American Thanksgiving

Our first American Thanksgiving as a family and of course I had to think of some fun traditions to start. One of my ideas was making turkey surgar cookies and decorating them as a family. To make it as mess free as possible, I made the cookies before had, made the icing, and put the icing in a ziploc bag, cut a small hole in the corner of it. This ziploc bag would serve as my money saving icing bag. (Pretty smart-eh?) So, I got Amariah all set up and gave him the go ahead to start icing the cookies. Then I made my second parent boo-boo of the day. I left the room, to go get the father. My first parent boo-boo was revealed as I returned- I had left the ingredients for the icing on the counter. PAtrick had entered the kitchen first and then shouted, "What are we supposed to ice the cookies with?" Right then I knew something was wrong. When I returned to the kitchen the corner of the icing bag with the hole was in Amariah's mouth, and he was using straight food colouring to decorate the cookies. He had drowned the turkeys.

The second tradition went much better, our own "Turkey Strut" around a nice park. Went spent over an hour walking around this park and playing on the play ground. The idea was to put the kids in a jogger and Pat and I would run. But 8 minutes into the run both kids were screaming. So, we ended up taking them out and just walking. During our walk 3 deer had crossed in front of us, they were so beautiful.

The rest of the day was fairly predictable and non eventful, we ate a totally delicous meal and just hung out at Grandma and Granpa's. Relaxing and Enjoyable.

I asked Amariah what he was thankful for this holiday and he replied, "DVD's and DVD players." Is this a sign that he watches too many?

----So I am at McDonal's right now. I just looked up and Amariah is wretling with some stranger boy. Hard to say who is winning. No one is screaming for help, so I think I will leave them.

What to WRite....

Oh Boy!!!! I am finally on here and I don't know where to start an update.....

E started to crawl. She has been moving backwards for awhile but today she started her first moves forward. So exciting.

Amariah, still not in a preschool or anyting, but I am praying and we will get him into someting regularly.

Patrick is working three jobs, for his dad, at a climbing gym and at Fed Ex moving boxes. He is working hard and we are praising God. one incredibly good thing about is climbing job, is that I can take Amariah to the connect gymnastics area and let Amariah play for free. Burn that energy!!!

We don't have the internet at home, so unfortunately these entries will be far and few between, : (

Well, I have probably overstayed my welcome here at McDonald's. I will finish checking the garage sale list and head home to Patrick.

Enjoying Life

We have got our own apartment here now and loving it. We were supposed to move in on Thursday, but then the landlords called and asked if Friday was ok for a move in date because she couldn't schedule the carpet cleaners until Thursday, such a difference from China. In China we moved into a completely filthy place filled with our landlord's crap (old purse, kite, phone, chains, water dispenser, toys, etc.) and then here we moved into a professionally cleaned apartment. I mean, we couldn't find a speck of dust it was so clean. All this to say, we love our new home. 

Patrick still does not have the desired CNA job. He is working construction for his dad's company and will soon start working at a climbing wall. But he is still looking for a CNA job. 

Tonight we went to the Great Midwest Balloon Fest. It was so neat. About 20 balloons launched into the air, and then later when it was dark they had a balloon glow, which was really beautiful. Unfortunately, the loud count down and then all the fire scared Amariah, so we left. But we had already been there for a couple of hours and then he fell asleep on the way home, so I think that he will be ok, : )

One my favourite things about being back is the garage sales. Whoever said China was cheap obviously doesn't garage sale. I have been overly excited about the deals I have found. For example, I got this black leather bag for a dollar. I remember looking at one very similar to it in China, and was tempted to buy, but good thing I didn't because it was a whole lot more than 7 RMB. I laugh at myself though- it is such an odd American event, if you would call it an event, that we do. We can put all our unwanted stuff out on the front lawn and complete strangers will come by, give us money for it, and take it away. It is odd, but there is something about getting a 'good deal' that is addicting, and makes garage saling a justifiable hobby. It is also a great excuse to get to know an area when you first move into it- which is the category I have fallen into. 

Anyway, everyone else is sleeping and it is time I hit the hay too (right after I check on-line for tomorrows garage sales- I now have an apartment to furnish LOL). 

 

Kari

update

Well, jet leg has been beat and we are finally on a regular schedule, PTL!!! God is good.

We haven not heard back from PAtrick's job interview. They were looking for someone with more experience than what Patrick has. We are not discouraged though because we know that God has a job for PAtrick. And not to say that he didn't get this one, we just haven't heard and we were expecting to by now. 

Patrick has been working construction with his dad for and he also has been offered his old job at the climbing wall. God is good, we have money coming in. 

It is official, we have an apartment. It is a 2 bedroom, 2 full bath, newly renovated with new appliances, light fixtures, carpet, flooring, shower, counters, and fresh paint. We get the keys tomorrow and start moving in the same day. Thank-you Jesus. 

Well, gotta run, kids screaming. 

In KC

This is just a quick e-mail to let everyone know that we made it to Kansas City Safely. The trip was amazingly smooth and the children slept most of the journey. It was the complete blessing of the Lord how well the children were for this long haul. PTL!

We viewed 2 apartments already, but we weren't that keen on either. We will look at more tomorrow. We know that the Lord has a home for us. 

Please remember Patrick in prayer as he has a job interview tomorrow, God is good. 

Thanks for your prayers. 

Patrick, Kari, Amariah and Eternity

Our final China update

I am sitting here eating dragon eyes (like leeches) and I can't help but wonder the next time I will have these. It is so hard to believe that this time has come so quickly. I am excited to go but I don't want to leave the relationshipd that I have here. This is always the hardest part of moving. Well, some I know we will see again, and the others we pray that the seeds planted will grow into a mighty harvest. 

I apologize for not keeping you more updated. "Keeping in touch" has never been my forte, but PTL I am here now writing. We still have so much to do, so I am keeping this short. We are leaving tomorrow, September 5. A friend is picking us up at noon and driving us to the bus. From there we will go to HK to catch our flight. WE fly from HK to Taiwan, to LA, to Houston, to KC. Yes, that is with 2 small children and a husband prone to get sick every time we fly. So, please pray for a smooth trip, for the children to be gracious, for the parents to be patient and in the mighty name of our Lord we will see no sickness. Thank-you Jesus. We have some great testimonies coming out of here and I pray that they will be used to glorify Him. 

We have an appointment to view an apartment this week. And Patrick has a job interview on Sept. 8th and KU medical centre. We are exciting about these opportunities and praying that the Lord has everything set up for us so we need not be anxious. 

Any further questions, please e-mail us. 

In Him, 

Patrick, Kari, Amariah, and Eternity

11 days to go

One thing that I have learned as a parent is that no idea is a great idea until the child has it.

Yesterday morning Amariah and Patrick were having a pillow fight, Patrick way of getting our 'teenaged-morning-attitude' three year old out of bed. Of course Patrick let Amariah win. Amariah stood on the bed, holding his pillow proudly when he looked and me and said, "Mommy, I fight Daddy good."  

"Yes, you did," I replied. 

Then Amariah's response was, "Well, of course, I'm Superman!"

I laughed.

From there we went to the 'fight to put the pants on.' Impatiently Patrick asked Amariah, "Do you want to go to school in your underwear?"

"Yes, I want to go to school in my underwear." 

I stepped in and said, "If that's what you want to wear, that's fine."

Patrick looked at me questioning my input. I assured him that the pants would get on and he agreed to go along with it. We then proceded to carry out our normal morning routine. When it was time for the boys to go to school, I scooped Amariah up, put him in the stroller and asked for the usual hug and kiss. Amariah looked at me surprised and rather concerned. 

"What's worng?" I asked

"I don't have any pants."

"Well, of course, your superman."

Amariah looked shocked by my response. "I want pants. I need pants to go to school."

Patrick asked, "You want pant?"

"Yes!"

"OK, I'll get some." Patrick got some pants and put them on Amariah. Then we were able to have our goodbye hug. 

Anyway, 11 days left. I am starting to get those butterflies in my stomach. I had a dream last night that when the day came for us to leave, I was no where near ready. So, today I would like to getting more accomplished to ensure that doesn't happened. 

One of the men that Patrick has been talking with return to university in Xi'an. Well, we know that there was a seed planted. We gave him a good bye gift and trust that it will bless him. 

I have been asked alot lately of what I am looking forward to the most for moving back to NA. Well, yesterday while at the play place was such a prime example of what I won't miss. We often take Amariah to the indoor play room for children when it is raining or too hot to play outside. Honestly, I hate going there. But what do you do when you have a three year old that needs to burn energy. So, Amariah is running around playing, I, as usual, can't help but noticed, and cringe, at the number of toddlers running around with the croch cut out of their pants. Yes, naked bums going down slides, sitting on the teeter-totters. Everytime you see liquid on the play equipment, which is often, you really can't help but think that it must be pee. There are public washroom right there, but I think we are the only ones who use them. 

So, Amarish is running around, the old ladies often try to touch him because he is white, he just growls at them as they get closer. Then yesterday 2 older women tried to give him food, some bread and a biscuit. I quickly intervene and say no thank-you. And as usual the ladies insist that it is ok. I repeatedly say no thank-you, and as usual they insist that it is ok. They are handing him the food and I take it away and give it back, they hand him the food, I take it away and give it back. They say its ok. I tell them it is not ok, he has an egg allergy and I don't know what is this bread. They say "no egg, just bread." I am not stupid, I know that almost all Chinese bread has egg in it and I know that the particular brand that they were giving him has egg in it. But as usual, they don't listen. I will NOT miss this daily fight with old ladies. So, I take the food and put it in my pocket and tell Amariah to go and play else where. 

Then shortly after that, a lady comes over to admire Eternity. The lady notices that I have a pair of jeans on Eternity (they are super adorable, little jean shorts). Anyway, this lady procedes to inform me that putting jeans on babies is bad and that I shouldn't do it. She started to grab at the shorts and wanted me to take them off. I thanked her for her concern, but I was ok with her wearing the jean shorts. She was astonished that I wasn't listening to her, so took it upon herself to send the next 5 minutes telling me that jeans on babies are bad. Well, I happened to noticed the time, and it was time to go. I called Amariah over and we got our shoes and left. This lady followed me out of the play place telling me that I should take the jeans off. I turned and thanked her for her concern and then said goog bye. As we left a Grandfather was holding his grandson over a potted plant, inside the clubhouse where the play place is, and was using it as a toilet. I guess the public washroom around the corner was too far away. 

So, that is a typical outting. What am I looking forward to...I know you can imagine

13 days to go...

I am sitting here eating dragon friut with a spoon and I can't help but think that this may be one of my last times eating fresh dragon fruit for a long time. That's ok, an easy sacrifice for the abundance of NA foods I have missed. The other day we went to The Fountain's, which is a Christian community centre. They had a buffet lunch and then activities for the kids. The buffet lunch was all western foods. I didn't realize how much I missed a good veggie sandwhich on rye until that day. The food will be sweet in 14 days times. 

Actually it is now 13 days until our departure from Guangzhou. We will take a bus to HK airport and then fly out of there to Taiwan, then to L.A. to Houston, to KC. It is going to be a long trip, but we are not dwelling on the journey but rather the destination. 

Yesterday we went over for lunch to one of Patrick's Chinese co-worker's home. She made us fish that was from her dad's fish farm in Hunan. It is always fun having a home cooked Chinese meal, even in China a home cooked meal often taste better than eating out. While we were there Amariah was entertained by their wii. Wii Mario Kart was his favourite. He enjoyed making the cars fly (which was driving them off of a cliff- not what your supposed to do). Either way, though, he had alot of fun and watching him play was entertaining for the rest of us. As we were getting ready to go, Anna, the host, brought out a gift for us. This was a complete surprise. What was more surprising was the weight. Patrick took the gift and was clearly put off by the weight. Anna laughed and admitted that it was a bit heavy, but she really wanted us to have it. It 2 quilts and 2 pillow coverings. It probably weighs at least 20 lbs. The whole way home we talked about how this significantly adds to the weigt of our luggage. 

So, Patrick and Amariah are back at school this week. Patrick's old class is no longer at the kindergarten because all of his students graduated and moved on to the primary school. Patrick went into work this morning not sure what class he would be teaching, especially since he only has one week left on his contract. Anyway, I just got a text from him asking me to pray because he got put into the new mini class, which are a group of screaming 2 year old's. LOL Last year Amariah was one of them. Now he has moved on to small class and he is very proud of how much he has grown up. 

Today, my goal is to finish some writing and try to clear more stuff out of the apartment. It is starting to look empty in here, but not empty enough. 

Luvs

A couple Good Stories

I have about a hundred stories floating around in my head that I have been wanting to write about. I know that with a blink of an eye this time will be gone and I want to have as many memories written down as I can. Time to just sit and write seems to be more non-existent lately. But hey, 4:53 am...I think I have found my moment of uninterrupted writting time. 

Patrick is currently on his one week summer vacation time. The next time classes resume all the students will have moved on to their next class. In Patrick's case most of his students will have moved on to the next school since he taught the highest level in the kindergarten. So, Friday was a sad day for him as he had to say goodbye to his students and will most likely never see them again. Since it was his last day, I decided that I would go and take pictures of him with the students. One of his students had given him a going away gift...a woman's hand bag. It was navy blue with elephants on it and a big pale blue bow. Patrick wasn't sure what to do with it. I told him that we could regift it, besides "its the thought that counts," right? I was thinking that maybe it was a mistake and the gift was for one of his women teachers, but as we left the school that day we passed the student's mother who asked if her son, Brian, had given Patrick the gift. Patrick assured her that Brian had. Maybe in China giving a woman's hand bag to a male is a completely appropriate thank-you gift. This also reminds me that giving bouquets of flowers to men is completely appropriate and commonly practised. I remember when the school principle gave one of the pther male teachers a bouquet of flowers, the poor guy looked so awkward...and then later threw the flowers out because he didn't know what to do with them. It wasn't a romantic thing, it was a "I appreciate you and want you to feel welcome in our school," thing. 

And for a couple cute Amariah stories...

The other night we were having chicken wings for dinner. We all know how eating chicken wings go...there's some bones, some cartilage, and meat. Amariah, while eating a wing, leans over the table, spits out something small and hard, then just 'as-matter-of-factly' says, "seed" and continues eating. 

Two nights ago I was reading amariah a book before bed. In the book it talked about differetn occupations, such as doctor, teacher, policeman. Then there was the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I read the question and asked Amariah. He sat there and pondered the question for a few moments and then answered, "I want to be bigger."

One more brief story, then I should try to sleep...

A Chinese co-worker of Patrick's, Danny, took our family out for lunch on Saterday. He has really appreciated Patrick at school and wanted to show it. The whole thing was so Chinese. We first were picked up by Harrison, another co-worker of Patrick's and that was an experience. It felt like we were driving with a 16 year old new driver in Chinese traffic. Part way to the restaurant I asked Harrison how long he had his licence. "Over one year," he replied, "But I haven't alot of opportunity to drive." "No kidding," I responded, and prayed we would make it safely. He finally parallel parked on the side of a street that didn't appear to have any buildings on it. All I say was bush. "Where is the restaurant?" I asked. Then Sunny, another co-worker, pointed to a dirt driveway and said that it was down there. We started down this dirt driveway, and it definately looked a bit...odd. But low and behold, a nice building made out of bamboo appears with a lovely pond in front of it. 

Danny's family was there waiting for us, his wife eager to hold Eternity. We were happy to have our hands free for a bit, by allowing Eternity to be held. Danny ordered the food. I started to talk to Harrison who was on my left and was helping Amariah, who was also on my left, drink his tea. Eternity and Danny's wife, Fanny (most Chinese people pick their own English names) was on my right so I couldn't see them in this moment. Patrick leans towards me and says, "I am going to go get Eternity." I immediately sense a problem, so I am looking at E and Fanny, who is smiling big because she was so proud to have held a white baby. Patrick politely takes Eternity back and then returns to his seat beside me. "What was the problem?" I asked. "She spoon fed Eternity coke." he replied. "What!" was my reaction. Patrick looks at me and says calmly, "It's alright, I have her now." Patrick didn't need to say anything more. I knew that we are in a different culture, these people are being kind and taking us to lunch, it's going to be fine. 

The food arrived and it was delicious. We had 4 fish dishes. I commented that we had ordered alot of fish and that it was all good. Sunny responded, "Yeah, and we only bought one fish." I didn't understand, so I said, "One fish?" "Yes, and it was 6kg" she replied. I still was a little confused, so I questioned further. "Danny bought a fish?" Sunny, then made the whole thing clear, "Yes, Did you see the pond out side?" "Yes" "We bought one of those fish in it and they were able to get 4 dishes out of it for us. Isn't that good?" "You mean, that pond isn't for decoration?" "No, that's the fish they use to make the meals." 

As we left the restaurant I took pictures of the pond and we all looked at the fish and commented on how they were going to be some customer's meal. 

Anyway, putting the stories aside...

We have E's passport, visa, and tickets. We have already started to pack... 2 weeks, 5 days..... God is Good

25 days and counting down

The registration went smoothly....PTL!!! So, finally ALL of the paper work is set for our departure. What a testimony this has become. You know, sometimes He leds us to the Red Sea so that all we have to lean on is him and only him, then, supernaturally, He can make a way. We also bought out tickets. This is a testimony too. Patrick and I have been following tickets for months, and then yesterday we found the cheapest flights so far for the day our visas expire. Totally Him. Just not too long ago those same flights were higher. That was from HK to LA. The flights from LA to KC were a bit more, but over all it was still cheaper. We were at the school, on the schools computers when we found these flights on a HK website. Patrick went and asked a Chinese co-worker if we could borrow his credit card to buy the tickets and then we would pay him the cash. This co-worker said, "OK, no problem," and handed over the card. I am in awe about of the favour the Lord has on us in this school. We have tickets to fly out of HK on September 5 and we will arrive in KC the morning of the 6th. Please continue to pray for us as we feel we have alot to do in our final 3 weeks here. 

Victory

PTL!!! He is GOOD!!! So, I went into the city to see about this issue surrounding Eternity's passport. I was confident in approaching this and had no worry in me whatsoever.  We have spent the past week in prayer, prophesying over this, claiming the promises, speaking the scriptures over this, and what we asked for has been done. PTL!!! Last night while praying together, Patrick and I were reminded that it isn't about how much faith you have, because the Word says that even faith the size of a mustard seed will move the mountains, but its about who you have your faith in. Our faith is in the Almighty. So, we have gained vistory over another battle, the issue of Eternity's visa- we now have that visa. The next step is getting registered, which Patrick went to go do right now. Then after that, buying tickets. The battles aren't over yet, but we have the victory. While in the city, I also had the opportunity to minister to someone, divine... He has it all planned out. I will write again when we have the victory over the registration. 

Going into the City

Quick update, 

Yesterday, after not receiving the call by 1 pm, I called the person that is helping us with our situation. The news was that Patrick, Amariah and myself all have our passports back with extended visas, PTL. The good news is that we do not have to go to HK. Amariah and I were only extended until Sept. 5. This means we are planning on arriving in Kansas City either before or on that day. However, Eternity's passport was not released, so I am going into the city today to see about this. So, keeping our heads up and praisin Him. 

Goose!!!

Today is a beautiful sunny day with a bright blue sky. PTL!!

Today is also the day we are awaiting a phone call that we are trusting will have good news for us. This is the week, that we are trusting we will have everything lined up to buy tickets. Our desire is to leave in 4 weeks, but He will guide our steps. 

Thank-you for your prayers. Please continue to stand on this victory with us. 

Updates on the kids:

Eternity is growing like a weed. She is rolling all over. Grabbing at anything she can to put in her mouth. She sits up pretty good hanging on to something for balance. Yet, she so desparately wants to sit all by herself and is trying hard. And I don't know exactly what it is, but Amariah makes her laugh and laugh like no other. 

Amariah is still loving being a big brother. He recently moved to the 3-5 Sunday school class and he is so proud to be with the big kids. Yesterday during sunday school he played duck duck goose for the first time. One of the older kids said, "GOOSE!" when they pat Amariah's head. I stood on the side ready to cheer him on. I wasn't sure that he understood how to play. But he jumped up and started to run around the circle of kids and in the right direction too. "Go Amariah, Go!!" I yelled. Amariah was running his hardest, then about half way around the circle he paused and had a pondering look on his face. "Come on Amariah, Run!" I shouted. Just then Amariah jumped between 2 students and darted as fast as he could through the circle and plopped himself back into the place he started. The student he was racing was just approaching the seat, seeing Amariah already seated, he looked confused. With a big grin on his face, Amariah turned toward me and shouted, "Mommy, I did it!" his teacher looked at me and said, "Wow, he is really clever." I smiled and replied, "Yes he is."

So... we are not in Hong Kong.

Please keeping praying, we really need it right now. 

Praisin Him

A quick update...

Yesterday we got Eternity's passport without a problem. PTL. I then went, with a Chinese friend, to the PSB (Pulic Secruity Brureau) to apply for an exit permit for Eternity, which is absolutely essential for her to leave the country. Anyway, they would not let us apply for this exit permit because we did not have a police registration form from the local police. This you are to get when you have a passport for the baby, which I didn't know before. So, I came home. This was about lunch time and all government offices close from 12 -2:30 (nap time- literally). I met Patrick for lunch, I just got some Chinese take-out (eggplant mystery) and we came home to wait for 2 hours to go and get Eternity registered with the police. As annoying as waiting around was, getting registered went smoothly, PTL!!! Now we have to wait to Monday to go back to the PSB and apply for an exit permit. We are trusting the Lord that we will be able to get that within 24 hours because Patrick must leave the country on Tuesday. Please continue to agree with us in prayer that this is already done and that the whole visa process goes smoothly. 

The Passport is Here

Thank-you for your prayers concerning Eternity's Passport. We got a call yesterday afternoon saying that it has arrived. I am actually heading out the door right now to go and pick it up. From there I will head to the PSB to apply for her exit permit. This is a visa that allows her to exit the country. 

Thanks again for agreeing with us in prayer, 

Newspaper vs diapers

 I am in the middle of hanging the laudry to dry. The sky is overcast once again, and I hear thunder in the distance. Are wi in for another Typhoon? It is hard to say. Sometimes we can see the thick black clouds in the distance accompanied by the flashing of lighening and the crashing of thunder, but we the storm never comes near us. The is what happened yesterday and I may be the case again today. 

As I hang the laundry I also find myself filled with thanks as I remember a time, just a few months ago, when the clothes could hang for three days and still not be dry. In this season, however, and the reason for my thankful attitude, the clothes can be dry in matter of hours. I love the sun. As I am typing this I am further reminded of clothes dryers. This may sound funny, but I actually forgot that they existed. The thought of a clothes dryer. I never forgot my knowledge of such a machine when the clothes never dried outside, but know that there is no problem with them drying, I have forgotten that they exisit. Anyway, I could ponder this for while. But....

For another PTL moment. Patrick and I made another, yet divine we believe, connection yesterday.I am eager to jump at opportunities with this connection, especially since our time here is growing shorter by the minute. Of course, if it is truly divine, then HE will make is happen, and we simply are the pawns under complete submission to the master trusting Him to us effective way. please pray that, that if we are to join with this connection for a great purpose that it will be done. 

We were walking home the other day from picking up ingredients for making dinner when we passed a mother holding her small baby, maybe the same age as Eternity. This baby was wearing the traditional, completely common, "peek-a-boo" outfit. I know I have mentioned before that the Chinese babies and toddlers wear outfit/pants with the croch and bum missing/jsut not there. The purpose for this is so they can go to the bathroom and not mess their pants. Yes, they just go wherever, whenever. I will spare the stories of the sitings I have seen- they are rather revolting. Moving on... I have been told that it is not good that I put a diaper on my baby, "It's not healthy," some say,"It's not good." I am sure that their intentions are good in Chinese advice giving to a Canadian foreigner who appears like she has no idea how to raise a baby (they don't stop to think that I am not Chinese, therefore just becasue my ways are different, it doesn't make them wrong or bad). 

Anyway, back to the story, we are walking past this mother holding her baby wearing the peek-a-boo bottoms. The mother is holding the baby in one hand and a piece of newspaper under the baby with the other hand. The baby clearly just released waste and the mother was using the newspaper to clean up. "So, diapers are bad, but used newspapers are ok?" I thought to myself. The mother got up and disposed of the newspaper in a public garbage can. Newspaper? I so DON'T understand this Chinese mentality against diapers. After seeing that, I am definately no more closer to adopting that Chinese methods of baby raising than I was when I got here. Disposable vs cloth- that I understand. Store bought disposables vs used newspaper, I do not. 

Anyway, the skies are now looking rather dark. Maybe we are going to get that Typhoon after all. Maybe I will hold off on hanging the rest of the clothes out to dry. I think that I will go through our stuff again, pack what we are no longer using and add to the give away pile. Fortunately there are a couple of pregnant women at work that I will be able to bless with the baby stuff. 

As for a prayer request, Pray that Eternity's Canadian passport arrives by or before August 2 and that we will be able to get an exiting visa with in 24 hours of that so that we can leave the country by August 4, when our visas run out. We plan on heading to Hong Kong on August 4th to apply for another visa. Agree with us in prayer that all of this goes smoothly. 

I was told that I gave the wrong e-mail addy for us, so here it is again. thejonesadventurers@gmail.com 

A Typhoon Experience

The weather today is a little gray. I think that we may have another storm rolling in. It apparently is Typhoon season. We, to my knowledge, have only experience 2 here this year so far. The lastest one was last week, and here's the story:

Since it was pay day we decided to go out to eat, to this Chinese style "Western" food restaurant. I had spaghetti, which was pretty good, but not like home, and Amariah and Patrick had china's version of pizza, which isn't that great when you know what the real thing tastes like. And we also ordered fries for an appy. After we made our order, Patrick was said, "I bet we get the appy last and all of our meals come at different times." We like to guess when our meals come, becasue here in China it is like they cook one meal at a time and bring them out as they are done. We have learned to set aside our North American restaurant manners and to eat your food when you get it, otherwise if you wait until everyone is served, whoever was served first will be eating a cold meal. So, my speghetti came first. I like to wait a few minutes to see, if by chance, the other meals follow directly after. While waiting my few moments I noticed that another man in the restaurant also just got served his spaghetti. "I bet they had two orders of spaghetti, at the same time and that is why mine is done first," I though to myself. 

During this time we noticed that it was getting really dark outside, really fast. Flashes of lightening and the sounds of thunder soon followed. I had thought that I heard thunder earlier and wondered if a storm was rolling in. My suspicion was proving to be correct. 

I began to eat my meal when Amariah announced that he had to use the toilet. A facility that is not commonly provided in restaurants here. Patrick new of a public toilet that was not that far of a walk away, so out into the stormy weather they went. It hadn't started to rain yet, but the wind was strong, and the thunder loud. The restaurant workers were busy pulling in the tables they had set out side. It always amazes me how fast the storms roll in here. It starts of with seeing some black coulds, hearing a little thunder, seeing the wind pick up and then BAM torrential downpour. I was praying that Patrick and Amariah were back before the downpour started. (Our appetizer of fries arrived). Just when the rain started, that was when Patrick and Amariah entered the restaurant again. Amariah shared that he only got "alittle bit wet." I was glad. Patrick said that Amariah was scared of the thunder while they were outside, but he was a strongman and got through it. 

By this time it was raining so hard we could hardly see out the restaurant window. "Well, I guess we are hanging out in here for awhile."  The boys started chowing down on fries as I finished my spaghetti. The personal pizzas soon followed.  Patrick started to pick all the ham off of his (Chinese processed ham- disgusting) and Amariah dipped his in ketchup. What can I say, it's different here. 

As I looked at the fries sitting there as the boys ate theor meal, I was once again reminded that even after nine month of being here, I can't shake all of my North American habits. What was the point of ordering an appy? It's China, we knew it wasn't going to come before the meal. 

After about 20 minutes the rain let up to a drizzle and we were able to walk home. 

Prayer Requests: We have applied for Eternity's Canadian passport, which we were told to apply for it 2 weeks before exiting the country, which is what we did. Our visas run out August 4th and we are having to go to Hong Kong to Renew them. Please pray that her passort comes in time for us to get an exiting visa for he so that we can all go to HK. I know that our Father will take care of everything, please agreeinig with us in prayer. 

Not everything is as it appears

We just returned from a beautiful time at our local pool and during our time God reminded of an incredible lesson.

Do you ever have moments when you smell, hear, see, taste or experience something that takes you back to a time when you had that similar experience. For example, just recently I have discovered this amzing ice coffee bevereage at 7-11, it has become my favourite drink and a perfect treat on our recently hot hot days. I reaized that everytime I drink it I am taken back to my break times in California during my time with YWAM. Everyday during my training session at YWAM I would look forward to the breaks so that I may enjoy the ice coffees and a banana nut muffin. It was one of my favourite times in my life, being with a group of passionate believers hungry for more of God, and relaxing with these believers with an ice coffee is a sweet memory. The ice coffee that I discovered at 7-11 tastes just like the ice coffee of YWAM chico, and maybe that is why I love it so much. 

Anyway, being at the pool today, I had another sweet memory visit me. I was laying on a lawn chair, in the summer sun, palm trees all around and a clear pool swimming pool in front of me and for a moment I forgot I was in China, but I was in Hawaii, on vaction, soaking up the rays. It was completely relaxing and I didn't have a care in they world. When I came back to the present I felt God whisper to me. He was allowing me to have these sweet memories of past times visit me to remind me that it doesn't matter where I am but I can enjoy life if I choose to. These sweet whispers from God was like water to my soul. The reason for this is because I have been caught in a cycle of, "the grass is greener on the other side" way of thinking. The grass may look different in different places, but I can enjoy it all the same, if I choose it. Another lesson in enjoying everyday, and not to allow my thought life to be consumed with thoughts of the future. By thinking about it, it sure doesnt make it come any faster. 

Another fun story...

I was walking along the side walk, on my way home, enjoying the summer sun. I noticed a grandad walking along the side walk toward me pushing a baby stroller. "That is so sweet," I thought to myself. I love seeing the older generations loving the new generation. As this grandad approached I was getting ready to peer inside the stroller and make a sweet comment, on what I assumed would be his grandchild. Right when he was close enough I leaned over the side of the stroller with a big smile on my face and ready to make googly eyes at whoever was in there, only to find myself grinning at 4 cans, of what looked like beer, and a bag of rice. I quickly stood up straight, with the big grin still on my face and walked right on. The older gentleman pushing the stroller wasn't fazed one bit. He just kept walking like everything was normal. Not everything is as it appears. 

It is worth is all.

Good Morning!!!!

It is another bright, beautiful and hot day here in Guangzhou. So, hot and humid I try not to go outside. 

Hotmail has been blocked here, unfortunately, so any of you that were e-mailing us using out hotmail accounts, we have no access to them.  Please e-mail us at thejonesadventurers@gmail.com

 A B-student of mine is heading back to her home country for a month. She wanted to have have lunch together before she left, so we had made plans for the Monday. Her boyfriend owns a Lebanese restaurant in the city and she wanted to introduce me to it. Because I can not recall having Lebanese before she wnated to treat me to the best, Hummus, babagounush (I don't know the spelling) kabobs, salad, a fruit smoothie, fries, and an ice cream sunday for dessert. I forgot that I was in China. The food was amazingly good. I didn't want to stop eating, but I couldn't pack anymore in to my already stuffed belly and yet my friend showed concern that I wasn't eating enough and wanted to get more food. I told her that if I ate any more she would be rolling me to the subway. It was such a treat, a real blessing, and a completely G- glorifying moment. She shared with genuine gratitude of how life transforming our meetings have been for her and how I had saved her life. Now I really don't know all the meaning that statement could have, and it isn't my place to know the inner parts of her, but I do know the G is good. Someone once told me, even if one person is change your going to China is worth it all. Looking at her across the table of this restaurant, I can say that it was worth it all. And the stories of how she in turn has begun to teach others is inspiring. 

Well, I have a baby crying and should go. 

I feel like jello

So, the other night when bathing Amariah, he asked, "Mommy, are you Lady Gaga?" Of course my first response was, "Where did you hear that?" And his reply was, "Teacher Veny." And so it starts, talking about stuff he hears at school. 

I just returned from being treated like a queen at a local Spa. My boss decided to treat me, and what a treat it was. It was so much more than I had expected. I thought that I was just getting my toes done, but little did I know that I was there to be pampered for four hours straight with the bath, the massages, the oils, and creams, and nail polish art. FOUR HOURS!!! It was amazing. I feel like jello. Thank-you Lord for such an amazing treat. I couldn't help but wonder if this is what Esther did so many years ago. And I must praise my husband for taking care of the kids during this time. He truly is amazing. 

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!

Last year at this time I was in Merritt BC, on my way to Terrace after my immigration interview. It is always amazing to see how fast the time goes by. It is also around this time last year that we found out we were pregnant with Eternity. I still remember the day as if it were yesterday. I was jumping up and down, so excited and yet so surprised that it happened so soon after a recent loss. Yes, last year at this time was so full of emotions and exciting events. All part of a great story, a great testimony that God is building to glorify his name and draw people closer to himeself. 

I now can't help but reflect on the past year. What an awesome life I have. Thank-you Jesus. 

Today also marks 2 months until we had back to the States. September 1 is our goal date to be on our way to Kansas City, where we believe God is calling us to settle for awhile. How the Lord led us to this place will have to be put into a book someday. But I must say that this time in China has been absolutely revolutionizing in so many ways in our lives, as individuals, as a couple, and as Christians. The growth, the lessons, the experiences that we have had here have been so extrordinary. I believe that we had to come here in order to be prepared for the next phase God has for us. 

We have had about three days of straight rain and now I think the sun may be here to stay for the summer. Bright blue sky, a blazing sun and "I wish I lived on a beach" kind of heat. I love it, I only wish I lived on a beach. 

Eternity is having fun exploring the world in a new way, rolling. She has also found pleasure in batting at the toys that hang in front of her on her play mat. Yesterday we got together we our friends who have a daughter one day younger than Eternity. We went down to the water, near our place and took pictures to mark that our girls are now over 100 days old. Congrats Eternity and Alina. 

Amariah is back in school and is surprising us everyday with how smart he is. He is always reminding us that he is a big boy and that he can do almost everything on his own, so he thinks. Like last night, he decided that he is a big boy and can wash his own hair, and then this morning he decided that he is big enough to decide what he wants to wear and today he wanted to wear pajamas to school. I don't disagree that he is a big boy, but somethings do take some practice and therefore I still feel the need to intervene, whether it is accepted or not. 

Patrick has finished the TESOL course that he was taking, PTL!!!! He also seems to be working more than ever, taking on more English classes, trying to save money for our, yet another, big move. I am also working a bit on writing. I always feel that I can do more than I actually have time for. Definately a fault of mine. Pray that I don't take on too much work, which I am so known for doing. 

Blessings to all, have a beautiful day. 

Update

Apologies for not updating sooner, on Wednesday, I moved in with some friends who helped me look after the children. I was very grateful for the help. I haven't been on the internet since, but now you know where I have been.

Patrick has arrived safely back in China and we are very thankful. He is currently resting from the long journey.

On Tuesday Amariah had his last IV. Getting the IV put into his foot was a challenge as three nurse had to hold him down. My heart went out to him as he screamed and cried. I had to keep reminding myself that this was helping him. Once it was in Amariah was fine. I had earned from the previous day that sitting around for hours waiting for the IV to finish is boring, so I came prepared for this one. Once Amariah was set up in his chair I set up the movie Cars on our portable DVD player, and set out snacks and drinks for him to graze from. The time went by fast and Amariah was a happy boy. PTL Amariah has not thrown-up since Monday. He is now eating normally and is back to his normal self, just in time for Dad's return. Eternity's eyes are also back to normal. I am continuing to give her eye drop, though, just to be sure that we kill the infection.

Last night Amariah attended a birthday party for one of his church friends. It is hard to believe that in a couple of days we will be celebrating Amariah's 3^rd birthday as well. It is amazing how fast the time has gone. This friend of Amariah's, Joanna, has a mother from Peru and a Father from Scotland. The party food was a treat because it was 'so not Chinese.' The kids sang songs, played with play dough, and punching balloons, which were a huge hit. Amariah had eaten something with egg in it while we were there, and I was worried he would break out in a rash as he normally does, but PTL nothing happened, that I have noticed so far, anyways.

Since Patrick hasn't worked this month, we have pulled Amariah out of school. Today we got a call from Patrick's boss, the one who said she would talk to the police for us. She informed us that everything is fine and that it was a routine check-up that they had to do. We are feeling much better about things now. Patrick is planning on returning to the school tomorrow. During this week I have made a couple more connections in the kingdom here that we believe were divine and will aid us in the work we are called to do here before we leave. We have returned to our original plan to return to the States September-ish. We are always seeking the Lord for direction and conformation, so unless we are led otherwise, this is our plan, Lord providing.

Thank-you for your prayers,

We love you all,

Kari

In Need of a Healing Touch

Today is Monday, Patrick left Thursday and both of the kids have been sick since he left. Amariah threw-up at the dinner table the day Patrick left and it was that same night I noticed discharge in Eternity's left eye. Amariah threw-up three times the next day, unable to even keep down sprite and soda crackers. Eternity still had discharge. A good friend of mine came over and we prayed for the kids together. The next day seem better. Amariah ate a little, but not much. The good news was, he didn't throw-up. I thought that he was getting better, but starting at 2 am, he continued to throw-up. The good thing was he never acted sick, his spirits were up and he played just fine. After throwing up Sundays lunch I wanted to take him to the hospital. I called my friend who came over and convinced me to wait one more day. We prayed together again. But then this morning Amariah started the day leaning over the toilet, and Eternity's eye was looking really bad. I packed a bag and heading to the hospital where we stayed for 5 1/2 hours. Amariah was given an iv and Eternity's was given eye drops. Thankfully one of the Chinese workers from the school came to help, which was much appreciated. Amariah was screaming and crying and didn't want any of the nurses touching him. I started crying too. The doctor believes that Amariah's digestive system was inflamed and was caused by food poisoning. We are to go back to the hospital for another iv. Please pray for him and me. Pray for peace and healing. I believe that the medication is working, he has eaten since the iv, and so far we have not revisited the food. PTL. Patrick is due to return to us on Friday. Please pray that the rest of time with only with the kids will go more smoothly and that the kids will heal 100% before Dad gets back (by morning would be even better). 

Thanks for your prayers, 

Love you all, 

Kari

My follow through...

here's a quick update:

Patrick is currently on his way back to the states to be with family and attend his grandfather's funeral in Oklahoma. I am here with the kids, we are fine and we have plenty of friends we can call if we need a hand. 

The visitors the other night were 6 police men and a video camera. Asked to see passports and asked a series of questions. Patrick handled it and I stayed in the room. We were asked to get a set of documents together and register our family at the local police station. Patrick had registered but we were misinformed about registering the rest of the family before. We resistered without a problem. However, Patrick is no longer working until he can get the right visa. 

On Wednesday we applied for Eternity's American citizenship and passport. That also went very smoothly. 

We weren't sure what the whole police visit thing was about before, so that is why we were vague last time. We still aren't exactly sure, but we believe that it is taken care of. The principle at the school is talking to the police for us to find out what is was exactly about, if is was just about registration or if it was something else. 

And for a Riah moment: yesterday when getting off of the community bus Amariah paused at the bus door, turned to the driver, waved and said in a loud voice, "Bye Bye Screwdriver!"

Thank-you for your prayers, 

We love you all, 

Patrick, Kari, Amariah, and Eternity 

Continued Prayer Request

Hello, 

Last night our family had some unexpected visitors come to our home and we have asked for your prayers as we go today and get things dealt with. Then this morning we got word that Patrick's Grandfather has passed. This has been emotional for him and he desires to go back home as soon as possible. Our whole family cannot go because the soonest we can have Eternity's passport is 10 days. Fortunately, Patrick was able to talk to his grandfather last night. It was like the Lord waited to take him until Patrick talk to him. So, that was special. We ask that you pray for us in this as well. Maybe our time here in China has come to an end sooner than we originally intended. God is good and we are trusting in Him to provide wherever he may lead. He is either Lord of all or not Lord at all, and we are declaring the He is LORD!!! even with these curve balls that the devil is throwing at us. Please forgive us for our vagueness at this time, 

We will keep you posted...

Thanks for your prayers, 

Patrick, Kari, Amariah, and Eternity

A Cross Cultural Experience and Ministry

Recently, I went grocery shopping with the kids in the morning and on my way home a Chinese friend called and said that she was having a birthday party for her daughter and was wondering if I could come over right then. I was frazzled by the lack of noticed. Raced to a kids store, bought a gift and showed up at her apartment building, where she was waiting outside for us, with all my groceries. Besides a cousin, Amariah was the only other kid. So, it was significant that he was there. My friend had called me the week before and said, "Next weekend I will have a cake for my daughter, will you come?" I said, "Just let me know when and we will plan to be there." This is another story to show the cultural difference. Where we are from, "Just tell me when" implies that you give the person notice, and for a party, it is usually at least a day's notice, otherwise, we don't expect people to come. So, it was silly of me to think that the same expression would have the same implications here. My friend understood it as, "tell me the moment it is happening and I will come."

 

A prayer request, this same Chinese friend informed me, at the party, that she is thinking of divorcing her husband. Not having been there myself, and not being Chinese, I am not sure how to be there for her. But I know the G knows and will direct. 

Also, another Chinese person that Patrick has been talking with just lost their job and has no place to live. So, prayer about what we should do here as well. 

Loving the Light

I can't remember the last time that I posted on my blog. Sorry about that. 

I currently have 2 electricians in my home. One working on the intercom thing for letting people into the apartment building and the other working on the kitchen light. I believe that I have ranted about the unfortunate things wrong with this place before and I feel I should give a little update. We did finally get a new screen door for the patio. The screen door for our front door got fixed, and our washing machine no longer floods the deck. We had to withhold our rent to get the landlord to do these things. There are still so many things wrong but the landlord once says he shouldn't have to do anything else. Well, we have an electrical problem in the kitchen and as a result we have had no light in there for a week. But PTL that is getting fixed. You don't realize how much you appreciate the little things until they are gone. It has felt a bit like camping trying to do the dishes in the dark. I would bring them into the dining room to make sure they were clean. The light above the stove helped with the cooking, but all the prep work was done in the diningroom. As fun as that was, I am thinkful to now have light in the kitchen again, it was difficult to function without the light. Appreciate the light. This story could have some spiritual principles, hmmmmm....... 

Let the Rain Fall

Today is a dark and stormy day and I am enjoying being inside. 

Patrick and I both believe that our son has the gift of prophecy, especially when it comes to weather. It is amazing the insight he has. Last and today he demonstrated this again. 

We first questioned this about a year ago when I was taking him to the park. Amariah was very insistant that I bring an umbrella. I kept telling him, "It's not raining." He was mad at me, so he grabbed the umbrella himself and tried to force it into my hands. I tok it away and put it back, again saying, "It's not raining." And I didn't think that it looked like it was going to either. I was puzzeled as to why he was so persistant and upset over this issue. I scooped him into my arms and forced him out the door without an umbrella. As we arrived at the park I noticed that the clouds forming overhead were looking a little dark. "Interesting" I thought to myself. Amariah played and I kept watching the sky wondering what was going to happen. Sure enough, we had to cut our play time short because of the rain, which I didn't come prepared for. This was the start of several occasions where Amariah has told us the weather before it happened.

We have learned over the year that when Amariah says to take an umbrella, we just do, whether it looks like rain or not. Today was one of those days. Amariah never looked outside this morning and we had all of the drapes drawn, so there was no way of him to know what the clouds looked like. But once again as Patrick and Amariah were leaving for school, Amariah was insistant that daddy take an umbrella. Sure enough, by lunch time it was pouring rain. 

Patrick unexpectantly came home at lunch. I asked what he was doing home and he replied that one of the other teachers had to go home for lunch, however, they didn't come to school prepared for a down pour of rain. So, Patrick offered to walk him home and then come visit me. Patrick said, "I would have been caught unprepared too, if it weren't for Amariah." PTL. We are thankful for his gift and pray that we will be an encouragement to him in whatever the Lord has planned for him. 

Eternity Update:

Third Week: Today she lost the last bit of her umbilical cord. YAY!!! I saw her roll on to her side for the second time. She wet her bed for the first time (leaky diaper). She started sleeping 4-5 hours at night, PTL. And still a few more days to go in this third week of life outside of mommy.

Her second week: she rolled on to her side for the first time, and we had our first poop up the back experience. We also left the house for the first time, a trip to pick up big brother from school, who was very proud to show her off. 

Answered Prayer

When Patrick's head ache subsided in the afternoon, he headed off to Macau this time instead of Hong Kong. The reason being that at the Macau border you can actually just walk across then turn around and walk back. Where as in Hong Kong you actually have to take a train in a ways and then back to a different part of the border, so going to Macau is actually cheaper, even though the time of the trip is a little longer. PTL that he is feeling alot better today and was able to go to work. 

Amariah is feeling and looking alot better too. Thanks for praying. 

Please Keep Praying

Thanks for praying for us. We feel as though we are facing an attck at the moment. We were supposed to have some people over for dinner, but because of Amariah's illness we decided it was best to re-schedule, we then found out that one of our guest had gone to the hospital ill. 

Then last night Patrick took Amariah to the hospital because Amariah was screaming that his ears hurt, and it was just what we suspected, ear infections. So, now we have eye and ear medicine for him. 

This morning Patrick woke up with a bad head ache and is still in bed, yet he must go to Hong Kong today for his visa. 

Please continue to think pf us in prayer. Our Father is good and we have our trust completely in Him. 

Please Pray

Please Pray...

Amariah has pink eye. We completely trust that our father has protected us all from catching it too. Please agree with us in prayer for Amariah's healing and protection of the family and also join us in praising Him for the healing and protection too. 

Yesterday we went had to go to the hospital to pick up Eternity's birth certificate and so we decided that we would take Amariah too and get his swollen pusy eyes checked out, and sure enough, it was pink eye. The doctor used some sort of vapor medicine for his eye and we have to take him back for 2 more days to get this treatment. We also have 2 oral medicnes and 3 different eye drops for him. Poor guy, but we will do whatever takes to get him healthy again. 

Upon arriving home we decided to wash everything he could have possibly had near his face, bed sheets, towels and clothing. What is the saddest part is how he doesn't understand why he can't love on his sister like he likes to do. 

Eternity officially has her Chinese birth certificate. YAY!!! I think that it is so cool. The space provided for the names of the baby, and parents on the certificate wasn't enough space for our names, as a result, the lady issuing the certificate had to hand write the last part of our names. Then to show that the handwriting on the certificate was official there was a Chinese stamp placed on top of each hand writing. So Chinese, so cool. We will have stories to tell for a life time. 

Eternity- The Story Behind Her Name

The name Eternity was inspired by this story that was told to me for the first time during YWAM. I had heard the story used since in other sermons and found it so incredibly inspiring and encouraging.

Beginning in the 1930s Arthur Stace spent his early morning hours writing the word "Eternity" in a distinctive cursive style in every doorway, on every street, and major entrance to a public area that he could find in Sydney.

For years, the citizens of the city wondered who was writing the "one word sermon" and why.

Every once in a while, someone would claim responsibility for the graffiti and the newspapers would print the stories.

In 1956, Stace was a member of the Burton Street Baptist Church, where he also served as the janitor and a prayer leader.

One day, the pastor of the church, Rev. Lisle M. Thompson, stumbled across Stace while he was writing his chalk message on a sidewalk and the mystery of the "Eternity" messages all over Sydney was solved.

Stace said that after his conversion to Christianity, he heard a sermon in which the evangelist said  "Eternity! Eternity! Oh, that this word could be emblazoned across the streets of Sydney!"

In his simple way, Stace decided to do that.

 

There is a huge illuminated sign on the Sydney Harbour Bridge that says "Eternity" in Stace's distinctive handwriting, a sign that was clearly seen by hundreds of millions of people during the fireworks display at the end of the opening ceremonies at the Olympics in Sidney in 2000.

Those who know Patrick and I well know that we can't just name our children because we think that a name sounds good. We are the kind of people that put a lot of thought into the meaning and believe that the meaning is incredibly important. Anyway, the quote, "Live for Eternity" has been inspirational to us over the years and decided that we wanted our child to hold this strong message. So, the search was on to find a name that meant, "Live for Eternity," or something close to it. And to our surprise we found the name Eternity on a baby name website. It was an instant winner for our daughter's name.  We explored other names, but nothing else ever seemed 'right' for this child.

Patrick and I had decided long ago that we would honor significant people in our lives with our children's middle names. Again the meanings of the names are taken into consideration. Angela (Ang) is one of my best friends who has been there for me, has been a huge encouragement spiritually, and is a great example of a woman who lives for the Lord. Joy is the middle name of the woman who was my mentor for years. Her and her husband have played a significant role in Patrick and I's lives, encouraging us spiritually, praying for us, and always being there.

We put the name together and our daughter's name means, "Eternal messenger of Joy." I think that is so powerful, and I pray that she will always feel valuable as a woman, and that she will know that she is an eternal Joy. 

Venturing Out

Today Eternity is 9 days old. The time has gone by so fast. The whole birthing and hospital experience seems so long ago and I can't imagine my life with out the new baby. It is crazy how we were created to adapt so well to these life changes that we can't image life the way it was before.

Today I will venture out of the house for the first time since coming home from the hospital. Patrick got a tutoring job for Wednesdays and is unable to pick Amariah up from school, so that leaves me the privilege. Eternity and I will be in the great outdoors of our little Chinese community for the first time. 

Conflict-Free Living

Today Eternity is one week old. I can't believe it has been a week already.

 

It is interesting how when you start studying a spiritual topic you either become grossly aware of the issue all around you or the issue becomes exaggerated in your life to test you. I am currently reading "Conflict-Free Living" by Joyce Meyer and I feel like conflict has become all that more evident in everyday life. Last night our Landlord came by to collect rent. Many of you who read my blog regularly know that we have been having troubles with our landlord. We had no fridge for 2 weeks, we lost all our food and he refused to do anything about it and still does. We had the fridge 'fixed', even though it is not totally fixed, it still leaks water, but at least it is keeping things cold now. But we paid for it. Our screen door is still broken, the kitchen sink leaks, we have no hot water in the kitchen, the shower leaks water all over the floor, the washing machine floods our deck every load, and not all the electrical outlets work.  I am incredibly frustrated because our landlord doesn't care and says he won't do anything about it.

You would think that the easy solution would be just to move, but it really isn't that easy. We have been here long enough to know that it is hard to find good landlords and an apartment that isn't completely filthy and in need of a lot of work when you move in. At this time we really don't want to move again and start over.

Anyway, I had to keep myself in the room last night and let Patrick talk to the Landlord because I was bound to say and/or do something that I really shouldn't. Patrick is far softer than I am. I would have given the landlord "a piece of my mind." Anyway, this is clearly a conflict, one of the many, that seem to have popped up forcing me to put to practice the lessons from 'Conflict-free Living."

One of solutions in Conflict-Free Living is to pray for your enemies. Not such a new concept, as it is a well-known Biblical principal, but I will admit that I am struggling with how to pray for this man and his wife. Every time I go to pray I find that I start dwelling on the negative and getting myself all worked up. Then the thought comes to mind, "pray for him." And I respond to myself, "Oh yeah." But the only word that comes to mind is "God." "Teach me Lord to pray for those I am in conflict with."

The Arrival of Eternity Angela-Joy

Hello agian.....

I am back and ready to make regular entries again. 

It was a week ago today that we went to hospital expecting to have Eternity that day, yet she surprised us by taking her time coming out and didn't come 'til the following day.

Saturday night after dinner I started to have some really bad cramps, then at 3:30 in the morning I was woken by what I knew were contractions. We waited until 10am to go to the hospital. Amariah stayed with a friend of ours who has 6 children. He did amazing there. He loved the built in playmates who also adored him. 

Sunday was spent watching movies and eating take out as we waited for my contractions to get below 5 minutes apart. That took until 11pm. We then were moved to the labouring room where we stayed for a few hours before being moved to the delivering room. 

We were in the delivering room for 2 hours. The doctor kept saying that this was taking too long and that we had to get the baby out. So, every time a contraction came I had 4 Chinese women yelling at me to push. Then the strangest thing happened, I personally think that it was a God thing, since I had been labouring for 30 hours and of course was completely exhausted and felt I had nothing left in me to continue, but my contractions just stopped. Pain, everything gone completely for 15 minutes or so. I enjoyed the rest, but definitely questioned if everything was ok. I didn't know if this was normal. After about 15 minutes of absolutely nothing the contractions started up again, one after the other.

At 4am the doctor broke my water. At 4:30 the doctor started to prepare some medicines that she said would make things move a lot faster, but before she was able to give me the medicine, Eternity decided to show, PTL!!!

Patrick and I would joke through out the labouring process that it must be a girl because we are going to call her Eternity and she is taking an Eternity to come out. And I will never forget hearing that Chinese doctor say "It's a girl." So exciting!!!! We absolutely love and adore our little princess. 

Kari Jones sent you a birth announcement.

Kari Jones sent you a birth announcement: It's a Girl! Eternity Angela-Joy See the announcement

Another Hospital Experience (But not the anicipated experience)

Still waiting.... Three days late. Maybe this baby will be like Amariah. If so, we won't see it for another week. 

I went to the doctor yesterday. Something different about this hospital that I haven't experienced with one back home is the 2 hour lunch break. I was there getting a movement scan just before lunch. The nurse attending me was busy cleaning things up, putting things away and getting ready to leave. I was the last lady to get this scan before the break and I was starting to feel like I was inconveniencing the staff by being so close to lunch. 

At noon the scan was still not complete. My doctor, then, came into scanning room, dressed in her regular clothes and looking like she was heading out the door, and told me that the other doctor was waiting for me, and that I should take my results to her when I was done. At about 12:05, I was finished the scan. The nurse gave me the results and I headed for the doctors office. As I exited the scanning room I was surprised to be greeted by darkness. All the lights had been turned off and not a soul was in sight. The only light that was guiding my way to the office was sun that was peering through the few windows from the stair case. I got to the office without stumbling into anything, and was with the doctor for all of 30 seconds. Just long enough for her to look over the results and say, "It's normal." YAY!!!! She too, was in her everyday clothes. She picked up her purse and and said that it was time to leave. We parted, leaving in different directions. I walked down the hall to the elevator. No one was in sight, it was dark all except a hint of sunlight and the glowing exit signs. Doors were closed and everything was silent. I had never experienced this kind of desertedness, emptiness in a hospital. It was almost creepy. 

Arriving on the main floor I was expecting it to be its normal lively self, since it was the main entrance, however, that too was dark and deserted. Outside where there are usually drivers waiting to be hired, and people waiting to be picked up, there was no one. I usually hire one of the drivers to take me home, and the sense of panic wanted to wiggle its way into me whispering, "how are you going to get home now? You may be stuck here until lunch is over." As soon as those thoughts entered my head I rebuked them and told my self that the Lord will provide. I started to head toward the street praying that when I arrived there would be a taxi there to take me home. Again panic tried to creep its way in by telling me "the last time you tried to catch a taxi on these streets you waited for quite some time. You may be stuck." Again I wouldn't believe the thought, I rebuked it and then thanked the Lord for providing my ride home, even though I hadn't had one yet, I knew the Lord would provide. 

As soon as I arrived at the street I looked to my left and saw a taxi turning on to the street. I waved him down and got in. I was on my way home. I didn't have to wait, the Lord provided. He had the taxi there waiting to take me home. 

A Gecko in the Grapes

Still anxiously awaiting....

Once upon a time Amariah and I took a walk to the market just outside of our community. It is a nice walk on sunny days, and the fresh fruit and vegetables are much cheaper there than in the grocery store, so that makes the walk so much more worth it. Amariah absolutely loves fruit, so it is the perfect place to stock up on all kinds, bananas, oranges, apples, pomellos, dragon fruit, and grapes. This one place had this beautiful display of fresh grapes, they were big, juicy and inviting to eat. I parked the stroller, grabbed a bag and went to pick up a small bunch when something caught my eye causing me to stop my hand just before touching the grape bunch. Something moved. I was sure of it. But I didn't see anything, so I went to grabbed the grape bunch again, but again I stopped. It felt like something was staring at me. I started to scan the grape display. This grape display was definitely staring at me and leaving me with this creepy feeling since I couldn't find the eyes. And then, there it was, it moved again. This time my eyes caught it, and it was a gecko hiding in the grapes. Once it knew that I had found it, it started to crawl all over the grapes. I quickly grabbed Amariah out of the stroller and held him up to see the gecko. He was excited to see the little critter crawling around. It soon crawled out of the display and diappeared. I put Amariah back in the stroller, put the bag back with the others and started to walk away. I was no longer interested in buying grapes. Usually it is the price that steers me away from buying grapes, but this was the first time an animal had. Even though we came away grapeless, we had story.

A PTL Moment

Well, my bags are packed and I'm ready to go. Someone should let baby J know.... According to China time, we are officially 1 day late. 

Crazy story, I was visiting a friend of mine in her apartment on the first floor. We were sitting out on her patio, which is enclosed by glass, chatting and having a good time. Then all of a sudden we heard this wierd whoosing sound progressively get louder causing us to pause our conversation and listen. The whoosing sound was quickly followed by a loud crashing sound that made us jump. Something had crashed right beside us on the other side of the glass barrier. The crash was so loud that everyone in her house came running to where we were asking what happened. We had know idea. We all immediately turned our attention to the ground outside to discover that the lawn was covered with shattered glass and bits and pieces of what looked like a frame. Did a window just fall out from an upper story of the building, because that is what it looked like. We were shocked and so thankful that her patio was enclosed by glass, otherwise we may have been showered by the shattered pieces as it crashed beside us. We were also thankful that no one was outside at that time, and that the glass wasn't accompanied by anything unpleasant. This was another one of those PTL moments. 

Fridge Update. Still no fridge. Yeah, not pleased with this landlord and still needing wisdom on how to deal with him. Another repair guy came to our house today to look at it. The repair guy looked like an Eskimo wearing a Texas cowboy hat and he had a very bubbly personality. All he did was, plug in our fridge, us our washroom, then talked on the phone, and came and sat next to me as I talked with my mom on skype. It was interesting. He started to talk to my mom in Chinese. My mom just smiled and said that she didn't know what to say, and really neither did I. He then stuck up his thumb and said good in Chinese. To what I don't know. I decided that it was time to call my friend to translate because I thought that he was here to look at the fridge and all he had done was plug it in. 

Just then my friend had called me. Perfect. I had her translate. Apparently the guy wanted to take the fridge to his shop and take it apart. Fine by me. It has now been over a week without a fridge. This seriously should have been taken care of right away. In need of continued wisdom. 

The Faith of a Child

This past Sunday in Sunday school Amariah sat in the front for story time and was very attentive. He learned about the lady who touched Jesus and then was all better.  He coloured a picture showing a lady touching Jesus. After colouring his picture he tried to recite the story back to me. It was really cute. Then after class he told Daddy about the story and was very proud of himself. At home we put the picture on the fridge and talked about it at dinner. I was so proud of him for showing such interest in the story. 

Last night after showering Amariah, he was being his squirmy self while I was trying to dry him off. During a fight with the towel he had lost his balance and fell on to his bum. It wasn't a hard fall, however, on the way down his chin hit my knee causing him to bite his own lip. I was sitting on a small stool allowing my knee to be in the perfect position for a collision. Amariah started to cry right away. I felt so bad. Scooping him up to cradel him in my arms I noticed that his bottom lip was bleeding. I quickly grabbed a clean cloth, dampened it with water and put it on his lip. He was grateful and took comfort in biting down on the cloth. 

I took him to the bedroom and put on his pajamas. I took the cloth from him to dampen it again. The lip hadn't bled that much, so there was hardly any blood on the cloth, which I was thankful for. But his lip was definitely swelling on the right hand side. I thought a cool cloth may offer more comfort to the sore lip. 

Returning with the cool cloth, I said, "Buddy, do you want this?" And he replied, "No, touch Jesus, all better." Then he continued playing with his stuffed whale as if nothing had happened. I pressed a little further, why, I don't know, "Are you sure you don't want the cloth for your lip." He answered with a tone that told me I was being foolish for asking, "No, I touch Jesus, all better." I put the cloth away and haven't heard another word about the lip since. 

The faith of a child. I sat and pondered that while watching him play with his whale. I had a moment when I started to realize that I have absolutely no idea the vast amout of things the Lord will teach me through my children. The thought is almost overwhelming, yet totally exciting at the same time. 

No Baby Yet

So, I just finiahed up the last thing that I was working on for work. YAY!!!! I now feel so much more at ease with the baby coming. Patrick and I are getting so excited to meet this new little one. I am praying that we don't have to wait another week. In church today they prayed for us and others that are due to have babies in the next couple of weeks. It felt really encouraging to be thought of in such a large congregation. 

Anyway, it is 3:30 in the morning and once again I can't sleep. Lately I haven't been able to get more than 2-3 hours of sleep at a time, and I know that this is the Lord preparing me for this new child to come. Well, what else to do at this hour than do some uninterrupted work, write on my blog, read, pray and hope that someone comes on skipe to chat. 

We still don't have a fridge and I am trusting in the Lord to provide. I am trying to focus on praising the Lord for His many blessings and not allow my angry emotions steal my joy. 

Talking about stealing joy, I totally got up in a Chinese woman's face at the subway. After eating lunch we were waiting for the subway and this group of Chinese ladies were staring at us, talking, and pointing, and being completely rude. At first I didn't really care, but then my son ran away from us and didn't respond to our telling him to come back. Patrick ran after him brought him back and was given Amariah a talking to about why he shouldn't run away in a crowded place and that he needed to listen and obey. Well, this for some reason was entertaining for these women, so they crowded around to watch Amariah get disciplined. Amariah was then looking at the people and not looking at his daddy anymore. So a stepped between these ladies and Amariah as a hint that they needed to back off and give us privacy. Well, one of the ladies then started to peer over my shoulder to watch Amariah get this talking to. I lost it. I turned around and got in this ladies face and with a raised voice told her what I thought of her inappropriate behaviour. I was so angry. The crowd, that shouldn't have been there in the first place, dispersed quickly. GOOD!!! This is why we only bring our son into the city on Sundays for church. We make it a point to not bring him into the city because the Chinese people, in general, not all, have no respect for others, and it is way too crowded. 

Then later Patrick fought this other lady for a taxi. Patrick was clearly there first, but she was actually getting physical with him trying to take the taxi, and at the same time Patrick had Amariah in his arms. What a day, I tell ya. After fighting the Chinese in the city, all three of us fell asleep on bus ride home. 

Thanks for all your prayers and support. 

We love you all, 

If I am up again tomorrow night, I will write again. 

Needing Wisdom

No baby yet. I will announce it the first chance I get, I promise. 

Patrick and I are in a battle with our landlord and are needing wisdom. We have been fridgeless for the past 5 days. It stopped working Monday night. We called a repair guy to come and look at it, then we called our landlord saying that our fridge isn't working and if he would please take care of it. I will also mention that we have been having problems with our fridge ever since we moved in. Last month we asked our landlord to fix the problem and he just told us to unplug it and plug it back in. Well, now it isn't working at all. 

So, we had someone from school call a repair guy for us, because we don't speak Chinese and he never showed up for 2 days in a row. We were very upset and when we asked why the repair guy never came we were told that our land lord called and canceled it because he doesn't want to pay for it. I was furious. I had our freezer full of food for when the baby comes and we lost all of it, either from going bad or me having to give it away. Everything in our fridge and freezer is gone. We have a baby coming and no food in the house except rice and noodles. 

We got someone at school to talk to our landlord about our fridge. He said that since we have lived here more than three months we should buy our own. We said "NO!" we have been going back and forth with this guy and we are so angry. The latest is, he will buy us a new fridge but then he will raise our rent. We obviously said, "NO!!" So, we are thinking, that we will use our rent money to get a new fridge and just give the landlord the receipt. 

It has been such a battle and with the new baby coming, it is far more stressfull because I can't store anything. And since this is the land of next to no canned goods, I can't just stock my shelves with canned stuff. For some reason the Chinese don't like canned foods. They have canned foods at the western food store for like $3.00 four a can of tomato soup- completely unaffordable to stock up on. I keep repeating to myself that my battle is not with flesh and blood. Trying to keep my eyes above and taking it to the Father is a chioce that we are having to make everyday. 

Please pray for wisdom for us, and that we will get this problem fixed asap. 

No More Fridge

I am officially 39 weeks today. Wow!!! That seemed to go by so quickly. 

Today feels like another beautiful summer morning. Even though I know the real heat is yet to come. It is 8 am and I am already sweating in my tank top and shorts. But I am not complaining, I actually love it. 

So, yesterday our fridge stopped working. It is so frustrating because we have told our landlord that we have been having troubles with our fridge and would like it fixed, and yet he has done nothing. Now it is completely not working and we have lost all of our food that was in there. Our landlords have been frustrating from the start. The day we moved in we gave him a list of things that do not work and 5 months later some of them still aren't fixed. Our kitchen sink leaks, we have no hot water in the kitchen, our screen door is broken (which would really be nice to have now that it is hotter and the mosquitos are so prevalent), and our fridge doesn't work. When we moved in the front door didn't close, we had no shower head, and the bathroom sink didn't drain (because it was clogged with nails, batteries and a paintbrush). And believe it or not we had to stand our ground to not pay for the sink repair. If we were in North America, we never woudl have moved in at all, but since this is a common Chinese apartment situation, we are having to deal with it. Cultural learning. 

Well, I should get on with my day, lots to do. 

Thanks for the love and prayers. 

Huge Blessings

Last night a friend of mine threw me a baby shower. We had so much fun. Baby showers aren't a common practice here in China, so some of my co-workers/friends had never been to one before and thought it was a good idea. One of my friends has a 4 month old baby. It was so cute watching Amariah with him. He was so gentle and interested in this little guy. At one point when the baby was sleeping in Amariah's room, I was visiting with the ladies I didn't realize that Amariah wasn't playing with the toys on the floor anymore. When I saw that, I jumped up and said, "Where is Amariah?" We found him sitting beside the sleeping baby on his bed just staring at him. When Amariah saw me in the door way he said, "Shhhhh! Baby sleeping." So cute. It makes me so much more excited to bring home our new baby. Amariah will be a great big brother.

The baby shower was a huge, huge blessing, especially in a country where it is not a common practice. At some of the girls request I had made a list of things that I still needed. Knowing that they were planning this shower I hadn't aggressively shop of certain items. Two of the things on my list was onesies and bum cream. Bum cream I have actually been searching for for awhile and have failed in my attempts to find any. One of the ladies at the shower said that China doesn't have stuff like that, alot of babies here have the 'peek-a-boo' bottoms and diapers is still not widely used. So, the use of a bum cream isn't a necessity. For those of you that aren't familiar with the 'peek-a-boo' bottoms they are baby pants with no bums, so the baby's naked toosh hangs out. As a result it is common to see mothers holding there babies over gardens, the side of the street and garbage cans as the baby relieves him/her self. At the playground I try to ignore it since it happens all the times when I take Amariah there. It is probably why the plants around the playground are so green. I actually had a mother tell me that diapers aren't good for a baby and that bum cream is unhealthy. 

Anyway, this friend of mine at the shower said that a friend of hers went to Hong Kong this week and that she will bring back some bum cream for me. That was very thoughful. 

The second thing, onesies, can't find those anywhere either. I bet it is because they don't have the 'peek-a-boo' bottoms. I do have some that I brought over, and with the heat here, the baby will likely just be in a diaper for the summer. So, it is no big deal.  Well, now I feel more set than ever with all these gifts, just waiting for the arrival of baby J.