Greatest in the only kingdom that matters

Our hearts ache, but we always have joy.

We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others.

We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

- 2 Corinthians 6:10

Lydia was the first person I wanted to see after stepping off the plane to Changsha. In her hospital room I finally got to look into her eyes and touch her. 

A drunk driver struck Lydia in daylight as she was on her way home from work. She was thrown through the air, broke three ribs and punctured a lung. Remarkably, there was no injury to her head. The driver attempted to flee but somehow two younger female witnesses were able to keep him there.

The driver's family was forced to assume financial responsibility for the surgeries -- not the government, as I was told earlier. It took the family a couple days to pull the money together, delaying Lydia's surgery, because Chinese hospitals require prior payment. Lydia said she was in severe pain while waiting. The driver's wife stayed in the hospital with Lydia each day, feeding her and performing basic care, because hospitals do not freely offer these services. I esteem the driver's wife (pictured below) for doing a very good job caring for Lydia, and expressed that to her. She herself has two older children and her own health problems. 

Lydia's roommates in the thoracic surgery ward included two young women and a middle-aged man who had been injured in a brawl, plus all their visiting family members. Nothing is private in this setting; everyone talks openly, shares stories, advice and food.

Lydia whispered in my ear that she wanted to share with these folks all that the Father had done in her lifetime, and his message of hope for the broken. Her voice was too small and too weak, so I helped her speak. Everyone engaged, especially the driver's wife. It was the first time anyone had heard. Lydia would not have her suffering to be in vain, but for Father's glory.

Lydia was discharged from the hospital this week, returning to the Welfare Institute where she has a degree of support: her disabled roommate can offer limited assistance, a network of friends can accompany her during evenings and weekends. Even with this she is still in need of a regular, able caregiver. Awhile ago Drew and I decided that we were going to regard both Lydia and Wang Zhao as family members, taking appropriate responsibility for their needs. We are pleased to hire friends who work for a Christian service organization to care for Lydia M-F as long as she needs help. Lydia appreciates the spiritual care and fellowship that these girls can uniquely offer. In our introduction meeting we bowed together and the three of us healthy-bodied women were astounded, humbled, weeping as we listened to Lydia's feeble voice express joy and trust from the heart.

On my WeChat (Chinese microblog) I posted about how highly I esteem Lydia. She is a model, an example. I have learned much from her. She has become one of my best friends.

Don't fall for the illusion that Lydia is poor, broken, weak, insignificant, powerless, forgotten. 

No. 

She is the greatest in the only kingdom that matters.

"Blessed Are the Poor" was inspired by Lydia and other friends like her.

counting the graces today

thank you Father for

Drew's lingering hug and affirming words in the morning

Mike's kisses, "I just love giving kisses" and a couple hours just with him

porridge for an upset stomach

catching up with ZT, and a long discussion on ethnic identity and relations, racism in China and US

peace when the day doesn't go as scheduled

toilet unplugged

walking from errand to event in a gentle drizzle

Race &  The Christian by Piper and Keller 

Minnesota green and shimmery summer, balm for the soul

First, let me tell you the last I heard about Lydia. Thank you so much for praying for her! Right before I left town, Monday night, I received word all her surgeries went smoothly. She is still in the ICU and yet cannot receive any visitors. I'm very sad that I couldn't see her before I left, but she has many "siblings" from the orphanage who are anxiously waiting for doors to open so they can keep vigil by Lydia's side. It seems that Lydia's social worker is doing a proper job caring for her, and the driver who hit her is also taking appropriate responsibility. Lydia must be suffering terribly, and faces long, painful recovery ahead, so let's keep asking that she will be comforted, loved, and at peace. God is exalted in and through her life.

The kids and I had a good trip across the ocean. We're here in Minnesota to celebrate the wedding of Drew's brother & his precious, outstanding bride.

I revel in the unmatched beauty of a Minnesota summer. This morning I enjoyed a nice long run. I just didn't want to stop! The air is crisp, all is green and fresh, sun glowing through trees, beautiful homes and lawns and flower gardens, a giant turtle crossing my trail, a loon on the vast White Bear Lake, Orioles perched on the wetland reeds. Last night on a walk with my sister we saw a deer and a turkey in the wooded trail.

The very best gifts are he people here. We are part of a good, big, loving, messy, flawed, forgiving God-pursuing family. I am ever thankful for our parents/grandparents, brothers and sisters. Ah, so many beautiful souls. I feel rich with relationships, and set in this spectacular natural environment, it's almost too much to contain. God's gifts are endless! My heart is swelling up with abundance.

Tomorrow Drew arrives in Minnesota. Longing for his embrace.

This weekend is going to be a blast at my parents' farm.

Sunday we visit with Brothers & Sisters.

Next week is packed with a zillion pre-wedding celebrations, then the vows are made on Saturday. We're so thrilled and thankful to be here!

Finally, we fly back to Changsha on June 22.

counting the graces

thank you Father for

Jennifer, Silje, Mom, Dad, Paul, Peter, Dan, Mandie, Titus, Michael

weeding the rock garden in the sunshine

happy happy happy kids

heart connections, affirmation of relationships

Portia, a morning together

being active outside with no thought to air quality

sandy lakeshore, clean swimmable waters

seeing growth in others

you filled me with love and forebearance far beyond what I could muster up on my own

Lydia seriously injured after being struck by a car, please remember her

Lydia was struck by a car last night after work, thrown through the air, breaking several ribs and bleeding internally with damage to her lungs and liver. Lydia is going to be ok, in the ICU and undergoing surgeries. She cannot receive visitors, so I don't know when I'll be able to go sit beside her.

I've been praying for Lydia constantly as I go about my day and wanted to let you know so you may pray for her also. Somehow I am not anxious or disconsolate for Lydia -- there's a peace -- but I'm in anguish for the unimaginable suffering she is enduring right now. She is a treasured friend of mine, an exemplary sister in faith, and a model for all of us.

Lydia was burned in a countryside house fire as a young child. She doesn't remember it exactly, but has a vague impression of being left alone and tied up in bed to prevent her from playing with the open fire heating the room. When the fire accidentally spread she was unable to escape. She sustained horrific burns but survived, and lived in the orphanage from that time on. She doesn't know what became of her birth family; presumably she was abandoned because of her severe life-altering injuries. Lydia says that for a few years she had infected non-functional body parts that had not been removed. She would use her arms to drag herself along the floor of the orphanage or just lie on her cot. It was painful and difficult to eat with her injured lips and face, and also damaged fingers, so she could never get her stomach filled before meals were taken away.

When she was about nine years old a foreign physician visited the orphanage and arranged a surgery for Lydia, amputating fingers and both of her legs from the knees down. Lydia was given a manual wheelchair, a basic junior high education, and she learned cross-stitch to pass hours of nothing to do at the orphanage.

Lydia became a believer on account of many volunteers like her surgeon who touched her life, demonstrating compassion and sharing a message. She grew up established in the way; now she is mature and rooted. In my eyes she is a hero and someone I strive to be more like.

If you've been following along on our journey you know that we were introduced to Lydia a few years ago when she was seeking assistance to sell her cross-stitch art. Opportunity arose for her to move out of the orphanage and work in a like-minded chocolate company, so we helped make that happen. When I met with her a two weeks ago she beamed proudly, "I just passed another anniversary of working outside, independently. I have persevered!"

This week my study + prayer friends and I combed through John 11. What appears to be defeat and disaster is not beyond the sovereignty of God. I believe that is true for Lydia and her accident yesterday. But must it be so inconceivably bitter?

counting the graces

thank you Father for

taking care of Drew as he circumnavigates the globe and forges business partnerships

week without Drew is actually going superb, even though I'm a little lonely around 9pm

new true music for the workout playlist

things going a little better for Xinyi

spending the better part of a Saturday playing guitar with a friend

Mike made it on our 6-mile run (me) bike ride (boys)

friends

my faults and weaknesses exposed when my kids test my character

Drew reveals all in exclusive interview with Chinese Neighbors

Today Drew is in Delhi, then to Dubai, and finally California next week. The boys and I will meet him in Minnesota on June 12th, for his brother's wedding celebrations.

Drew's job is one of the difficulties I listed -- contributing to The Hardest Year.

Tough on us, because he's away from home often. Tougher on him, because of the pressure.

However, if you consider for thirty seconds all the many means of making a living on this globe and where we fall on that disparate spectrum, Drew's work is a breeze and our home life is idyllic.

Please remind me not to be such a silly whiner.

Besides that sobering reality, many gifts of God have come through Drew's employment at Anker/Oceanwing. 

• Provision for all our expenses
• Work visa so we can live in China (not to be taken for granted!)
• Challenging projects for Drew through which his management and career skills have expanded
• Drew's also learned to cope with a greater stress load and just carry on, happy
• Been fragrance and light to co-workers, including to the executives
• Mutual support between the small handful of other like-minded co-workers
• Partnering with a co-worker and university teachers to host a forum for like-minded college students about to enter the workforce
• Supporting a co-worker through potential abortion of a baby and marriage difficulties
• As husband and wife, learning to stick together, united in purpose, serving one another, even if we are less often physically together
• And a growing appreciation for each other, more skillful in communicating, treasuring quality time
• Figuring out how to rest in God when we are tired, stressed, perplexed, separated, disappointed with circumstances
• Learning to receive with gladness God's wisdom in where he has placed us for now
• I can sympathize with other wives/mothers who have husbands in similar demanding business positions -- making our friendships deeper, exchanging wisdom and encouragement -- this has been significant

Drew's team -- one of his teams -- made their quarterly quota... so, cake.

Hey! What do you say we go find Drew at his office!

If we were biking as Drew typically does, this would be our route, over the bridge.
It takes him about 30 minutes one way.

But we are in a taxi.
Through the sub-river tunnel we need about 20-45 minutes depending on traffic.

The office is in the far greenish tower, 25th floor.

Oh hey, we found him!

Speaking with college students about life - work - faith.

It's gonna be ok Titus, we'll see Daddy again in just a couple weeks.

counting the graces

thank you Father for

thrilled and rejoicing that brother Paul found a most excellent wife, she is my friend and now my sister too

sweet goodbyes and sweeter reunions with husband

teaching moments (hours, days) with my boys, this usually means going through unpleasant conflict, but it's gonna be fruitful 

kids splashing naked in the mountain stream, below the well, on the first very hot day of summer

though you slay me, yet I will praise you, though you take from me, yet I will bless your name, though you ruin me yet I will worship

colorful supper: yellow corn, red pepper, two kinds of greens, purple potato leaves

Drew & Titus shared a father-son weekend trip to rural Western Hunan

meanwhile, Mike and I shared a mother-son weekend including the longest mountain hike we've ever done

sitting with Mike on the round boulder, he said his favorite moment of the day was sitting on that rock eating steamed buns with Mom

bedtime talk with boys about living Father's way

helping them build their lego cars, they won't ask me to help them build lego cars forever!