Our New Adventure

Hi All!  Well, we are halfway through our time in China and about to start the next semester, so we wanted to send out an update on our time here so far.  Since I’m not able to give too many details, I’ll just share a bit of what we’ve been doing and our experiences here.  

I’m at a loss of where to start, trying very hard to organize my thoughts.  To say that I’m amazed by where God has us would be an understatement.  Jake and I will still look around and say ‘So, we’re in China….’, in total disbelief.  So much has happened in the short 6 months that we have been here that it feels more like a year.  Of course there has been culture shock, good days and bad days, horrible days and wonderful days.  Our bodies have slowly been adjusting to the food and the air (I would say we’ve been sick about 80% of our time here so far with various illnesses).   And we are definitely still adjusting to the differences in social norms and customs.  But, we are still having a great time, and really enjoying this adventure that God has us on.  He keeps us going non-stop and has brought a lot of opportunities for us to be involved in.  

One of those opportunities is an organization called Bring Me Hope (bringmehope.org).  Bring Me Hope’s purpose is to work with orphans, bringing them love and encouragement, and showing them that they are special, that they are wanted and loved.  They start the year with a summer camp and then teams visit various orphanages throughout the rest of the year.  Statistics on Chinese orphans are staggering showing that the number of orphans is now nearing 1 million, with 98% of those orphans being disabled.  I can’t even put into words the orphan crisis here in China.  It is truly heartbreaking. (If you would like to read further about this issue I’ve attached some articles at the bottom).  So, Jake and I lead a team here of Sias students who meet in our home every week to prepare to go to our orphanage in Zhengzhou every weekend (Jake and myself and the kids go once a month with them).  At the orphanage we play games, do activities, sing songs, and then have family time where we just go off and spend quality time with the orphan we are paired up with.  These kids are amazing.  They smile and laugh and just enjoy our time together.  It is a tremendous blessing being involved with Bring Me Hope.

Another one of my favorite times during the week is having our culture team over.  The culture team is a group of students who have volunteered their time to assist new incoming Sias teachers and help them adjust to life in China.  They are my favorite part about being here.  I have formed some really special relationships with the girls in the group and really enjoy our time together, and it's prompted some great conversations. Every time we meet I try and cook something very ‘American’.  The food here in Xinzheng is definitely not diverse.  So, I really have fun making them foods that are totally foreign to their palettes, and watching their faces as they try new foods are great.  A few things I’ve made are meatloaf and mashed potatoes, burritos, brownies, and s’mores.  And for our Christmas party we introduced them to White Elephant gift exchange and had pizza and Christmas cookies. 

Other than our weekly get-togethers, Jacob and I both focus a lot on our classes.  Last semester, Jake taught Language Arts for Success to Juniors, which has been a fun challenge for him to get creative with his lesson planning.  Many of his students enjoy meeting up with him and especially taking him out to eat to introduce him to food he hasn’t yet tried.  I’m teaching 2^nd grade where I’m challenged to try and not sit in the corner and cry the whole time (kidding...but not really).  This is by far most difficult and uncomfortable job I have ever had. God is seriously stretching me with his one.  However, I do have one small class that makes it worthwhile.  When I walk in they yell ‘Laoshi!’ (meaning ‘teacher’) and run up to hug me and share their snacks with me. So God gives me the sweet with the sour :)

Many other awesome opportunities have been brought to us as well.  We ask that you continue to pray for strength and boldness.  It’s exciting to see the growth here.

Our winter break was a much needed time of rest.  We are mentally and physically exhausted from the first semester.  It's also been a difficult time because the air has been at hazardous levels for days on end.  You may have seen in the news, a couple months ago the air was at a record high level.  To give you an idea, an AQI of 300 is hazardous and you are recommended to stay indoors.  The number that day got up to 900!  We had to run our air purifier on full blast and seal up all the windows and our door.  Classes were even canceled.  It’s tough, especially with children.  We experience major cabin fever and just have to get creative in how the kids can get their energy out. However, now with the weather warming up the air is improving and allows us to go outside more, which is a huge mood booster! Another blessing is all of the kids here in our apartment building.  There are numerous families with young children from America teaching here as well.  Jude and Marlowe have many kids to play with their age, so they have been having a wonderful time.

And recently God blessed us with an amazing trip to Indonesia and Singapore this past month, and we were so grateful for the vacation.  This was time for a lot of prayer and contemplation since the new contract offers for Sias will go out March 10th for the 2017-2018 school year.  We will need to decide whether or not we want to take on another contract, or leave Sias and move on. We want to continue to be where God is calling us, and we want to have wisdom for what is best for our family.  We ask that you come together with us in prayer helping us with this very difficult decision.  

I’ll end with saying that we miss everyone back home terribly.  You are constantly in our thoughts and prayers and we are very excited to come home in the summer and see everyone!   

We hope this letter finds everyone well.  God Bless!

The Croppers

Information:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/the-tragic-tale-of-chinas-orphanages-98-of-abandoned-children-have-disabilities/article17625887/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/opinion/01iht-edrussell.html

                                                Our amazing culture team students.

                                              Our culture team partners, Lance and Cindy

 One of Jake's classes from Fall semester. 

                                                  Some of my second grade students :)

                        Our typical outing, mobs of people stopping and taking pictures of the kids.

                             Our friends Larry and Jessica Billinger and their Bring Me Hope group.

                              Our Bring Me Hope group!  Wonderful students with big hearts!

Making a Thanksgiving Tree with the children with our BMH group.

Ahhh, breathe in that fresh China air!  AQI was at 700 here.

              Sias Campus - Jake and I call this the 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' garden. :-D
 

                                       Sias Campus - European Street with shops and restaurants

            Sias Campus - The Castle.  The lower section is a food court and the upper is student dorms.

                                                        Sias Campus - Chinese Garden

Sias Campus - Sias Library and the fountain courtyard

We've Reached the End

Well, this is it.  As we speak we are packing up and getting ready to head out.  Time to say goodbye to Birmingham.  This has been a great trip that has stretched, taught, and grown us.  And when we say stretched, we mean some serious stretching.  God has allowed us to be in a lot of uncomfortable and new situations, and worked through us and in us every time.  
We have had the chance to come alongside a greater variety and number of different people, groups, and organizations working in the area than we could have imagined.  Most of our days have been filled from start to finish, with sometimes up to three or four different things going on.  We've visited drop-in centers, crisis pregnancy centers, prayer meetings, and ESL classes, as well as home visits, street evangelism, and handed out tracts.  We've also picnicked with Iranians, attended a lecture on Islam, painted a fence, washed curtains, done some gardening, attended guitar clubs and film clubs, and more.  And boy, are we exhausted :) 
One of the things that we will treasure most from our time here is the people.  We have met truly amazing people from all kinds of backgrounds.  We've been shown incredible hospitality, and words cannot express how grateful we are.  We've been invited in to so many homes, been cooked so many different meals, and have had such great conversations.  And of course, a special thank you to our hosts, Bill and Beckie, for putting up with us for 6 weeks!  They were gracious, welcoming, and hospitable.
Another aspect that we will take back with us is a much bigger understanding of ministry.  How minstry can encompass so many different events, groups, and ideas.  From manual labor, to clubs, to home visits, to street evangelism...it's all ministry.  And it all shows the love of Christ. And we don't have to pigeon hole ourselves to one of them, or even one group of people.

We are sad to be leaving all the new friends we have made, but very excited to see where God takes us next year after Jake graduates from Moody.  We are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for bringing us here to experience Birmingham and we're leaving here with the knowledge and peace that this is exactly where He wanted us, having done exactly what He wanted us to do.

Thank you everyone who supported us through giving monetarily and in prayer prior to us coming and while we've been here.

Til next time,

Blessings!
Jake and Em

1 More Week?!

Just under one week left, and I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by.  Last week was just as busy as all the others.  I was able to go to a crisis pregnancy center with Leina.  And while I was doing that Jake went into the city centre (which is the main downtown area of Birmingham) and helped at two different tables set up by OM (Operation Mobilization), and Birmingham City Mission.  At the tables were Christian literature there to hand out to the people and also to talk to anyone who was interested.  He was also able to watch Najib (our friend who is the pastor of the Iranian and Arabic churches) do street preaching at the BCM table.  Jake also got to go check out OM's campus here in Birmingham.  This is located in the most ethnically undiverse neighborhood in all of Birmingham, with a population that is over 90% Pakistani. 

Another fun time was lunch over at our Indian friend's house, Davinder.  He and Rakesh are the two guys that we teach English to with Bill on Wednesday nights.  Davinder's wife cooked us an amazing meal with Chipatis (Indian tortillas), Vegetable Curry, and other things that I have no idea how to pronounce.  

Last week, I also went to a ESL class with Leina for Muslim women.  This was their end of the year party (all groups and classes close down for the summer).  I am going to be a little more bold in this paragraph if you don't mind.  So, if you're super PC (politically correct), stop reading :)  This was a completely new experience for me.  Yes, we've been around many different ethnicities since we've been here, including Muslims.  But, I have never been around so many Muslims in my entire life.  There were 15 women and about 30 children!  I've never had much contact with Muslims and my ideas and opinions about them were mostly just subconsciously formed from what I saw in the media.  I have to admit, before coming here to Birmingham, the thought of being around a room full of Muslims would have slightly terrified me.  Not necessarily because of any experience I had, simply because they were the unknown.  If I can be so bold to say this, I mostly connect the idea of Muslims with terrorists.  Yes, I know, so un-PC, but all I knew of Muslims was what the media reported, which was mainly just of the radicals and extremists.  But, in this room of 15 women, I just saw moms chasing around their kids.  I didn't see anything to alarm me or make me feel uncomfortable.  They were all very nice and are so eager to please and serve.  I realized that these were not the radicals that the news reports about, but just regular women.  We played games, sang songs and ate food (of course).

In fact, what I've learned is that a lot of Muslims haven't even read the Quran, and Islam is more their culture and tradition than being a devoted follower.  They are usually very eager to pray with you and don't mind questions about Islam at all.  And, the reason that so many of the missionaries here have been able to form relationships with them is because they are so hospitable.  Muslims will likely invite you right in and offer you tea and food.   So, that's the main focus here.  All of the missionaries that we've met are here to simply love the people of Birmingham, form relationships with them, and show them the salvation of Christ. 

Til next time, which will actually be our last one from here in Birmingham!  Maybe I'll have to let poor Jake do a post ;p

Blessings!
Em

The Tuesday nights ESL group ( Bill, Najib, Tani, Kimo, Craig )

Bill and Beckie with Rashid and Neelam.  And the delicious food!

2 More Weeks...

We only have 2 more weeks left here for our internship, and we cannot believe how much the time has flown by!  We've been able to do more of our consistent activities this past week which include ESL classes and helping out at the drop-in centers.  The Indian fellow that I was telling you about in the last blog might go with us again to one of the church drop-in centers this Friday, so please pray that the Lord continues to work on his heart and that we will have opportunities to share the gospel again.

We're still meeting so many amazing people here.  The other week we met another African man at one of the drop-in centers who had an unbelievable story.  He and his wife and child fled Africa to escape persecution, but as they were fleeing, they were caught and their child was killed in front of them.  But, they were able to make it to England and he and his wife just had a new baby.  As we spoke with him I cannot describe the absolute glow of joy that this man had on his face.  He was so happy and so excited for this new child that God had blessed them with, and we could see how much God was healing their pain.  That was a real gift to speak with him and hear about his new born girl.

And then today was another great day that we were able to spend with some really special people.  Jim and Shelagh go to Grace Church here in Birmingham where we've been attending.  Jim has developed Dementia and his wife Shelagh is his full-time caretaker.  We were blessed with their company today as Jake and I went over to their house to help Shelagh with some gardening.  She has created this backyard of peace for Jim.  It is full of trees and flowers and water fountains and benches for Jim to sit and relax.  And, she tries and makes every area different so that Jim can always have different scenery to look at.  This woman is an absolute blessing to be around.  Her selflessness in taking care of her husband is so humbling, and they are a true example of a marriage that endures through anything.
She's also orignally from Liverpool and talks like the Beatles, which was super great :)

We also were able to go down and check out London for the weekend!  Bill and Becky's daughter Lynn and her husband Dave let us stay with them and we had a wonderful time.  We ran around like crazy trying to see all of the sights, but it was still great.  The second I saw Big Ben tears came to my eyes.  It was even more beautiful than I expected.  Of course we took a ton of pictures so I hope you enjoy them!

Victoria Station where our train got in at.

Beautiful architecture in London, and of course the red double-decker buses!

Both above are of Westminster Abbey.  I could have stared at this church all day!

Parliament!  This was amazing because Bill and Beckie's other daughter, Leslie, works here in Parliament and so she was able to take us all throughout it and we were even able to go into the House of Lords and the House of Commons where they meet.  We saw where the Queen sits, the old throne chair that Queen Victoria used to sit on, tons of beautiful paintings and statues of previous monarchs and officials and more.  Unfortunately, we could not take any pictures inside of Parliament, which kills me because there is no describing it's beauty and how fascinating it was inside.  The members of the House of Lords are not elected, they are born into families of wealth and nobility.  This side of the Parliament is filled with rich reds and golds, and it is also where the Queen herself sits.  The other side is the House of Commons, which the name pretty much describes itself.  These are the elected officials and this side completely lacked the overwhelming richness of the other.  This side had a lot of green and dark wood.  Not many people are able to see inside of Parliament.  You either have to pay quite a bit or contact an official to have them take you through.
We also learned that Big Ben is the large bell inside the clock tower and not the clock itself, just FYI.

Buckingham Palace.  We had hoped to go in and have tea with the Queen, but I guess she was busy.

The Tower of London.  This castle was originally built in about 1066 and was used as a fortress, then a royal residence, and then as a prison.  This picture does not do it justice, it is absolutely huge!

And of course, Tower Bridge.

Til next time!
Blessings,
Em

Have fun stormin' the castle

Had some more great experiences lately.  One was that we were able to go to a lecture on Islam.  It was taught by Christians for Christians to help us better understand the religion so that we can be more effective witnesses to Muslims.  I absolutely loved it because I don't have very much knowledge regarding Islam.  So, it was a huge help to me.  And they didn't overwhelm with information, they kept it to the basics and just focused on the main points of Islam.

This morning, we visited an amazing older woman who attends Grace Church here in Birmingham.  This is the church that our host family originally planted and we've been going to since we've been here.  She is one of the sweetest and godliest woman you will meet and loves the Lord with all of her heart.  She is an inspiration and an encouragement to be around.  She's into her 90's and she so needed some help with jobs around the house.  We painted her fence for her and took down all her curtains and washed them.  It was a great change of pace to actually get to use our hands and do a little grunt work :)  And we also were able to sit down with her for hours and just listen to her stories and her wisdom.  She was telling us that her husband died about 15 years ago, but that she never feels lonely because the Lord is always with her, and she sings and talks to Him all day.

Another great experience was 'English at the Market'.  This is where Bill takes his ESL students to the Birmingham City Centre markets and as we walk around he points out various items and people and asks the Indian men who are learning English to describe it.  What was amazing is that while we were walking around, Jake was able to talk to one of the men about religion.  The topic first started on Hinduism, but then Jake saw opportunities to ask questions about what the man knew about the Bible and then about Jesus.  The conversation lasted for quite some time and the man even ended up coming out with us afterward to the drop-in center that we help out at.  Once we were at the drop-in center, without any prompting from any of us, the man then grabbed one of the tracts regarding Chirst and sat at a table reading it.  He then had a really great time hanging out and talking with us and other people that were there, and we were able to connect him with the Pastor of the church that runs the drop-in center that also happens to live in the same neighborhood as him.  What a blessing!  Everyday we continue to see God working throughout these areas.

On a different note, we got a nice day off and were able to have a little R&R at Warwick Castle.  This is an absolutely enormous castle just outside of Birmingham in Warwickshire.  It's main foundation was originally built back in 1068, and then over the years different structures and towers were added to it.  In the 1700's it was made into a country home for the earl of Warwick.  This was just a huge treat for us.  I could have stared at this giant castle all day and never have gotten tired looking at it's beauty.  They also had some great tours around it that included wax figures of the family who used to live in it going from room to room.  And then you were led down below where it showed the events that took place when the castle and it's residents were preparing for battle.  As Jake and I felt the cold stones against the wall we realized that this was the oldest item we had ever touched.  Best day off.

And lastly, we've have been shown wonderful hospitality over and over again.  So many great people have had us over for dinner and treated us like family.  Last night we had dinner over at our new friends, Mohan and Leina's house.  They are the missionaries who are originally from India and are now here in Birmingham to specifically reach out to the Bengali community.  Excellent food with different curry dishes, paella, and samosas.  We also had a delicious meal over at Les and Barabara's, who attend Grace Church.  We've been so blessed to experience such incredible warmth from people since we've been here.

Well enough chatting, here's some pics.

Til next time.
Blessings! 
Em

Week 2

Where do I begin?  Earlier this week, we were able to attend a Farsi speaking church where we worshiped and read the Word with Iranians here in Birmingham.  The church is led by a man from Tunisia who preaches in English and then it's translated to Farsi by one of the Iranians.  One highlight of the night is that we were able to sing a worship song in Farsi.  One of my new Iranian friends is Jayram (sp?).  She is a mother of three who came here from Iran about 10 years ago with her husband.  I'm always so excited to see her because she is so sweet and friendly to Jake and I, making us feel comfortable and welcome.

This week we were also able to help out with some more ESL classes.  This one was located in a very diverse area of Birmingham called Handsworth which I recently found out is referred to as "The Bronx of Britain".  At this rec center there are three tables teaching English; a beginner's table, an intermediate, and then advanced English speakers.  We helped at the beginner's station and had Indian and Polish women.  What Jake and I kept forgetting is to say things in proper 'British English', not our dirty American English ;)  Which basically just consisted of Jake and I doing very bad British accents.

After that, we went to a drop-in center for Asylum Seekers.  These are centers for immigrants who have fled their country due to either persecution or other hardships and are destitute.  They come to these for either food, clothing, help with paperwork, or of course just someone to listen.  We met immigrants from Congo, Zimbabwe, and Eritrea.  We sat down with a Zimbabwe woman who told us her story of having to leave her country and not having seen her kids in years.  We sat and cried together as she relived her painful story, but she continued to praise God throughout it all, not understanding why it was happening but still trusting Jesus and thanking Him for saving her.  I cannot tell you the conviction this had on me.  Here was this woman who was forced to leave her family and country, had no idea if she would ever see her kids again, and she had the most beautiful and godly spirit.  Very humbling.

We also went to a different drop-in center today in an area called Sparkhill, which is the most multicultural area of Birmingham.  When you enter into this neighborhood you feel as if you've entered into a different country.  Many Indians, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and others.  Our new Indian missionary friends brought us here who meet every Wednesday with other Christians to go around the neighborhood and hand out tracks about Christ and let people know about the center.  Then anyone can come in for some food and good conversation.  I sat down with a woman from Lebanon who told me all about the history of Catholicism and the Byzatine empire!  It was like a free history lesson.

And lastly, Jake and I just got back from tonight's events.  I was able to attend a women's Bible study with some women from here in Birmingham.  It was a refreshing break from our hectic schedule, to just take time to be in God's Word with other Christian women.  And Jake went to a guitar club that's led by a missionary here with Grace Brethren.  He is an amazing guitarist who started up this club to meet other guys that he could be a witness to and share Christ with.  So, we both had a nice little break tonight to relax a little and unwind from the busyness.

Well, I think that's probably enough for now.  Don't want your eyes to start glazing over from too much information.  Til next time!

Blessings!
Em

They Call it...Marmite!

Those of you who know me well know that I am not a picky eater.  I'm quite a foodie and love to try foods and dishes from all different types of cuisine.  My 'Will Not Eat' list is quite small and the number of foods on it can be counted on one hand.  However, I now have a new food to be placed on said list.  That food is...Marmite.
Jake and I repeatedly saw this little jar of sin at the grocery store and wondered if it was similar to Vegemite (which we also have never tried).  So, our host bought us a little jar to try.  The ingrediants are yeast extract (no, no, that was not a typo, I did indeed type yeast extract), salt (and plenty of it), B vitamins, spice extracts, celery extract, and other vitamins and minerals.  The consistency is that of a tacky, sticky, thick, brown goo.  The most common way to eat it we were told is to put it on toast with butter.  Ok, I like toast, especially with butter, this will be good.  The taste is indescribable, but I will do my best.  It tasted like a combination of roast beef au jus, with some bbq flavor and some beef bouillon cube thrown in there for good measure, and it's all been marinating in something quite sinister.  I wish I could have attached a picture of my face as it hit my tongue, but unfortunately the moment was not captured on film.  I'm sorry Marmite, I did want to like you, honest.  But, you are terrible, just terrible.
So, I now have an updated 'Will Not Eat' list as you will see below:
-Cantelope
-Jelly Beans
-Lime Jello
-Menudo
-Wheel Macaroni
-Marmite!

Til next time,
Em