Letter to my friends

To my friends from my passport country-

I'm sorry that we sat by the campfire that night and I didn't know what to say. Our lives have been piling forward on different continents for some time now. I desperately want you to understand my life in China, but my stories of duck blood hot pot or 6 am wedding processions seem to be a compilation of snippets rather than a constructed life story. I've tried to mold my life experience into something palatable for you, but I'm afraid that I've failed over and over again. A decade has gone by since I've been able to call you at 8 and meet with you by 9.

Friends have attended your baby showers, I have commented on Instagram.

Your small group brought you dinner when you were sick, I sent you an emoji of a penguin in hopes it made you smile.

I walked with you through grief in a few 45 minute Skype conversations.

I realize it's been hard to be friends over the internet. But what I want you to know is that my lack of physical presence doesn't mean I don't need you in my world. I think it's easy for us both to forget that as our lives press forward, there is a person on the other side of the world who loves us and needs to hear from us. I've failed at this more times than is possible to count. Time zones have made me late to wish you happy birthday. By not checking Facebook, I've totally missed your son's broken arm.

Don't give up on those of us who live overseas. We are all thankful to God that technology allows us to text you from 8,000 miles away. While it might seem we are living these radical lives for Jesus, we need you to ask us hard questions.We need you to see the person and not just the job we've been called to.

One of the things we crave overseas are people with whom we have history. It is balm for the soul to have a friend who knew you when you stayed up too late while sleeping on a pier. We still love hearing about the time you cried when the grocery store ran out of Cheez-its.

I get it. This friendship is hard. But thank you for sticking it out with me.

I might present myself as stoic, but in reality I am needy.

We need your prayers.

We need your perspective.

We need your presence.

"Help Me Believe" cd

You need to check out this album:  "Help Me Believe" by Donna Stuart.  It's an album filled with hope, redemption and freedom.  iTune it and put it in your worship playlist.  

It has really ministered to me this weekend as I pondered the Grace of our adoption.  I have been blown away by how much the Lord loves to care for His children.  This cd is an expression of a child pleading with her father to come and sit together.  

Love it.

Friends and Fish Skins

We had a fantastic time with our friends! In the words of Selah "we all wept." as they left. It was so refreshing and encouraging. And only a few small bumps in the trip.



Here's Charis at the Olympic Park. Gettin' ready for 2024.




This woman actually ran with the torch the day or so before. So she's here flaunting the fact that she's way more important than we are and thus got to hold and run with the torch. But hey, at least we got a picture.



Here's the kids getting tossed around in a tradition carrier. This is at the Great Wall in our city. We took our friends and had a blast. One funny thing that happened the first night they were here regards their lodging. We had been trying for 3 months to get them a hotel room. Knowing the Olympics was coming, we kept trying to make a reservation (albeit all in vain.). They just kept saying it was too early. So I made sure they understood that the Olympics was indeed coming and that lots of people usually come into town to watch this thing. They just smiled, nodded and said that it was against the rules to reserve a room this far out-I mean, it was June. Anyway, long story short....we put them in a "hotel" near our apt. I put quotes around hotel, because it was more of an extra room above a local convenience store. We tried to sell it to our friends as a cozy, quaint little bed and breakfast (being above a convenience store would give them great access to all the food their wanted.) Ya, they didn't buy it. But we got them checked in and settled. That night they were at our apt. hanging out and about 9:15...knock...knock...knock. It was our friend from the convenience store. She said the police were searching the rooms and that they needed to stay here until it was worked out. It was our friends first night in our city.



So we waited until about 9:30 and our friend came back. The police said the "hotel" they were at was not big enough or nice enough for them to stay in. So 10 at night, our friends moved to another hotel. The same hotel that couldn't make early reservations. Apparently 10 pm the same night you want to stay was not too early. So our friends checked in and got some sleep.

They met some of our friends, we ate good food (and some cow stomach, fish skins, and fish eggs) and mutually encouraged one another.

So what brave soul will be next to venture to the Motherland?

Good Friends Leaving

Our closest American friends in the city have just been told that they won't be coming back next year.  They have had some disagreements with their teaching organization that they are here with.  We actually met with some of their leadership the other day and had a fairly cordial yet internally frustrating conversation.  

They want their teachers to "have a good experience.  Learn some culture, maybe be changed by the whole deal and go home."  

I will leave the frustrating remarks for my journal.  

But we are really sad that they are leaving.  We've only known them for a year, but really sense a kindredness with them.  And friends these days are few and far between.  So their leaving will definitely be felt by our family.