on paperwork and people

Acts 20:28:  “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.

For the last couple of weeks, we have been waiting for our resident permits (visas) to be processed. Pres was in Mudanjiang while Krista was in Beijing. Pres’ colleagues had never processed a visa before, so we actually never KNEW that they were processing the visa until he received the renewal this past Wednesday. Yay! We know that we are never in control. :)

Also some laws have changed as of July 1, 2015, so Krista’s renewal in Beijing required some additional tax forms from her organization. :( Her paperwork was not accepted the first time at the Immigration Office and then a week or so later, her paperwork WAS accepted without the additional tax forms. We aren’t sure why, but Praise our Father that things are moving forward, so far so good. (UPDATE: the immigration office called July 20 and said we must provide the tax documents. Pls pray that our organization can figure out how to meet the requirements!) We also need to lift up our colleagues who will run into the same problems!

In Mudanjiang Pres was busy cleaning up his office, practicing patience with colleagues and fellowshipping in our local community. Pres is officially on summer holiday, which means we can have people over for dinner, take walks in the morning and spend some time together reading, learning and growing. We’ll also be putting together our curriculum for the upcoming term that begins August 29 – in not too very long. 

On Pres’ first day back at church, he was ushered onto a bus, backpack, long pants and all, and deposited along with the rest of the congregation at the local “waterpark” next to a lake. For most of the morning he didn’t know exactly why we were at the water park (as his English-speaking friend Andrew wasn’t in attendance right away and Pres got the words for ‘rest’ and ‘baptism’ confused). Anyway, a few hours later the service that was being held in an exhibition hall ended and everyone went out to the waterpark where four of our friends were baptized. Praise our Father. Two of the 18-year-olds attend the seminary at church and are in our beginning English class and another is the mother of one of the kids in our class on Sundays. It was a blessing that Pres was back in time to be a part of the celebration day!

While in our BJ community, Krista met up with a bunch of our family and friends. She traveled all around the city for lunches, dinners and chat times at parks and cafes. She attended Haidian Church, where she caught up with most of our friends, who are all doing well, by the grace of our Father. The economy in the Capital is rocky and the stock market has plummeted, but everyone we know is still putting one foot in front of the other and continuing to keep their faith in the Truth and the Life.

Our Chinese daughter Angie graduated from Peking University with her master’s in translation. She has a job that gave her a BJ residence card. She’s happy even though the job is not very challenging. She’s learning how to go to work everyday! She also had the opportunity to reconcile with someone who had cheated her out of a lot of money last year. The money was returned and she got to share her faith and the story of forgiveness of our Savior. Amazing!

Our sister, Melissa, is managing a ‘new to her’ training center where they teach English and it’s difficult. But she is using her talents and love to make a difference and to help the teachers and the children learn and grow. Her company sent her to New Jersey on July 19 for a training at their headquarters. They know that she is worth investing in, but she had to sign a 3-year contract, which means a lot of 6-day workweeks and long days ahead. We pray that our Father will give her strength.

Woody and Strawberry work for an online English teaching company that also has lost a lot of business. But they are still hanging in there and continuing to teach. Strawberry still suffers fro some health problems – paralysis of the face and digestive problems, but she is taking Chinese medicine and getting more exercise. We continue to pray for her health and strength. Woody interviewed for a senior school position at a school in her hometown.  She still needs to get her teaching certificate, but she is trying a new way and a new adventure. She just told us that she has accepted the new position and is moving back to her hometown. Both Woody and Strawberry are growing and trusting our Father.

Krista also spent the day with her little sister Jenny and Joey at the Purple Bamboo Park – riding a boat and enjoying the lotus flowers. She visited with Emily for the day and also spent a morning with Zona, Mark and their baby boy, Summer. He was born on June 22 and Krista was the first visitor. Zona, as Chinese tradition dictates, can’t go outside for 30 days or eat fruit. Of course, they know that it’s not what people do in other parts of the world, but it’s just the way it is for them. 

Our friends came over for Tuesday night English study and we all had a fun time catching up and sharing together. We saw Mike, Michael, Isabelle, Eva, Gloria, Reginald and John. So much fun!

While living in BJ, there were some challenges, but our Father always provided a solution. For example… 1) the air conditioner in Krista’s dorm room was full of bacteria and years of dust and grime, but Wang Yuan, the building manager, and she worked together to get it significantly cleaner; 2) her “loaner” bike broke down, and the friendly neighborhood repair man was there to help out; and 3) her resident permit renewal didn’t go so well, so she got to spend more time talking with our SAFEA colleagues. We are thankful to serve our Father and to give Him the glory for many meaningful days.