Don't I Have Something To Say?

Steve has been after me to contribute to our 'family journal'. I managed to get things started back in Boulder, with the help of Kelly Nelson, to show family and friends where we would be moving to - but I have not done an entry since we arrived here in China.

Maybe I'm overwhelmed? Maybe I have stage-fright? Maybe Steve seems to be handling things just fine?

Let's see... I've gone from just hanging around and settling in the 1st month we were here, to the fall semester being asked to co-teach Kindergarten & 1st Grade along with 4 secondary art classes a week plus evenings with the boarding students, to my current schedule since Jan., 2 art classes a week and evenings at home with the boarding students.

Since Steve has started his classes, I've been given another chunk of time all to myself. From 8 am-12 pm, I have the house to myself. What to do... As any lady of leisure could tell you, 'there just aren't enough hours in the day.'

Seriously, I have begun to devote myself to the study of the word and to prayer. Sounds like a simple objective, but I tell you there are so many distractions trying, waiting, in line to fill up my time in the morning. I've had to learn to put off making my SKYPE calls, to ignore an untidy room (or 2), and to just be honest with God about where my mental state of mind is - and He takes it from there.

Now, my quiet times are usually not very quiet. I've found a poorly edited worship time from a 2007 conference that took place in Hong Kong and dance around my tiny apartment like nobody's business! (There is construction going on in the apartment next door and I've caused them to go silent many a time, probably trying to figure out what the foreigner is up to now.) God puts things on my heart to declare aloud and prayers that bring heaven to earth for me.

I've been listening to the most freeing podcasts on God's grace. (If you're interested, I can give you the sites to find them.) My mind has been a playground for the enemy for far too long.

Yikes, I'm getting a bit too heavy for our family blog. I'm going to back off from there, and tell you 'I'm having a good time'!

We enjoy the staff we're working with here and the people we've met at the International Fellowship - but we sure do miss all of you back home. The countdown to summer has begun... 9 weeks til school's out!!! See you soon. ~Tammy

Book Week & Golf

This week at Yew Chung International School has been Book Week. It is a whole week focused on literacy and week is capped off with all the students dressing up as a literary figure. Gabriel, of course, wanted to be someone from The Lord of the Rings so Tammy worked with a local tailor in town here to put together an appropriate "hobbit" like guise. Complete with "ring" necklace and hairy feet, Gabriel spent the day as Frodo Baggins. He then went on to win various contests including trivia questions on Star Wars. :)



After the school day, a number of teachers got together to take advantage of an offer to go and hit some golf balls and have a lesson at a local 9 hole golf course. It was a fun opportunity for all of us and they even had some left handed golf clubs for Tammy. After an hour of hitting golf balls we headed into the club lounge to have a beer. We ordered 4 beers and the waitress informed us they only had one beer. This was strange as we were looking at the fairly diverse beverage list. We said if they only had one beer (not one type, but literally 1 bottle of beer) left, then maybe we could get some coke or soda. She said they were out and had only water.


















You have to live in China to appreciate the moment. No apology, no explanation. Just matter of fact, "Do you want the one beer or water?" Well, we took the one beer, split it among 4 glasses and had a good laugh.


Hey, the golf was good!