CUTTING THE TAPE

A photo op. on our last day in China with our friends from the Underground Jimei church.

The inevitable moment has finally arrived whether we like it or not. We have reached the end our amazing God-breathed LST mission to Jimei, China. Next comes all of the cliche statements that every college students says after an experience of this magnitude: It went by so fast!, I don't want to leave., This was so powerful, I'm going to miss my readers, I was not expecting everything but am glad that it all happened. etc. Now, all of these statements are so very true--so please don't think we are taking them lightly. Such statements surface nearly every time because the Spirit never ceases to amaze,surprise, and mold us while we are being used. How could one not be changed and speak such bold and "cliche" statements as a result?

Week 3 flew by faster than most. We were chalked full with as many readers as we could literally fit into our schedule. That being said, we were worn-out for all the right reasons. There just isn't much more of a fulfilling moment when you are completely wiped out because you were drawing from the never-ending well of expressing the powerful nature of God's perfect love. All of us feel 100% confident that the work we did here was for the betterment of these people and the organization of Solomon's Courtyard. It is truly a great feeling to feel accomplished--especially when we were in over our heads as we were. And the result? Satisfaction in the fact that we serve an amazing God that has allowed us to become what we couldn't imagine, and share what we are not good enough or bright enough to patent. The love of Christ has prevailed here in Jimei--we have shared ourselves as much as we possibly could have. We have sowed seeds, we have watered already existing ones, and we have held them up in prayer. We have fulfilled the objective ahead of us. God is certainly GREAT!

In case you were all worrying about how we documented the trip, well, we are going to share that with you. Naturally, with people like us on the trip, it wouldn't be complete without a good amount of sillyness attached to it. That being said, we kept track of all the self-invented Phases we faced and conquered. Below you'll discover all them that we completed. Enjoy.


PHASES


1) Meeting
2) Break Bread (Runza)
3) Van Time
4) Aiport
5) Boarding w/o Overages
6) Security
7) Team Check-In
8) Denver
9) Oh Canada!
10) Asian Infiltration
11) Check in @ Hong Kong
12) Xiamen!
13) Customs
14) Arrive @ Solomon's Courtyard
15) Information Meeting
16) First Chinese Meal (Yummy!)
17) First Lessons
18) Eagle in the Hole (ask us later)
19) Eating KFC in China
20) Mad Scattegories Begins!
21) Best Meal Yet
22) Breaking Bread Part Deux
23) SKYPE Worked! (The Mitches were pretty stoked)
24) Party I
25) Trip to Xiamen
26) Caleb Explaining Foreign Art of Chinese Aim (ask us later)
27) Implementing of Improved Tactical Aiming (ask us later)
28) Settle into Routine
29) Dive Deeper
30) Expressions of Beginning Faith
31) Learning about Tan Kha Ki
32) Becoming Buddhist
33) Becoming a "NEW MAN" (ask us later)
34) Being a "CHAMPION" (ask us later)
35) Becoming Illegal Christians--BEST PHASE
36) Dumpring Prease?
37) Party Time II
38) Chinese University
39) Tea Time
40) Man Time
41) Beginning of the End
42) Party Time III
43) Pictures, Signatures, and Emails
44) Saying Goodbye...For Now
45) Pack and Jet

We would more importantly like to thank all of you personally for the incredible support you have provided for us. Trust me, your love and prayers were effective and helped beyond measure. You all are truly warriors to be emulated and have been just as an imperative aspect of this mission as we were. We cannot wait to get back to the "homeland" and share with you our stories, pictures, trinkets, and hearts. Please be prayerful that our travels back to the states will be as smooth as possible. Thank you again for going on this mission with us. We love you all fiercely!

~ Grace and Peace be with you

PERSEVERANCE

We are still chipping away at the remaining days left on our amazing trip. To say the least: we have witnessed nothing but the Spirit taking control! We are incredibly grateful that we have been able to see this unstoppable and perfect love take control of people and situations to transform moments into wonderful meaningful memories and stepping stones.

A few quick facts about our actual reading sessions: all four of us are reading with different students (mostly college students) anywhere from 5 to 7 hours a day. Most of the hourly reading sessions are with different readers throughout the day. The great thing about this is that we are reading the same stories over and over again from the Gospel of Luke and it's NOT getting old! We are still vibrant, active, excited, and discovering so many things by delving into the Word the way we must in order to let the Spirit reach these thirsty people.

We only have a few days left and the feelings are bittersweet. We are anxious to experience these last intense reading sessions and kick it into overdrive with these readers by helping them understand the importance of working on your faith on your own after we leave. Also, we are excited about the fact that the sights of loved ones and family members are quickly approaching as well. To be honest though, we are still kind of heart-broken at the fact that this life-changing experience has gone by so swiftly. Logically speaking, we suppose that this is all to be expected.

A few great pieces of news have jumped into our laps:

* Mitchell Roush's reader Louis, who we mentioned we wished you to pray for on the last blog post, has expressed intense interest in becoming a Christian in the near future after finishing the Luke book. (He is on lesson 26 out of 31.) Also, he wishes to become heavily involved in a church nearby. We are currently helping make connections to do so.

* We are all STILL trying new and exotic foods! Most of which have managed to stay down and surprisingly even taste good as well!

* Mitch Clay will be heading to the Xiamen Church, the one spoken of in the last blog post, and leading an English Bible Study session in the mid-afternoon. This is a rare and exciting opportunity for the full-time-minister-to-be. He is quite elated at this great chance and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival and report of the experience.

* Tammy Phan has successfully found, met, and become good friends with a female, college student, Chinese 21 year-old named Tye Wha who is actually shorter than her! We were quite happy to connect with this little ball of energy and shared in Tammy's personal celebration of a shorter friend.

* Last evening there was a birthday party thrown in honor of one of the male college student of the local Jimei church and we were invited. This celebration was very enjoyable and filled with great inside jokes and new friendships sparked.

* Julie has become a great trooper and survived multiple reading sessions with a student that has not been interested and tried desperately to NOT do the Luke book. However, Julie has done a wonderful job of keeping up a great attitude and getting some of the lessons done with him anyway.

Thank you all so much for being such an imperative and supportive aspect of this mission with us! We feel that we can not adequately word just how grateful we are for your prayers, love, support, thoughts, discussions, etc. given on our behalf and on behalf of all the wonderful hearts we get to experience the hand of God touching.

We would like to lovingly plead that you please start to gear your prayers to another necessary staple of this mission: The Follow-Up Ministry to be executed after we leave this site. There is an organization and a congregation that will shoulder the burden and privilege of following up with these readers we have. They will be the ones that will be making plans, phone calls, house visits, event hopping, and so many other things to help ensure that these wonderful starving students learn how to thrive off the wonderful Christ-like family that is available. After all, once these popular Americans leave--will the luster chip off slowly? Or will it stay intact and strengthen so that the faith will become solid as oak? This is what we need to be praying for.

We love you all; we are praying for every single one of you; and we appreciate your connection to this wonderful Savior that we are so passionately exhibiting here in Jimei, China.

~ Grace and Peace be with you

LOVE

"A great moment captured with most of the people at one of our parties."

Last night we threw our 2nd party. We had about the same amount of people, over 40, show up and enjoy our festivities. The greatest part about experiencing these parties is that we get to be a part of some of the most purely motivated Christ-like fellowship imaginable. What could be better then playing games with 40 people who all want to become brothers and sisters and learn more about Jesus? Throw in some of the most amazing fresh fruit you’ll ever find--and you’ve got yourself a good ol’ fashioned night of blessings. Truly the Lord has been gracious to us to grant us multitudes of opportunity to not only be used by the Spirit, but to enjoy them as well. One of the most common themes you’ll discover if you speak to any of us on this team when we get back to the states is: letting go; letting the Spirit take control; watch the light go on in the eyes of our readers; and allow us to enjoy the moment and be grateful to Whom deserves it. That truly encapsulates the feelings we get when we speak one-to-one with these amazing people. And it especially culminates when we all gather together in our tiny space and celebrate with a party.

We were also given the opportunity to experience something that was rare, un-safe, radical, scandalous, passionate, and life-changing. Here’s the story:

In order to reach our destination we first had to take a 40 minute car ride. After the car ride came a 20 minute crowded, public transportation, bus ride. We then proceeded to walk across downtown Xiamen for another 10 minutes. Finally, Caleb--one of our readers and guide for that day--took us to a building and said, “We’re here”. It was a tall building with a big metal gate prohibiting anybody from walking in. Caleb punched in a code in the number box to the right of the gate. We then walked in, and continued down a dark hallway until we reached the elevator. After riding the elevator up 3 floors we again walked down another dark hallway. Turning the corner another hallway awaited us with a faint light at the end of it. We walked into the room with the faint light and saw a room with all white and blank walls. There was a stage with a piano on it, a powerpoint projector, and about 110 seats. People then began to literally slide the front middle walls to the sides and behind it was a giant illuminated cross carved into the hidden wall. We were at an illegal church service! We were so excited! And to make a long story short: We have never experienced a fellowship like it! We were guests at the most passionate, real, and life-changing worship service we’ve ever attended. And we didn’t even speak the language! Some of us were moved to tears, others of us were communicating with God in a new way, others were lifting their hands in praise, and others were just touched by the Spirit. We will never be the same after what we experienced at that illegal service. Truth be told: there were moments afterward where we yearned to be illegal Christians rather than legal ones. That was truly an experience to treasure.

Please continue to be praying specifically for the readers that are on our list. We have many of them, and they all have their storms, celebrations, questions, and lives through which they are attempting to persevere. We are especially reaching some pinnacle moments with readers that are opening their hearts more. We would like to explain, briefly, some details about a few readers and plead that you please pray for these specific situations as well.

Tammy has a reader named Tina. We met Tina last year and she quickly became one of our favorites. She has been a believer for a little while now. However, with one of her last sessions with Tammy, we have discovered that Tina is struggling. Tina said, “It is very difficult for me to communicate with God lately. I feel like we are on opposite sides of the river and I do not know how to get to the other side.” Tina is a girl full of excitement, joy, and is loved very much. Please pray for her.

Mitch Clay has a reader named Angela. She is the closest to fluent English we will experience while we are here with our readers. Angela believes in God and wants to know Him better. She even read the whole Gospel of Luke in one night! But she, however, is very passionate about NOT being a Christian. Angela apparently had a bad experience with a Christian group being hurtful to her. So, she wants to be a believer in God without being a follower of God. This has created a very interesting and yet confusing situation. Please pray for the moments to come with her and Mitch that they work through this.

Julie has a reader named An Jou (pronounced Ann Shoe). What makes this particular situation exciting is that Julie inherited a very rare situation with An Jou is that she came to the LST program already knowing when and where she was going to be baptized. This is great because baptisms are something short-term LST mission trip goers don’t typically get to experience. Please be prayerful that An Jou’s baptism is a celebration for her and her family. But also pray that she will be able to withstand how much the devil will tempt her and try to distract her after such a decision is made. We all know how difficult this can be, and there are very few Christians in China. An Jou will definitely need prayers.

Mitchell Roush has a reader named Louis. He came to LST earlier this summer with the middle-aged couple that was here before us. Louis had never heard of Jesus before at all. He has been reading with Mitch and playing basketball with him several times now. Louis is a lot of fun with a great sense-of-humor. Since starting to come to LST, he has purchased his own Bible, which he is reading, and he has begun to pray with God fairly regularly. This is very exciting news! However, the idea of devoting his whole life to Jesus is still very scary to him and he doesn’t know if he will able to make the decision about baptism because of that. Please be prayerful that the Spirit can continue to touch Louis’ heart.

Thank you so much for your support, prayers, love, and passion to become part of this mission with us. The Spirit is certainly active and providing many people with courage we didn’t know existed! We will continue to pray for all of you as well. From Jimei, China: We love you!

~ Grace and Peace be with you

CELEBRATIONS

We have been on-the-go and chalked full of busyness the last few days! But it has certainly been incredible beyond a doubt.

Two nights ago we had the first of three parties for our readers and their friends. We had over 40 people come out for our party! This is an incredible turn out--especially because a decent amount of them were friends of our readers. This means, we have added even more readers to our list! God is good!

In order to prepare for the party, Mitch R.; Julie; and Mitch C. went with one of our readers, also named Julie, to the Open Air Market to get fruit. While we were there selecting massive amounts of fruit to serve at our party, there was an old lady that was following Mitchell Roush around the entire time. Eventually, Chinese Julie asked him if he knew what the old lady was saying to him. Naturally he didn't. She then informed him that the old lady thought that Mitchell R. was very handsome. The old lady then smiled very big with her very nasty teeth showing and gave him a thumbs up. Mitch quickly responded with thank you in Chinese and proceeded to walk away.

Throughout the party we had many stations of games taught by the team: spoons, ballyhoo, jenga, and uno. These games were more than a hit--the Chinese students were excited to be a part of learning these new games. We are very grateful to God for the overwhelming success of the party. What makes these so important is the fact that it is one of the few opportunities to minister to everyone and have fun with them as we strengthen our relationships with them all at the same time. We are eagerly awaiting our next party for some more epic moments with our huge amount of readers.

Following the party was our day off: a.k.a. Our day of exploration. We had Sui and Caleb, two of our readers, take us to Xiamen and Gu Long Yu Island. All you need to know is that Gu Long Yu is considered to be the most beautiful island in all of China. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Worry not, we took massive amounts of pictures. Be sure to hit us up when we get back to the states to see the amazing scenery from Gu Long Yu. Another positive thing that took place while we were there was that we met up with our friend from last year's visit, Champion. It was so good to see him again and spend time joking around with him and praying along side with our friend. And he still says his famous catch-phrase: "Nothing special!" It did us very good to spend time with Champion again.

The exotic food experience has certainly not slowed down at all. We have enjoyed incredible amounts of food, with many of it being things we have tried for the first time.
* Snail
* Abalone
* Whole Fish
* Many others!

Our readers are still coming in full force and providing us with excellent opportunities to be used by the Spirit. We have a few that are becoming really excited about reading the Bible on their own and starting to pray to God now. Some are still very cautious about the whole God thing. Others are already Christians and asking us questions about how to get involved in ministry. Needless to say, we have many aspects of the day in which we are all over the spectrum with thoughts, passions, questions, and discussions. However, we couldn't be happier with what is going on here in Jimei and what a rare and glorious opportunity we have to be a part of this mission. Thank you for joining us on it! We plead that you continue to pray for our endurance, patience, and ability to get out of the way of the Spirit moving and working on hearts here in Jimei. We love you all!

~ Grace and Peace be with you

CONNECTING DEEPER

Do not fret; there have been many more humorous moments for our team. There are memorable things happening all around us. Delving into a radically different culture is certainly one of the easiest ways to compile a plethora of hysterical quotes from friends.

Yesterday we were attempting to cross the street to the Construction Bank in order to exchange some American Cash for Chinese Yuan. Short version - there are literally no traffic laws or traffic lights in Jimei. Vehicles can drive and park on the sidewalks as well, and the street is four lanes wide with traffic going both directions. Needless to say, the car situation can, at times, leave us with a tad bit of stress. While waiting to cross the street we told Julie to just chance it and bolt across. We assumed the cars would halt on her behalf. Julie didn't really enjoy that idea. Her response to such a situation was: "This is not frogger! I can't get another life if I die!" We continued to wait for clearer traffic.

Also, Jenny our translator and helper was with us at a restaurant. This particular food dining establishment had only short chopsticks that were a little more difficult to execute with compared to the regular sized ones. When we quizzed Jenny about the short chopsticks she said: "Well, they are for...Um...Actually, they are terrible--just a waste." Apparently not even native Chinese enjoy the shorter chop sticks.

One thing that is imperative to learn about our experience is the fact that Mitch, Mitch, Julie, and Tammy are all being blessed with incredible opportunities to witness to these spiritually starving Chinese brothers and sisters. There have been more than one moment for each of us where we were challenged with a difficult translation moment, or concept to explain, or someone that is not interested in Christ, and the results have been surprising and encouraging. It is difficult to adequately describe the feeling we experience when the Spirit allows us to be tools used in a moment that is beyond us. With every passing hour in the afternoon and evening we are connecting with new readers and exposing them to Jesus' love for the first time. With every passing hour in the afternoon and evening we are re-connecting with readers we've taught before and strengthening our bonds with them. We are building friendships; we are teaching; we are learning; we are having the time of our lives!

This morning we will be worshipping at the International Church here in the Xiamen province. We will be worshipping with people from America, Europe, Africa, and so many other places. We are beyond excited to experience this worship endeavor together. Mitchell R. and Tammy went last year and loved every minute of it. It will surely be a memorable experience in which we are exposed to more aspects of God.

Later this evening, we will be hosting our first of three English Parties. We have invited all of our readers and their friends to come to our sight and play many games, learn more about speaking conversational English, eat fresh fruit, and enjoy Godly fellowship. We are stoked that the first party is here! These parties are filled with some of the best memories we'll hold on to from this trip.

Please continue to be prayerful for this incredible endeavor we are on. We are in over-our-heads for all the right reasons. All the more, we need to trust in our Savior to a magnitude that is uncomfortable and new-ground in many ways. Also, there are readers of ours that are approaching big decisions about their lives; spiritual decisions; family members operations; traveling; and so many other things--remember to be prayerful for these specific things in regards to the people we are connecting with.

We are on fire, we are eager, and we are ready. We couldn't be more grateful for His Spirit intervening. And we couldn't be more grateful for you and your heart and prayerful support. Thank you so much for your willingness to be a part of this mission with us. We love you all very much.


~ Grace and Peace be with you

EATING & READING

First, we would like to announce that we are the proud owners of "Pleasant Goat" Toilet Paper. Ask us when we get back to the states just how exciting it is when we made such a purchase ;) We also had our first experience of ordering food @ a restaurant without a translator. A memorable experience that was deliciously awkward. And by deliciously, I mean that we lucked out and the food was actually amazing. God is good!


However, what is most important is the fact that we have news to report:


1) The informational meeting was a success! We met over 20 of our readers at the meeting. Mitch Clay did a stellar job of being our point man on presenting our mission, intentions, and desire to make deep connections with these people. As expected the majority of our readers are Chinese college students--most of which from Jimei University.


2) We had our first experience with teaching the students! This is what we are here for; this is what it's all about; this is where we experience first-hand just how much the Spirit is beyond us and active. Mitch Clay and Julie Garcia had very pleasant and successful first time teaching sessions today. They seemed to take to it like ducks in water and it was wonderful to watch them enjoy the process of being used by our Great God. Tammy Phan and Mitchell Roush were right at home and couldn't be happier hopping into the teacher ring again and begin molding and connecting. Needless to say: We are hooked on this mission! We are eager to see what challenges lie ahead--but most importantly, we are ready and just chomping at the bit to have the Spirit use us--His hands and feet--to humbly share and experience even more with these fellow brothers and sisters.


There is one more thing we would like to share with you and ask of you for now; below you'll discover a bulleted list of random names. All of the names are the people that we are teaching throughout this process. We are helping them improve their English speaking and comprehension as well as pointing them to the Word of God and exposing them to Christ--most of which for the first time! We are sharing their names with you because we want YOU to please continue to be a very active and passionate part of this mission with us. Please take full advantage of the most incredible and powerful tool we have access to at any moment and pray by name for these wonderful people and for their minds, talents, and hearts to be enhanced with the wonderful power, grace, and courage of our Father's Spirit. This is the current list of who is planning on reading with us. The list is more than likely to get larger throughout our time here. We will be sure to post the new names as they come a long. Thank you so much for being a part of this. We love you all and are ever so grateful as well.


* Evelyn
* Amy
* Tina
* Mr. Zhang
* Ping
* Janet
* Linlin
* Angel
* Sun
* An Jau
* Orita
* Carrie
* Joseph
* Yulene
* Jane
* Jenny
* Siu
* Nick
* Jack
* Dong
* Hugh
* Susan
* Lizhm
* Sui
* Chocolate
* Henry
* Carol


~ Grace and Peace be with you

CHINA: WE ARE HERE!

So far the traveling experiences have been memorable and eventful--but all safe! God is good. He has allowed us to arrive at Hong Kong as scheduled. We currently have a 5 hour lay-over and then will fly out to Xiamen. After we arrive to Xiamen, we meet the missionaries; connect with the Altrocks (the LST reps. on the trip with us); and prepare for our introduction meeting with our readers tonight @ 7:30 p.m.

There was a lot that went on just in the first day of traveling. Our flight from Omaha to Denver was an historic one for our teammate Julie Garcia, it was the first time for her to experience flying. When asked for her reaction to the flight she was quoted as saying: "All the school buses look like packages of gum!" So, things are looking up for Julie.

The two Mitches (making this the most Mitchin' LST trip EVER) went exploring through the Vancouver airport. Of course, there were copious amounts of salmon and maple syrup to be had. Don't worry: cheap Canadian Maple Leaf swag was purchased!

Tammy the Phan-tastic one has achieved a new Personal Record (PR). Most hours of sleep on an airplane: 10+ hours! Way to go Tammy! Needless to say, she's got energy.

Fun fact: Mitch R. got complimented on his facial hair in a men's room @ the Omaha airport.

What matters the most is that our team is still in tact; we still love each other; prayers are fervent; and the life-changing moments are drawing nearer. As mentioned above, tonight when we arrive in Jimei we will address our students for the first time. There will be a big meeting called the: LST Introduction Meeting. Everyone that has signed up for reading sessions with us will be invited to come and become introduced to us and the work we come to do. We are a tad tired but still excited about the fact that first-contact is only half the day away! We'll be sure to update tomorrow about how the info meeting goes; adjusting to the schedule laid out for us; and the first moments we have with the great people that the Spirit is going to position in the middle of our experience. Thanks for following along, for the love, and for the prayers!

~ Grace and Peace be with you

MISSION INTRODUCTION

Above is a picture of us!: LST York College Team China 2010. From L to R: Mitchell Roush, Julie Garcia, Tammy Phan, and Mitch Clay.

Hello there! Welcome to the China experience!

At this blog you'll be able to trace our mission trip as we go along. You'll have to opportunity to learn about our:

* Travels

* Students we read with

* Parties we throw

* Funny instances

* Spirit-Intervening moments

What we are is a group of college students, close friends, and disciples of Christ. We were given the opportunity to join the Let's Start Talking (LST) summer missions program. Last summer Tammy Phan and Mitchell Roush and a few others were able to travel to Jimei, China for an LST trip. They loved it and decided the moment they arrived back at the states that they would return to Jimei at the nearest possible moment. So, here we are! Another wonderful and Spirit-filled team has been assembled, and we are on our way!

The way the program works is the full-time missionaries at the site we will be working at for 3 weeks have spent months signing up students or readers. They show up and meet with us one-on-one to learn how to improve their English speaking skills. We use the Gospel of Luke as our teaching aid. Therefore, we are able to be witnesses of our Savior to these wonderful people! God is able to be recognized and discovered through some incredible hours spent studying His word and building friendships. LST has truly put together a wonderful teaching curriculum through the medium of the Word of God--and one that has experienced such things first-hand can testify: The Word is the teacher; and changing lives!

We invite you to join us on our 3 week short-term mission trip to Solomon's Courtyard at Jimei, China. We will be reading with a large amount of mostly college students who don't know who Christ is. We have been given the call and wonderful rare opportunity from the Spirit to be seed planters. We invite and plead with you to please answer the same call and be a part of this mission through the mediums available to you:

* Follow our journey

* Be prayerful for us, the mission, and the students multiple times everyday

* Celebrate with us!

We thank you in advance for the wonderful and heart-felt support. More will be posted later as we arrive in Jimei on June 7th (tomorrow)! LST YC Team China '10 truly and whole-heartedly loves you all.

~ Grace and Peace be with you