bit was gone!

As we ate, my appreciation for my friend's mom grew all the more as I thought of what it must be like to live with a water buffalo.

As I interacted with her and watched her throughout the day, cooking and looking after us, I was moved by a deep appreciation for her and the millions of others like her-- hard-working people doing life without conveniences, caring for their families and responsibilities come rain or shine.

I also thought about what it must have been like for her the day she came home and tripped over something in the doorway...
As is usual for children in the village, when our friend was about seven, she became responsible for cooking the evening meals for her family after school while they worked in the fields until sundown. This particular evening, as she'd finished cooking and the sky began to grow darker, rather than sit inside in the darkening house, she sat outside beside the door to wait for her parents to return. Soon she was fast asleep and fell across the doorway.
Meanwhile her mom and the water buffalo arrived home, and as usual her mom drove the buffalo into the house first. As she followed him in, she stumbled over something. Looking down, she realized it was her own little girl. Amazingly, she was unharmed and still asleep!
My friend said that when the buffalo reached her, he had most likely smelled her familiar scent and thus stepped carefully over her to enter the house.

As we returned home that evening, I was sad to leave, maybe because I felt part of her family, at least for a day. She has shared many other stories with me of her parents' love, how they've cared for her, supported and believed in her, and helped her go to college. Family relationships are strong here, and it was neat to get a glimpse of hers during our trip.

She is part of the bigger family too, and is learning and growing in that most important relationship. None of her relatives are, however, and she has shared with them but so far there is much they don't understand. I'm so thankful to be her friend; thanks for joining us in thinking of her and her family.

A little catching up

2010-09-19T00:41:00.000-07:00

So, what have we been up to lately? Well, summer was good--the kids were out of school and they enjoyed the freedom to play with friends out in the neighborhood during the day more. (Usually if they see their friends during the week, it's at night--most kids' school schedules are fairly rigorous with lots of homework). We continued our language and culture studies with private tutors, though we had a more flexible schedule with classes being out. So we were able to take trips and have adventures, meeting new friends, visiting, and seeing life in different places.
Fall is here now, and we are into the swing of the new routine. Classes started back two weeks ago, and the kids resumed their 3 mornings a week at the local preschool schedule, and we're into a new homeschool schedule as well. Caleb is five; he'll be six in a month, so he's officially starting Kindergarten this year. Susanna's is doing some preschool activities with me each day. And Emily benefits from it all as she toddles around while we learn. Homeschool usually happens on the mornings they're not in local school, as well as every afternoon.
I've been taking classes this semester instead of Dave, so that's been a change of language learning scenery for me. I like it--I have 3 two hour classes a week, and only one other classmate, so it's a good set-up for more personal interaction/conversation. I like my teacher, and it's a course that emphasizes reading comprehension and culture, so I'm really enjoying it. Dave's still studying too, with private tutors 3 times a week, as well as working on other things related to our life here.
Our friends who came 3 months ago have settled in nicely, with growing friendships and beginning language ability and cultural understanding. We still get together regularly to consult about language and culture learning among other things, but they are now able to depend mostly on local friends (who can speak some English =) for social interaction and whatever needs they may have. It's neat to see our local friends take them under their wings and care about and befriend them. And it's been fun to remember our first months here and be thankful anew at the many people and experiences that helped further us along in our own journey.
Another aspect of life is that we have a part time house helper now. (Over the last several months we've had several who've come and gone for various reasons). This is the girl whose wedding we went to a while back. She had to quit work while she prepared for the wedding, but now she's back and we're so thankful to have her. It's wonderful for me and the kids to have a local friend in our home who we can talk with and share our lives with, who helps us and cares about us as well. She is a very gentle, sweet spirit and she's on the journey toward our Dad. We are trusting for more good conversations with her, and that our family can pour his love to her each day.
So, what's daily life like for us? Well, it's usually learning in the morning (kids either in school or homeschooling, and us either self studying or in class), homeschooling and doing other work in the afternoons, and then having family time out interacting with people in the community in the evenings--either in our neighborhood, at the parks and town squares, or with friends in various environments. It's always fun to take a family walk, drop in for a visit with friends, or play at the park and make new ones. When we're out we always run into people we know--one of the advantages of living in a smaller city. Being with people is the lifeblood of our work here; so the evenings are always our favorite time of day.
So that's life on the surface.
Under the surface where values and goals and ambitions lie, as we wrote in a recent email update, there's still an undercurrent of feeling in-between. It helps to keep plowing away towards finishing what we've been working at for this season. We have some really neat friends here, and love the times we spend with people. Now we are reaping the benefits of spending so much time and effort to break through the language and culture barrier. We're not exactly "insiders" now, but it really is a blessing to be able connect with people through their "heart" language, and more than that, to be able to understand more and more their "heart" perspective.
But as we also work on things to prepare for the next season, I must confess my heart sometimes has a hard time staying in today. We've looked forward for a long time to the day when we are in the place where we're going to plant long term, and as we draw closer to that time, it's easy to only "look forward to" and not put our hearts fully into what's right now. As a friend of ours like to say, "Wherever I'm at, that's where I am." So that's what Dad's been reminding me of as I go through each day.

Traditional architecture

2010-09-14T19:12:00.001-07:00

Traditional Zhuang architecture @ Yahoo! Video

Beating Soybeans

2010-09-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Beating Soybeans @ Yahoo! Video

These ladies gave us a demonstration of how they shake soybeans loose in order to make them into tofu for their families to consume.

Reality Check

2010-08-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

The past four weeks, I have had the opportunity to do a bit of sharing. I looked over some material I had written (in English) to help me prepare. I remember when I wrote these messages. I remember carefully choosing each word to express with pinpoint accuracy exactly what I wanted to. As authors know, a well-chosen word is worth its weight in gold when it comes to expressing meaning. What happens when you have to translate your carefully chosen words and examples into another language (and culture!). I took a translated message to my tutor yesterday that I had labored over for several hours, expecting him to be wowed by my profound insight. Unfortunately, at key moments in the message he would say, "I'm not sure of your meaning here." At this moment, I painfully understood the meaning of the phrase lost in translation. Fortunately, after an hour of laborious editing, the message will now do a better job of communicating.

Wedding

2010-08-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, we had the privilege of getting to know one of the most gentle, sweet spirited girls I've met since we've been here. She worked for us as our house helper for a few weeks, until she began making plans for her wedding. She was married on Saturday here in town at her new husband's home.

Here she is... beautiful in her red dress--traditional color for an Asian bride.

Her hair was awesome...

The happy couple...

The wedding was simple but lively--lots of guests and lots of good food!

Each table had the same group of dishes... spicy rice noodles, chicken and carrot soup, tofu, spring beans, pig ear and melon soup, cashews, salted pork, fried ribs, cabbage wraps, roasted pork, and a few other things in addition to the spicy dipping sauce. The pink bag contained several hard boiled eggs--a tradition for weddings and birthdays.

Takes alot of rice to feed that many people!

This little boy is giving the groom a red envelop with money in it--the traditional gift for special occasions. The giving and receiving are done with both hands as a sign of respect.

This is the "flower" car-- they'd spent most of the day riding around the city in it with their bridesmaids and grooms men. Everyone knows a flower car means someone's getting married!

Graduation Performance

2010-08-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Before the semester ended, we had the privilege of being part of the graduation performance for the national language department at the college. It was a great honor for David to be asked to be one of the four MC's for the night. They rented tuxes and formals for the occasion, and Dave spent the few days before memorizing his lines and practicing for the big night. He's still as handsome as the day I married him! =)

Here's a clip of him in action...

David, MC @ Yahoo! Video

There were many different performances--some traditional dancing, some singing, some playing instruments, some skits, and more. It was a display of talent as well as a celebration to honor the graduating class.

Later in the show, Dave and I performed a traditional Asian love song... It was fun to sing together, but nerve-racking in front of such a big audience! =)

Food, friends, and fun

2010-08-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

We've had alot of fun in the last few months getting to know the some of the students at the college. The English corner opened alot of doors for us to meet more people and we've enjoyed giving them a place to hang out while they're away from home.

I think they get tired of the dormitory and the cafeteria food (usually 6-8 people share a dorm room)... so they come to our place sometimes for fun and a good home-cooked meal. Funny thing is I hardly have to do a thing... the girls really love cooking and appreciate the chance to use my kitchen. Works great for me! Most of them grew up in the village and many from the age of 6 or 7 were responsible for cooking and having the meal ready for their parents when they returned in the evenings from working in the fields.

There's nothing like a kitchen full of women cooking and chatting and enjoying being together...

Good food in the making @ Yahoo! Video

Funny, you know the saying about too many cooks in the kitchen? Well, in the video, they were "discussing" how they were going to cook the dish... =)

Must have turned out good, cause we ate it all up!

The kids love it when the students are over, too. They have tons of "aunties and uncles" to play with and keep them entertained.

Fun with the students @ Yahoo! Video

Pretty lively!

The semester ended a few weeks ago, and many of the students are now home for the summer, visiting family, so our English corner is on hold for now, and our house is not quite so lively. Looking forward to September!

Visit with friends

2010-08-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we visited some friends outside of the city.

Dave and I learned a few of their words (their language is mutually unintelligible with the national language) and enjoyed hearing and trying to make sounds that we haven't attempted since language school.

The kids enjoyed themselves as usual--especially the vast array of creatures that are always plentiful in the village.

The piglets got alot of attention; they were so cute! Only a few weeks old.

This little chicken also got alot of lovin' while we were there.

Emily got alot of lovin', too, and enjoyed every minute of it!

Though we enjoyed visiting and playing with the kids, we couldn't ignore the weight of concern on our friends' minds and hearts. We've recently entered rainy season here, and have had some pretty heavy downfalls at times. The drive along the way showed a little bit of green, and there's been enough moisture for the last couple of months to keep some things going, but not enough for our friends here. All of the crops they grow to sell for the year's income--corn, tobacco, and peppers--have already dried up and died. The are living on the few things they were able to grow, the animals and livestock, and the dried corn (for meal and for trading) that they saved from last year's harvest. Just a few days after we left, several of the men left to look for work in a large city nearly 20 hours away. They will spend the rest of the year away from home, likely doing construction, working on roads, or in mines in order to earn enough money to get by until they can return home in the spring to plant next year's crops.
It has been a very stretching time for the few family members there as they experience the difficulty of these times. We talked and shared and asked dad to encourage them. Please join us in thinking of them, that in spite of the circumstances, their roots would grow down deep into their source, so that no matter what comes, they will remain strong in him.

The privilege of giving

2010-07-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks back we had the privilege of visiting a local orphanage. There were about 20 infants, 15 babies, and 30 toddlers and children. The kids were well-taken care of and the facilities were good. The government has even provided for several babies with hair lips and minor deformities to have corrective surgeries to improve their chances of being adopted. Pretty much all of the babies there had been sold at birth and then found by the police.

Many of the older children had significant needs, and really soaked in the attention and affection. I can still feel the arms around my neck and the little hands in mine, see the shy smiles and hear the laughter of children who never take love for granted.

Being there was unforgettable. David recently wrote about the power of the uninvolved person, how selfless actions can carry enormous importance to those on the receiving end. Yet it's always amazing to me how moving it is to be the uninvolved person. There is something supernatural that happens within you when you give unsolicited... an incredible surge of love wells up and pours forth, and in those moments, nothing matters but reaching out and caring for the needs of, and in doing so, touching the hearts of, those you are serving.

And that's when you know that you are receiving far more than you are giving...

I hope you have a chance to do something like that for someone today. It's what Life is all about.

Out with friends

2010-07-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

Recently we went with our neighbors and their friends on a weekend to a local hot springs for a day of swimming and fun in the sun...unfortunately we didn't have sunscreen so the kids had a little too much sun (we were there from 10 am to 5 pm!)

Our friends brought their own grill (local style grill, that is--metal frame with a grill top and some charcoal underneath) and looooots of fresh vegetables and meat.

Throughout the course of the day we ate, talked, swam, ate, played cards, swam, talked, and ate some more. The kids had a great time--they are turning into little fish!

It was a fun time getting to know our neighbors and their friends better.

Thanks for thinking of us as we continue building a relationship with this family.

The power of the uninvolved person

2010-07-06T23:44:00.000-07:00

Today feeling a bit pensive. Please indulge my ramblings for the next couple of paragraphs :)

Why is it so powerful when someone not directly involved takes an interest? Why does it mean so much? The love of a parent moves us, but the love of the uninvolved person challenges us. When questioned, the "Good Samaritan" simply says something to the effect of, "It was the right thing to do."

Holding the door, carrying something heavy for someone, a warm smile, a sensitive question in response to a downcast look. Each of these actions can carry enormous importance to those on the receiving end.

At times during our individual journeys, the involved people let us down. We let them down. This can quickly degrade into score-keeping and measured expressions of love (in proportion to the love we have received). But the uninvolved person, as with the Good Samaritan, challenges this system.

When the one with little or no "ought" comes through, his selfless act moves us to give in a way that nothing else can.

Look for a way this week to be the uninvolved person who acts. Please email me your experiences. I'd love to read them. Have a good week!

Neighborhood Buddies

2010-06-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

It's been fun to see our kids grow over the last several months in their language ability as well as their comfort level here as they frequently interact with their neighborhood friends. There are several children in the neighborhood, many of them boys, and they roam together within our complex doing the things boys love to do--playing with sticks, climbing trees, catching tadpoles, riding scooters and such.

They seem to be pretty good boys, and have welcomed Caleb into the group. We've been able to meet many of their grandparents, as most of them live with and are primarily cared for by their grandmothers.

Susanna has found some friends too--this little girl lives in the next building over and is also three. They have a great time talking, playing dress-up, and giggling at Caleb's silly antics. They gave the kids minority outfits and Susanna's matches her friend's.

Her mom brings her over often in the evenings to play, and we have a good time chatting, watching the kids play, and getting to know each other better. The other night she was teaching Caleb how to write a few words.

This is a little girl who's been coming over to play since we moved here. She's five and has been a good little friend for Caleb and Susanna. She recently got 3 rabbits, so the kids have loved that-- it's temporarily warding off the begging for a pet! She lives with her adopted mom, who is a nurse, and whose husband works in another city through the week doing construction. Her mom works hard and has high hopes for our little friend, taking her to extra classes and teaching her at night so that she might have a chance to study abroad one day. The kids don't get to see her as much as some kids because of her study schedule, but when they do, they have a good time!

Emily isn't without her little friends too. This little boy is only a month older than Emily, and his nanny often drops by with him to play and chat.

During this visit, Susanna found that she and her auntie share a love for painting.

I've enjoyed spending time with them and really appreciate the friendship. I haven't seen them lately though, because they and the boy's mom had to move to a relative's home a couple of weeks ago because of domestic violence. Please be thinking about this family as they deal with this painful issue.

We're so thankful for these developing friendships, not just for our kids, but for us too. Thanks for lifting us up as we seek to make a difference here in our neighborhood.

Name that tune...

2010-06-05T23:52:00.003-07:00

Name that Tune @ Yahoo! Video

Emily Walking !!!

2010-06-03T05:46:00.003-07:00

Emily beginning to Walk @ Yahoo! Video

New places, new friends

2010-05-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a few scenes from our last couple of trips out of the city...

Recently we have had some rainfall after several months of severe drought. Many farmers have left rural areas to find work in the cities. In some areas, those who stayed behind to farm were given plastic by the local government to cover the ground they plant so that more moisture is retained in the soil. Their crops will likely yield only enough to feed themselves this year. We are already experiencing the effects of the drought as the prices of rice and produce are rising.

Selling wood at the weekly market...

Caleb in the entrance of the courtyard...

Catching grasshoppers

New faces...

...soon become new friends...

While the pictures portray the kids interacting and having fun together, what they can't communicate is the strength and courage and effort it has taken for them to get to this point--the point of being able to walk into a brand new place as strangers, the first foreigners these people have ever seen, and talk to them, join in with what they're doing, and connect with them. These pictures are preceded by a long road of going into uncomfortable situations, feeling scared and intimidated and uncertain. Long ago our kids began adjusting to the fact that we aren't going to choose friends based on whom we like or are naturally drawn to--by his grace we are going to befriend whomever we are with. Thanks be to the one who gives us both the desire and the ability to do these things.

For a good cause ...

2010-04-29T20:17:00.001-07:00

Recently, I went to a local park in the afternoon to review some materials. At all times of day, people are out milling about, chatting, playing cards, or just relaxing. As soon as I sat down on the grass, a young man approached me and explained that he was a student at a school that trains hairdressers/barbers. He asked if I wanted a free hair wash. He insisted that it would be a big help to him and the other students.

He led me to their school and into their "classroom." After that he took a tiny bottle of water and squirted a bit into my hair and then directly applied that shampoo (I learned later that this is a technique, not an indication that they have a shortage of water) : ). After they washed my hair, they blow-dried it. And this is how it turned out.

Emily almost didn't recognize me. I rode home on my electric bicycle as fast as I could, pleading that I wouldn't see anyone I knew. Sure enough, I bumped into one of my teachers and had to explain why my hair looked the way it did. At least my family had a good laugh about it!

Wheels

2010-04-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I decided it was time to expand our transportation options. It was time to get a local driver's license. Over here it is not a straight swap. You don't need to do a road test, but you do need to take a written test. The written test has a question bank of 1,500 possible questions of which 100 are chosen at random. You must score 90+ to qualify. To further complicate matters, where we live the driver's test is not available in English, only in the local language. There is also a time limit!

After a couple of tries here, I decided to travel to a larger city where the test is available in English. After working through a bit of red tape to qualify to take the test there, I did take it and passed.

After returning home, we began to do a bit of car shopping. We settled on one of the mini, mini-vans they sell here. These vehicles are often used as village-to-city taxis by local farmers, so we blend in really well!

A little over a week ago we went to a bigger city (with lower prices) and made our purchase....

We've already put it to good use, taking some friends out to visit and encourage, and are planning to make another trip outside of the city tomorrow.

English Corner

2010-04-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

We had our second English corner here Saturday night, and 15 came this time--full living room!

Students here focus a lot on written English and rote memorization in order to pass their examinations, so when they try to have a real conversation, they often become embarrassed and give up. They seem to be enjoying the opportunity to interact with us and practice speaking.
This past week's topics were daily schedules and job interviews. These two students are doing a role play of an interview.

Tomorrow will be our third English corner--topic is movies and music. Should be fun!

Where are you going, Pop?

2010-04-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

(Skype conversation that occurred a couple of weeks ago between Gracy, her dad, and Susanna...)

Me: "Susanna, did you know Pop's going on a trip soon? Why don't you ask him where he's going?"
Susanna: "Where are you going, Pop?"
Dad: "I'm going to a far away place called Haiti, to try and help some people get clean water to drink."
Susanna (turns to me and says): "Mom, he's gon' go find Katie."

Lately

2010-04-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update you on our activities of late...
One exciting development is that we have started an English corner at our house. The first one was last Saturday evening--we invited students that we've met who attend the college. All of them came and some brought friends, so we had 11 students come. Most of the students are English majors and hope to teach English in the local public schools after they graduate. Right now their opportunities for practicing English with native English speakers are very few, so we thought since we live across the road from the college, we could provide a comfortable environment for them to come practice with us. Each time we meet we'll have discussion, games, and skits all centered around the topic of the evening. Then David and I will do a voice recording of a dialogue about the topic, discuss the recording together, and then send it home with them for them to listen to for more practice. We hope it will be helpful for them, as well as comfortable and enjoyable. This past week at least was fun... the kids were ready for bed when the students began arriving, so they had fun meeting our friends and showing them their room and toys, etc. The "aunties" enjoyed reading to and talking with the kids, and singing them bedtime songs. Then some of the girls helped me finish baking cookies before we got started. The topic of the evening was "Learning a Second Language" and we talked about things that are helpful, frustrating, difficult, etc. It's fun to have a mutual understanding with them in this area! Anyway, we're really hoping to deepen our friendships with these young students and have an impact on their lives, so be thinking with us about that!
Another happening of late is that David got his driver's license (which was quite an accomplishment!--Go Dave!) and this past weekend we bought a van! We'd been really considering this for a while, and are excited about being able to more easily visit new places and get to know about the situations and opportunities that are around us. We're going this weekend with a friend to a nearby village and looking forward to what comes out of our time spent there. Thanks for remembering us as we get out and about more.. and ask for safety as we go! =)

Someone else had a birthday too...

2010-03-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

On March 14th, we pulled out the birthday hat, candles, and balloons again as Susanna turned three. Susanna was very excited--she loves birthdays, and had been counting down the days for quite a while!

Susanna' is three! @ Yahoo! Video

Again just a simple family party made the day very special for us all. Throughout the morning and lunchtime, we played games, looked at pictures and videos of her life, talked about our favorite memories with her and told her things we love about her.
Then after naps it was time for cake (strawberries are her favorite!)...

... and presents!!! She'd been waiting for quite some time to open gifts that had come in previous packages from grandparents and aunts and uncles, so she was pretty excited when gift time came!

She was still happy to share her new dolls with her sister, who was very appreciative, as you can see in this video. (Emily is saying "thank you" and Susanna is saying "You're welcome" in the local language.)

S's bday--Thank you! @ Yahoo! Video

Caleb had a gift for her too--a card he made.

She loved it, of course!

We still never take a moment with her for granted. She is so healthy now, so happy and vibrant and precious. She brims with laughter and loves easily, and we are so thankful for our sunshine Susanna.

One!

2010-03-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

In the excitement and flurry of returning from traveling and then getting ready for Spring Festival, Emily turned the big O-N-E. So after dinner on her birthday we had a little party for her, sang happy birthday and had banana muffins (bananas are her FAVorite!) together.

Here's a couple of little clips of the birthday excitement.

Happy 1st bday to Emily @ Yahoo! Video

Emily is one @ Yahoo! Video

Then she opened her gifts (with a little help from Caleb and Susanna!)

It was a fun day for our family, remembering her birth, celebrating her life and enjoying all of the precious things that make her her...

Her dimple and her birthmark, the way her hair curls in the back, the look of focus in her eyes when she's trying to do something new...

Her toothy grin and the way she wrinkles her nose when she's giving a playful smile...

The way she hears music in the sound of a car alarm, and dances even to the rhythm of a hammer driving in a nail!
The sound of her sweet voice as she says "I-lah-yu", her chubby little hand as it blows us a kiss or waves goodbye, and the way she crosses her feet when she's relaxed...

Curious, playful, sweet, spunky, expressive, cautious--all the nuances of her little personality coming out as her ability to communicate and understand the world around her are growing. Her vocabulary is also growing steadily and it's always so much fun to hear her trying new words. She's very thankful these days, saying thank you in the local language even to herself sometimes when she picks up something she wants!

She recently added "flower" "water" and "good job" (she claps for herself some times too!), and last week she learned how to distinguish exactly what she wanted with a most important word: "That!" Gone are the days of crying and shaking her head no while Mommy tries to guess what she wants. Now she simply points and declares "That!"

Needless to say, she brings alot of joy to all of us as she goes throughout her days, playing peek a boo, cruising along from couch to coffee table to chair, exploring everything (cabinets, containers, trashcans, toilets, whatever!), looking at books and playing with toys, riding (or rather, being pulled along on) the scooter, singing and jabbering in her sweet, happy little way. Here's another video from her birthday.

Emily 1st bday--standing @ Yahoo! Video

Thank God for young life, and for our precious Emily!

Far beyond Monroe, GA...

2010-03-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you all know about an opportunity my dad will be able to participate in next month. He'll be going with a team to Haiti to work on providing water filters for people who have no clean drinking water. They will begin in Dominican Republic to look at an operating plant and then get materials together and drive 10 hours to Haiti, where they will work on getting a plant up and going. He will specifically be involved in the kiln construction and the clay grinding and mixing, and is hoping to assist in finding locally available materials to set up the project. Thanks for thinking of him and the team as they prepare to go and try to share "a cup of cold water"...
Here's a video about what he'll be part of.

Spring Festival: Part 2

2010-03-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

On New Year's Day, we were invited to attend an all day group gathering at a sister's house. We arrived around 11 in the morning, just in time to begin helping with dinner preparations. The chickens were freshly killed and ready to be plucked, but I wasn't going to be much help there, so Susanna and I joined in with cutting up the pumpkin squash.

Caleb, however, found the whole ordeal quite interesting...

After a simple lunch of noodles and rice porridge, the dinner preparations continued outside and the entertainment began inside. David was asked to organize a couple of games for the adults, so he introduced them to "Musical Chairs". After much prodding, thirteen brave souls agreed to participate in their first ever game of musical chairs (stools actually). The rules were simple. Each round there was one less stool than there were participants. Whoever was without a stool when the music stopped had to sing the song for the next round. From the first round, it was a hit! Here's a round somewhere in the middle:

Musical chairs 1 @ Yahoo! Video

As the game progressed, the excitement built until they weren't even waiting for the music to stop before they'd begin snatching up the stools!
Here's a clip of the last few rounds...

Spring Festival Musical Chairs @ Yahoo! Video

So after twenty minutes of hilarity, we moved on to charades and then hot potato--another "you lose, you sing" game. This group loves to sing so much that eventually the games faded into performances--individuals or small groups singing favorite songs for the group. This lady sang a minority song in her language, and here's a clip of some other minority ladies dancing:

Spring Festival ladies dancing @ Yahoo! Video

Later on, a huge dinner of pork, chicken, fish, tofu, beans, and vegetables of all kinds followed, and we were so thankful to be there enjoying the fellowship and festivity of the holiday together with our brothers and sisters.
The Spring Festival holiday continued on, and as is custom during the first two weeks of the year, we paid visits to friends and enjoyed opportunities to continue building relationships. On the third day of the new year, our family visited one of my friends overnight in her hometown just an hour away, and a few days later David was invited by a new friend to take an overnight trip to visit family as well. Throughout the week, we were able to connect with several people and are looking forward to more opportunities in the coming months.

Spring Festival: Part 1

2010-03-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been a busy and interesting time for us. We just finished celebrating the most important holiday of the year here--Spring Festival. It is a time for family members to come from different parts of the country to reunite and welcome the New Year. It's also a time for strengthening relationships within the community. Nearly every business closes for at least a week as people gather together to enjoy the holiday.
Because this particular festival is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, it falls on a different date every year. This year February 14th was the big day, with preparations beginning several days before hand, and celebrations lasting for about two weeks after.
It was fun to be out and about the week before the festival, as everyone was busy getting things ready for the holiday. The streets were full of vendors selling boxed fruit--the most common gift given to family and friends during this time of year. Students were out of school, playing at the parks and enjoying their holiday, and the bus stations were full of people coming and going to see their families. The clothing and shoe stores were crowded as well, with people buying new things to wear the week of the festival as a symbol of good fortune for the coming year.
Traffic blocked the streets in front of the fireworks shops, most of which are only open during festival time. (Many make enough money during this time of year to pay their overhead for the whole year!) We took this picture during the week after New Year's so we could actually see into the store!

The markets were also the place to be, with people buying pork, fresh chickens and fish, and the many other types of food that will be enjoyed over the holiday season. Many people bought their chickens and roosters well in advance of the holiday, though, and kept them on their balconies and in pens in their homes so they could fatten them up for the feast! So for about two weeks before the festival, every morning around 5 AM we were showered with rooster greetings from all over the neighborhood. Ah, the sounds of the season! (Needless to say, we were glad when it suddenly got a lot quieter in the mornings around here!)
It was so interesting being here and celebrating this holiday with our friends. The last two years we were out of country during this time--once in the States with Susanna being sick, and once in Thailand having Emily. So we were glad to be able to enjoy some very special opportunities to spend time with friends this year, as well as learn much about their customs and the deep rooted beliefs behind them.
Traditionally, families gather on the eve of the New Year, with meal preparations beginning early in the morning. It's a time for catching up, playing mahjong, eating favorite foods, and enjoying spending time together. We were invited to spend the evening with a friend and her parents here in her home, along with another couple who were unable to go across country to see their families for the holiday. On the ride over we had to hold our ears a few times as we passed fireworks going off in front of homes along the way!

After we arrived, the kids played and Emily enjoyed a freshly stewed chicken foot while we stuffed dumplings together and cooked the meal.

Then we enjoyed a feast, complete with pork and vegetables, fermented tofu, fresh chicken soup (raised by our friend and killed a few hours before!), dried salt cured beef, many types of beans and stir fried vegetables, and boiled fish--a symbol of prosperity and abundance in the coming year.

We were sure not to eat all of the fish (though I don't think we could have if we'd tried, there was so much of it!) because it's considered bad luck. Knocking things over or breaking things is also considered a bad omen, but (all credit to our kids!) unfortunately by the end of the night we'd broken not one but TWO of our friend's bowls--OOOPS!!! But our friend was very gracious, especially since she doesn't hold to the traditional belief system here.
It was a fun night--we stayed up late chatting and watching the annual New Year program on TV, complete with comedy skits, magic acts, and musical performances. We were honored to be invited to participate in such an important time.

We returned home about an hour before midnight, just in time to get the kids asleep before we enjoyed the fireworks show of our lives! We'd been hearing them all day, but as the time drew closer to bring in the New Year, they grew into a crescendo of explosions and bursts of color like I'd never seen--at least not from the comfort of my own home! It was like having our very own Times Square right outside our window!
I took this video just as it turned midnight, standing at my kitchen window... (*Note: all our windows were closed!)

Midnight fireworks @ Yahoo! Video

Believe it or not, the kids never woke up!
On the surface it seems that people just really like to celebrate and go all out--and they do--but in our study of this holiday, we learned a bit about the cultural significance of the fireworks and the meaning behind the tradition...
Legend has it that long ago, there was a beast who would come to terrorize people at this time every year. One year when he came to wreak havoc among the people, a boy made a very loud sound, and it scared the beast away. So the people began lighting bamboo (which naturally explodes when heated) to create loud sounds to scare the beast away each year. Over time, fireworks were developed and have been used to scare away the beast--called "Year"--ever since.
Now fireworks are an essential part of the festival every year. Families set off fireworks at various times specifically to scare off ghosts and supernatural evil, and to protect the household from bad fortune. Many believe that during Spring Festival if your neighbors set off more fireworks, or louder fireworks than you, then the ghosts and evil will come to your home for the coming year. So there is a very real motivation behind the peoples efforts to make sure the fireworks at their homes are LOUD and ABUNDANT!
While children enjoyed playing with small firecrackers all throughout the season, pretty much every household set off several strands of (VERY!) loud fireworks right on their front doorstep, starting the afternoon of New Year's Eve, lasting throughout the evening, and of course in the hour leading up to and following midnight. They dropped off in the wee hours of the morning, and began again around 6 AM. This was the schedule around the clock for the coming 10 or more days (by the end of the festival we were thinking maybe the roosters hadn't been so bad!) The last day of the fireworks was two weeks later, when our friends here celebrate the culmination of the holiday--"Sending off the Year" festival.

Anyway, when we walked out of our apartment on New Year's day, vestiges of the celebration were every where! Here the kids are standing in our "yard" right outside our door.

Red fireworks casings paved the streets in front of every house.

Every door was decorated with red scrolls above and on each side, new red lanterns hung in the front entryways, and every doorfront donned posters of images symbolizing prosperity, wealth, peace and blessing for the coming year.

This home also hung a strand of decorative (not real) fireworks from the bottom of the second floor balcony.

By far the most common door poster is this one--"Door God"--his fierce appearance is believed to protect the home from ghosts and evil spirits and bring peace to the household.

This cloth hangs in the doorway of my friend's home. It is a symbol that is believed to bring peace and blessing and protect the house from evil spirits.

This hangs above the bedroom door and was painted by a fortune teller. Things like these are everywhere--in cars and restaurants, on trees and in homes. Some have needles, some feathers, some are cloths are tied in special ways and put in certain places, others have things painted on them.
Each time we go out, the decorations all around us serve as a vivid reminder of the beliefs in the hearts and minds of our dear neighbors and friends.

Spring Festival in the Park

2010-03-09T17:13:00.001-08:00

Spring Festival park @ Yahoo! Video

In full swing

2010-02-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

We returned from a break two days ago and it hasn't taken long for things to get moving again. An hour ago, we had some kids drop in to play. Five minutes ago a roving band of neighborhood boys showed up and invited Caleb to join. We let him go, but not without an adult accompanying him (sorry Caleb, we know that's not cool). Next on the agenda is delivering some of the gifts we brought back and then we will need to begin furiously preparing for Spring Festival which begins in about 10 days and lasts a full week. We've been warned that noise will be abundant and sleep deficient. This will be an important time for us to communicate care to people we have gotten to know over the past several months. We will have opportunities to communicate that care through giving, inviting, and visiting. Be remembering us as this will be a great time to deepen relationships.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T17:05:00.001-08:00

Christmas Party

2009-12-22T07:05:00.000-08:00

For the last eight weeks we have been teaching a Friday-night English class for preschoolers age 3-6. Tonight, for our final class, we invited them to our home for a Christmas party. For a while the adults chatted in the living room while the children played in Caleb and Susanna's room, and after that, Gracy taught the children (and moms) how to bake cookies.

Finally, I shared a portion of the Christmas story from Luke and we handed out CD's of truly Christ-mas music. We are thankful for the opportunity to share a bit of why we celebrate this holiday with our neighbors here.

Relationships, pt. 2

2009-12-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

As a follow-up to my initial post, "Relationships," I wanted to give you an update on how things are going with my new acquaintance. As I mentioned before, he recently invited me to go climb a mountain with him. Though the park we went to didn't require an entrance fee, it was his responsibility to purchase drinks and snacks while we were out.

So, this past weekend, I called him and invited him to go out and drink tea. This time I was the host, and it was my responsibility to pay. As I understand it, this is how a "societal" relationship begins in this culture.

To be honest, we have been a little unclear regarding this reciprocal aspect of culture during our time here. For instance, last night while our family was out walking near our home, we passed by a Muslim restaurant where we frequently stop and chat with the owners and their family. Two younger boys (but older than our kids) were playing with a couple of small toys. As soon as they saw that Caleb and Susanna were interested, they immediately gave the toys to them and insisted that they keep them. Feeling more than a little embarrassed, we began contemplating how we might "respond" to this act of kindness. What do you think?

In America: Though we might be touched by their kindness, in that situation we would insist that our kids give the toys back because they have plenty of their own.

Here: After refusing several times, you would accept the gift and immediately think of how you might respond. If you don't have anything suitable with you, you can choose another time in the near future to reciprocate their kindness.

Yesterday, I made a slight mistake in a similar situation. A student bought me an inexpensive breakfast food. After he handed me the snack, I insisted on giving him some money for it. Only afterward did I realize that paying him for the gift might have given him the mistaken impression that I don't want to be friends with him.

Continue to think of us as we navigate a world that plays by different rules than we are accustomed to, seeking to share our lives and His life with our neighbors here.

Battle Scars

2009-11-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked a parental milestone for us, as well as an unforgettable experience for Caleb. While climbing a tree, he grabbed onto a branch not strong enough to hold him, fell backwards and hit his head on a jagged rock, leaving him with a nasty gash. Not knowing the depth of the cut, we immediately took him to the clinic next door to the college where David studies. Thankfully, a local brother accompanied us to make sure Caleb received the care he needed. The nurse recommended stitches, but informed us we would need to go to a hospital as the clinic was too small to perform these kinds of procedures.

In the afternoon, we headed to the prefecture hospital, again accompanied by this gracious local brother (with his newborn infant-in-arms!). We were a bit nervous, being far from our familiar healthcare system and such, but overall it was a good experience. After giving him two stitches, the doctor gave Caleb this stylish hairnet to hold the bandage in place. Though not so proud of his "bonnet", Caleb is more than proud to have had his first significant battle scar. Thank Dad with us for his care and provision.

Relationships

2009-11-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday I went with a friend to "play" at a local park. He works at a gym I sometimes go to to lift weights and meet people. He comes from a city smaller than ours where his father works for the local government. He dreams of studying overseas and hopes one day to have the chance. He laughs easily and is very polite. Be asking that I have more opportunities to spend time with him. Here it is easy to meet people, but very hard to get to know them.

As we have been learning recently, most locals have three kinds of relationships. Firstly, you have family relationships, which are important to maintain and difficult to sever (as are the obligations entailed). Secondly, you have good friends (from your childhood or school years). These friendships are developed over time and loyalty runs deep. Thirdly, you have what are called "societal relationships." These are people you get to know for the purpose of discovering how you might be of help to one another in the future. The more ability and influence (or money) you have, the more of these kinds of relationships you will attract.

This puts us in a difficult position in some respects. Not being family and not being a childhood friend or classmate automatically puts us into the third category. Naturally, the third category of relationships is in your outer ring (likely furthest from your heart). It would take a unique situation for someone from your outer ring to work their way into your inner ring. Continue asking for wisdom and opportunities for us to speak to people at a heart level.

National Day

2009-11-17T23:16:00.000-08:00

Recently we celebrated National Day here. A local park was hosting a special ceremony, followed by a parade to represent the country's many minority groups.

As we watched the ceremony, we stood near this group of minority ladies waiting for the parade...

There they go, starting off on the parade across town...

And other groups who followed after...

This lady was selling chickens while enjoying the parade. Hey, why not kill two birds with one stone? No pun intended... ; )

Talking about Right and Wrong

2009-11-17T22:54:00.000-08:00

Today I had a discussion with my tutor about morals. I invited her to share with me about what in her culture would be considered "bad" and "good." After sharing a bit about what defines good or bad behavior, she expressed concern over the gradual decline in moral values in her country. Though she feels some of the taboos needed to be redressed, she mentioned that the decline may indicate a crisis of trust. From an early age, children are taught what is right. Share, be kind, think of others first ... but what happens when the child grows up and discovers that nobody really plays by these rules, including those placed in authority over them. It is during this time that they enter the "real world," and are forever changed. The outcome is predictable: Trust no one but yourself.

My teacher alluded to the importance of faith regarding good morals but did not elaborate much more. In her culture, several ancient philosophers continue to have strong influence, though the influence of money and self-preservation is stronger still. She also is familiar with our faith (both her Grandmother and Mother are sisters), but feels the educational indoctrination she received as a child has predisposed her to be unable to believe it. I look forward to hearing more about this subject.

Water!

2009-10-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've ever been more thankful for running water in all my life. After 6 days of no water in our apartment, the sound of a gurgle and then a trickle coming from the faucet yesterday was absolutely heaven. It all started Monday when I was washing dishes... The water pressure decreased down to a dribble and then nothing. At first I thought it was just our faulty faucet--it has developed several problems since we moved in. But as I began checking other faucets and the showers and toilets, I realized our water was off. So then I thought perhaps we missed the notification to pay our water bill (sometimes figuring out how / when / where to pay your bills in a new place can be confusing!). But after talking to some neighbors and realizing they didn't have water either, I realized that we may be headed for an adventure.
Since we've moved here, the same thing has happened with our power--probably four or five times they've shut the power off in our complex and beyond. But it's always come back on after a few hours. So I figured the same would be true of the water. Not so, my friend! The evening of the second day without water (Tuesday evening) we found out that we would be without it until Saturday!
Let me tell you, it didn't take long to begin really missing being able to wash our hands, flush the toilet, wash dishes, take showers, wipe down the kitchen table / counters, etc. But what do you do when you don't have what you're used to? You complain. Er, I mean, you adjust, of course! You keep the bathroom doors closed at all times, and hold your breath when you have to go in. You use alot more wet wipes and Germ X for faces and hands. You just let the dirty dishes pile up until they threaten to overtake your kitchen and you have no more clean ones left, and then you start eating out. You use bottled water for drinking and washing. Etc. All these tactics got us to day three, when a family in the complex who did have water let us bring a big bucket over and fill it up--woohoo! I washed dishes--took me 2 and a half hours!--using the water very sparingly so I could leave some for kids baths and our showers. It was good for me to think of how to be most conservative with the water, using the old rinse water to be the new wash water, using the old wash water to flush the toilets, etc. And you'd be amazed at how little water is really required for bathing. I guess I realized for the first time what a waste of water showers are! It's funny, though, that you don't think of taking a shower as "wasting water" until water is a limited resource in a very immediate way. Again, I think of my grandmother and even my dad in his early years, and the generations upon generations of people who had to work alot harder than just turning on a faucet to have water available to them.
So anyway, in the end it was a beneficial experience to be without running water for a while. I had a lesson in being frugal and in developing a greater appreciation for fundamental blessings, as well as opportunities to connect with our neighbors under unique circumstances and shared experiences.

Just some Hotwheels...

2009-10-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

During the first week we were here, we had some unexpected but welcome company--3 boys from the fellowship --come and play with our kids. The main attraction was Caleb's Hotwheels cars and cartrack, which ended up providing entertainment for several children for over 4 hours. Who knew you could get that many "miles" out of Hotwheels cars?!

It was so much fun to see Caleb connect with the kids, using his limited language to relate and make some new friends. In the end we were also able to meet the boys' parents and some of our neighbors too. Who knows what will come out of the relationships that all started because of some toys!
We recently learned from a friend here, though, that teachers generally discourage parents from buying toys because having too many toys at home could distract the child from studying and doing homework. We've found that it's a real treat for kids to come to our house and play. We always invite kids to come when we return home from playing outside, and since "Hotwheels Sunday", we've had several little ones come in and explore and see what's inside the foreigners' house. =)

This little guy has come a few times. We see him out in the neighborhood alot, but have never seen him with parents or grandparents (though we know he lives with his family). He's really taken to Dave, especially enjoying throwing frisbee and playing ping pong.
Anyway, it's been fun to get to know these precious kids a bit, and fun for our kids to have little friends around to play with. We don't mind if our friends only like us because of our toys. =)

Introducing...

2009-09-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

It's hard to explain the relational desperation that drives a person into terribly uncomfortable, but welcome situations nonetheless. The first weekend we were here, a local sister invited us along to house warming party for one of the families in the fellowship.

I told David as we were having dinner, I'd rather be here speaking a foreign language in this room full of strangers than inside our empty house by ourselves!

But the good thing is that the more you force yourself into uncomfortable situations, the more comfortable those situations gradually become, and the more familiar the people and places become, and eventually it all becomes an integral part of your life.

So I wanted to introduce you to our world of new and (some) uncomfortable but welcome situations, which are day by day becoming an integral part of our lives.
Here's our new city...

...with lots of new places to explore! This is what we call "Mud River". It's always this color!

We often see people fishing along the banks or from the bridges using these large nets--pretty cool.

These are gardens planted between the sidewalk and the road--something we see alot here. I love how practical and industrious the people are!

Lots of places to have fun and meet people too. This is a park downtown where we go about once a week or so and let the kids play.

Of course we make a big splash when we go--not exaggerating, when we stop at an activity, we're surrounded by 15 or more people within 1 minute, with pretty much every other person within eyesight turned and watching as well! We experienced that to some degree in our other city, but there are very few foreigners here, so the curiosity, staring, photo taking, and calling "Foreigner, foreigner!" as we pass is much moreso here. No such thing as "blending in" for us!

Anyway, lots of new food too. This is one of our absolute favorites...roasted chicken. So good! And the stand is just a block from the entrance our our neighborhood, so it's very convenient when we need to pick up dinner on the way home!

Also on our list of frequently visited places are this stir fried rice stand...

...and this Muslim noodle place on the corner. Spicy noodle soup for breakfast is the way to go here! It's in our blood now, I think.

Wonder of wonders, they have a Kentucky Fried Chicken here in our city!!! One of the 3 Western restaurants in town. The menu has a few items that might not go over as well in the States... (that's squid kabobs at the top of the poster there) ...but the chicken, fries, and nuggets taste pretty much the same.

Here's our new market. They don't sell meat or produce in the super-market, so this is where we buy most of our fresh food.

The vegetables...

Pork...

Fish...

Chickens, geese, and ducks... poor things! I hate picking one out to kill. I've only done it once with an auntie who took me, and she picked it out and they did the whole bit back there to the right. I took it home in a plastic bag with its legs sticking out, de-feathered and ready to cook. I kept thinking about my grandmother and so many others just a generation or two older than me, to whom this was always just a normal part of life not so long ago. But I can't quite get used to it. So I think I'll keep buying the already killed, cut up kind, instead of picking them out myself! =)

Anyway, beans, nuts, and tofu...

...and eggs, rice, flour, dried mush rooms, garlic, nuts, peppers, and season ings. Man, I can't even describe to you how totally awkward, uncom fortable, and out of place I felt the first time I went here. I've been to the market plenty of times since I've lived in Asia, but there's something so terribly intimidating when you go somewhere you've never been before. This place is so alive with culture...one to which I don't "belong". I'm a foreigner, and the more natural the place, the more foreign I am in it! But, you go, you do it, you smile, and you go again...and eventually they get used to you, you get used to them, they smile back, and it all gets easier... and even fun!

Here's David's new school, where he has language and culture classes each day. It's the only college in the city, so there's looots of students! We often go to the campus (we live 5 minutes away) to relax and be around people.

This is at the back / top of the campus. It's really peaceful and we all love the view.

Caleb has a new school, too--a local preschool right at the entrance of our neighbor hood, where he attends 3 mornings a week. (If you look really closely, you can see him about the middle of the photo-- this was his first day.) It's pretty much a monolingual setting for him, but his language is coming along and he functions really well, with a few misunderstandings sprinkled in... Like the third day of class when he kept trying to tell the teacher he didn't want to eat the food because it was spicy, but accidentally said it was garbage! (they sound alot alike!) Over and over he told them it was garbage and he wouldn't eat it. Ha! So that night my neighbor whose grandson is in his class asked me what does he like to eat? Does he not like to eat rice? Lol! =) Anyway, he loves his school, is making friends, and we're incredibly thankful to see him happy and well-adjusted so soon after moving here.

Here's our new apartment building-- we live on the first floor on the left.

The living room as you walk in...

We brought our stuff from our first home, so thank fully this room's mostly furnished!

The dining room and kitchen are next...

Then Caleb and Susanna's room.

Emily's room is on the left, and there's also the kids' bathroom, a storage room, an office, our bedroom, and a balcony for hanging laundry, but they're not much to see. Everything is still the essentials until we get some shelves and such. Shelves and wardrobes were built in at our other apartment, so we already got wardrobes for here and will get shelves eventually. A house is always a work in progress, it seems! Oh well, "Slowly come" as the people here say.

Here's our bathroom. Like our nice big bathtub? Just kidding. This is Asian style--no tub, no curtain. The water runs into a drain in the middle of the floor right in front of the toilet (can't see it in the photo--the one acutally under the shower faucet doesn't seem to work). So I'm still getting used to the floor staying wet all day from morning showers! Usually water drains into the toilet in the floor, but I asked to have a Western style toilet put in, and the landlords were reluctant but agreed. The kids' bathroom is an Asian style "squatty potty" as we foreigners call it, but it works great for them--much easier to use. Dresses and the squatter worked like a charm for Susanna's potty training!

So that is our new place. We found it through a local sister that David met back on one of his initial trips here during the summer, and we've really enjoyed it so far. It is bigger than our last place yet much cheaper (one of the benefits of smaller city living!). This last year has been full of so much transition for us--I must admit that after 7 months of temporary housing and moving 4 times, it is really, really good to put unpack the boxes, put away the suitcases and settle down for a while in a place that's our own! This past summer on a weekend trip when we were out and about, Caleb began whining and said he wanted to go back "home." I honestly had no idea what he meant--America? our old apartment? The apartment we lived in when we came back from Thailand? The apartment we were currently living in? So I asked him, and he said, "Home! You know--the place where we slept last night!" So, completely furnished or no, we're really thankful for our new "home." =)
This is our new yard, right out our front door. Ain't it beautiful! Just concrete, but kids always find a way to have fun, even without grass!

Living on the first floor is great. We just walk out our door and can immediately play or visit with neighbors. Seems like they are more willing to drop by or come in for a bit, too, with us being right there. Not to mention we don't have to climb stairs! =)

And this is our new apartment complex. It is up on a hill, at the top of a pretty large neighbor-hood, and next to a middle school. Lots of people around!

Here's the common area where people come to relax and chat with neighbors. Lots of fun places for the kids to explore--especially the rocks and trees!

They're building several houses in our neighborhood right now--this one is being built across the road from us, so we can look out the kids' bedroom window and watch (and hear!) the construction. It's been fun to see how they do things, what machines, they use, etc.

And this is the one we can see from our living room window.

This is the neighborhood our complex is in. Lots of nice houses and pretty areas--we always enjoy taking walks out and about.

And we get our exercise-- our complex is at the top of a hill, so the kids love running down. The climb back up is always the kicker, though! This is at the back side of the neighborhood.

My favorite place is at the end of our street here. You can see we have a great view of the mountains!

Actually our whole city is surrounded by mountains. Kind of reminds me of how we're Surrounded in other ways too...

I can hardly believe sometimes that we live near such a beautiful place, and so near to the whole other world that exists just across the fence...

New places, new people, new opportunities all around us...

The storeowner at the entrance of our complex, who runs a mahjong business out of their shop. Every day there are 3-4 tables going...

The Muslim minority family who owns a restaurant at the entrance of our neighborhood...

Children in our complex...

and everywhere we go...

The older ladies who sit and chat each afternoon in the shade of the trees...

The places are great, but it's the people who give color and meaning to our lives. Often as we interact I wonder which of them are going to become friends, which ones we're going to remember and talk about and cry over when we leave. And it's amazing to think that whether they realize it or not, the ones who accept us and allow us into their lives are ultimately allowing Someone in who can change their life forever. May it be so...

Lots of entries...

2009-09-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

So where have we been?!!! Man it's been busy, and alot has happened in the last few weeks. Lots of good things, lots of new experiences, lots of emotions, lots of things to write about and not much time to do it! =) Still getting the house organized, still learning our way around, and of course, still taking the first few steps of the thousand-mile journey toward friendships,understanding culture, and doing the work that we came here to do.

If you've ever moved, then you know the feeling of being in a place where you don't yet have a place, being somewhere but not yet belonging, living in a house that's not yet home, seeing people who are friendly but aren't yet friends. I keep reminding myself that this is the hardest it will get here--that after a while, we will walk out into a neighborhood that's familiar, talk to people we know, go to places where we fit in, and come back to an apartment that has become our home. After a while, we'll know and love this place, these people, as much as the ones we left behind, and hopefully they'll know and love us too.

So speaking of the ones we left behind, I wanted you to see some pictures from the last few days before we moved--special times and special people whom we will never forget.

Susanna's last day of preschool...

Dinner with friends... She wanted me to teacher her how to make hamburgers and cookies before we left!

Making dumplings...

Caleb's last few days of preschool...

Saying goodbye to his class and teachers...
It always means so much to you when other people really love and care for your child. What a wonderful blessing they have been in his life!

Having dinner with the kids' babysitter and her family--people who really meant alot to us over the course of the last year and a half or so.

Saying goodbye to our house helper, who worked for us since our first few weeks here. We'd gotten pretty close in the last several months. Hard to leave her behind! We asked if she would move with us, but she said her chances of finding a hubby are better in the big city, so she stayed. We already miss her!

Saying goodbye to various other friends, like David's blind family friend (right)...

Our neighbors who loved us even before we could talk! (left)...

Another family friend, Grant, with whom we've eaten together countless times here at our favorite convenient local place...

The bound-feet lady who gathers recyclable trash in the building we lived in recently...

More of the kids' friends...

And of course saying goodbye to familiar places... our apartment complex...

and the place we stayed in for the last month until we moved.

Lots and lots of precious people and special times--so many blog entries all in one, entries that He made on the pages of our lives long ago. Makes me excited to think of the entries that are written for our lives here in our new city, and the lives of those around us!

The face of reason

2009-08-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

So we've been here in our new home for 10 days now. It's a city of 300,000--really small compared to the city of 6 million we just moved from. I'm kind of liking the small town feel in some ways. Not as crowded; not any traffic to speak of; can ride in a taxi across town in about 7 minutes for about 75 cents; really convenient to walk to the vegetable market, the supermarket, and just about any other kind of shop you might need to go to. Unfortunately our bicycle was stolen the day before we moved here (they cut through the bike lock and took it right out of the parking area!); otherwise shopping would be even more convenient!
Our first week was spent registering with the police and the school, getting things organized a little, learning our way around the neighborhood, the market, and such, and basically settling in. It's been kind of nice to have a place that's "our own" again after 7 months of house-hopping! =) Things are gradually getting in order, though we still lack some furniture. We mainly don't have wardrobes (they don't build closets here) or bookshelves yet, but hopefully this week I can get some basic stuff and begin getting our things more in their permanent place. I hate clutter!!! But it's just part of the process!
So, you're wondering, how are we doing? How are the kids doing? Well, it's hard to say in a word or two. We've had some fun times, like exploring our neighborhood together for the first time, running down the hills giggling hand in hand... And we've had some not so fun times, like us all being sick with a cough for the last week, and then being sick from a parasite I picked up somewhere along the way (all part of adjusting to new germs and such)...
We've had some encouraging times, like the morning after we moved in when two sisters came to help us unpack and settle in and help us buy some things we needed... And some not so encouraging times, like Dave being met with more guardedness and reservation than warmth and welcome by the teacher of the local group here...
We've had some frustrating times, like when we weren't able to get money from the ATM at 3 different banks and were supposed to pay our landlord a year's rent that afternoon... And we've had some lonely times, like when the weekend came and all the people we know here were busy (all 3 of them =) and we felt heavy with the realization that right now we are separated from every single person on this planet who really knows and loves us, and the reminder of how long it takes to build true friendships and become known and loved again.
But we've also had some meaningful times, like yesterday and today when we were part of some special meetings where more than fifty people from here and from villages near and not so near (some over 5 hours away)--people brand new to the family--went under the water and came back up to begin their new lives... Incredible. Those are the kinds of times that remind us why we're here and give us a glimpse of what is possible if we stay the course, walk through the changes, the frustration, the loneliness, on toward what he has called us to. Times like this morning seeing face to face a new creation, his radiance shining now where just a few days ago there was only darkness. Eighteen years old and holding in her arms a precious 9 month old little girl--a little girl whose whole life will be different now because of the new life of her mommy and daddy. Yes, it's times like these--with people like these--that gives us an unforgettable look at the reason for it all.

Esther

2009-07-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

For the last several weeks, I've been spending regular time with a local friend who's a family member, going on outings, learning how to cook, and then studying our favorite book together with David after the kids are in bed.
This was the first time she taught me how to cook, and we had a good time going to the market together and picking out what we wanted.
Caleb came along and helped, choosing some of his favorites as well... lotus root, mushrooms, corn, cabbage, and cucumbers. He had fun looking at the chicken feet and pig's snouts, but didn't choose those!
Nor pig skin, eels, seaweed, or any of the collection of undetermined plant species...

Though we've eaten many of these things in restaurants with friends, I don't think we're quite ready to make them part of our regular menu!

When we got home, the kids enjoyed some lychee fruit,
and then Susanna helped wash the veggies.
It's been fun to learn about some of the local cooking methods. Some things I've learned:
- No matter how many dishes you're cooking or how many people you're feeding, you only need the following to cook a good meal: a rice cooker, a wok (just one!), a pair of chopsticks, a wooden spoon, and one stove burner (or a fire!).
- Most of the time required to cook a meal here is in the preparation. Actual cooking time is about 3-5 minutes per dish (they use extremely high heat to cook), while preparation time can takes 1-2 hours. Lots of chopping!

- Seasonings include fresh garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, vinegar, pure MSG, chicken stock, pickled chopped greens, fermented tofu,

sichuan pepper or pepercorns (known among foreigners as "tongue-tingling" pepper-corns), many other types of locally grown spices, and all manner of peppers--fresh, dried, ground, or otherwise!

This is the meal we prepared: Thinly sliced pork tenderloin with mushrooms, corn and beans, green squash and potato soup, lotus root and pickled vegetables, and squash leaves. Fresh...simple...healthy...yummy!

A simple meal shared with a special friend, among many other times shared together since we met over a year ago. Remembering times like these brings both joy and sadness to my heart now as we said goodbye only 2 nights ago--one of many goodbyes we will be saying over the next few days, until we leave for our new home this coming Wednesday. Only a few years ago, Esther was an alcoholic with a difficult family situation and a complicated, painful relationship with a man in her life. Suffering from depression and feeling hopeless, she attempted suicide by jumping off of the highest building in her small village--four stories tall--that left her right leg permanently disabled. After a long recovery and some other significant events, she was introduced to the Father and began a new life. Now she is a wonderful sister, growing and loving and strong. She has generously shared her friendship with us, loved our children, learned with us, laughed with us, and enjoyed with us food for both body and soul. We will miss you, Esther, and will never forget the way His light shines in you. Looking forward to the day we'll meet again...

Preview

2009-07-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago I participated in a small group in a rustic setting. With my limited language ability, I was able to communicate some simple truths from the beginnings book and Matthew's book. Quite exhilarating.

So much of our time right now involves studying and patiently waiting. It was special to get a preview of what the future might hold for us. Thank you all for always remembering us as we are your hands and feet in Asia.

Variety

2009-07-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

We have really enjoyed our language and culture studies these last few months. Every Monday we got out with our teacher to experience an aspect of culture related to the topic we want to study that week. We take pictures while we're out, and afterwards record our teacher telling about our outing so that we can listen to it and begin learning vocabulary related to the topic. Tuesday we go through the pictures we took and record her telling us about what is in the pictures, allowing us to learn more vocabulary, more information, and more culture. The rest of the week is spent learning the new information and then talking about the topic with our friends.
It's a great advantage for David and me to study together and learn about the same things. Sometimes Susanna and Emily get to join us in the lessons too! In the last couple of months, we've studied several topics, one of which was jobs and businesses. The beginning of that week, we took a walk down our street, up to the main road, and around the back way home, taking pictures along the way of businesses that we passed.

It's amazing the variety found within our city, and any big city for that matter. This is the left side of the main road...

...and this is the right side of the road--the alley we walked through that leads back toward our home. Behind all the nice big buildings on the main streets and roads are what the locals call the "village in the city"--where generally people from outside the city live. The same types of businesses are on both the main roads and in the city villages, but they look a lot different.

For example, the shoe repair place on our street...

and the shoe repair place in the alley behind our street...

Laundry mat on our street...

Laundry mat in the alley...

Liquor store on our street...

Liquor store in the alley...

So many differences in the way people live and meet their needs, but when it comes down to it, we're all pretty much the same:

we all need food...

shelter...

love...

...and we all hunger for more than this world has to offer.

Susanna's Preschool

2009-07-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of months, I've had the privilege of taking Susanna to a local preschool program for 2 year olds two mornings a week.

Moms (or grand-parents) attend with their children and help them do teacher-directed activities such as singing, painting, exercises, and motor skill building exercises.

Susanna loves it, and is learning so quickly--already counting, singing songs, and saying phrases in the language. It's been good for our friendships with locals too.

Most of the moms and grand-parents who bring the kids stay afterwards and let the kids play on the playground for an hour or so after class, so it's a great chance to get to know people better. Seven of Susanna's classmates live in the complex we lived in last year, so it's been fun to see the babies who used to sit outside on their grandma's knees grow into toddlers who now play and learn together at preschool.

This is one of the grandmas we know well from our old apartment complex, Auntie Wang, who befriended us not long after we arrived.

This photo on the right is her holding Susanna with her grandson on her back. I posted it on our blog in March of last year. Now she's holding Emily, who's the same age Susanna was when we first met, and Susanna and her grandson are classmates!

A few weeks ago was a national holiday, Children's Day, which the school celebrated by having each class do a short performance for the parents. Susanna's class was so cute--the girls wore ballerina skirts and the boys wore sashes, and all wore little bunny hats and tails.

We moms led our little "bunnies" out and helped them perform their dance. Susanna had fun and was so proud of her outfit, but she was even more excited about the little cake they gave each student as their gift for Children's Day!

Unfortunately, it was so crowded that Dave and Caleb could hardly see anything during the performance!

But Caleb was determined to see as much as possible, though, so he ended up climbing to the top of the playground equipment to see over the crowd!

It's always a joy to see our kids loving other people, and other people enjoying our kids. Susanna's little heart is so open to those around her--it's always a great reminder to us to love and give with the faith of a child.

Real life

2009-07-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

As one of our friends here always says, "Life is not so ideal!" A long time family tradition for me is to take family pictures on Easter, and I tried two different times to take family photos that day. BUT... Caleb's pants got stained, Susanna got into my makeup and had it ALL over her and her outfit before photo time, and Emily cried every time I tried to take pictures! This was the best of three different times of taking photos of the kids together...

The rest looked like this!

That evening we all took a walk and the kids started making funny faces at each other. I thought to myself, THIS is our real life--getting out, having fun, laughing, making memories from the simplest of things. So here are our real life Easter photos...

You Never Know

2009-05-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, we had an unexpectedly long but good time with some local friends we are getting to know. We met this family through our landlord only a month before we left to go to Thailand to have Emily, so this was only the third time we've spent time with them. I have to admit, even after a year and a half, the culture still catches us off guard at times. We were thinking with our American culture brains when David arranged what we thought would be a couple of hours for Caleb to play with their little boy at their house. But what we're learning is that when you get together with friends you're just getting to know in this culture, first of all, it is rarely just a couple of hours. The hosts are responsible to plan the event thoroughly and be completely in control of the flow of events and how long everything lasts. This is a way of treating the guests so that they can just relax, enjoy themselves, and not have to worry about anything. Secondly, rarely do they tell you ahead of time the details of the arrangements. When you go, you're just along for the ride and often have no idea what to expect! (This makes it really hard to plan well for caring for children...how much and what to take, etc.!) And thirdly, (we found out later when we talked to our tutor) many adults do not often arrange for their kids to play together and that be the primary purpose of the arrangement. Usually, the adults get together, and the kids entertain themselves while the adults spend time together. In fact, the word used when asking if you want to spend time together literally means "play". =)

Soooo, Dave arrived with Caleb at our friends' house, and rather than going inside, they told Dave they were going to take he and Caleb to a "fun place to play". Turns out, he ended up in the outskirts of the city at their mountain get-away home where they go to "play" on the weekends with their family, friends, and co-workers. So Dave called and let me know about the opportunity to spend time with our friends.

I must admit that when I got Dave’s phone call, it was one of those moments where I REALLY did NOT want to go. I was enjoying a peaceful afternoon with the girls, who were just waking up from naps) and was looking forward to a nice dinner and fun family night when David and Caleb returned (which I had thought would be around 5:30!). I wanted to stay home and continue on in my quiet comfort, my controlled, predictable, enjoyable environment—the EASY place. But over the last few years, and since we’ve been here especially, our lives have become a constant string of choices to go against our natural desires and preferences about what we want to do, and to keep choosing to walk into situations where we are not comfortable and not in control, for the sake of what matters most. So I talked with Him for a few minutes, asked for strength to live according to what is eternally valuable, and then got the girls ready, got in a cab, and rode up to the mountain home.

When I arrived, Caleb was taking turns riding the scooter around the courtyard with their little boy, and Dave was eating fruit and sunflower seeds outside with the men.

The kids enjoyed seeing the chickens and pet ducks on the hillside, and I had fun sharing Emily with the ladies inside while the helper prepared dinner.

After dinner was a relaxed time of the kids watching TV while the adults chatted and played cards. Susanna wasn't much interested in the TV, so she took a front row seat at the card table.

It was such a privelege to be included in their gathering of family and friends. I'm sure it's not always comfortable for them to have foreigners around. But by learning and adhering to their culture as much as possible, we are seeking to become more like they are so that the cultural barrier will be as little of a barrier to our friendship as possible.

Just like always, after a short time of being there, I was so glad I went, not because I was comfortable or having "fun" (my definition of fun is drastically different now than it used to be!), or because of anything obviously spectacular that happened, but because there's something so fulfilling about being right where you know you need to be. Sharing experiences with people, loving them, and being interested and involved in their lives is incredibly meaningful in the overall scheme of things, and we are learning just how "worth it" it is to sacrifice our desires for His.

Looking ahead

2009-05-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

For several months now, we have been planning to move out to a smaller city to continue our studies and do research for our company. So this past weekend I took a trip to a city in the Southeast corner of our province to have a look with two co-workers, mainly to check out apartment availability, education, healthcare, religious situation, situation in the outlying villages, etc.

We entered the city with only two initial contacts. My soccer friend helped us find a good hotel over the phone. Later in the weekend, we visited my tutor’s mother’s cousin who lives there. From a culture perspective where relational connections are your lifeline, our startup situation looked pretty grim! But by the close of the weekend, we had made several other local acquaintances.

Here are a few snippets of our interesting weekend:

Eating grilled fish at 2 AM with some locals

Having the wife of a night club owner ask, “Isn’t it normal for a husband to have a girlfriend other than his wife?”

Visiting a local service composed of nine ladies

Sitting in a beauty parlor discussing the local religious situation

Stumbling upon a minority village with only 92 families

Living in a city with a large expatriate community, it has been difficult this last year and a half to discipline ourselves to depend on the local community for help. We are excited about the opportunity to depend even more on the local community when we move, and are specifically trusting Dad for local family members who can not only help us adjust, but also become our companions. We are excited about the opportunities I had this weekend to begin friendships with such people, already willing to help us settle in when we arrive in August. Firmly convinced of the importance of being a learner first, we are thankful for these fledgling relationships that will play an integral part in preparing us to teach in the future.

The college where I plan to study...

Apartment hunting...

A minority village we visited...

The covered area behind us houses Ginseng, the area's main cashcrop...

Terraced rice fields...

Another village we saw...

A local house of worship...

3 months old

2009-05-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Smiles...smiles...

and more smiles!

Our growing, grinning, precious Emily turned 3 months old May 6th. Besides smiling, her favorite pastimes are cooing to her family, being held, eating, and sleeping. =) She really lights up when we look into her little eyes and talk to her--she coos right back with more intensity, expression, and emotion than I've ever seen in a little one. She's always been so aware and responsive to us, even since her first week of life. Hard to believe how quickly time flies, and how much she's grown since then. Also hard to believe that Susanna was only a month older than this when we first came to Asia!

Making Tea

2009-05-02T00:23:00.000-07:00

The longer we're here, the more we realize that there is often an entire cultural mindset embedded within a few words. For instance, when we say "make tea", our minds have a picture of what that means--what is involved in that process. But that phrase has an entirely different meaning when said within another cultural context. So we are learning more and more how crucial it is to understand the cultural mindset behind the words.
If you'd like to see part of our friends' cultural context behind the words "make tea", here's the link to a video of part of the tea-making process mentioned in the "soccer outing" entry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWntlnsEYnE&feature=channel_page

Soccer Outing

2009-04-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

Last summer, I began playing soccer with some other expatriates (most from Europe or the US) on a weekly basis. For several months, we played weekly against locals in “friendly” competition. Unfortunately, the competition was often less than friendly. Moreover, I felt that I might be missing out on an opportunity to make local friends by joining a local team.

For almost two months I inquired of my friends if there might be opportunities to play on a local team. Finally through the co-worker of a friend of a friend, I was invited to show up one Saturday to play. Luckily, they were short on players that day.

They allowed me to play from day one, but becoming a part of the team has been a long process (six months so far). Leaving a team (expat team) where you could banter freely during breaks to join a team who are old friends that didn’t come to spend time with you has been quite a growing experience for me, yet such a necessary one. Having followed His leading to this country may have blinded me a bit to the fact that most locals view our presence as insignificant at best.

I’ve mentioned before how feeling small has reminded me of how big He is. It also reminds me that I am called to play a small part of something big, much like you in your life situation. Let’s lift each other up as we make our contributions, realizing that He has the power to multiply the impact of our offerings.

Recently we took the whole family to one of my soccer matches. Upon learning my family would attend, one of my teammates invited the whole team to eat dinner at his restaurant that night. What an interesting and meaningful day it turned out to be.

Gracy and the kids made some new friends from the sidelines, where the dirt proved to be the kids' most interesting form of entertainment... Susanna "chatting" with her new friend, Ruan JiaHao Bing was my initial contact to the team.Me and the guys ...After the game, we headed to Hao Bing's house to hang out until dinner time. There, he and his friends served us tea--which we learned can be quite an extravagant ordeal, depending on the type of tea that is served. Susanna found the process quite intriguing... as did we!After tea and snacks, we rode with Hao Bing and his wife Xiao Xia to the restaurant for dinner. The guys played checkers while the ladies chatted and the kids enjoyed watching the fish in the pond outside. We also enjoyed a couple of games of ping pong before eating a HUGE meal consisting of a variety of local flavors.

It was fun to be included in such a relaxed and enjoyable evening. By the end of the night, we almost felt like "old friends" ourselves.

Camping Trip

2009-04-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

When it comes to making contacts, businessmen prefer to leave their families out of the process altogether, thereby keeping work and home separate. But what do you do when your work is building friendships? Should this be a solo venture or a family affair?

Nine months ago, I reached a crossroads. Our company requires that I invest at least forty hours weekly into my work. Should I continue to venture out alone to study language and culture and to make friends? Knowing that values are caught and not taught, how would my children ever catch my (His) values if these values kept us constantly separate?

It was at this point that I determined as much as possible to integrate my family into this process. At least for now, I have shifted away from spending a good deal of time with college students and spend more time with career professionals and families. I am more aware of people in environments that my children already participate in, such as preschool. These relationships are drawing our whole family into a deeper understanding of and communion with our friends here.

This camping trip was one of those opportunities. Caleb and I were invited to join some of his classmates for an overnight excursion a couple of weekends ago, so we borrowed camping gear from a friend and headed out for an adventure.

We rode with one of the three other families that went, and arrived after an hour drive into the mountains. Before heading to the camp-site, Caleb and his friends had fun throwing rocks into the river--a favorite activity of his since he was old enough to throw.

Then we hiked in and set up camp, and the kids took turns playing on the swing nearby.

Exploring the woods and river, and of course, catching tadpoles and other water creatures kept the kids happily entertained for the evening. It's always fun to get away from the city for a while and enjoy the great outdoors.

After dinner, a campfire, and a short night's sleep, we were ready for a hearty and now-familiar breakfast of rice noodles and soup.

Later, Caleb and Dorothy enjoyed each other's company on our hike to the waterfall.

Throughout the weekend, it was a great joy to grow closer to my son and to see him connecting with and valuing people. I'm looking forward to more opportunities such as this.

Tribute to My Grandmother

2009-04-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

On March 25th, my precious grandmother, Kate Holder, passed away. She was ninety-six years old, and had lived a good, full life. I struggled greatly with not being able to return home to grieve with my family and celebrate her life with them at her funeral. Though I always knew that part of this life would be missing things like this, actually experiencing the loss and having to grieve halfway around the world from her and my family was painful.

I think one of the hardest parts of not being there was grieving alone. So many people loved and admired her, and to be so far from family and friends as they gathered together to talk about her, remember her, grieve her death, and celebrate her life was difficult.

But I called my parents every morning and night for those few days and they filled me in on details as funeral arrangements were made and the visitation and funeral came and went, and it helped so much to be a part of things in that way. They also videoed the funeral service, took pictures, and saved me a program so that I can share in those things as well.

I wrote the following letter to her that was read by a friend of the family at her funeral service. Maybe it will give you a glimpse into the kind of lady she was, and how much she meant to me.

Dear Grandma,
I sure wish I could say this to you face to face, hug your neck one last time and tell you I love you. We all knew this day would come, but it doesn’t make it any easier.
A lifetime of memories and a heart brimming full of love makes it nearly impossible to describe what I feel as I remember you. There’s so much about you that is such a deep part of me. Memories of you are memories of home—feelings of warmth and love and happiness that come from the peace of belonging. Images of the familiar, like apple slices drying on the dashboard of your car, wind chimes singing their peaceful song from the front porch, purple hydrangeas and a field of yellow daffodils, and a well tended garden promising all manner of good things.
I remember bright Easter Sundays and egg hunts in your backyard, the smell of Brunswick stew and biscuits and cornbread drifting on the breeze, and you hard at work in the kitchen with your apron on, cooking and serving and making sure everybody got taken care of.
I remember staying with you the times I was sick and couldn’t go to school—you sitting in your rocking chair piecing a quilt or shelling pecans or butterbeans, and me sitting in the chair beside you eating chicken soup and soda crackers and graham crackers, thinking how much better it all tasted at your house.
I remember you teaching me how to cook, and asking you how much salt or whatnot to put in. You said, “Oh, ‘bout a pinch or two,” and “Well, just til it gets to tastin’ right.” It was at that moment I realized that knowing how much to put in without measuring is what made you such a great cook. Though we all try, none of us can make an apple pie, caramel cake, blackberry cobbler, sweet potato biscuits, or anything else like you did.
I remember you doctoring me with campho-phenique the day I got into some ants when Daddy and the men were cutting up a limb that had fallen from the old oak tree. I learned that day that campho-phenique and a grandmother’s love can help just about anything.
I’ll always remember the sight of you working in your garden—pulling weeds, picking tomatoes, hoeing and such, all the way up til the last few years of your life. And I know if I’d have been there to see it, I’d never forget the sight of you, 90 plus years old, climbing through your window to get into the locked house… You never were one to let much stand in your way when you were determined.
I remember your love for hymns and good southern gospel music, and how you loved to hear us sing and play, no matter how good or bad it might have been. And I remember your love for reading Janette Oke books and watching Little House on the Prairie, both of which I inherited a love for also.
I remember the twinkle in your eye and the way you’d smile and try so hard not to show your teeth, but how Daddy could always say something that would make you lean your head back and laugh out loud.
I remember the hum of the sewing machine and the curve of your back as you skillfully pushed the fabric through. And I remember your hands—hands that were strong and productive—always busy providing for your family or making something to care for others.
I remember your humility and the strength of your faith—you reading the Word and watching Billy Graham speak, and the way your life spoke without you having to say a word.
I remember how you cared for and delighted in your children and grandchildren and great grand children. And how your eyes could speak volumes, shining so with humor or pride or love, eyes that had seen nearly a century of changes in this world and held in them all the wisdom of a lifetime.
I remember your presence—quiet and steady, humble, full of dignity and strength and grace. You were a woman of principle, of temperance and faith, a woman of devotion to your family and loved ones, who loved the Father and hated gossip and strife. You were quick-witted and good-natured, and when you spoke, people listened ‘cause they knew it was worth hearing.
Grandma, all the words in the world can’t capture the person that you were or the life that you lived, or the depth of character that you had. All the letters in the world couldn’t describe how much I’ve learned from you and how much I’ve admired you in so many ways. And even though I know you didn’t love to be the center of attention, you’re the kind of person who deserved to be. And so today I join with all my family as we rise up and call you blessed, for you have left us a legacy of faith and love that we will treasure and carry with us for the rest of our lives.
I love you with all my heart, Grandma, and I’ll miss you dearly, as long as I live on this earth. But I know that one day, when we see each other again, we’ll turn our eyes together toward our Blessed One, the Rock of Ages, and worship Him side by side throughout all eternity.
Until then, Grandma,
With all my love,Gracy

Guess who turned two!

2009-04-13T02:02:00.000-07:00

March 14th was Susanna's 2nd birthday. We were still in Thailand, and all family had gone home, so it was just the five of us to celebrate with her. Though it was strange not having the option of inviting friends and family to her party, we still had a really special and memorable day together enjoying her and the irreplaceable role she plays in each of our lives.

The day began with breakfast and skyping David's parents so they could wish her a happy birthday. Then we were off to the playplace at the shopping mall for an hour of sliding, running, jumping, swinging, squealing, riding and playing games.

Lunch at McDonald's was a welcome treat for the kids after so much exercise!

When we got home, the birthday girl was worn out and ready for her "boppy."

After naps, the kids were ready to go again. First they played in the yard and then inside with the balloons.

Soon it was time for dinner, and Susanna helped me cook her choice meal: blueberry pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

Before we ate, we all donned our party hats and crowned her the birthday princess.

After dinner, it was time for the ice cream cake (we certainly did not have a lack of Western food in Chiang Mai--what a treat!).

Susanna sure enjoyed it!

And Caleb did too!

Once we'd eaten to our hearts' content, we called Mom and Dad on skype so they could join us for the opening of gifts and cards.

Susanna was excited to tell them how old she is now...

Okay, try again! =)

And to read the card from her Bubba--the first card he'd ever written entirely by himself! It said, "Happy Birthday! You're so beautiful pretty. I love you, Susanna. Caleb."

My how they change in just 2 years! Seems like just yesterday she was that tiny 5 lb 15 oz little bundle of joy... ...and now she's a precious, two year old, twenty-two pound big bundle of joy!

What a treasure she is to us all! May we have many more years with her, and may she live a life full of all the joy and meaning that comes from Him. We love you, Susanna!

Good to be "home"!

2009-04-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

So now we’re back to the city where we live in Asia. Woohoo!!! Our last three weeks in Thailand were spent doing medical and dental checkups, immunizations, and waiting for Emily’s paperwork to go through. The waiting began to seem really loooong, but things got a bit more interesting when we got word that the people who normally rented the house we were staying in were coming back early and that we needed to find somewhere else to stay for the last 5 days before we left! (We’re learning in times like these to say, “Alright, time for an adventure!”)
So we packed up and moved to a hotel…

One little room was our home for those few days, and we had some really good times together.

One thing about all our adventures...they really bring us closer together!

In the room, there were two beds, so Susanna slept in the pack ‘n play,

Emily slept with me,

and David slept with Caleb, if there was any room left in the bed when Dave was ready to turn in!!!

We got the kids their own backpacks and they enjoyed carrying what they “needed” (toys, of course!) throughout our explorations and travels.

Though we enjoyed our time in Thailand, man, were we ready to get back to our city, our people, and our work, and be done with transition for at least a little while! Toward the end of the week, however, we weren’t sure if we were going to get Emily’s passport and visa back in time. David had to make several trips to the Embassy and the Consulate to “hurry things along” as best he could, but thankfully everything was finished the afternoon of the last business day before our flight was scheduled!!!
So we said our goodbyes to the city of Chiang Mai...

and arrived back here on March 22nd. We are living in our friends’ apartment while they’re in the States having a baby, so it’s nice to be in a place that’s both furnished and familiar. It sure is good to be “home”!!!

Family of Five

2009-04-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

After family left, it was time to begin life as Bondy family of five. Some moments were crazy, some were beautiful, some were… well, not worth mentioning! But here were a few of the more memorable times…

Three monkeys in bed…

Going for a family walk…

Playing in the dirt…

and dancing with Dad…

Emily continued to be healthy and had gained more than 2 pounds when she went for her 4 week checkup. She had some photogenic moments,

like her first smile caught on camera…
and some not-so-photogenic-but-entertaining-none-the-less moments,

like her superman stretch…

and her “you caught me in my diaper” look…

What would life be like without kids?!

I know ours would have a lot less laughter, entertainment, and joy! Maybe less gray hairs, too… but hey, it’s worth it!