Back to life, back to reality

Welcome to snowy Harbin! After a (mild) winter full of freezing temperatures and no snow, snow has covered the ground for the last few days. We’re all geared up for a white Easter. Really, I hope for a spring-like Easter with cherry blossoms, flowers, and pastel dresses and ties, but it’s Harbin and spring doesn’t come until May.

It is good to be home in Harbin with familiar surroundings and routines. Kanyon started back at preschool, I began teaching, and our team shared the first round of cooking for each other.



As our team prepares for this semester, we’ve been under attack. Sickness, kids not sleeping at bedtime, mental exhaustion of big decisions looming, and minor miscommunication all attacked different members of the team and tried to bring us down. We persevered and continue to overcome because we know the Father. We believe He has big plans for this semester and we believe it will be the best one yet. Please join us in praying against the enemy’s attacks.

Looking forward to the work at hand over the next month, these events need your prayers.

Coffee house: This week we’re hosting a coffee house event for students to discuss the topic of luck. Luck seemed appropriate since coffee house will be the day before St. Patrick’s Day. Please remember this event as we hope to lead students towards a deeper understanding of life.

Passport renewal adventure: We need to renew our passports. In China this involves a trip to the nearest US Embassy or Consular General. From Harbin, that means a trip to Shenyang (four hours by train). We planned the trip for this past weekend but were delayed due to sickness. We now plan to try again in the near future. Please remember the travels and paperwork required to renew our passports.

Grace’s expectant baby: Our friend Grace is expecting her first child at the end of March. Her parents moved in to take care of her and will live with her for the next 12 months. Plus, her husband just returned from a work assignment in Pakistan. We’re thankful for her friendship and ask for prayers as she enters the final weeks before her little baby arrives.

Thailand update: Thank you for your prayers during our time in Thailand. Your prayers directly resulted in the healthiest Annual Thailand Conference that we can remember. At times, we were sick, but our overall experience in Thailand with our friends at conference and with Jeremy’s family was great. Thank you!

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