I'll Be Home for Christmas...

...If only in my dreams...
And my dreams were full last week: of you all back in the states. My first Christmas at home approached quickly and I was admittedly dreading the day. I could hardly imagine how the most beautiful day of the year could be filled with joy without those I loved near to me. But my Abba takes care of me always - He gave me a great peace in my heart. I spent the day surrounded by people who love me and were even willing to appease all my Christmas wishes for my happiness. They are too good to me ;o)
I had the pleasure of playing Santa Claus and hosting the singletons for Christmas morning. We had delectable cinnamon rolls & quiche (I am my mother's daughter) and stuffed each others stockings with goodies. Highlights included William's re-gifts and Jessi's "I-Love-You" Rats (its the year of the rat after all, who doesn't need a pink stuffed rat?)

My American family heard our desperate cries for culture, and because of their attention I spent the afternoon introducing Brian and Angelyn to the great Christmas Classic Musical, Meet Me in St. Louis. Highlights included mocking Judy Garland's love interest and learning the lyrics to "I was drunk last night, dear Mother"

Then I hit the crazy streets for a last minute desperate attempt to secure the tackiest Christmas sweater China had to offer. You would think this would have been a simple task...but you try fighting off 200 90 lbs girls who all want thing you do (though they are searching for a fashion statement and you for a hideous prize) and are skilled at the art of Tai Ji...so my search was unfruitful. Sad to say I disgraced the Tacky Christmas Sweater Party I so desired. Luckily Brian's sweet Pharaoh-chest-hair-stripe-fest more than made up for my downfall.

That evening we held the first annual Tacky Christmas Sweater-themed Shiyan Progressive Dinner. It began with egg-nog & rotell (White Trash Christmas), followed by soup (Christmas a la John "my dad was born in a Mexican prison" Calvillo), moved to Min's amazing feast (Chinese Christmas) and finished with Christmas in a pan (Sugar Coma Christmas) We worked off the calories by walking from place to place and serenading the masses with Christmas Carols the hour we spent stuck on the bus. Sadly, despite our best efforts to pace our selves and eat through the pain, I felt fairly conquered.

Thanks to my kid brother, I got to see the faces of my wonderfully crazy family on SKYPE - the greatest Christmas present of all. Its seems they were able to celebrate Christmas despite my absence, and I am glad that our Father gave them that strength. ;o) My Christmas was complete because of them. They are with me always, I carry them in my heart. I carry all of you - Thank you for all your Christmas wishes and for always lifting me up to our wonderful Abba above. I hope you all had the Happiest Christmas!

GWG ~ Jessica

Here is my Christmas Album: Been An Awful Good Girl, Santa Baby...

Twas the night before Christmas...

I have always had such a love affair with Christmas, thanks to the exuberance of my mother no doubt ;o) She always planned each detail perfectly, giving her Martha Stewart touch to each bough and branch. Its been so strange, watching the days on the calendar creep by without the sights and smells of my own home filling them. I haven't felt much of the Christmas spirit this year, being far from them and everything familiar. The Chinese idea of Christmas is far from my own...but last night something magical happened. I had been suffering my monthly bout of insomnia, laying there in tossing a million things around in my head. Then I looked over and saw the clock - 12:04 am. Christmas Eve. Suddenly everything got quieter. The earth shifted and settled, a calm came over me and I felt a peace I hadn't in quite a while. I was suddenly reminded of something. Imagine the blessing I have...I am surrounded by 1 billion Chinese people who are covering their windows with plastic Santas and buying Chin-glish Christmas cards, but they have no idea what they are celebrating. I am blessed among men, for I have been given the gift of life. I get to remember today that miraculous moment when my GD made himself so small just so that I could see Him face to face. I am filled with the wonder of my LRD. And you know something else...my Abba is sending me SNOW to complete my awe.
So tonight and tomorrow I will spend the day with people who have made my heart so full. There are festivities to be had, no doubt, and I will be sure to fill you in on them soon.

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Since Christmas is family time, I think its about time for some family news! Our family in Shiyan is growning rapidly and I am thrilled to have almost 10 new girls to call my sisters (and a brother!). It so obvious that He is fighting for the people here and to realize that I have been chosen to fight with him, its an awesome privilege and responsibility.
We have been talking a lot recently about taking the spirit of the Son from our hearts to our hands. Angelyn and one of our brothers have started visiting the people we pass on the streets each day: talking to them about their needs, looking for ways to bring healing to their physical and spiritual pains. I am exploring ways to be His hands as well.
Come to find out a while back that Priscilla and I both had hearts for the women of Shiyan living under the pink lights. (We call them pink lights...you might know them better as red) It was actually one of the reasons I chose China as a place to come because I plan to work against international sex trafficking in the future. Priscilla has also been feeling a pull towards them after driving past them nightly. We decided we wanted to pursue this work have begun PRYing, thinking and planning how to begin.
A few weekends ago when I was in Wuhan, I had the opportunity to meet the foreign women who are leading a similar effort in Wuhan's pink light district. I got to speak with Kelli and Heather, who had begun the MNSTRY 1 year ago. The spoke to me about the logistics, how they go about each day, and the success/troubles they have been faced with. Heather shared a really encouraging story with me about a visit to the Beijing MNSTRY, where 4 women have left the pink light work and are living in a rehabilitative house. They go to night school, and support themselves by making jewelry that they sell online. Its called the starfish project, if you would like to Google it! I was also blessed to speak to two girls who had just joined the work there, and they gave me such a unique insight into what we were undertaking. I am so grateful that Abba gave me the gift of meeting with them, it really opened my eyes to what we were about it begin!
In light of lessons learned from meeting the women in Wuhan, and PRYRful consideration, Priscilla and I have a fresh outlook on the work we would like to do. The next two months will be filled with constant PRYR and careful preparation. I never want to underestimate the seriousness of what we are undertaking. There are a number of very serious things to consider, and so here is where we are in need of PRYR warriors such as yourselves! Please keep the following in your conversations with Him:

1. The LRD will raise up leadership among our Chinese sisters to take control of this mnstry, it would be impossible without them. (We were looking specifically for one sister who really had a heart for this work to join with us in leadership, and He answered our prayer so quickly with the most perfect sister! But we are still searching for all others to help!)
2. The LRD will give strength, dedication, and insight to Priscilla and me as we try to be his hands and feet
3. The LRD will prepare the hearts of the women in the pink light districts to be open to our friendship
4. The power to overcome in the spiritual battle we are about to enter into
5. The pink light MNSTRYS already underway in Beijing and Wuhan

The actually logistics of the work as still very much up in the air, as we would really like to have our Chinese sisters leading in the preparation stages. There are a number of possibilities that are looking promising, such as offering free medical checks, or giving clothes or other basic necessities. There will be various roles to play in the MNSTRY; women actually going inside to talk with the pink light ladies, PRYR teams out on the side walk, and PRYR assignments throughout the city to cover us. (A great way for the men to be involved!). We are hoping to spend the time between now and Spring Festival PRYing, and then preparing so that we can begin when we return in February.
We are so blessed to live as daughters of the King and to know the reality of His love. It is our hope that we can give the women of Shiyan a glimpse of that great gift. I wanted to share all of this with you, as well as the verse we are keeping in our hearts to constantly remind ourselves of the place of these women in our father's kingdom.
Therefore, behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness, and I will speak tenderly and to her heart. There I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor to be for her a door of hope and expectation. And she shall sing there and respond as in the days of her youth and as at the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that you will call Me, Ishi [my Husband], and you shall no more call Me, Baali [my Baal]. For I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, and they shall no more be mentioned or seriously remembered by their name. And in that day will I make a covenant for Israel with the living creatures of the open country and with the birds of the heavens and with the creeping things of the ground. And I will break the bow and the sword and conflict out of the land and will make you lie down safely. And I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will even betroth you to Me in stability and in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord. (Hosea 2: 14-20)

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Last week Brian, Angelyn and I took a much needed family vacation together to Chengdu. What had been described to us as the most magical place on earth was a considerable disappointment, but the time spent with these kindred spirits was wonderful none the less! I would compose a short novella to you all here, but are they not already all written in the books and annuals of the king? (hehe, clever 61 study joke inserted here) What I am trying to say is that Angelyn has already blogged her heart out and he words convey our adventure far better than my own could. Please check out http://angelyninshiyan.blogspot.com/ for full disclosure! I inserted a few videos here, so you could witness a few key moments in our trip.
Video #1 is of the adorable baby pandas in at Chengdu's panda research base. Witness the snobby American who thinks she can get away with anything being admonished by the luckiest Chinese person on the planet...

Video #2 is further proof that birds are in fact the spawn of Satan himself. Those of you who have spent any amount of time with me at all are aware of my great fear. Witness Brian proving his bravery and my near death experience as the bird charges...


And since I still don't think you have enough to look at! Here are the links to my Chengdu trip:
Album #1: Destination December, Part 1
Album#2: Destination December, Part 2
Album#3: Destination December, Part 3

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And I heard him exclaim ere he drove out of sight...Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night...Sheng Dan Kui Le!

GWG ~ Jessica

Making Amends, Good Friend

Happy Christmas All! I know "happy" is not the characteristic English greeting, but being here in China has left me at a culture crossroads. I am forgetting so much of my own culture, while embracing another, I feel almost as if I could reinvent myself altogether. So British it is today!
I realized horrifically that I have been MIA from my blog for over a month, during which I am sure you were all torture with worrisome thoughts of my well being. Is she alright? Did she die of food poisoning from a hundred year old egg? Has she been thrown in a Chinese prison or deported? Unfortunately, I have no grandiose tale to give you aside from sheer shirking of my correspondence responsibilities. So in order to make amends, good friend, I will try to fill you in on the past exhausting, fulfilling and packed/packed/packed few weeks.

~Thanksgiving Recap~
I will admit that in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I was less than pleasant to live with (I am sure Angelyn & Brian could attest to that). Obvious with the joy of the holidays comes the constant reminder of the miles that separate us from our family. Thankfully, despite my wallowing, the LRD blessed me with everything I didn't deserve. I can say with full assurance that I had one of the best Thanksgivings ever...much to the chagrin of my mother I am sure. We went to McDonalds for a family breakfast (I shudder to admit it, but its true, I ate there) and showed the Chinese onlookers how its done with a game of REAL football. Sadly through a number of unfortunate circumstances: cheating, referee buying, yardage discrepancies, the mighty fell. But the north will rise again! ;o) We had Thanksgiving dinner with the entire family, I would say almost 80 people in all! Foreigners and Chinese from all over the city, family and non. We each cooked western delights so the feast was complete, from deviled eggs to apple pies. It was wonderful to have a taste of home to say the least! And the evening would not have been complete without the most amazing Karaoke moment that has ever been and ever would be...see the photo album...as well as a cup of jo from our recently discovered Chinese Central Perk. After such an incredible day, Angelyn and I decided we just couldn't let the good times stop rolling, so we headed to Wuhan for round two! We spent the weekend in Wuhan with some much missed foreigner friends. Highlights included the best nap I have ever had in my life, Tom's World, an hour long hair washing, and a Thanksgiving poker came (cleaned up at by yours truly).
At this point I would like to make a disclaimer...I feel that my pictures speak louder than my words ever could, and they just plain take less time to read. Please refer to the photo albums here to witness Thanksgiving in China in all its bizarre and delectable glory!

Album #1: What Am I Thankful For?
Album#2: So Apparently the Devil only Lives in Wuchang...

~The Great Tree Heist of 2007 & Russian Hats~
Because I am my mother's daughter, I have an innate aversion to what I will from here on out refer to as "tacky Christmas". You know tacky Christmas when you see it...its the flaw-filled, flashy decorating tactic that once completed is visible from space. The Chinese are masters of tacky Christmas, which they have had the misfortune of believing to be beautiful. I will not go into specifics, I only mentioned it to preface my story with the statement that the number one offense of tacky Christmas is the fake tree. I passionately declared I would NOT, under any circumstances or duress, put a fake tree in my house...so after a failed trip to the tree market...the next logical step was to hike into the wilderness that is my back yard and chop one down myself (as my ancestors did in the days of ole). So I wrangled some accomplices into my plot and we set out to obtain the perfect tree. Of course, because our activities were highly suspect, the tree heist was done under the cover of darkness. Though in the adventure a few "minor" scratches were obtain, eventually the prickly, Charlie Brown death tree came to its new home, natures ornaments and all. And it stands today, surrounded by presents, awaiting to fulfill its Christmas destiny. Some have called it ugly...ridiculous...and pathetic - but these are merely words of jealousy. When you see the pictures, you will know, it is truly a glorious symbol of the Christmas spirit!
In the first week of December we were granted the presence of two beautiful ladies from Wuhan. Danielle and Carole missed us so much, and since we had assured them there were good times to be had in Shiyan, they came for a weekend out in the "country". We spent the little precious time we had together in women's study, a visit to the local orphanage, and in Sunday meeting together. I think it was a wonderful chance for the girls to see how the small but established family of Shiyan works. I wish everyone could experience the China that I am privileged to experience each day through them. There was other fun to be had as well...from KTV to Shanghai Angel Place. All of these things were highlighted with Russian hats, random outbreaks of musical numbers, and very poor Chinese! There was a combination of kindred spirits that turned the everyday exceptional. Lesson learned: its not the location, but the caliber of the company that makes a vacation (see the next post for further proof).

Album #3: Baby It's Cold Outside

~Sheng Ri Kui La A Ni!~
Because time cannot stand still, regardless of how you wish for it, I had the obligation of turning another year old recently. I think I have been cursed to live all my life with Peter Pan syndrome, and since there is no physical Neverland to escape to, I will have to be content with childish antics every once in a while. (A shocking admission to those who know me so well, I am sure) But I will admit, I willingly embrace the practice of celebrating the inevitable in style, and was given a truly fantastic day. Albeit, I spent the morning giving finals, but even those were not unbearable. I received a lovely wake up knock from my students, a birthday banner to commemorate the occasion, and a fresh batch of banana pancakes eaten to the delicious voice of Jack Johnson's musical twin. I spent the afternoon relaxing with friends, and that evening our friends joined me for dinner and the most enormous birthday cake I have ever seen! I was showered with gifts, hugs and love - the perfect way to spend the day. Everytime I am able to see all of our family together, I am so overwhelmed with the incredible blessing I have here. They have welcomed and loved me with an ounce of reservation, something I still have trouble believing at times, but am so glad to accept. I would have to say that the highlight was an incredible gift directly from a friend's heart to mine: the "hit-Abraham-in-the-jugular" dart board. This present is the perfect outlet for some much needed aggression release against a particularly disgruntling superior. Please witness the breaking in of the board below, as well as the birthday photo album!



Album #4: Sheng Ri Kui La to me!


So...after writing for so long, I have come to the realization that you will shortly be bored with me if I talk for much longer. I have left you with more than enough photos to ponder and questions to ask (which I always welcome by the way) I would love to spend the next blog posting getting to the heart of things...so please be watching for a report on Destination December, the PLM & Family News in the next few days. Until then, know that I am constantly reminded of you all - I carry you in my heart.

GWG ~ Jessica