REQUEST FOR  PRAYERS This newsletter is different from all of my others in that there will be no tales of travel, adventures, or mishaps.  This newsletter is a request for prayers. I received news this weekend that the family who I was serving in China has been expelled.  Every missionary knows expulsion in a possibility when they go to closed countries.  The knowledge that expulsion can happen doesn't make it any easier to accept it when it does happen.  So now my "Chinese" family is out of China and is now in limbo in another country.  Their future plans are up in the air at this point. Please pray for: The missionaries and their staff who have all been expelled.  I estimate at least twenty people in their organization were expelled from the country.  Direction for all of these people and where they should go next.  Pray for clarity on which countries they should serve in. Finances for all involved.  Scraping together money for (expensive, last-minute, no-notice) tickets is difficult for some missionaries.  Pray that people will come together to support them during this emergency. Pray for the Chinese national believers left behind.  Pray that they will be bold and rise up and fill in the gaps left by those forced out. Pray that they will be able to endure the crackdown on Christianity.  Pray that they will go forth and keep their faith and share it with their fellow countrymen. Pray for the family which I was serving.  They have three young boys who have been uprooted from the only life they've known.  They no longer have a home, or any of their toys/possessions/comforts/familiar surroundings, etc.  Pray that the boys will feel safe and secure wherever they may end up.  Pray that their education isn't disrupted too much and that they don't fall behind.  Pray for wisdom for the parents to know where to serve, where to go, what to do.  Pray that they will find affordable family housing wherever they end up serving.  Pray that their basic needs will be supplied while they are in limbo. Pray that God's plan for China will continue to be fulfilled through other people stepping up and filling in.  The people in China are hungry for hope; please pray for workers to go and help them find peace through Jesus. Thank you all for the support you have always given me.  Please keep these missionaries in your prayers for the next several weeks and months while they transition to a new life in a different location.

Fall Newsletter

MONGOLIA! During the summer, the family which I was serving went back to the States to visit their grandparents.  For that month, I was able to visit Mongolia, which borders China to the north.  I spent two weeks in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar and two weeks touring the rest of the country.  I joined a small tour group which was comprised of five people, a guide, and a driver.  We traveled to the beautiful Orkhon Valley and we visited the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag where scientists first discovered fully intact remains of dinosaurs. Close to this location, we were able to hike up a mountain where we saw hundreds of petroglyphs. We finished up the tour in the Gobi desert by riding camels.  We enjoyed great adventures and lots of embarrassingly funny moments along the way.  We camped in teepees and yurts as we traveled through the country.  There were no roads, so we drove through high mesas, mountains, through rivers, and over grasslands. The goats, yaks, horses, and camels kept us on our toes. They enjoyed eating our breakfast for us (goats), waking us up in the night (yaks and horses) and running away from us (camels).  We took turns falling off of horses and camels (not me) or tripping and falling down mountains (definitely me).  We all ended up wet and muddy during a failed attempt to cross a swollen river in the Uaz.  While everyone's luggage was floating down the river, I was focused on saving the toilet paper from getting soaked.  Priorities, people. Priorities!  Mongolia is amazing.  I encourage everyone to visit it if they have the opportunity and option to do so.  The Mongolian people are so friendly and proud of their heritage.  I'd have to say that it was the best vacation I've taken yet.    Top left:  this is a bridge we had to cross, as viewed from inside the Uaz. Top right:  The beautiful Orkhon Valley. Middle left:  My ride through the Gobi desert! Middle right:  Rock formation near Eight Lakes National Park Bottom left:  Our camel breeder taking a nap in the Gobi desert. Bottom right:  Our Uaz got stuck during an attempted river crossing. Top left:  The goat who ate our breakfast. Top right:  Lovely Anuka and her Mom. Bottom left:  Petroglyphs and Lenny, my traveling gnome. Bottom right:  Sunset over a yurt. GOODBYE CHINA!     By mid-September, I had finished with my assignment in China.  My experiences in China will remain at the forefront of my thoughts for quite a while.  The believers in China are strong, courageous people. They face difficulties that are unimaginable to most Westerners.  In spite of the threats to their livelihoods and families, they continue to choose to believe in and practice Christianity.  Please keep praying for their safety, and that they would be strengthened when facing persecution and pressure from their families and the government.      HELLO SOUTH KOREA! I arrived in South Korea earlier this week.  Before you start to worry, I am nowhere near North Korea.  I am working on Jeju Island, a beautiful volcanic island in the Korean Strait located south of the Korean peninsula. It is a very tranquil island, with palm trees, beaches, and a volcano. My job here is to take care of an elderly missionary couple.  They retired after 55 years of service and now need a bit of extra help. Due to visa restrictions, I will only be here for three months.  After my term here is finished, I will be headed back to Florida to spend some quality time with my family.    These little guys are all over the island.  Jeju is called "The Island of the Gods."

Please pray for Christian converts to be strengthened when facing strong pressure from family, friends, and neighbors to recant their faith.

View of the city from the center, looking to the East, on a rare, smog-free day DAILY ROUTINE Some of you have been asking about my job and it's responsibilities.  Here is a little insight into my daily routine.  The boys wake up early--between 6 and 6:30 every day, weekends included. I help get everyone dressed, fed, teeth brushed, and ready for school.  The boys spend all day in Chinese school and are surrounded by the Chinese language and as a result, they are slowly losing the ability to speak English sounds correctly.  I am here to help reinforce the English language with them.  After breakfast, I spend an hour with the middle boy as I teach him how to read and correct his pronunciation of English sounds.  After the lesson, I take the youngest two boys to school while the Mom or Dad take the oldest boy to school.  The youngest two boys and I climb aboard an electric scooter.  One boy sits in the back and the other boy stands in front of me as we join the other commuters on the clogged roads.  Normally I would never get on a motorbike, scooter, moped, or any other type of this vehicle because of the dangers involved.  But I am in a country where the majority of people are on bikes, scooters, or in electric cars and such so it is much safer than it is back in the States.  We scoot off to the school, which is about a ten-minute ride.  After dropping the boys off, I return home to help out with the normal upkeep of the apartment.  Laundry, floors, never-ending dishes, meal prep...I do whatever I can to free up the time of the parents so they have more time to devote to their ministry.  At 2:00, I pick up the middle boy from school and spend two hours with him reading, speaking, and playing Legos.  This is my favorite part of the day when I can spend one-on-one time without two other rowdy boys clamoring for attention.  At 4:00, I pick up the youngest boy from school and then head back to the apartment.  Depending on the smog level, some days we play baseball, hockey, or soccer in the common area.  Most days I get dinner on the table by 5:30.  After dinner, I clean up while Mom and Dad have time with the boys, reading to them, getting homework finished, and finally getting the boys down for bed. On Sundays, we attend an International Church.  Saturdays are my day off.  I usually use the day to explore the city.  The city is HUGE, with over 15 million people living in it.  The area of the city is spread out over 650 square miles.  Needless to say, I haven't even scratched the surface of this city yet.  While the boys are in school, I have time to read or go out with friends to have a coffee or lunch.  There is a large population of missionaries nearby so there is a lot of support in our community.  I am so grateful because this really makes life easier for me.

PATHS For we are God's masterpiece.  He head created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10   Every day I marvel at the places my life has taken me.  I never dreamt that I would be experiencing the life that I am living right now.  I am so very, very blessed to be able to travel the world and serve other missionaries.  But it wasn't always this way.  Along the way, I took many paths and detours which led me away from God's plan. (Proverbs 19:21 ESV  "We may make a lot of plans, but the Lord will do what he has decided.") I followed my own desires and did things my own way, much to my own detriment. All along, God had a plan for my life and he was patiently waiting for me to choose his way. (Isaiah 30:18 NLT "So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.") He has uniquely created me for a specific purpose, combining my strengths, my abilities, my talents, my personality, my experiences, and my passions. Together, they enable me to do what I do now.  (Ephesians 1:11 NLT  "...he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.") We are all called to take different paths, according to the way we were designed.  Sometimes your path may be completely out of your comfort zone.  Every year God takes me down a path that challenges me in areas where I need improvement. For those of you who don't know me well, I am a shy, introverted, stuttering person who struggles with rejection and prefers to stay in the background.  So naturally, I am frequently called upon to share my story in front of a large group of people.  It always ends up being a blessing and slowly I am becoming a better speaker as well as a more self-assured individual.  God created us to reflect hope and love in this world.  We are to live differently, think differently, and love differently; we are set apart.  We leave our best mark on this world by being who we were created to be. If you ever feel God pulling you in a different direction on a new path, say "Yes" and go with him.  You won't regret it. He will take you places and put you in situations that may very well change your life forever.  His dreams for us are so much larger than our own.  PRAYER REQUESTS Miss Betty Sullins, the founder of Mission Nannys, fell and hurt her hip in April.  After surgery she completed rehabilitation and is now is the physical therapy part of her recovery plan.  Please pray for complete healing for Miss Betty. Please continue to pray for my health.  Because this past month has been quite smoggy, I have been struggling with constant headaches.  I've accepted the fact that as long as I am climbing six flights of stairs several times every day that my knees will not get any better.     FRUITS OF THE MONTH Dragonfruit The flesh of Dragonfruit can be purple or white.  It has a delicious sweet flesh and is one of our favorite fruits.  The boys prefer the purple ones and they eat them like candy. Durian Durian is a coconut-sized spiky fruit.  It has a horrible smell.  When I tasted it I was able to eat an entire section of it: but the longer I chewed it, the more unpleasant the smell became.  Now I cannot even pass fruit stands without the smell getting stuck in my nostrils.  The taste was quite bland for such an odiferous fruit.  It is not on my list of suggested fruits.       SUCCESS!!! After months of practice, I have successfully eaten in public with chopsticks without flinging food across the room!  A friend and I were eating at the counter of a hot pot restaurant and I was able to feed myself without calling attention to myself.  Unfortunately, my friend accidentally flipped her chopstick behind the counter.  The waiter got a good laugh out of it.  When my friend asked for advice, the man simply replied, "I've been using chopsticks since I was 2 years old.  It takes patience and practice."   I really admire and appreciate the graciousness of the Chinese people.

May Newsletter from Asia

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH KOREA! I am out of Southeast Asia for a few days to do what is known as a "border run."  I am required to reset my visa every 60 days by leaving the country.  Then I may return for another 60 days.  It's hard to believe that 60 days have passed already.   I always feel like Somebody's Watching Me... (You get extra points if you just sang that like the 80's hit song by Rockwell.) It's true, someone is always watching me.  No, I am not paranoid. In the top picture, that is not a light pole; it is a camera station. It is positioned at the entrance to an apartment complex, next to a guard shack.  The bottom photos are of the beautifully landscaped walkway inside of our apartment complex.  Razor wire tops the wall so that people are forced to only come in through the main entrance, where they can be monitored via cameras and through facial recognition. As with all complexes, everyone has to enter through the main entrance. There is one way in and one way out. China currently has 176 million surveillance cameras watching over their citizens.  That number is expected to grow to 626 million by 2020, in two years.  626 million cameras watching 1.3 billion people.  Confused with the math?  That equals one camera for every two people.  The cameras are everywhere imaginable...hanging from trees, businesses, building, light posts, traffic lights, guard shacks, bridges, police cars, and signposts. While walking down the street to the shops, I pass many of these camera poles.  In addition, the businesses have cameras focused on their front entrances.  So in the space of one block, I am monitored by nearly 50 cameras.  They know where I've come from, they track me to where I am headed, and they can identify everyone that I meet up with or talk to. A reporter for the BBC tested the system by trying to disappear and was tracked down in less than seven minutes. This video shows the experiment:  http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-china-42248056/in-your-face-china-s-all-seeing-state   Cameras are even used to dispense toilet paper in public bathrooms.  Seriously.  This is one of the articles about the toilet paper face scanning:        https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/03/21/china-uses-facial-recognition-software-to-crack-down-on-toilet-paper-theft/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c17f72b75596   This is a bit weird and extreme.   There is much to debate on the evils and benefits of increased public surveillance.  For instance, I quite enjoy the safety that the cameras provide as I walk alone throughout the city.  I am not afraid of being attacked,  mugged or harassed.  On the other hand, this type of surveillance can very easily be misused.  It's a slippery slope.

THE MAIN STORY   The main story remains the same.  We are monitored constantly.  Locals are pressured, intimidated, and discouraged from practicing Christianity.  They face a backlash from the government officials and from their families.  In a shame-based culture, it is easy to control how people act.  In order to modify behavior, pressure is placed upon one's family due to the actions of another member of that family.  Public shaming is also used.  In some cities, photographs of people, with their ID numbers and address are posted throughout the city where everyone can see their 'crime". The crackdown on unregistered churches and religious activities is continuing. Underground churches are being limited to 12 people.  The law was just changed and we think this is the 'safe' number of people allowed in a room at a time.  The surveillance makes it easier to pursue and hinder believers from assembling together.   Registered churches are facing difficulties as the government pressures landlords not to rent to them.  Even though Christianity is allowed here, it sure seems as though it has a lot of obstacles to overcome in order to exist.     PRAYER REQUESTS Please continue to pray for the local believers.  Specifically, the needs of the local believers are that they need to have protection from the authorities and they need to be able to secure locations where they can gather and worship. Changes in the visa laws have also affected the foreign workers.  Pray that the foreign workers will have their visas renewed so they can continue to help the local believers raise up local leaders to reach the local people.     Although they are better, my knees are still a source of frustration.  Please continue to pray for more healing and less pain. 30 years ago Betty Sullins started Mission Nannys, which is the organization that I represent.  She retired earlier this year at age 91.  In the middle of May, Miss Betty fell and broke her hip.  Please lift her up in prayer--specifically for her rehabilitation, for healing, and for a quick recovery.   FRUITS OF THE MONTH This is a langan and a mangosteen.  The langan is related to the lychee.  It looks like a thorny pod.   When the shell is peeled back, a white, juicy flesh is exposed.  It is very sweet, sticky, and juicy.  There is a purple seed in the middle of the fruit that is inedible.  The mangosteen has a hard shell around it.  Once you cut through it with a knife, the fruit easily comes out of the shell.  The fruit is shaped like an almond and is sweet and mild, similar in taste to the langan.  I am still amazed that I cannot identify around 50% of the fruits and vegetables that I see in the markets.  I've established a relationship with the fruit vendor and the noodle lady who work side by side in front of our complex.  The fruit vendor allows me to taste the fruit before I buy it.  She always smiles when I ask, "What is this?"  The noodle lady (after giggling) corrects my pronunciation and helps me get it right.  When I buy noodles for lunch (a steal at 83 cents), the noodle lady makes me pronounce each of the ingredients as she assembles them.  I am grateful that she takes the time to help me learn the language.  In fact, everyone that I have encountered has been very friendly, helpful, and welcoming.    No embarrassing moments this month!! Check back next month.

April in Southeast Asia

ADJUSTING TO NEW SURROUNDINGS First off, thank you for all of your support and prayers.  Speaking of prayers, I want to acknowledge answered prayer concerning the hot water in our apartment.  The hot water has returned and I am especially grateful for this.  Even washing dishes is better when you have hot water to use.  I'd also like to acknowledge the ever-growing support from my friends back home.  If you are reading this on my blog and would like to receive the newsletter via email, simply send an email to the address located at the bottom of this page and I shall add your name to the email list. My grasping of the language is improving every week thanks to Chinese language lessons.  I had to choose a  new name in Chinese because my name is virtually impossible for the locals to pronounce.  There are no "V's" in the language and the "L's and R's sound virtually the same.  So I switched from Valerie to Qianda (Chee-ahn-da), which means Strong.  I think the name suits me. After my language lessons, I head to the local coffee cafe to practice my Chinese language skills on the patient employees who work there.  If nothing else, I give them something to laugh about as I butcher the pronunciation of the most basic words.  At least now I can order coffee the way I like it before I head out and explore the city. The food is delicious.  I know that I keep talking about it, but it is one of the highlights of my life here.  There are so many new and different vegetables and fruits; it is exciting to try out all of the new flavors.  I wander around for two hours in the middle of the day deciding which food I am going to sample each day.  The street food vendors offer incredible food at extraordinarily inexpensive prices.  Most meals cost less than $2 USD.  I've only had one adverse experience.  My tongue went numb for two days after eating a chicken dish with a new spice I've never encountered before.  The dish was delicious, but I don't think I'll be ordering it again.    The apartment complexes are mostly the same design and layouts. Two dozen or so high-rise apartments surround an open play park. This play park is used by young and old alike.  It is tiled with large, polished granite squares.  There are exercise stations on the outskirts of the play area.  There is a play structure with climbing ropes, swings, and slides.  There are several areas for other activities such as tai-chi and soccer.  I love watching the elderly people exercise in the mornings.  They join together to do synchronized activities such as tai-chi and other exercise routines.  They practice fluid synchronized movements using long spear-like poles with tassels on the ends. Some mornings they practice with 4-foot long swords!  It is mesmerizing to watch them. The people in Southeast Asia are continuously moving....walking, biking, and even exercising as they wait for their bus. THE MAIN STORY AND PRAYER REQUESTS (details have been changed for security purposes)   There is so much I want to share, but in order to protect others, I cannot do so.  Instead, I will ask for your prayers for the body of Christ.  Many people sacrifice everything in order to become a Christian.  In return, their livelihoods are threatened, pressures are placed upon their families by outside authorities, and they themselves are threatened.  Ever-changing rules and interpretations of those rules makes life uncertain for believers here.  There has been an increase in encounters recently and everyone is uncertain at this time as to what the future holds for this beautiful country and its wonderful people.  Everyone (locals and foreigners) needs prayers for protection, courage, and perseverance. Religious persecution is alive and thriving.  Please keep believers around the world in your prayers, that they will be safe and protected from those who are in positions to mistreat them.  My second prayer request is for my knees.  With all of the stair climbing (over 100 steps each way), the meniscus in both of my knees is flaring up again.  Please pray that the pain will return to normal levels again.   If God is for us, who can ever be against us?    Romans 8:31 NLT THIS MONTH'S MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT (I hate to admit it, but there were several to choose from this month)

Today, we went out to eat in a restaurant. There were 14 of us around a gigantic round table. In the middle of the table was an equally large lazy susan. The servers filled the lazy susan with 12 delicious dishes. The lazy susan started moving and people were serving themselves from the plates using their chopsticks. On my best day, serving myself using chopsticks would be a challenge. I have good days where I can pick up a single grain of rice using the chopsticks and there are other days when it just seems that I am flinging food across the room as though I am using the chopsticks as a catapult. With the moving lazy susan, it quickly became a challenge just to spear some food before the plate had rotated out of my reach. The people on either side of me were extremely helpful, although admittedly, it was probably a form of self-preservation on their part. During one of my attempts at capturing some spicy beef, the chunk of meat took flight and landed squarely in my cup of hot water. (Chinese people drink hot water---no tea or coffee added, just hot water----but that’s a story for another day.) The ever-so-gracious Chinese lady seated next to me just smiled, leaned closer and said, “It’s okay, now you have made soup!”                                                  I. Love. These. People.