Twelve Days of Renewal in MN

Paul & Silje's epic wedding celebration was the reason for this quick trip. 

(Photos to come!  Wedding photos take time you know.)

While in town, we reconnected with many caring people 

and enjoyed every ounce of prime Minnesota summer.

Now, in no particular order!

A collage 

of twelve healing, beautiful, cheerful days 

with the people we call ours, 

in the place where we grew up.

At the wedding chapel!

Um. We tried.

Michael asked me to write this during a car ride on the last day.

Remember how I shared that for awhile there 2014-15 felt like the hardest year; one of the factors was the winter stay in the US, another was wondering if we had been forgotten by our sending body? 

This trip healed it.

First of all, the brothers and sisters of Hutchinson Free and Glencoe Buffalo Creek gave us such affirmation and warm reception. Thank you, thank you, people for your kindness and care. You strengthened us. We are honored to be a part of you. 

Someone who meant a lot to us passed away while we were in town. It was significant to process grief with those close, and express our support to the family by physical presence. I daresay that only God could have orchestrated the timing.

Family relationships were renewed. I grew in appreciation for the diversity of personality, gifts, perspective, experience and interests represented in our family members. I was humbled, humbled, humbled in respect and admiration for the beauty of each one.

Our friends and family are exceptional. We are so loved. 

counting the graces

thank you Father for

12 Years a Slave to vividly preserve history that must never be forgotten

K'nex building and swimming afternoon with...Daddy!!!

instantly taking the pressure off by just canceling that optional thing

red lentils hit the spot

restorative naps

Drew's patience and support when I was angry and feeling crappy

flowering lily pads on the mountainside lake

dreaming of hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge

Circling Planet Earth

In June Drew completed a full circle around the globe.

He kicked off in a remote village called Pingtan on the border of Hunan and Guizhou provinces, China. I don't know what the population of Pingtan is...a couple thousand?

Drew was helping a friend house-hunt and move stuff. We hope to move here next summer too.

Dropped off Titus in Changsha, China. 

Population 7,000,000. 

In our apartment, population 4. (We're not counting the newest tenant, the rat.)

And after a layover (I think it was in Guangzhou), he descended upon Delhi, India. 

Population 9,800,000.

It was here that his luggage was lost so he visited the tailor and acquired camel leather shoes.

Meet Roshan, Drew's co-worker and friend. He was happy to be home eating his comfort food!

After those meetings he made his way over to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Population 2,000,000.

That's the tallest building in the world, exceeding the camera's aperture.

(This whole time Drew is fine but wishing he was home! It wasn't his desire to go on this trip, but he was the only guy who could do it.)

Ok then he flew through Atlanta, GA, arriving somewhere in California to check in with the customer service team office. I can't even remember what city. Northern CA. I'll have to ask him.

Finally, he found us in Minnesota!

Here we are in the lovely town where it all started for us two: Hutchinson, MN. 

Population 15,000.

To completely circumnavigate the globe, he then flew through Seattle to Shanghai and back to home base in Changsha. (The kids and I followed a day later on a different flight path.)

counting the graces

thank you Father for

books about feelings to help angry, frustrated boys feel understood

expert medical advice from Mom & Stephen

unhurried days

Jared!

cabbage eggs for breakfast

enough experience and low expectations so as not to be stressed by a visit to an overcrowded Chinese hospital

flag comes down -- a small victory

neighbor's niece can come to our annual VBS

Hey! Played a show in a dirty little bar, wish you could'a been here!

I love sharing music. 

It's human, communal, celebratory, restorative, spiritual, poetic, philosophical, healing, unifying.

The best part was several of our friends came out to share the night.

Wish you could have been there with us!

Made new friends, too. This boyfriend-girlfriend acoustic jazz duo opened the show.

We call ourselves Brownstory.

Rach on guitar, Drew on violin, Noah on electric mandolin.

Noah's newest EP is here!

On the track embedded here, the girl backing voice, "follow me..." is yours truly.

But don't stop at just this song, check out the whole EP.

Rachel's pick -- Undivided Devotion
Drew's pick -- Laid Down Roots

And Previous Collaboration

The two bands together! Real good times.

We miss Noah, wife Naomi & kids already. They're in the US for the summer.

counting the graces

thank you Father for

opening my eyes and heart to the history and present systemic racism embedded in the US; weeping and repenting for this

humbling me through the ones I had judged

unusually cool, clean, overcast, perfect days

afternoon reading on the lush, deserted campus green while Titus and Mike played under willows and the bridge

slowing down to observe and capture photos of life around the Back Lake district

Drew's had a couple guys over to visit this week and last; he has male friends outside of the office!

connecting more deeply with K&S

HS-directed prayer

shedding layers of fear, anxiety, pressure; finding new degrees of freedom and gradually realizing how much greater you are

Titus more chilled out practicing piano

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