Monday, July 5, 2010
My apologies
I am sorry that the weekly posts didn't make it onto this blog. If you are my friend on Facebook, you can see them all there--and pictures, too!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
April 19, 2010
April 19, 2010
Beginning of week 6 Linyi City, China
The last few days have been very busy since we found out that we would finally move. After 31 days at the Binhe Hotel, we moved to a flat on the Linyi Normal University North Campus on Saturday morning. It is about 5 miles from the New campus where we teach. So far, a ride has been provided for us to teach our classes and spend some time in the office. Surely I am toning some muscles since we walk to go to the stores and shop, up three flights to our flat, and to the fifth floor to teach! God is so good keeping us healthy, please keep praying for that. We did have some student help moving our heavy luggage up three flights.
Our flat is comfortable, and has heat. Thankfully, the weather is warmer this week after experiencing a very cold snap - and even some snow last week. There are many fruit trees in fields near the river on our drive each day and they are all in full bloom. The redbuds and wisteria are just staring to open, so we are enjoying spring flowers.
We took a taxi to church Sunday and met up with 2 English teachers that had we met before. We were talking with them when a man came up and asked if we needed help. He is a Linyi city official who also has an office in the Los Angeles area. He had brought a delegation with a Korean businessman to church (very interesting)! I told him that we wanted to go to Pizza Hut so he took us there in his Buick minivan (only God's care!!) and told us to call him if he could help us in any way. I have his card!! Then Mary Beth and I went shopping in the area, around the city center - People's Square. We found the RT-Mart (their WalMart) and found some American foods that we had not seen before - cheese, butter, ground beef, and chicken breasts! After a taxi ride back to the campus and another long walk, we were very tired. So we had banana sandwiches for supper - and some real cheese imported from America!!
Our TV cable has NO English stations so I will miss hearing the world news and Chinese culture. But we have started to make connections with some other teachers who live on campus so maybe we will be making new friends and not be so isolated.
Continue to pray for our relationships and for our computers to be connected to the internet in our new location. I am unable to send pictures at this time, but hopefully, that will be corrected. I can get on the internet and get e-mail most of the time in my office. HE is at work in ways that we cannot comprehend!!!
Jerry reports to me about your continuing prayers and that is a great comfort to me, I feel those each day.
Love, Martha
Friday, April 9, 2010
Recent photos
Hotel Dining Room Cooks and staff. They are very sweet to us.
The cooks and our team.
Fried ice cream, can't eat too much of this!! Chicken carved from sweet potato.
Fruit market down street from the hotel.
Girl wanted to say hello in English, Mom wanted picture. Lynne Houston from our team.
The forsythia is abundant and beautiful. Spring growth is evident.
Children playing near shops while parents work. Taken walking down street on Monday holiday.
Church where we worship.
April 9, 2010
April 9 - Week 4
This week-end marks the end of month #1, less than 3 more to go. Much still seems very strange and fluid since we are still in the hotel and are being told regularly that we will be moved soon to an apartment. When we ask about a car, we are told that it is very hard to get a driver's license and we must pass a test - then we say "okay, we can take a test, when?" Answer - "I don't know". I like Mike Treat's evaluation of this being "Jello land"!! Nothing seems to be concrete except our classes. We can be thankful for that!
Classes are going well and we make more relationships with faculty members each week. Hopefully, those will grow and students are becoming more comfortable with us and asking more questions. With questions, we have opportunities to explain more about our lives in the U.S. This week we talked about famous Americans in our history, students gave oral presentations.
Easter was very interesting. The church was overflowing and we recognized many old favorite hymns related to His Resurrection All the secular celebrations were absent and we focused so much on our Savior. I can't tell you how much I missed TBC and my family, though.
Following the worship, our Easter feast was at Pizza Hut with our new faculty member friend. She then took us to a coffee shop/bakery - OH MY, what wonderful goodies! We even got jam waffles for breakfast the next day.
One of our team members left for home last night. We will miss her greatly and pray that everything goes well for her trip and homecoming.
Thanks for your prayers, keep them going. God's provision is evident each day.
Love, Martha
This week-end marks the end of month #1, less than 3 more to go. Much still seems very strange and fluid since we are still in the hotel and are being told regularly that we will be moved soon to an apartment. When we ask about a car, we are told that it is very hard to get a driver's license and we must pass a test - then we say "okay, we can take a test, when?" Answer - "I don't know". I like Mike Treat's evaluation of this being "Jello land"!! Nothing seems to be concrete except our classes. We can be thankful for that!
Classes are going well and we make more relationships with faculty members each week. Hopefully, those will grow and students are becoming more comfortable with us and asking more questions. With questions, we have opportunities to explain more about our lives in the U.S. This week we talked about famous Americans in our history, students gave oral presentations.
Easter was very interesting. The church was overflowing and we recognized many old favorite hymns related to His Resurrection All the secular celebrations were absent and we focused so much on our Savior. I can't tell you how much I missed TBC and my family, though.
Following the worship, our Easter feast was at Pizza Hut with our new faculty member friend. She then took us to a coffee shop/bakery - OH MY, what wonderful goodies! We even got jam waffles for breakfast the next day.
One of our team members left for home last night. We will miss her greatly and pray that everything goes well for her trip and homecoming.
Thanks for your prayers, keep them going. God's provision is evident each day.
Love, Martha
Saturday, April 3, 2010
He's Alive!
Good Resurrection Morning from China! We have a beautiful sunny day and are getting ready to go to church to celebrate New Life in Christ. Our driver is a new friend who has never been to a Baptist church before. Her name is Bin. I pray that you will have a wonderful celebration with family and friends.
Love, Martha
Class on currency and purchasing
My Friday class on currency. Looking at money and a purchasing group activity using Office Depot ads.
I passed the money around and it always came back! Jazz liked the Ben Franklin best!
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