We’ve been back in the Middle Kingdom for a few months now since venturing into Middle Earth, so we figure it’s about time to move on and share what’s up with us currently. Don’t get me wrong, we are still in the remembering phase of our epic adventure down under (as I hope and suspect we always will be in some way), but our real lives are continuing to progress as well!
Lately, our life consists of: teaching, planning, working 6 day work weeks (only 2 of them, but still :(, going to baby showers for friends who just adopted-- and friends who will have a baby soon, attending a PE conference, watching men hanging from the roofs of our apartment complex as it gets painted, playing Ultimate Frisbee in preparation for the big Shanghai tournament (Steve), doing leg exercises to rehabilitate my leg in preparation for the big Shanghai tournament (me), watching the spring blossoms turn into green leaves, hosting our 10th grade small groups and our adult life group, planning and selling tshirts and raising awareness for the 30 Hour Famine our youth group/school is doing on May 3, ooooooooh yoga (definitely not Steve), planning our upcoming weekend to Hong Kong (yay!), and reading a lot of Harry Potter (we currently started The Order of the Phoenix). Oh yeah, and we’re steering clear of chicken and eggs right now so the Avian Flu won’t get us, and a WASC accreditation team is here at our school this week to (obviously) start us in the accreditation process. Phew!
Enough of that though, because the most exciting thing that has happened to us since flying back from the under side of the world, is that MY FAMILY CAME TO VISIT! Yay! So the rest of this blog will be about that!
My dad, my mom, and Sean flew over at the end of March to visit for about ten days. Their first weekend here was insanely awesome, as it was the retreat! Each spring and fall, our youth group teams up with other youth groups in the city and puts on a big weekend retreat, with a speaker and workshops and worship and crazy fun skits. It’s basically like camp, but smushed down into 2 days. My dad was the speaker (he did an AMAZING job), my mom led a Middle School small group (definitely not the easiest role to take, but she did great), and Sean was a part of the 11th grade group, where he stayed up all hours of the night learning how to play Mahjong and solving students’ foursquare problems (If you don’t know what foursquare is, ask any teenager with an iPhone).
The retreat was a really special time with my family because it was the first time that we had all been in leadership positions in a ministry together. In high school I went on a mission trip to Mexico with Madre and Sean, and on a mission trip to Hollywood with Daddy and Lyssa, but I was always a student at that point. This time though, it was pretty powerful to be serving in the same place and for the same purpose as leaders together. We had a lot of great worship experiences, meaningful conversation, and insight about the students we are pouring ourselves into. Both Steve and I were amazed at the breakthroughs our small groups had, and it was just so cool to see God’s presence working through our friends, our family, and ourselves! It was also really amazing that my family could see firsthand the reason we continue to stay in China. We didn’t move here for the youth group, but it’s definitely the reason we are still here. My family really validated that for us by being able to share in that with us.
After the retreat, Steve and I took a day off of work to relax and explore the city with my fam. We basically did it all! We meandered through the ancient architecture of YuYuan Garden, strolled over to the Bund where we had tea at the Peace Hotel, and then finished off the night with tapas and drinks on the 87th floor of the JinMao Tower as we watched the city lights come on. It was a pretty great day!
The next day mi familia zoomed off on the Bullet Train to explore Beijing and the Great Wall for the next three days. They came back having had an amazing time, and apparently they had brought Mt. Shasta air with them, as they experienced blue skies up there (which almost never happens!).
That last weekend, we played Bang! of course (Steve was the sherriff and he won, only fitting) and hung out in our comfy apartment :). After church on Saturday we went out to Thai food with friends, watched a spontaneous fireworks show right next to our table window, and then right on to KTV! Before I actually knew what it was, I thought that karaoke in Asia meant singing on stage in front of a large room of people that didn’t speak my language. What it really is though, is a private room with couches, a huge TV, and two microphones. They have about 50 of these rooms, which is crazy! In our room, we had a blast singing to Backstreet Boys, Sweet Caroline, and Kiss From a Rose.
On Easter Sunday, we made a delicious breakfast of burritos, sweet bread, and fruit salad before venturing out into the city one last time. We explored Puxi, and enjoyed walking through Taikang Lu, a maze of alleyways overflowing with shops, restaurants, and photo galleries. We discovered a teddy bear restaurant so of course we had to check it out. Hundreds of teddy bears of all sizes decked out the interior and the terrace, and they even served a teddy bear paw cake with your coffee!
We hopped on the subway and off again to experience People’s Square with El Padre. We walked down to the bund as the lights were turning on, and appreciated the skyline in all of its neon glory. We hopped on a ferry and ate dinner in Pizza Hut overlooking the river before heading back home.
What an AMAZING time in China with my family! Lu, we really missed you and wish you could've been here (you already know that though). What you don't know is that I'm about to wish you a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! We love you sister! We're so excited for the WEDDING in 2.5 months! Woooooooooooo!
Next weekend we're going to Hong Kong for the first time. You KNOW there'll be an upcoming blog about that!! ;)
Next weekend we're going to Hong Kong for the first time. You KNOW there'll be an upcoming blog about that!! ;)