For the Darker Days of Advent

In my adult life I have come to better understand and appreciate the church calendar. I love the rhythm that it creates and how it allows me to pace my heart to the life of Christ. Advent is a season that I particularly love. I love the idea of preparing my heart for His arrival, the baby in the manger, the symbolism of the advent wreath, and taking time each week to light the advent candles and reflect with my husband.

Each year around this time, I find myself in desperate need of Advent. In need of something to make me to slow down, pause, and set my heart and mind towards the reality that truly matters. Just this morning I was thinking of all of the questions in my own journey, and again marveled at how Advent so perfectly mirrors these questions.

Advent is a season about hope, sure, but I think there is much to be said for the agonizing wait and blind faith of advent. My mind thinks back to centuries of prophecies and promises waiting to be fulfilled. Scores of prophets looking like fools, and decades of desperate hearts wondering when the promised Messiah and redemption would finally come. What we mark in four weeks time was stretched across a dark page of history, when all that filled space and time was the waiting.

I found myself in my own place of waiting and worry this morning, I couldn’t help but think about Mary. If there ever was an unknown path, hers was certainly it. If there was ever a couple to shake their heads in confusion at the work of Almighty God, surely it was those two outcast and weary travelers. And yet in the midst of the badgering questions, their own doubt and even despair – they followed a distant star. They clung to what God had spoken to them, and matched their steps to His voice regardless of how bizarre it might seem. I wonder if Mary’s pregnancy was one that was full of doubt and questions, and it wasn’t until angels filled the sky and shepherds bowed prostrate that the hope of her heart was fully realized.

But just like Mary, I am encouraged to think that regardless of the direction of the path and weight of the doubt, the reality of who Christ is remains unchanged. Despite Mary's and my own limited faith and understanding, the infant Jesus burst forth demanding the worship of all of heaven. This Advent I am confessing that who Christ is is unchanged by how he decides to appear in my life, or whatever dark and wandering road might lead me to His appearing. I don't want my steps to ever profess that I don't believe His promises to be true, and I want to be among the first to worship at His feet, in whatever unlikely place that might find me.

On this Thanksgiving

This is the song in my heart:

The reasons I have to be thankful are truly endless this year, I am thankful to serve and know a God whose goodness is as countless as His blessings!

Picture Dump

So, apparently next week is Thanksgiving, which absolutely blows my mind. I started to sit down and write an "October recap", when I realized we're well into November. So here are a few pictures that might help explain why I have absolutely no idea what day it is:

We spent time in three different village schools giving hygiene trainings to over 1,000 of these precious faces:

Teaching the finer points of why we shouldn't just poop anywhere:

Unrelated to hygiene but a heart melter none the less:

 Attentive pupil eagerly tackling his "How To Brush Your Teeth" coloring book:

First graders proudly showing off their new toothbrush, toothpaste (with fluoride of course!) and gloves:

Not long after this we took off to another village to celebrate the local New Year (don't be confused - this one just celebrates the end of the harvest. The lunar new year is later silly!) No car trip with a car full of local friends is complete without a minimum of two stops for someone to puke. We've found most people here get REALLY carsick, REALLY easily. The little dear you see in the front seat had to stop four times on the trip to "call Roy" as my dad would say. Yikes, right?

We knew that any and all New Year celebrations here included killing a pig, but I wasn't quite mentally prepared for what that would look like when an entire VILLAGE killed a pig at the same time. I'll spare you the details ; ). Baxter, being the manly man (while still tucked in you might notice), decided to get in on the action.

This little man decided to come over and play during the pig cleaning festivities, and then stuck around when he realized I had candy in my purse. Is he a charmer or what?

This past weekend we held court . . . I mean had a picnic with friends at the park:

So there you have it. Five+ weeks of burning up the road and village hoppin' left us pretty worn out. Thankfully, my husband is a doll and realized we needed a break, so last night he whisked us off to a night away at some nearby hot springs. I'd say this view with a private hot spring and dozens of others for soaking out my door wasn't too bad . . .

 

I think that this year with a heart so full, thankful just doesn't quite describe it.

Three things I bet didn't happen to you last week

1.) While teaching kindergarten at a Halloween party in the park last weekend, I noticed a kind older gentleman snapping away with his big wig camera. Not long after, he noticed me (token foreign teacher), and asked if I would mind if he took my picture. Sure, I thought, no problem. Not the first time. But then he handed me his brown poodle, and I realized he meant WITH his dog.

10 minutes of snapping and face-licking later, I wasn't sure if I should be flattered or offended.

2.) On Sunday at one of the aforementioned parties, one of the tiny party goers looked up at me and said she needed to pee. Knowing her parents weren't there to escort her, I asked where the nearest bathroom was. It was a floor above us, so we quickly made our way towards the stairs. Once in the stairwell, little bit says again she has to pee, and before I can fully turn my head she's got her pants down and is squatting in the corner of the stairwell. Unfortunately, my inner westerner kicked in (thinking it was NOT ok for her to tee tee in the corner of the stairs, when in actuality it was the best and perhaps more familiar option) and I quickly swooped her up with one arm, pulling up her tiny pants with the other, and bounding up the stairs two at a time.

After running around the hallway desperately searching for the right apartment we reached the bathroom and I set her down by the toilet. She simply looked at me and said in Chinese "My pants are wet." Yep. So is my right arm kiddo, so is my right arm.

3.) While out doing a hygiene training in local villages last week, we were taken to dinner by the principal of the primary school we had been in that day. As the meal wrapped up I made my way to the restroom, and per usual, was greeting by a row of squatty potties. What was somewhat different however, was that this particular row of squatties was on a small raised platform, and the tank of the commode was on the floor instead of mounted to the wall. Forgetting this as I dropped my pants to do my business, my butt solidly whapped the top of the tank sending me flying face forward, pants wrapping my ankles to the cold *wet* tile several inches below. Thankfully I caught myself with my hands rather than my face, but in the process managed to take the trashcan full of *used* toilet paper down with me. As I picked myself up from the littered floor, I noticed a nice long scrape down my shin not unlike this one:

So. What did you do last weekend?

Maybe the Cutest Thing You'll See All Week

So, today was a big day here. My local bestie had her baby!!

Now, I know I haven't had a kiddo of my own yet, but I'm pretty sure it's safe to say her birth was remarkably AWESOME. She called me at seven, saying she was having "the pain", but don't worry, the baby probably wouldn't come today as it wasn't that bad. At nine she calls again saying she was going to go to the hospital, but only after she showered and ate. At eleven I texted her but got no response, and then at 1:00 she calls me and had HAD THE BABY! Apparently she got to the hospital, jumped about 12 other women in the waiting room, and after about 30 minutes of pushing had the little guy at 11:47. What?! I know I'm no expert, but to me that's crazy fast!

Regardless, the new family is thrilled, and the baby is just the cutest thing ever. See?

We are so excited to journey with our friends in this new phase of their lives, and are prayerful it would create new opportunities to speak Truth into their lives. We loooooove being his "gan ma" and "gan di" (godparents!), and have given him the English name Max, as it sounds like his Chinese name  . . .  and let's be truthful, rhymes with Bax ; ).

It's amazing how new life so clearly points to the maker of all life, and our desire is to see this precious boy raised in a knowledge of his Heavenly Father. Days like today leave my heart full of gratitude and praise, I am thankful to walk in a knowledge of Him who gives such sweet gifts!

Richest People in the World

While laying in bed one night last week wondering why I was SO stinkin' tired, it occurred to me why. In addition to the class+work+YJ+life normal aspects of our week, we had somehow managed to funnel a good 30+ people through our house in about 8 days. Realizing that made me feel a lot better, and recognize that I wasn't crazy, and had in fact cleaned the bathrooms 4+ times in a week.

A highlight was last Saturday evening when we had 6 H college students over to make pizzas. They were cute as buttons, giggly, and roughly 12 years old as most college freshman seem to be these days. We were SO thankful our buddy and co-worker Yvonne came in town for the day, as she graduated from their university last year and beautifully played the role of their "xue jie", or study big sister.

And yes, she is 100% awesome. Here they are exploring the wide world of pizza toppings . . .

And the mandatory group shot. These little dears brought me a lovely bouquet of glitter covered flowers (it's a thing here), and I did my best to keep from weeping at the gesture. Yeah, I think we'll keep 'em.

About 1/5 of those who came through our door last week were these dear friends. They've lived here for about ten years, and are such a blessing to us in the ways the encourage and challenge us. And yes, all of those humans DO in fact belong to them. 

And lastly here is a picture from the wedding of a friend in YJ this past week. She teaches English at the high school we do, and looked like an absolute doll. 

I think Baxter summarized our feelings about life these days best when he came home after taking the students back to campus. He said, "You know, I feel like the richest man in the world." And honestly, I couldn't agree with him more.

Mom & Pops

Soooo, as I mentioned about TWO WEEKS ago, my parents came for a visit. Would you believe life didn't magically slow down so that I could blog about it? Yeah, me neither. Regardless, it was a precious time that I am so grateful to have shared with my parents. All that we saw and did felt very "once in a lifetime", but I'm surely hoping they'll come visit more than that!

Mom and Dad have been my biggest cheerleaders in the 12+ years I've been traipsing the globe, so I loved getting to share in this adventure with them. Here's a fly by of some of our time together:

Mom & Dad marveling at the Forbidden City in Beijing

The four of us posing for a photo op on the Great Wall

The Temple of Heaven

Mom & Dad being cute on a work day in YJ

Dad car shopping in our complex?

Me showing Mom & Dad how you get it done buying a chicken at my favorite market 

Celebrating Mid-Autumn festival with friends and co-workers

Hopefully they were as happy as they were tired when they left, as you can see we packed a lot into their visit! Baxter and I are so thankful to have parents who love and support us even a world away, and are already looking to doing it all over again when my in-laws come in January! Three cheers for our adventurous parents!

Been a Little Busy . . .

 Hanging out with my PARENTS! On MY side of the world!! We had an amazing visit with them, and are so grateful they made the trek to come see our lives here. I'd be lying if I didn't own the ugly cry I had upon leaving them at the airport yesterday, but our time together was absolutely worth it.

I'm hoping a ridiculously lazy Saturday will be rest for my tired heart and body, and hope to pop in soon with more pics from their visit. Kiss my baby nieces for me Mom & Dad - and know that Nic Jeederman loves the heck out of you!!

Why I Heart Dirty Babies

The past week or so has found us blissfully at home; resting, reflecting, and preparing for the weeks ahead. It has been a busy summer, and although our schedules have been full, I'd have to say my heart has been even fuller.

I recently have begun working on the felt need aspects of what our team does here. Our team has done a variety of medical clinics, nutrition/sanitation trainings, etc. for many years, but this was my first opportunity to participate. I had my first trip "out" at the end of last week, and absolutely loved it. Our transportation during the three days looked somewhat like this: large interstate bus, to small/throw on any paying personal or animal 'round the mountain bus, hiking, back end of a large tobacco-leaf hauling truck, motorcycles, more hiking, small bus, back to big bus home. Baxter would tell you going three days without a shower isn't quite a stretch for me, but nonetheless after all that sweating and traveling a shower was the first thing I did upon arriving home.

In some ways, my time out in the villages was completely overwhelming. Seeing how difficult to reach these people were, how many untouched villages there were, trying to understand their local dialect OR their minority language, and the extent of their needs sent my mind and heart reeling. And yet, being able to have a minuscule part of providing clothes, building relationships, and training in the Word absolutely brought my heart to life.

We spent time with one family, where an elderly couple was raising their great-great grandchildren. (The in-between generations typically leave village life for work in often far away cities). Their home was modest and bodies frail, but it was apparent they gave these children the best they could.  As we removed a dirty, threadbare garment from a previously bare-bottomed little girl and gave her a new outfit, my eyes couldn't help but well up with tears. It was if in that moment, my heart knew this was what I was made for. This is why I came.

For me, it's opportunities and places like these that help me feel near to Jesus, and make my very soul come alive. And that feeling is absolutely intoxicating. It's being in those situations that I realize how truly little I have to offer, and yet am able to clearly see how He is enough for my inadequacy and their need. I am so thankful for this new season in my work here, and am already filled with ideas and excitement of how to proceed. Call me a crazy, dirty-baby lovin' fool - but I absolutely can not wait!

Since when was it August?!

I've found myself saying at a variety of points throughout the past year . . . spring is just busy! The holidays are nuts everywhere! Summer, well - what can you do? But, I've come to realize, accept, and even love that we are just people on the go.

In the past 2.5 weeks alone, we spent roughly 50ish hours on a combination of cars and buses (we tried to fulfill a dream of Baxter's a take a train - but no dice or tickets for that matter), but all going and doing wonderful things. We are both wiped and fighting a cold I think as a result of this month's travel madness, but are so grateful for the friends and experiences that have filled our days.

Here's a BRIEF shot of what we've been up to . . . 

 Celebrated SIX years of marriage to this hunk of a man . . . can you even believe it?!

Visited the home town of these dear friends and loved our time in this beautiful part of our country.

Wandered empty morning streets of an ancient city . . . 

Made sure all fires were completely clothed . . . 

Shopped and explored . . . 

And maybe even did some dancing over a city while on a hike one morning. Looking at these pictures makes me want to laugh at the memories and go to bed all at the same time. Thankfully, we've got a solid 24 hours before we hit the road again - so I'm off to enjoy my couch and my adventure buddy of 6 years!

The Pictures in My Heart

Whew. Did we have a good weekend or what?

Ummm . . . seriously?

So this week has to have included hands down one of the weirdest moments of not only my time here, but perhaps in my 28 years of living. Our company consults with area kindergartens to supply English teachers, and this week I pitched in to help out at a children's English camp. The schedule for Monday said butterfly garden, which I figured would be relatively simple. "The flower is BLUE", "the butterfly is BIG" is simple enough to say 150x in a hour in an insanely slow pace, so no big deal, right? It was raining when the kiddos arrived at the park, but no worries, come to find out there were "other" attractions at this particular venue. Imagine my surprise to see this:

 Followed by this:

 

All to announce him:

  

Yes my friends, your eyes are not deceiving you. We had come to watch an extravaganza of "little people", or as I noticed on a sign later "The Dwarf Empire", and the man you see above in the "King of the Little People". Singing, dancing, tiny motorcycles - you name it, this place had it. I took pictures partially out of complete disbelief, and also because I knew my husband would kill me if I didn't. (And if you STILL think there is no WAY this can be true, see here or here).

And of course no empire of little people is complete without . . . wait for it . . .

The cow with a fifth leg growing out its back. I know, I know, just when you thought it could get absolutely NO MORE ridiculous, it did. And this my friends, THIS, is my life.

Ummmmm . . . seriously?

If you need me . . .

I'll be at . . .

I'm filling in for a team member of ours at English Summer Camp for the first part of this week. This is basically a week where local kiddos get away to study . . . wait for it . . . ENGLISH! Just how you wanted to spend your summers as an eight year old, right? So far my favorite activities on the schedule include "milk", "find the deer", and "learn to wash our socks starting at the beginning." Thankfully these all follow nap time. : ) Wish me luck! Good night campers!

This is No Lie.

But this weekend, I made quite possibly the most delicious chocolate cake. EVER. Now, I can say this, because I was raised by a woman who taught me "if you can read, you can cook." So, I in no way am being obnoxious or a braggart, but simply affirming the divinity of Ina Garten.

A handful of our good friends graduated from college this past week, so we thought a full on feast was due to celebrate. I made Ina Garten spaghetti & meatballs (minus the veal + homemade tomato sauce [canned anything is kind of a no go here]).

Italian herb bread:

 

And then, the mother of all goodness . . . 

And yes, this little piece of culinary perfection was my first (a) layered cake of any nature and (b) attempt at buttercream icing. I added some sprinkles to make it more festive, but just looking at this picture makes me want to slam my face in it, and I'm not even really a cake person!

And sadly, I took NO pictures of the anything past the cooking part of my day - but I promise it was a wonderful and delicious evening with precious, precious friends!

So, moral of the story, go HERE, and bake this as fast as humanly possible. Trust me, you'll thank me later. Ina don't tell no lies.