following an unknown path

making decisions

I've made more decisions in the past three weeks than I think I have in the past three years!!

I mean just deciding about the cake alone I think I must have made at least 15-20 decisions!  It's crazy!!  I had no idea wedding planning included this much deciding.

I am SO thankful that we went with the inn.  It was so much easier just answering her questions and choosing from preselected possibilities then thinking and searching and planning and trying to make it all work.  Even having to think of all the questions that needed answering would be an insurmountable task!

And don't even get me started on how hard making all those decisions on music are.  Once I choose what song I want to use, I then have to sort through and find the version I like best.  It can be overwhelming to say the least.  I have set this task aside and will work with Lawrance on it when he is here.

Oh, yeah, all that and I'm planning all the things I want Lawrance to experience while he is here for a month.

And, I made a small registry  . . . that just about killed me.  I honestly was overwhelmed with all the decision making at that time.  Do we really need this?  Do we need that one or this one more?  Is there room for this in our suitcases?  Is it really worth the space and weight it will take up? 

I am SO thankful my brother (who for those of you who don't know is only 14) went with me.  It's summer vacation; he was bored; there was a "gun" to use . . . it was a great excuse to get out of the house.  Actually, he was a blessing.  A few times he got a little impatient with me and was like "yes.  get it;" scan.  But, for the most part he helped me think though and make decisions.  And most of all he was incredibly patient.  I did however have to remove duct tape, a ficus tree, a turquoise tamale steamer, a bobble head thing, and a few other random surprise items off the registry when I got home. :)

Oh, yeah, and another person who has been awesome in all this is my mom.  She has also been really patient and understanding too.  She also keeps chanting "no second guessing" or "nope, can't rethink it now" to me. :)  After I added a fourth color two weeks ago, she stated firmly "no more changes." 

And, when I've vented to Lawrance he's been good about either encouraging me and supporting me or about helping me refocus and keep the Main thing the main thing.  And, of course, he is constantly bathing the all of the wedding planning in prayer.  What a blessing!

Ok, so . . . . all that to say. . . . I am SO tired of making decisions.  I have no idea how some of you who have long engagements spend a year or longer doing this.  I think I would literally crash and burn.

But, praise God!  I think I'm on the downward slope now and have made the majority of the decisions regarding wedding ceremony and reception.  Just need to spend some more time planning how to spend our time together before the wedding experiencing life in America.

engagement noodles :)

Recently, Lawrance and I went back to Meinong with his family to celebrate our engagement. His grandmother was so happy for us, she decided to treat the whole clan to noodles! She reserved the restaurant and called all the relatives to come home for the weekend. It apparently was a BIG deal. :)

It's too bad I was sick. I was right in the middle of a cold at the time. It started on Thursday and was at its worst on Monday. Lawrance took good care of me though by forcing me to go see the doc who said the reason my "common cold" was so bad was because it had activated my asthma. So, once my airways were open again . . . I started feeling much better. So, today, Wednesday--I'm feeling better--and went to school for the first time this week. Now, if only I can survive the next two weeks!!

Anyway, back to this weekend, I am so blessed to be welcomed with open arms into this family. So many people I tell about our engagement are surprised at how welcoming the Wu family has been to "a foreigner" marrying into the family. Even non-believers have been telling me how much God is blessing Lawrance and me. How cool is that?!?!

See all you Texans soon!

With much love,
amanda :)

(Originally posted on June 11, 2008.)

nate nate

I've been able to hold and give sugars to my nephew twice now.  Both times were wonderful!!!

He is such a cutie and such a good baby!  What a blessing!!!

Below are some of the photos I took of Nate with his Uncle Sam (my brother, who strongly dislikes being called Uncle Sam), Nonny (his grandmother, my mom), Great Grandma (Nate is my grandma Smith's eleventh great grandchild!!), and Mommy (my sister) too. :)

here he is!!

Skype is so WONDERFUL!!  I love that I can video chat with my mom--it is great to actually be able to talk to AND see my family!!  In about an hour, my mom is going to be setting up her laptop in the hotel for me to be able to video chat with my sister, and I hope I get to see baby Nate too!!!

My mom sent me these videos and pictures before she left to go to the hospital to see her daughter and grandson again!  They make me SO HAPPY!!

Several of you have asked when I plan on going home to see my nephew in person . . . well, I leave Taiwan on June 23rd.  I fly into Austin, near where my parents live, so sometime soon after that as soon as I can hitch a ride to Dallas I'll get to meet Nate in person!! :)

my nephew has entered the world :)

I'm an aunt!!!!!  Below is the email my mom sent out updating family on her first grandchild's arrival!:

Nathan Lee H------ has arrived! It was a long and difficult labor--about 15 hours, with Sarah pushing for over 1.5 hours and the baby not making enough progress, so she had to have a c-section. (She was being induced 3-4 weeks early because Nate was too big and amniotic fluid too low.) So, after entering the hospital at 5:00 AM, Sarah and Chad had a baby at 10:39 PM on Friday, May 30th!!

Nathan weighed 8 lbs and 5 oz, was 19.5 inches long. His little forehead and one eye were bruised from being stuck, and he has the cutest little conehead!! Since it was a c-section, we didn’t get to hold him…..Chad got to go with Sarah to OR and see Nate arrive. Then Chad and Nate stopped by to say hi, but were quickly taken to the nursery for washing, weighing, etc. I’m anxious to get back to the hospital and hold him!! They had to have the neo-natal unit standing by, since he was 3-4 weeks early….imagine that ---- a nine pound preemie!! But the neo nurses weren’t needed….he was fine!

Sarah and Nate will be in the hospital for 5 days, I think. Nate’s Grandpa H----- had open heart surgery on Wednesday, and is doing as well as can be expected, still in ICU. Chad has been/still is under a lot of stress, caring for both wife/baby and parents.

Love to all,
Joi (Nonny!!)

a day for birth

Right now my sister is giving birth to her first son!  I am sad that I can't be there but I am SO thankful for modern technology that allows me to keep up to date on things as they are happening.

I'm on my way to bed . . . but I am guessing (hoping) that when I wake up, my nephew baby Nate will have entered the world.

Sarah, I am SO excited for you and Chad!!  YAY!!! :)

Picture to left is of Sarah at 35 weeks--taken earlier this week!  Nathan is coming a month early . . . and was already measuring 8lbs 8oz's and 20.6 inches by the sonogram tech.

And, because I asked her too . . . my sister has started blogging!!!  I am so excited to be able to keep up with her and her growing family this way!  Thanks Sarah!!!

Ok . . . I hear my pillow calling my name. 

53

Only 53 days left till I go home for the summer!!! 

I can't wait!!  It's been TWO full years since I've seen my family.  That's just too long in my opinion!!  My brother has gone from little boy to young man.  My sister has gone from newlywed to new mom.  My parents have/are both changed/changing jobs, and they totally redecorated the living areas of their home.

Of course, skype video helps them feel not quite so far away . . . but it is not the same at all!!  And, I am very thankful for things like email and flickr so that I can very easily share my life and be a part of theirs as well.  Oh, so much better than waiting months for handwritten letters to cross the ocean. 

BUT . . . still . . . despite my thankfulness in technology helping us keep in touch easily . . . I am SO READY to see my family.  To hug them and touch them and sit with them and play with them and just enjoy being with them!

And . . . another way that I can tell that I am SO READY to go home is that every time I think about what I wanna eat I can only think of American foods and restaurants.  Nothing Chinese sounds good anymore.  For the past two years I've not had this "problem," but every time I know it's getting close to the time to go home I start having this "problem."  I think it is funny how we "know" things on several levels.  How subconsciously I am allowing myself to start to miss/desire American foods for the first time in two years.  Oh sure, I've had random cravings for specific foods occasionally, but not the same as every single meal time only being able to think about American foods. 

(Speaking of American foods, Mom, do you think you can make chicken and dumplings even though it will be the middle of the summer?  I've not had that in  . . .what? . . . six years now???  Pretty please!!)

name the grandparents update

Thanks to all the suggestions on helping to name my parents last month. 

My mom and dad have decided to try "Nonny and Poppy."  I think they would be ok with baby Nate changing these names, but this is what he will be encouraged to call them.

help name my parents

Ok, so they both already have real names. :)  What we'd like help with is their "grandparent" names. 

My dad suggested awhile back I ask my blog readers for some ideas--kinda like I did with my dog a few years back.  So . . . what do you call your grandparents or what do your grandchildren call you?  Or, have you heard of something cute and creative someone uses?

I'm pretty sure they've decided not to go with classic "grandma" and "grandpa."  They want something a bit more "fun."  Because . . . hey, they are!

So, please comment and help my parents name themselves.

about a boy

I will soon be able to add one more thing to this list of things that I am.

In a little over four months my sister is going to make me an aunt!!  She is a little over 19 weeks pregnant with my little nephew, who will be named Nathan Lee.

Nathan means "gift of God" . . . what a wonderful name!!

I am so excited for my sister and brother-in-law.  This is something they've wanted for a long time now.

Can you see him there?  The first one is a full body shot and the second one is of just his face.  Beautiful, right?

And, yes, I'll be perfectly honest, it stung at first.  Why would God, the giver of all good gifts, give my younger sister both a husband and a baby before me?  "Doesn't he care about me too?" my heart longed to know.   

It's like the time I asked for a clock radio for Christmas.  My grandmother had prepared two of them (one for each of us), but Sarah opened hers first.  In my selfishness, I actually cried, "that's mine Sarah!  You opened my present!"  I walked over and ripped it out of her arms.  Sigh . . . what sin!  I still remember how guilty I felt when I realized how blatant my selfishness was on that Christmas Eve.

There were many tears shed the night I first found out she was expecting . . . as once again I mourned the fact that I am not yet a wife and not yet a mother.  My selfish, sinful heart once again cried out "That's mine, Sarah!  You opened my present!  Why do you get one and I don't!  I want one, too!!!"

But, since then . . . after repenting, my heart has been filled with nothing but joy for my sister.  I am so happy and can't wait to meet little Nate this summer when I get to go home for the first time in two years. 

Oh, yeah, and if Sarah is able to hold that little bambino inside to full term or longer, I will even get to see my sister 9 months pregnant.  How cool would that be!?!?!   But, for now, here is my beautiful pregnant sister at 19 weeks:

i now "officially" look like my mom!!

I saw this over at An Open Book, and thought I'd see if a computer algorithm agrees with most casual observers that I look like my mom.  It did. :)

(P.S. My dad's name is not "dan" . . . I mistyped "dad.")

a woman's heart

My sister sent me this quote last week.  It was encouraging to me, so I thought I'd share it with you. 

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."

(I searched online to see if I could find the source, it looks like it is probably from Maya Angelou.)

Christmas Past, 1981 (part 2, a repost)

Today my guestblogger, my mom, finishes the story she started yesterday.  (Just FYI, the pics are from 1979 and 1980--it's the best I could do with what I have here with me in Taiwan.)

It was a warm Texas December night and a very special one for us (ok – very special to me, the sentimental one!).

It was our first time decorating a tree with a child old enough to participate.  We purchased a small Christmas tree from the local grocery store and carted it home on top of our Pinto station wagon. Ken crafted a tree stand out of scrap wood and we placed the tree on top of our end table, hopefully out of the reach of our toddler’s (Sarah’s) grasp.  We placed the lights on the tree and Amanda and I began hanging ornaments.  She was so excited we were celebrating!  I was so excited – I got to keep the traditions!

It came time to turn off the overhead lights and plug in the Christmas tree lights.  As soon as the lights on the tree began shining, Amanda, overcome at the beauty of what she was seeing, spontaneously began to exclaim “Oh! Oh! Glory to God in the Highest! Glory to God in the Highest!  Glory to God in the Highest!”  She raised her arms and began dancing around that small glowing tree praising God, repeating that phrase over and over just as the angels must have done on the first Christmas night.

I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed worship as genuine as the worship I saw that night!  Worship from one with such a pure heart and pure motives – a precious three-year-old, who knew only that we were celebrating the birth of Jesus and that our Christmas tree was shining just as the heavens were the night of His birth when angels praised God and proclaimed His glory. And, she wanted to celebrate and praise Him in the same way!

That Christmas, God gave us just what we needed through the faith and actions of a three-year-old child.  That experience changed our perspective on Christmas celebrations.  We both realized that a Christmas tradition held its meaning only in the heart of the person participating in the tradition – you could focus on the warm and fuzzy feelings felt by reliving the tradition or you could focus on the original intent of the tradition or you could focus on the One for Whom you were celebrating as you participated in the tradition.

In our family, we choose to focus not on feelings or original intent, but on the Reason we were celebrating.

Each year, as we decorate our tree, it is a family tradition to tell the story of the night we worshipped with Amanda around our first family decorated Christmas tree. We seek to have the same worshipful heart as a three-year-old who, though only looking at the lights on a small Christmas tree, saw a sky filled with a host of heavenly angels proclaiming God’s glory at the birth of His Son and joyfully joined in the angels’ praises.

Now that is giving meaning to a Christmas tradition!

~Joi

Amanda: Isn't that a great story!! I just LOVE it!!  My mom is so right . . . when we look at our Christmas traditions--or any traditions for that matter--we can foucs on one of three things: (1) warm, fuzzy feelings, (2) original intent, or (3) Christ. 

For me and my sister (I think she would agree with me), that now as adults, because our parents focused on Christ at Christmas, the "warm, fuzzy feelings" of the holiday didn't dissappear but were intensified.  It is not that our traditions became stoic--how can worship of the long-awaited Savior be emotionless?  No, the "fuzzy feelings" didn't dissappear, they just were not the reason we did the things we did. 

As adults, my sister and I anticipate Christmas traditions because we are excited to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords; we look forward to being able to express our love for him in unique once-a-year Christmas ways.  Through participating in Christmas traditions, we enjoy being able to proclaim "Oh! Oh! Glory to God in the highest!!" and "Jesus, we love you!!" 

This is a repost from last year.  Originally posted here.

It was a warm Texas December night and a very special one for us (ok – very special to me, the sentimental one!).

It was our first time decorating a tree with a child old enough to participate.  We purchased a small Christmas tree from the local grocery store and carted it home on top of our Pinto station wagon. Ken crafted a tree stand out of scrap wood and we placed the tree on top of our end table, hopefully out of the reach of our toddler’s (Sarah’s) grasp.  We placed the lights on the tree and Amanda and I began hanging ornaments.  She was so excited we were celebrating!  I was so excited – I got to keep the traditions!

It came time to turn off the overhead lights and plug in the Christmas tree lights.  As soon as the lights on the tree began shining, Amanda, overcome at the beauty of what she was seeing, spontaneously began to exclaim “Oh! Oh! Glory to God in the Highest! Glory to God in the Highest!  Glory to God in the Highest!”  She raised her arms and began dancing around that small glowing tree praising God, repeating that phrase over and over just as the angels must have done on the first Christmas night.

I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed worship as genuine as the worship I saw that night!  Worship from one with such a pure heart and pure motives – a precious three-year-old, who knew only that we were celebrating the birth of Jesus and that our Christmas tree was shining just as the heavens were the night of His birth when angels praised God and proclaimed His glory. And, she wanted to celebrate and praise Him in the same way!

That Christmas, God gave us just what we needed through the faith and actions of a three-year-old child.  That experience changed our perspective on Christmas celebrations.  We both realized that a Christmas tradition held its meaning only in the heart of the person participating in the tradition – you could focus on the warm and fuzzy feelings felt by reliving the tradition or you could focus on the original intent of the tradition or you could focus on the One for Whom you were celebrating as you participated in the tradition.

In our family, we choose to focus not on feelings or original intent, but on the Reason we were celebrating.

Each year, as we decorate our tree, it is a family tradition to tell the story of the night we worshipped with Amanda around our first family decorated Christmas tree. We seek to have the same worshipful heart as a three-year-old who, though only looking at the lights on a small Christmas tree, saw a sky filled with a host of heavenly angels proclaiming God’s glory at the birth of His Son and joyfully joined in the angels’ praises.

Now that is giving meaning to a Christmas tradition!

~Joi

Amanda: Isn't that a great story!! I just LOVE it!!  My mom is so right . . . when we look at our Christmas traditions--or any traditions for that matter--we can foucs on one of three things: (1) warm, fuzzy feelings, (2) original intent, or (3) Christ. 

For me and my sister (I think she would agree with me), that now as adults, because our parents focused on Christ at Christmas, the "warm, fuzzy feelings" of the holiday didn't dissappear but were intensified.  It is not that our traditions became stoic--how can worship of the long-awaited Savior be emotionless?  No, the "fuzzy feelings" didn't dissappear, they just were not the reason we did the things we did. 

As adults, my sister and I anticipate Christmas traditions because we are excited to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords; we look forward to being able to express our love for him in unique once-a-year Christmas ways.  Through participating in Christmas traditions, we enjoy being able to proclaim "Oh! Oh! Glory to God in the highest!!" and "Jesus, we love you!!" 

This is a repost from last year.  Originally posted here.

Christmas Past (1981) (a repost)

I, Amanda, asked my mom to share one of my family's favorite Christmas stories.  So, today and tomorrow she is guest blogging here at following an unknown path.  Now, without further adieu, let my mom take you back 25 years, to the Christmas of 1981 . . .

Christmastime is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but there was conflict in our household.  My husband and I disagreed for most of our newly married four years on how we should celebrate Christmas and neither of us wanted to give up any ground.  However our children were getting older (3 years and 18 months), and we needed to reach an agreement on how our young family would celebrate this season.

I am the sentimental one in our family.  I love the Christmas season, all of it: the lights, the tree, the presents, cookie baking, surprises and secrets, being with family and of course, celebrating the Reason for the Season – God becoming a man and dwelling among us in order to fulfill His plan of redemption.

On the other hand, I don’t think my husband has a sentimental bone in his body!  He is very practical, very logical, extremely well-grounded in Scripture and very matter-of-fact.  This particular Christmas, he was finishing his education at seminary and had learned that most of our traditional Christmas celebrations began as pagan rituals.  He would come home after seminary classes and explain to me what he had learned in class and the conflict would begin!  He didn’t want our family to take part in any celebration that did not glorify God.  With such a youthful intensity to do only that which glorified God, he didn’t want us to participate in some of the traditions I loved because of their original intent.

Technically I agreed, I certainly didn’t want to be a part of anything that didn’t glorify God!…..but I couldn’t imagine Christmas without all the traditions I had grown up with and loved nor could I imagine not sharing those traditions with my children. 

After much discussion and heart searching, we decided we would keep Christmas traditions as a part of our celebration (yeah! – I could still have a Christmas tree!!), and purposefully seek to make the true meaning of Christmas the focus in our family by telling the Christmas story often to our young girls and singing religious Christmas carols with them. 

It was our routine to read or tell bedtime stories each night to our girls; and, during this season, the Christmas story was a much repeated favorite.  Being a natural storyteller and intent on making sure his daughters knew the true Christmas story, Ken would tell the birth of Jesus with great enthusiasm and drama.  We weren’t sure how much their young minds comprehended, but we were genuine in our desire to glorify God with our Christmas celebrations.   Yet, Ken still was uncomfortable about having the Christmas tree and other “pagan” celebrations in our home, but God was about to give us a sign.

Come back tomorrow to find out how.
Joi (aka Amanda's mom)

This is a repost from last year.  Originally posted here.

I, Amanda, asked my mom to share one of my family's favorite Christmas stories.  So, today and tomorrow she is guest blogging here at following an unknown path.  Now, without further adieu, let my mom take you back 25 years, to the Christmas of 1981 . . .

Christmastime is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but there was conflict in our household.  My husband and I disagreed for most of our newly married four years on how we should celebrate Christmas and neither of us wanted to give up any ground.  However our children were getting older (3 years and 18 months), and we needed to reach an agreement on how our young family would celebrate this season.

I am the sentimental one in our family.  I love the Christmas season, all of it: the lights, the tree, the presents, cookie baking, surprises and secrets, being with family and of course, celebrating the Reason for the Season – God becoming a man and dwelling among us in order to fulfill His plan of redemption.

On the other hand, I don’t think my husband has a sentimental bone in his body!  He is very practical, very logical, extremely well-grounded in Scripture and very matter-of-fact.  This particular Christmas, he was finishing his education at seminary and had learned that most of our traditional Christmas celebrations began as pagan rituals.  He would come home after seminary classes and explain to me what he had learned in class and the conflict would begin!  He didn’t want our family to take part in any celebration that did not glorify God.  With such a youthful intensity to do only that which glorified God, he didn’t want us to participate in some of the traditions I loved because of their original intent.

Technically I agreed, I certainly didn’t want to be a part of anything that didn’t glorify God!…..but I couldn’t imagine Christmas without all the traditions I had grown up with and loved nor could I imagine not sharing those traditions with my children. 

After much discussion and heart searching, we decided we would keep Christmas traditions as a part of our celebration (yeah! – I could still have a Christmas tree!!), and purposefully seek to make the true meaning of Christmas the focus in our family by telling the Christmas story often to our young girls and singing religious Christmas carols with them. 

It was our routine to read or tell bedtime stories each night to our girls; and, during this season, the Christmas story was a much repeated favorite.  Being a natural storyteller and intent on making sure his daughters knew the true Christmas story, Ken would tell the birth of Jesus with great enthusiasm and drama.  We weren’t sure how much their young minds comprehended, but we were genuine in our desire to glorify God with our Christmas celebrations.   Yet, Ken still was uncomfortable about having the Christmas tree and other “pagan” celebrations in our home, but God was about to give us a sign.

Come back tomorrow to find out how.
Joi (aka Amanda's mom)

This is a repost from last year.  Originally posted here.

my origins (aka: where I am from)

I am from storybooks and
Cabbage Patch dolls,
from a box of 124 crayons.

I am from cinnamon rolls, banana bread,
and gravy poured over broken biscuits.

From yellow and green gingham,
the CareBears, and pink and blue bows.

I am from the new, new house
in a little bit of Forth Worth.

From the parsonage next to
the small-town church
with the two story slide.

I am from mud pies,
picnics in the front yard,
porch swings and rocking chairs.

I am from “life is not fair”
and “I told you so.”

From washing windows on Saturday
and it’s your turn to empty the dishwasher.

I am from preachers,
Sunday school teachers,
and the church pianist.

I’m from Jesus Loves the Little Children,
and Great is Thy Faithfulness.

I’m from pajama days
and a little black pick-up truck.

From chicken and dumplings,
chips and salsa, peppermint birthday cakes,
and don't forget the Diet Coke and Bluebell.

I'm from Podunk, Arkansas
and Smalltown, Texas.

From huge family get-togethers, days on the lake,
and Christmas at Grandma’s.

I am from the woman who tossed cold water on her rowdy boys,
the high school sweethearts who married,
the boy who was tricked to run down a steep hill,
the strangers who met on a bus.

I am from the boy who jumped off a bridge and broke his nose,
from the girl in the fluffy pink sweater who hated her curls.

I am from Dot and Joe, Mildred and Euel, Joi and Ken,
from love and laughter, faith and family,
hugs and kisses.

~*~*~*~*~

Giving credit where credit is due: Poems like this have been circling the web for awhile now--I first remember seeing them in the winter/spring of 2005.  They are inspired by George Ella Lyons' poem "Where I'm From." And, there is even a template to help you get started if you'd like to write your own.

Tiffany and Becka's adventures--day 8

Let me take you back to the last week of July . . . (Needless to say, I have some catching up to do on my blog.)

After being here for an action packed week and after a very emotion-filled Day 7, the girls and I decided to take a little break.  On day 8, a Wednesday, we slept late, caught up on email and blogging, and just hung around the house.  It was a welcomed rest.

Mid-afternoon, after downing some wonderful fresh fruit slushes, we headed into Kaohsiung to go to an afternoon market that is popular with the teens and young adults of Kaohsiung.  It is situated in between some of the major department stores downtown.

Two of my students joined us and after some browsing and shopping, we deiced to go take some sticker pictures.  This is a popular thing for young people to do when hanging out with friends.  There are these stores filled with picture-taking machines that turn the photos into stickers.

After you've posed 8 or 9 times, you get to choose which poses you like best and then decorate them.

_____

Here are two of the pictures we took--keep in mind these things are very tiny stickers.  Aren't they fun?! 

_____

After the pictures, we had some scrumptious roasted chicken sandwiches.

_____
Then, moments later, Tiffany and Becka had their first of many "dong gua cha."  Yes, it was on day 8 that my cousins fell in love with winter melon tea. 

_____
With teas in hand we ended the day by going to an English Bible study and sharing with new friends how Jesus had changed our lives.  What a perfect ending to a relaxing day!

a special banana

The only pictures we have from day 7 are of a very special banana!! 

Two bananas inside one peel.  So, it's twins--Siamese twin bananas!! 

At the top they were joined together, but at the bottom they were separate.

See?  Isn't that fun and very unique? 

Tiffany and Becka's adventures--day 7

Day 7 didn't quite go as planned.  It was supposed to be a total "play in water" day with lots of swimming in beautiful clear waters and playing on white sand beaches.

We started the morning by going to a great snorkeling place.  We rented snorkeling masks and some flippers.  Tied Gilby up to a coral reef thingee and got wet.

Tiffany and Rebecca took off to go snorkeling, while I gave my students quick lessons on spitting into the mask  to clean it and on breathing through your mouth while floating in the water.  They tried for awhile, and I went to check on Tiff and Becka.

The water was mostly shallow, but there was this 3-4 meter space that was a little deep--maybe 10 or 12 feet deep, and then it got shallow again.  My students got to that part and tried to decide how to best cross.  They had told me they were all swimmers but didn't feel confident in their swimming ability--most pools in Taiwan are no more than 4 feet deep, so "swimmers" can stand up at anytime. 

I helped one across with her holding onto my ankle, and thought the others were going to go rent some life jackets.  I hadn't seen Tiff and Becka in awhile--coral reef rocks blocked my view.  So, I went to go check on them while my students went to go get life jackets. 

Tiffany and Becka were fine and having fun, so I headed back to where my students would be.  I heard one of them scream my name, so I started to swim a little faster.  As I rounded the coral rock that blocked my view of where they were, I saw one of my students floating bottom up in the water far away from the other girls. 

All I saw where Judy's pink shorts bobbing in the water--an image I will never, ever forget. 

Panic flooded my heart.  Adrenaline flooded my bloodstream.  And, I swam as quickly as I could to get to her.

After I got to her, I pulled her back across the gap until I could stand, flipped her over, and started breathing into her mouth.  As I started to breathe for her, I realized all color had left her face except for her purple lips and that her eyes had rolled into the back of her head.

At this point, I thought she was gone, and the first thing I thought was "she is not a Believer yet.  Don't let her die!"  Then, I screamed "NO!" from the depth of my gut as I silently started to pray, pinched her nose and started to breathe into her again. 

All kinds of images and thoughts flooded my head in rapid succession, but I continued to breathe for her as we slowly dragged her up until the water was much more shallow, and we could lay her on the ground.  The other students had yelled for help and a nearby snorkeling guide came over to give us instructions.  At about the same time, Judy started breathing for herself!  Praise the Lord!!

Within about 10 min she threw up, and I felt much more relived.  We finally got her sitting up, but her eyes kept rolling back into her head.  Every time this happened, my heart fluttered and I told her "Don't go to sleep, Judy.  Come back to me.  Stay awake."  Her eyes would come back, and she would stare at me. 

Eventually, we got her to an ambulance and off to the hospital.  Two of the other girls went with her.  This left me, Tiffany, Rebecca, and two of my students--I pulled us into a circle and started to pray aloud for Judy.  For about ten minutes I was shaky and could do nothing--the adrenaline rush was over.

Judy made it.  She is alive.  God saved her.  It was a miracle.  She knows it.  Her friends know it.

Later that day, when I had taken Tiffany and Becka to go eat lunch, I called to check on Judy.  She answered the phone with "thank you for praying for me"--not "thank you for saving me."  I smiled.  I loved that she knew it was the power of prayer that had saved her. I loved that her friends had told her that I was praying and had missionary friends praying for her too.

After she had been released from the little town hospital, we were all sitting around waiting for the taxi-van back to Kaohsiung.  We sat and talked about God's love, God's grace, God's power--His miracle saving power.  One of the girls said, "I didn't think I would ever see you again.  It really is a miracle that you are sitting here with us this afternoon."  Judy, an idol worshiper, told us it was the Christian God who saved her because she had a Christian friend who told her a long time ago that she was praying for her each day.

When we got back to Kaohsiung, I convinced Judy to go to a better hospital to be checked again.  She was admitted for two nights to watch for signs of fever and other complications from "near-drowning."  However, she was fine.  Again, praise the Lord!!

When I think back on that day, I can't but be amazed about how great God is.  The timing was perfect.  Had I been there earlier when she was fighting to survive--I might not been able to save her.  Had I been there any later--she might not have made it.   The fact that I had my wits about me and peace in the midst of it all is miraculous.  The fact that CPR in the water worked is miraculous.  The fact that I could even remember how to do CPR after learning how ten years ago is miraculous. 

Yes, day 7 was nothing short of a miracle.  Please pray for Judy and her friends.  I can just envision this being something that God will use to draw many, many to Himself.  And, I can't wait to see how!!

Tiffany and Becka's adventures--day 6 (part 2)

After several outdoor stops and riding around on mopeds in the HOT sun, we needed to cool off.  So, what better way than to enjoy some fruit and ice?  Me and my students introduced Tiffany and Rebecca to what would be their first of many "chaw bing" delights. :)

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After an early evening swim, we celebrated two birthdays on the beach--Afra's and Anna's.  It was my first time to ever have cake on the beach!! :)

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Then we had dinner off the street--Kenting Street turns into a night market at night with lots of souvenir shopping and great foods to try.  The girls were able to have some of their faves--Taiwanese fried chicken and freshly squeezed-to-order fruit drinks.  I, on the other hand, got to enjoy squid and try duck's tongue for the first time (let's just say it is harder to chew than pig's ears).

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Before Tiffany, Becka, and I crashed and fell asleep (while the others went back out to the night market street till 3 in the morning) . . . we went back to the beach to play with sparklers.  Fun!!

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Finally, one of the cool things is that all along Kenting Street, right behind all the street vendors and above all the souvenir shops are small "hotels."  And, the fun thing about these hotels is that they have rooms with beds for EIGHT people!  That's right--eight girls, one room.  Fun, right? :)

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And, that's it for day 6.  Once again, if you want to you can look at all the day 6 pictures on flickr (there are over 200 from that day alone).

Tiffany and Becca's adventures--day 6 (part 1)

On Day 6 we went to Kenting.  Kenting is on the southern tip of Taiwan and a vacation spot for many.   The three of us (and Gilby too) joined five of my students who had just graduated for a few days of summer fun.

We rented mopeds and then took off. . . . Rebecca was our "on moped photographer."

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Our first two stops were the South and East Gates and city wall in HengChuan.

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There was a row of yellow lantana and black butterflies everywhere. It was so pretty.

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After that we stopped to see the famous "out of earth fire."  Natural gases escape from the ground and can be lit.  Kind of neat to see, but hard to photograph and REALLY hot!!

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We then went to the east coast side of the southern tip--jia-le-sway.  We were here to cool off just a bit and to dip our toes in the Pacific Ocean.  But, in reality, Tiffany and Becka got a taste for the Taiwanese people's love of photo-taking. :)

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We made two more quick scenic stops before rounding the most southern tip of the island and heading back to our hotel completing our circle around the bottom of the island.

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Day 6 was a long day . . . so, I'll talk about the rest of the day later.  Of course, you can look at all the day 6 pictures on flickr (there are over 200 from that day alone).

a travelling we go

Tiffany, Rebecca and I are off to the northern part of Taiwan.  They have just 4.5 days left here with me.  As we will be busy seeing and doing lots of new things, the rest of the day-by-day updates will have to wait till I come back on Thursday.

Have a great weekend and week . . . and I'll "see you" later.

P.S. Again, thanks to those of you who helped with the contest voting.  Winner will be announced on Monday.  Even if I am third, I still will get my very own xshot so that I can bless you with even more pictures. :)