Quick update from Ghana

Hey there everyone! I'm sitting at an internet cafe on a rainy day in Tamale, Ghana. The trip has been AMAZING. God's presence is so clear here. We've done so much already and I wish I could describe the amazing things that have gone on. Here's a brief update...

I've sat in a village in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mud huts, pitch black skies, precious Ghanaians and under the most amazing view of the stars while listening to God's word be proclaimed in unreached villages. Simply amazing. I've seen Jesus in the face of lonely orphans. I've seen children dying of Malaria. I've experienced some of the most heartbreaking sights I've ever seen. I've been blessed to share Christ's love with a Muslim man at the market and tell him/debate with him that my God is the true God who has immeasurable love for him. I've ridden on bumpy roads over miles of African fields to the most remote villages to witness to those who have never heard. Our God is amazing.

Please continue to keep our team in your prayers.
-Pray for strength and energy. Yesterday we all hit a wall of exhaustian from late nights, early mornings and nonstop work. A few of us were sick today (including me) but we're all better now.
-Pray for the villages of Fandu where we've held crusades the last two nights and for the village of Zandu who where we'll be tonight.
-Pray for Hanan, the VERY Islamic man I've made friends with and have been talking with at the Market. He told me that next time I come back he wants to talk about the Bible with me. I should see him next week.
-Pray for the orphans, widows, starving children and deathly sick people we've seen and will see. Pray that God's hope and love would be seen through us.

Thanks so much!!

Almost there..

"The LORD your God, who is going before you,
will fight for you."
Deuteronomy 1:30

I love the truth in this verse. Even as we are packing and getting ready to leave, God is already before us and making a way for us..at the airport, on the plane, in Ghana..I'm so glad that I have a Savior who's planning, fighting, and preparing on my behalf.

It's hard to believe that in less than 24 hours we'll be flying over the Atlantic on our way to Ghana. I'm so, so excited. Today has been filled with non stop packing, running around, last minute errands, etc. Right now I'm trying to fight our "one 44 lb luggage" policy...not easy. AHH. Packing is definitely not enjoyable for me, and I'll be so happy once we're just in Ghana.

I can't believe this trip has come so soon. I know that God has big plans for our team and I'm so blessed and excited that I get to take part in them. Please continue to pray for our team as we prepare to leave and as we depart!

Two weeks..

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?"
Romans 10:14

Two weeks from this moment I'll be Africa bound on our first flight. I simply cannot wait. I'm so excited to see what God will do and can't wait to get back on African soil. Just thinking about those dirt roads, gorgeous Ghanian smiles, bumpy bus rides, long hot days, and the sights and smells of mud hut villages makes my heart beat faster and I seriously can't help but smile.

Today I got all my meds and one last shot at the doctor. Now all that's left to do is pack...not my favorite. Here's what I've got so far...
Looks like I've still got a ways to go..ahhhh can't wait. :)

21 days, 10 hours 30 minutes...

..until I leave for Africa. Not that I'm counting or anything..

Can you tell Ghana's on the mind? Yep. Saying that I'm excited is an understatement. I absolutely cannot wait to be walking through mud hut villages, sitting with precious African smiles around me, holding a sweet little child and sharing a Love these people have never heard of.

I'll be leaving on July 1st with a team of mostly youth. We'll be flying to Atlanta and then straight to Ghana. (Flying directly into Africa will be amazing..usually we have to go all the way up to London or Frankfurt first.) While there, we'll spend a couple of days in the capital city and surrounding villages, then head up to the northern region, a much more rural and poverty stircken (and HOT) portion of Ghana. There, we'll be doing a lot of open evangelism, presentations in the schools, relief work, and orphan care. I'm so pumped to see how God will use our team.

Please begin praying with us for this trip. Pray for preparation, safety, health, the people we will minister to and for the chief's of the villages to be open to our team. Prayer is critical on any mission trip and truly has a huge impact. To visit our team's blog and see more about the area we will go to and the work we'll be doing, go to www.ghanamission10.blogspot.com .

The Way Of The Game

Driving back and forth. Being with awesome teammates. Sweating. Running. Shooting. Guarding. Bruising. = my weekend, also known as a basketball tournament.

I started thinking today about how basketball really does have so many similarities to everyday life. Yesterday we had games at 10am and then at 12pm. I remember thinking before the second game how I wasn't really in the mood to play anymore. I was icing my knee from the game before, I was tired from lack of sleep and I didn't really feel like working. But then I started thinking to myself...What good is it going to do for me to play with this mindset? I'm going to play the game no matter what. The coaches and teammates count on each of their players to be there and do their part- that's what being on a team is about. Playing with the mindset of "'I'd rather do something else', 'I'll let my team do the work', or 'I'm bruised, tired and don't feel like putting in the effort'" wasn't going to do me or my team any good at all, and I knew I needed to change my thinking.

I think this applies to so many of the things we do in life. There are times when we're sore, tired, grumpy, and just don't want to do what we need to accomplish. It'd be easy to sit back and pout or have a bad attitude about it, but either way we're still going to have to do that certain thing. That's the way of the game, and it's unavoidable. Having a poor, hateful, or angry mindset going into a task is never going to help us succeed- pessimist attitudes are only going to bring us and those around us down. Sometimes our outlook on things can transform results and have a greater effect then we know of. Stepping up to the plate and doing what our team needs us to do is part of life. We can do this with sighs, huffs, and puffs, or we can choose to take the higher road and play our part as a blessing, not as an annoyance or a stumbling block. Our Coach and teammates need us.

"A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken."
Proverbs 15:13

In All Circumstances

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I remember how easy this verse seemed singing it as a song in vacation Bible school in 3rd grade. Why not be joyful? Why not give thanks in all circumstances? Life was easy and my hardest obstacle was tackling my new bar routine in gymnastics. But now, things aren't so easy and care-free. It'd be much simpler to translate the verse into "be joyful when there's something to be joyful about, pray when things don't go you're way, and give thanks whenever they do." But, we would fail to remember that last, and possibly most important section.."For this is GOD'S WILL for you in Christ Jesus." Not just His idea of what could be best, not His scheme to ruin our lives, not His plan to give us anything we could ever want...His "good, pleasing, and perfect will" (Roman's 12:2). God has a plan greater than any of us could ever imagine, and when we let go and realize it's all up to Him, our worries become so much simpler. We can't always control what's going on around us, but we can (and are told to) choose to be joyful, pray, and give thanks in all of our circumstances.

A year in recap and a summer to come..

Wow..it has definitely been awhile since I've been on here. So much has happened in the last year since I've posted...definitely too much to tell at once. Since my last post God has sent me to Mexico twice, China once, I've finished my sophmore and junior year of high school (I'm an official senior now..heck yesss!), I've gone through a million ups and downs and have learned a ton in the process. In short, the last year has been crazy, emotional, life-changing, horrible at times and amazing at others. And now, I'm writing this sitting on the verge of another summer that's just starting. I don't know exactly what it'll hold..I know it will include 3 weeks to Ghana (July 1-22), working in vbs at church, and a lot of good times with friends and family. I think if I could marry summer, I might just do it. I love summer. For real, I have been addicted to "Summer Nights" by Rascal Flatts since the week before school let out. And now, summer's here at last and I'm beyond happy. Now that I'm free of school and have more spare time, I plan to write on here these next few weeks before Ghana and hopefully (if we have an internet connection) post updates throughout my trip, so check back if ya want. :)

Adios

Well, in just a few short hours I will be loading a bus heading out on a mission trip to Mexico with about 16 other students. Simply stated- I am beyond pumped. It sounds like this is going to be an amazing trip, and I think God is going to work in some pretty big ways. We'll be driving all day tomorrow, staying in a border town in South Texas, then crossing over the border and arriving in our city in Mexico mid-day Saturday. We'll be partnering with a huge Mexican youth group, doing all sorts of things from street evangelism, construction labor/painting, and possibly going to an orphanage. On Wednesday we're taking a play day to go swimming/cliff jumping, doing ziplines, and possibly going to the market. We leave Mexico mid-day next Thursday and will arrive back home Friday afternoon.

Please keep our group in your prayers. Some things to pray for would be...

*That God would prepare the hearts and minds of the people we will be ministering to
*For safety traveling to, from, and while we are in Mexico (As you've probably heard there has been a lot of recent violence along the border. The city we will be working in is a good ways away from there, however we still have to pass through the border on the way there and back.)
*For the health of everyone in our group
*That we would be able to build strong relationships with each other as a team and with the people in Mexico
*That God would give us the right words to say, much needed energy, open minds, and that He would draw us closer to Him through this trip

Thank you so much for your support. Prayers really do make an impact, and are much appreciated! Hope that everyone has an awesome spring break. Talk to you in a week! :]

Ramblings..

So I leave for Mexico in less then 3 weeks... I am so excited. I haven't actually been on a mission trip to Mexico yet, just a vacation. We're leaving on Friday, March 13.. Eerie date but we'll live. ;) Sounds like we're going to be doing some pretty sweet stuff, though I don't know all of the details yet. We'll be partnering with a youth ministry down there, so it should be good.

Tonight I'm doing an Ethiopia presentation to about 75 people at our Church, mostly 3rd-6th grade girls. I've done plenty of presentations before, but I'm a little more nervous about this one. I think it's because I've only been to Ethiopia once- if it were about China or Ghana I think I would feel like I have more to say or more experience. I do live with an Ethiopian though, so I guess that counts as something.

Well tomorrow begins a brand new week... I missed every class this past week due to an annoying fever, so I'm kind of looking forward to heading back this week. Kind of.

Happy Sunday!

Blek

I'm currently laying on the couch, recovering from a stomach bug. Ew. Last night was terrible! Apparently it's going around pretty bad. About twenty people from a get-together we went to on Sunday all have the same thing! G-r-o-s-s. My Mom and Kyle both have it, too. Somehow these things always seem to happen when my Dad is away. When we were younger Kyle and I always seemed to spike a 106 degree fever when he was gone on business, or Kyle would break a finger or bust his head open while Dad's gone. Now 3 out of the 4 of us at home are all sick, and he's in Ethiopia. How does this work?? Beats me. But it sounds like he's having an amazing trip. Please keep him in your prayers. So far they've visited several orphanages and HIV positive clinic type places, and on Friday they are actually going to be having a meeting with the president of Ethiopia! Pretty amazing.

Thanks for your prayers.. Hope you don't catch whatever bug I had! Not fun.

A Miracle In The Making

I'm sitting here next to my 10 year old brother, Minte.

....Did you catch that?

Let me repeat that real quick: I'm siting here, next to my 10 year old brother from Ethiopia, Minte.

Isn't that such a miracle?!?!? How amazing is that?!? A year ago right now this precious little boy was sitting in an orphanage by himself, and now he's sitting in his family's living room. This is a little boy who has been through the unthinkable yet is the cutest, most joyful, and happiest human I know. Isn't God amazing?? Seriously, if I had been through just one of the things he has I'm pretty sure I would be in a mental institution right now. God has preserved this boy's heart for something special.. I can feel it.

Reality Check

It's interesting having an Ethiopian as a brother. Interesting in a good way, of course. There have been so many things to see Minte experience in his new lifestyle. Things that we sometimes take for granted- things like the pulley on the window blinds, escalators, elevators, practically an endless amount of food, and so much more. What has been probably the most interesting though, is seeing him realize how rich and spoiled America, as a country, truly is. This child came from a poverty stricken, famine ridden nation where everything he wore and played with were things others had donated.

One night we had been out to eat with a group of family friends after church, and after the kids had eaten they all got out their cell phones and iPod touches or whatever other technology they had and were playing games and taking pictures. When we got home that night Minte told my Mom, (And realize I'm writing this how he talks!)

"Mommy, in Ethiopia, children no have phones. Mommies and Daddies say, 'Oh my goodness!!!!!!! Look!! I have phone!!!! Wow!!! Thank you!!!!' but children no phones. America, children say, 'Yeah, I have phone. It's no good.' "

Isn't that the truth?? We live in the land where 8 year olds are getting iPhones, and he's coming from a lang where an 8 year old is lucky to have 3 shirts to call their own.

Or one day he said, "In Ethiopia, children have very little toys. One or two toys, no many. In America, everybody many many toys.. too much."

Very very true.

Another time (And I'm sure my Mom won't mind me telling this. ;D ) the sink was piled high in dishes and my Mom was getting ready to put them in the dish washer. She opened it up and realized it still had clean dishes in it. Sighing, she realized she would have to put those away first- this mean't another several minutes until the clean dishes were put away and the dirty dishes were being washed. About that time Minte walked by and said matter-of-factly, "In Ethiopia when mommies wash... ( he bends over, demonstrating washing dishes and riging clothes out) Mommies arms very very hurt.. work hard, make very tired. No have this. (points to the dish washer)"

Yet another thing America takes for granted- appliances! America's excess and all that we are spoiled with is crazy.

Memories

It was Friday, the last day we would go to Minte's orphanage in Ethiopia. We had spent a couple of full days playing with the kids, and I cannot even begin to tell you how incredibly precious they were. I wish I could post pictures or tell you their names, but for safety reasons I can't on the internet- but I can in person, if you're interested. Minte's baby home was a new, growing orphanage, and there were only about 12 kids (mostly babies) living there when we came to get him. Minte's best friend and his best friend's little sister had been referred to a family, but there were (and still are) 3 older boys waiting. "Y", age 6, and "C" and "A", age 7 going on 8. These children are precious beyond words, and at this very *moment* they are sitting in an Ethiopian Orphanage waiting-- waiting for a family, spending Christmas by themselves. I cannot describe how much I fell in love with them, and how much I do still love them. I wish everyone could spend time with them and witness their sweet spirits.

But back on subject- it was our last day to spend at the baby home, and I was already a partial mess. We were throwing the kids a goodbye party, complete with a puppet show, silly string, and pizza. They were thrilled, and loved every minute of it. Before my family had left for ET we had purchased an inexpensive portable iPod dock to play puppet and party music on, and after the show was over I switched it to the Steven Curtis Chapman playlist while we were eating pizza.

I knew I would cry that day, telling the children goodbye. I had already cried a couple of times, then pretended to mess with something in my camera bag behind the puppet stage. I had recovered though, and thought I'd be ok the rest of the time.

Welllllllllll.... my iPod gets to the end of the playlist, and I had forgotten which song was last. Now keep in mind, I'm sitting here staring at these three older boys who have yet to be referred, or even had families inquire about them, and I was thinking how they were just going to be sitting there after we left, spending Christmas by themselves, and how truly orphaned and in need of a family they were. THIS song turns on:

All I Really Want for Christmas: By Steven Curtis Chapman

THAT was just about enough to have me in a melted mess of tears on the floor! I'm sitting here with these precious, amazing children who will not have a home for Christmas and that song comes on! Seriously?! I quickly changed the song, taking a deep breath.

"Ok Bethany.. C'mon.. If you spend the rest of the party crying you're going to miss time with the kids.. Get a grip."

My self counseling didn't last long. I got up from my chair making my way to the nearest bathroom. I had no choice but to let my tears flow-- and that they did. I tried what I could to stifle them, but not much worked. These kids needed homes! So many people are nervous to adopt older children, especially older boys- if only they knew. I wished that everyone could see these kids. If people could just spend an ounce of time with these 3 boys I was sure that any nervousness or fears would melt away and that they'd be ready to snatch them up and bring them home. I know I was.

_________________________________________________________________


We talked to Minte's former care giver, Tigist, over the phone a couple of days ago. She runs the orphanage where he lived, and is the sweetest woman imaginable. I love her. We call her every now and then so that Minte can talk with her in his native language and we can check up on her. Mom was chatting with her, and Tigist started talking about the older boys. She told mom that they're really sad right now.. They're seeing babies come and go, wondering why they themselves are not being adopted. They've watched two of their friends be referred, and one of them (Minte) already go to the States. They're asking when they will get a family, when they will go to America, and when they will be loved. They're hurting orphans, in need of loving families. Will you pray for them with me?

Why is it...

.....that I don't write on my blog for 3 months and then the day of a final I have the sudden urge to re-do the whole thing?? Hmmm. Beats me. But-- even though I have the feeling that nobody is reading this right now, I want to get it started back up and start writing on it again.

A new brother... and a new destination!

Well, I think all of you who are reading this know, but we passed our adoption court date, and our little boy (well, he's 9) in Ethiopia is ours now!! We are so incredibly happy, and cannot wait to go get him. We are not sure when we can go to get him, but we may find out this coming week! But as for now, here is a picture of my precious new brother..

A few pics

In Hong Kong!! Our plane to my city.

After 3 plane rides totaling 20 hours, we finally made it!

This was the night after we got there. I prayed with the guy in gray, left of me. He is a new brother!

Me in front of my amazing city, filled with so many amazing people.


Friends on the beach.

China Part I - Han

Hello blog!

Well, I have not posted on here in a while--a long while. I have had intentions to though!! I have gotten complaints from people because I say "I'll post again soon" and don't.. So, sorry about that! But for now I want to share a story from my trip.
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Now first off, from the moment I step in the airport, I think about my mission to wherever my destination may be. I pray about the people I will minister there, for God to prepare their hearts and minds to our message. I know that we are supposed to be on mission all the time, and I am a strong believer in that, but for some reason when I'm on a mission trip I think and pray about the ministering I will be doing at my destination -the plane ride is just a means to get me there, and It never occurred to me to pray for who God would have me minister to on the plane, or on the way to my destination. But from now on I will be, thanks to an encounter with a 19 year old Chinese exchange student named Han.

As I walked down the isle to my plane seat on the first flight, I came to my row. I saw that I would be seated in the middle, between a woman at the window and a young Chinese guy on the isle. I did the usual, shoving my backpack into the tiny space they give you under the seat in front of you and wondering why I packed so dang much in my carry on. As the plane got into the air, the guy to my right, Han, started a conversation. I was glad, and we started to talk. I found out that he attends an American university in the north, but that he is from China and was returning to his family's city very close to the city I was going to. We talked for a while, then there was a little bit of silence. Then I had that feeling-that feeling that you know God is going to ask you to do something, and that you will feel extremely guilty by not following through. God was asking me to evangelize to Han-- to figure out his "status" on what he believed. I knew I had to. I knew if I didn't at least figure out if he was a Christian or not I would feel like crud later, so, I took a deep breath (wondering what I was getting into) and opened up the door..

"Soooo... do you go to a Church near your school?"

"Oh-ah, no, I don't do Church." He said, being caught a little off gaurd.

"OK. Well, what do you believe about God?"

He went on to tell me that in his mind there is no God, and that he believes strongly in evolution; he is a science major, so he basically believes everything he learns about evolution from his textbooks at his secular school. I told him I was a Christian.

Me: "Hmmm, ok. I tell you what, how about you tell me your beliefs and then I get to tell you my Christian beliefs?"

He said ok, and told me his beliefs. From the Big Bang, to us coming from monkeys, to there being no God, he believes it all, along with some weird mystical beliefs his Grandmother taught him. Well, that set it off for me. I literally dropped an Evange-Bomb right on his brain. (You can always carry those bombs on the plane, right? :P) Poor guy. He had no idea what kind of Creationist-God loving-always-open-to-sharing-my-faith- (especially with Chinese students!) kind of chick he was sitting next to. I took him %100 through creation to salvation. It was incredible, and as I talked with him I found myself getting more and more energized and into it with every word I was saying. I loved every minute of it. It started to be more of a God ad creation vs. evolution discussion/debate and I made big points on how,

"You're a smart guy, Han. I mean, you're a science major, you know about all of the intricate tiny cells in our body, and how detailed science is. These kind of things can't come from some random chance of chemicals blowing up out of no where- there had to be, and there is an Intelligent Designer behind all of this. And He loves you, and He sent his Son to die for you, and..............."

And on I went. He would try and tell me how evolution just had to be the way, but I was the only one with proof that creation was the way. His main issue was faith in the unseen, but I told him how evolution is totally faith in unseen things, and that it is just a theory with barely any true evidence. It was amazing, and I really encouraged him to find and get a Bible and start reading through the gospels. I would have loved to have had a Bible to give him. He said he would try to get one, and that he was interested in what I was saying. I gave him a salvation bracelet a team member sitting on the row behind me had, and he loved it. I got his e-mail address, and I am going to e-mail him soon. I would love to get his address in America and send him a copy of the movie "Expelled," ( I haven't seen it, but heard it is awesome and amazing how the evolution theory is busted and creation points to God.) or maybe some of the books or DVDs called "Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution". I told him about those resources and he was interested. He also told me, though, that "I don't think I could really be a Christian since there aren't very many at my university." I told him that I'm sure that there is a church near his university and Christian groups within his school. Another funny thing he said was "Yeah, my friend has a Bible in Chinese, and I was reading it one time, but I think I want to get an English Bible because the Chinese one was boring." LOL. Hmmm. Well.. OK then! Good luck to ya! Ha, I can just imagine the poor guy starting and reading through Leviticus or Numbers imagining how on earth Christians read that. I told him that the Gospels were a great place to start. =)

Another cool thing was that we were on the same following flight from LA to Hong Kong as well. We were not near each other, but since he was by himself, he came along with the college team and I. It was so neat because he knew that we were all Christians and from the same church, and when I introduced him to our team they were so inclusive and awesome to him, so I think that really gave him a great impression of what being a Christian is about. One guy on our team who brought his guitar got it out while we were waiting at the airport and played a few things, then he even let Han do some stuff on it since Han played guitar too! I think he really liked the team.

Please pray for Han. Please pray that God would be tugging at his heart from the words he heard on that plane ride, and that I would be able to reach out to him more via e-mail.

Well, it you've stuck with my long post 'till now I commend you. =) I learned that even an hour into a mission trip God will be moving in big ways, and that we are on mission to everyone we meet not only at our destination, but to the people sitting next to us on the plane, to the airport workers and the flight attendants. Even if it is a simple smile and thank you, and something to make them wonder what is different about you, we are on mission. We are on mission no matter where we go.

Back in Mei Guo

Hey there!

Well, I am back in Mei Guo, the land of the blonds and the home of my family. ( My real home is in China. =) Ha!)

The trip was amazing. That is the word I keep using, and it describes it very well. It was sad to have to leave. It was hard - hard saying goodbye to new friendships, hard leaving that hurting and lost country that is in such thirst for truth right now. The people there are so so sweet. That is part of the reason it is so difficult to say goodbye to new friends, even though I know we will still keep in touch and see each other more. One of the hardest parts was when a couple of friends the team had made were at the hotel when we left. They were crying as we hugged and as they were waving to us as the bus pulled out. I won't lie, I cried too! Many of us were. (At least most of the girls. =) ) I could have cried a lot more, but I made myself stop. It is just so easy to share and be friends with people in China. They have such a sweet, simple, caring nature. I wish people in America could be more like the Chinese. Life would be much simpler, and it would be so much easier to love and reach people. It was also a great time to be in China. With the huge earthquake, after shocks still going on while we were there, and the death toll creeping over 88,000, I was able to have some great conversations with people about faith, and the urgency to need a Savior. More stories to come about all of that.

I love the song "God of This City", by Cris Tomlin. It was on the Passion CD this year, and it says



You're the God of this city, You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation, You are
You're the Light in this darkness, You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless, You are

There is no one like our God, there is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in
this city
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city

Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done here



That is so true about City X, and for me it was one of the songs that I thought of as a "Song of my trip". (That is not the city's real name, btw.) I really felt like there was unfinished business when we left. Obviously there always will be more and more work to be done, no matter where we go on this globe..

I will post more about the events of the trip through out this next week. Thanks for checking up on me, and for your comments and words of encouragement!

Coming Home

Ni hao!

Well, it is late-late here, and our trip has gone by extremely fast. It has been a wonderful trip and I have been making some great relationships. It was really hard to say goodbye to friends today. Very tough. I'm excited about seeing all of you guys, but am very sad to leave. Our bus leaves the hotel at 10 am tomorrow morning. (9 PM Thursday at home.)

Well, see you guys on your side of the globe pretty soon! Thanks for your awesome support on this trip-I know our whole team could feel it. Love ya!

2nd Tuesday Update

Our trip is going great still! I have been able to make some great relationships and witness some great, interesting, and crazy things. I cannot wait to post more about each day when I come back!! It's hard to believe that it is Tuesday morning here and we leave on Friday morning. This trip has gone by way too fast!!

I think I left off on Saturday on my last post. Saturday we went to an English corner/church in the morning. That went pretty well, though the conversations in my group weren't totally as focused on what I hoped. That afternoon was the beach party for all of our Chinese friends we had made throughout the week. We had Chinese barbeque, volleyball, soccer, frisbee, and tons of fun things to do. At the end of the night a man who helped host the party set up a huge screen with a projector and we watched "Bee Movie" in Chinese. =P The people loved it! They chose that movie because it is for all age levels, funny and easy to understand. At the end of the night we had a bonfire down closer to the water, but that didn't turn out quite how we planned. It is a long story that I will have to write more about later, but we had a few "tree huggers" and "save the earth people," which turned into 3 mad men with gasoline and fire! But nothing bad happened, just a semi fight. The wood was too wet to light, so that was about the end of the party and most people left. That night a couple of team members and I were had a great conversation with a student who seemed to be in her twenties. She is the most searching person I have ever seen-she knows she needs God, but has so many questions about faith, and she is really frustrated.

Sunday morning we went to the International Christian Fellowship, and then I went to an English corner in the afternoon. I have been able to have some really great converstions with people at these corners. On Tuesday night I spoke with a new believer, but recently I've either been talking to people who are not Christians, but have very limited English, or with people who are Christians and have some really tough theological questions. But overall I think we are having a great turn out!

Monday we went to a tourist island and then Stephen and Brett, a couple of my friends who are staying here for two months, arrived and we made some plans for a puppet show that we are doing tonight. Tonight (Tuesday) is the show for 2,000 people. WOW. We have a couple of songs and a skit that we are performing, then a really good musician on our team is playing and singing.

Please pray for my team. Almost all of us have felt gross at some point this weekend, and one guy is pretty sick right now. Thanks!

Sorry for not being able to post pictures.. I want to, but haven't been able to find the time to upload them.

Hope that you are all doing great!