our break...badminton, burgers

nice, cool evenings

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” Revelation 1:8

We are reading the book of Revelation this month, and we are encouraged by the power of our LORD and all that He continues to do. :) He helped us have an amazing spring break!

we enjoyed the fun food

For the first time since moving to East Asia, we made burgers for our friends. Beef is quite a luxury, but when we decided to host the gathering, it seemed like a good option because 1) it would be easy to prepare (even if a bit messy) and 2) interesting. NONE of our friends from this community had ever eaten a real hamburger. One person decided he could do without one... he only wanted to eat the Chinese food that we had on hand, like jellyfish salad and stir-fried sweet

a beautiful location for playing and visiting

potatoes. 

it was a crazy game that never ended.... of course!

The get-together happened at the beginning of our spring break - the ONE day it didn't rain. PTL! Friends included a couple from church, a friend from our English studies, our daughter, Stephanie, and a friend of a friend. We spent most of the afternoon outdoors - playing frisbee and badminton. Andrew showed us where his favorite "fresh-air" badminton court was. After a 15-minute hike straight-up the hill, we were elated with the peaceful locale. Our daughter, Stephanie, chose not to join the hill-climbing adventures.

We were all happy to write Bible verses together on the white board and share "gratefulness" stories. We ended the evening with UNO that included a Q&A, which, of course, got a bit out of hand when the wife asked the husband, "Why don't you like doing housework?" And the husband replied, "It makes me feel physiologically disturbed." Thank goodness we were all operating in our second languages... :) God is faithful!

Stephanie stayed for several days as she had five days off for the Labor Day holiday. We cooked a lot, played Monopoly (which she loved), shopped a bit, prayed together, drank coffee and shared wisdom and enjoyed the peaceful, rainy days together. 

togetherness

It was a busy, meaningful week - even without classes! There was homework to grade, contracts to read, tickets to buy and correspondence to catch up on. We also took some time for "retreat" and reflection. We always need a good dose of the Holy Spirit's power and peace. We were very grateful for the time off from classes but are excited to be back for the final 7 weeks before finals. Pres ended up with a cold - pls pray that he feels better soon. Yikes!   

This week we only have a 3-day week as we are headed to a wedding - Sarah, a former TIP AA, is getting married. FUN!