English Corner Fun (and we always thought that was an oxymoron )

On April 27th, all three Clarks boldly braved the waters of English Corner, and lived to tell about it. Our school only has one every now and again, so when they do have it, it is exciting and well-attended. There were around 100 folks.

They had some exciting ice breakers: hula hoop contest, cake eating contest, etc. Jason played guitar, too! "You Are My Sunshine" was the crowd favorite!

Finally, here is Wang Hao, who went with us that night. [Phoebe had had about enough by this point!] Anyway, we all had a pretty nice time, and got to talk for a long time with some pretty nice people, especially a guy named L.J., and another one named Michael.

A busy month

Looking back over April, it was great...and just packed. Had quite a bit of rain, and lots of beautiful days too. Spent so much time outside. Started out with the very fruitful celebration of Easter that everyone else has mentioned, then when we got back to Shaoxing, decided to pick up the pace a bit and get some more momentum...ate out or together at home with about 10 different folks over the course of three weeks, some were believers, some were just acquaintances that we wanted to gauge their interest level. Wang Hao and Lucky are both progressing nicely, we did several studies and conversations with them over the course of the month and they began worshipping with us on Sundays. Started reading Tim Kellor's the Reason for God with Grace. Jason played music with some friends in a coffee shop one night last week, and it gave Cecely a good chance to talk with some of the girls who had come there to listen.Ended the month with a nice overnight visit with Joanna, and a visit on Sunday for worship and lunch afterwords with Arily and King. Very impressed with Arily these days. Says she has been attending church in Hangzhou quite often. She and King both seem to enjoy the study more than previously. This month we have done more Bible lessons with Phoebe, attempting to teach her some key characters and simple memory verses. Also, we have been looking into preschools for her in the fall, and been working on potty training her. It is all going fairly well, but pray for all three of us, because she is quite spirited. We enjoyed April, and look forward to the blessings that we trust May will bring.

A Very Shaoxing Easter

Easter? Are we supposed to talk about Easter? OK, I'll talk about Easter! While the rest of the team was rockin' it in Hangzhou we had a much smaller event for Easter in Shaoxing. We did the usual with egg-dyeing, little triangle sandwiches, and a humongous rabbit shaped cake. I don't know about your family, but that's definitely a tradition in ours!

More importantly, we all sat together to experience the true feeling of Easter. We read the story of Jesus' crucifixion and then we listened to a dramatic reading of Jesus' resurrection. As we listened, we all sat with eyes closed, trying to picture the faces of Jesus, the people he met, and their various expressions. I tried to share that it was completely natural to feel shocked, doubtful, amazed, grateful, etc. Jesus' friends felt all of those things and it's OK for us to feel them today, too. (Quick side note - loved the Clear Creek Easter video on Facebook!) We then talked some about why it matters for us today that Jesus rose from the dead.

There were about 20 people who came for the Easter party, most of them people who have already been coming to our weekly Bible study. We pray that it was a good chance for them to learn what is at the very heart of our faith and why it's so important for our lives today!

Caleb with Zhang Wen Qiang - a student Lisa's been studying with for more than a semester

An Easter huddle

The famous Taylor/Bailey Easter Bunny Cake

Easter Sunday

Adding on to Jennifer's Easter post.

Dan acted as Chinese Thomas and I acted as English Thomas. For costumes we simply used a sheet of poster board tied at the waist. Thomas talked about knowing Jesus the miracle worker, good teacher, and friend. Thomas went on to talk about crucifixion, resurrection, and doubting. Finally Thomas saw and felt with his hands the proof of Jesus Lord and God.

Elaine organized the children in decorating Easter bags. There were about 40 children and 400 eggs. The kids sprinted across the garden and all the eggs were found in three minutes. We put a message inside: 耶稣复活了 Jesus is risen!

Meanwhile, Frank was writing a poem. If you know Frank, did you know he can write poetry? His poem is so good. I offered a weak translation to get the main idea, but Frank’s composition is a refreshing, inspiring memory of this Easter Sunday.

胜日传经渌水旁

桃红柳绿满园芳

春风似是解人意

吹着福音散四方

Superb day spread the gospel by green water

Peach red willow green fill the garden fragrant

Spring breeze like understanding people’s wish

Blows the good news spread in all directions.

I am glad I uploaded these pictures the other day.  I would have been extra sad to loose them.  

We had a great turnout at our annual Easter egg hunt and picnic.  It  seems that this party gets bigger and better every year.  

This year we had more than 80 people come! It was great!

 

They set up tents for the little kids to play in.

Caleb got a coloured Easter egg.  (Jon told him to, for the picture)

Every one sat on blanket while we tried to sing some songs.

Then Josh and Dan told the Easter story from the perspective of Thomas.

Then they went to hunt eggs.  It was a mob.

Joy found one!

This kid did really well! 

There were more than 400 eggs hidden. We filled plastic eggs with candy and small toys and a piece of paper that says, "Jesus is risen!"  In English and Chinese.

Then we ate! We had a buffet. 

There were people from different believing groups from across the city and also several friends that are not belivers yet.

It was a really nice time.  It was a lot of fun.  Gao Yan and Josh did a wonderful job organizing everything.

We look forward to it again next year.

We are thankful

We are very thankful.  We are very thankful that things were not worse.

When I got up this morning, I discovered that my computer was missing from its usual place on the arm of the sofa.

Jon said that the door to the balcony was open slightly, but he did not think anything about it.  So we looked around and noticed that my cell phone was also missing.  Jon's wallet was open and most of his money was taken.

However, it could have been much worse.  None of our bank cards were missing.  Our passports were safe.  My camera was still here.  Hallie's computer and Jon's were fine, even though they were in the same room.

I did wake up one time last night but I never looked at the clock.  I did not hear anything.  If I had heard something in the other room, I would have thought one of the kids was up and gone to investigate.  I am also grateful that none of the kids woke up because they would have freaked out.

The thief, or thieves had to walk through Eryn's room (and it was a huge mess) and also walk right by Hallie's room.  In the U.S. I would have been more worried for their safety.  I am thankful we are in China where those things are not as common.  I think if one of us had seen the guys last night the bad guys would have just gotten scared and ran away.  I doubt anyone would have gotten seriously hurt.  I try not to think about it too much.

We had wanted to be gone last night too.  We were going to go out of town, but we could not get tickets.  If we had been gone, they could have cleaned us out... at least as far as computers go.

I am very thankful that this did not happen on a Saturday night.  If it had, we would have been dealing with police and people coming to our house for worship on Sunday morning. That would have been awkward, to say the least!

We called a friend to come over to help us translate to the police, and then we called the police.  The police told us there were 3 other break-ins last night.  One was in our building and two in a near by building.

I am sad and frustrated that my phone and computer are gone, but I am very thankful things were not worse.

Please pray for these thieves.  It would be great to get our stuff back, but it would be even greater for them to change their lives.

Please pray for us, especially at bed time and at night.  I do not want any of us to be frightened.

Lucky us!

We have been spending more time with a girl named Lucky, who considered herself a Christian, and has already been baptized, but who has felt that she has somehow never really owned her faith, or enjoyed her faith, or taken it deep enough. But she complains of these attitudes within herself, and says she wants to make her faith more real. She loves to come over and hang out with us, play with Phoebe, and talk about anything. And she genuinely enjoys coming to the study on Thursdays at the Taylor's house. She wants to experience genuine worship,so we have been trying to encourage opportunities for that. Pray for her. She is easily distracted and has quite a bit to overcome. But we know with God's help, she certainly can! We will let you know how she is doing as time goes by; thanks.

Meet Shirley

Meet Shirley. Well, imagine at least. We don't have a picture of Shirley yet, so you'll just have to let your imagination run wild. Back to the point though. Shirley is one of Dale's students majoring in "Teaching Chinese to Foreigners". After getting a few really interesting, spiritual emails from some student named Shirley, Dale really looked into it and figured out exactly who she is.

Shirley sits in the front row of Dale's class because she has a disability that keeps her from using her legs well. She walks with a cane and needs a long time to get to and from the classrooms. Dale didn't realize all of this the first time he invited her to go eat lunch at the school cafeteria, but Shirley happily agreed. They talked about how all of her family is Buddhist, but she believes in God. Last semester she attended a local student Christian group on Sundays along with one of her good friends who rode Shirley on the back of her bike. Then this semester her friend got really busy and stopped going to the meetings. Shirley was too embarrassed to ask anyone else to take her to the meetings, so she stopped going. The Christians in the group had given her a Bible, which she took home during Chinese New Year. When Shirley's father found the Bible one day, he scolded her and threw the Bible in the trash.

Shirley is a special girl who has a heart already open to God. She's eager to know Him and she needs lots of love. Since that first lunch, Dale has packed a lunch every Tuesday before he goes to class so that he and Shirley can stay in the classroom (instead of walking across campus to the cafeteria). They talk together, study the Bible, and eat really poorly made sandwiches. Lots of things about Shirley's life seem sad, but she has lots of joy.

Please pray that Shirley will find everything she's looking for and needs - in Jesus - and that her heart will be fully opened to God's truth and goodness.

dying Easter eggs

Saturday afternoon before Easter we invited friends to color Easter eggs at our house.  I bought and boiled more than 50 eggs, and Elaine brought another 20. I covered the table with newspaper, prepared paper cups with vinegar and egg dye.  The kids (and some adults) had a good time.

Josh helping Caleb with his eggs

We were very happy that  Phoebe came and brought her parents to help us color the eggs.  We can't believe how much she has grown!

I think the final count was 72 colored eggs.  This year, we only hid the plastic eggs.  These eggs were eaten at the picnic.

New Teacher

Last year all of the Hardins were taking classes at Mandarin Capital.  This school helps foreigners learn Chinese.  We really liked the school and  our teachers.  However, I was not as happy with what we were paying for Liam's  and Eryn's class and what they learned.  It seemed like a lot to pay for the results (which were very few).  So I did not enroll them again once we returned after the summer.  I knew I wanted them to learn Chinese, but was not sure how to go about it.  Hallie and I continued to have classes once a week.  Jon did not have as much time and his teacher left to have a baby.

Then Tina (Hallie's teacher) told me that she was starting a new job and would probably not be able to be Hallie's teacher much longer.  Then Judy (my teacher) got a new job too.  It seemed like a good time to take a break from Chinese class.

I remembered meeting a lady on the street once.  She gave me her card and told me that she was a Chinese teacher.  I hunted her card down and e-mailed her.  She quoted her price per hour for lessons and then a day or so later told me that that if Jon, Hallie and I all take lessons then she will teach Liam and Eryn for free for 3 months!

We had our introductory lesson this past Friday.  We will start classes next week.   We are looking forward to learning more and more importantly developing a relationship with our new teacher, Cherry.

Dan and Patrick

Before Spring Festival Dan said he was planning to move to Singapore to work. I hoped he was just dreaming or that maybe he would not follow through or that some other work opportunity would come up in Hangzhou.
As we sat on the grass for Thursday Bible study March 22, Dan announced I’m moving to Singapore “next month.” I was surprised. I said, “We need to wrestle to decide if you can move to Singapore or not.”
It is funny how friends in China speak of “next month” like it is forever away. In America we have our calendars and we schedule days according to the hour. We plan exactly what will happen next month. In China “next month” is three days from now, but it is a whole different page on the calendar. It is the next number month: March month 3, April month 4, and plan month 4, move to Singapore when April comes along.
Patrick has the most beautiful Bible I have ever seen in the hands of a young Chinese man. It is all highlighted and dog eared with notes in the margins. The pages are soft from turning and reading both the Old Testament and New. Patrick started reading the King James Bible following his teacher’s method to truly become interested in classical English literature to improve his English skills and he has found the truth of Jesus. Patrick has promised, “I will get baptized this year”.
Elaine has recommend C.S. Lewis as an interesting study to Dan and Patrick. Patrick loves English books and Dan loves English movies. Dan has been trying to download the movie Shadowlands, a biography of C.S. Lewis’ life.
After our March 22 Bible study, we were walking down the stairs and Patrick said to Dan quite at random, “Maybe you will want to get baptized after you watch Shadowlands.”
“That’s a great idea,” I quickly joined in.
“I don’t know,” Dan said, “I have not even read the whole Bible.”
“I was a Christian for nearly 15 years and 30 years old before I read the whole Bible,” I assured.
After Sunday worship, we were walking down the stairs and GaoYan suggested to Patrick, “Maybe you can get baptized before Dan moves to Singapore.”
Patrick shot back, “I will not get baptized just so someone can see me get baptized.”
GaoYan said, “You can encourage Dan’s faith by getting baptized. You can encourage Josh. You can encourage all of us. Think about it.”
Praise God for giving us these conversations with Dan and Patrick. Pray with us that God will work powerfully in Dan and Patrick’s life “next month” April, month 4.

Water and Children

Caleb and Joy love to stand at the water’s edge and test their limits. They love to lock their knees bent at the waist and put their fingers in the water. Caleb and Joy have both taken a turn falling right in.
Under our building where we park our car there is a dark and dangerous hole. We don’t know the purpose of the hole, why it is a foot deep with water, or why there are electrical wires leading into the water. Back in cold December Caleb tripped and fell right into the hole head first. His feet were kicking around up in the air with head and shoulders plunged down into the water. I ran with Joy in one arm and yanked Caleb up by the leg out of the water. His head, hat, and coat were soaking wet. We ran him home for a hot bath.
Spring is here and the tulips have bloomed in our favorite park. We brought some chicken, apples, and chips ahoy and chose a spot by the little lake in the tulip park. I wondered if this was a safe place for a picnic close to the water with small children, but Joy was already sitting down eating her chicken leg. After the battle for the last cookie GaoYan walked to the water’s edge to wash her hands. I was packing up the bag and I turned my back for a half second. Joy was not just running for the water. Joy was barreling for the water, like the winning run rounding third and headed for home plate.
I yelled out, “Joy! Joy!” GaoYan turned with wide surprised terrified eyes and open arms.
Joy slid in under her catch. If it was a baseball game GaoYan clearly made the tag and the runner is out. But Joy’s legs, shoes, socks and pants were covered in wet sticky mud.
One lady said, “How fun. That little girl jumped in the water.”
A nice man gave us one of those tiny packages of napkins.
We stripped off Joy’s muddy clothes, changed her diaper, and headed back home for a hot bath.