Pros and Cons of being a celebrity By: Brinson

Well first of all, in China if you're white you're immediately famous and I and the rest of my family are white as you probably know.  So everywhere we go people take pictures with us.  I'm not kidding, parents will actually line up their children to take pictures with Aiden and I. 

Once my dad and I went out to play football for a while and it turns out we didn't get to because people stopped us to talk to my dad.  Then suddenly I  heard Boy! I turned around and there were some girls, they were motioning for me to come.  I told my dad then went over and like always they said "Can we take photo with you?" So I smiled and held up the peace sign.  They each wanted to take one with me so willingly I did. 

Well sometimes it is quite fun to be the center of attention but sometimes like if you want to play with your dad it's not as fun.  Once we went to a kinder garden and it was Mid Autumn Festival so there were performances and stuff like that. 

The director asked us to go up and sing a song.  We sang A is for Awesome and the Pritchards sang Blessed be your name and believe it or not there was a T.V. camera man there.  He came over to our family and told our wyban Robert something.  Robert told me to say something in Chinese.  I had no idea what it meant but we practiced it then I said it to the camera.  The camera man said Hen Hou which means good then went away.  Later I asked Robert if I was on T.V. and he said "Yes" I never thought I would be on T.V. 

It was a really fun experience but afterwards some ladies pointed at their cheek and said "Kiss!"  at first I said Bu which is a negative word like No or n't etc...  but the ladies kept saying "Kiss kiss kiss!" so eventually I kissed them, but on the cheek definitely. 

It's kind of hard when about 3/4 of your time outside is spent taking pictures with people.  It kind of depends on how your mood is.  Sometimes it is so fun to be famous but sometimes it's not as grand as it seems.  Back in America it was a dream to be famous but now it is Ma Ma Hoo Hoo which means so so.

Another experience was when we went to another school and we saw kids lining up and  then they started running on the track.  If you know me I absolutely love to run. So that looked very appealing. 

Well anyway some people led us inside of a room and the president of the school was there.  There was a camera man with a camera and a camera woman with a T.V. camera. 

In China they always serve you hot water, I knew that but the water this time was extra hot, which I did not know.   I blew on it and took a sip it immediately burned my mouth and numbed it with pain.  I uttered a surprised cry, thankfully it was quiet and the water spilled out of my mouth onto the table.  It was kind of embarrassing and to make it worse the camera lady was videoing me, the only time I messed up there.  Three days later my mouth still hurt. 

Anyway a guy asked us if we wanted to go outside.  All four kids shook there heads in agreement.  The man led us outside and there were two more people with cameras.  We waved at the kids and they waved back very happily. 

First we did a game where you hold a stick and push a ball.  The people videoed us and took pictures. Next we did a track competion Me, Aiden, Ayden, and Hannah lined up for the race.  A man with a gun counted to three "ee, are, san" ( one two three) then he shot the gun and we started running. There were a lot of people in the audience and they all started cheering.  Next we did a high jump.  A whole lot of people gathered around to watch. 

The camera lady was there too and the camera men.  I went first and didn't make it.  After Aiden went, I went again and flipped over the pole and onto the mat.  Next we did the jump rope that is after a picture.  The man who took the picture showed it to us and I thought it looked very professional.  After the Jump rope we were interviewed and the man who was with us all day asked us a lot of questions.  We answered them and I asked the guy if we could say Ne How Shiyan which means Hello Shiyan which is our city.  He said we could say Zhijean Shiyan which means Bye Shiyan.  So we did. Well that's about it. I'll write soon Brinson.

Pics--Wendy

Archery at home :)

Legos transcend language barriers

The day when I can no longer hold him is fast approaching.  We often test it out to make sure it hasn't happened yet  :(

First haircut in China

Some views of our school

Mopping day

Practicing Chinese characters

Orphanage Update by Eric

We've mentioned a couple of times an orphanage in town we've visited some.  There's about a dozen toddler/preschool age children and a dozen disabled elementary/middle school age boys.  They've just moved into a very nice, new facility. It's our heart's desire to go regularly in order to play with and love on the kiddos. In fact, there are quite a few students who have either gone with us or have expressed an interest in going.  It's turned into a tremendous opportunity to model love and invite others to begin walking the way of love with us. Great conversations with students have come about simply by our two families' desire to help the least of these.

However, a couple of weeks ago we were told by the orphanage director that as foreigners we would need to go through quite a bit of red tape in order to continue coming. Basically, the decision to allow us to enter the orphanage needs to come from a government official in Wuhan (the capital of Hubei province).  We've begun the process and made some headway but are still experiencing some resistance and hesitance. Please be in prayer about this on our behalf. Pray for open hearts, open minds, and open doors. This is really important to the eight of us.  Those kiddos have made an imprint on our minds and hearts. Please pray diligently.

Cold Weather, Cooking, Package & Photos by Wendy

It's coming and it's coming much earlier than I thought!!!

Anyone who knows me well knows that cold weather and I don't mesh well together.  I have been anxious about the cold weather since learning that we would live at the foot of mountains. 

I literally carry a portable heater and heating pad with me from room to room in San Antonio!  I ruined my heating pad the first week in China after not checking the compatability of the voltage.  Thus no heating pad or electric blanket (the blanket won't work either).

What's a girl to do!  I have asked nearly all of my Chinese friends, "How do you stay warm in the winter"?  I've learned that they have NO hot water or heaters in the dorms.  Therefore, I have decided......no complaining about the cold in the winter!!!   I will do my best, considering I have much more than the students have. 

On another note....I am more of a 'buy things in a box and add water' sort of cook (if you call that cooking).  I have made very few things from scratch in my lifetime.  There's no Jiffy, Bisquick, Aunt Jemima or Duncan Hines here!

But now, however, I feel as though I am a REAL woman after learning to cook many things from scratch.  I have made cornbread, pancakes, tortillias, bisquits (in the skillet), and banana nut bread.  I am very proud...hear me roar :)  

We also received a couple of packages recently.  It was a true delight to open them, get goodies and read all of the sweet notes and cards.  Thank you so very much!  It was very meaningful and felt like an early Christmas :)

                                       Making Dumplings with Bo and Apple

 

The kids eating the dumplings

Missing our bathtub and improvising

The boys teaching a group of middle school students.

Our favorite park!

 

Aiden reading his notes from our package.

Brinson enjoying his notes too.

Photos-by Wendy

Bowl of scorpions for sale

The revered hour of rest--after lunch

Our friend and student, Bo, teaching Brinson ping-pong

Our friend and student, Desiree, teaching Aiden Chinese Characters

Bo again with Brinson

Fun playground that we found

Chinese pizza-complete with peas and corn

Wanna Dance? by Tiffany

After dinner our family decided to go outside to the basketball courts for a friendly game of two on two (which Ayden and I won -- not the point, but just sayin')!  We played for a good while, laughed and just had a real fun time!  After a bit I noticed that across the way there was some beautiful Chinese music playing.  I looked in that direction to find a group of about 20 ladies in their 60's - 70's doing some form of Chinese dance.  It was intriguing so I decided to go sit and watch.  I didn't think they'd mind since they are always staring at us.  So Hannah and I went and sat down in front of them while Deryk and Ayden took off to run at the track.  We hadn't been there 2 minutes when one of the sweet ladies came over to insist that we join them?!  Although I tried my best to tell her that we were only there to watch, I could tell that she was not going to take no for an answer!  I looked over at Hannah to see if I could convince her to join me, only to find her looking the other way saying an emphatic "NO"!  I tried again, "Come on, lets just go have fun and make memories", and to my delight she hopped right up and joined me on the court.  We "danced" if you could call it that, laughed and certainly made some memories!  I was thankful she was there with me, AND courageous enough to join in!  I was a good night :)

Daily Life (part 3) by Eric

Today I’ll wrap up my description of our daily life here in the People’s Republic of China.

                                                             

Food: we’re still trying to figure this one out because the prep time, cooking method, and food selection is a bit different than we’re used to.  In our kitchen we have a hot burner, a small refrigerator/freezer, a microwave, a rice cooker, and a slow cooker (although it isn’t really a slow cooker b/c the settings are basically off and high).  The Pritchard’s apartment had a small toaster so we borrow that a couple times a week if we want to bake something small.  Our diet primarily consists of rice, vegetables, rice, beans, rice, chicken, rice, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  The peanut butter is a rare commodity here so when a few jars are found in a store or we know of a person from a bigger city passing through we stock up. 

There’s a small grocery store (think Walgreens or CVS) on our campus that sells a few things we need on a week-to-week basis but the large supermarkets (think HEB or Wal-Mart) are a good 25-35 minute trip via bus. So far we’ve only gone there for food about every 3 or 4 weeks to stock up on meat for the freezer.  We’ve found chicken breasts, beef, link sausage….and of course all kinds of other meat that we’ve never considered edible before.  The boys have always enjoyed catching frogs in rivers and streams. Here they get to look at huge ones jumping around in a bin in the meat section of the grocery store. J

However, most of our food purchases are at a few small storefronts a couple hundred yards from our door. (see below; Photos by Aiden D.)  We walk down just about every day to get fresh fruits, vegetables, and rice.  Washing and decontaminating produce takes more time than we’re used to in the states.  Pesticides are used in abundance and it’s a pretty good bet that all the food has spent some time on the sidewalk prior to being placed in the bins.  So we peel everything, wash it all thoroughly, and either give it a salt water or vinegar soaking before rinsing it again in clean water.

The sink water isn't drinkable- for us or the Chinese- so we call and order large containers of water every week or so....which at first was a humorous exchange as we learned the Chinese sentences.  Now they pretty much know what the Americans trying to speak Chinese are needing.  It’s usually delivered to our door the next day. I also boil water a couple of times each day for cooking and drinking.   

Cooking with a wok is something we’re all still trying to master.  We’ve scorched several attempts at dinner over the past few weeks.  It’s been difficult so far coming up with meal ideas because there are only so many things you can do with veggies, beans, and rice- especially without an oven.  The Chinese cook with a lot of oil and a lot of salt.  This past Sunday a student came over and taught both families how to cook “eggs and tomatoes.”  It’s a favorite of the students and is quickly becoming one of our favorites as well.  The Pritchards and us both made it again for dinner on Monday night and Tuesday night.  I suppose we were all craving a new recipe.  Dairy products are nonexistent in Shiyan so cheese, milk, sour cream, and such can’t be found.  We have found a store that carries small blocks of butter although they are always a few months past their expiration date.

The biggest adjustment for our family in terms of food has been the scarcity of snack foods.  Nothing is easy or quick. In the states we got into a habit of having a big snack around 7:30 or 8:00 each night. (that’s when the boys were “starving”) We’d fix a big bowl of apple slices, pretzels, raisins, crackers, nuts, cheese sticks, etc.  Few of those things are available here so our evening snack isn’t quite so exciting anymore.  We’re definitely eating less in quantity each day here than we were in the states…..which isn’t a bad thing.

  

We go to a restaurant or the canteen (cafeteria) a couple of times each week.  With the help of friends we've slowly acquired a list of foods we know we like and have deemed ‘safe.’  Just pointing to a menu full of Chinese characters can be a dangerous thing. J But even with the novice training we've received we still have a few surprises along the way.  There are a couple of dishes I've ordered several times and enjoyed.  One looked like regular ole’ beef and the other was a spongy substance in a soup.  Just yesterday I discovered that one was cow stomach and the other was cow blood.  I’m still not sure how the spongy thing could be blood but that’s what I was told.  Apparently it’s good for cleaning out dust from your body.  I might just stick with my dust and find a new type of soup.

Laundry is another daily task which takes a little more time than it did in the states.  We have a small washer (about ½ the size of an American model) and no dryer so we hang the clothes inside our apartment.  They come off the line the following day quite crunchy. 

Grace and Peace

Eric

My First Day at the Orphanage - Deryk

Tiff, the kids and I went to the orphanage for the first time today with the Davenport's.  Wendy has done a lot of leg work to find the orphanage and get us in.  After their first visit, they told us about it and we decided that we wanted to go.  I have to tell you that I decided to go at first because I knew this was important to Dad, but I had to ask for a new heart to go with willingness and desire.

So I went today eager to see what it was like and to see how I could contribute.  I decided to start small and simply love on a child or two.  When I first came in, a little one grabbed my finger and we walked in circles around the room for quite a while.  Then another little one grabbed my other hand and joined us.  Finally, I sat down and one of them sat in my lap for a while.  So I sang over him and simply Talked over him (I learned this from Eric sense I had no idea what to do!).  Before the day was over I had three beautiful little children sitting in my lap.  It was an incredible moment, just having the opportunity to love on some little ones that need love so desperately.

As my family and I were talking about all of this tonight I was telling them the story of the three little ones crawling up in my lap, and I mentioned that I learned how they asked to be picked up.  I said, "It sounded like 'ba ba'", and Tiff, Hannah and Ayden all said at once, "They were calling you daddy."

I sat dumbfounded and in silence until Ayden said, "I think your understanding has gone to a whole new level."  Yep, I think you are right, Ayden.  A whole new level ...

Orphanage-Wendy

Our family has had two incredible opportunities to spend time in the local orphanage.  I could write for pages about it but for now I'll keep it short and simple. 

Please be talking with Dad about the work to be done there.  There are tremendous needs and we have great desires but don't know what steps to take or how to take them at this point.  We know He can and will show us. 

Doors have already been opened in miraculous ways and we look forward to more of that.  Please ask specifically for guidance on our end.  Also healing for the broken-hearted.  We crave your petitions.

Photos-Wendy

Souvenirs anyone? Pickled chicken feet-I'll be happy to bring them back for you :)  It even has its toenails on.

Mountain hiking

A typical meal

Soup with chicken feet

Soup with chicken head

Mountain hiking

Skyping with friends

BBQ on a mountain - By Ayden P.

Me and  my hand  made sand castle!

An Island Adventure! by Tiffany

Out on a "camping" invite with new friends!

It was a beautiful day spent on an island, in the middle of a lake, on one of the mountains of Shiyan.

 The scenery was just AMAZING and really not that far from our campus!

This bridge was a crazy suspension bridge welded together by every and any piece of metal I believe they could find near by!  It bounced and swayed as you walked - one of Ayden's favorite parts of the day!

 Tea grown in the fields on the mountain & a mud house~

"Camping" was actually a one day event where we barbecued, after hiking in to a nice spot by the river!

 We all worked together to make shish kabobs of every sort!  It was a lot of fun!  

We thought we would "teach" them how to play Frisbee since they had only seen them on TV, but this guy was a natural - dead on throws every time!  We didn't have much to teach!

 Hannah and Ayden spent hours playing in the stream!