Gratefulness and Thanksgiving

Hello!
The past few months have been a whirlwind of busyness and ministry. I would be a complete liar if I said I did not have points of complete exhaustion and discouragement. There have honestly been many trials for us, including situations from home, pollution, and other struggles here. However, we continue to learn repeatedly that God is in charge of our steps and he will make a way for us as we submit to his will.

With that being said, we have SO many things to be thankful for. So here are the "Top Ten Things We Are Thankful":

1. I had the awesome opportunity of visiting Qingdao, China at the beginning of October. It is a city by the ocean in China north of Shanghai, which was a German colony. It is the home of the famous Tsingtao brewery and the center of lots of German and Chinese culture. I traveled with friends from our church and stayed with them in two hostels there. This was my first "real" travel experience in China, and I got to meet some cool people along the way. We went to the beach and the mountains. I even ate a locust!

2. Halloween is mostly celebrated in the United States. Here in China it is a growing holiday. We decided to have a party because we like to dress up and pass out candy. Chinese students from our school came and trick-or-treated at our door, because their parents wanted them to have the experience. It was so much fun!

3. We made another trip to Hong Kong because we had to. However, the timing of the trip landed right before our anniversary. We decided that we would take advantage of the required trip to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary. We stayed at a retreat center. It was VERY relaxing and some of our friends blessed us so that we could enjoy the time there.

4. We were given the opportunity to go to GLS Shanghai. This is a Global Leadership Summit hosted by Willow Creek in the US. They host it and record all of the speakers. Then in November, they visit Shanghai and play all the videos and host a conference here. It was an awesome experience to hear from influential people in business and ministry. I also went to the Youth event at the last minute. We had a great time and great conversations with the Youth about being leaders in their place and time now.

5. Our youth take part in an event called "Impact Shanghai." It is a event where the youth have the opportunity to learn to love and serve Shanghai. We got to pass out winter supplies and shoes. We also got to know the community just out our back door. It was super interesting and inspiring.

6. Our awesome friends, the Wests, are from Texas. They invited us to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. This came just at the time that we needed it. For just a little bit, when we were feeling homesick, we got the opportunity to feel right at home. We experienced Southern hospitality and got to eat delicious food!

7. One of the students who is a part of our youth ministry is a dancer. She performed in the second half of The Nutcracker at one of the local schools. It was a great performance and was enjoyable to carry on a Christmastime tradition.

8. We started up a Youth Dance Group here for our church. From October to December, I held rehearsals with three girls with various backgrounds in dance. They did their first performance for the church Christmas performance. It was beautiful and an awesome was to get back into dance.

9. Our Youth had a Christmas Party. I offered to do a photo booth for it. It was so much fun and I think the youth enjoyed it too!

10. A friend of ours from Church asked Justin to help in recording a documentary over the Christmas holiday in Sancun, China. He was very hesitant at first and definitely did not want to spend Christmas without me. Thanks to our friend's generosity, we had an awesome opportunity to visit another part of China, help others, and be a part of something that could change the future of this area.

We have clearly had so many things to be thankful for. I want to share our experience in Sancun more with you as well. Trying to catch up on some rest now, and all sorts of other things!

Happy New Year to all our friends and loved ones!!

Saying Goodbye... From Across the Globe

I think that this week has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. I am not incredibly busy because it is a national holiday and I even spent some time in Qingdao with friends. However, since I have been back in Shanghai and spending time in my apartment, I have had a lot of time to think. You may or may not know that my grandma passed away last Friday. She and I were very close and it has taken a toll on me being so far from home. In the last couple of days, I have been sifting through many memories of her and my grandfather (who we lost over ten years ago). I have decided that I need write her a letter to say goodbye in my own way.

Dear Grandma,

I feel like I have been preparing myself for this moment since you got sick again almost three years ago. I remember that you were not feeling well for days and I did everything to try to get you to eat. On Christmas Eve, you went into the hospital and then ended up in the ICU. Justin had planned to propose to me on New Year’s Eve, but we almost cancelled our trip, because we were not sure you were going to make it. You were so happy when we went and returned, because you got to see my ring from your hospital bed in the ICU. Your smile was the best thing I have ever seen.

You came through that trial, but not without hardship, because it was then that we found out your cancer had returned. I just knew after that, it was only a matter of time. As you bravely fought that battle, I did what I could to help you. I spent my work lunches at your house, took you to a few appointments that I was terrified of, and drove you around when you needed it.

I saw you getting weaker as time passed and my heart began to break. I remember talking on the phone with you every day when I had a chance. One day you asked me if you should continue your treatments. I told you that I could not make that decision for you. I just said that you had to decide how you wanted to spend the rest of your life, fighting or enjoying the time you had left.

Soon after, you had some complications and had to move out of your house. Such a sad step in all of our lives, because so many memories were made there. I could not visit you quite as often and you began to forget a lot of what I told you. That really was the beginning of the end and there is not much more to be said about it. Justin and I prayerfully considered coming to China and you supported us as much as you could. However, I would like to spend some time reliving the happy memories I have of you to say thank you and a proper goodbye.

When I was little, I remember you and Grandpa lived close to my preschool and would pick me up every day. I loved the hours spent at your house while my parents worked just being spoiled by you. You even let us live with you a while, when we needed to find a home, and helped take care of us. I also remember spending countless hours watching Nickelodeon and Disney at your house (we did not have cable), playing in the sprinkler in the back yard, and picking exactly what I wanted Grandpa to cook for breakfast. I still talk about these times with friends like I am a kid.

The holidays at your house are the best memories I will ever have. Our family came together for Thanksgiving and Christmas and spent a full day together there. We would eat the best meals from the hearts of family members. We played sports together, played games together, and the grandkids ALWAYS made a fort in the attic with booby traps. You never complained about the mess or the craziness. You were always just happy to have us there and made us feel loved.

As I got older, I remember getting picked up from middle school on half days by you and Grandpa. We always stopped and ate at Wendy’s for lunch. It was your favorite. You would take me out and I always knew you would buy me something if I asked for it. The time was so special to you that it did not even matter. You always attended EVERY performance I was in and saved the program. I know that to you, I was the only star on stage.

After Grandpa passed away, I got to know you even more. You became such a strong woman and pressed on without the love of your life. I cannot imagine how you felt in that time. You found out you had Cancer the first time, not to far after that. I remember waiting in the hospital and getting the news just before leaving for Honduras on a mission trip.

You were always such a strong example in your spiritual life. Up until you were no longer healthy enough to participate, you served on the board at your church and in many committees. You always had your church praying for my mission work and any time I saw someone from your church, you made sure they knew I was the “missionary.” Every trip, before I left, you made sure to slip me a check so I had what I needed for my trip. You literally were one of my biggest supporters.

You supported me in all aspects of my life though. When I was struggling to get my driver’s license, you were so concerned. You called me so many times to come over and take you places, so I could practice. One time, when we drove to Bed, Bath and Beyond, your favorite place with the 20% off coupon (that you always used on me), we had a near death experience. I pulled out of the parking lot across lanes of traffic and there was no one coming. However, somehow in a split second, there was a car that I apparently cut-off, running us off the road. They were screaming profanities and putting up the middle finger at us. You just hollered back at them and told me not to worry about it. You always had a fighter’s spirit.

You also were so excited to help with my wedding, even though you were sick. You spoke to the board at your church so we could have the wedding there. You made sure they would not charge too much and arranged a meeting for us with the pastor. In the days leading up to the wedding, you told me they were waxing the floors for us and you made sure NOTHING would interfere with my big day. You worried and worried about your dress for the wedding and did not think it matched. I assured you it was perfect. You walked in my wedding and carried on with John, our friend who walked you down the aisle. You were so proud to have it at your church and to be there for my wedding. I am thankful you could be there.

My most precious memories center on your most favorite time of the year though. I think it had something to do with your birthday! You would plan with me to come over and lug the twenty boxes of Christmas decorations down from your attic. We then would spend nearly two days unpacking them and decorating. I always had to start by constructing the fake tree, that I had to convince you was worth it. Then, you would unpack all the ornaments that your children and grandchildren had made or given you, while I hung the lights. After I got all the lights on the tree you would always insist it needed more, so I would add more. We would then decide on the theme for the tree, red, green, or gold, because you loved the fancy trees you saw on T.V. Sometimes we had to stop and go buy ribbon or something to make it look better.

We finally hung all of the ornaments, and then would find more that we had to make fit. It was such a beautiful tree filled with love and memories. I also helped with all of the other decorations. My favorite was the ice skaters operated by a fan with candles. While we decorated, you always played the Gene Autry Christmas album on your record player and sang along with your beautiful voice. I really believe you were the happiest in those moments.

I literally could go on forever, but I really think you know how much I love you. I just needed to put it in writing for my own good and to share it with others. You have been such an inspiration to me in my life with your strong heart and stubborn spirit. I will always remember you and how you loved me. I look forward to dancing with you and Grandpa in heaven someday; I just hope it is soon.

I love you Grandma! Goodbye.

Family :)

At the Wedding

Christmas day in the hospital

A red year...

Walking in my cousin's wedding

Feeding a giraffe at Giraffe Ranch

First Day of School Preparations

As you may or may have not read, tomorrow is my first day working at Zooligans, and international Kindergarten. Last week I spent lots of hours at the school with my friend Katie, and we worked on cleaning up the school, organizing, and preparing for the upcoming week. My class is primarily downstairs, so I decided to work on the downstairs area.

When I arrived, toys were haphazardly placed here and there with no purpose. If you know me well, you know that this does not suit me at all. Katie helped me move stuff around and create centers. Then she helped me open up some cabinets in the reading center, decorate them, and put books on them. After that, I made my own calendar, and created my "Circle Time" area. I also came up with decorations for my centers and a board to place kids in centers. I am very pleased with the result and took lots of pictures to share my work with you.

I am super happy with the end result. I was really excited when the Mandarin co-teachers made paper swans to help decorate!

Circle Time with my handmade calendar and Helper Owl using some of the kids old artwork.

Center assignment board with kids old artwork

I made a new friend who was keeping me company in the process. She spoke Chinese to me for quite a while, and I only understood about a fourth of what she said.

I also helped clean up one of the resource rooms, which was quite a mess. Now it is organized and usable.

 Finally, I had time to prep some arts and crafts, including Alli the Alligator, for our letter of the week, A.

I forgot to mention that although my week was VERY successful, I panicked on Thursday. I went to pull up my lesson plans and all of the items I needed to print, and I had somehow deleted the folder. I spent the whole day restoring the files...

I think I am as prepared as I can be for the week. I am slightly nervous, because I have not worked in a full preschool classroom for a while. VERY excited to meet kiddos and parents tomorrow and to begin the adventure!

A Photographic Week in Review

When I say that I have been SOOO busy and that is the reason I do not blog enough, I am for real! It has been two weeks again and I am thinking, "Where has the time gone?" So, I have prepared a review of last week in photos for you. Then, I will blog about this week.

The experience of returning to China has involved a lot more "firsts" because we know we are staying a bit and have to do things to make life a little easier and more normal for ourselves here. For one thing, we would like to have some more variety in our meal time, since we generally stick to a few staples we know how to cook, that are cheap, and easy to find. I decided I wanted to learn how to make 地三鲜 or Di San Xian (literally translated ground three fresh) which is a dish with potato, eggplant, and green pepper. Apparently a lot of oil and other ingredients as well. Needless to say, it took a while, and may not be that frequent of a meal side. At least it was still delicious! However, I also learned to make a popular egg and tomato dish I love, which is MUCH easier. 

Above: All of the prep work, Below: Cooking each vegetable individually then cooking it together with seasoning at the end

Last week was also the first week back for a lot of the church members, because school started back up. That meant a VERY packed church and me filling in as an usher. It also meant me squeezing into and awkward seat next to my husband behind the soundboard.

Our friends, Dave and Katie and another couple from our church had tickets to go see the Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil show in China, so I spent a Sunday afternoon/evening with these four kiddos, Josie, Asher, Grant, and Micah. What an energetic Sunday afternoon!

As the week began, I had an appointment scheduled with the Shanghai International Healthcare Center for a working visa. In order to get a working visa, you have to get an examination done to show that you have no diseases that are harmful or contagious. The exam involves filling out a form of personal health information and receiving a page of stickers with your name on them. You then change into a hospital type gown and go from one room to the next to get a series of tests done on you, including blood work, an EKG, an X-Ray, and eye exam, etc. Thankfully, I was only the 8th person in line for the day, so I got out a half hour after my appointment time.

The awesome news is that I have begun the process for a working visa. Please be praying that everything comes through for it, because we do not receive regular updates about the process. Another step in settling in here more was getting some things repaired and making it feel more like home for the four of us.

I made some TaoBao purchases (the Chinese Ebay, but much cheaper and delivery in a day or two) and hung some photos and such on the walls. All I really want now is some new curtains to match the colors and to get rid of our gold ones. We also have a GIANT closet/wardrobe in our room which holds everything we own (there is no space for other furniture). All of the drawers in it were not on tracks, so we were taking out the drawers every time we needed to get out clothing. I told Justin that we HAD to fix it. We borrowed a drill from friends and decided to make a trip to a local hardware store to get screws. It was a fun experience involving lots of random Chinese words and a game of charades, AND we actually got 50 screws (two different types) and a drill bit for under $1 USD. So crazy!

The hardware store and our acquisition

My awesome husband repairing the drawers and them finished

I actually had to return to the hardware store because the tracks were bad. We got way better ones and she gave me a discount because I returned. It is great when prices are suggested. Our jobs didn't finish in our room, though. We also had a desk donated to us for the studio equipment. Justin reinforced it (hence the rest of the 50 screws) and we rearranged the living room a bit. I am MUCH happier with the result. All we need now is some paint, some new curtains, and a little design to finish it off.

 
I finished off my week with some work at Zooligans, where I will be teaching part time. However, that is for another blog post. Hopefully tomorrow! The truth is, it really does feel like home here and we are settling in nicely. We are thankful for all of the support we have here and at home. Keep us in your prayers as we move forward for open doors and open hearts, people ready to hear about who we have to share with them.

Before I go, here is a picture of our transportation now. It was given to us right before we went back to the U.S. I have been driving it regularly and fearing for my life. However, it is much better than the alternatives in the temperatures we have had.

Returning to China, and All That Comes With It

As of today, we have been in China for two and a half weeks, and man has it been a whirlwind! We arrived at night on August 7th here and stayed at a friends home, because we had no idea what our apartment would look like when we got back. The next morning, our awesome friends came to our house with us to brave what we might find, and helped us clean up.

Thankfully, our apartment was not nearly as bad as we expected it to be. Before leaving I had wiped down our closet and filled it with dehumidifiers and then took everything out of the bathroom that was ours. Therefore, most of our stuff was concentrated in our bedroom. When we arrived, the main things we needed to deal with were washing all the clothing and linens left in the house and deep cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom. While I tackled a stinky fridge and mildewy floor in the kitchen, our friend Renee and her daughter's boyfriend Hunter graciously cleaned the bathroom and closets.

I actually ended up spending a couple of days cleaning the kitchen, because it was in desperate need of a deep cleaning beyond anything we had done before. I was pretty happy with the result, because I feel like it made our house look a lot less dingy and more like home. I also spent a couple of days doing load after load of laundry, due to the fact that I wanted to rid our home of any mold or mildew that might of occurred. Now we are feeling cleaner and looking cleaner too!

I have some beautiful picture of our kitchen to share with you, since it was such a project and accomplishment.

Our appliances looking new

The sink and cabinets scrubbed down

Stove, hood, and counter cleaned

Fridge with magnets and clean cabinets

Kitchen doors you can see through!

Also, we had a great travel experience. Thank you for all of your prayers. Our travels included a few firsts for us. It was out first time flying in a double-decker plane (we were in the absolute back seat!), first time in Japan (for our layover), first time having a layover in another country, and our first time flying on such an empty plane (from Tokyo to Shanghai).

So many empty seats!

Moving Forward and Returning Soon

Justin and I are coming up upon our last week in Florida before we return to Shanghai. We have had an awesome time at home and are excited about what lies ahead. When we return, we will be jumping right back into volunteer work with the church and into other opportunities for ministry. I also have a job opportunity that might be able to provide a working visa waiting for me as well. With all of this being said, we still have some MAJOR needs and need both prayer and financial support.

Here is how you can help:

1. Pray that we have safe travels as we return to Shanghai. Pray that we will not run into any problems in our travels and that the transition back will be smooth.

2. Pray that more ministry opportunities will open up as relationships are built and that we woud be effective in ministry.

3. Pray for concerns regarding our finances and payments needing to be made at home. We have some unexpected expenses that have arisen while we have been home due to situations beyond our control. At this time, we do not have the money to take care of all of them and we are trusting in God to provide for us, as he has before.

4. Pray that a working visa will come through in one way or another for Justin and I, and our friends, John and Megan.

5. Finally, you can make a donation to help us out as we return to Shanghai. As mentioned above, we have had some unexpected expenses that we are dealing with. We also have monthly expenses that we need to cover here in the U.S. and it is VERY difficult to get money home. You can contact me directly by email at blythe.ure@gmail.com or by phone (send me an email, and I will privately provide my cell number).

We are eternally grateful for all of the prayer and support. We could not serve God as he has called us to without all of your support. You ROCK and thanks for reading :)))!

Love,
Blythe

Ode to Camp Suwannee

As you may or may not know, I have been in the States since June 25th. The following weekend, Justin and I went on vacation with my family and then celebrated the 4th of July. Soon after, I posted on Facebook looking for ways to make a little money while I am home. I got a response, and it was a friend of mine (and my camp counselor for seven years) Shannon, who was directing Senior Camp at Camp Suwannee. She asked if I would like to come counsel. In a matter of a couple hours, I decided to do it, and in a matter of two days, I was packed and on my way.

If you do not know me, I do not handle spontaneity well. I like to have my plans in place and thoroughly enjoy sticking to them. Nonetheless, I embraced the opportunity and cancelled my plans for the week. As my husband graciously drove me to camp (so he could have the car for the week), I talked to him about how nervous I was about counseling, because I hadn't counseled Senior Camp in seven years, I wasn't sure if I would know anyone, I had just gotten home from China, and on and on. When we arrived, I slowly unpacked the car, said my goodbyes to my husband for the week, and cautiously entered the staff meeting that I was late to. When I walked in, I was pretty nervous, but greeted by familiar faces. As the meeting continued, I re-oriented myself and attempted to settle back into what I knew of camp.

When the meeting disbanded, I was scared to really talk to anyone. I did not know who remembered me, what they thought of me, and how they would feel about me being there. I also was not quite prepared on how to answer the question, "How was China?" Immediately, I got to spend time with two good friends, who at one time were campers when I was a counselor. I began to feel not quite so nervous, until the campers started to arrive. My co-counselor and I went for an hour without anyone signing up for our cabin, and I started to think that I should not have come. But, all of the sudden, I looked at the lists and our list was filled with the same campers we had together in our cabin two years ago. I greeted them as they came in, but it took me almost the whole day to feel like I could talk with them and communicate properly. For some reason, jumping into an atmosphere of American teenagers made me lose all ability to relate, like I had been out of the country for years.

Thankfully, as the day went on, more campers and counselors showed up, and I reconnected with some awesome people; some that I had not seen for two years and some I had not seen for six or more. Within about a day, I felt like I was right back at home, where I grew in maturity and I grew in Christ. Throughout the week, I had the opportunity to share my story about how God has been working in my life in detail with individuals and to the group as a whole at a bowl service. It was such a blessing to have people love on me wholeheartedly and listen to me talk, even if too much. I also had the opportunity to share in the stories of those who counseled me, camped with me, and who I counseled. I really enjoyed seeing those people who I remember as young kids and seeing how God has been at work in their lives and has taught them so much. I also enjoyed watching young adults, that I once prayed and talked with as campers, pouring into the kids during the week and showing so much wisdom and discernment.

The truth is, Camp Suwannee is a place where you get to see a community of God at work. Over years and years of relationships, God has done incredible things in all of our lives. From the time that I began as a camper at Camp Suwannee until now (20 years later), I can remember countless instances of times where my friends and I met God and encouraged one another. This year ended up being no different. God brought me to camp this year to fill in a spot, but it was all in his divine providence. He had words for me to speak to others and gave words for them to speak to me, even if they did not know it. I went at the beginning of the week, fearful of how I would be received and just hoping I could be of value. I left, sad that time had passed so quickly, and feeling more valuable than I have ever felt.

Thank you to all of you who have stuck by me all of these years. Thank you that time can pass and it seems like we never skip a beat. Thank you for your encouragement and for striving to be more like Jesus everyday.

Thank you God, for the gift that Camp Suwannee has been in my life and for the people you have brought me through it. We get a little taste of heaven, every time we get to be there. I do not know when I will return again, but I know that it will always feel like home.