Read it. Love it. Live it.

Tonight at study we had a really good life lesson/reminder.  One of the ladies who came told us that every time she learns something new from the Book she thinks about how can she use it in her life.  In many situations, especially more difficult ones, she thinks about the different things she has learned and tries to apply it.  What a great example and reminder for all of us to not just read the Word, but to live it! This friend has been coming to studies since before I got here. It was a bit sporadic, coming when she could, but sometimes having to work late.  This year, she has come to almost all, if not all, of our women's studies.  Tonight she even worked overtime and still made sure she came.  She has many questions, and many things that she doesn't understand, but she's not afraid to ask, and really thinks about the things we talk about. HE is working hard in her.  Please keep her and others like her in your thoughts.

Other happenings since last time:
Two Fridays ago, Jess and I had Andy and David over for some midtown bonding. We cooked them ranch chicken and corn on the cob and taught them how to play the wonderful game of majiang.

This is from the summer, but just so you know what I'm talking about :)

The next day, I got to meet up with a friend who moved to a different city in July. We met up for a couple of hours before she had to go meet her her family for lunch and I had to meet a couple of co-teachers from our first year here.  Eva really loved when I would make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and she's been asking to bake them with me for the last two years, so we finally got around to doing it. Eva and Daisy each have a son and they brought them with.....they were cute, but little menaces.  Nothing in my apartment was safe. Not even Rom's cage.  He was smart enough to hide in the bedroom.

Eva and Daisy

They loved the chocolate chips :)

At our women's study in Hankou, one of our friend's said she wanted to make crab for us sometime. We decided this coming week would work well. She needed to know how big of a pot Kelsey and Hannah had.  Kelsey and I went searching. Kelsey found a cockroach in the box in the cupboard. I left. Hannah came over to try and help.  Hannah and Kelsey asked if I could come and shake the cockroach out of the box so they could kill it.  I laughed. Then they asked if I could just come over for moral support.  I came and stood in the doorway to the kitchen.  I asked our Chinese friend's if anyone was braver than us. They all shook their heads emphatically, except for Angela, who came into the kitchen confident that the cockroach was no longer there. She took the box out and started taking things out of the box, repeating that it was gone.  When almost everything was almost out, she exclaims "Oh, there it is."  I was gone. Again.  I ran into the living room and squatted on my chair until I heard confirmation of the cockroaches death.  Once it was dead and removed, we could begin our study :)
The next day, I went back to Hankou for a Halloween party.  We started in Steph and Lisa's apartment, which we helped decorate, but then soon headed to the KTV in their building because we had around 30 people, which is just way too many people for one apartment. It was a lot of fun. Almost everyone dressed up for it.

I'm a character from the Big Bang Theory....can you guess which one?

       

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue! (and Amy Farrah Fowler)

Maid Marion

Hankou Study friends Eliza and Laetitia, and Kelsey

Saturday we had the rest of our apartment tour, Wuchang edition.  It was miserable. It was cold and rainy. We couldn’t always find busses or taxis because of the rain/the area of the town we were in. But we made it. And we finished off with a good meal and some Catch Phrase and Sarah and Nathan’s apartment.

Bruce getting dinked to lunch by David on Sunday

Sunday night I was riding my bike back with Jess from Dingziqiao when I heard a loud pop and instantly felt like my bike was riding through cement. I yelled back to Jess if my tire was flat and she confirmed it.  Sadness.  The part we were biking through is a really rough patch, with broken cement and construction, but it’s the easiest and quickest way home.  I’ve been awaiting the day that that section would be the cause of injury to my bike.  Thankfully, we were about a 10 minute walk from home so it wasn't so bad.

The culprit

Bikes in China are very convenient to beat traffic and get exercise.  Broken bikes in China are very inconvenient because you can't just stick it in the back of your car and drive it to a shop to get it fixed, and there usually is not a big sign saying "get your bike fixed here!" You have to search for it and hope it's within walking distance.  Jess and I have a bike guy about a ten minute walk from our apartment, so Monday noon time, I walked my bike to the bike place, told them my tire was broken and asked if they could fix it. The lady said bu hui (can't) bu hao yisi (sorry!). So I asked where can I go, hoping I could recognize something that she said. She said something and pointed to the right, but I had no idea what she could be talking about, so dejectedly I walked my bike back home.  My friend Renner lives around here and I told him my story and asked if he knew a place and he just laughed and said he knows a place because the same thing happened to him when he went to the bike guy with his own bike. So hopefully tomorrow Renner and I will have a more successful venture.

This week is midterm exams which means I get to listen to about 45 product pitches.  They work in pairs, the presentations are about 7-10 minutes long, they can use a powerpoint or poster or whatever else to pitch it, and they have to try and convince me to buy their product.  I have three different classes so I hear each product 2 or 3 times.  Some of the students do really well with it. They get really into it and even make really cool posters along with their power point.  Some of them not so much. I had one group ask me right before they started what they are suppose to do with the product.  Ai ya.  The one partner told me the company history and told me that he wouldn't buy this product, and that the company probably wouldn't be around in a few years.  The other partner did at least pitch the product to me, but it still took all my will power not to smack my head on the desk. Here are some of the posters:

These three are from the same group

That's what has been going on here. Hope all is well with you! Send me a message filling me in with all your happenings if you get the chance :)

Read the Word. Love the Word. Live the Word.  Until next time.....His will be done.