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During August, 2010, for the entire month, Terry was in California helping to prepare her Mom for a move out of Sacramento and in with Mike and Adona in Danville.

I was in Davie, Florida getting ready to preside at her dad’s funeral in California in September, while also sending out information in search of a job….and listening every day to the song The Potter’s Hand by Darlene Zschech. I wanted to be placed where we were needed and wanted…and ready to go whenever and wherever required.

China was in the back of our minds, only barely, having received information in July about the need there, but not really thinking it was likely since we had tryouts planned. We also were not sure it was possible to decide and raise funds quickly for a December 14 decision if those other situations did not work out. The waiting was difficult.

I have been listening to that song every morning for the past two weeks between 9:45 and 9:55 a.m. while standing at the top of the steps outside Teacher Building #1. Many of the students come by with their usual smile and friendly wave and greeting: Hi, Gary.”

The words? I know for sure all of my days are held in Your hands, crafted into Your perfect plan. You gently call me into your presence…teach me…. to live all of my life through Your eyes. I’m captured by…calling…set me apart, I know you’re drawing me to yourself. Take me, mold me, use me, fill me. I give my life to the Potter’s hand. Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me. I give my life to the Potter’s hand.

That is what Terry and I want again, as we move toward a final decision for 2012. I know finances have been difficult in America this year, and it might be tough for some, but we are hopeful our plans can move forward in a positive way and it becomes absolutely clear where we need to be. We are keeping our options open, like my Dad always taught me, and are comfortable and not afraid of what might be ahead. 🙂

Thank you for your partnership in this effort we share!

When we made plans to come to Jingzhou,  we asked about the weather. We were told it was comparable to Tennessee, and have found that to be true., within 3-5 degrees.

With a weather change, we have brought out some of our long-sleeve sweaters and shirts, and I found many of them no longer fit me. Looks like J. C Penney and Wal-Mart will have a happy shopper in early January. It is nice to be able to wear some of these clothes without heavy coats over them…we never really had spring last year, it seemed. It went from 35 to 85 pretty quickly.

As it gets cooler here (not cold by any means yet!), the students will text Terry reminding her to put on the proper clothes and take care of herself.” It is so nice of them to feel as if they need to take care of us.

The theory of evolution has come up with some new students. It is difficult for them to consider anything else when they have been taught all of their life how the world came into being.

I have to share a story: Howard, one of our teacher friends from the 5th floor of our apartment, came down to arrange a time this week Terry will talk to one of his classes about America, etc. (As reported in the last newsletter, her classes now begin in 26th instead of 5th, then 12th…then 19th….well, you get the idea.)

He studied abroad a few years back in Montana, and is quite style-conscious and wears many of the ‘brand name’ shirts. As we had finished our discussion, he pointed to the Abercrombie symbol on his shirt and said “A friend bought this for me in America and brought it to me. It cost $90 (USA) but I paid only $30 (factory discount store, I am sure).  Then, with a huge smile on his face, he added, “It is made in China.” We all had a big laugh. 🙂

Terry had an upset stomach part of the day, and answered my question (What did you eat that might have caused it?) this way: “I ate some Chinese spinach, but it was OK, and some fruit and black beans and rice….the chicken was a little tough…maybe it was a rooster!”

From Terry: One of the teachers gave me a small cloth purse she bought during her travel this summer. It is very pretty.

Our neighbor, Howard, asked me to speak to his freshmen non-English majors on the West campus this week; all but four were male students, just the opposite of my classes. They were very attentive; many had never seen a foreign person before. Several had their pictures taken with me. After  class four students walked me to the front gate, secured, paid for and directed a taxi to take me home.

The other lady that was sharing the taxi was carrying a Mary Kay tote bag. I asked her, in Mandarin, if she sold Mary Kay and she said gave me her business card. I gave her my card too. I have finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. I watched the movie Miss Potter about the life of Beatrix Potter. It was like traveling to another place and time. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes and sets. Peter Rabbit is one of my favorite children’s books. Yea!

My schedule has changed for the better. I now have only one 4:00 p.m. class, no more than two classes a day and only have to catch the city bus two times on the way home. This is very good. I am thankful.

I did have another interesting thing occur: on my third day of classes I noticed when arriving that the students were the same ones from my class the day before. Thinking I had entered the wrong room, I spoke to them and found out that all of my classes meet twice per week instead of once a week. It’s OK except that I did not know it at that moment and did not have the attendance book and seating chart for the day…well, life goes on. A typical miscommunication that occurs when everything we receive from the university is only in Chinese and we do not know what questions to ask to be fully informed of the process. 🙂

I got to Skype with Mother about an hour the other day. It was so good to spend time with her. She looked great and is doing well. Because of schedules and time difference it had been a while since our last visit so we caught up.

My eyes stung just a little bit when I passed by the place where Aiden spent a lot of time playing while he was here this summer. I could almost see him climbing on the “old castle”. It is a good memory.

“All and whatever”; that is a statement from the latest book I have read, The Oak Leaves by Maureen Lang. It is a Christian romance novel about a family dealing with fragile x syndrome. The story brings out the fact that our creator promises to be with us through all and whatever happens in our life.

I have had a great first week: enthusiastic, dear students, again very few males. Many said I am the first foreigner they have ever seen. Others said I am their first foreign teacher.

There is construction on the street in front of the West Campus where I teach so things were a little different. I caught the right bus at the right time but I was at the wrong place (by just a few yards) coming and going on my first day. The dear bus driver (same as last semester) saw me and picked me up anyway, bless his heart. And so I was taken care of. First times are always so “fascinating”.

Gary met me at the gate the first day after classes and took me out to lunch. It was very thoughtful and appreciated. In the last report I failed to mention that it was Ralph Waldo Emerson that said “All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”— Love, Terry

The students were given time off from classes one morning so they could elect the local area’s national representatives. Many took part, standing in line while listening to some adults present themselves through loud speakers. They commented “it is difficult to feel as if we know them well enough to really vote.” (Sounds like something we also say in America).

China News—China plans to introduce a new grading system for its restaurants, awarding a smiley face to establishments that score high grades for hygiene, and an unhappy face for those with a food safety problem, the official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

Restaurants in China are famous for producing mountains of delicious food, but a look behind the scenes at the state of the kitchens can make even the hungriest diners lose their appetite.

China’s State Food and Drug Administration is drafting new rules to force restaurants to display simple stickers to  inform customers how safe it is to eat there. A smiley face will represent  “excellent,” a straight face means “good,” and an unhappy face indicated average.

Inspectors will grade restaurants after inspecting food materials, sanitation and hygiene, the report said.

China will launch an unmanned module next week, paving the way for a planned space station, a spokesman for the space program said on Tuesday.

Tiangong-1, or “Heavenly Palace 1”, will blast off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province between Sept 27 and 30, the spokesman said.

The 8.5-ton module, and the Long March II-F rocket that will carry it skyward, were positioned onto the launch pad on Tuesday, signaling that the project has entered the final preparation stage.

“Scientists will conduct final tests in the next few days before injecting propellants for the launch,” Cui Jijun, director of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, said.

The program spokesman said that Tiangong-1 will serve as “a target spacecraft” for rendezvous and docking experiments.

Can We Be Happy?
In a world filled with sorrow and suffering, where pain and disappointment assault body and mind, where discouragement seems to attend every worthwhile endeavor, eventually we are led to ask ourselves: “Can We Be Happy?”

Is “happiness” just a word? Or, can it be a reality in this world?

If there is a truly common, universal desire, it is the desire to be happy. People seek happiness, “work hard” to obtain it, go to great lengths to ensure it, and, yet, it seems to elude so many.

One of the problems is one of definition – what is happiness? What does it mean? You can’t hardly obtain something if can’t identify what it is you re seeking.

Happiness means different things to different people. It is a personal, individual matter. It involves our interests, our personal goals, our likes and dislikes. What makes one person “happy” could have little effect upon someone else.
We realize that there are many unfulfilled, unhappy people. They desire what they cannot achieve, at least as far as they can see. But, possibly, much unhappiness and discontent could be dispelled and overcome by a redefining of what we seek and a better understanding of what true happiness is.

One person described “happiness” this way: “Happiness is a state of mind or habit where we have pleasant thoughts the greater part of the time. It is a built-in mechanism within us.”

On reflection, as we look around us in the world, many people seem to have so much to make them happy. But, they are not happy.

On the other hand, we may think of some one who has few of the ingredients necessary to be happy – but, still, they seem to be so.

It leads us to conclude that happiness is, indeed, a state of mind; one that is not necessarily conditional upon external circumstances. It is as Paul said for himself: “. .I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”

Where does a sense of contentment, of peace, of happiness come from? It must come from within us. Solomon learned long ago that external wealth and other things cannot insure happiness. In contrast to Paul, Solomon had discontent and dissatisfaction where, we might think, he would have much happiness.

Happiness and trouble stand at everyone’s gate. Our choice is which we will invite in. Can we be happy? The answer is “yes,” if we make up our mind to be.

Daily thoughts and convictions that stretch into eternity are man’s greatest hope and source for happiness.

We receive guidance and instruction from those in the past to know that we may have joy.

Happiness is never found in wealth, power, knowledge, or physical enjoyment. Not that there is no enjoyment, or pleasure, or sense of accomplishment in these things. They can be fulfilling in their own say, as can the things money can buy.

Each of these things has a legitimate place in our lives, but which of them belongs at the center of our lives?

Here is where many people look to achieve happiness, but, ultimately they fail to achieve a lasting joy or contentment in their lives.

Happiness is often found in simple things. What appear the simplest things in life can be the source of much happiness. Children reflect this when they set an expensive toy aside and play with the box it came in.

The joys and beauties of everyday life can effect us profoundly, and they cost us nothing.

Happiness is found in worthwhile work well done. Eternal happiness will come from a job well done.

Happiness and satisfaction are often found more in the pursuit of an objective than in its attainment. Thinking about, and working toward, a goal can be a time of happiness a real fulfillment.

Achieving our set goats is good, and brings joy into our lives, but, setting goals and applying ourselves in gaining worthwhile objectives gives life a special meaning.

Happiness is found in being more concerned about others than about oneself. When we forget ourselves and work for the good of others, we find the greater satisfaction and happiness.

The late Batsell Barrett Baxter tells this story:  “During my college years a graduation speaker told of an immensely rewarding experience. A lady in the church of which he was minister baked a chocolate cake and brought it to the church office, saying that she wanted him and his family to have it. He expressed his appreciation and then, since it was mid-morning and not yet time to go home for lunch, set the cake on a table beside a window which opened on a vacant lot where neighborhood children often played. During the morning he happened to notice that several boys from the not-too-well-to-do neighborhood had stopped their game and were looking longingly at the cake. On an impulse, the minister invited the boys in and shared the cake with them. It was soon gone, but the wonderful memories of a happy group of neighborhood children never left him; he told our graduating class months later that he was still enjoying the cake. A generation later, I am still enjoying a cake which I never saw or tasted. And now that I have told this generous-hearted story, people all across this land will long enjoy a cake which they never saw or tasted. How different the destiny of this cake if the preacher had kept it for himself and his family.”

We can never experience real joy until we give of ourselves for the sake of others.

Ultimate happiness is found only on the spiritual level. There are physical joys and satisfactions, but, the highest level of happiness comes from the spiritual, not physical, side of our nature.

Why this is so, is easily explained: we are more than just a physical body; made in the image of God, we are a spiritual being as well, a soul destined for existence eternally. Our spiritual nature must be accounted for if we are going to be a complete, fulfilled person.

Our relationship to God, or lack of same, has a direct bearing upon our happiness. In life, when a relationship breaks off, we feel unhappy – if it was a satisfying relationship to begin with. So it is with ourselves and God. A very important part of our nature and make-up needs a relationship with Him who made us. When our relationship with God is a good one, we can be happy. Look to God and be happy in what we have from Him.

Conclusion — Happiness is possible but not always attainable at once. Life can burden us greatly, and there are times we may even feel it is useless to even think about ever being happy

But, when life tumbles in, remember:

He is still supreme and still cares about us and for us.

Someone sacrificed Himself that we might live forever in eternal peace and joy.

An eternal home awaits the obedient soul. It is a place where nothing burdensome will ever trouble us again.

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We have experienced our first student drop-ins. Since they were off for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and had a free weekend, four of our students dropped by after our Sunday Assembly.

They stayed just over two hours, and it was just delightful….lots of good conversation with questions from all sides. It is difficult not feeling special indeed that they would want to spend time with us ‘old folks.’

We have had over 170 students into our apartment since February 15, but they were always invited and here for something specific…these four have now had both of as their teachers, and they were not on our campus until two weeks ago.

Just spent nearly 30 minutes on Skype with a dear friend, Polly Cline, who makes us feel so special when we talk….always speaks to us as Precious Ones. She and Danny were very encouraging to us when we went into this business over 33 years ago! 🙂

We attended two of the class parties the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival…received more mooncakes and also sang two songs for the groups: Light the Fire and Ching, Ching, Ting (all Chinese words of I’m Listening Assembly song we learned before we came).

Greetings from Terry: As we looked at the glass in our bathroom window we realized it was held in place with slanted nails from the outside like the glass on a cheap picture frame, not even set in a grove. So we winterized it by lining it with bubble wrap and stuffing the openings with plastic bags.

Our new floor fan is already showing small rust spots so I covered each spot with clear nail polish.

I feel like I am nearing the end of a three month pregnancy while preparing and making plans for my new students: carrying them in prayer all summer, wondering what they will be like, what their names will be, how we will relate to each other. I can’t wait to meet them. Then like an overdue baby having to wait for an extra three weeks for my classes to begin.

But today (Thursday, 9/15) I finally got my schedule. Looks like God has a lot more confidence in me than I do. I have eight classes in all, but five are afternoon classes at 2:00 and 4:05 p.m. (most of which are on the fourth floor); three other classes are in the mornings on the third floor.

I will get to ride the teacher bus to the West campus all but two times and catch the city bus for those classes. I will have Fridays off. I have complete confidence in God to get me up the stairs. “If He brings you to it He will get you through it.” To Him, be the glory. — Love, Terry (Late bulletin: Sunday afternoon TJ found out her classes will not begin until 26th, giving her four-week break after the start of most classes…over 2,000 freshmen enrolled this semester, and the pronunciation classes are the only ones that begin on the 5th of the 17-week session).

More from Gary: It’s the normal process to have Oral English students introduce themselves on the first day of class, letting us get to know them and also hear their English level. One student, asked what she did during the summer, “I didn’t go anywhere most of the summer, since I was praying for my grandfather, who passed away.

Our Sunday Assembly keeps growing! We had four new people attend last night, and three were absent due to schedule conflicts and rainy, wet conditions. Many of them attend at least two Gatherings per Sunday, too.

The heater ran for the first time in the apartment this morning…was 53 degrees outside.

Finding Purpose In Life
Life without purpose is really wasted existence. There can be little more tragic than to come to the close of life, or even long before such a point is reached, and not feel we’ve accomplished something for ourselves and for others.

Finding purpose in life – and basing our life upon that discovery of purpose – is, for many, a difficult task. But, it need not be so.

There are certain searching questions that just about everyone asks, of themselves or others, at some point in their lives. “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “How did I get here?” “Where am I going?’

Even as children, these types of questions, maybe more a reflection of curiosity than deep philosophical thought, often come to mind and we ask someone to give us answers.

As we mature, we come to more of an understanding of how we feel these questions can, and should, be answered.
How the great questions of life are addressed depends upon our developed point of view regarding man, the universe, eternity.

One view is distinctly materialistic. Man is a “mere collection of atoms,” as late Bertrand Russell concluded.
The other view sees man as God-made.

Since people are responsible beings, we must decide which view we accept and upon which we base our life.

The Spiritual Realm: Dr. Vannevar Bush, once one of this nation’s top scientists, wrote a book entitled “Science Is Not Enough.” In a world where some are inclined to believe that science can answer every question, Dr. Bush responds: “Science has come a long way in delineating the probable nature of the universe that surrounds us, of the physical world in which we live, of our own structure, our physical and chemical nature. It even enters into the mechanism by which the brain operates. Then it comes to the question of consciousness and free will-and there it stops. No longer can science prove, or even bear evidence.. .He who follows science blindly, and who follows it alone, comes to a barrier beyond which he cannot see.. and on the essential and central core of faith, science will of necessity be silent.. But its silence wilt be the silence of humility, not the silence of disdain.. Young men who will formulate the deep thought of the next generation, should lean on science, for it can teach much and it can inspire. But they should not lean where it does not apply.”

As a noted scientist, Bush openly declares that, as great as the achievements of science have been, and are, it can still not answer the deeper questions of life and death, questions of a spiritual nature, about the spiritual realm.

Certain questions the material, scientific approach cannot answer: “How much does love weigh?’1 “How long is honesty?” “What is the color and consistency of peace?” Some things just cannot be weighed, measured, or calculated in physical terms.

This is not to reflect badly upon science, which has provided so many good things for the improvement of the quality of life. But, while science may answer questions in the material universe, it does not deal with the ethical, moral, or spiritual realm.

Unfortunately, as mankind has discovered more about the physical universe, it has become, seemingly, less concerned about guidance God.

Here, for example, is the philosopher Bertrand Russell’s rather pessimistic view of life: “That man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of the human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system and that the temple of man’s achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of the universe in ruins-all of these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand.”

For all of this brilliance, Russell failed to understand the deeper purpose of all lives. This left him only with a futile, depressing conclusion to draw.

To recognize there is a spiritual realm, is to realize that behind the physical elements of existence there is a deeper meaning, a higher purpose.

We must be willing to examine our faith – what we believe and why we believe it. We must be deeply concerned with what is true, not just what pleases or satisfies us, or eases our mind.

Life can only become truly meaningful when we recognize, and begin to understand, the deeper purpose behind it. we can only understand this when we come to know Him.

God is the ultimate Authority over everyone and everything. Events can have an overriding, divine purpose, often unknown to those who are a part of the events.

Paul believed confidently that God’s purpose had shaped the events of his life.

Life is more than accidental, unplanned, unguided events. The hand of God can be seen in all of history – when we recognize the deeper purpose of life. The hand of God can be seen in our own lives, when we yield to His Will.
While not minimizing trials and difficulties, we can find more in life, get more out of life, by relying on His strength and by allowing Him to work in our lives and through us.

To the questions raised earlier, there are always two diverse answers:
“Who am I?” Or, more broadly stated, “What is man?” Man is a physical mechanism, or entity, controlled by certain physical needs. Man is an animal evolved from other life forms.

Man is a created physical being with a spiritual nature…the crowning glory of the creative work, made to be His children.

“Why am I here?”
Some believe man emerged only after millennia of evolutionary processes. Then, we live, we die, and return to a state of non-existence. Life consists of what we may experience here on the Earth.
Others know that man was placed on Earth by his Creator with a higher purpose in mind. Man was made to live forever with God. But, this is conditional upon our loving God, glorifying Him, and obeying and serving Him.
‘Where am I going?”

The skeptic has no clear answer for this question.

The believer can answer with confidence. Apart from God, life has no real meaning, or purpose, other than a difficult, often tragic, struggle to survive. God has revealed to us why we are here, where we originated, and where we are destined to go.

We must choose whether we will find, and fulfill, the deeper purpose of life, now and forever.

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China Agrees: Each Person Unique, Special…Comes From Higher Power

I could not have said it better, but Unit One in my textbook said it clearly: we are unique, special, no one is exactly like any other person in the whole world. No one has my smile, ideas, etc., and it comes from our Higher Power.

Whew! I am glad the Chinese government and education department agrees and I was able to develop fully those exact points, making sure to repeat it often so all the seven classes of sophomores understood it.

We may have some issues with aspects of American culture, but we are still headed in the correct direction on many fronts, and it is a treat to be able to share it here.

Part of my first week was asking each student to identify specific aspects of their personality, using the Smalley-Trent Personality Test. We will work through those items during the first 4 classes to understand ourselves more completely and be better students and friends.

Our first junior students group Discussion and initial sophomore students group Discussion are ‘in the book,’ as well as our Teachers group, though the electricity went off 45 minutes before we were to begin…a little darker and no air conditioning on a 92-degree day. All are very energetic to listen and read and discuss the Important Topics. 🙂 We also had five new individuals in our Sunday Assembly, with five missing this week.

Every day during my first week of classes I would come home physically and emotionally tired, but after eating lunch and talking about the students with Terry, the adrenaline made it difficult (continued on page two) to get that 20-minute nap that would have been so-o-o-o appreciated….until Friday! After finishing the first week’s schedule, I slept so well for about an hour, and it a great nap because I had some dreams about my Baba Davenport, one of the most special people in the whole world to me while she was alive.

We both have agreed often that the ‘miracle of sleep’ is such a blessing, and the ability to work hard and get tired, knowing we’ll get some rest and be able to get up refreshed, able to do it all again, is one of our Greatest Gifts.

I have to share one BIG frustration: asking for a classroom with a television and realizing that I should have emphasized the word working. It took nearly two months to finally get it official, though there were some bugs in the process…went into the room this morning, hooked up my DVD player to show a nine-minute vignette to the students (101 in two classes)….and there were no buttons on the TV….but lots of dust. 😦 Unbelievable! Hoping a different room and TV produces a better result the rest of the week.

I wanted to show the We Are So Different marriage drama sketch by Paul and Nicole Johnson (from Focus on the Family films) to add to our class discussion, using every opportunity afforded me to help them in life as well as English…our Relationship group also saw the sketch and liked it very much. (Moved to a different room the next week, everything worked OK and the students enjoyed the sketch, though they talked too fast for them to get all the words).

I have finished my first two week of classes, where everyone stood and introduced themselves to the class for 1-2 minutes. It allowed me to get to know them and also get an idea of their basic English level. One student’s comments especially drew my attention: “I spent much of the summer praying for my sick grandfather” who passed away just as she was ready to come to school.

We had a delightful lunch with two brothers, Wang and Li, as we welcomed Li back from America, where he spent much of the summer. We also met two Family members and two interested students who are juniors on our campus…both are my students this semester. Invited them to our apartment for some visiting time and hope all will come to Assembly on the weekend.

I found a free modi version of Eric Metaxas’s biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and found two quotations quite thought-provoking: He is to have said in 1928 “…where a people prays, there is the church; and where the church is; there is never loneliness….It is much easier for me to imagine a praying murderer, a praying prostitute, than a vain person praying. Nothing is so at odds with prayer as vanity.” Those statements were made around a time when he was reaching out in a benevolent way to the people of the world in Barcelona.

When I think of the conditions here for some of the students, who have only a lavatory with cold water for ‘bathing’ purposes, Bonhoeffer had even less when he began ministry early in his life: “The only place to wash up was the toilet, described by his brother as “very like a third-class lavatory on a train, except that it doesn’t shake.” (anyone interested in the modi version that can be displayed on a kindle, let me know via email).

Speaking of modi format books, Terry and I have both read The Help in the past few days…hard to put it down. Will likely try to see the movie in early 2012 when in the states. 🙂 I am still finishing Known and Unknown by Donald Rumsfeld, after reading books by George W. and Laura Bush during the summer…plan to also read Dick Cheney’s In My Time and No Higher Honor by Condoleezza Rice during National Day holiday here, which lasts for a week….and remember that John Grisham and Richard Paul Evans have new books coming out soon, too.

Several students gave us mooncakes, which were OK but not our favorite. The same weekend was also Teacher’s Day and we received many text messages Saturday morning…these young people are so thoughtful and kind!

Terry and I played our first games of ping-pong with one of the students…lots of smiles and low competitive fun. Also saw two outdoor volleyball courts for the initial time, though have not seen anyone using them in the past. One tennis court also caught my attention, though it is not that popular either.

Greetings from Terry: I have been amazed at how much some of my students have matured over the summer months. They came back confident, well defined and with more purpose.

We have been curious about eating in the Canteen on campus that requires a meal card. After inquiring about it Dean Joe loaned me his card to try it out. One of my former students volunteered to walk me through the process and show me how to get my lunch today. We were able to get there before the big lunch crowd because he does not have a morning class on Fridays. It was a large open room, with about five lines each serving several different dishes of vegetables, rice, noodles, eggs and meat.

Gary will be so glad to hear about the drumsticks they had. First you point out the food you want and a server puts it in a good sized metal bowl, you hold your card up to a metal plate that tallies it, kind of like on the city bus. Then you can go to other lines to get other items which are put in the same bowl. Then you get your wooden chopsticks and sit down to eat.

When you are through you turn your bowl and chopsticks in to the person next to a table at the door. It was clean, comfortable, convenient, inexpensive and more importantly delicious.

I really enjoyed the conversation with my student as we ate. He said he has wanted to be a teacher ever since he was ten years old. He wants to pass on good things and help the students become the best men and women they (continued on next page) can be. He had planned to come to our Relationship Discussion last week but had to take a sick friend to the hospital instead. Hopefully he will be able to come next week. — Love, Terry

China News — China has a long tradition of respecting teachers. There is an old Chinese saying, “Once my teacher, forever my father,” which illustrates tremendous respect for mentors. However, during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), teachers and other educated people were ridiculed by as “Choulaojiu” –stinking ninth category.

In 1985, the 6th Naional People’s Congress decided to mark September 10 as Teachers Day. The festival was initiated as a reminder that teachers should be held in reverence for instilling knowledge and morals in students. It also serves as a reminder to teachers, popularly known in China as engineers of the human soul, that they need to reflect on their self-improvement in terms of knowledge and personal integrity.

The government then issued a sequence of laws to protect teachers’ rights, improve their working and living conditions. Teachers’ income was raised, and primary and secondary school teachers were included in the selection of special government allowances.

Teachers Day was set in September because it’s expected to create a nice environment for teachers and students at the beginning of a new semester.

We celebrated the mid-autumn festival with a long weekend the second weekend of September and enjoyed apple and orange mooncakes.

Mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅; pinyin: yuè bĭng) is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival / Zhongqiu Festival. The festival began as lunar worship and moon watching; moon cakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy on this occasion. Moon cakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4–5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2–3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Moon cakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea. Today, it is customary for businessmen and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents,[1] helping to fuel a demand for high-end moon cake styles.

Mooncake energy content can vary with the filling and size; the average moon cake is within the range of 800 to 1200 kcal. General description — Most mooncakes consist of a thin, tender skin enveloping a sweet, dense paste-like filling, and the more expensive and most purchased ones contain whole salted egg yolks in its center to symbolize the full moon.

Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for “longevity” or “harmony”, as well as the name of the bakery and the filling inside. Imprints of the moon, the Chang’e woman on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit (symbol of the moon) may surround the characters for additional decoration.

Moon cakes are considered a delicacy; production is labor-intensive and few people make them at home. Hence, most prefer to buy them from commercial outlets, which may range from smaller individual bakery shops to high-end restaurants.

History of the Mid-Autumn Festival — The festival is intricately linked to the legends of Chang E, the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality. According to “Li-Ji”, an ancient Chinese book recording customs and ceremonies, the Chinese Emperor should offer sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. The 15th day of the 8th lunar month is the day called “Mid-Autumn”. Fillings in contemporary style mooncakes has diversified to include just about anything which can be made into a paste. Moon cakes containing taro paste and pineapple, which were considered novelty items at their time of invention have in recent years become commonplace items. In addition, filling with ingredients such as coffee, chocolate, nuts (walnuts, mixed nuts, etc.), fruits (prunes, pineapples, melons, lychees, etc.), and vegetables (sweet potatoes, etc.). It is also increasingly popular to change the base of the paste to a custard-style.

Conquering Fear
Is it always bad to be afraid? There is that commonly held belief that “fear” is what often hinders us and keeps us from growing emotionally and otherwise. Fear holds us back.

But, can you think of circumstances, or situations, where some fear is good and serves a good purpose?

Why do we teach children to be afraid of the dangerous traffic on the streets? Is it to stifle their growth or, possibly, to save their life?

When drivers fear accidents (as in bad weather), they may drive more carefully.

When citizens have developed a fear (or respect) for law and those who enforce the law, the crime rate goes down.
When people fear health hazards, or disease, there will be more done to protect ourselves physically.

Fear can be a deterrent to war among nations (e.g. the fear of nuclear destruction).

When people develop a sense of some fear about inevitable judgment, it can change the whole nature of their lives.
Looking at the positive aspect of fear, it helps us avoid that which is harmful or destructive to us – physically or spiritually.

We must, however, admit to the other side of fear, that which can be emotionally, and physically, devastating and destructive.

This aspect of fear does hold us back. It can come to be the dominant emotion in our life.

Synonyms for the word fear are: fright; dread; horror; panic. None of these words brings up pictures that are pleasant.
In our world, more widespread, and dominant emotionally, than anger, hate, jealousy, or love, or sympathy is fear.
Fears accumulate as we grow older: only begin with two innate fears: have an inborn fear of falling and of loud noises.
Acquire fear of the dark, fears about people, fear of death.

Then, there are a multitude of “imaginary fears” that feed on peoples’ spirits and make them anxiety-ridden.
We have all known the feeling of fear. Whether it be of disease, accidents, lack of security, failure, or whatever else, we’ve all known the clutch of fear upon our emotional self.

The cost of fear is, indeed, high. It is high psychologically. One of the verifiable reasons for alarming increase in nervous breakdowns and various forms of mental illness are feelings of emotional insecurity – fear. Fear keeps people in “mental bondage.”

It is high physically. For a long time now it’s been widely known that many of people in hospital beds suffer from emotionally-induced illness. Not just referring to the hypochondriac, but to people who show very real, very painful symptoms of disease.

Person who had attempted suicide was asked by physician, “Why did you wish to end your life?” His reply was, “I was afraid to go on living.”

In midst of confused, chaotic world, one thing seems to exert constant influence upon people: fear.

Modern life produces ulcers, high blood pressure, makes it difficult to sleep soundly. People resort to alcohol or other drugs to “escape” pressures and fears and sleeping pills at night to try to get few hours rest and relief. Much of what people seek to escape are real, or imagined, fears.

It is high spiritually. There are fears that keep people from making spiritual peace – with themselves and God. (Fear they cannot be “good enough”; that God cannot possibly forgive, and accept, them; etc.).

If cost of fear is high, what can we do to counter this harmful emotion?

The frightened child goes to mother or father and seeks comfort to allay fears that grip them.

Here is were the child of God is fortunate — he, or she, has someone to go to, and upon whom they can lay their burdens and fears. Also have people within God’s family we can turn to for help and support. Need not feel isolated in our fear.

Knowing we have someone to turn to, fall back upon, can produce remarkable benefits – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

The Cure For Fear
What is the antidote for fear? How do we conquer it? The cure for fear is faith.

Faith is the opposite of fear; it is confidence and assurance as opposed to emptiness and hesitancy. There are many examples of people who knew the cure for fear.

Joshua, after the death of Moses, was called upon to lead Israel, now that the people were ready to enter the land of Canaan. In that land, there were many idol-worshipping people.

The Psalmist, David, knew why he need not be afraid, even at a time when his life was threatened by the jealous rage of Saul.

Can we share the calm confidence of Joshua, David, Paul and countless others? What does it require for us to have this cure for fear? Trust in the Promises given to us.

Take His counsel on how to live and how to resolve problems. The closer we walk with Him, the less we will have fear, and the less we will have to fear.

Conquering fear is a difficult task. It requires a strength beyond ourselves.

Fear comes from a hopeless, helpless sense -a sense of being at the mercy of circumstances and overwhelmed by them.

If we can establish a sense of control, we can conquer fear. And, the things we cannot control, we can leave to Him – our refuge and our strength. — Gary.

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New teachers, energetic students, China scenes

16 Classes and 750+ Students

Let the fun begin! We have our schedules for the fall semester and will have some 750+ students weekly; we’re excited for the many opportunities to teach English and sow Good News seed.

Terry and I will each teach eight classes, from 8:00-11:40 a.m. four days a week, with a three-day weekend. Each class is two sessions of 50-minutes with a five minute break…and a 30 minute break between the 8:00 and 10:05 class.

Terry is teaching freshman Pronunciation and English and using the book she helped edit and we recorded for Dr. Yang last semester. The freshmen have orientation for three weeks, so she will not begin until September 19, which was an unexpected nice surprise.

I began teaching August 30 seven classes of sophomore Oral English and one class of junior Developing Listening and Speaking Skills. (I guess that means I will need to become a better listener, huh?) 🙂

We will also again host 60-100 students weekly at a Thursday 7:00-8:15 p.m. English Corner, where the students circle around us and ask personal questions about our lives, America, love, romance, marriage and parenting. They also want to know “why, what and how” as it relates to our China experiences. We enjoy their inquisitive minds and enthusiasm, and cannot let their questions come across as nosy or impolite…they are just interested in ‘foreigners.’

I was getting a bit anxious about the new semester until it hit me….six of my eight classes are students Terry had last year….if she can handle them, I think I can, too. 🙂 I have met about 90 of TJ’s students from last year, when they visited in our apartment last semester. Some of these were the first to show an interest in our Relationship discussions.

We just learned today that our junior students will have 34 50-minute class sessions weekly this semester! We will have some time on the weekends to be with them, but they will be very busy. Our sophomores have Monday-Thursday mandatory 7:00-9:30 p.m. study hall sessions in addition to their daily classes, so we’ll try to make good use of Friday-Sundays.

Terry has a Chinese name! Here she is now being called Rén’ài (仁爱 )…phonetically is sounds like Jen eye, which means “kind person” or “one who loves people.” 🙂

Some have asked what new books I have discovered for my kindle? James L. Rubart’s Rooms and Book of Days and Richard Paul Evans’ new series Mickey Vey. I heartily recommend any books these two have written. I have read George W. Bush and Karl Rove books this summer and plan to get Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney’s books when published. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, Evans and John Grisham have new books coming out soon.

We made our 3rd visit ever with family to Wal-Mart here, and it took over 10 minutes to find the way to the exit. Poor signage…everything in both English and Chinese so that was not the reason. All we could do was…laugh about it.

I have come to realize that it is to my advantage in China “to shop like a man,” which cannot be changed, even if wanted. I walk into a store, find what is wanted and pay for the item, after they show me on a calculator the price. No need for questions or extra words….do not need to know as much Mandarin. 🙂 We have both committed to learning new words weekly from our students so we can continue progress made during the summer.

For many years, in our conversation B.C. would mean Before Children, when talking about events of our early married years (such as, Terry and I used to play tennis together, BC). I found myself thinking Before China today for the first time, signifying stories and circumstances in our life prior to arrival in China.

Terry worked during the summer to do a map of our campus…frustrated that there was nothing we could show the new students who come to their “new home.” (see right) We’ve printed some and handed them out to those who seem lost’.’

With all the democracy marches around the world, this item August 22 on the front page of the China Daily caught my attention: “China respects the choice of Libyan people, hopes the situation returns to normal soon and its people live a normal life.” Also on this day, temperatures (both high and low) in the 70’s…do not expect it to last but it was nice.

I do not think I want to ever consider it normal that parents allow their preschool children to ‘squat’ on the sidewalk in public, and leave what is left behind for others to clean up….saw it twice last week It is not frequent, but it is a part of China….the split-pants do make it easier, I have to admit.

I shed tears today when news reached China that Pat Summit was dealing with early onset dementia. It felt like a member of the family was dealing with the disease, for some reason. Her determination and work-ethic will serve her well. (I covered Vol assistant coach Holly Warlick’s track and basketball exploits at Bearden High many years ago…she was quite an athlete.)

As one report said, “Medical experts say that depending on the progression of the disease, she could work for a few more seasons. Several added that simply by continuing to show up, Summitt would demonstrate what is possible, changing attitudes about an illness that afflicts more than five million of her countrymen — including 200,000 who, like Summitt, are diagnosed before age 65. Not unlike what she did for women’s basketball.

“She’s our John Wooden. … I played for the woman.     She’s as tough as nails. People think I’m tough,” said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics playing for Summitt. “I’m a pussycat compared to Pat Summitt … Pat Summitt will fight. Pat Summitt will be on a crusade to help people with dementia. Pat said it best,” she added. “It won’t be a pity party.” (Amen!)

Greetings from Terry: We have truly been blessed with the visit of our Tonia, Eric and grandson Aiden.  Their visit came at just the right time to give us a good boost. We had looked forward to seeing Wendy and then at the last she and Eric swapped places. It was a fun surprise even while missing Wendy. We will hear the echoes of their laughter and feel the essence of their presence for a long time as we smile with moist eyes. They got to meet a few of our dear friends and experience life in China as we know it.

Wednesday we got up at 2:45AM,  left  the  apartment at 3:20AM, walked to the center of campus to meet Keven and the van to take them to the Wuhan airport to fly back to the states. Being quiet to not disturb the neighbors, we commented to each other this is how it would have been like for those in the past trying to escape a dangerous situation; except we would have carried the luggage instead of pulling it behind us. We visited and slept off and on during the two and a half hour trip.

It was so good to Skype with them Thursday morning   and see that they had made it safely to San Antonio without any “adventures”. From beginning to end, the trip  was just over 41 hours long.

Our #2 Good and Cheap restaurant has now reopened so we went there for lunch and let our kitchen stay as cool as possible.

One of our students called and came by for a visit bringing fresh bought biscuits and cookies. She borrowed three of our movie DVDs, which will help her pass the time till her classmates start arriving sometime next week.

I have finished reading A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer. It was so good and uplifting; I miss the characters.

Many of the students are beginning to return to campus and I can’t wait to meet the new students I have been yarping for all summer. The freshmen will have two weeks of orientation so my classes won’t start till the third week. We are both looking forward to the semester.

Wednesday, we got to take one of my returning students to lunch. Later that day we bought two badminton racquets and a birdie with real feathers. We played with three of my students in the evening and met a new student. It was fun. Didn’t pull any muscles and weren’t at all sore the next day, of which I am very thankful. One of the students gave us a small bag of raw Chinese chestnuts; “Hao chi”/ good to eat.

The other day as we walked to the park with Keven I noticed a two foot path on the sidewalk that had a different textured pattern than the rest of the cement. Keven said it was to aid the blind. I think that is great.

As Gary and I went out for an evening walk on campus I was again struck with the realization of just how “family friendly” this campus is. All ages and stages are out for fresh air and exercise.

They are not a bit self-conscious as they exercise (singularly or in a group), dance, play badminton (with or without a net), visit, practice their oral speaking exercises aloud, walk around the track (forwards or backwards) and let their children play together to spend their energy before returning to their apartment for the evening. It gives one such a since of community. Thank you to the One who makes it possible for us to be here and witness it.

We watched a short video called Ciphers in the Snow. It is so very good. All teachers should watch it.

I have just finished reading Radical: Taking Back Your Faith by David Platt. Very good, challenging, many benefits to reading it.

This week I also finished reading our Favorite Book again. Each time through I learn more and more and see things never noticed before. That is because each time I am older and have added more experiences to my life. It fits every age and stage. The plan is so wise.

To be honest, practicing my Mandarin pronunciation and sentence drills is not fun but I sure like it when I remember how to say a complete sentence correctly. It’s like working out to prepare for any physical challenge. The hard work pays off. Each time I practice I think about logging my 10,000 hours like in the book Outliers.  — Love, Terry

Quick Thinking – Humor It was his first day on the job. He was a new clerk in the green goods department of a super market. A lady came up to him and said she wanted to buy half of a head of lettuce. He tried to dissuade her from that goal, but she persisted.

Finally he said, “I’ll have to go back and talk to the manager.” He went to the rear of the store to talk to the manager, not noticing that the woman was walking right behind him.

When he got into the back of the store, he said to the manager, “There’s some stupid old bag out there who wants to buy half a head of lettuce. What should I tell her?” Seeing the horrified look on the face of the manager, he turned about and, seeing the woman, added, “And this nice lady wants to buy the other half of the head of lettuce. Will it be all right?”

Considerably relieved, the manager said, “That would be fine.”

Later in the day, he congratulated the boy on his quick thinking. He then asked, “Where are you from, son?” The boy said, “I’m from Toronto, Canada, the home of beautiful hockey players and ugly women.”

The manager looked at him and said, “My wife is from Toronto.”

The boy said, “Oh, what team did she play for?”

I especially like the statement that reminds us that “the best time for you to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust.”

The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. Therefore, the meaning is that a great forest is set on fire by only a little spark of fire. So it is with the tongue. The tongue is a fire that can set a whole forest of lives and relationships on fire, consuming and destroying all that lies in its path. It is a world of iniquity; it can cause what seems to be a world of sin and destruction when it is set ablaze.

A fire can begin with just a small spark, but it can grow to destroy a city. A fire reportedly started in the O’Leary barn in Chicago at 8:30 P.M., October 8, 1871; and because that fire spread, over 100,000 people were left homeless, 17,500 buildings were destroyed, and 300 people died. It cost the city over 400 million.

“Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife”

The tongue is the only creature that cannot be tamed. Men have tamed every kind of creature there is: some beasts, birds, serpents, and some creatures of the sea. The Father will help us with the tongue!

It’s a paradox of marriage that the strongest ones are those in which partners are simultaneously able to change to accommodate one another in some areas, and able to live with unchangeability in others.

On the whole each spouse has made a separate peace with the imperfect other.

When the heart’s wrong, there can’t be peace. Selfishness is a gangrene, eating at the very vitals.

Sin is a cancer, poisoning the blood. Peace is the rhythm of our wills with  His love. Disobedience breaks the music. Failure to keep in touch makes discord. The notes jar and grate. The peace can’t get in. He made peace by his blood. We get it only by keeping in full touch with him.

Peacemaking is an action that springs out of an attitude.

If there is light in the soul, There will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, There will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, There will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, There will be peace in the world.

I saw a Peanuts cartoon with Lucy saying to Charlie Brown, “I hate everything. I hate everybody. I hate the whole wide world!” Charlie says, “But I thought you had inner peace.” Lucy replies, “I do have inner peace. But I still have outer obnoxiousness”

We live in a world that spends a great amount of time in conflict. Regrettably, we often find ourselves worshipping in places where peace doesn’t reign.

Peace means right relationships between man and man. So what James is saying is this, “We are all trying to reap the harvest which a good life brings. But the seeds which bring the rich harvest can never flourish in
any atmosphere other than one of right relationships between man and man. And the only people who can sow these seeds and reap the reward are those whose life work it has been to produce such right relationships.”

That is to say, nothing good can ever grow in an atmosphere where men are at variance with one another.

A group where there is bitterness and strife is a barren soil in which the seeds of righteousness can never grow and out of which no reward can ever come.

There is a kind of person who is undoubtedly clever, with acute brain and skillful tongue; but his effect, nevertheless, in any committee, in any church, in any group, is to cause trouble and to disturb personal relationships. It is sobering thing to remember that the wisdom he possesses is devilish rather than divine.

If your lips you would keep from slips, Five things observe with care: To whom you speak; of whom you speak; And how, and when, and where.

Ways to control our tongues:

• Never say anything about someone that you wouldn’t say to his face.
• Never say anything about someone unless he/she is there to respond. Refuse to listen to someone else’s gossip.
• Initiate positive statements about people whom you’re discussing.
• Remember, the tongue “is a fire.”

China News: A judicial interpretation of China’s Marriage Law regarding the settlement of property disputes upon divorce came into effect on Saturday, triggering hot discussion among Chinese netizens.

Real estate was before regarded as the shared property of a married couple even if it was given by the parents of one party. But according to the new interpretation issued by China’s Supreme People’s Court, a house bought by parents will go to their child instead of being split between the couple in case of a divorce. And if the parents of both partners have paid jointly for the property, the two sides should negotiate on how to divide the ownership.

As people become richer and more materialistic, having one’s own flat has become a major criterion when choosing a spouse. Most people find it risky and unacceptable to tie the knot without a flat, which is jokingly called a “naked marriage”. Will the new interpretation change marriage values? Isn’t it unfair to women in the event of divorce? Will it result in an increase in divorce rates?

The new judicial explanation of the Marriage Law is a caution to all girls: don’t set your heart on marrying a boy who owns a car and a house any longer. Once you get divorced, you will get nothing. Even if you add your name under the registration of the house after marriage, it cannot deny your husband’s sole ownership of it. Therefore, it is securer to find a husband without any car or house and make down and mortgage payments together with him.

China looks ready to launch a small space lab into orbit, space policy experts report, perhaps as soon as this month. The 8.5-ton Tiangong I space lab, the next step in China’s manned space program, follows three successful launches of Chinese astronauts, or Taikonauts, into orbit in the last decade.

Smaller than NASA’s 85-ton Skylab, launched in 1973, Tiangong I will be unmanned when it launches. The lab will mostly serve as a test-bed for as many as two manned docking missions in its two-year lifetime, says space analyst Dean Cheng of the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C. “It is a logical move in developing manned space capabilities.”

Learning the intricacies of docking one space vehicle with another in space is key for a nation planning long missions, so that vehicles have a way to transfer moon explorers, for example, from a lunar orbiter and return vehicle to a lander. The space lab could also serve as a platform for space medicine and micro-gravity experiments similar to the International Space Station.

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Family, A Mummy, China Scenes, Future City, and Back to School

We have enjoyed our time with family, and my son Eric will be sending out a full report of Important Things when he arrives in Texas later this week. I hope you will be as excited as we are about progress being made here with both students and teachers!

I am sending a link with this newsletter that will allow any who are interested in seeing some of the tourist pictures….they are on shutterfly.com and allows an inexpensive way to order them online and delivered to your front door within a week.

The weather has been in the 95 degree range again, after a small break of the 85-range…air conditioner in the bedrooms having a hard time (82 degrees at 2 pm) keeping up but the fans are making it bearable.

We look forward to our students coming to campus on August 28 and getting our official schedules and textbooks.

This is a shortened newsletter, and we likely will publish fewer numbers as the second semester commences. Though our students will be new to us, and each will have compelling stories and varied interest…much of our weeks will no longer be the “first time.”

A good friend in South Florida, Gary Nix, made the observation back in March that “the newsletters the first few weeks are often the best since everything is brand new…and we enjoy seeing your reactions.” I think he is correct, as usual.

We will be making decisions about the next year (2012) in coming weeks. The school requires a decision on our second year in mid-November and will want a signed contract in December, we’ve been told. We have enjoyed our first semester, and know the second one will be even better, since we’ve developed great relationships and know more of what to expect.

Your prayerful support is greatly needed and appreciated! If you want to see our China pictures, copy-and-paste this address into your browser: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AatWrdq0ZtmbR

Time Heals All  Conflicts?

Leaders or group members may verbally acknowledge they have a conflict, but may avoid dealing with it directly. They may consciously or unconsciously hope that time will solve the conflict. They may acknowledge it, but avoid it by never clearly and definitely deciding to confront it.

Although there is a time for everything and time is required for problems to be solved, questions to be answered, and healing to take place, time in and of itself does not solve problems, answer questions, and heal wounds. Time itself does not create intrapersonal and interpersonal problems and cannot in and of itself solve such problems.

If time solved problems, then man would be only a robot and not responsible for himself and what he does. If time heals everything, then all one needs to do is just sit back and wait for time to do the healing.

It is true that through the financial, educational, vocational, marital and family changes which people experience, they may look at particular problems differently than they did at an earlier time in their lives. But it is not true that time alone brought about this change.

Individuals inappropriately use time to ignore, avoid, or deny their problems or to refuse to seek effective solutions to them. Such misuse of time guarantees that their problems will not be solved, and that they will become more complicated and require more wise use of time to solve them at a later date.

Therefore, it is important to see that time is valuable in problem solutions only in the sense of how an individual uses it. It is true that a person’s memory can become dull over a period of time and forgetfulness can even occur, but that which is not solved in time can be made worse through procrastination.

It takes time to learn how to deal with conflict within oneself and in one’s relationships, but time alone does not resolve conflicts.

Leaders and group members who say they want to leave conflicts to time may be revealing the following:

• They actually are shirking responsibility for themselves and to other group members.
• They really do not know what to do and are not willing to be honest with themselves and others.
• They are not interested enough in helping other group members with their problems to experience the painful process of growing and learning how to be more helpful.
• They do not care enough to risk getting involved.
• They do not care enough to use some of their time for learning how to be with another in his or her pain. One of the ways of being cruel to people is to dismiss their pain and let time take care of them.

One of the most effective ways for a group to use time is for the members to experience their feelings in their seasons, regardless of whether the feelings are painful or pleasant. This being true, timing becomes very important in every aspect of the members’ lives. The leader and group member who learn to use time creatively learn to live creatively.

Resolving Conflict — Searching for the causes of conflict is essential to be successful in resolving the conflict. Possible causes of conflict:

• Conflict with self.
• Needs or wants are not being met.
• Values are being tested.
• Perceptions are being questioned.
• Assumptions are being made.
• Knowledge is minimal.
• Expectations are too high/too low.
• Personality, race, or gender differences are present.

Reaching Consensus through Collaboration — Groups often collaborate closely in order to reach consensus or agreement. The ability to use collaboration requires the recognition of and respect for everyone’s ideas, opinions, and suggestions.

Consensus requires that each participant must agree on the point being discussed before it becomes a part of the decision. Not every point will meet with everyone’s complete approval. Unanimity is not the goal. The goal is to have individuals accept a point of view based on logic. When individuals can understand and accept the logic of a differing point of view, you must assume you have reached consensus.

Follow these guidelines for reaching consensus:

1.  Avoid arguing over individual ranking or position. Present a position as logically as possible.

2.  Avoid “win-lose” statements. Discard the notion that someone must win.

3.  Avoid changing of minds only in order to avoid conflict and to achieve harmony.

4.  Avoid majority voting, averaging, bargaining, or coin flipping. These do not lead to consensus. Treat differences of opinion as indicative of incomplete sharing of relevant information, keep asking questions.

5.  Keep the attitude that holding different views is both natural and healthy to a group.

6. View initial agreement as suspect. Explore the reasons underlying apparent agreement and make sure that members have willingly agreed

Conflict is destructive when it:

• Takes attention away from other important activities
• Undermines morale or self-concept
• Polarizes people and groups, reducing cooperation
• Increases or sharpens difference
• Leads to irresponsible and harmful behavior, such as fighting, name-calling joining in resolving the conflict

Conflict is constructive when it:

• helps individuals develop understanding and skills
• results in clarification of important problems and issues
• results in solutions to problems
• involves people in resolving issues important to them
• causes authentic communication
• helps release emotion, anxiety, and stress
• builds cooperation among people through learning more about each other

News from China: China is opening an international hotel every four days, making it the world’s fastest hotel market, Shanghai Morning Post reported. From 2010 until 2013, 90 new internationally branded hotels will have opened every year. The paper also said that the increase in business trips contributed to the healthy performance of the hotel market in 2010 and the first half of 2011, which also allowed hotels to increase incomes through occupancy-driven rather than price-driven patterns.

China’s inflation rose to a 37-month high of 6.5 percent in July on surging food costs.

General Motors Helping to Design City of the Future…in China

At the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, General Motors sponsored a “Futurama” exhibit that depicted what the world might look like 20 years in the future. Back then, suburbs connected to cities by high-speed expressways were the thing of dreams, but something that came to pass soon afterwards thanks in part to the vehicles built by GM and other automakers.

Now, the American company is collaborating with a Chinese-Singaporean consortium that is building a real-life city of the future where cars as we know them are set to play a much smaller role than they do today, but where a forward-thinking GM still sees a great opportunity for growth.

Located on the outskirts of one of China’s largest existing metropolises, the Tianjin Eco-City was conceived as a large-scale prototype for sustainable, high-density communities. A reliance on renewable energy sources and mass transit are key elements in its environmentally-friendly design.

But even though its creators are planning for 90 percent of its eventual population of 350,000 to get around town using a light rail system, there will still be a need for individual point to point transportation, and that’s where GM comes in.

At the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the automaker unveiled the innovative EN-V concept, which mates a version of the self-balancing, two-wheel propulsion system used in the utilitarian Segway PT with an enclosed passenger compartment that seats either one or two people and has all of the creature comforts of a car.

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Family Arrives! Typhoon Muifa; Grandsons; Valentine’s Day; Museum Pics; Politics

Tonia, Eric & Aiden Arrive!

Our family has arrived in China! Hooray!  As we say in the Davenport household: “plenty of adventures.” Tonia travels more by air than any of our children, usually on weekends to visit friends and family. It almost always involves ‘adventures:’ weather delays, late arrivals, suspense, sleeping in airports, etc.This trip was mostly about the weather: she left South Florida on this trip to visit us ahead of tropical storm Emily.

She joined Eric and Aiden in Texas and they left California headed toward Shanghai and Muifa, the ninth typhoon to hit China this year and predicted to be one of the strongest in recent time. (No adventure means the travel was safe, relatively comfortable, no luggage lost, and everybody ‘had their sanity about them and were still friends’ when they arrived.)

Eric surprised us with his making the trip; we had been told all along that Wendy was coming…a special thanks to Terry at Northwest for a generous and loving gift to us! They arrived just a little late in Shanghai and had a wait to get our of Wuhan, due to many others who were stranded with weather issues. Eventually, we got them and headed out ‘talking a mile a minute.’

Their arrival became ‘official’ when Tonia began reading and Eric and Aiden played Stratego (see below). A trip covering over 9,000 miles and 30+ hours is never easy, but we are thrilled they are here for nine days. Our family have an on-going contest to see who has spent time in the most states and countries. Wendy and Eric (14 countries) have the lead over Terry (11). Gregory (42) leads in the states contest…Terry and I have 41 we have visited. (see table at right)

Two university professors with some time on their hands received the perfect gift (except for family coming to visit) ‘from afar:’ credit on an Amazon gift card. It enabled us to purchase books for Kindle we’ve wanted to read when we had the time to read them. Terry has especially been wanting to get A Tailor-Made Bride, on the recommendation from my sister, Jennifer and Ah Wing’s – Elizabeth Bernard (40 Years Among the Chinese) by Tom Tune, on sister-in-law Beth’s recommendation.

Richard Paul Evans has two books coming out soon that are on my shopping list, and John Grisham’s newest comes out just after my October 30 birthday (hint, hint) 🙂

The gift was especially meaningful since it came from ‘Uncle Mark’ in San Antonio. If you haven’t considered a Kindle, you might look into it. They are super convenient and wonderful when you have space issues with book storage and travel. It also allows you to convert any of your personal Word documents to Kindle format and load them via USB. I have read eight books this summer that were stored from a variety of sources, including some of my own material….which I can share with you if you send me an email address.

I wondered if my usual ‘cold pattern’ would continue here, and it did. I had my annual summer cold for 8-10 days and then was feeling just fine….am rarely sick, so can’t complain….went from the 3rd grade all through college without any sick days.

Greetings from Terry: I am in the midst of reading Courage  and  Consequence by Karl Rove….Gary read it just after we arrived. It is interesting to me; kind of like reading the TV series West Wing with a Republican slant.

Gary woke Sunday morning with a really bad cold. He is not complaining and doing what he can not to share it. Thankfully the worst of it will be finished before the family comes.

I am listening to my beautiful a cappella music on my mp3 player and missing the Harding Lectureships and the Spiritual Growth Workshop in Orlando. They always have such good classes, keynote speakers and wonderful singing.

Thursday, August 4. Well, the music did it. Today, listening to our favorite music collection we travel with I got so homesick for America I cried. Now I feel better. Even if I had the power to quit and go back right now I wouldn’t choose to. This is right where I want and need to be. But I do so much miss seeing my paintings (beautiful oil paintings my Dad painted), driving and listening to the radio, hearing Spanish spoken, going to the library, eating at The Golden Coral and going for walks in the many pretty neighborhoods. I will be fine. It was just a short lapse.

It reminded me of the time when we students from LCC had been working in Germany for about six weeks. We had taken a side trip to Brussels Belgium. As I remember it we were eating Pizza and listening to English country music and all of a sudden we all got soooo homesick for America most of us started crying.

An interesting quote on the page of my journal today says, “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!”  I say, Amen. Wear out not rust out.

Saturday, August 6. This morning we both got a text from one of our students wishing us ‘Happy Valentine’s Day.’ Isn’t that sweet of her to think of us? This is when China celebrates it. It is called Qixi, the Chinese Lovers Day. (There are huge marriage fairs, when  ads are put up in public by both men and women—and their parents—in hopes of finding marriage partners. The picture of the cat in front of a mirror got my attention and brought a smile—Gary).

Today is the big day! Tonia, Wendy and Aiden fly to China. Yahoo! We skyped with them this morning and heard about the typhoon/hurricane that is heading for land around Shanghai, right where they will land Sunday night. Well, our family always seems to travel with adventures. The One we depend upon is powerful enough to handle this and we ask for His care and help. It will probably alter their route and arrival time. —  Love, Terry

 How to deal with stress: Rule #1, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule #2: it’s all small stuff.

During your childhood, do you remember your parents worrying about anything? If so, what did they worry about? Money? Health? House Payment? Crime? Job? Problem children? Weather? Politics?

Do you remember your parents as overworked? Were either of your parents “workaholics?” If so, what impact did their behavior have on your current attitude toward work?

Stress from work and failure – Work holds a central place in the lives of many of us. And we work for many different reasons – mainly to survive. We may also work to give our children or grandchildren a better life. Others of us work primarily to obtain material goods. And ideally, all of us would like to be involved in work that is “meaningful.”

An excessive workload, an unreasonable boss, monotonous work, and job insecurity are just a few of the stresses faced in the workplace. The flipside of work stress is experienced by the workaholic. The workaholic thrives on work and often experiences stress when he/she is away from work. Workaholism also directly affects other areas of a person’s life.

The issue is one of balance: too little work or meaningless work destroys our sense of worth…too much work or overly-demanding work destroys our bodies and psyches. Both extremes cause stress.

Stress from failure – Our society rewards success and punishes failure. There is great pressure to make it, do it right, to be together. We love winners; we shun losers. As a result, we grow up with a deep need to succeed. From little league baseball to grades in school to competition for places on sports teams and to get into the best colleges the message is the same: making it is what life is all about. Not surprisingly, stress is connected with avoiding failure.

All of us have failed at sometime or another. Failure really isn’t fun. But if we fear failure, we can be immobilized and kept from trying anything that involves a degree of risk.

We can learn much through failure. Often failure is a prerequisite to success. The stories of successful people invariably tell us that they have failed once or more times before they became successful. Abraham Lincoln considered himself to be a failure in the eyes of his contemporaries. Thomas Edison failed repeatedly before he hit his first incandescent bulb. Winston Churchill helps to give us a perspective on failure when he said: “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

Stress from conflict – Life would be so much easier without conflict. Nations war with nations and people die and are maimed. Conflict in the workplace creates ulcers and unemployment. Interpersonal conflict can end friendships and marriages. Conflict between parents and children can create runaways and sleepless nights.

Conflicts hurts. Conflict undermines our whole world. Conflict dulls our life, brings physical disorders, psychological stress, emotional anguish, and behavorial problems. In other words, conflicts brings great stress. We must deal with a conflict if we are to be healthy people.

Stress from loss – It is nearly impossible to go through life without experiencing at least one major loss. Some people lose their health; others lost money and security; still others lose their freedom or self-respect. But perhaps the most painful loss of all is to lose a loved one – a child, a friend, a spouse, or a parent. Loss can produce some of the most intense stress we can experience.

Stress from burnout – Over the past several decades, the word “burnout” has come into common usage. Most simply defined, burnout is the state of physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion. And in contemporary society, burnout has reached almost epidemic proportions. It is most evident in people in the so-called helping professions-nurses, social workers, teachers, doctors, ministers, etc. Out none of us are immune from the debilitating effects of burnout.

We see athletes and coaches burnout from the wear-and-tear of intense competition. We see parents burnout from the constant pressures of having to provide for their families. You can surely provide your own examples.

Slippery slops of burnout

Stage 1 – High energy, high enthusiasm, high idealism.

Stage 2 – less energy, less enthusiasm, less idealism.

Stage 3 – chronic exhaustion, diffused physical symptoms, irritability, depression, resentfulness.

Stage 4 – obsession with own problems, apathy, immobilization, career/life threatening.

Steps to set into place

1. Take charge and do what needs to be done. The more others are out of control, the more you need to be in control. The more you are out of control, the more you need to ask others to take over.

2. Acknowledge loss and allow yourself to grieve through it.

3. Don’t pay attention to simple answers that do not help. People usually mean well but sometimes say the wrong thing.

4. Restructure your life and family. Make adjustments for persons no longer there.

5. Don’t blame yourself for things you can’t help.

6. Do what you can and leave the rest to God.

7. Allow others to help.

8. Work toward a healthy attitude in your home.

9. Keep a list of persons to call in times of crisis.

10. Assemble with others weekly. God still loves you and you need your spiritual family.

Burnout Assessment Exercise

Instructions: Indicate how frequently you experience each of the following statements. Use the scale below to rate each statement.

0 almost never 1 = infrequently 2 = frequently 3 = almost always

_____ I am irritable with others (family, co-workers, etc.)

_____ I feel emotionally drained by my work

_____ I have difficulty falling asleep at night

_____ I lack motivation in my work

_____ I am disillusioned with my work (including housework)

_____ I think, “Why don’t people leave me alone?”

_____ I treat people more impersonally than I would like

_____ I wake up tired and have difficulty lacing another day

_____ I consider myself a failure

_____ I am bothered by stress-related ailments (such as indigestion, headaches, etc).

_____ I feel like I am at the end of my rope

_____ I feel trapped in my work

_____ I feel exhausted at the end of the workday

_____ I feel people make a lot of demands on me

_____ I feel unfulfilled and am dissatisfied with my life

_____ Total

Total your score.

A score of 0-15 indicates that you are probably not experiencing burnout.

A score of 18-30 indicates that you are probably experiencing moderate burnout (and should do something about it).

A score of 31-45 indicates that you are probably experiencing severe burnout (and definitely should do something about it).

Stress Test—Circle those events you have experienced within the past 12 months. Total your score. If you score more than 150 points, you are probably living under a whole lot of stress.

EVENT                  STRESS POINTS

Death of spouse 100

Divorce              73

Marital separation            65

Jail term, Death of family member     63

Personal injury or illness            53

Marriage                    50

Loss of job, Retirement            47

Marital reconciliation            45

Health problem            44

Pregnancy            40

Sex difficulties            39

Gain of new family member            39

Business readjustment            39

Change in financial state            38

Death of a close friend            37

Change in line of work            36

Arguments with spouse            35

Large mortgage taken out    31

Foreclosure on mortgage/loan    30

Change in work, trouble with in-laws 29

Son/daughter leaving home             29

Major achievement             28

Spouse starting/stopping work     26

Change in living conditions             25

Revision of personal habits             24

Trouble with boss             23

Change in work hours             20

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TJ on Skype; Sunday Assembly; China Scenes…Hot Weather..and Train Wreck Recovery

The temperatures are rising in all of our worlds, it seems. Heat index over 105+ here and similar everywhere we have family in America.

We went to our second Western-style restaurant with our first Chinese family and had a few surprises: first, some air conditioning was present, and also in the taxi home (a pleasant event now that temperatures are over 92 degrees and humidity very high). Second, they do pizza crust very well here, though my sausage pizza also had green peas and corn on it and very little tomato sauce.

Quite healthy, though, and it is working; on the way home I stepped on an outdoor store scale and weighed only a mere 174 pounds, and that was a night-time weight, which is usually a few pounds more than in the morning! I haven’t weighed that little since a sophomore in college when I was hungry at the end of most every day (do not know why I never bought a cafeteria meal ticket so I could get three regular meals a day).:-)

We have found simple things to be more difficult here: bought a plastic toilet seat and installed it, a simple thing with a Home Depot in the neighborhood, but not so easy in China. We were told by several people that a new toilet seat was nearly impossible to find; it took knowing the right person and a taxi ride eight miles away.

I installed on my trusty Dell Vostro 1720 a 60-day trial edition of Office 2010, and like some of the features with Publisher, which I have used for this newsletter since late-March. Have also upgraded to Adobe Professional 7.0 and Excel 2010, which are also part of my weekly use.

I don’t think I have mentioned earlier how many more spam messages are received here than at any time in my life. Every one of them wants me to send information in order to receive a huge financial windfall that is so ridiculous it is amazing that anyone ‘bites  on their ploy.’ Desperation, I suppose, can get hold of anyone as they grasp for something better in their life.

Our 2001 Chrysler Town & Country van being kept in Texas has rusted out, it seems. The brake and power steering lines just could not withstand any longer the rust from winter ice put on the streets during those 60” of annual snow.

It’s the second time a vehicle we bought in the snow-belt of Ohio has rusted away, though both times much of the car was still running OK. We will now need a rental when we return in January-February in order to visit family between California, Texas, and Florida. 🙂

I bought a DVD entitled Ciphers in the Snow on the internet with plans to show to as many teachers and students as possible here in coming semesters (Tonia is bringing it next week when she, Wendy, and Aiden come visit for 10 days). Why is it so special? Read the following review: “When a teenage boy dies unexpectedly, his math teacher is asked to notify his parents and write his obituary. Although he was the boy’s favorite teacher, he hardly knew him. Shy and ostracized, the boy was a “ciper”–an unknown number in a class roll book. As the teacher unravels the mystery of what led to the boy’s death, he commits himself to not letting others suffer the same fate.”

I made provisions to show this to a group of high school teachers several years ago in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and it was well received. It ‘hit me’ the other day that it could be good here, too. Work with teachers and students of all ages who might benefit from this lesson? Order from this site: http://creativeworks.byu.edu/catalog/viewitem.aspx?item=tm027.

I make a point of watching It’s A Wonderful  Life and Mr. Holland’s Opus regularly, to remind me that we do make a difference in others lives, even though we might not always believe it. Tonia is also bringing Opus to me next week 🙂

Greetings from Terry: One of my four young English students has been out for three sessions with the mumps. Another boy joined the class for the first time last week and we had two one-week guests this past week.

We enjoyed a great Sunday PM meeting with ten in attendance, after having 12 last week.

We have previously stated that there is no air-conditioning in stores or restaurants. Well, we have discovered several large stores and nice restaurants that do have AC.

Howard and his wife took us out to dinner at a nice Western-style restaurant; clean, pleasant music, very nice décor, good service and good Chinese and American type food, on the second floor, plus AC turned low enough to make it OK.

Most of the tables were separated by ¾ walls and light curtain which made them into spacious private dining areas, seating was upholstered sofas on both sides of the table. Each table had a button to call the server.

The hot meals, like steak dinners, were served on an iron plate on a wood platter like in America. The person being served was given a large cloth napkin and instructed to hold it up to shield from steam and splatter as the lid was removed from the dish and they poured the very spicy sauce on the steak.

We watched a little of the World Championships in Shanghai online and got to see China’s Ye Shiwen win one of the swimming races. It was exciting. The favored American (and world record holder) was third. — Love, Terry

Dealing With Conflict

Conflict has been experienced by individuals since Adam and Eve. It has been a part of all groups of people.

Some conflict can be prevented, and some is unhealthy. The fact remains, though, that conflict is inherent in meeting personal and group needs. When conflict emerges as a result of growth (personal or group) or in an attempt to grow, it is natural and potentially healthy for the individual and the group. Thus, growth-oriented conflict, if managed properly, is hopeful, and is a sign of spirituality.

Some conflicts can be prevented if the individuals involved genuinely accept the fact that personal and group conflict is inevitable. Failure on the part of the group to accept this fact will contribute to unnecessary conflict.

This deception influences members to use denial as a defense mechanism to keep them from facing conflict when it emerges. Conflict is dynamic; therefore, the longer it is avoided in continuing relationships, the more it grows.

Some conflicts can be prevented if the group has planned realistically and adequately for conflict resolution or management once it emerges. In many congregations there are no plans, much less realistic and adequate ones, for resolving or managing conflict.

I have heard leaders say for years such ridiculous things as “We should just get along.” No one with average intelligence would dare think, much less say, that a surgeon should wait until he has a patient to study how to do surgery. Yet, in some leaderships, there are no adequate plans for dealing with conflict once it emerges.

Some conflicts can be prevented if the group members accept that when conflict emerges, it does not necessarily mean that the persons involved are guilty of sin or that they will sin by confronting it.

Group leaders and members need to perceive clearly that conflict is inherent in being both an individual and a member of a group. Conflict in and of itself is not sinful. The ones who are in conflict may sin by the way they respond to each other verbally or nonverbally, but conflict in itself is not sinful.

If individuals think they will sin by confronting conflict, they most likely will tend to deny the conflict or try to avoid the issues. Obviously, group members can sin through the way they respond to conflict, but confronting it per se is not sinful. It is the way in which the conflict is confronted, not the confrontation itself, which may be sinful.

Some conflicts can be prevented if the group members have realistic expectations of themselves. Many conflicts emerge because the group members have expectations of themselves which just are not realistic.

Some of their expectations are as follows:

• We should like each other all the time and never dislike one another.
• We should always smile and be in a good mood.
• We should always be joyful and never sad.
• We should always be in agreement with each other and never disagree with one another – especially the leaders.
• We should always be on the mountain peak and never in the valley of the mountain, or we should always be up and never down.
• We should always count our assets (blessings) and never our liabilities (problems or conflicts).
• We should be idealistic, not realistic.

These and other types of unrealistic expectations create unnecessary conflict.

Some conflicts can be prevented if the leaders and the group members set realistic and achievable goals for themselves. They must then focus on the process of achieving them instead of focusing on the goals themselves.

Conflict within the group may arise from a failure to set goals, or it may result from the setting of unrealistic goals. Also, conflict may emerge as a result of focusing only on the goals instead of on the means to achieve them.

And let’s just put one other thing “on the table:” some conflicts can be prevented if each member learns how to mind his own business.

There are some conflicts which are unhealthy.

1. A conflict is unhealthy if it is the result of the members accusing, blaming and ridiculing each other, or if they take this approach in trying to resolve an otherwise healthy conflict.

2. A conflict is unhealthy if it results from trivia and not substance. In any group there will be conflict at times over trivia, but unless the group matures to a level where trivia is given up and their conflict is over substance, their conflict will be unhealthy. Another way of expressing the same concept is that group members must grow to the point where they differentiate their opinions from matters of faith.

3. A conflict is unhealthy if the members are arguing about words and engaging in godless chatter to avoid the deeper intrapersonal and interpersonal components of their conflict.

4. A conflict is unhealthy if the members do not process their pain (fear, anger, embarrassment, guilt, etc.) of growth and conflict resolution. Emotional pain is inherent in growing or resolving conflicts; therefore, a conflict which otherwise should be healthy becomes unhealthy if the pain is not processed.

5. A conflict is unhealthy if the group members are not willing to listen to each other. Even a healthy conflict becomes unhealthy if those who are in conflict with each other are not willing to listen to one another.

6. A conflict is unhealthy if some of the group members attempt to deal with it outside the relationship in which the conflict originated. This is a principle which leaders find very frightening; therefore, few percentagewise believe it or comply with it. However, the scriptures are very clear regarding this principle. We must involve only those who are part of the issue, and not gather around us others “to engage in a pity party” on our behalf. — Gary

From America and USA Today (we see this daily): Census data released last month found that 3.1 million children in the USA were living without a parent present in the household in 2009. Of those, 59% lived with grandparents.

Grandparents step in when parents are out of the picture due to substance abuse, physical or mental illness, financial problems, incarceration, death, and more recently, military deployment and the recession.

These grandparents, many of whom had planned for travel or more “me” time, are instead navigating the terrible twos, school, sports and the vast cultural and technological changes (think Lady Gaga and texting) that have occurred since their own children were young. As a result of this growth, there’s considerable new research about this demographic, sometimes referred to as “skip generation” households or “grandfamilies.”

“I wanted to be Grandma. You know, the kids come over and you treat them special and then you turn them home to their mother or father,” says Joyce Sylvia, 69, of Providence. “That’s what I had planned.”

An analysis released last fall by the Pew Research Center found that grandparents who are primary caregivers of grandchildren are relatively young: 67% are under 60 and 13% are under 45, says the 2009 data.

“I’m nowhere near as young and energetic as I was when I was raising my own children,” says Diane Bergt, 48, of Lacey, Wash., the mother of eight. “Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with two toddlers.”

“Some people say ‘Your grandchildren are so blessed.’ No, it’s me. I’m the one who is blessed,” Bergt says.

Interesting News From China—Since 2003, 72 billionaires in the Chinese mainland have died an unnatural death, the Changchun-based New Culture News reported.

The paper reached such a conclusion after conducting a survey of the public reports of billionaires’ deaths over the past eight years.

Among the 72 billionaires, 15 were murdered, 17 committed suicide, seven died from accidents, 14 were executed according to the law and 19 died from diseases.

There were approximately 60,000 people with 100 million yuan in the Chinese mainland at the end of 2010.

Entire Apple Stores Being Faked in China –  At first, it looks like a sleek Apple store. Sales assistants in blue T-shirts with the company’s logo chat to customers. Signs advertising the iPad 2 hang from the white walls. Outside, the famous logo sits next to the words “Apple Store.” And that’s the clue it’s fake.

China, long known for producing counterfeit consumer gadgets, software and brand name clothing, has reached a new piracy milestone — fake Apple stores.

An American who lives in Kunming in southern Yunnan province said Thursday that she and her husband stumbled on three shops masquerading as bona fide Apple stores in the city a few days ago. She took photos and posted them on her BirdAbroad blog.

The three stores are not among the authorized resellers listed on Apple Inc.’s website. The maker of the iPhone and other hit gadgets has four company stores in China — two in Beijing and two in Shanghai — and various official resellers. Apple’s Beijing office declined to comment.

The proliferation of the fake stores underlines the slow progress that China’s government is making in countering a culture of a rampant piracy and widespread production of bogus goods that is a major irritant in relations with trading partners.

China’s Commerce Minister promised American executives earlier this year that the latest in a string of crackdowns on product piracy would deliver lasting results.

The 27-year-old blogger, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the set-up of the stores was so convincing that the employees themselves seemed to believe they worked for Apple.

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China company and scenes; TJ with teachers; Together Forever; Charles’ tooth…and a gorgeous sky

We came home from the market recently and Terry made this statement: “I am a rich woman. I have many jewels of green, orange, yellow and gold,” speaking of her green, orange, yellow, and gold vegetables. They are plenteous at this time of the summer, and it’s a good thing, since our “good and cheap” restaurant is closed for the summer. We are also able to get boneless, skinless chicken breasts, so we are doing just fine and lean pork.

One of Terry’s students told me via qq.com instant messenger that “all the students want both of you to teach us all the time” when I told him all of her students would be my students in the fall. A kind statement, but may be because our grades are 4-6 points higher than the other teachers, do you think?

Oh-h-h-h, no! Today we discovered a particular brand of ice cream across from the front gate. Had not really looked for them or one needed before….and we did not overdo it…but since most things are not eaten/drunk cold here, it was a treat, especially on a hot summer afternoon.

Terry will not have her official schedule till late August, but she found out today that because one of the teachers has resigned, they want her to teach the Pronunciation/Intonation course, rather than Oral English. She asked for, and received, the old book, since a new one is to come later in the summer…looks OK but will be something new…all freshmen on the West campus, which is what she wants. She will teach Oral English during the spring, using the book she used last semester.

Surprise! The new book Terry will use is the one we recorded for Dr. Yang last February-April! She also did the proof-reading. She had a meeting with Dean Catherine…was given that news…it is being printed and might be two weeks late, but we think it will be ‘worth the  wait.’ (Terry won’t be able to complain about the contents, huh?).

Every young boy has that moment when his ‘baby tooth’ is loose and it’s time to come out. That was the case with Charles (see photo, right). His tooth was barely hanging on…but as his English class proceeded, it was time to work it loose and get it out. Then they all celebrated the event together. Terry is so-o-o good with the guys…she is really enjoying the time with them.

We came to appreciate our students the initial week, and it has only grown as we watch their determination and admire their desire to learn English. To   (continued on page two)

them, it opens the world and many opportunities. And realize that the government is pushing more of its young people to learn the language, to explore the world, to reach for the ‘best they can be’ in this world.

I am thankful daily for those little ‘baby steps’ of President Richard Nixon many year ago to visit this country, to open the doors of communication, etc. The 2008 Beijing Olympics were billed as China’s ‘coming out party’ and I see firsthand that it was exactly that for the its people.

It is an exciting privilege and honor to be here…and amazing to realize that we will have ‘at our feet’ another 300+ new students this fall, adding them to the many others who are already our dear friends.

That number does not include the eight teachers who are regularly part of important discussions…and I am going to offer a pre-marriage series (Together Forever) on weekends in the fall and winter, with several teachers already saying they want to be part of it. We also have two groups of 12 sophomore students planning to be part of them in other sessions…in addition to our regular group of 11 who will be juniors this semester and were part of a weekly group. We like being busy with important things. 🙂

I have begun getting the word out to the 150+ juniors I had last semester to see if they are interested in this, their last year here. (see complete flyer at end of this newsletter).

We found air-conditioners at work on our monthly trek to the larger grocery store….a nice surprise! The RT had it on and the taxi was also cooler for the 27-minute ride home. A trip of some 2 hours…taxi was 36 yuan ($6 USD) for the round-trip.

We saw a construction crew working on the exterior of a five-story concrete building, putting red bricks on the outside with mortar. A six-person crew, two of them older than 55, and three of them were women. They do work side-by-side in many areas.

Greetings from Terry: I miss American libraries! The easy access of information in a system I understand. I know you can look up anything on the internet, but not me. Not the way my brain works.

I like to see and hold the book; to have someone point me in the right direction then leave me alone to discover, but be available for help if necessary.

To me, to be without a library is like being without a dictionary. And believe me, I use my dictionary. (I have to. I can’t spell worth a hoot.) The order of the letters just doesn’t stay in my mind. Remember when you asked your teacher the meaning of a word or how to spell something and she told you to look it up in the dictionary? Well, I was the student who would. I live with a dictionary close by. My dear Gary even bought me a little speller that is battery operated that I can carry with me.

In America, I use the library almost as often. Anytime I have a question (and believe me, I have a lot of questions) of who, what, when, or how, I can go to the library and usually find the answer. The reference people are kind, helpful and “upbraideth not”, which is very important.

My Daddy always told me, ”Never be afraid to ask questions.” As I think of it, that is what 12 year old Jesus was doing at the temple, ”listening to them and asking them questions.” Many times I have been very thankful that Benjamin Franklin used his talents and understanding to start the library system. (At least I think it was Ben) I’m not a detail person. 🙂

Our mandarin lessons are going well, even though learning a new language makes you feel like you‘re walking in the dark. We are making progress.

Yeah! I get to teach freshmen again. They asked me to teach pronunciation from the textbook Gary and I recorded for Dr. Yang. Then in the spring teach Oral English again using the same book as last semester. This is all very good news and I am looking forward to it.

Last night (Wednesday, July 20) we had our first Chinese family over for a meal (see photo below). We had chicken parmesan and all went well. Howard, Zhou Hao, is a thirty five year old English teacher and his wife, Luo Chun Lei, teaches Art. Theory; three year old son, Duo Duo, is so cute. They live one floor up from us. Howard is one of the people that has been very helpful to us in many ways. Even though Luo Chun does not speak English, she understands spoken and written English.

We had a very pleasant time. They are both loving parents and it is good to see the three of them interact. Until recently her mother lived with them and took care of Duo Duo while they both taught. After classes ended she moved away to help care for a relative who is terminally ill with cancer. — Love, Terry

Steps in building self-esteem

There are so many things we can do to leave behind the ‘thinking traps’ we set for ourselves in regard to self-esteem. We have the ability to analyze and correct our mind and thoughts. Here are some basic steps in building self-esteem:

1. Discover thinking mistakes that contribute to your low self-esteem. Look at your history, write down statements about yourself, keep a daily journal.

2. Challenge the validity of each self-statement: dispute, challenge, contradict, and reverbalize them one at a time. One idea that is often effective is to try and prove you are worthless. You will learn that worth has little link with competency.

3. Learn how these misconceptions originated and see that they are inaccurate, unrealistic, and distorted.

4. Write a new list of correct beliefs on a card and read the list daily…they become your new self-talk.

5. Role-play situations in which you have felt inferior in the past. Learn to perform tasks which you normally avoid.

6. Practice these new behaviors during the next week, perform needed tasks you previously avoided because of feelings of inferiority, and then properly assess the outcome. Do not be prejudiced against yourself because of improper assessment of outcomes.

We need to set realistic goals and press on to the High Calling: …one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal…”

We need to be fair to self: If you would forgive others by doing what you have done, forgive yourself. Don’t be prejudiced against yourself. It’s not fair!

Learn “stop thinking.” Label negative, unproductive thoughts as garbage! And substitute positive thoughts for negative thoughts.

Self-esteem is an experience. It is a particular way of experiencing the self. It is a good deal than a mere feeling. It involves emotional, evaluative, and cognitive components.

It also entails certain action dispositions: to move toward life rather than away from it; to move toward consciousness rather than away from it; to treat facts with respect rather than denial; to operate self-responsibly rather than the opposite.

Self-esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It is confidence in the efficacy of our mind, in our ability to think.

By extension, it is confidence in our ability to learn, to make appropriate choices and decisions, and respond effectively to change.

It is also the experience that success, achievement, fulfillment-happiness-are right and natural for us.

Some might ask: doesn’t a focus on self-esteem encourage excessive and inappropriate self-absorption?
Rationally, one does not focus on self-esteem per se; one focuses on the practices that support and nurture self-esteem-such as the practice of living consciously, of self-acceptance, of self-responsibility, of self-assertiveness of purposefulness, and of integrity.

Self-esteem demands a high reality-orientation; it is grounded in a reverent respect for facts and truth.

Excessive and inappropriate self-absorption is symptomatic of poor self-esteem, not high self-esteem.

If there is something we are confident about, we do not obsess about it-we get on with living.

We believe we are here for a reason: to reach out to the 18-23 year old university students in Jingzhou, sowing seeds of knowledge and understanding wherever possible. We know it will not return  to us void. We have the opportunity to teach the future leaders of China, and to be ‘stretched’ ourselves in the process. Your thoughts and support are deeply appreciated!  — Gary and Terry

Some interesting news from China:  For decades China was an isolated nation due to the suppression and oppression by foreigners in various forms. It had severe turmoil and civil wars to reach towards the sunny light. The sunny light called ‘reform and opening-up’ initiated in 1978 opened China’s doors to the outside world.

It was just a matter of a few years before China’s economy flourished to gain the momentum of global growth. Today, China stands tall and competes with global players. The numbers of rich in China has superseded the numbers in many developing nations. The modern infrastructure encapsulates its march toward a modern lifestyle; and the rising social standard in cities mesmerizes those who visit China. Yet, the common Chinese find it amusing to see the presence of foreigners.

A sight of a foreigner amuses even a Chinese kid, who will be seen shouting “laowai”, even if this sounds annoying to some. A walking foreigner in many places of China is still strange for many ordinary Chinese. Everything about the foreigner becomes important sting from what one wears to what one carries. Probably to adapt the styles or to make a bit of fun, a foreigner in China is still a strange creature.

With the spread and popularity of Chinese language, many foreigners can now speak good Chinese. In fact, it is a must for the survival of foreigners in China. However, a simple “nihao” uttered from the mouth of a foreigner in proper sound and tone, and any ordinary Chinese will have an immediate reaction “your Chinese is very good.”

In case, one really speaks good Chinese, then one has to be ready to face the later part – which country do you belong to? How come your Chinese is so good? What are you doing in China?

If one passes in this general aptitude test, then a range of personal questions follow – are you married; if married, how many kids; if unmarried, why don’t you find a Chinese girl or a Chinese boy, I can help introduce; what is your age etc.. Are Chinese talkative? Yes, for the sake of understanding the life of a foreigner, almost all Chinese are talkative.

China posted a fiscal surplus of 1.25 trillion yuan ($193.3 billion) in the first half of the year as steady economic growth and rising prices lifted government revenues, the Ministry of Finance said. The surplus, equal to about 6.1 percent of China’s gross domestic product from January to June, is well above Beijing’s target for a full-year fiscal deficit of 2 percent of GDP.

That said, Beijing normally accumulates a fiscal surplus in the first three quarters of a year before accelerating spending at year-end to pull the annual budget into the red. National fiscal revenues in June rose 28 percent from a year ago to 1.01 trillion yuan, compared with May’s 34 percent increase and April’s 27 percent gain.

The economy grew 9.5 percent in the second quarter, beating expectations and easing concerns over a hard landing amid tight monetary policies targeting high inflation. The growth rate was higher than the 9.3 percent predicted by many economists. Other indicators also point to a soft landing for the economy.

Gross domestic product rose 9.7% in the first quarter and 9.8 percent in the fourth quarter of last year. The figure for the first half of this year stood at 9.6 percent.

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Children at play; Nice visitors, shared birthday pics; Chinese scenes

We have experienced the ‘patience of Job’

We celebrated with two friends the end of the semester at a Western-style steak place, and wonder if any of the owners have ever been to one in America before. It was like one, a little, but not really. But glad to “get it off our list” of things to try; not sure we’ll ever get to the McDonald’s, though. Except for their pancakes and sausage biscuits, I rarely have been to one of those even at home. 🙂

Found a Subway in Wuhan (3 hours away) on our only trip there, and it is almost exactly the same. Pizza Hut and KFC were closer to the “real thing.” Have found that French fries are exact and they did have pepperoni, though no one seems to know what it is. Our favorite ‘good and cheap’ restaurant off the front gate did close for the summer break, but we found other places and will be OK until August 28.

We have seen “the patience of Job” again in our life. Gillian and Jasmine are steady and full of encouragement, but understanding, as we are in the midst of learning Mandarin. Working through the four tones and list after list of vocabulary words is quite stimulating. We are making progress, which is the favorite word I use with our English students; am now applying it to myself.

Our Good Life from the Wisdom book got off to a good beginning, with ten in attendance. We’ll work toward “the conclusion of the matter” during the summer and fall…discussion was good and interest high. That discussion has already produced another weekly study on another night on related matters and some great questions.

Family we met will join our first day Assembly and we’re going to discuss lessons from James. Practical and basic seems to be the ‘order of the summer’ and there is lots of enthusiasm for our endeavor…expecting nearly a dozen.

I now have a ‘qq.com account,’ which is the email/instant message forum for the students. They installed it for me (found English version so I could read the screen) and put their account numbers in for me. We now get instant messages from them during the day as they arrive home and say “good morning” and tell us what’s happening, now that they are at home.

They are not children, but we enjoy hearing they are home safe and doing well…and miss them. We also know  their families are glad to have them around for about 50 days. Just a few are still in the area…they have found young students they can tutor, as a part-time job. Once a person gets older, they are not so much in a hurry to go home…they have ‘made the break’ and are more independent.

One of the students come from the Hainan province, which is ‘way south’ like South Florida in the USA. She got to the bus that would take her to the train station and go south…she was allowed to get on and continue her trip. Her classmates are actually still there (one day later) waiting for the crowd to diminish and get a seat…remember there are thousands trying to leave the area now, and the bus/train system is always strained. When she arrived at her province, there was not a bus available to go to her hometown, so she is staying with a friend while she waits.

We saw a store ritual as we came home: a group of female employees gathered in front of their store (on the sidewalk) did a series of chants and cheers, singing and laughing…after joining hands in a circle, separated and went into the store to begin the day (see photo). Quite positive and enthusiastic display as their workday commenced.

Another interesting (unique) three minutes with TJ: I began telling her of a thought I had when I realized her eyes were glazed over and she was not hearing a word. I’ve learned to stop and try to figure out what might be happening: she wasn’t praying (her eyes were open)…she wasn’t reading scripture (no bible open)…and it hit me…she was doing her stretching exercises (her body parts looked like twisted or shaken spaghetti or pretzels…she looks like a praying mantis or several of the cranes when the Karate Kid stood on one leg for that special pose that won the tournament at the end of the movie). 🙂

I told her of my dilemma, and we had a good laugh. Then she told me why her mind was somewhere else and she did not know I was talking: “I was counting, and when I get confused, sometimes I can do 10 or 20 seconds too-o-o much or too-o-o little, and that’s not good.” (As the conversation continued, I learned she now can count in English, Spanish, and Chinese, which keeps it from getting boring. She can only count to six in German and is trying to remember French, but can’t remember the numbers Tonia taught her when she was studying the language. We’ll have something to work on August 8-17 when she’s here visiting). That’s my TJ :-).

We were coming back from a walk to one of the stores further from our apartment. Terry was carrying one of the bags, and I asked, “Is the bag that heavy?” “No, it’s not bad at all.” “What about the bags under your eyes?” I innocently asked. “Actually, they are not as bad as the ones in America, though that could change any day,” she said with a chuckle, not missing a beat.

Have I mentioned that I have had no need or desire to wear a suit and/or tie since February 13, 2011? There simply is no requirement or event thus far. (Could have saved some room in my suitcases when we came over…glad I only brought two).

I have discovered iTunes podcasts to catch some of the news and sports reporting that have been part of my life for many, many years. There is even a world view of sports on CCTV 5 online here.

Want to see world news in English in China? The internet allows it: http://english.cntv.cn/01/index.shtml. Check out the China travelogues, as well.

It’s been a sad summer for Ohio State and Tennessee sports fans 😦

An interesting item  at the bank this week: we found out we will not receive August payroll until it is combined in September, since the university finance department is on vacation with the students. It could have been worst…sometimes the July is put off, too. They pay at the beginning of the month in advance, and we will see when/if July is deposited by the announced time.

With no classes, we have ‘time to think’ and it reminds me of our university ‘director days.’ I’d be up and out with the day demands by 7 a.m. and then up with students till after 9 p.m. It felt equally good then (and now) to have the break between semester classes. We’re staying busy, but it is a different kind of busy…and we are really enjoying it. Both of us are using our kindles often and daily.

Nothing is official until the classes actually begin, but I have already received my schedule for the fall. I will have 8 classes, all at 8 a.m. and 10:05 a.m. Tuesday –thru– Friday (Monday off for preparation).

I will have all of Terry’s freshman students from last fall in six classes, in addition to one of my freshman groups (seven oral English classes in all…around 365 sophomore students). I will also have one class of some 50 sophomore students for Teaching/Listening skills.  All the classes on the Central campus, a 4-minute leisurely walk from our apartment, so that is real nice…compared to three classes last semester on a different campus, one of them a 4-5:40 p.m. class.

Have I admitted ‘out loud to anyone’ that we both decided the Chinese classics we were going to read during the summer are a lot like many of the American classics…wordy and boring. I got through 213 pages and it was just t-o-o-o much of the same thing over and over…. 🙂

Greetings from Terry: The children gave me a really nice journal to record our experience in China. It is filled with quotes and scriptures. This one I like especially: “The really happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.”

There is no diagram, directory or map of this campus so my new project is to explore and gather information and then sketch one. It will be helpful to me and I can offer it to the new students in September.

Thursday, July 7 we had our first Mandarin lesson and it went pretty well. Since our two teachers have to travel so far on a hot bus to get here, we have decided to meet once instead of twice a week (for two hours). It was fun and we made progress, therefore it was successful.

We also had our first discussion/study of The Good Life with five English teachers and two other adults close to campus. It was very good. We are so glad to have the opportunity. They were all very interested. One person in particular called the next day after reading ahead in the text and had questions so she came over for additional discussion. This is our idea of a fun summer.

I have finished reading a very interesting and profitable book;  A Study of Angels by Edward P. Meyers (Gary had finished it and recommended it). He handles the text well. I appreciate his study, collection and presentation of the text in an understandable style. — Love, Terry.

Contentment: Where?

Do your circumstances bother you? Are you at that place in life where you wish nothing would change, and yet everything is changing? Are you having to adjust to new surroundings or new people?  We need to ‘learn’ what there is to learn about contentment.

It is a great mistake to build our happiness on circumstances or things, because circumstances change and things have a way of wearing out and losing their value. True internal peace cannot be based on changing external things. We need something deeper and more satisfying.

Yet, most people build their happiness on the passing, external things of this world. And, for this reason, they are never really happy.

Real contentment must come from within. You and I cannot change or control the world around us, but we can change and control the world within us. It has often been said that what life does to us depends on what life finds in us.

The word content does not mean “complacent.” Paul was anything but complacent! He felt a burden and carried good news to city after city regardless of peril or persecution.

Nor is contentment a dreamy attitude or vague feelings that lift you out of the world and make you immune to trouble and trial. Some people are always looking for new ways to be immunized against the hurts of life or protected from the bumps and scars of life. This is not contentment.

Actually, the word is best translated “contained.” It carries the idea of self-sufficiency. In other words, Paul is saying, “I don’t depend on things on the outside, because I carry my own sufficiency on the inside.”

Contentment, then, is actually containment: having the resources within to face life courageously and handle it successfully.

If you had all the props and crutches taken away from your life, would you be able to stand? Do you have that divine sufficiency and adequacy within?

We usually fall down because we want to receive inner contentment and spiritual adequacy instantly by reading a book, or saying a prayer, but that is not the way we become adequate in the inner man. We learn it by experience.
This means we must go through troubles and trials, difficulties and sacrifices, and we must face changes in our lives. If everything remains the same, then we will die of the status quo. Life will become a comfortable coffin; but who wants to be a comfortable corpse?

Resistance to change is one of the chief causes of discontent and worry. We want to keep ourselves, our children, and our lives just as they are. We fight change, and in so doing, we rob ourselves of the contentment.
There is not growth without challenge, and there is no challenge without change. If our lives are going to be isolated and insulated we will never face any challenges, but this means we will never have opportunities to mature.

For mature people, life is a battleground, but they are willing to face the battles and, by faith, win the victories.
For immature people, life is a playground; and they want to avoid battles, but this means they never have the joy of winning victories and growing.

We believe we are here for a reason: to reach out to the 18-23 year old university students in Jingzhou, sowing seeds of knowledge and understanding wherever possible. We know it will not return  to us void. We have the opportunity to teach the future leaders of China, and to be ‘stretched’ ourselves in the process. Your thoughts and support are deeply appreciated!  — Gary and Terry

News in China: China’s inflation escalated to the highest level in three years amid lingering pressure, with the consumer price index (CPI), the main gauge of inflation, jumping 6.4 percent year-on-year in June, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

The June inflation rate accelerated 0.9 percentage points from May’s 5.5 percent which stood at a 34-month high, both far exceeding the government’s annual inflation control target of 4 percent. Of the 6.4-percent CPI growth in June, 3.7 percentage points were contributed by the carryover effect of price increases last year, the NBS said in a statement on its website.

After South Koreans, U.S. citizens form the second-largest national group among the nearly 600,000 foreigners living on the Chinese mainland at the end of 2010, says China’s national statistics bureau.

At a time when many Americans back home worry whether fast-rising China is out to eat their lunch, the number of Americans living on the Chinese mainland has reached a record high of 71,493, according to Chinese census bureau figures released in April.

In addition, more than 60,000 Americans live in Hong Kong, according to the U.S. State Department. A 2005 estimate of 110,000 Americans living in China included Hong Kong residents. Another 430,000 people from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau lived in China at the end of 2010, but Beijing does not count them as foreign residents.

Some Americans in China have seen decades of dramatic change, from radical Maoism to cutthroat capitalism. Today, newbies arrive daily to take up jobs or hunt them down, in what has become the world’s second-largest economy behind the USA‘s. Many work for Fortune 500 firms or U.S. agencies. Others come to teach, study, volunteer, travel, blog and party.

To boost mutual understanding in what is an often tense relationship between the nations, Washington and Beijing are ramping up people-to-people exchanges, including a drive to send 100,000 U.S. students to China over the next four years.

“There are a lot of really bright young Americans who are here in business or studying, and they are building great bridges between the USA and China,” says Thomas Skipper, minister counselor for public affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

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TJ’s birthday, summer students; Family; China’s high-speed train, long bridge, other scenes and politics

Students Move To Central Campus

We have gone through the emotional responses by some of our students as they moved some things to our campus, where they will spend the next three years of their lives when the fall term begins. (They are allowed to move some things in rather than having to take them all home for the summer.) All of Terry’s students, and half of mine, were on the West campus last semester

There were “ups and downs” as they adjusted to the ‘imagined’ contrasted with what ‘really is.’ Some of the teachers literally lied to them, apparently, telling them it would be “better than the dorm where you are now,” when they were going from almost-new to very old

The enrollment and housing costs on this campus are more expensive, since it is an independent one, compared to the other five locations, which are public. It is also older and in need of repairs. Some dorms are just much (!) nicer than other ones

Jingzhou is an old city, over 600 years. Deep history. A popular statement here: “there is dust here 600 years old.” We are glad to be here to help encourage and challenge them to make the most of their opportunities! The people can make other negative thoughts go away

Terry has taken on a part-time summer job,teaching English to four 10-year old boys. They have only just begun learning English at school in the past few months, but did very well at the first sessions.One is the nephew of our English department head, who lives in the apartment just above us. She has the boys in our apartment twice  a  week  for  90 minutes …. and  is so-o-o-o excited to have the contact with others in our educational community

Dean Catherine’s daughter, Lily, came to help with translation, where needed, the first few minutes. This small number is just fine, though there are others interested.We’ve had 90-plus temperature in recent days, but have a very good breeze most of the time, which brings me to another story:.

A not so ’funny’  thing happened on the way home with our 14” birthday/anniversary cake. An eight-foot aluminum sign on rollers was blown into my legs as I was ready to enter the front gate. It hit me hard, knocking me flat to my hands and knees. I had skinned knees and bumps/bruises, but was ok (see photo).

The cake was another matter! It landed right-side-up in the secure box, but it was no longer the same. I got home as quickly as possible so we could open the package and see what we could salvage. We were able to put it  into four smaller containers in the refrigerator until the group came to help eat it.

I have often told couples planning weddings that “a sense of humor is the best gift you can give each other. It acts as a shock absorber in the days ahead.”

My words proved prophetic. Our friends made it a wonderful occasion…and the cake was absolutely delicious: chocolate cake and icing, with real whipped cream and cherries in the middle. They had even put small serving plates and birthday candles in the package. We will have much to remember and laugh about at each anniversary forward. 🙂

We live in amazing times! Within the last few minutes, I have communicated through email on our cell phones/computers with friends in Beijing, Jingzhou, Tennessee, and my son in Georgia, at a Braves game.

Anybody have an old Blackberry you are not using due to upgrades but still works and is unlocked? I have a friend who is really wanting one for use here…you could send to family coming to China in early-August….let me know if that is a possibility.

Terry is being asked by some of the girls to help them with make-up advise, and is happy to share what she knows. They’re very kind and appreciate her time.

We met new Family at our Sunday discussions. They were told about our meeting and wanted to be a part….lots of enthusiasm and great singing. We sang some old favorites we’d not sung here yet…they knew most of them. It was good to meet them and look forward to other times together.

In an endearing way, we were called “old” for the first time yesterday, the comment coming around appreciation for “wisdom and experience.” We understood what was meant, but it did remind us that we are getting older (especially Terry, who just had her birthday …..and she is a little older than me).

Our Friday student discussion group treated us to lunch today…we had 11 there and tried some new Chinese dishes…most of them very good.

We were told that with most of the students gone, many of the small restaurants and grocery stores here at our front gate will be closed for the summer. We’ll find what we need…no problem…but it will not be as convenient. I guess we are a university town.

On a Skype session with Michael, Adona, and Louise, Terry was remembering our first two-room apartment 40 years ago…the kitchen was located along the wall in the hallway, under a set of stairs that went upstairs to the only bedroom. The kitchen we have now reminds her of that small, yet functional, place in our past. She is still a great cook.

We awoke today with temperatures in the 93 degree range, a heat index at 111, according to humidity readings. The temp will be close to 100 most of August, which is nothing new to us…we’ve lived in Tennessee and California during that month…and visited family in Texas.

It has become clear the past two days that both of our air conditioners cannot run at the same time…the electrical wiring in the apartment just won’t allow it. So-o-o, we moved our bed and desks into the same room (they barely fit) and we’re in the same situation we were in when we lived in a married housing apartment at MTSU 39.5 years ago.

Our one air conditioner wasn’t enough there, either, so we moved all of our furniture into one room. We have come full circle…and are grateful!! Our students have only their electric fans 😦   We are both pragmatic about life, so no big deal; once we saw things as they are going to be for the next few weeks. We will have close quarters when family visits in August for 10 days, but we love each other deeply and we’ll just have more time together…literally.

Terry was remembering a trip to City of Children in Mexico…hot there…the children had little relief…while the visitors got to go home to the “creature comforts.” We are grateful! Our approach to life for the past four decades is symbolized by a ‘salt shaker.’ We had brought some celery seed with us to China; we knew we could use it, but didn’t necessarily need a lot. When we finished it, we realized the container could be used for something else…realizing we had no salt shaker, well, it just made sense to use the container we already possessed.

Greetings from Terry: Last week Dean Catherine came over and asked me if I would consider spending some time with her ten year old nephew and a few friends working on their English pronunciation for the summer. We settled on twice a week for 1 ½ hours per session.

This Thursday, June 30 was the first session. They are four cute, enthusiastic, intelligent boys. Catherine’s teenage daughter sat in on the first half to be of help translation wise. They brought a text book with them and once we got started it went pretty well.

July 2 we celebrated our 40^th Wedding Anniversary and my birthday together with 15 students here in our apartment. Gary told of the bad “adventure” getting the cake. It was one of the best. But still can’t beat Kathe Addison’s wedding cake she used to make us in Mentor, Ohio for special occasions. Love, Terry.

We believe we are here for a reason: to reach out to the 18-23 year old university students in Jingzhou, sowing seeds of knowledge and understanding wherever possible. We know it will not return  to us void. We have the opportunity to teach the future leaders of China, and to be ‘stretched’ ourselves in the process. Your thoughts and support are deeply appreciated!  — Gary and Terry

Traveling Light….Divide the world into a rich one-third and a poor two-thirds. The rich one-third claims 87 percent of the gross world production each year. And the chasm between rich and poor is widening. In the United States, the average energy usage per person is twice that of persons in West Germany or England. It is 350 times that of the average Ethiopian.

Our average food consumption is five times that of persons in the developing countries. Our beef consumption; for example, increased from 55 pounds per person in 1940 to 136 pounds per person in 1992. (The amount have only increased as time has passed by).

We are an affluent society. Imagine the impression one of our shopping malls might make on a visitor from a less developed part of the world. There are busy crowds who have the leisure to “shop around.” Advertisements offer suggestions for the “man who has everything.” Well dressed people look for new outfits.

People come to automobile show rooms looking for a new car with an extra touch of class. The television show room offers a TV with a sharper picture. What I believe would be amazing to this visitor is the insatiable appetite for buying by people who do not appear to be in need.

Our society, our economy, and our sense of self-esteem often seem to be built on discontent. Imagine what would happen if we were all to decide to keep the winter wardrobe and the car for an extra year, and that we love our home more than any house on the market.

Look through your favorite national magazine and notice how much of the magazine is composed of advertisements telling us that we lack something which is a necessity. The ad tells you your home would be far more presentable if only you would get a new, elegant living-room suite.

The style of last year’s suit has been changed; even though the suit is in good condition, it would be a sign that you are not “keeping up” if you wear last year’s style. Possessing things says something important to your friends. It tells them that you are doing well and keeping up with the latest trend’.

Have you noticed that yesterday’s luxuries are today’s necessities? The result is that most of us now have “needs” we did not know we had until a few years ago. Let’s raise a serious question about all this, consumption. Is it really worth it to go on keeping up when we seem never to be satisfied with what we have?

The Price We Pay. Soren Kierkegaard told a parable about a wild dove in the forest. The wild dove lived near a farmer’s house where there were some tame doves. The wild dove, which each day had to gather its own food, met one day with its relatives. The tame doves told how their needs were totally taken care of, and how each day the farmer provided them with food. The wild dove had never thought of itself as unfortunate until now. It had always trusted that its needs would be met in the forest. Now it was dissatisfied. The wild dove decided to slip into the farmer’s barn through an opening. Never again would it have to find its own food.

The plan worked beautifully. But when the farmer came the next morning, he recognized the new dove immediately. He put it in a little box by itself until the next day, when it was killed-free from all anxiety for the necessities of life. We pay a big price with our discontent. If only the wild dove, which had always been provided for, had not been lured by its dissatisfaction to destroy itself!

I think of families I have known, and the price many of them have paid for their discontent. They bought new clothes when the style changed. They moved with each new raise. But there were pressures which went with all of the consuming. The father took a second job; the mother took her first. All of those purchases which they could not resist led ,to a dreadful pace of life. The children grew up almost by themselves. The parents seldom saw each other. When “I think of them, I think of my enjoyment of a relaxed Saturday afternoon or holiday-which they seldom have.

Our society also pays for this consumption. Unstable home situations have an impact on schools. Families which have no time together leave us with unstable individuals who become a burden for others.

There is the price we pay when our throw-away mentality causes us to contaminate the place where we live with plastics, pollutants, and wastes-the 7 million junked cars each year, the 26 billion bottles, the 48 billion metal cans.

I doubt if any reasonable person believes that we can go on consuming indiscriminately forever. It appears to be an unavoidable fact that if we do not change our lifestyle and live on less, these changes will be forced on us. In The Limits to Growth, an international team of experts predicted that we will run out of many basic minerals and fuels early in the next century if we go on using resources as we have been. As we run out of those fuels and minerals, their prices will become higher and this style of life will become increasingly difficult to maintain. There will be a time when there are no more trees to cut, no more oil to pump, and no more natural resources to exploit.

A few years ago E. F. Schumacher wrote a provocative little book entitled Small Is Beautiful. He argued that our compulsive consumption is rooted in a spiritual crisis that afflicts the affluent society. Someone else has said that our discontent is caused by a basic boredom with life, a boredom that comes from having no other goals worth pursuing. Schumacher suggested that the only answer to this style of life is to be found in recovering spiritual roots that will help us overcome this discontent.

Traveling Light—We all know times when the Master gave advise for traveling light…”take no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff- for the laborer deserves his food.”

His advice was to “travel light.” He knew that a great many possessions would be like a weight to slow them down. Perhaps taking every kind of provision would take away their trust. We can easily be imprisoned by the things we own. What we possess then possesses us.

The soldier knows that the cause he fights for is too important to allow him to be burdened by things he carries along. Pioneers never have the luxury of taking with them huge wardrobes; they have to select carefully.

We also learn that our lives are a kind of pilgrimage toward the Ultimate Goal. We dare not take on any burdens that will interfere with that pilgrimage.

To travel light does not mean abandoning all ‘things’ and retiring to the desert. But it does mean not being so burdened by them that we cannot carry on the mission for which we have been sent.

A nineteenth-century story from Kierkegaard again illustrates this point. A prosperous man, on a dark but starlit night, drives comfortably with the lanterns of his carriage shining brightly. As he goes along he is safe; he fears no difficulty.

Because he carries his light with him wherever he goes, it is never dark in his presence. Yet because he has those strong lights close to him, he cannot see the stars. The poor peasant driving without lights can see the beautiful stars.

So we may become occupied with the necessities of life. In our prosperity and good days, everything is so satisfactory, so pleasant, so comfortable. But the view is lacking-the view of the stars. If we seek only the glittering lights of the shopping mall,  we will never see the stars.

We who have a mission can indeed travel light. (Borrowed from Harold Hazelip)

China News of Interest — Foreigners in Changsha who can’t speak Chinese should find it easier now getting help when in trouble as the city’s police have launched a multilingual emergency call service.

The service was launched on Friday and, according to the Changsha Public Security Bureau, the city’s 110 emergency center has eight volunteers offering translation services in English, German, Korean and Japanese.

According to the bureau, the emergency call center has received a growing number of calls from foreigners in recent years. In 2010, the 110 center received 67 calls from foreigners, a third of whom could not speak Chinese.

For those who did speak in Chinese, quite a number of them were hardly able to make themselves understood, the bureau said.

Interesting goal here — Whether China will reach its goal of spending 4 percent of its GDP on education by 2012 will depend on whether the central government can get its policy implemented to the letter at the local level.

The latest document issued by the State Council on Friday introduced new measures to meet the target set by the guidelines for education reform and development published last year. They include apportioning a larger share of local and central level taxes and 10 percent of revenue from land sales to education.

This is undoubtedly a significant move by the central government and is more than necessary given the fact the input for education dropped from 3.59 percent of GDP in 2009 to 3.57 percent in 2010.

Despite the 20 percent average increase in expenditure on education from 2001 to 2010, its percentage in the country’s total GDP is still not high enough. As early as 1993, the central government put forward the goal of increasing education spending to 4 percent of its GDP by the year 2000.

Summer camps in the US are the latest strategy for Chinese parents plotting a better future for their children. This year, more than 60,000 children will fly off for an immersion program that may, or may not, test their suitability for college abroad.

For around $5,000 or roughly 32,500 yuan, kids are flying across the Pacific for an opportunity to play sports with US students, attend summer classes, and most importantly, speak English.

They will be joining American summer camps, a mid-year ritual for many children in the United States, but still something for the privileged few in China. After two consecutive years at China-based summer camps, Lou Yong’s 13-year-old son, Tim, will take the experience to the next level by spending four weeks in Baltimore, USA. “I hope to enrich his summer vacation and let him experience different activities which he is interested in, but are not available at the local schools,” says Yong.

“American summer camps are a good complement to Chinese-style education. Chinese-style education focuses on academic achievement, while American-style camps allow the students to improve their overall abilities. If the child wants to study abroad in future, an American camp can help them make some adjustments beforehand,” she says.

Alex Abraham, the general manager of Blue Sky Study, a Shanghai-based overseas education consultancy, also sees the camps as a way of easing a child into a culture that he or she will most likely be a part of when they join the other Chinese undergraduates in the US.

The number of students going abroad does not appear to be dropping soon so, for those who can afford it, summer camps give them a head-start. “For parents who would one day like their child to study in the US full-time, it is a great way to introduce a foreign country to a young student,” Abraham says.