3 Weeks Left: Lifetime still to go.

    Where to begin with an update? Things have been very busy here in a tiring but great way. I suppose we can begin with the present and then take a look back.

    This weekend, some of the workers at the school took a night train to and from Kunming. We did this to take a physical exam that is necessary for a specific Visa. The trip began at 8:30 when Bro. Dom picked us up near our apartment to bring us to the train station. We arrived, got through the ticket check/ security section and then waited a few minutes to board. It was all rather painless! There were four girls and myself traveling with our group. The sleeper rooms have 4 beds and a door that can lock. So naturally I was in a room separated from everyone else. When we first got on the train, I was the only person in my room and the train left the station the same way! At 11:30, the train stopped in Dali and I had three passengers join me. But they were pretty quiet and that was very nice! I think the girls stayed up late and talked about girl things, but I can’t say cause I wasn’t there! We arrived in Kunming at 6:30 the next morning. We groggily waddled out to the curb and caught a taxi to our exam. Other than being stuck in the arm with a needle that process was also pretty painless! Afterwards we caught the subway to the Metro area. No, not the metropolitan area, but the area that has the store Metro in it! There is also a Burger King, an H&M, and a Starbucks! Metro is like a Sams Club or Costco, so it is a very nice store to be able to visit and get things from. So, we spent 10 hours walking around, chilling in Starbucks, and possibly watching some people avenge for their second time. We got back this morning, and the sleep was much better on the trip back! So I will practice and study for choir practice tonight, and help clean the house! We are very thankful for a safe trip!
   

    Thursday I took my drivers test. I had not taken it because I knew it would consume time and I wasn't sure if I needed it yet since we don't have a car. But, because Ian and Candace left their vehicle here, and we wanted to take a teacher trip at the beginning of next year we decided to go ahead with the process. It began with regular paperwork stuff going back and forth to government buildings trying to persuade them that my vertical drivers license was simply an under 21 license that had not expired yet. The problem was that it looked differently than their recorded VA license. I knew that the process would finish with a written exam so I began to study. At first I was quite nervous because I could not find a good way to study. But I did find many blogs and comments mentioning the difficulty of the test. It is a 100 question test chosen randomly from a pool of 900+ questions. You must score a 90 or above in order to pass. So I really began to study! I found a website (http://www.chinese-driving-test.com/) that had questions on it, but i had no way of knowing if these were even the right questions to study. Then, Wednesday, I finished my paperwork to take the test and they scheduled me to take it at 9:00 the next morning. So I made a mad search to find the correct questions to study. I was able to find a document that contained the questions with the correct answers. I started separating the more difficult questions in order to study the ones that would be harder. While I still wasn’t positive that these were the correct questions, they did line up with the questions from online, so I felt pretty good about it. I had taken the practice test Wednesday night until I could get a 100 on it. Then I took it again twice the next morning and got a 100 on both. Turns out that the questions were exactly the same! So I was able to get a 100. Later that day I brought the paperwork in and received my License!

    I was also able to take my boys, and Jewel’s boy hiking on a mountain the other day. That was a great opportunity to spend time with them outside the classroom! We’re going back to America in three weeks. This has been an awesome but fast year!

Easter Weekend

     Does not Easter feel like Thanksgiving? My heart is full, for this past Easter weekend was an incredible opportunity to share the Good News! Chris and I held our first children's activity for our S.S. kids this past Saturday. They were allowed to invite one friend to come with them that didn't attend our S.S. From ages as young as 2 and as old as 10, everyone showed up and most brought a friend. Everything we do has a purpose, so the craft, the games, the lesson, all pointed to one Person. We are so grateful that even in China, children are waiting and wanting to hear about the One who could save them. I'm also happy that our friend Grace joined us here in China not long ago and has constantly been helping with the children's work!

     I won't be jealous that Chris and I didn't get a classy Easter photo together like all the ones I've seen on Facebook. Okay maybe a little. :) But our Easter Sunday brought many many people in to hear this Good News and also many children! We had a special time of singing and also eating lunch together after the meeting.

P.S. I hope you understand all my acronymns and "clue words." :)

Teaching Update

    Well, it sure has been a while good friends. I don’t know who will be reading this, but I hope that you find the update worth the time! We continue to enjoy the opportunities that present themselves all around us, and only wish that more of you were here to experience these things with us!

    Teaching has been exciting, and very rewarding. Jewel is teaching 1st grade, and I am teaching 2nd. Now, it would be a lie to say that it wasn’t tiring every now and again, but I have found that there is a wonderful responsibility and perfect opportunity to train those who have been placed in my care. Teaching 2nd grade is, for me, mostly about reiteration and excitement. Every day “k” comes before “i” and “e” and “c” before the other three, “a”, “o”, “u”. But I have come to enjoy the challenge of making these things fun and memorable. (I just hope I am doing a good job of it!)

    Second grade is not the only opportunity I have to teach. I have been given the privilege of teaching Geometry to our two high-school aged students. This takes a little more than reiteration and excitement. I have determined in to make this as painless as I can for my students. I know that the higher maths can be daunting, and certainly have a capability to drive the mind to consider digging ditches for a living to be the best option. (By the way, I highly appreciate those who dig ditches and did so for three years through college.) But, I ALSO know that Geometry is attainable if explained thoroughly and simply. Because of this desire, I have devoted much time to studying the Geometry book myself. I have enjoyed the journey so far and hope that the next unit (Proportional Qualities) won’t have my head!

    Jewel thoroughly enjoys teaching first grade. I’d even venture to say that she loves it! Which isn’t too far of a stretch since, to quote my wife, “I love teaching first grade.” She always has awesome stories at the end of the day about something her students did or said. (These usually involve a young Chinese lad named Luke) She spends “Happy Friday” every week having a great time with her kids, and brings a baked treat for them. She really is a great teacher and is enjoying the experience.