Blessings of Past and Present Community

Yesterday I was feeling in the need for input. Someone to remind me what is true and encourage me; Someone to bring me to Jesus. This is what community is for, right? I need you, and you need me?

Since Jim just returned Fri. from his latest trip, I took a longer than normal get away at a nearby Starbucks and looked around online for some good sermons that fit the bill. The two I found reminded me of the blessings of communities we have been a part of in the past...

Allen and Tracy Taha were not married yet when we first got to know each other at TCU. I was just a freshman when I got involved with the same student group they were a part of on campus. They were two and three years older respectively, and since we had no staff at that time, they were student leaders of our group. Lacking knowledge but full of zeal, I was puddy in their hands running with any suggestions and trying all kinds of new ideas towards meeting students in the dorms. After pastoring a church in Nebraska for 4 years, they returned to Texas to pastor a PCA plant in Boerne, TX. As they did so many years ago, Allen lifted my eyes up to Jesus again yesterday in this worshipful sermon.

Wayne and Debbie Smith were the Sunday School leaders for our young marrieds class at our church in Dallas. We had only been involved with the class for about 6 months when Hannah was born. Wayne and Debbie came to the hospital multiple times and organized an entire barrage of support on our behalf--meals, mowing our lawn, mobilizing prayer updates. I still remember the dinner we shared in our home days after her death. If you know Wayne and Debbie, you know they are passionate people, and they are passionate about people. He is an elder at a different church now, and gave this wonderful sermon, ironically, about the power of community and our shared unity in Christ.

If you are looking for someone to lift your eyes up today, you might enjoy one or both of these. You will be blessed.

Imagine the Outrage

On the way to catch a taxi to church this morning, I saw children wearing their backpacks on the way to school. And then I remembered that today is a substitute school day for the upcoming holiday. October 1st is like July 4th in the US, and kids get the whole week off. But they have to go to school Saturday and Sunday. Now in my American mindset, killing your weekend for the sake of a weekday holiday totally defeats the purpose. But I don't live among Americans!

When I learned about it this week, I teased Kathryn, "Now on Saturday and Sunday, you'll have make-up school days." "I want to go! I want to go!" Shocked, I asked her, "Really?" "Yes, mommy! We're going to put on make-up?" Ah, be very careful the words you use to explain things to your children.

Could you imagine the outrage if they had substitute school days in the US on Saturdays and Sundays?? Can you imagine the parent protests with picketing signs in front of the school? But here, there are no protests. I guess you can do that in a Communist country!

"Too Sleepy For a Creative Title" Post

I was planning to go to bed early tonight, but the guy showed up to fix our treadmill at 9pm. SO, I'm trying to keep myself awake. I'm glad they've finally come, except now there are no more excuses.

The high today was a wet and windy 53 degrees. Fall has arrived!

Kathryn and I made a mutual decision today that ballet class is not for her. I think I've learned my lesson now, as this is our 2nd attempt. I think the problem is not that her teacher speaks Chinese, but that Kathryn simply isn't a "follow the rules" kind of gal. She is a free spirit wanting to flit whichever way she pleases sort of dancer. So we talked it out, and I'm so glad we came to see eye to eye on the matter... Dancing however you want is fun, but it's not ballet. So we both breathed a collective sigh of relief and decided that art class might be a better fit! Here are a few pics from her brief stint as a ballerina.













As you can see, Ellie found other things more interesting from the very start!













On another sleepy note towards heading to bed, I promised the girls they could sleep with me tonight. Jim is out of town and they have been begging me to sleep in mommy's bed-- their friends get to sleep with their mommies when their daddy is out of town. I tried to explain, "Yes, but their mommy likes sleeping with little squirmy ones in her bed, and your mommy doesn't!" But I felt a bit guilty about saying that, and so tonight I gave in. Actually, this is the reward for not fussing when I took them to school today, so they earned it. Do you think anyone will really sleep?

OK, they finally left.
I'm off to gather my little chicks to the nest now.

Oh, and I was really hoping for some advice on the "This too shall pass?" post. Please do leave a comment if you have a suggestion!

Morning Sounds of China

It's a great morning here in China and I had to share it with you. I don't think I've ever done this before, but today I opened my windows--on purpose. The skies are clear blue and its about 55 degrees. Downstairs below me the streets are bustling with activity. The restaurant employees are standing at attention like tin soldiers for their morning inspection. Next to the restaurant door the daily food has just been delivered--mounds of veggies, noodles, and chickens with their feet sticking up. The 'mini-farm' across the street is primed for harvest with corn stalks, tomatoes and collard greens just days from picking. Our favorite "egg pancake" lady has her griddle fired up for breakfast customers. Everyone is on their way to work...businessmen on the subway in suits, and farmers in the back of horse-drawn carriages hauling produce to the market. Every4 minutes, the subway train whizzes by. In the distance, the girls' pre-school is playing their morning exercise songs. Two groups of dancers are practicing tai-qi with swords and fans by the fountain.

The best part is that I just dropped the girls off at school, and I have three hours to write!

This too shall pass?

I'm sure every parent has had to do it. Yesterday was my turn. You know, wait for the swallowed object to come out the other end. I remember swallowing a tiny ball--I was old enough to be embarrassed over the resulting search. Or was it my sister? Anyhow, yes--one of my beloved children swallowed a small bead and came running to me in fear of her impending death. But now it has been a few days, and I'm not finding anything. Should I be concerned?

Being Well When We're Ill

This is the title of a book by Marva Dawn, recommended in passing this summer when I met a friend for breakfast. I brought it back with us and picked it up a couple of days ago, ironically, while I was doing a nebulizer treatment for my sinuses. Yes, we have been back less than a week, and I am already succumbing to the poor air quality.

The title of her book is chosen very purposefully. It is not Feeling Well When We're Ill. Or Doing Well When We're Ill. "Nonetheless, it is possible for us to BE well by the grace of God, for spiritual wellness is a sheer divine gift." Last fall as I experienced many successive infections without reprieve, I struggled with this. Does it seem to you that so much of your own estimations of how you are doing are based on how you feel? When you are spending all your waking energy on simply remaining physically functional, do you feel close to God? What if you are sick and have no energy to read your Bible or even talk to the Lord? Does your relationship with Him feel dependent upon what you are able to contribute to it?

I think of my friend Lynn, who is fighting breast cancer. Or my grandmother who experiences chronic pain from fibromyalgia. Can they "be well", even when pain and exhaustion envelop every waking moment?

Our prayer lists are often peppered with requests for total healing. It is not a bad thing to ask God for healing, and He is certainly capable of it. Yet this book explores a deeper scenario. There is a place of hope and wellness for those with losses that cannot be recovered. By her personal experience and masterful understanding of the Scriptures, Marva Dawn offers to guide us there. Want to join me in reading it?

Girls Back in Chinese School

Today was the girls' first day of Chinese school. Jim is taking them to school this semester, so we're hoping that solves some of the traumatic tantrums of last Spring. I nervously waited by the phone for a report. It went well! They went into their classrooms without tears! When I picked them up at noon, Kathryn reported she made 3 friends today. Thanks for your prayers!

A Tribute to Alf & Mary Miller

Have you ever been around someone so wise and delightful that you almost felt you were in God’s presence Himself? Alf and Mary Miller are a sweet older couple from my home church in San Antonio. They began praying for me when I first moved overseas as a single, and I truly believe they have never stopped. Whenever I have been around them, Jesus bubbles out of them like a super-fizzy soft drink that simply won’t stay in a glass.

Alf passed away last week while we were still in the US. I had received an email only a week before saying that he was sick and wasn’t expected to live much longer. I called Mary one afternoon to see how they were doing. It was Alf’s voice on the answering machine, reading James 4:6-8,

“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

Now if I read this verse on my answering machine, it would sound like any other person reading the Bible. But when Alf read it, it sounded like the voice of God. I momentarily forgot why I was calling and drank it in. I, who called to minister to Mary, was being cared for by Alf. I wanted to call back, just to listen to him read it again. That afternoon Jim and I talked about Alf and Mary… It seemed wonderful to think that in just a few days, he would be with Jesus…and now he is.

Later that evening, Mary called me back. She wanted to know how Jim & I were doing. She, whose husband was dying the hospital, seemed much more interested in our needs than her own. I can only think of one other person I know who was so concerned about others in the face of death…that would be Jesus. She asked me to pray that the Lord would take Alf quickly, as he was anxious to go Home. He answered that prayer, and I imagine that they were delighted to see one another.

I keep wondering if I will be like them when I grow up. If I make it to my 80’s, and the Lord is gracious, I could aspire to nothing more than exuding a sweet and beautiful Christ-likeness I have come to treasure in these two dear servants of God.

Enlightened by Ellie

Tonight I stayed home with Ellie from a dinner with some friends. It was an "everybody's back in town" get-together, and the girls were particularly excited because we were going to watch a Chinese acrobat performance. But Ellie had an allergic reaction to something (maybe dried cranberries?) about an hour before we left, and she was moaning on the couch at the moment of decision.

After she recovered from the devastation and the reaction, we sat together talking over dinner. Here is a transcript-- I wrote it all down.

"Momma, peanuts you don't eat with a fork. But rice you eat with a fork, see?" (Yes, we had peanuts and rice for dinner. We've been back for 3 days, but I still haven't made it to the store.)

"Momma, which one of these is your wedding ring?"
It's the one without the diamond.
"What is that other one?"
That's called an 'engagement ring'.
"You sure this is not your wedding ring? This sure is the pretty one!"
-----
"Do you know what fighting is, momma?"
What is it?
"It's like Kathryn has Jimmy Bear but I want to sleep with him!"
-----
"Mommy, did you know someone has a dragon friend?"
I didn't know. Who has a dragon friend?
"I dunno either. I saw it in America. After we were done eating our dinner at Elise's house. Dragons are bad and not nice. I don't call them nice dragons. You know why? Because they are not nice dragons."
Are there any good dragons?
"Yes, but I've never met one. Do you think mama dragons and daddy dragons and baby dragons and big sister dragons are nice, mama? I think so. I had a dream of them, and they didn't eat me."
-----
Is there anything else you want to tell me, Ellie?
Uhuh.
What's that?
You love me because you stayed with me. I'm thankful you are my mommy!
-----

I wouldn't have missed our little chat for all the acrobats in the world!

Another Round of Pics

I can't possibly post all the great pics from our time in the US. But I can post them one segment at a time. Here's the best of the coast pics. We spent one weekend with the Bradford fam down at Rockport. We went fishing out on the boat, to the beach, and ate LOTS of food. We stayed in a beautiful condo... I'll let the pics speak for themselves.

All ready for the boat!



















Sunrise, first morning. Ahhhhhhhh.....












Go Uncle Aaron!



















It wasn't a keeper, but I caught the 1st fish!






































Cousins grand debut performance













Sunrise, 2nd morning...














Fun at the beach...Wonder how this same beach looks right now?!






























































































Sunrise, 3rd morning. Do we have to go?














All mom's chickadees

A New Look

I'm pretty particular about designs. On paper, that is. I'm not a gifted decorator of homes, or people. But I like playing around with how this look on paper. So I've occasionally looked through blog backgrounds and have never found one I felt was worthy of a change. But this one is pretty cute, don't you think? I happened across this website from my friend Gina, if you'd like to check it out. Sorry for the 10 second delay. Can't figure out how to get rid of that.

We're Back

I haven't posted much this summer, but I'm hoping to pick up the pace now...

We've made it back to China safely, as of about 36 hrs. ago. It's 5:30am and the morning light is just starting to make its debut over the corn field out our apartment window. Jim has already been out for a morning walk and brought back egg crepe pancakes (jian bing) for breakfast. It's so good to be back in our home. I love jet lag early mornings. No sarcasm--I really do. You wake up at the time you normally wish you could and you are really awake. If only you could keep this pattern, you could potentially get so much more done!

The girls did very well during the flights. Ellie slept for 3 hours on the first flight from Dallas to San Fransisco, and they both slept about 3 hours at the end of the last flight. Even better, Ellie didn't throw up on the flight, and we were delighted to break that trend. Jim was biting his nails over his 'babies', (his 2 guitars), which they required him to check this time. But thankfully, both made it unscathed.

Yesterday the girls and I spent our morning at the police station, the bank, and at their school. Within 24 hrs of your arrival back in China, you are supposed to register with the police in person. It was a slow day as one lady taught Kathryn how to write her name in Chinese as I filled out the paperwork. Ellie got ink all over her hands and another lady took her to another building to wash them and she went without objection. (I figured it is the police station-- what could happen to her?) Then we went to the bank. We figured this time we would bring back cash instead of continuing to lose the 3% fee by withdrawing $ from our ATM cards. For all that effort, the fees worked out about the same. When we lived in China in the late '90's, you could get 8.3 RMB for 1 dollar. Today I got 6.5 RMB for 1 dollar. That's a huge drop. The girls entertained themselves running down the corridor singing the Olympic theme as if they were about to participate in a gymnastic vault. Since the crowd found them entertaining as well, I didn't try to stop them.

Then we headed for their school. Monday is a holiday (Zhong Qiu Jie, the Mid-Autumn Festival-- See this post (click and scroll down to 9/26) for how we celebrated last year) so we needed to register yesterday to start on Tuesday. To my surprise and delight, both of them were begging to stay. K was a bit dismayed that her little Chinese friend from last semester is not in her class anymore. I promised her that I would introduce her to a new friend on Tuesday when she starts class, but do please pray she makes a great connection with a little girl.

After such a productive morning we were all exhausted and all the unpacked piles remain on the floor. So that is today's task and I'm off to start on that now...

We've Got 'Em!

Thanks for your prayers--Our visas came in the mail this week so Lord willing, we are good to go on this Wed. Sept 10th! We were given 60 day visas, so we hope this is a long enough stretch to secure another longer visa once we're back. One step at a time...