A New Beginning. (一个新的开始)

This post happily comes to you from my cornfield hometown in northern Illinois... a day before I leave it again for ten months! I've been home for two very busy and quick months but will be heading back to China for Year #2 tomorrow afternoon.

This decision didn't happen easily, and my heart has definitely struggled with the commitment all summer. You see, this last year in Yinchuan was a truly unbelievable year -- but for many different reasons, it wasn't necessarily the happiest year for me. Thrown into the deep end of a very foreign, traditional, and -- compared to most of China -- rather underdeveloped city, I really struggled with finding a sense of peace. Most days I felt alone, uncomfortable, and psychologically torn. I chose this path out of confidence in m¡ss¡on and in fa¡th; why, then, was my heart often filled with such melancholy?

I was no fool; I knew that my year would be hard, I just didn't know how it would be hard. I wasn't prepared for the how. But it's not about the how -- it's about the why. It's about bringing the hope and light of our Father into the lives of those who have been living in darkness. It's about using this time on earth to make the biggest possible guest list for our glorious family reunion in Hea¥en one day. It was that why that kept me going last year, and it was HIS strength that helped me to persevere.

I recently read a Paul Tripp devot¡on recently where he talked about how we can keep confidence in times of fear and doubt. He said the following:

Your fa¡th must not be tied to your daily circumstances, but to the Loπd, whose eternal presence, promises, and provisions are never altered by daily circumstances. Living by fa¡th means that no matter what happens, you have reason to continue. G0d is still the same. His commands are still valid. His promises are still true. His provision is still abundant. His presence has never left.

Those days when I felt like a lonely outcast because of my face, felt threatened by my then roommate's choice of questionable houseguests, felt disrespected because I am a single woman, or felt sickened by the worms coming out of my bathroom floor (seriously), I knew that I could find comfort and strength in my Loπd. My challenges and situations change every day, but my gracious and loving G0d does not change.

It is this certainty that gives me the courage to try, try again.

Tomorrow begins my journey to the "city of eternal spring": Kunm¡ng, China. It is the capital of Yunnan Province (the southernmost province in China), and a popular tourist location in China for its lovely climate and flowers that bloom all year long. "With a history of more than 2,400 years, it was the gateway to the celebrated Silk Road that facilitated trade with Tibet, Sichuan, Myanmar, India and beyond. Today it is the provincial political, economical and cultural center of Yunnan as well as the most popular tourist destination in southwest China" (ChinaTravelGuide).

Instead of being way up north in the small, desert city of Y¡nchuan, this year I will be way down south in the beautiful, larger, ethnically diverse and (a bit more) Westernized city of Kunm¡ng. I am hopeful that this location will be a better fit for me and my personality, that I will be ever-strengthened and uplifted to serve HIM better and better each day, and that this experience will be better than the last -- especially since I will actually have teammates this year!

My year in Y¡nchuan was long and sp¡r¡tually + mentally grueling. But it was not for naught, certainly. I grew in fa¡th, B¡bl¡cal understanding, and world experience as I faced challenges every day and brought them to the L0rd in pπayer and confession. I learned valuable lessons in humility, constantly being reminded that I cannot do this life without help from friends, family, strangers, and my Redeemer. Most importantly, I made connections and planted seeds of fa¡th that I pπay the H0ly Sp¡r¡t will nurture for years to come. I pπay that the Big Guy will guide me to focus more on this good work instead of on my own selfish wellbeing. That being said, I am human, and I do believe that I will do my best work if I am comfortable and happy.

So here's to making the most of my second year in China, and here's to a new beginning. Thank you all for your support, strength, and pπayers. Talk to you soon, and stay tuned for new adventures!

--

Mandarin Word of the Day: restart
Chinese characters: 重启 (重 = heavy, repetition, layer; 启 = to open, to begin, to enlighten)
Pinyin pronunciation: chóngqĭ

Welcome! (欢迎!)

I gotta say, it's pretty amazing what a good night of sleep can do. Yesterday was a full day of meeting people, opening a Chinese bank account and phone plan, and continuing the settling-in process. By the end of the day I was exhausted! But after a solid 8 hours of sleep, I'm feeling pretty rested this morning. The cup of coffee sitting next to me definitely helps. ^_^

Speaking of which, my apartment is pretty cool. It definitely has a unique and fashionable Chinese flair to it! My room overlooks some trees and a couple of outdoor exercise machines (which is a thing in China, btw). I have loved waking up to the sounds of people starting their days and greeting each other in Chinese. My room looks pretty put together, now that I have unpacked everything and have put a few decorations out. I didn't bring much, just a few things to remind me of home.

admiring the new neighborhood

I am very fortunate to have a LOT already in my apartment. I have inherited countless appliances (helloooo coffee maker!), books, shelving units, school supplies, and kitchen utensils from two of the other American teachers who will be leaving Yinchuan to head back to the United States very soon. I'm sad to see them go, as they are my strongest "lifelines" here, but I am very grateful for all the immense help they have already provided!

One thing in particular which Anna and Becky have been helping me with is simply knowing what to call things. The community in which I live is called Jintai Huayuan, located along Kangping Lu (Lu means "road"). Last night they took me to a cheap restaurant nearby and were of immense help with the menu. I really have to figure out my favorites quickly so that I will have at least one thing I can say when ordering...!

noodles, beef, and greens...can't go wrong!

On the topic of knowing what to say... You know that G0d REALLY has something in store for you when you are given a roommate who does not speak English. Ha! I didn't know what to expect, but Yang Yang is very nice and has a good attitude about our situation. All I can say is thank goodness for technology and translation apps! Here is what one of our conversations looked like on our first night together:

Me: I am going to bed now.
Yang Yang: [Chinese phrase] Ah... *pulls out phone* *types* *shows me phone*
Me: "I teach you Chinese." Oh! That sounds great. And I teach you English!
Yang Yang: Yes...but first I learn you Chinese.
Me: It's that bad, huh.

As I mentioned, yesterday was my first day of going out into town. My boss drove me around when we were going to the bank and the phone store, so I was able to get an idea of how the city looks. It really is pretty small, despite being the host of some 2 million people. There are a few main roads by which people can orient themselves, and a lovely view of some mountains to the northwest. Right now I am most concerned with making sure I enter the correct apartment, let alone the correct apartment building, but I am confident I will eventually be able to use natural roadmarkers to make my way around town.

I'm still on my "you just arrived in China and are probably crazy tired and confused" break, but tomorrow I will be going into school to shadow some of the morning classes. I will be shadowing for a little while (perhaps a week?) but then will get around to teaching my own classes. I don't really know what to expect, but time will tell.

As for today, I'm going to do a bit of guided exploring with Anna and Becky. We will incidentally be making our way past the brand spanking new Starbucks, so I might have to check it out...you know, for research. Will report back later! :) Until then, here is a good summary of some information about Ningxia, the region in which Yinchuan is located, for those of you looking for some basic facts about my home for the next ten months (taken from this website)!

Ningxia is one of the five autonomous regions in China. It is the only provincial-level ethnic Hui region and the best place to experience the country's Muslim culture. The capital, Yinchuan, is not only the political, economic, and cultural center of the region, but also a famous historical and cultural city.
◆ Geography
Ningxia is located on the northwest Loess highlands pierced by the Yellow River. The Great Wall runs along its northeastern boundary.
Ningxia borders Gansu Province to the south, Shaanxi to the east and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north.
It is a relatively arid region, including the Tengger desert in Shapotou, but the ancient Yellow River irrigational system ensures the northern part is well watered – earning it the nickname of the ‘land of fish and rice’ in the North.
◆ Administrative Divisions
Covering an area of 66,400 square kilometers (about 25,600 square miles), Ningxia is divided into 5 prefecture-level cities (Yinchuan, Shizuishan, Wuzhong, Guyuan, Zhongwei).
◆ Economy
Ningxia has one of biggest pastures in the country. It boasts rich mineral resources, such as sodium, magnesium, ammonia, lime nitrogen, tantalum and niobium. The Shan Gan Ning Natural Gas Field is one of the largest in the world.
Its GDP in 2009 was 133.46 billion yuan (US$19.5 billion), with a per capita GDP of 21,475 yuan (US$3,143). Ningxia is the principal region of China where wolfberries are grown.
◆ Diversity
Ningxia is home to Hui people who make up about 36 percent of the regional population of 6 million and Hui people mostly live in Tongxin, Guyuan, Xiji, Haiyuan and Jingyuan counties as well as Wuzhong City and Lingwu County irrigated with water diverted from the Yellow River. There are also many other ethnic minority groups in the region.
◆ Climate
Ningxia has a temperate continental climate of long, cold winters and short, hot summers; temperature is lowest in January, averaging from -10 to -7 degrees Celsius and highest in July, averaging from 17 to 24 degrees Celsius. Annual rainfall averages from 190-700 millimeters.

**

Mandarin Word of the Day: adapt 
Chinese characters: 适应 (适 = to suit, comfortable; 应 = to accept, to respond)
Pinying pronunciation: shìyìng

Home (家)

(I wrote the following post last night -- err, at 4am China time.)

Although it still doesn't seem real to me, I am officially moved in -- and currently snuggled up in the bed of -- my new apartment in Yinchuan, China. My flights went smoothly, I slept sporadically, I'm pretty sure I had three dinners in one evening (whatever my body currently thinks a single evening is), but praise be, I got here safe and sound. My new boss came and picked me up at the Yinchuan airport, after which he treated me to (third) dinner at 2am. (Now accepting pr@yer requests for my internal clock / body.)

As I wait for the melatonin to kick in, I wanted to write about something I thought of the other day. On Saturday my dad and I went to see the new Star Trek movie. I don't really follow this new series, but something struck me with this one. At the beginning of the film there is a montage of scenes depicting life on the USS Enterprise. Over this montage you can hear Captain Kirk (voiced by Chris Pine, who just has such a nice head of hair, you know?) give a little spiel during a captain's log entry about how, essentially, he is three years into a five year mission, and he's starting to have some doubts.

The more time we spend out here, the harder it is to tell where one day ends and the next one begins. It can be a challenge to feel grounded when even gravity is artificial. But we do what we can to make it feel like home. ... As for me, things have started to feel a little episodic. The farther out we go, the more I find myself wondering what it is we're trying to accomplish. If the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something forever out of reach?

"If the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something forever out of reach?" How depressing, right? Kinda makes you feel bad for the guy.

The captain's entry made me think about my own mission in Yinchuan. There are a lot of people in China -- far too many for so few of us to reach all of them. Just like Captain Kirk's, our task seems endless. But the difference here is attitude. Captain Kirk is viewing his mission as a job, a quest of obligation. Our G0d-given mission here on earth, however, is one of love. It is not a task, it is not a chore, and it is certainly not hopeless. It is our privilege, our joy, and one of the most important instructions we will ever get, straight from the Big Guy himself: "Therefore go and make discip1es of all nations" (Matt 28).

There's an old magnet on my parents' refrigerator that reads: "G0d put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will never die..." Is this not an attitude completely opposite of Captain Kirk's? How uplifting is this outlook! What a blessing it is that the Big Guy Upstairs gives us a spirit of productivity and provides lifelong work for us to do -- work that pleases Him, and work that will bring others to Him. This is our joy! Cultivating His fields, as it were. Sure, we do not know how far out these fields go or how long it'll take to reach all of them, but we'll never know how tall any of His plants may grow if we do not tend to them one by one.

It is easy to lose hope and to seemingly float away from your cause when the future is unknown. It is easy to question what you're even trying to accomplish when it seems like your job will never be done. But that's the thing. If we delight in the L0rd, what we do to praise Him will never seem like work. He will never forget us; see, He has written us on the palm of His hand! Our work will never be done, and that is a blessing. And in serving and loving the Father all the days of our lives, we are working towards the ultimate paycheck: one day joining Him in the perfect and eternal home He has prepared for us!

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the L0rd, because you know that your labor in the L0rd is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:58)

G0d is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrws 6:10)

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living G0d, who is the Savi0r of all people, and especially of those who believe. (1 Tim 4:10)

**
Mandarin Word of the Day: mission
Chinese characters: 任务 (任 = to appoint, assignment; 务 = a matter, to be sure of)
Pinyin pronunciation: rènwu