Farewell to a team:

Farewell to a team:   Team East Asia has returned safely home.  As the team departed, I wanted to close off the journey of our team with some remarks as the Team Leader.   

The general consensus on the team was that this trip was nothing like we thought or anticipated it would be like.  Many signed up to go because of the foster home for children with serious health concerns, but we ended up being touched by all the different programs that our contact has set up.  One area that had great influence on our team was the english school.  The relationships that our team built with some of the students (ranging in age from 16-30) will be lifelong connections and are unlike anything I have seen on similar trip.  By staying in one location and working with the same students everyday, we were able to experience a depth in people that is unique for such a short trip.  There were definitely tears shed on both sides of the cultural divide as we said our goodbyes to students who had become such close friends to many of us.  The significance of these relationships weighed on me as our dear Coral held on to me and wept at the realization of our team's departure early this morning.   

Our team gave everything possible the last two weeks of this journey.  I am so proud of them.  There were times when they could have been relaxing or hanging out, and they chose to spend time with students instead.  They were working on those relationships and hoping for moments to share about what makes our team 'different.'  Nights when we could have done a movie night for the team, they chose to invite the students to a movie KTV party instead.  Days when our team traveled to see the great landmarks of this country, the team decided to bring as many students along as possible so that we could have more time together.  The team poured out.  Constantly.  And it did not go unnoticed.   

Some things our contact said about our team include: 
They were full of an energy that this place needed to see.
They came at the perfect time to be a breath of fresh air to everyone here.
There was a unique intimacy and desire to connect with the students that has not been seen before.  T
here is a passion within the group that is uncommon to see.  
This age group has limitless possibilities with the students, and with the children that other age groups don't.  This team sucked it up for all it was worth. 

I say all this in conclusion to say thank you to the team.  All 18 of you were incredible to work with (even if I was hard on you at points) and I appreciate you making the most of every moment and opportunity that we had on this trip.  Thank you for sacrificing you summer to defend the orphans, preach good news to the poor, learn to do good, plead for the widow, proclaim freedom to the captives, and bind up the broken hearted.  Your work and relationships here are eternally good.   

Some other final THANK YOUS: 
First, I would like to say thank you to our dear friend Jim Kitson who was the faithful updater of our blog.  We were not able to access the site where we were, so we would send our updates every few days and Jim would post them.  We are so grateful for what you have done for our team over the last several months.  You and your wife have been so good to us and you will be in our hearts and lives forever. 

Second, I would like to say thank you to Dr. Hank Lederle, Karin Swihart, and Global Infusion.  These three have done more to make this trip happen then anyone else.  Most of their work goes unseen but we owe them so much!  Thanks for dedicating your life to seeing these trips happen. 

Third, Thanks to the parents of this team.  You children have blessed my life and the lives of many….more than you can probably realize.  Not only were many of your children's lives impacted by this trip, but your children had a significant role in changing other people's lives forever.  I know many of you took a step of faith in allowing your child to travel to Asia, but on behalf of our contact, as well as the students and children we worked with, thank you for supporting your child to do this good work.   

Finally, Thank you to our contact here in E.A.  You have changed us forever.  

For HIS glory, Melissa Yarrow 

The Panda Warriors are home!

The Panda Warriors team trickled in all of last night and as far as I know, everyone made it home despite the storms. The team that came into Wichita was tired but in good spirits. I am sure they are ready for a little rest and are looking forward to getting acclimated back to their normal time zones and sleep schedule.

This will be my last post on behalf of Melissa and the team. It has been a honor an a pleasure to be part of their experience in China and I know the seeds the team planted are already starting to sprout.

Thank you all for following along and keeping the team in your thoughts while they were serving.

Blessings,
Jim K

Saturday and Sunday - Forbidden City & Tienanmen Square

(Forbidden City)

Saturday: it is what it is

The quote of the day is, “it is what it is” meaning today was the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, and Silk Street Market. There is a saying in China, “People Mountain, People Sea”, and in the Forbidden City, all we saw was people, and a few buildings. Though the trip here was short, I feel that we accomplished a lot. The Emperor’s garden was beautiful with the pride and joy being the Mountain of Elegance, a single stone brought in from a distant province to be held solely by the Emperor. As we scaled the stairs we were at awe of the massive-ness of the buildings but as one of us saw, what was waiting for us in the next plane would be even more majestic.

Then we began a walk through Tienanmen Square. It was very eerie to find that the students we were with did not understand the significance of the place we were at. It was shocking to find that even in this modern world with information so available at the fingertips, that so many did not know the truth of history. Myself as a student of history walked in awe through a place that held so much value to me yet nothing for the national who walked beside me.  But our road was not to stop there and we continued to a Tea House and puppet show.

Our guide took our order and though we had been eating the food  eleven days none of us were ready for the feast that was giving to us. China has over 300 types of vetables, so when we ask what we are eating the reply would come, beef and vegetable, pork and vegetable, and chicken and vegetable, and truthfully that was all that was needed. While some of us were done with the food, myself was diving head on into another dish.  BUT that was not the show, on stage was a traditional Chinese Puppet Show. While I do not know the name, the plot of the crane trying to eat the turtle was easy to flow. And in case you’re wondering, the crane wings.

After the meal though a new quote would be ring true, “If you walk away and they are angery, then you go a good deal.” So welcome to Silk Street. J  Of all the places I have now been to in China this place we where I the most grateful to have a Native Chinese speaker with me. Martin who I am more than proud to call my friend, walked through the market we made a lot of people angry. I could tell the stories about the hackeling all day, but the one that stands out the most was when a woman chase us down the hall saying that “Yes 60 rmb would be alright.” What made me smile was she started at 580 rmb.

So “it is what is”  and it is China. Though we have all accepted that we well not see the fruit from the seeds that we have planted, we know that we have watered them and some even sprout.



Sunday Kaleb Knighton’s P.O.V.

To say that today was a crazy day would be a huge understatement.  We woke up and jumped on the bus this morning at 7:30 so we could get to Baoding by 9:30.  Well what should have been a 2 hour drive turned into 3.  We got to North China Electric Power University in Baoding at 10:30.  As some of you might know this is currently where a few beloved graduates of Sterling College are teaching English.  The students that we were meeting with at the university were overjoyed to have us come and discuss culture with them.  For some odd reason everyone in China thinks that I (Kaleb Knighton) am a famous actor or rock star that lives in California.  I cannot tell you how many times some random Chinese people worked up the courage to come and ask me to take a picture with their family.  Well, it was no different at the university!  Except that they actually had full conversations with me before they asked to take my picture.  Some of the Chinese people actually refer to me as “handsome guy” (in Chinese of course).  Needless to say.. my ego is way bigger than it should be.  My family and friends probably could have guessed that!  Well after we finished up our “English Corner” with the students, we ate McDonalds and jumped back into the bus to start our journey back to our host here in Beijing.  I can pretty much sum up what our drive home was like by simply saying,  Mom, I’m glad you weren’t here.  After we nearly got ran off the road by a semi truck we encountered our next challenge.  Flat tire.  We had to stand out on the side of the highway about 30 minutes outside of Beijing for about 45 minutes to wait for another bus to come and pick us up.  After some random stranger stopped to try and help, he handed me two books, which we later found out were pictures and descriptions of Beijing!  Well the new bus came and found us and we safely made our way back to Beijing, which we aimlessly drove around in the dark for a long time because our bus driver had no idea where he was going.


(costume party)

Thursday and Friday

THURSDAY:
Today was an eventful day for me! I spent the morning in the classrooms like normal. Up until today I hadn't been placed in classroom 2 so that was exciting to get to know some more students that I had only known before just by their faces and classroom number. During our lunch break, we made a trip to the village to look for props for our costumes for the costume party that is tomorrow. Jess and I decided to be ping pong nerds, we already had matching t-shirts and headbands but we needed a few wristbands (because we sweat a lot playing pong!) and some spare ping pong balls to put in our fanny packs. It was very helpful having the students helping us because we would never of found the stuff we needed without them.
After lunch I spent my afternoon at the healing home. I got to ride with Bryan in the back of his bike-buggy, I felt pretty cool cruising the streets in that. The healing home was a very humbling experience. When I first got there, I got to hold Kia. Kia is a little girl that is just a few months old that had a serious case of the chicken pox. She has been crying since the moment I got there and once she was handed to me she stopped so I got to hold her the entire two hours I was there. Another one of the little girls, Wila really brightened up my day. Wila had a clubbed foot but you wouldn't even know from how great of a spirit she had. She is a very happy little girl that doesn't probably doesn't realize that anything is wrong. She had such a big heart for a little girl, you could tell with the way she interacted with the other kids and myself.
Overall today was just a great day for new experiences and new relationships that will stick with me for a long time.

-Amber


FRIDAY: Lesson learned: how to make a sweet costume in one hour.
Today in China it was Friday.  I was given the opportunity to go to the Healing Home, which is for orphan children who are recovering from surgery or having surgery soon.  There are eight children there now ranging from 4 months to 5 years old.  I had already been to the Healing Home Monday and made friends with Wilma who is three and has a clubbed foot.  My other friend was Joel and he is five and has Spina Bifida, so he sits and moves him self around with his arms, but neither of my friends were there because Joel was having his surgery and Wilma was getting a checkup.  I went on a walk with the other kids and then went to lunch and to three classes to work with the Chinese English speaking students.  Later that night we had a costume party, which was a success.  I went as a nerdy pro ping-pong player with Amber.  The Chinese students had some great costumes too.  The costume party had many skits and us Sterling students did an awesome dance to Sandstorm.


Saturday - KC

Sunday - Kaleb

Wednesday, June 2

The third day of VBS went well. The kids were very energetic, but the leaders did very well at getting them organized enough to play different games, make banana diapers, and learn about J.C.

As for the English students, every team member has really enjoyed connecting with them and finding out how similar our cultures really are. The past couple of days, we have been amazed at how 'open' the students have become, and how they are really starting to be more bold about asking us intentional questions about what we believe.  A couple members of the team even experienced some students hear the name of J.C. for the first time! However we are still trying to figure out how to teach them about our faith while still respecting their culture and the rules imposed on us by the country. Yet, we are really appreciating all that we are learning from each one.

Tonight, we hosted a Kung Fu Panda movie night in the dining hall. A lot of students showed up, and we pulled out some couches and rearranged the chairs, so it was kind of a stadium seating effect going on. We even found some chinese popcorn that said "Cream Sweet Flavor" which we concluded to be equivalent to kettle corn.

As I finish writing this, four of our team members- Rachel, Matt, Dani and Austin are just getting back from an engineering college in Beijing where they accompanied one of the American teachers there as he did a lecture on how to have successful interview. The four helped demonstrate a successful interview, and were on hand to answer questions and pass out invitations to the costume party the English school is hosting tomorrow.

Okay, so I must hit the hay… but thank you for your 'thoughts'. We appreciate all the support each of you have given us. Good night! Michelle

catching up - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

(The team on the Great Wall)


(Concert)

SUNDAY: Adventures in the Village

Today was our first (and only) "free day.". We had many different opportunities to travel around the village and immerse ourselves within the local culture.
A group of us decided to shop at a local Lunar Market, which is centralized around the Chinese Lunar Calendar.  To get to the market we had to travel about a mile down a very windy dirt road lined with wheat.
I could have sworn I was in Kansas.
It was only until a wooden rickshaw passed that I remembered I was in East Asia. When we reached the market we were met with a sea of people. The best way that I can describe this shopping center is that it is very much like a flea market. You could buy a wide arrangement of items including clothing, shoes, food, fabric and plants. The market even had a section that reminded me of the dollar section at Target (this was my personal favorite area:)).
We learned that this market is very rarely visited by foreigners (that would be us) and by very rarely I mean almost never (which would explain a lot of the staring). We also learned that Lunar Market used to be very popular in this country and for some reason they have slowly started to disappear. The one that we were able to go to was one of the very last surviving markets.
I was very surprised with the generosity and kindness of the people while in the market. I would not be surprised if we were some of the very first Americans that these people have ever and will ever see, yet they welcomed us into their tradition openly. I will be honest, my Chinese vocabulary probably consist of ten words or less but these people were never rude or impatient with working with me or any others in the group. While walking down the crowed streets of the market my group and I were surprised when we heard a very loud and excited "HELLO" from one of the locals working at one of the booths. This brought such a smile to my face because this man seemed so happy to see us and was very welcoming to us being there.
Now newly inspired, Brittany, Tillie, Matt and I decided to play the sweet and sour game (no pun intended) on our way back home by saying "Ne-hao" (hello) to everyone that we passed along the way.  Lets just say that we won that game one hundred percent of the time! But apart from smiling and saying hello to everyone going by being fun it was also very eye opening to me. I learned that all it takes is going out of your way to show kindness to anther is very rewarding, even if it is just being able to say hello.

This country has been completely different from what I thought before coming over here. The people have been the most surprising to me. Through American eyes these people have almost nothing but for some reason they have figured out happiness. They are joyful and welcoming even to a point were a couple of us were able to enter into their home. This trip has been very eye opening to me.

To my loved ones back home, I miss you terribly and I cannot wait to see you!
Mom I am still safe (don't worry)
Te amo- very much!
Missy

(The Lunar Market)


MONDAY:  Oh, the JOY of Children

Hello world! And by world, I mean the good ol’ United States of America. Long time no see! Just a forewarning, this might be a little scatterbrained and jumpy, but here goes nothing!

Well, as you know, we are in East Asia! Woot woot. Today the VBS crew (Andy, Missy, Paige, Austin, Kaleb, and me-Tillie) started bright and late at 8:30! (I say this because many of us wake up at the crack of dawn due to…jet lag? Perhaps.) Let’s just say that 8:30 seems pretty late here for most of us.  We played a couple of ice breakers with the kids to get them warmed up and enthused and all that kinda stuff. We did all sorts of fun things like make no-bake cookies (which we had to improvise a bit on…but they turned out pretty swell) and play “plus” also known as “finger fiesta!” (if you’re reading this Maggie… ).
In the kitchen during our no-bake extravaganza is where I first noticed that these kids were definitely not introverts as they so displayed at the beginning (those rascals!). Haha. The girls specifically seem to be very fond of laughter, pouring stuff into the “baking” of the no-bakes, and, of course…tickling! I was plum tuckered out from the extensive, no mercy tickling I had to endure! Good thing I had “tickle timeouts” (magical periods of time in which I suddenly became no longer ticklish…muahahaha) to recover. They are all great kids, though. Interestingly enough, if our VBS adventure in the kitchen a worldwide experiment, it would definitely prove the theory that women are drawn to cooking rather than men…only one boy really helped, and he was a rowdy little goober about the age of three. He was eager, though! Surely that counts for something. One point for the boys. After mixing the cookies and setting them out to dry we headed on down to the outside basketball court to play a nice game of basketball golf.  We kiiiiinda didn’t figure in the short factor. Let’s just say that many quickly abandoned basketball golf for the much more exciting and thought provoking game of duck, duck, goose. The kids were adorable. Little Benjamin (the 3 year old) got sooo excited every time….well…ANYTHING happened. It was hilarious. I tagged him on one round and then proceeded to baby step (newborn step might be a better explanation) back around the circle while he most excitedly followed behind me within fingers reach without getting me out. He did beat me to my spot, though! I guess you could say maybe I went easy on him…just maybe.
After sports we ate our delicious, crumbly cookies, and then Missy gave a little message about the Living Word (p.s. the VBS is for the “foreigners” kids…the people who work here). We split off into small groups and had a little discussion time after that. I would say the morning was a success… We began with mostly silent, introverted kids and ended with the loudest and most rowdy bunch of them all! Who knew a group of kids could change so much in one three hour period.

After lunch, Amber, Chandler, Jess (an intern), and I did some cleaning in the foster home for a couple hours. We mostly just wiped down and cleaned the kitchens and bathrooms. At about 3 o’clock, I headed over to the Healing Home (a branch of the foster home) to work with the kids. None of the nannies speak English over there, so believe me when I say that being the only one around who speaks your own language is a pretty interesting experience. I found myself making up their conversations in my head. Haha. It was a really good day, though.
There is a little girl there that I just LOOOOOOOOVE, and I want to take her home with me. Her English name is Willa, and she is just the cutest little thing this side of the Mississippi (and that’s saying something!). She has the best laugh ever, and she loves to be tickled, and she has beautiful eyes, and she has the cutest smile. But enough about that. Oh…but have I told you about Willa???? Haha. But seriously. She is the cutest. Two of the nannies and I took 6 of the kids from the Healing Home on a walk in strollers. We just sat outside on a street corner in the shade of a tree for like an hour. You’d think it’d be boring, right? But the time flew! It’s amazing what you notice when you can’t understand. I saw the nannies teaching these little children right in front of my eyes. I could see how much they cared and how the kids were just soaking up everything that they said. I like to think that I have some innate sense of what they were talking about, but I’m pretty sure that I actually do. They were learning words. They were playing “What’s that?!” You remember that game, mom.  It was a really neat experience. On my way back, one of the nannies gave me a ride on the back of her motorized bike. She didn’t have to, I will probably never see her again, but she did. I couldn’t understand a word she was saying, the same goes for her…but she gave me a ride. I guess love is the same in all languages. And that’s saying something.


(The Children)


TUESDAY: Never knowing what to expect....
One of the first things people tell you when preparing for trips like this is to not be surprised when things don’t go according to plan.

Today didn’t go according to plan. Surprise!

Each of us is supposed to get one full day in the foster home here and the rest of the time we are in classrooms teaching English to the students. Today was supposed to be my day, and I spent my morning holding and playing games with adorable little babies (most of whom have already had at least one heart surgery to save their lives). I loved hanging out with the kids and coming up with the simplest games that kept them amused for long periods of time.

During lunch, however, we found out that we had to re-arrange our schedule. We were previously told that tonight we were supposed to lead a time of music and encouragement for the workers at the foster home. After our meeting last night, we came up with a good plan of what we were going to do, but then we found out that the location was changed, and we were instead supposed to perform a “music concert” for all of the workers and all of the students (potentially close to 100 people). Needless to say, that was not our original plan.

About an hour before the concert was supposed to start, I arrived to help set up. We had three guitars, but none of them could be plugged in to the sound system. We had no guitar strap and a shortage of mic stands. Long story short, Andy, Kaleb and I each performed a few songs using two microphones that were literally TAPED to a position that was relatively close to our mouths/guitars. A few minutes before we started playing, one of the workers’ teenage sons asked if he could play drums for our band. None of us really had time to practice.

I really like order. Chaotic situations like this really challenge me. Despite my initial frustration and disbelief at the lack of organization, I was able to laugh about the ridiculous microphone situation and we did the best with what we had. Amazingly, things went well (all things considered). The students got a kick out of singing a Michael Jackson song with Andy and did their best to sing and clap along with the other songs that they didn’t know. It ended up being a fun night, and I think it’s safe to say that it was easily one of the most amusing “rock concerts” to ever happen anywhere in the world.

We’re continuing to build great relationships with the students, and everyone tells us that the students are hanging out with us much more than any other team that has come recently. We have really connected with them. They are such a fun and smart group of students. They are eager to practice their English, and they are always ready for a game of Knockout to break out on the basketball courts. It’s definitely hard to believe that we’ve been here a week already.

Surprise!
-Matt