Finding the vestibule of heaven

Moving across the ocean has forced me to take cover
in the shelter of the Most High.
I have taken refuge under His wings.
Walking in a foreign land has forced me
 to "live out" the words that have previously been before my eyes.
Up until this "uprooting", often it has been read and glean.
But, coming to China has changed all that.
I have a much larger dependence and an intense need for the "Living Word".

I have to "live" in Truth!  I have to make sure it's enveloped around me.
I have to meditate on it and ask for the faith to believe.
I have to desire it becomes alive in my spirit.
I have to ask for strength from Him.
I have to ask for His perspective,  His desires.
I have to purposefully look with supernatural vision amidst all
the physical distraction competing for my attention.

I know that the Holy Spirit has a strict watch over me.

He is Sovereign.  He has brought me here.
He has a right to do as He pleases with me.
I want to look beyond my temporary challenges to what God is doing.

I must be where God desires.
I am His, He is mine.
He is so gracious and His kindness showers me in His Fatherly way.
He is telling me that through all of the strain and stretching,
He has pledged Himself to make me all that I would love to be!

Regular life on campus

It was a gorgeous fall day today in Beijing and as we were walking on campus,  I thought it would be fun to share the regular things about living here on The B.I.T. campus.

We have quite a few dining halls/restaurants on campus and we've been going to the staff dining

hall and the picture above is the reason.  Picture a medium mixing bowl full of noodles they are 

making when you order them.  Then add what you want from quite a few choices of vegetables, 

beans and meat.  The young man always laughs nicely when he sees us because we can tell him what we want in Chinese, but he knows if he asks anything else we have no idea what he is saying.  That bowl, by the way, sets us back 8 RMB, which is $1.31 U.S.  Today was special, three male teachers joined Glenn and I for lunch and we had fun getting to know one another.

You make friends with so many different people here.   Most Chinese people are very kind and they are very relational.  We go to the fruit and veggie market and they want to talk to us and when you keep going back to the same vendors they usually give you a free treat every now and then.  Today it was two small clementines.  Oranges and clementines are so good here!  Very, very juicy!

This evening after getting a few groceries and fruit at the market we went around the corner to a small vending area of street food.  There is a vendor with two young men that have a freezer full of frozen meat kabobs and a big open fire going with a grill top.  You pick, they cook it as spicy as you want it.  This sets us back 3 RMB (.50 U.S.) and it's so delicious!  Next to them is a noodle vendor.  They have two different refrigerators, one of meat and they other full of trays of different veggies.  You pick a basket and put all the meat and veggies you want in it.  You give this to the waiter, they weigh it, you pay and in a few minutes you have hot steamy noodles for about 18 RMB ($3).

One of the things I really like about China is all the vending on the streets.  Everyday there are all kinds of vendors mostly anywhere you go.  They are selling a variety of nuts, foods, phone cases, journals, clothes, socks, slippers and yummy drinks.  My favorite is a cold green tea that has such a good flavor.   It's fun to be able to make purchases without going in an actual store.

The little convenience store on campus is handy for our staples and a few sweets that are familiar comfort foods.  Tonite we picked up a few packs of mini donuts, bread and oreos.  The downside is they only sell bagged milk, which for us is great for cooking and not so much for drinking.   There also we can get any sewing done that we may need, copies made for Glenn's students, money put on our phones, and watch repairs done.

So to wrap up, I want to share something that hopefully will at least make you smile.  There is a very common saying in this country:  "It's China", meaning anything goes in China.  We laugh because it's true.  We see everyday things here that would definitely cause a second look, but here it doesn't attract any attention.  In China, it's so much about relationships and not appearance.  You can wear the same thing everyday and I really don't think it would be noticeable.  You do what is necessary here.  You have one bike and a family of three?  You all, in some way ride that bike. You meet someone and you are both hungry or it's time for a meal?  You go eat together and you'll get to know one another over that meal.  You like a striped shirt and a flowered skirt?  Wear them together, here it is not a faux pas.  And here is the smile (or laugh) part: You want to show your friends/family a squirrel you saw?  You put it in your fanny pack and take it to them on the subway!  Yep, anything goes in China and most of the time it doesn't even get a second look!

COMFORT TO COURAGE (by Andy Cheely)

Whether moving to China, teaching a new course, shopping in a market or building relationships with students, leaving comfort for courage makes us want to wrap our arms around every ounce of safety in our life. From the outside, leaving comfort and safety looks and sounds alluring and attractive, but the attraction fades quickly.  Moving from comfort to courage will… cause us to question our decision. It will cause us to look around for the safety bars, seatbelt,  any kind of security button. Moving from comfort to courage will… cause us to try to make something happen.  Scheme, make phone calls, send out hail mary e-mails—anything to distract from sitting in the fear. Moving from comfort to courage will… cause us to doubt our abilities.  We will look at everything that we have failed at in the past … failed relationships, failed financial decisions, failed leadership calls—and we will wonder if we will repeat those patterns and if they are indicators to go out and look for comfort again. Moving from comfort to courage will… cause us to doubt the author of the calling on our life. Moving from comfort to courage will… cause us to be jealous of your supporters/teammates. They seem to be perfectly content with their lives.  We will wonder if we are some sort of crazy person that has a unhealthy propensity to live on the edge. Moving from comfort to courage will… cause us to look for the easy way out. Moving from comfort to courage will… cause us to feel weak in the knees—a good indicator that we should stop standing up and get ON our knees. Moving from comfort to courage will… cause others to question us.  We will be misunderstood, questioned, and perhaps even seen as foolish. As we've finished these first two months,  we remember to listen to Him tell us to settle down, to trust and to release every one of these fears into the everlasting arms. It is impossible to invite others into a life of obedience if we are unable to live it ourselves—so today we will be strong and courageous in Him.

Where God Has Planted Me

I am planted, physically, in Beijing.
I am determined to make this feel like home for the next year.
I am desiring to embrace China's culture.
I am exactly where my Father has purposed me,
and with all my flesh I want to please Him!

I am planted, emotionally, in contentment.
I am asking the Father to keep me firm in this soil.
I am learning everyday to "take every thought captive to obey Christ".
I am exactly where my Father has purposed me
and with all my emotions I want to please Him!

I am planted, spiritually, in a guarded position of hope.
I am relying on the Holy Spirit to supernaturally work this in me each day.
I am thinking on, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, any excellence,
anything worthy".
I am EXACTLY where my Father has purposed me,
and with all of my spirit I want to please Him!

Gifts from Glenn

I have been so blessed to be able to see our children
 and their families before I move :)
One of the things of love most about my husband,
 is his tender heart towards me.
He loves his children and granddaughter also,
very much...but he knows it is different for a mom.
He knew how much it would bless me to take two
visits before I left.  These two things will make it
much easier for me in the "homesickness" department.

I am so relational and I thrive being around folks I love.
Obviously, after the Father and Glenn
would be my children and their families.
So what a wonderful touch to my heart when Glenn
told me that I needed to go see them before we left!

The last month has been a whirlwind with
leaving my job that I really enjoyed :)
Saying goodbye to friends and being
commissioned to "go" at church.
Along with that was a memorable trip to
CA where Dan and Cara totally spoiled me with
their hospitality :)  I am in KS now and instead of
beaching it, bike riding and sharing coffee and
conversation....I am playing Candy Land, Playdoh,
stickers, painting, kitchen and house!  LOL

I am praising Father for
these days! He is stirring up His
Will for us these last weeks and although
we will be sad to leave many, we both
feel we are getting very anxious to go!
His desire has become ours, and that is beautiful!
We are asking for wisdom and courage,
the same that He gave to Paul.
Knowing that He will give us both!

He is our ROCK!

OUR CHINA GOD STORY

Just about every day I think about some part of God's plan for getting us to China and each
time I think, "God, I still am in awe of what you have done!"  "How did all this happen"?  I think back to about five years or so ago when I slowly His plan began to unfold and smile in my heart.  Our church had a missionary preach one Sunday and Glenn and I both sensed the Holy Spirit speaking to us.  As we both shared with one another, neither one of us were quite sure what He meant yet.  Glenn knew, however, that he was to finish his schooling to get his undergrad and while he was doing that I began to search for missions availability for us.  God presented "The Finisher's Project" to us and we knew from researching them that God was clearly pointing us in this direction.  Over time, we began waiting until they would have a weekend conference in our area and in March 2011 we attended.  The conference was wonderful and we received God's confirmation that we were definitely on the path He was calling us to.  There were many mission agencies represented at the conference, but we were drawn repeatedly to English Language Institute China (ELIC).  When we returned and began to seek God on this, He led us to go on ELIC's annual vision trip in October 2011.  Previous to this trip, Glenn and I both shared that we seriously doubted that God was asking us to go there more long term, but we thought it would be great to see China.  When we arrived there, we were astounded!  God not only gave us a love for the Chinese, but confirmed over and over again that, yes, this is where He was calling us to.  We were sad to leave, but we knew that we would return.  Since then, God has confirmed so clearly His call for us to China.  He has raised our support to go, He has sold our home, He has given us Chinese friends, He has given us a love for learning the language and He has given us the supernatural ability to "let go" of things here.  We love our country and all of our family and friends here.  It will be hard to leave all that we are used to, but we love our Lord so much more and He is the one that deserves our all!  We are blessed and honored to go to China to join others in making Jesus famous!!  This is a window of an amazing opportunity for us and we are going to SNAG IT!

Fastened Face

As a follower of Jesus 

I have many privileges

I can scarcely take them all in.

Each one is my birthright

and the most delightful of all

is Beholding Jesus.

Being in God's Word

and cultivating the truest

riches of beholding and

knowing Jesus.

I come with a cry in my heart

to see Him and to know Him!

I come to gaze upon the majesty

and mystery of the altogether

Lovely One.

My heart cries out, 

"I want to know You, Lord!

I want to behold You in Your Scriptures.

I want to know You and the fullness of

Your power!

Manifest Yourself to me in Your Word"

To know more of Him requires revelation,

and revelation requires meditation in His Word.

2Cor.3:18 "But we all, with unveiled face,

beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, 

are being transformed into the same image from

glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord"

How I long to behold Him! I have a certain kind of envy of the living creatures who do not turn

from facing straight ahead no matter where they go. Whether they go up or down, left or right, forward or backwards, their faces are constantly facing straight forward at the throne! This is how I want to

live my life!  That no matter where I go and what I do, my face might be fastened upon the throne

and beholding the radiance of my beloved Lord.

I am forever fascinated with the adventure of growing in the knowledge of Him who died for me!