In October, we traveled to a small town near the Russian and Mongolian borders for our medical clinic. The area is very poor.
We weren't surprised by the dogs that would eat from the scattered trash, but we were taken aback by the numerous cows that would do the same thing.
The doctors saw more than 400 patients.
It was so great to visit with several of the families that I met last month. I was able to give them photos that had been taken earlier. This woman was particularly overjoyed because her husband had never had a photo taken of him before. (You can see the two photos I gave her by looking in a previous September blog post.)
I was glad to be able to see this family as well. The man is the one who was so deeply moved by my handshake last month -- that I would be willing to respect him as an equal. It is very sad that there is such a social barrier between economic classes here, but I'm glad that we could begin forming a bridge.
The crowds kept growing as TV coverage increased. Wherever we went, people would mention seeing us on TV. The coverage continued after we left.
This is my good friend Dion who translated for me (the young man, not the donkey :)
Dion and I are standing in the town square.
I enjoyed being able to build a friendship with the hospital president.
Here, Cathy is displaying her chopstick skills in front of Sam, Dorothy and John.
Dion and me again. Although I prefer using a fork, I'm so glad that I can use chopsticks. Before I was healed from MS, I never thought I'd be able to use chopsticks again.
Wherever we went, people were eager to befriend us. This is at an upscale market.
It was a joy to be able to distribute wheelchairs. For me, passing out wheelchairs is way more fun than a trip to Disneyland.
This woman recently had a stroke, paralyzing part of her body. She and her daughter were so happy for the wheelchair. Now she can get out of the apartment.
This family lost their home in the heavy rains last August. We were happy to help out with rent in their temporary home. It isn't much, but at least they can pay for rent through the winter.
This is not the whole group (some doctors were still with patients), but the photo gives a good idea of the team.
A few of our volunteers: James, Angela and Yvonne.
Yvonne and Sheen
Every day and each night, a group of us would pray and sing.
Here, we are prayer walking towards the temple, asking the Lord to awaken the dawn. Psalm 108.
The plane tickets are purchased! On the morning of March 11, we will be flying from Houston to Beijing. On my birthday, March 13, we should arrive in our new apartment in northeastChina. Of course, there’s still a lot to do in the next few months. For one, our house hasn’t sold yet. It may seem surprising, even crazy, that we have already purchased plane tickets, but we are trusting God’s provision and timing.
Also, in terms of timing, my last day as a hospice chaplain will be December 31. From a human perspective, this does not make sense either. Being a chaplain with Texas Home Health Hospice has been a wonderful job, allowing so many ministry opportunities, and it has allowed us to take care of our financial needs since I started in 2007.
But a few weeks ago, when I was reflecting on a passage in the book of Matthew, the words “40 days” and “preparation” really stood out to me. I asked the Lord what this meant for us, and immediately, the thoughts that were given to me were: ‘You need to resign in 40 days.’ Really?
Later that day, I asked a coworker, “What’s 40 days from now?” She looked at me and said, “Why? Will that be your last day?” In surprise, I said, “I don’t know. Maybe.” 40 days were the remaining days of 2011. When I mentioned this to Dayna that night, she said, “Let’s pray about this some more.”
I agreed. I didn’t want us to do anything foolish. If God was behind the thought of 40 days, he would confirm it. So we continued to pray. Every time I read Scripture, God confirmed it with words of trust and faith and obedience. Every time I simply thought about it in my own perspective, the resignation seemed ridiculous. I would say things like: “But God, we’re able to do so much good ministry right now, right here in Texas. Besides, I could at least work another month or two.” And each time I would debate with God, he would remind me of passages like Acts 8 when God sent Philip away from Samaria (which was in the midst of revival) so that the Good News could impact another country.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Dayna and I were in agreement. We felt God’s peace for me to turn in my resignation for December 31, 2011. China, here we come.
Our house is going on the market. (Anyone out there moving to Waco, Texas?) The Avery family is moving to China! This is a big step of faith for us, and one we know God is leading us to take. When Kevin and I first moved to China in 2001, we were there to teach English in a northeast college and build relationships with our students and fellow teachers. Those two years taught us many things. Our American teammates and others serving there from New Zealand, South Africa and Europe mentored and encouraged us. We grew to understand and appreciate the Chinese way of life and formed lasting friendships. We also made countless mistakes in the process but learned valuable lessons from those, too. We were stretched, challenged and forever changed. When we moved back to the States, Kevin completed his seminary degree, I helped care for my grandparents in their final years in Waco, and we welcomed two precious additions to our family, Molly and Hudson.
Kevin and I began to talk about the future – where we could serve God and help people in need. In Waco, we’ve worked with urban youth and community development, Bible Study Fellowship and discipling new believers. Kevin ministers to terminal patients and their families through his job as a hospice chaplain. I worked as managing editor of the Wacoan city magazine before “retiring” to stay at home with our kids. Yet we felt there was work we could do overseas, reaching out to a people group somewhere on the fringes of society, in a place with less resources and willing volunteers than in our local community. We began to pray and dream about what God had in store for us.
In the middle of this, Kevin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This certainly wasn’t our dream, and we struggled to process it. We researched MS and its debilitating effects. The leading MS specialist in Texas is an hour and a half away from us, and Kevin sought him out as his doctor. We began to adapt to this kink in our plans, and we began again to seek God’s direction for our future but this time through the lens of MS. Kevin’s doctor listed the countries around the world where MS medicine was available and quality healthcare readily accessible. China wasn’t on the list. We sought ministry opportunities in Europe and found a promising one in Southern Spain. We bought the Spanish Bible on MP3 and Kevin began to study the language daily. And then God intervened.
During a conference at our church on Saturday, June 26, 2010, Kevin was confronted by how much he was living in fear of his condition and limiting the work God had for us to do because of it. We weren’t allowing God to show us his plans for our life; rather, we were deciding where we could help others and share God’s love in a “safe-for-us” environment. Kevin repented and felt God’s reassurance to trust him fully. “Your will be done, God,” Kevin prayed, and he immediately sensed God’s affirmation of our family’s return to China. After he shared all of this with the congregation, the keynote speaker felt impressed to pray for Kevin’s healing. This was certainly an unexpected turn of events, but in the coming days and weeks, Kevin’s healing was confirmed in several ways. Six months later, an MRI revealed absolutely no progression of MS since Kevin’s initial diagnosis in April 2010.
Through this, we have again felt ourselves being stretched, challenged and forever changed. We believe God has a clear purpose for our family in China, at this specific time in our lives. We are unsure how long our stay will be, but we are responding in faith, determined to seek God’s direction each year and be obedient to this role he has for us. And it’s a different role than before, in a different city, working more with the community at large than in a college setting. There will still be opportunities available to build relationships through teaching English, but the group we will be working with is a Christian humanitarian aid organization with an emphasis on medical care.
The group has been active in northeast China for nearly 30 years. It has a vision to serve children, the handicapped, elderly and poor in China through health care and community development. It works with a local hospital to provide chaplaincy care (a relatively unknown concept) and facilitate clinics by short-term medical teams (doctors, dentists, optometrists, etc.). It has a foster care program and hosts an annual summer camp for disabled children and their families to attend and receive respite from the challenges of daily life.
During our initial time in China, Kevin and I realized one of the heartbreaking effects of a country of 1.3 billion people is that disabled citizens are largely ignored. They are not valued as contributing members of society and often denied opportunities for education or employment. Cities and buildings are starting to become more handicapped accessible, but there are tremendous quality-of-life restrictions simply due to wheelchair confinement, much less greater disability issues. We know, however, that every person has great value and worth. The handicapped need to be included, not shunned. They need to be seen, acknowledged and loved.
We hope to care for disabled children and build relationships with their parents and immediate family members. We want to encourage them and teach them about living with purpose. We want to raise our children alongside them and reach out to their friends and teachers. We want Molly and Hudson to see firsthand how loving and serving others can make an eternal difference.
There is so much more to share and explain. We will be updating regularly as we prepare for this life change. We appreciate your prayers and support during this time. There is much to learn and do in the coming months!
~Dayna
For the second time, a woman named Joyce came to the door today, asking for prayer. Due to a church's generosity, she and her kids are staying at an apartment down the road. Her husband's court date (for domestic violence) is scheduled this week. Her grandchild, Jeremy, is in the hospital with heart trouble. Also, her own health is having difficulties, some of which stem from abuse. Yet Joyce's smile covers her face; her faith in Christ is encouraging. It is our privilege to be able to join her in prayer, asking our compassionate God to offer strength and mercy.
~ Kevin
