Husbands and wives

Some people who have never experienced the power of of working together as a team on a course, are often skeptical that growth can occur. One weekend we had a group of husbands and wives at the course and they had to go through as a pair, helping, encouraging, talking, laughing, sweating, and so much more. When they came off the course each one of them expressed that it had been an extraordinary day

bound feet

It was a tradition in ancient China to bind the feet of little girls because small feet were considered beautiful. The shoes that were worn over these disfigured feet were beautiful but the feet underneath were horrifying. I bought a pair of these shoes the other day and I was blown away at just how tiny they were. In life sometimes we allow circumstances, or people to keep us from growing and reaching our full potential. Just like these shoes bound the feet, we can be bound by fear, embarrassment, disbelief, anger......too many things. Congratulations to my sister Keri who choose not to be bound by her circumstances or people and now is graduating with honors from nursing school. I am so proud of you!!!!!!! The women of ancient China did not have a choice but we do. Go out today, throw off your shoes and smile.

english class

Last May I offered an English class in the village. At the end of the week I had about 20 kids of all ages in the house. The last day we had ice cream and had fun taking pictures. I am already looking forward to the May holiday and teaching them again.

chest hair

How is this for getting personal? The kids can't believe all the chest hair that Ric has. I think they even pulled a few off just to make sure it was real. :) Most of the Chinese have little body hair so for the kids it was something new.

This is the air we breath.

Last summer on the news there was a lot of concern about the air quality for the Olympics. We have seen some improvement, and these pictures are taken on a BAD day, but it is still a major concern. The health of our kids is not something we take lightly so we would appreciate your prayers concerning their health. Now you can see another reason we are so thankful for the village and the work Ric does that gets us out of the city.

B.J.

B.J. was in Kindergarten when we first came to China. Obviously then he did not think much of girls. (1st pic)He is our explosion of joy and our connector with the Chinese. He loves to try out his Chinese and as he was telling a friend of mine the other day, when a Chinese person meets him they always say, :"WO SHI WAN NI DE TOU FA!" Which means , "I like your hair". Of course they always mention his eyes too. Blond curly hair and blue eyes always a winning combination here. Although in the second picture he was going through a daddy haircut phase.

B.J came in 2nd place in a bike race.

I love my big Sis!!!!

More B.J. pics

Eric

Eric loves to be outside. When we first moved to Shenyang he was in shock for about 6 months because he missed the forests of Sweden. Before we moved his favorite thing was catching frogs and insects with his friends. Then we moved to China to a city of 8 million and everything was concrete. We have found things to do here and we are blessed that Ric's job takes us out to the village and the countryside so the kids can still get out and get messy.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Eric.

Last year in Shenyang Ric found a way for the boys to enjoy the snow. The yellow rope is tied to the van. Don't worry there were no other cars on the road.

Eric on the ropes course. He is in the red shirt.

This picture was taken at our team retreat this fall.

Ping Pong Video

This video was taken last spring in the village.

A day out!

Mission: Leave home at 7:30 in the a.m. and arrive at an antique warehouse outside of Beijing 2 1/2 hours later. Sounds simple but fog, traffic, the call of nature, road blocks and a mean guard dog all made it just another adventure in China. We could not drive on the freeway because of the fog so we detoured though the countryside. About 2 hours into the trip one of our party decided that they needed to stop. The driver turned down a long driveway a few minutes later and we soon realized he had stopped in a Chinese graveyard. He assured us there would be bathrooms and so we got out of the car and sure enough there was. We were an attraction to the living that worked there. The dead could have cared less. Five hours after we had left the house we arrived at our destination. It was worth it!!!!

They burn incense in this building and the family and friends of the deceased gather in front of the picture depicting the year on the lunar calender the he/she was born and honor them.

We barely made it through! we would have gotten out and pushed if we had to! Nothing would stop us!

The lean mean guard dog!

antique dream

Wow, when we got to the warehouse it was amazing. Everywhere I looked was great stuff. Stuff I wanted to buy. I started pulling things off and making a pile. Then I realized I had better take a reality check and go slow. There were small things behind big things and dusty things behind polished items. It was like a treasure hunt. It was definitely one of the best outings I have had in China. And the prices! I'm sorry I can't tell you the prices because you would all be calling me and asking to stay at my house. Enjoy the pictures though! :)

They sell re-makes of antiques too. It is a family buisness so most of the workers live in small houses in front of the wearhouses.

treasure chests

In one warehouse on top of all the other furniture were beautiful wooden chests. The first two pictures are of camphor wood chests. Camphor wood is a very aromatic wood. Camphor chests were used by the early expats who lived in china because camphor's aroma safeguarded silks, and other materials from insects on long voyages from China to America or Europe. These chests were usually built in the "treaty Ports" of china where westerners were allowed to live by the Imperial Chinese Government.
















I don't know what kind of wood this chests is made of but it sure looks like it could tell some unique stories of where it has been and who owned it. I think that is one of the attractions of antiques. They can hold secrets that will never be told, only imagined.

So how did we get the logs down there?

The site is at the bottom of a hill. The logs were dropped off at the top of the hill. BIG logs! There is a group of guys who without their work we would not be able to show you pictures of the completed site because there would be not completed site. They have worked hard and have figured out logistics and have become friends. I think these pictures tell it all!

The ropes course

Some of you may still be asking so what is it you are actually doing in china. Let me put it to you simply. There was a piece of land out in the Chinese countryside where apple trees and pumpkins grew side by side. In the midst of that Ric and his team have built a ropes course for groups to experience and learn from. In the next couple posts we will walk you through the process. But for now here are a few pictures.