Youth Group-Asian Style

Everywhere we've ever lived, we've taught youth groups: Cowan, Palmer, New Salem, Rogers City, Central Parkway, Hillcrest, Good Shepherd, Trinity, and now in Asia. We've driven buses, slept in bunk beds, met in parking lots, gone on m-trips, etc. etc.

Our current youth group is using about 40 Chronological stories

to learn HIStory from Creation to HIM.
This week, we were on the story of Baby Moses.

So, we had alot of fun with baby games. This relay included a mama,

a baby Moses,a bib, a bottle of warm soda, and a burp.

This game used the idea of Hot Potato and musical chairs

but passed the jar and tasted the baby food instead.

It was the first time for most of them to ever

taste baby food from a jar.

And, they were not too excited.

But, there's always one in every crowd.

You each remember who you were?

This is Jason. He was delighted to be the final contestant

and receive the rest of the jar of baby food as his prize.

We are amazed at how much fun these middle school

and high school students are having learning HIStory.

We're actually still having alot of fun ourselves.

Asian BSF Retreat

Three days, two nights, 2100 English-speaking Asian BSF leaders from at least 15 different locations (Korea, Japan, Taiwan, HongKong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia), all together for one purpose....praising and learning more about HIM. It was an incredible experience for me.

The hotel and convention facilites were beautiful.
In the nighttime and the daytime.

The weather was perfect for swimming,

although no one had time to hit the pool.

And the food was delicious.

But, the best part was traveling with wonderful friends.

Learning more about HIM together.

Aren't these Vietnamese women beautiful?

And these Korean women?

After only a few days of sweet fellowship and inspiration, we were all encouraged and refreshed to return to our respective locations and keep telling men, women, children, and preschoolers the good news of HIStory!

Priceless Faces

Recently, our schedules have been very full with travel, office work, trainings, language classes, homeschool, and daily life. We usually spend our days doing study, preparation, and emails. We spend our nights and weekends teaching HIStory, three nights inside of our home and three nights outside of our home. Sometimes, it gets a bit overwhelming. (We now have a chart so we don't forget which lesson we just taught to which group :) But, when we look back over the recent photos of our friends, we are ALWAYS encouraged to continue full speed ahead on this journey.

We hope you will agree that these faces are priceless!

Our First Love

In 2005, our family embarked on a journey around the world that has forever changed each of our four individual lives. We started simply enough....just a couple of short term trips to teach English to East Asians. But, then, something remarkable happened....we fell in love with these people.
The short term trips turned into our decision to quit our American jobs, sell our American house, vehicles, and furnishings, and move our two American highschool-aged daughters to a "small" (one million), rural city where we knew NO person, spoke/understood/wrote/read NO words, and definitely did NOT "blend" into the society or culture. Then, in 2008, because of a change in "job" asssignment, we packed up again and moved to a "big" (seven million), cosmopolitan city where we knew NO East Asians, still did not speak/understand/write/read many words, but felt alot more at "ease" in the society and culture. And, guess what? Once again, we fell in love with these people.

During the past three weeks, we had the privilege of visiting our first love, the Mainland. We attended some meetings, visited with some old friends and made some new friends, and charted the progress that has been made in our absence.

Some of you that have followed our blogs from both places, may remember this photo from May 2007. The caption read: "Hi, my name is Peter. The first time my foreign friends met me, I was three weeks old. I was abandoned at the police station and the police brought me to the orphanage. I'm very small and quiet. I love it when Jackie visits the orphanage and feeds me a bottle. My favorite times are when she holds me and sings to me, because the workers are too busy to hold me very much."

Well, this is Peter now, August 2010. He is no longer small or quiet. Instead, he laughs constantly. The orphanage has a new facility, new dining room, new bathrooms, new classrooms, new bedrooms, and a great heating system. Many "sisters" continue to show these children His love, including Jackie.

Or, how about this photo from May 2007? The caption read: "Hello, my name is Hope. I had a disability that made me unable to tell when I had to go to the bathroom, but I had surgery to fix that problem. I am just learning how to walk, and I love holding onto Jessie or Esther's finger as I totter about the room. If they let go of my hand, however, I just sit down. I am too scared to try walking all by myself."

This is Hope now, August 2010. "Scared" is no longer a part of her vocabulary. In fact, she pretty much "rules the roost." All honor and glory go to HIM who is able to do so much more than we could ever think possible. Continue to remember Jackie, these children, the caregivers, and the director. May ALL come to know HIM as Father, Savior, and Lord.

No matter where we go, we are always called upon to teach English. One morning during our trip, we accompanied Jackie to an English activity. Over 400 children, sat in rows in the blazing sun, to receive awards and to hear the native English speakers (us) lead them in games and songs. As we led the children in the "Hokey Pokey" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," how I longed for the freedom that I now experience on my little island to openly share HIStory. Millions of children (there and here) are waiting to hear the truth.

Now, we have returned to our little island to continue to share HIStory....one person at a time. We are so thankful for the opportunity to visit our first love for three short weeks. But, we have been reminded that our first love is really ANYWHERE there are people that are still waiting to know HIM. We are at home on our little island, and we press forward on the journey to reach the millions. Thank you for always supporting us in so many ways. May you freely continue to share HIStory with all of the people surrounding you.

Mother's Day in July

Yesterday afternoon, Esther and I slipped into "Make Believe" world for two hours. Esther and Elizabeth (via video camera and photos) treated me to an elegant English Afternoon Tea party at a local British-style tea house. It was a belated Mother's Day gift, and I'm pretty sure it was the best $20 USD ever spent on a mother. Sometimes, amidst the sights, sounds, smells, and stresses of everyday life in a foreign country, you forget just how refreshing dressing up, sitting across the table from your beautiful 17 year old daughter, smelling rose "everything", and slowly, quietly sipping tea can be.
The food was tasty. The rose-scented potpourri was amazing. The decor was fantastic. And, the relaxing chat with my daughter was priceless. (Elizabeth will visit us in December, and then, all three of us can have this magnificent experience together.)

Thank you girls. I am truly honored to be your mother. May we have many more of these opportunities in the months and years to come. To HIM be all glory and praise.

Hakka Celebration

This week, I (Esther) was invited to attend an all day Hakka celebreation. Although I did not know what that would entail, I whipped out my camera, joined my friend, J, and her mother, P, and set out for an adventure! Before we arrived, my friends explained that the Hakka people are an Asian minority group that have lived on this island for generations. Best known for their colorful handicrafts, unique language, and delicious foods, I soon discovered that I had a lot to learn about these beautiful people! While we were waiting to pick up our tickets, lion dancers paraded down the street to announce the beginning of the day's festivities. Following behind them were several government officials who are running for office this year and a drama group that performed ancient folklore skits. Another exciting event of the day was making traditional, blue tye-dyed handkerchiefs. Even though I ended up with a blue, tye-dyed thumb, I was fascinated by watching the professionals create intricate designs of cranes and flowers on their cloths.Of course, what is a celebration without food? The picture above shows all the tools necessary for the Hakka men to make the well loved dessert, Mo Chi. The dough for the sticky rice cakes must be pounded with the large wooden hammers to crate the perfect consistency. Then peanuts, strawberries, or other toppings can be added to make a tasty treat!Here is my friend, J, eating some wonderful peanut Mo Chi. Yum! There were even booths with games and prizes for anyone who wanted to practice speaking Hakka. I think I pronounced my words incorrectly, but all of the Asian people were quite interested in hearing the white girl try to speak.
All in all, the Hakka celebration was fantastic! I loved learning more about this remarkable culture. As I heard their stories, I thanked the Creator for making such a unique people group. I just hope that the Hakka people will also come to know how much He loves them!

VBS 2010

This year, our BIG national clubhouse stepped out in faith and chose to host two sessions of VBS each day. By making this decision, we were able to host over 400 children at Saddle Ridge Ranch (and yes, it is possible to turn an Asian island into a western dude ranch and Asians into cowboys and cowgirls).
Esther and I spent 10 hours a day working both morning and afternoon sessions all week. It was VERY hard work, but the dividends are definitely eternal with over 200 children making decisions for HIM. Now, the real work of follow-up with entire families begins.

The week was greatly enhanced by all of the donations from our friends in WV and TN. Thanks so much for all of the "leftover" supplies that you sent our way. It definitely added to the theme.

Esther helped out in the Craft site and with one of the first grade classes. I worked with 3rd graders.

Over 1/2 of these children had never attended any kind of VBS-type event before. Pre-registration filled the 400 slots within days of opening. We were so happy that six of our children from the orphanage were able to attend.

I think this photo best describes the entire event: I will give my life, I will give my all, I just want to be like HIM! We were so honored to be able to work alongside our national brothers and sisters who definitely gave ALL they could give this week so that these children had the opportunity to find answers in HIM, both now and in the future.