Updates from East Asia!

Here are updates from both teams, first the girls then Daniel’s team:

Hello, Friends and Family!

We can’t believe another week has already flown by! This week, we have been busy meeting with friends, attending the classes of a wonderful foreign teacher (Nila), battling the wildlife, and as always, KTV!

*Last Thursday, our dear friend Snow became a sister! She came ready to receive and it was very obvious that Father has really been working in her life in the past year. Please pr for us as we continue studying with her, that we would rely on Father to guide us as we help her to have a solid foundation, and that we would also have good conversation about counting the cost.

*All week long we have attended Nila’s classes to help students practice English and make some new friends. Since this was their last week of class, Nila had a picnic planned for each class consisting of PB&J sandwiches, cucumber, and raw carrots (a strange and new experience for most of the students). We had a blast watching the students the students make their own sandwiches and tasting those traditional American foods. On the one non-rainy day of the week, we also had a water balloon toss, played four-square, and had a balloon race. This gave us the opportunity to meet a lot of new friends, pr that we would be asking Father who to spend our time wiht.

*Skyler! We needed you this week! A centipede found its way into our 3rd floor apartment the other night, and let’s just say an almost unnecessary amount of screaming ensued. We finally got it taken care of, though. Know any good recipes for centipede soup?

*Please continue to lift us in our conversations with friends, to immediately obey Father’s prompting and to speak boldly in the name of JC.

Thanks for all your prs! We can really feel them here and it means the world to us!

Meghan

 

Greetings! Another week gone, I can’t believe it! Lilac left on Saturday, so that is kind of sad- She is such a sweet and good friend. We had talked a lot about studying the good book together but things kept getting in the way. BUT, on Friday we went out for ice cream at U Lick, and as soon as we sat down with our tasty treats Lilac asked me to teach her about the good book. Luckily Father had prompted me to put a good book in my backpack before going to meet her. We talked for about an hour, mostly about the life of J and what it means to be a follower. It was a total answer to pr to be able to talk with her and she still has many questions, so I am hoping we will stay in contact, and that she will find other believers to help answer her questions. In other news, I am meeting a lot of new friends this week, so please pr that I would have boldness in initiating conversation and talking about Father. Thanks!

 Laura

Hi y’all! Time seems to be flying by. I love co-leading the good book study with Helen! I am encouraging her to take oer more of the study. We are meeting with four girls now who are totally diving into the study and asking many questions. I would ask you to lift my dear friend, Annia. She knows a lot about J and the good book, but she chooses to merely tolerate it. She believes she can do anything if she believes in herself enough. Thank you for lifting my vulnerability with my team and friends. Please keep lifting this because it is exhausting for me to be so open with people. Thank you for lifting my ankle. There have been only a few days it has really hurt.

You all are awesome! I’m stocking up on stories to share upon our return. Lifting you!

Becca

Family and Friends, my heart is full of thanksgiving for all you reading this. I was asked what two attributes of Father I really loved. First, His strong desire for relationship with me. The love that was demonstrated before, on, and after He died on the stick for us. This love is so powerful. I ask to be able to demonstrate this love to others each day. Second, His beautiful power to change hearts and to draw people to himself. The way he pursues each of us differently, and invites us to join him in what He is doing. I pr to hear his invite each day. Take the time today and ask yourself this question. Tell Father, let today be a day of thanksgiving. You prs here are so powerful, hearts are changing and people are asking great questions. I am just in awe in how Father as allowed me to be apart of his work. Continue to lift our hearts, and that we are able to continue to sharpen each others edges.   Hope you all are enjoying you summer! It is going by so quickly! 

Daniel’s team members:
Hello!!! Wow so much has happened since we last wrote! Two weeks down, can you believe it?! We have met sooo many friends at the university and have had many meaningful conversations. Some of my good friends here so far are named Sophie, Cherry, Wendy and Athena. The students are very busy with final exams because school is not out yet, so we are really trying to find some time to meet with them and get to know them better. Please be thinking of them and us!!! So far I am so thankful for all the opportunities we’ve had to just share life with these wonderful people and how willing they are to exchange culture and life stories.
Still one of my favorite things is to walk down the streets and to walk through the parks in this city. Going to the local parks is one of our favorite things to do with friends and tonight we may go to a park that’s close and Daniel plays guitar and we can sing and play. As foreigners we draw a huge crowd anyways (people here are very curious and are always interested in meeting us! I have some cool pictures!!) …so if we get the chance to sing and play for some people that’s even better!!
We have had a great time living life here, continuing to learn how to get around in a new world and it’s starting to feel very routine. We have people we see daily around our apartment complex and it’s encouraging to see how they have come to expect our presence and smile and say hello. I love it!
Highlights of this week:

1. We cooked as a little family! It was wonderful! We made stir-fry with vegetables bought from the market down the street and let me tell you it feels pretty successful to know that you have just made some delicious after buying food where you don’t speak the language!!
2. Still taking pictures of  babies and animals, don’t worry. But now I have extended my goal to all interesting looking people, especially the elderly people who live in our apartment complex. I can’t wait to ask to take their pictures. Highlight of this highlight is that we spotted a dog that was dyed to look like a Panda. Best. Dog. Ever.
3. Playing hackey sack with a bunch of sporty middle aged people at a park one night! They saw us walking around and invited us over to play. It was awesome. The park also included group dancing/aerobics and there were hundreds of women dancing! Wes even joined in! Fun video to show you later!
4. Yesterday we had Taiji (Tai Chi) Class and it was pretty funny! I am no good at it, surprise! haha

Daniel
I can’t believe I’ve been here only a couple of weeks.  We were talking here about how we feel its almost time to go home, only 20 something days left.  I’ve just been taking language class an hanging out with friends.  We played go fish the other day in class with our teacher, but we had to say the card numbers in Chinese.  We also played a game where we and our teacher got in a circle and we had to count to 100 in Chinese taking turns, but on the number 7, multiples of 7, or numbers with the word seven in them we had to clap.  If we did or didn’t clap when we were supposed to or we couldn’t think of how to say it in Chinese, we got punished.  We either had to sing or dance or tell a secret. I had to dance, but I tired my best to not mess up.
Benny and Jody-I dreamed the other night that your house burned down, and that Blaze died, and that you put her remains in the freezer-weird.  Benny- the other day we were walking up to the teacher’s lounge to hang out with our teacher CiCi and there were 2 armed guards changing money at the bank terminal inside the school.  They had black 870s with extended magazine barrels, folding buttstocks, pistol grips.  They looked really cool!  We had Tai Ji class the other day.  It’s not as hard as Yoga X, but it’s confusing.  Every once in a while, when I tell a friend that I grew up in the country, they ask me if I have a gun, and I say “Do I!”  I can tell they think its cool. They have mountains here, and I want to climb one, but it wouldn’t be the same without you and Jody.  We found the new X-Men movie on DVD, we bought it for about a dollar, but we haven’t watched it.
Laura-I miss you a lot.  We went to the park the other night and I saw a little girl dancing to some music, and I thought of you.  We also ate at a restaurant and a cute little kitten was there, and I held it on my lap for maybe 20 minutes and just petted it.  It wouldn’t purr, I feel like it was sad and it needed you.  I brought some pictures of you, and I look at them everyday.  I really miss you and want a big hug!
They shoot fireworks here everyday.  I don’t know how many mornings at 5 am some genius decides to light a belt of 10,000 blackcats right outside my window.  I never thought I’d miss geese (  ;) mom )
I think I’m going to borrow a guitar here.  Our group walks by this old man everyday.  He is just sitting in a wheel chair.  We can only say “hi” to him, and he says it back.  He always smiles.  So I think our group might go out by him someday and play him a song. 

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