qinghai graduates

We spent a couple of days together at home upon Krista’s return from the States before trundling off to Huang Zhong, Qinghai province, to wrap up the TIP Teacher Certification program. 

In Qinghai, we spent 10 days traveling dirt roads, visiting schools with no running water and evaluating some of the 100 teachers who have participated in the program. Along the way we said hello to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers. After two years of hard work, 97 teachers were able to complete the program requirements and graduate.

We are very proud of the teachers as they have grown a lot over the course of the training and

are now giving their students more time to talk in the classroom and more time to do activities. Both teachers and students are more confident in speaking and more interested in class.

On June 29 the teachers gave summary presentations of their experience followed by a closing ceremony and celebration. During the ceremony, teachers said their teaching has really changed and students said their teachers have become more friendly and patient.

We were excited that all of the local trainers (they also have classes to teach) were enthusiastic about continuing in their roles as plans are in the works for another TIP Teacher Certification program to begin in September.

We were also excited that Rex, the leader/coordinator for the local trainers, got his drivers license since we last visited in November 2014 and could sometimes drive us in his new Yeti SUV. He said that over the past 2 years we have racked up 1,600 km visiting schools (not including the travel from Beijing). We spent our “day off” helping Rex record the English

conversations for the listening portion of the district’s final exam and were treated to hot pot in one of the city’s new restaurants. Yum!

Krista lost her favorite hair barrette along a city street and when we returned a couple of hours later to search the area where she thought it might have fallen, a taxi driver produced it from his pocket and returned it. God is amazing.

Though our schedule and the altitude, about 7,500 ft., left us fairly exhausted, we did manage to get out and enjoy the cool, rainy weather with a couple of walks to the market and a short hike around the lake near our hotel.

We returned to Beijing and spent a couple of nights together in our old dormitory at TIP (unfortunately not our same room). We visited with our TIP colleagues, walked in Yuan Ming Yuan Park and had dinner with David and Jack, who we have not seen in months. In general, the city’s heat, traffic, crowds and smog overwhelmed us.

Pres is back in low-key Mudanjiang working on getting his visa renewed and getting things in shape after a hectic term at our new school. Krista is working and visiting friends in Beijing while she waits for her visa renewal to come through. She has been blessed to be able to connect with many friends, attend services at Haidian Church and host an English Study.


We are hoping to be back together at home again within a week or so, God willing. No matter what, we know that Father God has a plan for us and will work all things for good.