My team

Our re-enactment of the nativity

I want to introduce you all to my team, they are a HUGE part of my life here. I know that I will probably talk about them a lot, so this way you can "know" them too and know more about who I am talking about.
We are a total of 9 people, 7 adults and 2 kids.

I will start with the team leaders, the top.
Dale, Alyssa, Asher (3), and Dasha (2)

Dale loves to joke around and kid with us. He listens to old school Chr. music (that I know a lot of) and enjoys finding funny things on Pinterest. He teaches one class of hyperactive 1st graders, and they love their Mr. Dale. He's a world -class dishwasher, father, and husband. Other than Asher, he is the only male presence on the team. He puts up with 6 women pretty well.

Dale and Alyssa

Alyssa - the great lesson plan helper, one-on-one haver, kindergarten teacher teacher, mother, wife, and friend. She is a very busy woman. While she doesn't teach here, the teacher in her is one of our greatest resources. I'm not sure what this team would be without her - but I know it definitely wouldn't be the same.

Dasha

Asher

Asher - a crazy 3 yr old who loves playing ball at the field, going to Kindergarten, not taking naps, and playing (and fighting) with his sister.

Dasha - our sweet little girl. She loves "the girls" (as the 5 of us are called by her and Asher). She likes to paint her nails and play games.

Now, for "the girls" (We'll go about this alphabetically):

Anna and I

Chesney and her stocking

Anna - such a sweet spirit. She's a hardworker and she is a great teacher. We have had many good conversations, and some fun "girl talks". She is a good friend. She amazes me - teaching full time, doing all team activities, and preparing for law school in the fall. And avid picture taker, dancer, our resident Chinese communicator - and a very important part of this team.

Chesney - our fun, think outside of the box, tall, blonde, wandering, China staying member. You can't help but love Chesney and her constant smile and energy. The only one of the 5 of us who was an education major and the only one staying in China (those 2 facts are unrelated). Chesney brings such an energy and desire for deeper relationships to out team. A very important member to our little family.

Lindsay and Dasha on Christmas

Lindsay - energetic, student loving, people magnet... just a few things to describe her. One of my travel buddies for winter holiday, and my travel partner for the trip to Shanghai. And one of my 2 roommates - I just can't seem to get rid of her. :) She is a fun, energetic teacher who loves her kids SO much. You can't go anywhere with her without her finding a new friend (or BF or husband...). I have had the privilege of watching her grow so much this semester. Lindsay will not be coming back to China because she is starting Med School in the fall. She loves to eat jiao zi (dumplings), chicken, and spicy food. She is also fond of dancing and making new friends.

Sarah and Dasha

Sarah - wise, quiet, laid-back, adventuring, stair loving, lover of life, globe-trotting, Book loving, healthy eating, great cook, the other of my 2 roommates, and the best office mate I could ask for. Sarah is a strong, quiet spirit who loves to Talk to Father and read his Word. She desires to have deep conversations and relationships with those on our team and her co-teachers. She has so many practical ideas - and where we go for much advice. She teaches 2 grades, which means more lesson planning than any of the rest of us have to do - and she is such a great teacher. I know our team wouldn't be the same without her, and neither would our apartment.

I hope that I have given you a glimpse into the beautiful women (and Dale) that I am privileged to spend this year with. I am so thankful for each of them. We are all different, but we come together well as a team. Father definitely knew what he was doing when he put us together here in Taiyuan. We've been through a lot, and I'm sure we will go through more. Lift us up as we navigate these challenges and grow deeper together as a team this semester.

Winter Holiday Adventures

I'm going to go ahead and apologize for the mess of pictures, I can't get them to do what I want.

I know a lot of you "followed" me VIA facebook posts on my vacation around southeast Asia, but if you didn't - don't feel left out - I'm gonna catch you up on all I've been up to for the past month.

First, Lindsay and I headed out on a train to Beijing. We were able to stay in the Mac (a headquarters type building for my organization) with Joy and Katie and her friend Michelle (who was also visiting). We spent the week with these friends going ice chairing (a very dangerous activity), eating gigantic pizzas, amazing Italian food, watching movies, chatting, and spending time together. It was nice to live in Beijingica (that's America in Beijing - what we call the Mac) for a week. The Mac is very nice - they have heat so hot you have to turn the A/C on, bathtubs, overs, stoves, and dryers!! This is quite different from the China I live in.

After a week of fun in Beijing, we flew to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. Warm weather and humidity!! I had missed it so much. One of the first things I noticed in Malaysia was that there were lots of different kind s of people and most of them spoke English.

For dinner that night we found a KFC where, for the first time since August, I was able to order my food in English! They even had actual mashed potatoes and gravy!!

Malaysian food is fantastic, the weather is perfect, and the people are so kind. While we were in KL we took a hop on, hop off bus tour of the city, went to a bird park (which was amazing!), went up to the top of the Petronas towers, got henna on our hands, and did a lot of shopping. Our time in KL was a lot of fun, but the next leg of our adventure promised to be just as fun.

We were headed to Phuket (poo-ket), Thailand. Our hostel was wonderful - the people that ran it were so nice and helpful. We were about 7 min. walk from the beach and the temperature was never under 90 degrees. Perfect!

In Phuket we went to the beach (a lot), snorkeled, pet tigers, celebrated Lindsay's birthday, and made some new friends along the way. 

One of my favorite things that Joy and I did almost every day, was get up early and go walking on the beach. We talked, saw some neat sea creatures, and collected seashells.

After the craziness (and interesting beachgoers) in Phuketm we headed north to Chiang Mai - a beautiful city in the mountains of Thailand. Our last stop. We arrived in town a few days before conference began - in those few days we got to eat some incredible Mexican food (probably mostly cause we hadn't had any in so long), spend the day riding elephants, and do laundry! Our day with the elephants is definitely one I will never forget - I won't go into detail here, but ask me about it some time, I'd love to tell you about it.

Then conference began. The reason we came all that way in the first place. The theme for the week was "He is worth it" and He so is! It was good and refreshing to be with people, so many people, who all love Him and do His work. ATC is also something I'd love to tell you about sometime.

Over the month I learned a lot about myself and a lot about Him. I saw things He created that were so small and yet so beautiful that made me realize how much he must love and care for me. I also saw things he created that were so big and magnificent I couldn't help but be in awe of Him.

He is SO worth it!!

If you want to see more pictures, check out my facebook albums...(it won't let me post the links here)

Joy and I on our elephant

We love Malaysia, in our I love Malaysia shirts.

Malaysia, Joy, Me, and Lindsay on the beach in Phuket.