I had another western friend share something with me this week that has really gotten me to reflect on some of His many benefits (as Ps. 103 points out). My friend told me about someone from the States coming to visit them. After living with them for a week and walking a few miles in their shoes, the gentleman shared with them some notes he had taken during his visit--notes compiled of things he noticed that our friends had given up as sacrifices in order to live in China. The second list he had was of the blessings and benefits that they had from doing so--and believe it or not, this list was much longer than the first! As my friend told me of this experience, I reflected on how true that is for our family as well. Having just come back from the States, we still have the taste of things we miss on the tips of our tongues. The ease of transportation, the joy of spending hours with friends and family we deeply miss, chips and salsa.... And yet the benefits are literally innumerable!
One of the biggest is the time we have together as a family. While most wives in our age and stage of life are doing well to have their husbands get home from work before they put the kids to bed, at least for now, Kevin is an incredibly active participant in our whole family's daily routine--even watching the kids regularly (three times a week) while I am in class. While this was an enormous challenge for him in the beginning, we laugh at how his "tolerance" for chaos has increased, so that he can now handle all 4 of our rambunctious little ones with a grace that leaves everyone around us in awe!
The photo is of their latest adventure. Kevin is taking the kids through a series he's putting together from Proverbs, complete with rescue stories and the super hero costumes that are some of their favorite Christmas presents. With three boys in the house, you can count on swords, shields, and other weapons being interwoven throughout their adventure that moves them around our apartment. It is such a joy to see them learning--and loving doing so!
Our week has been one of getting back into the routine again--at least for a few short weeks before the huge Chinese New Year celebration begins. The beginning of February marks the start of the Chinese New Year (according to the lunar calendar)--and the partying is unlike anything you've ever seen! The closest comparison is Christmas in the US--but I'm not sure that that is even on the same scale. Already the lines in the supermarkets are UNBELIEVABLY long (I waited for over half an hour today) and the gift and specialty items they sell this time of year are all over the place. I've started stocking our freezer already, as I discovered last year that pretty much everything shuts down for a few weeks around the New Year, making it impossible to find some of your basic cooking supplies (like chicken, believe it or not!). Being the veteran ex-pat that I now am (ha! ha!), I'm learning from our bare kitchen shelves and fridge last year and trying to plan ahead as much as I can so we'll be ready as much as possible!
One of the most challenging things for us here in China is how rapidly things change. I would not call myself a particularly adaptable person, but was definitely well-prepared during a lot of our training for cross-cultural living that our typical Western long-term planning just doesn't work when living in another country. I'm amazed at how true this is! We've been here a year and a half, and already our language school, the Tianjin baseball team, our church, and possibly the kids' international school are all changing locations--as of this fall! Oh, and our lease is up this summer and our landlord is wanting to sell the apartment, so there's a good chance we'll be moving as well! In Dallas, this would be an inconvenience. In China--this means a HUGE life change! Because of the monumental challenge of transportation, where you live and the places you have to go to regularly truly define how you spend your time, who you spend time with, and how much you can do in a day. I must admit, while I feel like I'm learning to depend on Him more and more each day, the thought of such dramatic change can kind of make my stomach hurt if I dwell on it too much.... Back to Ps.. 103 and forgetting not all his benefits... and super thankful that we have One who is unchanging on whom we can depend!
This week has been largely uneventful. Karis had a blast this weekend getting to Skype with her dear friend Adah in Houston, even playing games like Hang Man and TicTacToe for over an hour. We are so thankful for the technological advances that allow us to stay so closely to loved ones so far away! Hudson went on a lunch date today with Kevin and me to Subway restaurant and was just happy as a clam getting to have a double chocolate chip cookie for dessert! It's amazing how little things can delight a child's heart! Eli got to ride the bullet train with his kindergarten class into Beijing and then eat at McDonald's--a highlight of his week for sure! Oh, and the tooth fairy visited Karis again, as she lost her third tooth. Noah is still being Noah, with his newest word being an English one--"shoot"! (He loves to use the Nerf guns with his brothers to play good guy rescue games.)
Kevin is going out of town for the weekend to the place that is farthest on the globe from any body of water! He has gone out to this city in western China once before to bring baseball equipment to a young man who has organized a youth league that focuses on a minority people group and allowing them the privilege of learning the game. This same guy has asked Kevin to go again and help train him in how to coach some of his teams and some of the other coaches. Kevin has agreed to go, in spite of the fact that we learned that the temp is supposedly a high of 32 degrees BELOW zero! Thinking Kevin's long underwear might not be quite thick enough....
After a conversation or two with this guy, Kevin felt a pressing desire to go and try to help out. Would you believe that because of the cold, the teams are practicing indoors in a facility that this guy has secured, but they are unable to use regular baseball equipment (not sure if it would hurt the facility or the little equipment they have?). So this guy and the other baseball players have been making PAPER BASEBALLS for them to use during their practice! Can you even imagine?! Great reminder of all that we have and are accustomed to getting in the way of material things... And Kevin is really glad that we happen to have whiffle balls and a few other pieces of equipment that will hopefully aid in them being able to play some "real" baseball while he is there. I'm sure I will have some stories to tell after his return (both from his trip and the adventure of me and the kids surviving the weekend without him!)
