November in a flash: good-byes, porn, and spicy duck neck

This month, much like October, seemed to fly by. We had the difficult task of saying good-bye to some people we had become very close to. God brought them into our life in an unusual way when we all needed it the most. We also got to say hello to a dear friend this month. When we were in China in 2008 I became very close to a Chinese woman named Chile and we stayed in contact over the years. This week she came for a visit and we had a wonderful time. I think she mainly wanted to meet Lyla and spoil her (which she did) for a few days. One of the highlights of the trip was taking her to find some traditional Wuhan food which is....you guessed it, spicy duck neck YUM (insert sarcastic tone here). Our trip was a success and we found all the spicy duck neck you could imagine.

We also had a funny experience today. Logan and I went out to do some Christmas shopping for lyla and on the way we noticed a small hut selling DVDs. I went in to ask if they had any English movies and they indicated that they did, I proceeded to tell them my husband would come in to look and they laughed (keep in mind this conversation was in Chinese). When Logan came back out he asked me if I said they had English movies and I told them they said they did. He laughed and said they were porn, not English, films. I am not sure where the miscommunication took place but now I understand why they laughed when I said my husband would come in to look... I know just enough Chinese to get me in trouble!

This month we have been able to have some deep conversations and experienced a bit of persecution which, not too surprisingly, came from Americans. Please pray that we will continue to be encouraged and have the discernment to know when to speak boldly.

We are currently having technology problems because my computer broke last week and for some reason I cannot upload photos onto the blog from the device I am using so pictures will have to come another time... For lots and lots of pictures, add me as a friend on Facebook.

Opportunities

October went by in a flash, I am in denial that it is holiday season again already...I think that might be a sign of aging. I think another reason it passed so quickly was because it was our busiest month yet. Our first 2 months here we were able to develop fairly surface level friendships with people and within this last month we have been walking through the steps accepted by Chinese culture to deepen those friendships. I do not have pictures from all the events, but it has mainly been hosting people at our house. We were able to have a group of 6 Chinese students over one night to make dumplings from scratch and a fish. The students were also able to interview us for their intercultural communications class.

Making jiaozi is something every foreigner needs to do with their Chinese friends



They went after that fish like nobody's business with those chopsticks!

We were also proud of ourselves for successfully making Western food for 5 other people. The menu included lemon crusted chicken, fresh broccoli, and rice pilaf. Logan has taken on an extra teaching responsibility for the next 2 weeks, this is a great opportunity for him! I am preparing for my upcoming midterms, I have 3 classes and each one has its own exam. I am mainly nervous abotu forgetting my characters or not knowing all the vocabulary I should to communicate my thoughts freely (probably not an irrational fear of somebody that has only studied for 2 months)! Lyla is busy being as cute as ever. I have now spent hours trying to upload more photos but the connection is not good enough. I will try to upload more soon!

The Girl Loves Food

I know most of you receive our updates so this blog is mainly to show some pictures of Lyla. If you have specific questions, we would love to answer them. Just e-mail us at parkersinchina@gmail.com Here are some photos of Lyla doing her favorite thing...eating

Mid-Autumn Festival

This Monday is a Chinese holiday called the Mid-Autumn Festival. I am not sure the specific details and meanings behind the holiday, but I wanted to share the basics for what it is all about. The Mid-Autumn festival is based on the lunar calendar.


The Folklore:
In ancient times there were 10 suns rising in the sky and they would scorch the crops and destroy all the food. A local hero Hou Yi was concerned about this problem so he climbed to the top of a mountain, used all of his "superhuman power" to draw a bow and he destroyed 9 of the suns with arrows. He made the 10th sun rise and set at specific times. Because of this, he was well respected by the people. One day on his way to meet friends, he met Empress Wangmu who gave him an elixir. He told Hou Yi that when one drank the elixir, they would ascend to heaven and turn into a celestial being. Hou Yi loved his wife, Cheng E,  very much and could not stand the thought of leaving her so he gave the elixir to her to keep hidden. Peng Me acted like a friend of Hou Yi and when he heard about the elixir he broke into Cheng E's chamber to steal it. Not knowing what to do Cheng E drank the elixir and immediately her body ascended to heaven. Hou Yi was distressed when he returned home but he noticed that the moon looked very clear that night and on it was a shadow that looked like Cheng E. He tried to catch the moon but to no avail, so he decided to set food out in Cheng E's favorite place as a memorial to her. When the people heard that Cheng E turned into the moon they prayed prayers of peace and worshipped the moon.


Today:
Today people gather with family members and enjoy the full moon. It is seen as a "family day" now. One of the foods they eat on this day is moon cakes. They are round cakes that have different fillings. Here is a picture of some moon cakes.

Mission Accomplished

My main goal yesterday was to register for classes and, thankfully, I can say "mission accomplished!" It was an all day event where I kept hearing, "do this then come back..." I have my schedule and will go to class 4 hours a day. I am still a little confusted about my next step, but I think it is just buying books on September 2nd and a welcoming ceremony on September 8th. (There is also still the small issue of visas, but I am confident that won't be a problem).

While I was waiting in line to register, I noticed a white couple wearing Michigan t-shirts. Since (I'm learning) Americans are the only ones that bother lining up, we quickly got pushed to the end of the group and had plenty of time to chat. It turns out that they are here on scholarship and for the same reason we are. Their housing is messed up at the moment so they are going to be staying with us for a few days while they find a place to live. We are excited to help westerners who have just arrived in China because, let's face it, if we don't help each other we are all in trouble! Hosting people is something Logan and I enjoy doing and one of the major reasons we got the bigger apartment. I want to also note that we are also having a sleepover for 3 Chinese girls this Saturday so it will officially be a full house!

A Variety of Flavors

I thought you all might like to know what varieties of chips Lays and Pringles offer you if you decide to visit China...

Breezy Blueberry
Cucumber
Italian Red Meat
Lemon Tea
Lime
Mexican Tomato Chicken
Cheese Lobster
Finger Licking Braised Pork
Numb & Spicy Hot Pot
Spicy Seafood
Hot & Sour Fish Soup
Black Pepper Ribeye
Seaweed

I'm sure this list is not exhaustive, but these were some of the ones I noticed on my shopping run this morning!

Life without a car in China

Let me go ahead and say that we knew what we were getting into when we signed up to come to China, but it still surprises me how crazy just one day can be. When we first arrived in China we were staying with our mentor about 45 minutes from the coffeee shop which required us to take 2 buses to get to "work." One particular morning we left with David and were on the first bus when it started to have a strange smell and we saw lots of smoke coming from the bus. All of the Chinese people started screaming and ran toward the front, we all got off the bus in an orderly fashion (yeah, right...), it was mass chaos. After about a minute of standing outside the bus everybody just got back on and drove off...we took a taxi the rest of the way. That was fine, no big deal. Later that night Lyla was getting cranky so Logan, Lyla, and I decided to go home on our own. We walked the 1/4 of a mile to the bus stop and ended up waiting about 30 minutes for our bus to come. We got on as usual but only drove about 8 miles before we hit stop and go traffic. After 45 minutes of this, the bus driver just turned off the lights and the engine and told everybody to get off and walk. We still had a long way to go before reaching home because we hadn't even reached our 2nd bus yet. We got out and walked a while and realized that the problem was major flooding. We decided to get a taxi to take us home because we weren't sure the next bus would be running even if we did want to walk that far. We got in the taxi and realized that he couldn't go anywhere either so after 15 minutes of paying a taxi driving to go nowhere, we decided to get out and walk...again. We walked quite a ways and were overjoyed to receive a phone call from David that he had found a back way and was coming to get us in a taxi. He left the coffee shop nearly 2 hours after us. When it was all said and done, our 45 minute trip took over 3 hours! That, my friends, is public transportation in China.

Saying Zaijian America and Ni Hao China

According to the countdown on our blog we have only 8 days and 8 hours until we leave for China. We have been preparing for this moment for so long that it seems unreal for it to be so close. Most of our time this past month has been spent preparing all that we need for the move; packing, unpacking, sorting, visiting family, and enjoying all the yummy food that we will miss over the next 2 years. However, I'm sure that all the delicious Chinese food will keep us more than satisfied!

We have seen God work in amazing ways this past month and it has helped remind us to sit back and trust Him because He knows what He is doing! Thank you to all of you who have come behind us with prayer and financial support - it has been such an encouragement knowing that other people see the call on our lives and are willing to help us accomplish all that were created to do.

Once we get to China, we will update the blog as often as we can to explain what our day to day lives look like. We are so excited to get there and see what Wuhan is like, this will be our first trip to this specific city.

For now, I will leave you with some pictures of our precious Lyla where she is doing what she does best and that is just being herself  :-)

Lyla has a mini couch and she just learned how to cuddle up on it and watch her favorite move - Tangled.

30 at 25

Hello friends and faithful followers,

With only a month left (wow, 30 days!) until we depart for China, we are doing everything we can to get all last minute details in order. We are still lacking both prayer and financial partners, so we are launching a campaign to have our full budget pledged before we leave on July 27th. We are calling it 30 at 25 and what that means is that we are asking 30 individuals or couples to commit to donating $25/month. The length of your commitment is totally up to you, but we are hoping for a year long commitment. We know that it is by the prayers of the body that our ministry in China will flourish! We appreciate you and are thankful for the relationships that we have formed through our various phases in life. We have already had our first person make a commitment, praise God! If you are unable to commit financially, but would like to pray for us - let us know, we would LOVE to hear from you! If you are wanting to commit, please contact us:

amber.parker77@gmail.com
812-320-7639

The Parkers: Where are they now?

So, I acknowledge the fact that it has been forever since we've updated the blog. For our faithful follower(s) out there, we are truly sorry. Lots has happened in the past month! The first exciting event was that we had family photos taken and we love them all, but here are a few of our favorites (for more, you can check out Amber's facebook album...) 

Lyla was in a bit of a grumpy mood due to her missed nap but Emily Kathryn, our photographer, did an awesome job capturing the moment! The next major and even more important event was that Amber graduated with her Bachelors majoring in Bible and Managing Nonprofit Organizations on May 7th! We wasted no time and the next morning moved to Bloomington, Indiana to spend the summer with Amber's parents before moving to China. Logan had his first week of work in Indiana this week, he is working with a pool instillation company and learning some tricks of the trade, Amber hopes that knowledge will prove beneficial in the future when they get a pool of their own...or maybe that is just wishful thinking :) We will be staying in Indiana until July 27th when we fly to China, so this will be a time of intense preparation and of enjoying time with family. 

God has proven faithful with our funds for China, and we have recently been blessed by several people partnering with us for our time in China. Our goal is to raise $1500 / month and right now we have $700 / month pledged with all of our one time expenses (plane tickets, language school, and visas) covered! If you would like to partner with us in this ministry either through prayer or financial support, you can e-mail us at amber.parker77@gmail.com Every donation makes a difference and takes us one step closer to living out the vision God has placed in us to accomplish. Donations are tax deductible and can be given online. We hope everybody enjoys their week-end!!

Precious Moments

I'm not sure I realized how {un}eventful our lives were until I started writing a blog. With that being said I have a couple fun things to share. The first is that Lyla has been teething and for all you babywise people out there, you know what that means...no sleep! Last night I was cuddling with her in the rocking chair and as I sat there and watched her sleep I realized how precious babies are when they sleep. She kept smiling and I couldn't help but wonder what she was dreaming about {me, of course...but which fond memory.} Then a funny thing happened, she started babbling in her sleep! For all of you who know me well, you know who she gets this from. It was a moment I was happy to be there. Life is passing so quickly, I'm thankful for every happy moment I get to share with her. As I write this, she is crying because she just woke from her nap so, until next time...

Hindsight

For all our followers, the idea of this blog is to help us communicate our passion for the future and keep all those who love and care for us updated on our lives. This blog helps us to constantly strive forward toward the prize that God's called for us. Every decision we make is in faith that God cares for us and has an incredible plan for us, despite what we may feel or think at that time. We trust that any trip or fall we make will be met by the arms who so carefully placed us here.

My deepest desire is that everyone would know the love and passion God has for us. As I look back over my life, I see the dangers that I placed myself in. Seeing the hazardous situations that I would never put Lyla in, understanding the consequences of the actions I felt I had to take; however, it was all worth it. As it was portrayed by Robert Frost...

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference." 

To those we meet along the path, I pray that we can make a difference; and to look back on our lives...satisfied. Calm and peaceful with the steps we took. Thanks for the hindsight, Barry.
                                                                                                                                           -Logan

911 Please state your emergency...

Yesterday turned out to be quite an eventful day. Logan had the morning off so we spent that time relaxing, running errands, and just playing around. Once Logan left, Lyla and I continued the playing; we played dress up (more to my amusement than hers)



Lyla left the hat on for about 30 seconds



 and enjoyed some of her favorite toys. Finally it was dinner time so I prepared Lyla's food and put her in her high chair to eat while I did some dishes. I turned to check on her frequently but one time I turned around and saw her leaning over the side of her high chair immediately I paniced and ran to her but didn't make it in time. I literally saw her fall head first onto our kitchen floor. Here is where the hysteria set in. While I knew I should stay calm, I felt completely unsure of what to do. I managed to get my mom on the phone and Lyla and I went straight to Children's Hospital. By this point Lyla had stopped crying and was in a pretty good mood. While waiting for the Dr. she played as if nothing had happened. We praise God that nothing was wrong, not even a minor concussion. I am so thankful for a country where I can rush my child to the hospital in emergencies and for a God that truly is our protector. This was a situation where I had no control and had to trust God to take care of her, I am thankful the my God never fails. For those of you who are still perhaps a little shocked and concerned, here is Lyla today...

My long-term vision

So this was originally sent as an e-mail to just a few of my closest girl friends but I felt like God wanted me to share it. Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Then the Lord replied: 'Write down the revelation and make it plain on tabliets so that a herald may run with it.'" I think it is so important to write down your vision and while it may change, it serves as a daily reminder of why we do what we do...it is all for His glory.

I was trying to do some homework and research on the Greek word paraklesis and I found this blog by "mistake" but I don't think it was a mistake at all. Take just a minute to check out the blog post Guys, this is my passion, this is what God has for me I know that I know it. Not in Uganda, but somewhere there are children out there that will call me "mommy" and for these children I will leave all the comforts of home and everything I know in order to make a difference for His kingdom! I believe our upcoming ministry in China will be effective, it will be great for us to get experience on the mission field and under some amazing Godly people. Orphans are what breaks my heart and I know God will use China as a stepping stone to take us to what He has for us. Please stand in prayer that God will continue to reveal His plan to me as He sees fit and also pray that I will have the wisdom to walk in it.

This is Julio, the boy that started it all, he will forever be our Mexican son

                                                             Julio turned 15 three days ago!! 

Growing Strong and Moving On

I can honestly say that this week has been good. Last Saturday we celebrated Lyla's first birthday and it was so much fun watching her check  everything out, she had a great time playing with the other babies and though it took minute she really got into the cupcake!

After her birthday was over, it really started to sink in how close we are getting to leaving Knoxville and moving to China!  This is an exciting time in our lives and we are thankful that we have so many friends to share our experience with. Speaking of which, we had our first person pledge to donate to our ministry on a monthly basis. This happened at the exact time I was needing some encouragement, God is so good!

Another major event this week was taking Lyla to the dr. They are amazed at how much she is growing. Her height is in the 3rd percentile, her weight has moved up to the 5th percentile but the real shocker is, wait for it, her head circumference is in the 50th percentile! This must be a sure sign that she will be as smart as she is beautiful.

The third and final event that happened this week was that I passed my kidney stone that I have been working on for months. I am so proud it has now passed, I was getting worried that it was too big, and for good reason....check that baby out!

Believe your eyes, that is a kidney stone that measures 1/2 inch. That's worth celebrating, right? We thought so too so we went and got some frozen yogurt that was delicious. That's all for now, enjoy your week!

A year of firsts

Has it really been a year already??? Certainly not, Logan commented just a couple of days ago that Lyla had gotten quite big for a 3 month old...but today, we could deny it no longer, Lyla is officially 1! I cannot describe in a blog how truly blessed we feel to have her in our lives. Some of you know that we tried very hard for Lyla and actually had two miscarriages before we gave up trying, but God blessed us with her and we are beyond thankful. I feel it is all in the right timing and I can't imagine being at this stage in my life without her. If my calculations are correct, this year I have changed 1,357,942 2,190 diapers and done  approximately 3,285 feedings. Yes, she eats a lot! I will let pictures say what words can't...Enjoy! 

 Happy Birthday sweet baby girl, may it be the first of many to come!

Feeling broken

"If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad." -Ruth Stull


God has been overwhelming me in the past few weeks, I feel at times as if I won't be able to keep my head above the water because of all that He is breaking my heart for. There is a personal aspect to this, school is very difficult, time is tight, Lyla is turning 1 this week, and I am nervous about all that has to be accomplished (including support raising) before we moving here this summer. Beyond that, I have been awakened to the reality that is child pornography on facebook and to the suffering of children around the world. If you want to perhaps get a new perspective on how blessed we truly are, I suggest you read this blog here I say this not to make anybody feel guilty about the blessings we have, but to just share my heart with you. Logan and I have a strong desire to adopt children and one day either work in or start an orphanage. This is a big vision and I know that I will need gentle encouragement along the way.


Right now I am feeling quite broken. Vance Havner says, "Brokenness is defined as being totally subdued; humbled; weakened and infirmed; crushed by grief. It's not bad to find yourself in that condition; after all...God used broken things." I am thankful for that, God truly had a purpose for everything and I can't wait to see what his purpose is for our life. My prayer is that we will all be broken at some point in our lives so that God can use us to feed the multitudes for His glory!

Life's luxuries and the irony of them all

I just finished hand washing our laundry in the sink and as I was kneading them to make sure they were rinsed thoroughly, I was struck by the irony that the only time Logan and I have ever had a washer in our apartment was the 2 summers we spent in China. So, here's to (hopefully) having a washer in our next place!

What's Next

We have had many people ask “what’s next?” This is a seemingly small question with a big answer but, for your sake, I will keep it brief. First and foremost, Lyla is going to stay a baby forever turns 1 on January 27^th. I’m still in denial that this is the case, however how can we deny this sweet face a party?

So, January 29th will be filled with cupcake kisses and sugar highs all around! 

On another note most of you know, or not, that I am currently attending Johnson Bible College's degree completion program and I would like to start celebrating the fact that I will be graduating May 6th, 2011 with a Bachelor's in Bible and Managing Nonprofit Organizations. This will mark the end of a two year process and will also be the end of our time in Knoxville. After graduation we will be moving to Bloomington, Indiana to spend the summer with my family before moving to China, yes China, late this summer. 

Here is a quick overview of what we will be doing there, feel free to ask specific questions if you have them. We will be volunteering to help an American coffee shop in Wuhan, China, this is an opportunity to minister and do what God has called us to. We have given them a 2 year commitment and part of this process is raising full support for our term there. Our budget is $1,500 / month but we are standing on the truth that God can work all things out. Right now we are at a place where we know that we can't do this on our own and so our only other option is to remember that God is in control!

Yīqǐ

If I have learned one thing in life it is that we need to live Yīqǐ, together (in Chinese), if we want to successfully navigate our way through all the unexpected turns. Logan and I have moved a lot since we have been married and a major benefit of that lifestyle is that we have circles of friends all around the world that hold us accountable and speak encouragement into our lives, and for that we are grateful. God is doing a lot in our lives right now and we want to attempt blogging as a way to keep everybody up to date. We want to share life with you - the good, the frustrating, and the downright funny moments we experience as we try just to be obedient.