"Rising Above" Talent Show

This year’s 2012 “Rising Above” Talent Show was astounding.

Piano keys danced under the fingers of concert pianists.

A beautiful harpist lifted us up with classical Chinese music.

Several sang with powerful brilliance.

There was even a flair of martial arts.

We wish we could have invited thousands to attend our “Rising Above” talent show. As it was, only a hundred could attend, but we are thankful our provincial TV station sent a crew to share the performances with the surrounding area – an area of 44 million people.

We pray that this television coverage will bless and increase awareness, allowing people to see that these children are so special … and to see that disabilities like blindness or autism or mental impairment do not define a person.

My main role was to give the opening speech.

I also took part in awarding participants with medals.  Everyone got a gold medal with the "Rising Above" emblem.

This photo was actually taken a day before the talent show. I only wear ties on special occasions. On this day, I visited leaders at different hospitals we hope to partner with in 2013. The purpose of this photo was to make sure the camera was working well before the talent show. Too bad I had just loosened my tie moments before the photo was taken.

All in all, it was a great night! We look forward to next year's talent show. In fact, if we can find a venue with a high enough ceiling, there is a team of acrobats who can join the show.

Happy New Year!
~ Kevin

Ballet & Box Armor

Molly really enjoys ballet. She is able to attend a class near our home with her friend from preschool, whose English name is Kari. She is to Molly's left, in the pink and white.

The class consists of 22 girls from age four to six.

Molly was among those who needed some steps to reach the bar.

She was excited to do leg lifts; as soon as she got home later, she showed me how she did them.

Unfortunately, Molly caught a cold, so she wasn't able to attend ballet this week. Instead, we made armor out of USPS boxes. Put on the full armor of God!

~Kevin

Holiday Spirit

Christmas is two weeks away, and this year, it truly is a white Christmas. Temperatures have been below zero. So it's a little cold and a little slippery, but we are very blessed.

We started celebrating a little early this year, since my (Kevin's) parents were able to join us mid-November. Almost everyone who comes to our apartment comments how warm it is. It's comfortable whether wearing short or long sleeves.

Many of the artificial trees for sale here are gold, red, blue, hot pink or white, but we were so thankful to find a vendor who sold us a green Christmas tree. The kids were really excited for us to put it up as soon as we brought it home.

We were able to buy some ornaments here; my mom helped the kids make more. My parents brought the children's nativity set, which is to the right of the tree. The nativity is fun for the kids, and it's also a great conversation starter with friends who come for a visit. Also, the organization we're with performed a drama about the first Christmas in Bethlehem. Many people know about Santa Claus and Christmas trees, but few know the true reason for the holiday.

Hudson and Molly made quite an impression as sheep. I played the role of Gabriel; I opted to forgo the halo.

It was hard to keep a straight face when I startled the sheep with good news of great cheer, but Hudson was very gracious. He told me later, "You were a good angel, daddy." Well, they did an even better job as sheep.

I was glad to be able to share more about the good news of great cheer at the end of the drama. For many in the audience, this was their first exposure to Bethlehem and a baby born in a manger.

Like kids in America, our kids can't wait for Christmas. All and all, they are doing very well. They have won many hearts here in China.

From our home to yours: Merry Christmas!

Family Visit

Kevin's parents arrived this morning, and we are loving the time together! We bought a Christmas tree yesterday to decorate together this week, and Molly and Hudson have already been making ornaments with Gram. I'm so blessed to have a mother-in-law who brings crafts and paint and beads for them to enjoy. (They packed two 50-pound suitcases entirely full of gifts and goodies for us and put their clothes and toiletries in their carry-ons. Amazing!) 

After eight months of virtual visits, it's fun to watch Molly and Hudson read books to Gram and Granddad, show them all of their favorite toys, and run over for hugs. We have so much to be thankful for this year.
Happy Thanksgiving!
~Dayna

Sea World, China style

Just like China itself, Saturdays for us are very diverse. At times, we've been able to visit an orphanage. Other times, we've celebrated a birthday or ventured to a shopping center and eaten at McDonald's or Pizza Hut. Still other times, we have met homeless people with special needs, or on a recent Saturday, we were invited to go to our city's equivalent of Sea World.

Because the invite came after Dayna was already out shopping with friends at Wu Ai, the largest market in Northeast China, it was just me and the kids. We missed her, of course, but Molly made sure we took lots of photos and videos so Dayna could take part in our day. And amazingly, our friends paid for everything. They drove us, treated us to lunch at KFC and took care of our admission to Sea World. It was quite the day!

Molly and Hudson were eager to start our sea world adventure. The dolphin show was first.

 

For days, Hudson and Molly talked about these dolphins. They absolutely loved the show.

Hudson wasn't too sure what to think about the seals swimming overhead. They definitely had his attention.

Usually, it's Hudson on my shoulders and Molly in my arms, but this time, it was the reverse. But I think I liked the penguins more than they did.

 Indeed, it was a great day!

And Dayna had a great day, too! Among shopping for winter clothes with our friend Cathy, they were each able to find a great pair of boots for $10. So it was another memorable Saturday in our memorable life here in China. We have been blessed in so many ways.
~Kevin

Short-lived Fall

Fall in our city is the most beautiful time of year -- unfortunately it's also the shortest season. The evenings and mornings are cool but the afternoons are usually sunny and beautiful without much wind. You can tell fall is here because everyone begins stockpiling cabbage and leeks and other vegetables and drying them outside. While our friends in Oklahoma and Texas are posting cute photos of kids at the pumpkin patch, we found our apartment complex turned into a cabbage patch!

This photo above is the wider view from where Molly and Hudson were sitting. Our apartment playground was the perfect place for many neighbors to dry cabbage.

At least they left two seats open for people enjoying the fall weather! :)

The two photos above are of the the courtyard directly in front of our apartment door. And the two below are just to the right of our door. Leeks and green beans are hanging.

Practically every space around the complex is utilized.

I believe after they're dry, the veggies will be stored in barrels like this one below for the winter. (This neighbor is making good use of barrel space while drying cucumbers on top of it.)

Autumn in northeast China is also marked by the countdown to getting heat in apartments. Toward the end of October, the weather is a little unpredictable. We had a few days of snow flurries and high temps in the 30s. Thankfully those days were followed by sunny afternoons in the 50s and low 60s. The cold started to settle in the concrete apartment walls, but everyone who came over talked about how warm our apartment was. We are thankful for many huge windows that give so much natural light and sunshine. We have no control over when the heat is turned on (by Nov 1) or off (by April 1) and can't increase or decrease the temperature. This year, our apartment's water radiators began to heat on October 27. We are very comfortably warm now.

Happy Autumn, everyone!
~Dayna