Walking with Grandma

I had the great pleasure of spending time with Grandma over Christmas. Walking around with Grandma is, well, it's slow. She's 90 years old.

If you know Grandma, you know there are a million reasons to love her. Most recently I love her honesty. She has her mental faculties completely, and doesn't miss a beat. So when she comes out with something it's usually on point, blunt, often funny, and sometimes poignant.

Last week at lunch she said "Yesterday, my legs, they didn't work. I don't know why. Then today, they work. It's a miracle. Today I can walk."
"Well, Grandma, miracles happen..." I began

"But no matter what, you can't make me young again."

"You're right Grandma. Right now, it's your turn to be old. Someday it will be my turn, but right now it's your turn. And that's okay." She smiled a little sheepishly and shrugged.

I'm so comforted that God's plan of salvation is complete, ready for me (and you! and everyone!) to have saving knowledge of Jesus. We'll all leave this world eventually, I'm grateful God is good to give us a preview and a choice about the future. And joy from relationships with Grandma in the meanwhile.

Merry Christmas!

My dear Reader,

Merry Christmas! I'm so grateful for 2009 and if you are reading this, chances are good that you had something to do with that lovely year. Thank you.

..and Thank You, Jesus, for Your many blessings. How appropriate we end the year with a big birthday party in Your honor.

Love,

Laura

Walking around at Christmastime

I happen to live in New York City and walking around the city this time of year, I'm always love how the city comes to life at Christmastime. The shop windows, the evergreen trees, the street lamp poles are all decorated for Christmas. It struck me the other day, that the real reason for all this is Jesus' birthday. Not sure about you, dear reader, but my birthday doesn't bring the whole city to a pause with decorations and lights. It made me smile to think that the whole city, indeed the whole world, is celebrating a very special birthday, whether they know it or not...

Shopping with a Purpose

With a nod & smile to friends over at Travel with a Purpose I found myself this weekend Shopping with a Purpose.

The new apartment is great, and needed very little work, thank God! But the one thing that we did need were chairs around the dining room table. Oh, the wooden folding chairs from Grandma (circa 1964) are good for sitting, but after a bit of sitting you become painfully aware that they are in fact past their prime and not conducive to sitting around after dinner and chatting.

I was hoping for some good solid, timeless chairs. And I was hoping that I wouldn't spend a lot. And I was hoping they would be comfortable. All this is a lot to hope for, as it turns out, especially in the big city. And so off to the suburbs I went!

Mom suggested a couple of thrift stores - on Black Friday we went first to Liberty Thrift & Home Furnishings. The store was remarkably large (to my city eyes, but perhaps normal sized for suburbia) and filled with all sorts of furniture and clothes and home items. And many many chairs!!! Turns out there were three perfect chairs, solid wood, comfortable, and the whole store was 50% off that day. Three chairs for under $40 - I was thrilled! Even better though was when I saw the mission statement posted in the store:

"Liberty Ministries exists to serve offenders in prison and ex-offenders in the community by showing God’s love, providing practical assistance and supporting biblical standards of justice."

Three dining chairs? $40. Five red Christmas wreath bows? $3.50. Supporting a ministry you can believe in while shopping? Priceless.

Parisian Love

This just made my day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsSUqgkDwU

Time Management Scissors

I'm on my own personal "just say 'no'" campaign, and using the time management scissors to cut out unnecessary events. Just checked facebook and had four invitations to four events and proceeded to respond with four "no's".

I hate doing it, but in reality if I say "yes" I'll be only partially there, distracted by all the other things that I'm not doing while I'm at one of four said events.

Recently I was interviewed as a candidate for an industry association award. (It's an honor just to be nominated.) The interviewer asked, "So, you mentioned you're involved with your church, and you are also on the board of the organization. Other than that and work, are you involved with anything else?" "Am I supposed to be?" I thought "No," I said, laughing, "all that - and family and friends - keeps me pretty busy! Well, and the swing dance class on Monday nights I'm a part of..."

Last week as part of our church retreat we discussed virtues; the small group I was a part of discussed the virtue of wisdom. We decided that wisdom is choosing the best thing, at the best time, and pursuing it in the best way. So for right now, as life seems to be heating up (busy at work, industry events, Bible studies, and of course swing dance) the best thing to start doing is scaling back on the "I love to's" and boil it down to the "I need to's" in the schedule. And pray that God will make the "I need to's" super fun while I stay focused and keep the time management scissors handy!

Quote of the Day

"Is that the guy you hate as much as your religion will allow?" asked he.

"Yep!" says I.

Then I referenced Proverbs 25...

²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

²² In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.

If I really believe in a big powerful God, it's much better to entrust Him to give justice. He's bigger and badder than I am.

you studied WHAT in college?

Received the below in the email bin recently:

++++++++++++++++++++++

To: lg

From: recent acquantaince

Subject: From theater to facilities management???

++++++++++++++++++++++

My degree is in musical theatre performance, proud graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. It was a fantastic program and I love the great American Musical! And yes I know every word of every song in Oklahoma! And today I'm in corporate America.

The story is that I went into college with Broadway in mind, and came out of school with Jesus in mind. During my college years I read the Bible for the first time. Just picked it up and read it, and was really surprised! It was good! All kinds of good stuff about life, about God, about how people work, about history, really fascinating. And I was reminded of something I already sort of knew - I was a sinner, Jesus was perfect, and his death was a payment. More on that here.

So I knew I wanted to learn more. And I knew the life of an actor was taking any job at all in any city, any continent, and frequently touring. So I prayed, "God I think I should stay in one spot to learn about You. And I know you can give me an acting career later on. Would you give me a job I like just a little bit in the meanwhile?"

Landed at a fun tech company in the facilities management department, all the while in one city, able to attend the same church and regular Bible studies. And I like the job! :-)

Pleasing

“A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”

- Ghandi

“But what is the good of friendship if one cannot say exactly what one means? Anybody can say charming things and try to please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does not mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really true friend he prefers it, for he knows that then he is doing good.”

- Oscar Wilde

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
- Bill Cosby

For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

- Bible

If we agree with the above quotes, we would agree that pleasing everybody has its pitfalls. The pitfall - I think - boils down to choosing the easy immediate rather than the long term best. And as a follower of Jesus, I believe that the long term best is being loyal to Jesus above all else. Not that I am always successful at it - but it's a goal :-)

Whaddya think? Agree? Disagree?

Ah, Chinglish...

Received today:

Laura had been to Chinese country but she haven't users the Laptop in the Chinese country,

Walking around Napa

Wonderful week starting out and ending in Napa ~ many wonderful chats with friend and co-facilitator Christine last weekend.
I'm grateful for the beauty of the creation - the mountains, valleys, rivers and vineyards were beautiful and refreshing to see, as were the conversations about the Creator and how to best follow His plan.

The end of the week included great times catching up with colleagues from around the globe. It's always enlightening to hear from peers in other cities, countries or continents about their struggles and successes, humbling to be included in a group of such clever and accomplished people.

Walking with the Wise

Proverbs 13:20 says "He who walks with the wise grows wise"

I was thrilled this summer to be walking alongside those who were also walking with God.

These faithful men and women purposed to honor God and I'm grateful for the opportunities to serve alongside them.

Here are a handful of friends who have blogged about their adventures - and if you are reading this and were in China - please do share with me your blog address!

http://travelwithapurpose.blogspot.com/

http://iwillgochina.blogspot.com/

http://geofftravels.blogspot.com/

http://karen-overseas.blogspot.com/

Pasta & People

The other night I was re-heating pasta. Pretty glamorous, I know. I'd heard that it's best to re-heat pasta by setting it in hot water, then draining it out, and repeating. As I was straining the water from the bowl with my hands (again, glamorous) I found myself successful! I normally lose a good bit of the pasta with the water down the drain. But this time I didn't! And I realized it was because I was focused on the pasta - I was supporting the pasta and it had my focus. The water, while I waited, had run off.

I began thinking about people in my life. From time to time I think about a co-worker, friend, grocery store worker (once in a while I do), and think "It's so clear to me their issue is 'x'..." If I go about trying to free them from 'x' and focusing on the problem I can lose the person in the process. If I can support the person, perhaps their issue with 'x' will be able to be dealt with - seemingly simply running off. And the person - is there in tact. And ready to mix it up with some pesto!

This is not to say that everything is okay. Often a timely loving word is the only right answer. But it's the focus that is important, the most important thing is that person and that person's walk with God. Problems come and go but souls are eternal.

Walking around NYU

My new apartment is remarkably close to NYU. One morning my walk to work brought me this scene: "Watch the traffic! Whatch the traffic!!" The petite man yelled as the university students crossed. He ushered the cab through the intersection and stood back to look around. "Wait! " He stopped students and a professor behind him to check for cars, then let them cross. But the unusual thing was this: the "crossing guard" was self-appointed, and looked like a resident of the park. That's right, the homeless man is yelling at the cabbie and the startled freshmen. Just one example of how the city -and NYU- is special.

I feel like I can say this because I also happen to be an alum of NYU. Before applying, I spoke with a student there who wisely said, "It isn't like going to college; it's like living in the city and going to classes". This is in fact true. If you want to go to a college and have the typical college experience (football team anyone?), NYU is not the place. It's centered around Washington Square Park - a lovely city park to be sure... But it isn't exactly the college stadium in the movies. For all it's not, the thing I loved best about studying theatre in NY is that the professors are in the business, performing on Broadway or working in TV/ Film the same week they are showing up to teach. Their knowledge base is current and for the industry, it's vital.

And, of course, there are those special moments when a homeless man feels a sudden responsibility to orchestrate vehicular and foot traffic.

I heart NY.

Walking back to Work

After eleven weeks, I went back to work. It had been a "wouldn't-trade-it-for-the-world" summer sabbatical. And it was time to go back to the company that (gratefully) allowed me the opportunity.

Now, this wasn't as difficult as you may guess - I genuinely like my job and my colleagues. And the new apartment is about a twenty minute walk away, the weather was beautiful, and I was looking forward to seeing friendly familiar faces... laughing because of the prank they'd been planning.

I knew something was in the works and those I spoke with during my break were perfectly silent. No one leaked - they would make a pretty good set of spies. The prank itself was pretty good too - no detail was overlooked.

An email was sent in the morning to our larger team...

"So here are some photos of what happened to Laura's desk while she was gone. It shrunk!!!"

The "Creating of" my new desk

First day back

It was a fun first day - at my new improved desk all day long! and with many visitors coming to see what had happened.

Windows of Heaven

George Mueller (circa 1840) wanted to show God's glory by only praying about financial and material needs for the orphanage he ran.

I (circa 2009) was inspired by good ole George. So instead of prayer letters to raise support for the short-term missions trip to Beijing, I prayed that God would somehow provide. Lo and behold, in the process of buying the apartment in June, I met with an accountant who found an error on my taxes - in my favor. How cool is that?!?! But it's not the end of the story....

There's a verse in Malachi (3:10) that says "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it."

I should say here that I learned this verse early in my Christian life and have consistently given financially to my local church and when there is extra to local and overseas organizations. Since that time, I've never been in want and God is so creative to provide. Back to the story, though...

When I arrived back to NY and got the check in the mail from NY State, I was blown away! I shared the story about God's provision at our church's praise time, but got the numbers wrong. The refund was for $5026 -- I thought that was $26 more than what my need was. But when I double checked the numbers, I found that my exepenses were higher than I thought. The check was $317 short. Not quite what I thought, but a great praise all the same.

So when I checked the mail two days later and found something from the Federal government, I was surprised. I was more surprised that it was a refund check for Federal taxes! And even more surprised than that to see that it was for WELL over $317. More like over $12,000.

I'm blown away. He wasn't kidding about those windows.

...and we're back!

Paris, Dublin, and now home in New York city... it's been a great week!

There were many things that were wonderful ~ to name just a few: cafe au lait, chocolat croissant, Jardin des Tuileries, lunch with Marie, Gallerie Lafayette, glass of chilled Sancerre on a warm night, Shakespeare & Co, answered prayer for lost keys, sipping wine in the back garden, lovely weather for a picnic at Stephen's Green, and Jen Paul & Grace.

Enjoying the balmy New York August weather from the lovely new apartment, catching up a bit on email and staring down the stacks of boxes in the bedroom. I hope to win the stare down ... or unpack them this week.

Part 3: Singapore - A truly wonderful surprise!

Kevin & I arrived Singapore late Sunday night. To be honest, I knew precious little about the place before cramming on the plane with the guide book (thanks domad!). Kevin's conference began Monday morning so we made plans to meet for dinner Monday evening. I loved many things about Singapore - it is a tropical island, essentially, with a sophisticated metropolis that has been shaped by many people groups who have been through the city as it's a major trade route. There are influences from the British, French, Chinese, Malay and Indian people to name a few. This appears in the eateries, the shopping, and the architecture. All set on an island with palm trees, orchids and birds of paradise growing along the sidewalks. Such a fascinating place!Monday morning I wandered a bit around the 'Colonial area' and just fell in love with the Raffles Hotel which is plantation white with archways and gardens within its grounds. Wonderfully, the downtown area is only a short cab ride from the 'East Coast' shoreline and it was a great treat to walk barefoot along the beach and in the waves! So refreshing to see God's beauty in creation, the sky and the sea. In the afternoon I walked through the shopping district and was surprised by many malls. Many many malls. Kevin and I met and went to the Chijmes area - it was a convent in the 1800s and, when the sisters moved, it became an area with many restaurants. We had a good dinner of middle Eastern food and then went for ice cream at Raffles Creamery. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was walking by a hotel that was having a Durian Festival. Now, a certain brother is somewhat expert and has spoken on the subject of exotic fruits. Durian, aka 'stinky fruit', falls into this category. You can imagine how excited we were to take photos with the gi-normous plaster durian! And then, a lovely woman eating durian with friends at an outdoor table saw us taking photos and offered us a piece of durian! What a moment! I'd never had it so I tried only a small bite. Sort of like the texture of mango and the flavor of onion. Kevin offered me a second bite. "I'm good, thanks though." It was a fun day, and Singapore a happy surprise of a city!

Part 2: Seoul, Korea

Last Thursday, after a tearful goodbye in Beijing, I flew to Seoul to meet up with brother Kevin & his university friend Eunice. She grew up in Seoul and now visits her folks during the summer - fortunately while we were there! Friday we met up, drove all around, saw an open air market and went to a mountain which has at its top the 'N Seoul Tower'. A healthy hike up to the top, the views were great and we took many many photos. We strolled back down, had a delicious lunch at a fusion restaurant in Eunice's neighborhood and she showed us around, her church, her elementary school, some local shops. We ended our day with a vegetarian 'Buddhist temple food' restaurant for dinner followed by a stroll in the park. Next day, Saturday, we had a late lunch and hopped on the city tour bus, getting off at the historic village Namsangol. We had a late dinner at a restaurant famous for their oysters - and with good reason! Beautiful, delicious and large! It was the first two-bite oyster I'd ever had! Sunday morning Eunice saw us off and we were on our way to Singapore.

Couple of thoughts on Seoul (I was there for about 48 hours, so apply many many grains of salt to the following..)

Coming from Beijing, Seoul seemed really really clean. And orderly and polite. Perhaps it really is, or perhaps it is in my mind when compared to Beijing.

Exchange rates took a minute to get used to. The current rate is about $1 USD to about 1,200 Korean Won. Right. So a cup of coffee may cost you 4,500 Won. Dinner for two? About 36,000 Won. Souvenir magnet? 2,000 Won. The iTouch calculator feature? Priceless.

Stepping off the plane into Korea I knew two words of Korean: yo bosay-o (which is a greeting when you answer the phone) and kim-cheewhich is one of my favorite dishes. Completely my fault for not learning more prior to my trip. So I asked Eunice for some basics.
Thanks = Kam sa Ham nee dah (phonetically)
Hello =ahn Yong Ha say-o
Yes = Neh
No = Anio

Now, I'm no linguist. But these seemed like a lot of syllables. So I asked Eunice, do you ever abbreviate? No, you always say the whole thing. It took a full two days for me to remember all the syllables of KamSaHamNeeDah and make my mouth say it at the right time. For the first 36 hours I was like a happy mute, nodding and smiling because I knew no words!

Three Cities, Three Countries, Seven Days

Tian Jin, Seoul, and Singapore

Part 1: Tian Jin, China
Last Tuesday & Wednesday I traveled with my friend and fellow TIP teammate Karen to Tian Jin. One of her students from last summer, Linda, invited her to visit. Tian Jin is a city of 10million people and a two hour drive from Beijing.
We took the express train though and arrived in under 30 minutes. On Tuesday we walked all over the city with Linda and her husband and on Wednesday Linda, Karen and I visited Linda's parents.
We pretty much ate our way through the city! Linda and her husband were the epitome of hospitality, treating us to many delicious traditional foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Highlights: hotpot dinner with meat (sliced pork, ox stomach, bone marrow,meatballs), vegetables and noodles; breakfast dish that was like a thin omelet, wrapped in a thin pancake with delicious sauce, so that it looked like a burrito of sorts (super yummy); flavored ice, a mountain of ice with some milk in it, and topped with red bean sauce and corn (yep, it's a dessert); pears and peaches picked straight from the trees at Linda's folks' house in the countryside; homemade dumplings and "jar-bing" which is like a bouza but with a thin breadwrapping and fried, all with vegetables, and soooo good!

Among other culinary adventures, Karen & I fixed an 'American breakfast' for Linda and her husband. A trip to the grocery store was very interesting and it was no small miracle that we found baking powder for the pancake recipe.

"Baking powder?" Asked Linda,
"Yes, baking powder... It is... hmm, white, like flour, you put it in when you are baking, and...". Yea...

I think Karen and I were both praying when she was staring at the shelves and said "Baking powder!". And there it was, in English no less, Baking Powder. We got up early to cook so that we could eat with Mr Sung before he went to work. Perhaps most challenging was when we went to toast the bread... No toaster. No problem! We'll use the oven. No oven. Turns out, you *can* use a wok to toast bread. Carefully, though... I burned the first piece or two. Karen was a rock star making the pancakes, adding milk and flour and sugar to counteract the super salty butter (was it salted butter? We may never know...).
All in all the pancakes with peaches, scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast made for a good breakfast. Perhaps my favorite moment of all in Tian Jin was when Linda showed us her mother's prayer room. There was a table acting as an altar, framed pictures of many different gods, incense, and music that sounded like chanting. Her mother found us there and showed us the ritual way she prays, standing, kneeling, prostrated on a cushion before the altar. We said, "May we show you how we pray?" and told yes. We stood, all four, in a circle, held hands, bowed our heads and Karen prayed to Jesus, asking His blessing on China, its people, and Linda and her family, that they may have joy as they know the greatness of His love. Linda translated to Chinese for her mother, and we all said Amen together.

Last day in China

Today is June 30 and my last day in China.
I'm writing from the airport, on my way to Korea (closely followed by Singapore, Paris & Dublin). And while I'm looking forward to the travel that lies ahead, I'm most touched today by the events of the past 5 weeks in China and sorry to have to leave. I wouldn't say that our daily life was easy, accommodations at the university dorms were simple, there is not much in the way of luxury in the place or food or surroundings. For example, construction down the hall on two dozen dorm rooms included the jackhammer on the concrete floors to make way for drains for bathrooms in each room. Construction was noisy, dusty, and daily from 6 am to 6 pm. Suffice it to say, it is not the construction I'll miss.
The thing that chokes me up each time I think about the fact that I'm leaving is the people. I've simply fallen in love with the warmhearts and the tender spirit that was so evident in the staff of the program and the students. One woman in particular is a strong follower of Jesus and I greatly admire her and her pursuit of Christ. Never before have I been so touched by an individual that I took a piece of jewelry off and offered it to her. Never before has a piece of jewelry, a ring I've been wearing for five years, had so little meaning when compared to my desire to give to her. Many of those I said goodbye to I will see again in heaven, and I'm so grateful. I hope - and pray! - I will see many again either in China or America or another place that God in His wisdom and creativitycould arrange! In the midst of the sadness of saying goodbye I am comforted that God has His children in His hand and nothing will separate those from His love.

Ok - enough deep & meaningful for one update. Here are some fun things that I'll miss...
Chinglish
From time to time words or sounds are adjusted a bit from what anative English speaker would say. We call that Chinglish. Please, a sample conversation in Chinglish.

Person A: Now, friend, here is some bitter melon. Very delicious. Please. [She puts the bitter melon on your plate]
Person B: Thank you, thank you very much [this sometimes sounds like 'Sank you, sank you wery much']
A: Some rice, you wanting?
B: Nooo, is not very delicious [not wery deliciours]. You know, in my hometown noodles are very delicious. Welcome to my hometown. [Ie'Please visit!]

Hand in hand
For some unknown reason, Chinese women are very affectionate with each other and will often walk along hand in hand or arm in arm. During training one of my teaching teammates walked up and held my hand. The New Yorker in me gave her a sharp glance.
"Um, hey. What's up?"
"I'm helping you," she smiled, "your students will do this to you.I'm de-sensitizing you. Does it make you uncomfortable?".
"Yep! Suredoes!".
Ultimately I got over myself and accepted it as a part of the culture, and in fact it's rather endearing, after the first few uncomfortable times.

Chopsticks
I'm going to miss chopsticks. I just really find them convenient. Maybe I'll start a trend back in America - chopsticks for all!

Tuesday, July 21"TIP = Total Immersion Program"There are two groups, Blue Group and Green Group that are on parallel tracks but divided for size. There are about 170 students in each group. They have a very full day with a mix of large group activities and smaller classes (classes are ~ 30 students) and clubs (clubs are about 20-60 students).Students are soooo sweet! Very affectionate too which is a bit of a surprise at first - they hold your hand while you talk and such. It's very endearing! And most are English teachers themselves, here to improve their oral English. So because they are teachers they listen well -- they understand what it is like!

Typical day for me:
6 am - Shower time - we are each signed up for a time slot
6:30-7:30 - Devotional time - this year I am reading through the One year Bible and praying each morning
7:30 - arrive at classroom
8 am - Announcements and Diction lesson for Blue Group. I teach the Diction lesson with Lisabeth.
9 am - Break. Sometimes I sit in on a class
10 am - Announcements and Diction lesson for Green Group. Same lesson but different group.
11 am - Break
12 noon - Lunch. We eat with the students at the cafeteria and chat it up in English.
1 pm - 2:30 pm - Rest time. Best custom ever. We seriously should consider it in the States!
2:30 - 4:30 pm - Afternoons are different every day. Some days I will meet with another teacher to plan for activities on the weekends like Scavenger Hunt or Talent Show. Sometimes I will take a break and go to a nearby town or to the park next to the campus (Yuan Ming Yuan, Old Summer Palace).
4:30 - 5:30 pm - Club time. Clubs such as "Holiday Club" or "Music Club" or "Sports Club" is a time for students to learn about American culture. I worked with Meghan on Holiday club for three days and we talked about Christmas, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Easter.
6 pm - 7 pm - Dinner with Club
7 pm - 8pm - Games & Activities with class groups. I teach Diction in the morning so I don't have a class but am a class "buddy" with Doc and Silas's class. It's been great fun to get to know the students in that class and we play some board games and card games, also some name games and some fun group activities.evening.8 pm - ?? - Sometimes we visit the dorms to see the students and encourage them in their English only environment. It is an intense program, to speak only English for three solid weeks. Some nights we work on lesson plans for the next day. Some nights we go to town or just outside the campus gate to shop or eat.

Walking in Beijing

Greetings from Beijing! All's well here; we have limited internet connectivity, apologies for my delay in sharing news. It's been a great first couple of weeks!

"swine flu = really big deal in China"
We as Americans are a concern, so for the first seven days we were in dorms secluded and taking our temperature each day. We all worked to have a good attitude about it and in the end I think we did. It was good in that we had a solid week of uninterrupted training and bonding; there is a great deal in the trainings and we had, well, ample time for focused training! No distractions like the outside world! It has sincerely been very cool to meet all these people from around the US, each one with an amazing story of how & why they came to China for the summer. It's wonderful to have Britt and Chan from back home here on the team too, they are a joy to be around. There is a gentleman on our team who is really quite good, leading us as a group in many things, he is a DTS alum

"of COURSE you're not even in China for a week and you're already teaching swing dance"
One night, June 26, we were practicing 'American dances' that are popular among students in the program, you know the classics like Chicken Dance, YMCA, Cotton Eye Joe etc ;). Naturally at some point we were goofing around, one thing led to another and I taught about an hour of the basics of 6 count swing. :-o

"There's a city outside our dorms!"
Now that we are out of confinement we've mixed touring with prepping the campus. Couple of days ago we saw the Great Wall, it is remarkably impressive! To celebrate the 4th we went to an American restaurant - TGI Friday's! Today Sunday we're going to church at Haidian Church and then to the Silk Market for "retail therapy".. looking forward to seeing it after hearing so much about it.

"The real purpose"
Students arrive July 7 for "TIP" which is Total Immersion Program - all English and only English for 20 days. We are in the final throes of preparation, reviewing lesson plans and prepping materials. I've been assigned leading daily warm ups, vocal exercises and diction, including tongue twisters; a perfect fit for my background and training from theatre days! The whole program is shaping up to be fun and definitely reminds me of summer camp!

Feel free to send me email via gmail to keep in touch, or I'll read comments here when I'm back in August.
Happy 4th!!

~lg

Walking among Boxes

"Happy Moving Day!"

One of my sweet roommates was greeting us on Friday morning - yep, we moved last Friday!

"But wait," says you, O Faithful Reader, "last post we were waiting on some apartment business and isn't that flight to China coming up soon?" Yes and yes! Closed on the apartment (miracle timing!) June 18. Moved to new place June 19. Off to China June 21, tonight!

Dear friends were an enormous help as we had a packing party, a "pre-move in" cleaning party and post-move unpacking party.

Settling in to the new place has been great and there are a dozen little details we're learning about. The best moment so far: on Saturday night we did the first load of laundry!! Long-time NYC dwellers, this is a novelty none of us has ever had in an apartment. We pulled together a full load, did not need quarters to start the thing, put in the soap and all crowded around to watch it start.

At each step, spin cycle and all, I'm reminded that God's blessings are unparalleled and far better than I can imagine.

Walking with Wisdom in Words

In a conversation this week I found myself unsure of how to react and respond to the person I was chatting with. Hours after the conversation ended that I realized why I was speechless. Given the context of our conversation there wasn't a way to address her concerns, nor was there anything I could do, nor was I the necessarily the best person given our relationship. ... she was venting.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that I've vented to friends, family, co-workers and folks I just sorta know. Not a great habit, and in general I try not to unload a dump truck of emotion without wanting (often needing!) advice to puzzle through a situation.

I'm blessed with a remarkable circle of friends, many from church, and I'm simply unused to being on the receiving end of venting. It's just not on the activities list. Not to say that we don't share frustrations or concerns. Of course, but more often than not we share with a desire to take a positive step or get input to make a change in attitude or action. The ancient Proverb is true ~ there is wisdom in knowing when ~ and what ~ and why ~ to share.

A fool vents all his feelings but

a wise man holds them back.

~Proverbs 29:11

Walking around the World

Praising God for the following itinerary booked!!!!

June 22 --> Beijing

July 30 --> Seoul

Aug 2 --> SIngapore

Aug 4 --> Paris

Aug 7 --> Dublin

Aug 10 --> NYC

Walking & Waiting

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

~ Dr Seuss

This weekend found me in the Waiting Place.  waititng to hear about the Visa to go to China (June 22!)... Waiting to hear back from the co-op board about the new apartment... waiting to hear back from my landlord about leaving the current apartment... waiting to hear about a move date because Mom is waiting to hear when I might visit them next...

There are about a hundred verses in the Bible that have the word "wait" (I'm far from a scholar, I just use www.onlinebible.net).  Of those verses, 21 are in the Psalms and of those 21, there are 17 that are directly related to waiting on the Lord.  

Contrary to what Dr Seuss says, it isn't all bad.  Sometimes it helps to take a breath, take a minute, rest, and enjoy the break.  More importantly sometimes it's important to look to the Giver rather than the gift.  Waiting gives us the opportunity to do just that.  Here's to the breath!

Walking through the hallways of a High School

Wednesday I was honored to be a guest at Career Day at a Brooklyn High School.  It's been a while since I'd had the opportunity to be with students.  Nothing tests your self confidence like speaking in front of seemingly disengaged 9th graders.  If I didn't know better I would have thought that they really were sleeping.  Fortunately Mr. L taught me long ago that the high school attitude is usually covering a true intent listening student.  So I launched in...

We played "Four Truths and A Lie" : Of the below five statements which one is the lie?  (It's okay to play along, I know you want to)

1.  I met Miss S. [the high school guidance & college counselor] when I was five years old.

2.  My college major was musical theatre.

3.  In the past eight years my office has grown from 17 to 1700 employees.

4.  I'm active in two professional organizations.

5.  Every year I get a 3% salary increase.

So which one is a lie?  And why on earth did I choose these five as statements to share with impressionable (albeit seemingly disinterested) youths?

1.  I met Miss S. when I was five years old.

TRUE.  We met in kindergarten ~ and I'm proud to call her a friend to this day.  "You are building your circle and your network even today in the cafeteria, whether you know it or not."

 

2.  My college major was musical theatre.

TRUE.  Up to a point, it doesn't matter what your major is, and it's possible to have more than one career.

3.  In the past eight years my office has grown from 17 to 1700 employees.

TRUE.  I work for a remarkable company and wouldn't be anywhere else.  That's not to say that there aren't hard days and lots of work to be done.

4.  I'm active in two professional organizations.

TRUE.  At a point in my role, I grew from a job to a career and needed help from folks who had been at this a bit longer than I had. "... in abundance of counselors there is victory." ~Proverbs 24:6

5.  Every year I get a 3% salary increase.

FALSE.  Some years there is nothing and some years there is far more than 3%.  The point is that in a decently run organiztion there is recognition and reward for hard work.  Even if sometimes you do the work *first* and you get rewarded for it later!

Having prepared these things, while somewhat interesting, probably didn't get the most important point across.  The best career advice is summed up in a couple of ancient Proverbs:

Do you see a man who excels in his work? 

He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men. (Proverbs 22:29)

and

A fool vents all his feelings,
      But a wise man holds them back.  (Proverbs 29:11)

and

He who walks with wise men will be wise,
         But the companion of fools will suffer harm. (Proverbs 13:20)

At the end of the day, there is wisdom in working hard, earning a good name, and being ready and willing to learn.  If I think on it, nearly every job I've gotten has been because of the previous job.  Maybe I'll prepare a bit differently for the next Career Day.  Advice welcome  :-)

Walking in Wisconsin...

Spent Memorial Day weekend with wonderful friends.... seven of us from the Big Apple visited dear friends in Madison WI.  This couple grew up in Madison WI, lived in NYC for ten years and then moved back home, bought her parents' bakery, and are the proud parents of the most adorable baby boy I've ever seen.  (Nope, I'm not biased at all...)

Between bites of hot & spicy cheese bread at the farmer's market, Michael's frozen custard and grilling dinner on the back deck, it was a joy to be around a family whose home is filled with a sense of order and calm.  There's respect and love all around ~ not the "I'll do whatever you want" love that is prevelant ~ but the "I'll do what is best and honest" love that doesn't seek its own but seeks the good of the other.  The best verse to describe what I see in my friends' home is below.  Though sadly most of us know it as a cliche, if we look at it with fresh eyes and seek to understand and live out the love God describes, we may find it more challenging -and rewarding- than we expect.

1 Corinthians 13

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 
⁸ Love never fails. 

First Blog EVER!

With a nod to Laura L at Pinot and Prose for inspiring me to blog, I hope to share little bits and pieces from life as I walk along.  

This week I'm walking through my first ever home purchase!  Somewhat daunting in Manhattan, there's an awful lot of paperwork involved in being a grown-up!  But after renting for years (lots and lots of years...) everything has gone through the funnel of God's will and is pointing to a lovely apartment near Washington Square Park.  

So grateful for God's blessing and the ability to even considering purchasing - let alone actually making a purchase in Manhattan!  It is true as the Proverb says:  ²² The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, 

      And He adds no sorrow with it.