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!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
3/31/10
Week 3 3/31/10
Our move to an apartment did not work out so we are still in the hotel, and have not received a car. Communication/cultural differences result in confusion at times, but we know who is in control!
Last Sunday we were taken on a sightseeing trip to a resort area at a mountain 1 1/2 hours away. It was a very nice place to visit and see the tourist attraction. The weather was a little cold and foggy up on the mountain.
Classes are going well, the students are very receptive to our oral coaching and learning activities. We have had no contacts outside of class yet.
Today was warm!!!!!! I was able to remove some layers of clothing and walked about 1/4 mile to a grocery store for a few items that we can eat for a change from the restaurant food. We found mayonnaise and had banana sandwiches.
The hotel staff are very kind to us. We are becoming well-known, but only one staff member can speak any English. The wait staff are as helpful as they can be and so friendly. We were given plates of fruit to have in our rooms as a treat. We pray that His love flows through us to them.
We hope to attend church again this Sunday and are thinking of you all during this very special week.
Love, Martha
Our move to an apartment did not work out so we are still in the hotel, and have not received a car. Communication/cultural differences result in confusion at times, but we know who is in control!
Last Sunday we were taken on a sightseeing trip to a resort area at a mountain 1 1/2 hours away. It was a very nice place to visit and see the tourist attraction. The weather was a little cold and foggy up on the mountain.
Classes are going well, the students are very receptive to our oral coaching and learning activities. We have had no contacts outside of class yet.
Today was warm!!!!!! I was able to remove some layers of clothing and walked about 1/4 mile to a grocery store for a few items that we can eat for a change from the restaurant food. We found mayonnaise and had banana sandwiches.
The hotel staff are very kind to us. We are becoming well-known, but only one staff member can speak any English. The wait staff are as helpful as they can be and so friendly. We were given plates of fruit to have in our rooms as a treat. We pray that His love flows through us to them.
We hope to attend church again this Sunday and are thinking of you all during this very special week.
Love, Martha
Saturday, March 27, 2010
March 26, 2010
Friday 3/26/10
This week has been busy with classes. I have met all 160 of my students and they have been delightful. Very interested in me and in America. Most are 19-22 years old and have many of the same interests as our young adults. They are very focused on doing well in university and getting a good job. Many of them plan to do post-graduate work if they are able to get into a program. I have not needed a translator, they speak English very well. Now my job is to teach them Southern English - ha ha!
We were able to go to the Pizza Hut here today for lunch and had a personal pan pizza. It was just like home. Their Pizza Hut is an upscale restaurant with a wide variety of foods on the menu. They did not offer cola, though. One of the young female faculty members accompanied us to lunch since she had never been to the restaurant. We wanted to treat her since she has been so helpful to us.
Now I have to pack for a move to an apartment tomorrow. We have not seen it, but they tell us it is 3 bedrooms and new. It is on the campus where we are teaching. We are supposed to get our car on Monday since the housing is too far to walk to the classroom building. It will be nice to have a little more independence, - I think!!
I have been blessed to be well and able to walk to the 5th floor where our classrooms are located. After moving, I will have to get on a new network for the internet and don't know how much time that will take. I will try and post some pictures from my classroom next week. It was very cold and windy here yesterday and this morning but the sun is out and warming up.
I will miss being home for Easter since all nine grandchildren and parents usually get together for the egg hunt.
It has always been a special time for our family. Don't know yet what the day will hold for me, but it will be a special day!
God bless and keep your e-mail coming! I'll need your prs more than ever when I start to drive!!
Love, Martha
This week has been busy with classes. I have met all 160 of my students and they have been delightful. Very interested in me and in America. Most are 19-22 years old and have many of the same interests as our young adults. They are very focused on doing well in university and getting a good job. Many of them plan to do post-graduate work if they are able to get into a program. I have not needed a translator, they speak English very well. Now my job is to teach them Southern English - ha ha!
We were able to go to the Pizza Hut here today for lunch and had a personal pan pizza. It was just like home. Their Pizza Hut is an upscale restaurant with a wide variety of foods on the menu. They did not offer cola, though. One of the young female faculty members accompanied us to lunch since she had never been to the restaurant. We wanted to treat her since she has been so helpful to us.
Now I have to pack for a move to an apartment tomorrow. We have not seen it, but they tell us it is 3 bedrooms and new. It is on the campus where we are teaching. We are supposed to get our car on Monday since the housing is too far to walk to the classroom building. It will be nice to have a little more independence, - I think!!
I have been blessed to be well and able to walk to the 5th floor where our classrooms are located. After moving, I will have to get on a new network for the internet and don't know how much time that will take. I will try and post some pictures from my classroom next week. It was very cold and windy here yesterday and this morning but the sun is out and warming up.
I will miss being home for Easter since all nine grandchildren and parents usually get together for the egg hunt.
It has always been a special time for our family. Don't know yet what the day will hold for me, but it will be a special day!
God bless and keep your e-mail coming! I'll need your prs more than ever when I start to drive!!
Love, Martha
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23
Week 2
My class yesterday went well, I had no class today. The students all speak English, but have some difficulty with correct pronunciation. They are very respectful and talkative. Praise!, the classroom was not too cold. Maybe it was because I have learned to layer like never before and the afternoon was some warmer.
The dust storm from the north came through here last Saturday. The wind was very strong and visibility very low. We did not go outside all day. It remains very hazy with low sunlight. It is dry here but the main drought is north and also in Southern China. The rivers flowing through this city are nice with beautiful parks all alongside.
Today, we ate at KFC for lunch. Our driver is with a young lady who is the daughter of a high city official here in Linyi. She is a student at Beijing University but is home for a few days and is visiting with us to work on her English. We have been very blessed to have her and her driver at our call since Sunday. Tonight, her parents are taking us out to dinner. This is our last day with Lisa(her English name). BTW, the KFC is not like ours, but enough to remind us of home foods for a change. It stays very busy - mostly young adults and college students.
The church we visited on Sunday is called a Christian church. It was packed and there were also some worshippers outside. There were about 3/4 women. It was very reverent and the pastor spoke almost an hour. The only thing that we understood was the hymn melody, "Have Thine Own Way Lord". The two young ladies who took us to church had never been to one before.
I am doing well, continue to pray for no sickness and ability to rest. We have been able to go to a supermarket to get bread, so now I can have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, if needed.
Thanks for your gracious emails and thoughts.
Martha
My class yesterday went well, I had no class today. The students all speak English, but have some difficulty with correct pronunciation. They are very respectful and talkative. Praise!, the classroom was not too cold. Maybe it was because I have learned to layer like never before and the afternoon was some warmer.
The dust storm from the north came through here last Saturday. The wind was very strong and visibility very low. We did not go outside all day. It remains very hazy with low sunlight. It is dry here but the main drought is north and also in Southern China. The rivers flowing through this city are nice with beautiful parks all alongside.
Today, we ate at KFC for lunch. Our driver is with a young lady who is the daughter of a high city official here in Linyi. She is a student at Beijing University but is home for a few days and is visiting with us to work on her English. We have been very blessed to have her and her driver at our call since Sunday. Tonight, her parents are taking us out to dinner. This is our last day with Lisa(her English name). BTW, the KFC is not like ours, but enough to remind us of home foods for a change. It stays very busy - mostly young adults and college students.
The church we visited on Sunday is called a Christian church. It was packed and there were also some worshippers outside. There were about 3/4 women. It was very reverent and the pastor spoke almost an hour. The only thing that we understood was the hymn melody, "Have Thine Own Way Lord". The two young ladies who took us to church had never been to one before.
I am doing well, continue to pray for no sickness and ability to rest. We have been able to go to a supermarket to get bread, so now I can have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, if needed.
Thanks for your gracious emails and thoughts.
Martha
Sunday, March 21, 2010
March 21, 2010
I went to a Chinese Christian Church. One song they sang was "Have Thine Own Way Lord." The preacher preached almost 1 hour and the church was packed and there were people on little stools outside. There are not many churches in this city but it was encouraging to see that many attend. There were about 3/4 women.
Then we went to one of the Univ. teacher's home for lunch. It was a 4th floor walk-up flat with 4 generations living together. It was 4 bedrooms and pretty nice. We made Chinese dumplings with her parents then had a large lunch with watermelon for dessert. They eat lots of raw vegetables and fruits. The teacher and her husband have a 1 yr. old daughter and her grandfather lives with them along with her parents.
Next we went to a dress shop and got measured for a Chinese silk suit. Mine is red and I should get it in 1 week. A stop at the supermarket on the way home was important to get some bread, etc. to have something besides Chinese.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
March 19, 2010
March 19 - Today has been working on lesson plans from our rooms. We went to the campus office yesterday and saw our classrooms, they are cold! Pray for warmer weather soon! They don't have our computers switched to English yet. They are treating us very nicely and have set up an office with all new furniture for us to use.
We got our final schedules and I will be teaching 4 classes of the same content each week to Soph. students - Mon. 2-4, Wed. 8-10, Thur 8-10, and Fri 8-10. We have our first week ready - we think! There are always surprises. Mary Beth's schedule is different from mine so it looks like we will be on campus all day except on Tue and Fri.
We don't have many plans for the week-end but hope to go to church Sunday morning. Maybe we will recognize some of the song melodies.
I had my best night's sleep last night. My bed is hard so I have to get used to it.
The restaurant here in the hotel is different, the menu is sample dishes on display so you choose which ones you want them to cook for you. The first night we ordered way too much, last night we had a very good lamb dish - thin slices of meat roasted on small skewers and had an eggplant dish with small shrimp. That was plenty. For lunch we were taken to the north campus restaurant and had hot pot again. I am not fond of hot pot! It is not appetizing to me to look at the raw food, select what you want??, then take it to your table and cook it in the pot. It is also difficult to fish out the food with chopsticks! I'm doing better just eating with the chopsticks - even rice.
I watched Tony's sermon from last Sunday and felt closer to home. It is necessary to rely on father to keep going. Pr for relationships to develop as time goes on.
I can't get on facebook to keep everyone informed so please pass on my updates. I can get my email. Scott Hummel from WCU delivered the items to the Jernigans when the WCU delegation and Duprees went to Bj from here. They are to arrive in Hattiesburg Sat. night late.
I love getting news from home so send me some email.
We got our final schedules and I will be teaching 4 classes of the same content each week to Soph. students - Mon. 2-4, Wed. 8-10, Thur 8-10, and Fri 8-10. We have our first week ready - we think! There are always surprises. Mary Beth's schedule is different from mine so it looks like we will be on campus all day except on Tue and Fri.
We don't have many plans for the week-end but hope to go to church Sunday morning. Maybe we will recognize some of the song melodies.
I had my best night's sleep last night. My bed is hard so I have to get used to it.
The restaurant here in the hotel is different, the menu is sample dishes on display so you choose which ones you want them to cook for you. The first night we ordered way too much, last night we had a very good lamb dish - thin slices of meat roasted on small skewers and had an eggplant dish with small shrimp. That was plenty. For lunch we were taken to the north campus restaurant and had hot pot again. I am not fond of hot pot! It is not appetizing to me to look at the raw food, select what you want??, then take it to your table and cook it in the pot. It is also difficult to fish out the food with chopsticks! I'm doing better just eating with the chopsticks - even rice.
I watched Tony's sermon from last Sunday and felt closer to home. It is necessary to rely on father to keep going. Pr for relationships to develop as time goes on.
I can't get on facebook to keep everyone informed so please pass on my updates. I can get my email. Scott Hummel from WCU delivered the items to the Jernigans when the WCU delegation and Duprees went to Bj from here. They are to arrive in Hattiesburg Sat. night late.
I love getting news from home so send me some email.
March 15 - Monday evening 8:22 PM...Just got in from a full day - left hotel at 8 AM. Much formality at Linyi Univ, signing of agreement with presidents, exchange of gifts, much picture taking. Tour of campus, lunch in cafeteria (usual Chinese cuisine with revolving table) then meeting with students and faculty. Discussion of future courses for exchange of faculty and students. Tour of calligraphy square, a beautiful garden by the river then dinner at a downtown restaurant. This meal was a "hot pot" one that we cooked all the food in the boiling flavored water That was really fun, trying to put food in and take it out with chopsticks! Then we had a night tour to see the city lights.... I am doing ok but my tooth is still sore to pressure. Please pray for healing. We saw the place we will be staying after the official delegation leaves on Friday. We will each have a hotel room with 2 beds about 5 minutes from the campus. They are going to give us a car and help us get driver's license.You should see the way they drive here!!! We may need an escort the first time we drive it!! Tomorrow is the formalities with the 2 mayors then banquet with mayor of Linyi. Tour of city in the afternoon.Beautiful campus with much construction. Large city, very clean decorative streets - can't wait to see it when spring arrives.
March 14, 2010
March 14 - We are very busy and have not been getting much rest. Much formality and banquets. Today we toured Confucious' hometown and his "castle" - 2 hours from here and a long walking tour. Tomorrow univ. tour meeting with faculty and students - more formalities and orientations.
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