Clarks: Ask and you shall be runneth over!

Well, I can't say we weren't warned.
After all, Malachi made it plain enough two-and-a-half millennia ago:
"Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
In other words, "Watch out what you pray for, because it might come true!"

Things had been slow here for a while. We've been on vacation for seven weeks. [Don't tell Jake; he thinks we're staying busy.] School still doesn't start back until next Tuesday for the two of us, and even then we'll be having our weekly four-day weekends. Yes, there've been the W3 meetings; we've met with the RJ ladies; we've devoted extra time to Chinese study. But really, compared to the schedule that a lot of you are probably keeping -- work every day, church three times a week, grocery shopping, soccer practice, ballet lessons, digging out of the snow and ice -- life does seem pretty simple here. So in our relative boredom, as it were, we sought out something to do, you know, something to keep us busy and make good use of our time. We started praying, Lord give us more opportunities. Like with the neighbors.

God listened. And it didn't take Him long, apparently, to decide to say Yeah sure, How's this for opportunities?!

I don't guess we've even told you about the thing the other day with Margaret and ShenLi: They wanted to come over (since Margaret has extended family staying at her place) and have a little Sunday get-together at our place. We gladly obliged, of course. So here they came -- them and their two daughters! [Wow. Those girls are real live-wires, let me tell you.] The short version is that we spent probably three hours or so together studying, managing the kids, praying, managing the kids, discussing life issues, sharing The Meal, managing the kids, and talking to Elaine in Searcy, Arkansas, via Skype. Oh, and we arranged to host a dinner at our place--with us cooking Chinese--for ShenLi, her daughter [did I mention she's a little wild? *see footnote], and her husband, this upcoming Friday. So that's how we kicked-off the week.

The evening before we'd been coming home from the Long Jing Tea Village -- it's a great tourist spot and well worth the visit, and if I weren't so swamped with other stories, I'd tell you all about it and even post a picture or two -- when we saw "The Bearded Man": He's this guy who lives in our old building, right below where we were actually, in 501, whom we'd seen the very first week we lived here and had talked to a few other times since then, and whom we thought seemed peculiarly interested in us, but whom we hadn't done much yet to really get to know. So, the bearded guy is outside our building when we get back home. Weird, huh? But we were pretty tired and everything, so we came on in after just a "hi, how are ya" and a pat of his sweet little collie's head. And we both said later how that was strange to see him over here near our new place and how we wonder if he was over here looking for us on purpose and how we felt drawn to go back out and talk to him but how we didn't know what we would've said. So we didn't go back out. But we did pray about him quite a lot. And so, the next day -- after the three-hour marathon child-circus worship meeting -- there he was: Outside. Of our building. Waiting. With the dog.

We were famished and were rushing to McDonald's in between our "morning service" at home and our "afternoon service" out at the Hardin House. But how could we ignore this sign? So we stopped and talked, and talked, and motioned, and stuttered, and sounded stupid, and then talked some more... and after a half-hour or so of standing hungry out on the lawn in the not-so-warm noon air, yet somehow feeling quite warm and well-fed, Cec was inspired (literally, I suppose) to ask him over this Wednesday for tea.

Then today -- after me and Josh had gone to make songbooks, which took like a couple of hours, I guess; and after Cec had met us for coffee, and then we'd gone on from there to have lunch; and after we had come back toward home and stopped and bought a bus card and put money on Cecely's cell phone and gotten back in the house and fed the cat and taken a nap -- well, we were still in the bed half-napping... we got our third surprise opportunity: The doorbell rang, I hopped up, in only my long-johns, and ran to see who it was. My glasses were still on the bedside, so I couldn't quite see to the bottom of the stairs, but I recognized the voice and said for whoever it was to come on in. At the door I excused myself to go put on my glasses and some pants. And about that time I realized who was here: the Egg Lady [not her real name].

Now, unfortunately, I'm going to have to cut this story short because the egg lady's niece is going to be here any minute, but again, the short version: She's been so nice to us since the first day we got here, and she's always asked me every now and then if I could please, please, please help her niece to improve her English. And I've always hedged. I've said, Well maybe; I'll think about it; blah, blah, blah... but never yes, until today. I mean, the lady has seen me in my underwear; I might as well meet the girl at least; we're practically like family now! So, really, any minute now, she's coming over -- the egg lady, the girl, the girl's mom -- they're all coming over. [I'm already dressed this time.] And then...

Well, I've gotta go. More later.
Anyway, we're thankful for this flood of opportunity. Just pray for us to have stamina.

[The daughter, by the way, is actually very manageable, if you actually make her sit still. (More on typical Chinese parenting techniques another time, perhaps.) She's the one who is interested in prayer, and this time was even wanting to read the Book with us.]