Meet Wang Ying, our lovely niece and big cousin for a week

Neighbors Yang Fan and wife Yafei are special. They are the same age as us, chilled-out, relatable, and have two little boys. We shared Chinese New Year in their village. His brother and sister-in-law asked us to be godparents to daughter, Yuanchao, the little girl with Down Syndrome. It's the first time we have bonded with a whole clan. 

The bonds have grown to another branch of the family tree. Yafei's 12 year-old cousin Wang Ying came in from her remote village in the mountains. Her parents work hard and are rarely home, so she needs a place to stay over school break. Wang Ying was excited and all set to join me at summer camp each day -- perfect for her! -- but then a grandmother died on the other side of the family, unrelated to Wang Ying, so while the others needed to trek back to their hometown for a funeral, Wang Ying had no choice but to return to her empty house elsewhere. She was sad.

Except!

We asked her to live with us.

It was like having a niece, a big girl cousin for Titus and Mike.

Wang Ying was a good houseguest, playful and respectful. She showed up with one change of clothes, a toothbrush and purse that her cousin Yafei had bought for her. Our shelf of Chinese books and a piano in her bedroom kept her happy. She joined in my errands, visits and meetings. The wok and I did our best to whip up spicy, homestyle Hunan dishes to make her feel more at home. She lent a hand in the kitchen too, "Often times my parents aren't home, so I just make a little fried rice for myself. I'm good at cooking."

When her cousin returned we were sad to hug her goodbye.


On the other hand, it is time for repose. Recently I have carried an elevated volume of relational responsibility. Many dear people are asking for support. I feel for all of them.


Wearied, gazing out the window on a taxi ride home, I was dreaming up incongruous analogies, considering what it means to depend on Jesus' strength when burdens feel greater than one can bear.

Is it like switching from aerobic to anaerobic?  You're jogging along and suddenly get a second wind?  Is it like a back-up energy source?  The power goes out in a storm so you hook up the generator?



How can I give more than I have?  Can I give more than I have?

What do I have that was not first given by God?


Where is the intersection, the mingling of my limitations and his limitlessness?




Anybody have a nugget of insight or experience? What is it, actually, to rely on Jesus' strength?

counting the graces

thank you Father for

fresh pictures of Jonathon

kids at a fun age for classic family games -- go fish, chinese checkers, sorry

blue skies, breezes and cooler temps

closing that summer camp classroom door for the last time! done!

"restart" can happen at any point in the day

admirable women who care and who share hearts, SW, AV

skin heat rash clearing up

That's a wrap!

Hi there. Thank you for being an indispensable part of the team by praying with us!

Summer camp, week two, is wrapping up. Goals achieved: 

1) Meet felt needs in the community by providing free, fun learning for students on summer break

2) Warmly introduce students and their families to Jesus and his community of followers

This year we had 60 students ages 5-16, most from families unfamiliar with Jesus. A few of our students are a part of our church community, regularly engaged in weekly gatherings. For these, it's been an honor to grow with them over the past five years.

I enlisted many more adult helpers than previous years. These brothers and sisters discovered that their skill sets can serve to meet a felt need and bring different parts of our community together. I believe they are inspired to carry on the vision.

Always revising to better serve our students!

After four years of trial and error, I have developed a plan and curriculum that works well in our context. I've put much thought and research into to contextualizing the message, making it as accessible as possible. 

Summer camp also represents growth for me personally, expanding my skills in pedagogy, curriculum development, Chinese language, cross-cultural leadership and communication, people management, organization, personal stress and time management. 

The heat has been harder on my body this July, but I was cautious and made it through ok. Although camp entirely consumes my life for two weeks and our family barely functions, it's an opportunity that can't be missed.

Again, thank you very much for your prayer role in serving our students and their families!

Pray with us that each student understands the Gift and receives it in God's time, and also that each family represented would experience the love of God and his family of believers.

counting the graces

thank you Father for

Sister Peng taking Titus and Mike to play every T&R, so I knew they were cared for and having quality time

Wang Ying could live with us -- we liked her in our home, and it was an unforgettable experience for her

after a busy two weeks, reconnecting with my boys in hugs and storybooks

after a busy two weeks, reconnecting with Drew in late-night deep discussion and glasses of beer 

secret stay-cation

giving up on some goals so others could be attained, the pressure relieved

catching up with a missed friend, and feeling happier after minutes with she who knows me well

Back Lake District

Today I want to take you on a 5k jogging route down the street and through Back Lake District -- a community of people living in relative poverty, with negligible social mobility and limited access to basic education and health care.

So let's run. Early morning, off the university main road pictured above, down this alley...

...here we are. Back Lake District.

This stall is a home and discarded school desks are dining tables.

The boy below was struck by an electric bike moments after I captured the photo. I carried the wailing child -- who in my arms felt exactly the size and shape of one of my own boys -- to his grandmother. The biker fled. 

Someone in the boy's family is a street garbage collector; the aluminum push-wagon and orange jacket are the equipment for that occupation on a low rung of society. (But certainly not the lowest -- sex slaves, so-called "one-bowl of noodles prostitutes", vagabond-beggars, ex-cons -- these are some of the lowest.)

"Mahjong" (a gambling game) "Little Store" and on the bottom, "Cold Popsicles"

How abouts we stop and shoot the breeze with these guys.
"Are you Russian?" is their friendly guess, just like most people assume of me, Russian.
Wonder what assumptions they would make about you, if you were really here?
And what assumptions have you and I made about them?

Boy.

Our first glimpse of Back Lake: mucky, stinking, filled with trash and slimy carp.

In the market for a new mattress pad?

Or a push-up bra?

 

Doing his best to make a living penny by penny, collecting recyclables from the trash.

If you lived in Changsha you would see this type of laborer every single day.
If you grew up in Back Lake you might be this type of laborer every single day.

 

When you're stir-frying the lotus root and suddenly the flame flickers out and you realize the gas can has just gone empty and dinner guests are arriving in 15 minutes -- call for a new tank to be delivered pronto. Does it sound as though I speak from experience?

 

Need to rent scaffolding? 

This man is very nice and he can help you out. Early in the morning, however, his hands are always busy stripping wires.

The unexpected: Back Lake is home to a few vocational art schools.

"Welcome!!! China - Changsha - Back Lake International Art District"

Auntie warmly shows us around her vegetable garden. Sigua! Loofa Gourd. My favorite.

Now we're jogging out of Back Lake and into university territory, which means: snacks.

City subway construction.

Nobody from Back Lake is going to be purchasing an iced latte in exchange for one day's wages.

Patrons are you and me, university professors, college kids from wealthy families and international students, usually Koreans.

Next door to Starbucks -- this shy girl is a friend. She was compelled to quit school at age 14 to work here in her parents' pancake and dumpling stand. Maternal family cites an ambiguous Christian background, from another part of the country. But that is a distant memory; they're not connected to any group here.

Still running, right!? Avoid getting creamed by a bus; at this intersection buses don't stop for red lights. Enter Central South University, main campus.

Sprint up the staircase behind the university cafeteria and we're home again, Gao Jia Ping neighborhood. Post-run AC and glass of cold water? Please come on into our apartment, it's here. 

Thank you for your words of encouragement and for your prayers. We completed day 3 of summer camp today. So far it has been a success in that the students are enjoying it and learning something. It's killer-fatiguing, but I think caring for the students' educational, social and spiritual needs is worth the labor.

counting the graces

thank you Father for

30 minutes to think

Lanzi was here when I got home, and she took the boys out, and being with her is the opposite of stress

you work through us despite our shortcomings

hope in failure, there's always hope

Dad on his birthday, he's a quality guy -- loyal, strong, hard-working, youthful, helpful, kind, and I like him

reconnecting with AV & PB in email

from Piper: a call to accept difficulties as we participate in the great commission, a call not to pursue an easy life but rather to pursue God

Drew is ever-gracious to this nutso woman

kids felt loved and peaceful today, it was evident