The Beginning is in Sight

The joys of paperwork have come to an end, and we finally booked our plane tickets! The beginning of our time in China is in sight. Granted, there will be more paperwork once we arrive there, but it never seems as daunting when there are nationals helping us out with it.

Since I have neglected to blog for the past two weeks, I am going to update you on what our schedule has looked like. I tend to be a bit verbose, so instead of blabbing it all in dissertation-style, here is a calendar with a general outline of our days, starting July 7th and going through August 6th. Hopefully this will be a bit easier on the eyes. (No guarantees on formatting in the email. Here's our blog, just in case.)

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
7 Left for PA! Went to Chuck E. Cheese's!	8 Hung out with the famjam in PA.	9 Hung out with the famjam in PA.	10 On our way back to Ohio, found out there was major flooding; we were delayed.	11 Finished our trip to Ohio, then drove all the way back to Indiana.	12 Saw a friend, rested, and packed.	13 Went to the Peru Circus.
14 Sabbathed	15 Went to the local police office, only to find out we needed state-level clearance. Rushed to Marion to get fingerprints.	16 Called the Indiana State Police, and became besties with one of the secretaries. Went to Rookie Camp!	17 Rocked it at Rookie Camp!	18 Rocked it at Rookie Camp!	19 Got sunburned at Rookie Camp!	20 Tried to recover from Rookie Camp.
21 Sabbathed	22 Drove down to Indy to get background checks from Indiana State Police, and got them sealed by the Secretary of State. Everything went smoothly, thanks to our new best friend at ISP.	23 Finally got our letters of invitation from the Chinese government! Drove to Warsaw to pick up our letters and to split up our trip to Chicago.	24 Left at 6:30 AM to get to Chicago by 8:00. Handed over our letters & applications, only to  find out they don't do same-day service anymore. Spent the night in Chicago.	25 Left the hotel at 7:00 AM, and got our visas by 9:15. Headed back to Indiana. Our boss told us to expect to be in China  by mid-August at the earliest.	26 Got an email from our boss stating that the secretary at the school needs us to be in China before August 7th to handle paperwork. Booked our tickets.	27 Family hangout with the Scotts.
28 Family hangout with the Scotts.	29 Pack! Say goodbye to some friends in Marion.	30 Pack! Have our final small group get-together.	31 Hand in the keys to our apartments & head to Ohio.	1 See family in Ohio.	2 See family in Ohio.	3 Head back to Indiana & get ready for departure.
4 Depart at 6AM!	5 Arrive in China at 10:30 PM.	6 Start recovering from jet-lag. Start the paperwork process again.

As you can tell, we're taking off much sooner than we ever expected, but we're excited (and slightly overwhelmed). Thank you for all of the prayers and support.

And you're right, we will never escape from paperwork. Sing it with me: This is the paperwork that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on, my friends! Some people started filling it out, not knowing what it was, and they continue filling it out forever just because... Too bad it doesn't sound as great as the original, but it's a close second.

I Will Follow

Over the course of the next year, we will miss out on some life-altering events that will happen here in the States: babies will be born, friends will get married, and a few souls will meet their Maker. I am sad to think that we will be absent during such momentous occasions, yet Daniel and I believe that we need to be in China, and we believe that God's timing is perfect.

As I pondered this the other day, "I Will Follow" by Chris Tomlin was playing in the background. The lyrics serve as a good reminder that we have chosen to follow Him, no matter the cost. Below is a compilation I made in 2011 of pictures from our first year, put to that song. Who knew that the song I chose then would still challenge and encourage me even today.

(For those of you who receive this as an email, you will have to come to the website to view the video.)

Fireworks & Freedom

Fourth of July means fireworks & freedom for those of us who happen to be from the United States.

Though I know the holiday is over now, I've heard fireworks the past few nights, which just makes me think of China. It seems as if there is at least one holiday a month in China that calls for a celebration filled with fireworks and firecrackers. Fourth of July pyrotechnics pale in comparison to Chinese New Year's; I suppose that's only natural, considering China invented the smoking fires (烟火, yānhuǒ, is the term for fireworks, and it literally means "smoke fire").

At recent family gatherings, we've had numerous conversations about freedom in China. Most people bring up religious persecution, especially the persecution of Christians. Unfortunately, we can never give a straight, one-size-fits-all answer. What proves true in our province may be completely different in another. Joann Pittman, an American who has lived in China since the 1980s, confirms this in a talk titled "Misconceptions about the Chinese Church." (If you follow the link, you can listen to/download the audio. It's around 50 minutes long, but well worth the time!) She argues that persecution is not the biggest problem facing Chinese Christians, unlike what most Westerners think.  While the government still has strict regulations, they are a bit lax about enforcing them, producing a freedom of sorts.

Unlike fireworks, Christianity does not originate from China. However, Chinese history is not void of Christianity. The proof is in the way they write some of their characters, which date back to over 4,500 years ago. In some ways, China had fireworks & freedom long before the United States was even a twinkle in our forefathers' eyes.

Our First Chinese New Year