How's our transition going?

 Many people have asked how our transition is going. I never know how to answer. Nothing is bad but saying "everything's great" doesn't seem right either. Anyway, here are some of my thoughts on our transition.

I posted these pictures on facebook with a cute story about Catherine:

"Just as we were driving into town (Logan) this evening Catherine said, "Mom, you know how where we just were driving there's just like grass, but here's there's like houses and other stuff? I like this kind of place better." Me too, sister. Me too"

our old neighborhood

Our current neighborhood. Our house (and two others) are almost in the center of the photo

The truth is, we're not only transitioning from China to America, we're transitioning from VERY urban to VERY rural.

Another interesting thing is that our friends who have lived abroad keep telling us, "Don't get in a hurry to do anything. Just rest for awhile first." We even had a Korean family tell us to take a full year off!  Most of our American friends have been asking us since Christmas, "What are you doing now that you're back? Where are you going to work?' or other questions like that. It's a weird place to be, stuck between two worlds.

And another interesting dichotomy I'm wrestling with in my own head is that when people ask me, "What do you miss about China?" there is very little that comes to mind. But I am still deeply grieved to be here and not there. In some ways China has hurt us or left us a little weary so when I actually think about our everyday life there, I get a little tense and anxious, but I would still choose it. When I'm in the middle of all the conveniences of America, it's hard to remember what I miss about China. But, at the same time I still grieve that I'm here instead of there. Even if it makes no sense, even in my own head. Don't get me wrong, I miss do miss things from our life there: our friends, what I was doing professionally, our church, some foods, my electric trike, and some possessions that we had to leave behind, BUT almost everything is so much easier here.

I think for us the key is that we're moving forward. We're settled in our own (temporary) home. We're making progress with treatment for James' back. We're in a really good routine with the girls' homeschool and therapies. God is providing all that we need.

My emotions are still all over the place, but that makes me more deeply aware of my need for Him. And He is sustaining us.

the longer version

Big changes coming for us

Dear Friends and Family,

To those who bend your knees and lift us and our people up before God:  There are lots of changes coming up for our family and our people.

Toward the end of last November, while I (James) was praying I felt like I heard God say that our family had one year left here, and with that He impressed upon us some people to focus on this year. Since then we have prayed to confirm I had really heard Him correctly.  During the last year we also asked Him and asked for counsel from others about how to make our lives more sustainable here, yet that didn't seem to be the answer He gave. 

During October, Jill and I finally got a few days away to talk, pray and, think without the interruptions of normal daily life and we believe He is leading us back to the States.  We'll move back to America in the mid-December.

I know for most of you this news is sudden and might seem pretty quick, but for us it is something we have been praying about and processing for about a year. It doesn’t make it any easier in terms of leaving.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of things about being in the states we are excited about. However, at the same time we feel deeply that the work here needs more boots on the ground.  Over the last few months, God has shown us a number of things about the work.  One being the need to raise up prayer and raise up more specific prayer for our people.  He has also opened up training, mentoring, and encouraging opportunities with different churches here. 

We are sad to be leaving. We are sad to say goodbye to all of our friends and co-laborers. There are those we have discipled and encouraged in their walks of following Jesus.  There are our friends who continue to be separated from a relationship with God.  There are all those people around us we do not know, but that we brush up with, walk past, or see on a daily basis who are still living in slavery to sin, not knowing that Jesus has already paid the price for them.

In the States we are excited about being closer to family and friends. We are excited about access to better medical care. We’re excited about being perfectly fluent again. 😊 We’re also excited about whatever God has for us in the States… although at the moment of writing we are not entirely sure what that will be.  However, we do believe God is calling us back to the States for a reason.  (Without a purpose, it’s hard to see why He would remove us from here.  We may not be the greatest cross-cultural workers in the world, but we are here, and we are willing to stay if He wants us to.)  We do not know what His plans are, but we believe it will still involve making disciples of all nations.

We wanted to tell you sooner, but obviously our list of daily tasks is longer than usual with closing out everything on this side of the world. Also, our internet has been sporadic and slowed down in conjunction with China's biggest leadership meeting last month, so even the days we wanted to write, we weren't able. 

We appreciate all your prayers for us over the years, and we ask that you continue to pray for us and with us as we make this transition.  Pray especially for our girls as they are processing what it means to move to America.  (Sometimes countries, cities, and continents get all mixed up for them and they are having a hard time processing exactly what that will mean to move and not come back in a few months.)

We also ask that you continue to pray for the people here and the work going on among them.  Pray that God will send fresh eyes and fresh energy to replace us.  The field is white with harvest… pray that God will send out workers into His harvest field.  (Are you one of them?)

Pray also for our co-laborers who are remaining behind.  Often it is lonely work, and when someone leaves it often feels like their presence has been replaced with a big hole.  Pray that God would give them assurance and that God would send us all new workers.

Abigail turns two!

not my best cake ever, but a fine job if you knew the ingredients I had available to work with :)  We did a playground theme and went to the park to celebrate Abigail's birthday. 

Catherine turns six!

family outing

In June we rented a car and took a family day trip to the mountains just on the outskirts of our city. Of course, the day we had the time and means to do this trip was a terribly foggy/smoggy day so the photos of our city we had hoped to get didn't happen.

 We found a temple we didn't know about just on the opposite side of the mountain.

 note the LONG staircase up the hill to get to the temple

 James taught the girls to skip rocks

And just because.....the girls on a Sunday in June :)

Ann and Mom in Thailand

Well, when you find yourself in Thailand under less than ideal circumstances, you still try to make the most of the fact that YOU'RE IN THAILAND! 

 There is no way to get from our city to Thailand in one day unless one you leave here in the middle of the night, or arrive there in the middle of the night. When one passenger is four years old, we chose to have overnights stays along the way, mostly as a courtesy to our fellow passengers. :)  Because we had an overnight in Guangdong, we made a two hour drive to see some dear friends, but little Ann just couldn't make it back to the hotel before she was DONE.

 Our guest house accommodations. 

 The tests the doctors performed included a blood test, which thankfully, they waited until the very end to do. It was traumatic. After the blood test, I still had to pay the bill. There were a few people in line in front of me and Ann chose to pass the time by screaming at the top of her lungs. I was prepared. I had candy. and a new toy. and something I bought her in the gift shop downstairs. Nothing was making her feel any better. At this point, all the other folks waiting are starting to stare and assume I'm the worst mom on the planet. I finally asked Ann, "Honey, is something still hurting you?" She answered, "YES!  MY BLOOD!!!"

 Bangkok Children's Discovery Museum was a fun distraction from the medical stuff.

 Nothing says "mom" like having to carry your child's urine and stool around town to take them back to the hospital.

 Ann chose these dresses as a gift to take home to her sisters.

 What her rash looked like almost everyday before we got treatment.

 One of the best surprises of our trip was that the homestay student from Turkey who lived with James and I in 2010 was also in Bangkok! It was so fun to meet up with her. The picture above Ann took for us :)

 The zoo was our last "fun" thing before we made our journey home.

 Paddle boats were fun until.....

 a giant snake in the water was a little too close for mom to feel ok about the paddle boat experience.