"Make a special the holidays to delight"

this is what it says on my new pj's, a CHRISTmas present from stacey. i suppose it's Chinglish. stacey and i were both going to be on this side of the world for CHRISTmas, so i decided to take advatange of these unusual circumstances and bought a ticket to Quanzhou China for 7 seven days. little did i know we are a only a 4 hour plane ride away from each other!

i've been thinking about how to articulate, in a single blog posting, my trip...

"But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He has told you.'" (the angel speaking to Mary at the empty tomb). Peter had denied Jesus 3 times, the very thing Peter ensured Jesus he would not do. Can you imagine the guilt and shame Peter must have been feeling after Jesus was crucified...the sickness he must have felt in his stomach...the feeling you get when you know you have disappointed and let down someone you love?? Peter desperately needed to hear from His Lord, and Jesus knew that. So much that the angel specifically mentions Peter's name when instructing Mary to 'go and tell.' Then, Jesus asks Peter not once, or twice, but THREE times 'do you love Me' after He meets the disciples on the shore...of course the number 3 is loaded with Biblical significance...but maybe for Peter, it was like redeeming his 3 acts of denial, with 3 acts of love ("love covers a multitude of sins"). Peter was not the only one there on the shore with Jesus that day, but Jesus chose to take Peter aside for this precious exchange of words...and why? Because Jesus always, always knows exactly what we need, and when we need it.

each morning, stacey and i got up (brewed a pot of coffee:)), and met Jesus at the kitchen table. we prayed together, for each other, shared what God had been doing and teaching us these past months, talked through where and what He is calling us next, studied His word, passages that had really impacted us...it was just what i needed, and i think what stacey needed too...at just the junction in life we needed it.

at the end of the 7 days, the Lord used each of us to encourage and rejuvinate the other, and bring us even closer, as friends who understand what it means to be an ordinary person, with an extraoridinary calling for your life.

Stacey is right in the middle of God's will, for sure. It's so evident that she is exactly where He wants her, loving the Chinese people. It's amazing to see the changes in her, and how she has adapted, so willingly to the Chinese culture. There is just this light in her eyes, and and extra hop to her step. And the people there absolutely adore her. Stacey's family has a lot to be proud of!!!! Enjoy the pics below...

The Christmas Corner, decorations compliments of Auntie Teresa:)

Christmas Day party at Stacey's with teachers from the center, and chocolate chip cookies, muffins, peanuts, fruits, hot chocolate and a showing of The Nativity Story. Again, the plates and napkins were a hit Aunt Teresa!

Looking out Stacey's window at the neighborhood temple...notice the gold paper they are burning to signify 'money,' in hopes they will receive the amount they burn--they BUY that paper. AND, please don't overlook the red on the ground to the left--that would be debris from the firecrackers they set off, EVERYDAY, and it sounds like machine guns in your kitchen and then the ashes float right into your apt.

"Teach" --need i say more?

"Now we've never ridden THREE on a motorcycle taxi before....."
This is one of the grandma's we visited in Majia (the place Stacey talks about in a lot of her updates..in the village). We brought some Christmas goodies and Grandma LOVED her new pink slippers. Also, please notice her long sleeves...those are pull on's, very popular. Please place your orders with Stacey.
One of the teachers, David, went with us AND he speaks the local dialect. (whew) He is reading to Grandma from the Chinese Bible. David has a precious, precious heart to reach his own people "with the Hope that is within him."