Chapter 8: A Vision

This week has been really busy with team-building that I haven't had the time to sit down and write a new entry. But since right now I'm sick I definitely have the time... I was home all day yesterday watching movies, eating below minimal amounts, trying to sleep. Today I'm still not feeling well.
Two nights ago, YY (my Chinese roommate) made dumplings from scratch, and we had people over to help. It's a Chinese tradition to get together with friends and to make dumplings at home, and it's really good and fun. But YY put some shrimp in one of the meat fillings for the dumplings, and I think that's what I'm having a problem with. Everything else that was in them I've already eaten before in Wen Shan and never had a problem, so I'm pretty sure it's the shrimp. But oh well; at least it's not food poisoning!

The baby on our BCI team. SO CUTE!

Fei Yen - 4-year old girl with cerebral palsy we work with in  PT center

Other than that, though, I've been doing really well. Monday and Tuesday my team and I went to the physical therapy center, even though we're on break and not working with the kids for the next few weeks. But during those couple days I started to work on a project! I have a vision for how I want to work with the autistic kids this year. The team working at the PT center wants to move the office to a larger apartment - it's three or four floors I believe. It's really ideal for the PT center because it has a wide open space on one of the floors with no walls, so it's one big room. But the place needs to be cleaned, and we also want to put decorations up. So, part of my job is planning for the decorating! But the decorations I'm making are going to be used for visual stimulation stations for the autistic kids. I want to make big posters in the shapes of trees and clouds, and I want a sun and a rainbow too. On each of these posters I want to put pictures and flashcards for the kids to practice with - shapes, numbers, objects, people, etc. They need practice with listening and visualizing their surroundings. They also need to learn general things like their shapes and numbers and colors. But what I also want to do with this is write songs for the kids to sing and listen to while they do these activities. Musical therapy is huge for autistic kids, and it is known to help them speak. So I want to incorporate as much music as possible into the daily routine of the kids at the center. It helps make their activities and exercises more fun and interesting. And if the songs are catchy, then they will be replaying them over and over in their minds and out loud so the words and sounds stick with them - and they learn! It's exciting for me because I love music! I may even teach Niu Niu piano. She loves music and is super sensitive to it, and it would be a privilege to teach her even just the basics. Hopefully my many years of lessons pay off!
So anyway, it's been really cool jumping right in with ideas and doing research for this project. My team leaders are really supportive of it, and I have hope that it will help bring out the personalities of the kids, help them feel secure in themselves.
I go back to Kunming on Wednesday. I'm excited to see my family! I miss them oodles!
Hope y'all are doing well. :)

Chapter 7: The First Week

Wen Shan is pretty awesome. Hands down!
This week has been pretty busy meeting a ton of people from the team and moving into the apartment. Today was the first full day I spent at the center I'll be working at this year. I talked with my team leaders about what this year will look like, and I'm really encouraged by the team that's supporting me. They care more than anything about the well-being of each team member, and make an effort to do as much team building as possible. So I feel very secure in knowing that I can be myself as I spend my time here.
We also talked a little bit about what I'll be doing with some of the kids at the center. They said I will work with Niu Niu, a 6 year old girl, and Hang Hang, a 4 year old boy. They both have autism, and Hang Hang has cerebral palsy on top of it. They need physical therapy as well as mental stimulation exercises. I may also be working a little bit with two other kids that have cerebral palsy, and they work mostly on physical therapy. I don't know yet what exactly my duties will be, but I shadowed around the center rustics a bit today and have a general idea of what I'll be doing.
I'm particularly excited to work with Hang Hang. He is just so precious... I don't really know what it is or why I'm so drawn to him. But I just see something there in him that is waiting to burst out. Every time I look at him I have a hard time looking away. I can feel my face brighten and my spirit uplifted when I see him... it's a little strange! Part of it is probably his cuteness, because he really is so adorable. But I think Gd has a strong claim over his life, and has amazing plans to use him. I'm really excited to see how he will grow while I'm here, and it certainly won't be because of anything I do or teach him. He's probably going to teach me things I could never learn from anyone else.
Another exciting thing that happened today... A guy attempted to pick pocket from my backpack while I was shopping for vegetables with my roommate. Thankfully I heard him open my zipper and turned around fast enough to make him go away. I decided to wear my backpack backwards so that it was in front of me. After he moved pretty far away, I watched him and this other guy pick pocket this woman. The guy cut open her bag and dug his hand in there, while the other guy walked by and snagged some cash or something out of it... They dug in her bag on and off for more than 5 minutes and she had no idea! So crazy... It's so subtle how one minute they look like they're just walking by and the next they're right behind you or next to you. I'm going to be much more careful about my stuff from now on...
Anyway, that's pretty much the news since last week. :) Next week is the beginning of vacation, so it'll be cool to spend more time with the team here. I'll also be returning to Kunming for a little while to do some vacationing, and also to attend a physical therapy training session.
I'll try to add pictures soon. I haven't had the chance to take any yet, but I'll make sure I do soon!
Later, gaters :)

Chapter 6: The Day is Finally Here - Part 2

I made it!!! I'm in Wen Shan!!!
It feels so good to be here. I don't really understand why, but I still truly love and appreciate the feeling!
The interesting part of the journey was the very beginning: packing the mian bao che, or van. (Directly translated, it's "bread car." They call it that because it looks like a loaf of bread to them.) LA and I were a little worried in the beginning that our stuff was not going to fit... but after a very intense interlude of Tetris, the digital piano, the bike, the two big packages of floor mats and the T-frame for the clinic, and all the suitcases miraculously fit in the van. I wish I had the pictures we took to show you, because it is seriously amazing how perfectly everything fit in... So, it was definitely a huge blessing that we didn't have to leave anything behind!
The drive was about 6 hours without stopping. We made good time and got to our apartment (which is awesome!) and dropped our stuff off. Our friends P and S (team leaders and friends) were there to meet us and help us unload. I met them the first time I came to visit Wen Shan, so it was really awesome to reconnect with them.
We had a really good hospitable Chinese dinner with a local family and enjoyed friendship together for the evening, and now I am currently staying the night with a very cool couple from Australia. They are the "team supporters," you could say, and they are letting me stay with them until we get things set up in my apartment.
I feel so welcome and at home here in Wen Shan already. It's almost a bit strange, because I barely know my way around and am still getting to know the team members here. But they've already made it clear that I'm a part of their family, and everything feels so perfect. It's definitely a huge blessing, and I'm so thankful for the peace in me.
The only challenge I'm facing right now is learning the language... I'm able to understand mostly what people are saying, but my words and grammar are so jumbled up right now I can't say a proper sentence! So yarps that I would pick it up efficiently would be much appreciated.
Thank you so much for your support for me, friends. I really appreciate it!
Stay tuned this week for an entry about my first time working in the clinic!
Blessings :)

Chapter 6: The Day is Finally Here

It's September 10, 2011 on a Saturday morning. Today happens to be the day that I leave for Wen Shan. :) I am SO excited! It's finally happening!
I don't really have time to write a long entry, but I just wanted to let you all know that I'm moving today. I can tell you that I feel more than ready and I'm so looking forward to settling in and starting my adventure.

Thank you all for your support! Talk to you soon!

Chapter 5: Pressing On

Daddy is so good, it’s a little too much to handle sometimes. Today I kept catching a smile on my face just thinking about all the great and wondrous things He has done to provide for me, encourage me, and bless me. What a loving Father we have!

Officially a week from today I move to Wen Shan with LA and my mom, and we were originally planning on taking a private taxi – which is a car that can take only so many suitcases. Apparently Daddy must have heard an unspoken prayer to provide a moving van big enough to take suitcases AND furniture, AND that we would have help with the cost – because he provided just that! My mom’s boss assured my mom that he would make the plans and help get us set up to move, just so she could go to the school during the days she would have potentially been helping me get ready to leave. Amazing, isn’t it, how some things just work out a little too perfectly, and you know there is nothing else behind it except our amazing Gd himself? (Part of me also keeps thinking He’s making it clear that there’s no turning back for me now.) : )

I’ll admit, it’s been a little rough for me emotionally to grasp the idea that I’m leaving my family and friends in Kunming for another city in China (my second year here…) to help volunteer in a physical therapy clinic with no experience in the field, very little Chinese, and only a few acquaintances… (that’s a mouthful). These little pokey thorns have been used against me this week, and it’s needless to say it’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster… but thank the Father above he’s got the tweezers to pull them out and throw them away, if I just ask him to. And he has – now I just have to keep moving forward.

I would really appreciate your good thoughts for my trust in Him, that I would not lean on my own understanding, but would trust in His word and guidance alone.

On a very important side note: Lexi and Wyatt auditioned for “Beauty and The Beast” at the international school, and Lexi has been cast as Belle and Wyatt as Lafou! (Lafou is Gaston’s sidekick). I’m so proud of them and I’m already itching to see the play… they are perfect for these roles and they’re going to make it so awesome!

I hope you all are doing well!!!

Blessings : )

This is one of the little girls I'll probably be working with in Wen Shan.
She's such a sweetie and I can't wait to see her again!