Orphans

“Because I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to help him.” – Job 29:12 

Another opportunity was given to us from above. Prior to us arriving in our city, the local orphanage has been off-limits to foreigners. They developed a negative taste in their mouth about foreigners because of a soured relationship they previously had with a foreign family who once lived in our town. This local orphanage has burdened our hearts recently, and we felt that we should try to give them a visit anyway. Sure enough, this feeling was given to us solely from Father. A friend of Becky’s asked her if she wanted to go visit the orphanage with her! This friend is a family member and has a loving heart for people, especially for children in need. Becky told her of the strong possibility that she would not be allowed in. Her friend said to give it a try anyway.

Becky’s pryer was, “If this is your will, let there be a way.” Sure enough, she was allowed in! To top it off, she was allowed in with opened arms and excitement from the orphanage workers! No sign of any hostility or fear. She greeted them with a loving smile and a bag of fruit and candy. She sat at a picnic table with two workers, 4 children, and her sweet sister friend. The children in the orphanage all have some kind of special need or physical handicap. 3 out of the 4 children at the table were unable to speak. However, they sure could laugh, smile, and eat pineapple with Becky! These children are abandoned. One little boy that could sort of speak was found on the side of the road. I did not plan on taking any pictures, but when he discovered my phone in my pocket, he was hooked to the phenomenon of a touchscreen. The kids were fascinated to be able to see themselves, and somehow took pictures while enamored!

The workers told Becky she could come back at anytime. We were blown away by the reception we received from them! We are in pryer about how to pursue this relationship with them. We will take it slow, go in small numbers of visitors, and spread out the number of times during the month to start out. But man are we excited!!!

No Chance To Be An Orphan

Well…. We have some news…

April Fool’s! We don’t mean to scare you! Haha! We may have had a little “piece of rice in the rice cooker” scare, and needed to double check. SO, we ended up buying a pregnancy test to make sure.

This pregnancy test was a gut-wrenching revelation to our hearts. If you buy a pregnancy test today in our country (remember, we’re not pregnant), it comes with one of these (below), because if you’re potentially pregnant in our country the first thing you’re apparently supposed to do is consider killing your baby. And judging from the amount of advertising, pre-birth infanticide is not only much more convenient than traditional infanticide, it’s a cash cow. This is an abortion discount card for a local hospital. 

The front roughly says: “PAINLESS ABORTION Assistance Card”
“Assistance amount: $50”
 [Government] Appointed Hospital Painless Abortion Assistance Hotline

The back is worse. The back compares three kinds of abortion: abortion via drugs, ordinary abortion, and the “Blah-blah Hospital’s Hysteroscopy Obtain Embryo Surgery” Here’s what the columns read:

•    Surgery eligibility (“medical indication”):

              ◦   “up to and including the 11th week.”

•    Surgery time:

              ◦   “three minutes”

•    Anesthetic:

              ◦   “short-term effect I.V. anesthetic”

•    Patient’s surgery experience:

              ◦   “sweet dreams during the surgery, wake up promptly, cozy and cheerful after the surgery”

•    Harmful side-effects:

               ◦    “very few complications, won’t affect subsequent pregnancies, can go to work the next day”

It has the address, contact info, and a website.

We were completely stunned at how convenient and appealing they have made it to have an abortion. 

Opportunities From Above

This weekend was packed with opportunities to serve and pry. We had a national holiday called, “Tomb Sweeping” Holiday. Where we live, people are not buried in the kind of cemeteries we have back in America. They are buried in mini-tombs in the hills and mountains. Once a year, during this 3-day festival, families visit the tombs of their deceased ancestors. Sounds normal, right? Well, this type of visit is a little different than the kind where we would normally take flowers to our family’s grave. Instead, they bring paper everything… Paper houses, paper supermodels, paper cars, and fake paper money. They burn these paper items so that their deceased family members will receive a better after-life. The surrounding mountains are full of smoke and fire for 3 days as people continue this hopeless tradition. While we respect the customs of the people here, our hearts absolutely break for them as they seek emptiness. They have no clue what kind of “after-life” they could receive from knowing the King.

When you have a chance, please pry for these people we are living with. They need more than anything to know truth and to be filled with hope. 

Happy Birthday Chris!

Today was bittersweet. Chris woke up to the first day of the last year of his twenties. For the first time in 3 years, he did not wake up to the routine of Rangers Opening Day! We had a small case of the baseball-blues. We were sad, but at the same time, we were reaffirmed by Father that we are currently in the place He wants us to be. He received some encouraging emails from his friends back at the Rangers. It was fun to hear about the Hamilton antics and great to hear about the win!

Normally we would have had language class this morning, but we took the day off to celebrate the day together. Becky took Chris to KFC for a birthday lunch with students and then gave him a baseball-themed wooden pinball machine she found on her trip to the big city!

Easter = Victory

When each day passes, we continue to be reminded of many small things we no longer have access to that we would take for granted back home. This Easter was incomparable to any other Easter we have ever experienced. No Easter Bunny. No Easter baskets. No Charleston Hesston’s “10 Commandments”. No ham, deviled eggs, potato salad, or sweet tea. No option of which service to attend. No Peeps. No Cadbury. No plastic eggs. No Rangers Opening Weekend.

Instead, we experienced the raw goodness of His victory. The night before Easter, Chris suffered from a strong round of warfare from the enemy. He spent the entire night tossing and turning in attempt to fall asleep while battling thoughts from darkness. He felt physically sick and exhausted. We were not able to make it to our community gathering for Sunday morning, and Chris finally fell asleep around 10 am. Becky stayed back to pry for him by his side. When he woke up, he said he dreamed that he was on his knees in pryer, asking for Father to relieve him. Talk about a very unusual Easter. But to us, this was not unusual. Knowing what day it was on the calendar was a huge sign to us that this is not a favorite day for the enemy.

Originally, we had the day planned for about 25 guests to come over to our home for a potluck dinner and Easter egg hunt. We ended up having to cancel our planned event because of our morning we experienced. Come to find out, the people originally coming over were no longer able to make it for various reasons anyway! Here comes the cool part. Last minute, Becky got together with the other foreigners in town for an impromptu Easter egg hunt with some of their neighbors and friends. They were able to share the meaning of Easter, have an egg hunt, and play games with about 10 local children who had never heard the message before! The crazy part is…. all 25 people who were originally going to come over for an Easter egg hunt were ALL family members already! These 10 children and their mothers were NOT family members, and got the chance to hear for the first time!! It is crazy awesome how these things work out. We saw the raw goodness of His victory! We endured battle and sought His winning.

This is a glimpse into our reality over here. It is not meant to scare you, but to let you see the life we are living as the enemy is doing everything in his evil power to steal the hearts of the lost away from our Father.

egg picker.jpg

Thanks to Chris’ momma, Becky was able to dye Easter eggs with her Intercultural Class students (210 of them) and share the meaning of Easter! It is beautiful to see the connection between the simplicity of an egg and the celebration of new life. 

Culture Shock

Wow. We did it!  We survived 4 weeks with absolutely no campus activity, all local restaurants being closed, and extremely random bus times. As the campus began to liven, our spirits started to rise.  For the past 3 weeks we have been surrounded by students, teachers, and offensive smells of the burning of trash, food, branches, and waste that we can never grow fond of.  Amen!

The daily life here is very simple and convenient. We can walk across the street to grab our fresh vegetables and fruits or head to our local diner to visit our new friends. Even through the hustle and bustle of the city, there doesn't seem to be any hurry to be anywhere. There are moments when time seems to stand still. It's quite a change of pace from growing up in the DFW metropolis.

We have been here for 7 weeks without experiencing any severe culture shock. All of a sudden, everything began to change last week.  We couldn’t put our finger on it.  Then we realized we are going through culture shock, but it is not any form of culture shock we have read about or heard others speak about. Something deep inside our hearts was longing to break free from the status quo.  This culture shock we were experiencing was that of the Son. “J Culture Shock”.

We grew up with the American culture of “safety and security.” We were taught to always keep a savings account/emergency fund for those “what-if’s” that may come when we least expect them. While seeking the Father in preparation to move to our new country, we gave Him our safety and security in efforts of trust and obedience to His will. The consequence to our actions has led to a severe state of Culture Shock. J Culture Shock. Recently we have been living the pryer, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Father has put this challenge in our lives to stop worrying about the future and instead rely upon Him for today. He has convicted us to seek Him in each and every daily need, large or small.  Unfortunately, in the past we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences.  As independent thinkers, we are taught to provide for ourselves. We have always relied on Father having our back when we fail rather than keeping Him in the forefront of our sight, seeking Him first for provision. J said His followers would leave behind security, money, convenience, and even family for Him.  Some call this radical faith. Others call it crazy love.  We call it being a “disciple”.

"The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and unhypocritical faith.” 1 Tim. 1:5

Where our feet have failed and our fear settled in, J has yet to leave us. When the oceans rise we keep our eyes above the waves and we find ourselves being taken deeper than our feet could ever wander.

It’s lonely being the outsider. J’s faith was stretched the hard way because He learned what it was like to live in a foreign land. His culture was threatened by Him because He was different. His message was often misunderstood. But those who patiently listened to Him found true love and peace – they found their Savior.

Praises:

1.     Praise Him for revealing Himself to us! We are growing in His word more and more each day.

2.     Hot water! All but one shower we’ve taken has been with hot water. Thankful for tiny comforts.

3.     Continued communication with those back home. We have received strong pryer accountability in many circumstances.

Pr Request:

1.     Brokenness. We desire to be broken and desperate for Father in such a way that we stop relying on ourselves and fully rely on Him.

2.     For the spirit to lead our trust where it is without borders.

3.     As many of you know, we endured many immunizations/inoculations at high costs in preparation for our move. We were due to receive the second round of the JE shot 28 days later (not available in our country but closely available in Thailand), but we were unable to leave our country because our visa was not ready before school started. Discouragingly, we have to start over with our JE injections. We have the time in July/August to travel to Thailand to get this taken care of, but we do not have the funds to travel to Thailand, purchase the injections, and have 28 days of living expenses. Please join us in seeking His guidance and provision for this situation that it may clear to know His will for us.

4.     Create in me a clean heart, O Father. Psalm 51:10

March Forth

Becky is in her 4th week of teaching and it is going great. She has nearly 300 students spread over 5 classes: 1 Oral Speaking, 1 English Writing, and 3 Inter-Cultural Communication.We celebrated Becky's birthday on Monday March, 4. Hooray for first-time birthdays in another country/culture! It is tradition in our new culture to eat long rice noodles (symbolizes long life) and an egg (symbolizes new life). We invited our friends over to make pizza and cupcakes for a small birthday celebration/game night. If you know us at all, you know how domestically-challenged Becky is! You would be so proud of the two of us! We made pizza dough from SCRATCH! We have been hand-washing our dishes and doing our laundry on a regular basis! I know, both moms are in shock right now! 

We celebrated Becky's birthday on Monday March, 4. Hooray for first-time birthdays in another country/culture! It is tradition in our new culture to eat long rice noodles (symbolizes long life) and an egg (symbolizes new life). We invited our friends over to make pizza and cupcakes for a small birthday celebration/game night. If you know us at all, you know how domestically-challenged Becky is! You would be so proud of the two of us! We made pizza dough from SCRATCH! We have been hand-washing our dishes and doing our laundry on a regular basis! I know, both moms are in shock right now! 

Recently we traveled to a nearby city with a friend to meet some students, visit a famous cave, and attend our first Hani culture wedding! This was the first time for these students to meet a native English speaker. It was an honor to spend time with them. 

We ate lunch in a local village surrounding a natural spring. 

We explored a cave and climbed a beautiful mountain with our new friends. Becky tried on handmade minority clothing. 

Weddings in our culture are quite different than those in America. Ceremonies are held inside of the reception/banquet hall while people are eating exquisite meals. Their parents share a few kind words to each of them and they are covered in silly-string and confetti. They are very quick! The bride changes into  traditional culture clothing for the second part of the reception. 

Chris has been asked to help with the College of Business. He will be giving a few lectures and putting his creative mind to work with the Marketing Department. He spent the afternoon with the College of Business officials playing games for their "Field Day"! Camaraderie is beautiful here. 

Meekness

There are 4 families (us included) in our town serving together for the same purpose. We are all individually very different, but we are committed to each other as a community. After spending time with these families in the past week, we are reminded of Romans 12:11-13, “Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pry all the harder. Help needy believers; be inventive in hospitality.”

This morning’s sermon was centered around Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.”  Typically our brains automatically associate the word “meek” with the synonyms “timid” and “weak”. In reality, “meekness” takes strength. It is the way of calming our wild spirit and seeking to the Father. It is being genuinely happy for others when they receive from the Father what we do not receive. It means to have joy for others in all circumstances. It is thinking, “When I see my own sins, I am kinder and gentler towards the sins of others.” Spiritual mourning leads to meekness. Meekness is required when confronting one another.

We encourage you to watch the tube video called, “Ten Strategies for Cultivating Meekness”. Once you get past the guy’s accent, his message is enlightening.

1) Moderate your expectations of others. (Psalm 103:14)

2) Find joy in evidence of Father’s grace. (Phil 4:8)

3) Remember how much you’ve been forgiven. (2 Pet. 1:9) Thought: “If Father would be angry against me because of my offenses with Him as much as I am angry with others’ offenses against me… where would I be?

4) Take time before you form judgments. (James 1:19; Prov. 18:17)

5) Make friends with meek people. (Prov. 22:24-25) Thought: “Do not make friends with those habitually angry or it will rub off on you.”

6) Take pleasure in the joys of others. (Rom. 12:15) Thought: “Irrigate your soul in the joys AND sorrows of your people. The meek spirited person is glad for those doing better than himself. Be intentional to rejoice over every good gift Father gives to others that He did not choose to give to you.

7) Discern Father’s hand in the work of your enemies. (John 18:11)

8) Walk daily in fellowship with JC. (Matt. 11:29) Thought: Meekness is not in our nature, it only comes from Father. Be yoked with him every hour of every day.

9) Anticipate all that Father has promised. (Matt 5:5)

10) Ask Father to give you meekness. (James 3:17) Thought: Think the best of others.

After a wonderful message, we headed back to campus. On our way home, we passed a truck with 2 lions and a small bear! We have seen this truck driving around town before, and we have often wondered what would happen if these animals escaped! There is a local circus in town that we need to make time to see! Here is a small video clip of these beastly creatures.

We spent the late afternoon riding a moped around the surrounding villages. 

We had a flat tire during our ride. 

We found a tire shop! 

Pryer Requests:

  1. School starts this week. Please pry for Becky's throat to stop hurting and for her classes to run smoothly. 
  2. Job opportunities for Chris are currently being discussed. Please pry for Father to reveal His plan and His timing.
  3. Relationships with co-workers.
  4. That we will continue to learn meekness in our daily lives here.

Praises:

  1. PTL for giving us an oven to cook with!
  2. Food items from the Big City to eat at home.
  3. Connecting with like-hearted co-workers here on the field.
  4. Teaching us to rely on Him in all circumstances.
  5. Reconnecting with an old friend who is a family member. We plan to host them in our home on Friday. 
  6. Connecting with friends and family back home in Texas.

Trip To The Big City

As many of you know, we have been living on campus with very little food sources available due to the holiday. We have been surviving on an occasional dinner invite in town, and peanut butter or scrambled eggs at home with the limited supply of a microwave and one hot plate. Ovens are available for purchase in our Big City (almost 5 hours away). We were hoping to be able to wait until the first team arrives in June to make a trip up there to save cost. However, Father continues to show us His plan and how He specifically meets our daily needs. Our American friend from SC invited Becky to travel to the Big City with her by bus to go to the store where we could find an oven! PTL! This was such an answer to pryer.

Becky's Experience:

My friend C and I took an early bus to the Big City. This was my first trip away from Chris. I was so proud of myself! C and I spent the entire drive up bonding like sisters.  I stayed in my very first hostel! This hostel is called, “The Hump”, and is a hot spot for many European travelers. I was picturing cement floors, cement walls, bunk beds, and community showers. Not at all! This place was awesome! We had 2 beds in our room, a nice bathroom.

After a good night’s rest, it was go time. We set out for our big adventure in the Western product store. This place is known for many westerners to come and buy items such as cheese, cereal, steak, ketchup, etc. My goal was to buy an oven (ovens here are toaster ovens) and cheese and butter. We had 1 hour to shop at this store before we had to head to the bus station to return home. First, we went to the aisle of ovens. This place reminded me of a Costco/Sam’s Club type warehouse.

We found the oven C and her family had at half the price of my budget! We immediately started rejoicing. When we asked the salesman for help, he said that oven was no longer available. Let me tell you that there were about 6 different brands of ovens represented on the shelves. He was trying to tell us that only 1 brand was available, without looking in the back. I then felt crushed. The one thing I had sought after was not there. We continued with our shopping and found the cheese and butter. A giant block of cheese costs about $13 American dollars! So thankful to find cheese. They do not have cheese where we live! They don’t even know what cheese is! In the middle of the cheese aisle, C took my hands and said, “We need to pr.”

We stopped in the middle of this store and asked Father to give us an oven. We asked Him to give us a different salesman on the oven aisle that would be able to help us.

We went to the oven aisle again, and sure enough, a different saleslady was there! We asked her for the oven we saw first, and she said it was not available. Then we asked her about another oven very similar to that one, she scanned it with her scanner, and said there was 1 left in the back! PTL PTL PTL! This was not even the same brand the original salesman said was the only kind it stock, it was different! It was 2 rmb less than my budget! Father provides. She brought the oven out, plugged it in to test the power, and we repacked it. Tears of joy were streaming down my face! I was overwhelmed at how powerful Father is and how He shows up when we feel defeated. Time and time again I see Him in every victory.

The last 2 days have been some of the best days of my life while living overseas. Father taught me to rely on Him for even the smallest things in life. I would never have thought to stop in the middle of a grocery store and pr. My natural instinct was to panic and feel defeated. I was blessed with the accompaniment of a pryer warrior sister. Father grew me and stretched me in multiple ways.

 “What a Father! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every Father-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward Him makes it.” Psalm 18: 30 (MSG).

Many of you may be thinking, “Well what did Chris do while you were gone?” Chris was able to send his love and encouragement to me the entire time I was gone. I was so thankful! He also spent time with a fellow co-worker in discipleship and accountability. And, he found a printer! I love his techy abilities! Not to mention, he greeted me with a warm smile when he saw that I managed to bring home homemade tortillas, tortilla chips, and taco sauce! He made a wonderful meal of breakfast tacos for the two of us! We continue to be grateful in all things, large and small! 

What happens at 2:30 in the morning when you tell your husband you are hungry? Mini bagel pizzas and Duck Dynasty make me happy, happy, happy! 

Here Lately

Happy Valentine's Day
February 14, 2013

Friends and family,
Thank you for all of your love and support. We love you all! Today we were reminded of how much Father loves this country and the people of our town. We are thankful for His undying love for us as we serve these people He desires to know.

We were surprised at how many people recognized Valentine's Day today. Flower and balloon vendors were set up all over town. We had a great Valentine's Day together! Becky had a meeting with her boss in the early afternoon, and then we went into town. We got our hair washed and had massages for $5! Such a nice treat. Chris surprisingly sat down to get his hair dried, and all of a sudden they started cutting his hair! He was brave!

We went to a restaurant for a romantic meal of spaghetti, sandwiches, french fries, a milkshake, and coca cola!

Chris gave the perfect gift. Mickey cookies! Mickey love Minnie long time. lol.

Praises & Requests

Requests:

  • Chris has developed a unique relationship with our coworkers' son. Please continue to lift them up as they spend brotherly time together.
  • That we will seek Him for nourishment as He provides for us.
  • Deeper relationships with existing friendships.
  • Opportunities for discipleship with members.
  • Preparation for our jobs.
  • Patience and diligence in translating the word into our language.

Praises:

  • We are blessed by the abundance in technology to communicate with those back home. Friends have been spot on with providing scripture during immediate times of warfare. They have been uplifting and encouraging at the right moments.
  • We have been living here for 2 weeks and have not spent any time apart! It's official! We like each other!
  • The weather! We were expecting February to hold freezing cold temperatures, moisture in the air, and little to no sunlight. It has been the exact opposite! We have had temps in the 70-80's and constant sunshine. Glorious! We are getting used to reading degrees in Celsius over here rather than Fahrenheit. 
  • We feel Father growing us and increasing our flexibility. Things are done so different here compared to home. Rarely are we ever asked to participate in something ahead of time. Instead, plans are already made for us. This has required adjustment on our part, but only with the flexibility He has increased in us.

Thank you for following us and keeping up with us as we serve overseas. Please, keep the communication coming! It has helped us tremendously! Love you all.

The Tower

Today we traveled to a nearby town to visit a fellow teacher from our university. We were immersed in rich culture and history today as we ate a traditional meal (donkey and yak), walked around traditional structures built more than 300 years ago, and climbed a mountain to a seven-story tower. 

The donkey meat is to the left of the peanuts.

Door decor over 300 years old.

The view from the top of the tower.

Later that evening we went for a dinner similar to what we would call Fondue but instead we call it "Hot Pot". We had yak meat from Tibet.

Contract Signing Day

Reality sunk in a bit more as Becky signed her contract with the University this morning. We were praising Father for bringing us to this point. We are actively stepping in obedience. (video to come soon)

 

This evening, a friend Becky met 5 years ago invited us to her home for dinner with her family. By far the best meal we have eaten so far. There’s nothing quite like eating fish with the skin still attached, chicken with its head fully cooked and eye staring at you, stir-fry veggies, and a bunch of other dishes safer eaten when you don’t know what’s in it. We were surprised at how well we enjoyed this meal!

New relationships were formed tonight and we look forward to meeting with them more.

We have been blessed by these dinners with friends. Father has provided for us time after time to meet our needs of nourishment and friendship.

Happy New Year’s Day, The Year of The Snake!

We started the day with some P&W @ community. Afterwards, we walked around town and admired all of the celebrations that took place around the lake. The lake is the focal point of our city. They have a mini amusement park set up there. We call it “Six Flags”… more like “One Flag”. Hahaha.

Many villagers walk around town in their traditional clothing. Every time we see people from this town we are reminded of the strong desire Father has for these people to know Him, to love the least of these.

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!" Rev. 7:9-10

Carnival games were set up everywhere. Chris won a stuffed Pikachu animal and a bottle of grape juice at a knock-out game! It was fun to see how similar their carnival games were to ours back home. 

Vendors were set up with various foods. Sugarcane is very popular here. We also saw real cotton candy!

Several camels were stationed around the lake. We rode the camel and had our picture taken! I’m not sure who got more stares… the camel, or us foreigners!

xin nian kuai le

(Happy New Year!)

Chinese New Year's Eve

We caught up with some friends we’ve known for 9 years! It is such a huge blessing to be able to say that! We even reconnected with our old Kung Fu teacher! They took us to eat some famous “Over-the-bridge Noodles” at a local restaurant in town to celebrate the “new year”. We have now celebrated 2 New Year’s Eves this year! So funny. Chris was asked to help out the Business College. We will know more details soon, hopefully.We spent our afternoon playing some Star Wars Monopoly with our coworkers’ son.

We spent our afternoon playing some Star Wars Monopoly with our coworkers’ son.

Later that evening, we dined together and came back to our apartment to watch the big television special for New Year’s! Celine Dion came all the way to the capital of our country to sing the Chinese second national anthem: My Heart Will Go On!

Fireworks blasted outside our window until about 5:30 in the morning. We have heard fireworks for the last several days. These people really know how to celebrate before, during, AND after a holiday! 

In this "New Year", we are reminded that, "If anyone is in Chrst, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Cor. 5:17

Survival Mode & Warfare

We have been in “survival” mode this past week. After traveling to the Vietnam border for our medical exams, we bought a few groceries at the market. Sadly, our power went out, which caused our food in the refrigerator to spoil! Our campus is pretty much a “ghost town” and we are the only people here. All of the food sources are closed because of Chinese New Year. It takes about 45 minutes to get into town because of our bus system and it costs about $2. Grocery store shelves are not fully stocked because of the holiday. Aside from a few scheduled dinner appointments with friends in town, we have stayed on campus. Cooking has been a challenge due to low food supply, not knowing how to really cook here, and only having a hot plate and a microwave available at home. Luckily they do not refrigerate eggs here. Needless to say, we have eaten LOTS of scrambled eggs and peanut butter sandwiches. Life here during this time of holiday is so different compared to what we are used to back home in Texas. We could hop in the car and go to Taco C or Whataburger (or anywhere else for that matter) any time we were hungry. We have been truly thankful for Father’s provision. He has taken care of our needs each day we’ve been here. He has showed us that food is designed for nourishment and we can be nourished on simple foods. It has been deeply humbling.

After a few days of feeling like survivors, our other coworker family in town invited us over for dinner. We took the bus into town, walked up the stairs, and saw… LASAGNA! It was raining blessings! This family has figured out how to cook many different meals with the ingredients available here in our town, plus they have a full-sized kitchen in their home. They answered so many of our questions and helped us feel more comfortable. They also sent us home with leftovers!!! Woo hoo! Now we are trying to figure out how we can bless them in return!

We know that we will continue to be survivors until the 25th of this month. Once school starts, campus will liven and we will have many food sources available without the need to travel into town.

We have also been reminded of the reality of warfare here. Because our town has grown over the last 9 years as we’ve known it, the enemy seems to show himself differently. His presence is masked by the development and busy commotion of our growing town. He is definitely still here... He lurks, schemes, and can attack when we least expect it.

It is detrimental to be covered in prayer. We pr for each other in His name. I’ve been reminded of the story in Mark chapter nine verses fourteen to thirty-two. 

In verse twenty-nine, J said, "There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer."

Pryer is the only solution for warfare. Please continue to remember us as we face the enemy on the field.

Kidnapped By A Calling

Film Summary: An indescribable heaviness settles upon us.  Looking into the near future, we see that we are checking our luggage, and Chris trying to sneak an oversized bag on his back as a carry-on at the Korean Air counter, good luck.  We stand circled with family and friends with smiles and sniffles, waiting for a 777 to kidnap us overseas. A sorrow, the thought of leaving this enchantment behind us, for how long our return will be is unknown. What is known is that our Father has rested on our hearts this part of the world. 

Some assume that if you enjoy a place and it does you right then it traps you. Within our town the streets are littered with garbage and sometimes the stench of human and animal poverty whirls so thickly in your nose you can taste it. Shantytowns are checkered throughout this growing metropolis. It is inescapable. A reminder wherever you go.  

The children are usually playing but not always... Sometimes they are sent off into the streets to tug at your clothes to beg for change.  Things are a little off. But if you squint, you can see past all of it... Right into the core of what this town is about. Love. Love is what keeps the beat going around here.  The class difference is quit stark here and something has to keep these people running... It's all about survival, all about family, all about providing... All about love. 

Please enjoy the short film of our travels from Arlington to our hometown.

Uploaded by Chris Bielinski on 2013-12-27.

Requests

We probably will not inundate you with every little daily story we have from this point forward, however we felt it was important to catch you up to speed in the first week of our life.

You may be wondering: 

How’s the weather?    

The weather has been ideal. Not too cold, and not too hot. We have a small heater/ac unit in our bedroom only, but this has been plenty for us. We have been able to walk around wearing jeans and a t-shirt during the day with a light jacket at night.

How are we feeling?

Neither of us has been sick to our stomach. We have been taking it easy introducing local foods. Our town is famous for spicy food to the point where your lips become numb. Becky still has a cough that is caused by a pesky little tickle in her throat. She has tried many home remedies as well as prescription/over the counter drugs. She has improved over the week but still needs healing.

Are we homesick?

Not yet! We have been asked, “What food do you miss the most?” Both of us don’t have anything we are missing/craving yet. Father is gracious and comforting. We both feel extremely content and “at home”. PTL for abundance in technology! We have been able to easily communicate with those back home in America. It has helped ease the transition.

What will we be doing?

This coming weekend is Chinese New Year. We will be spending our time with the other coworkers here in town. We live in an apartment on campus, and during this time of the New Year, everything shuts down like a “ghost town”. It is very peaceful and quiet. Becky will start teaching on 2/28. We will know more detail soon and will keep y’all posted.

Please ask Father:

  • guidance and provision in obtaining the 2nd JE shot and that our trust be vested in the Lord
  • Becky’s health to improve
  • Language barrier
  • Relationships with fellow coworkers
  • Preparation for the new semester
  •  Seeking monthly partnerships to financially support this journey (If interested in more info, please send email to jango.jenkins@gmail.com) 

Community Time

We reunited with the other coworkers here in town for community. They greeted us with a package of food items and maps for our town! So generous. We are a little limited in resources for community here. We have no praise band or guitar, but instead we have a few old hymnals one of the coworkers brought. Even with the minimal resources we had, Father spoke to us in song today.

 

Day by Day

“Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here;

Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or forfear.

He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure, gives unto each day what Hedeems best,

Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Father Himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me, He whose name is Counselor and Pow’r.

The protection of His child and treasure is a charge that on Himself He laid;

“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,” this the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation, so to trust thy promises, O Father, that I lose not faith’s sweet consolation, offered me within thy holy Word. Help me Father when toil and trouble meeting, E’er to take as from a father’s hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting, till with The Son I stand. “

First Rickshaw Ride

We spent today in the street markets attempting to find some general household items for the apartment. We were searching for a tall trashcan for the kitchen. You know those small bathroom-sized trashcans you have at your house? Well imagine that being the only size of a trashcan they offer in this town! The only “big” container we could find was a bucket about 2 feet off the ground. It will make do!

We decided to take a rickshaw back to campus instead of the bus. It was so fun! Here's a quick video clip of our ride!