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Over the course of the past two weeks, great things have transpired. This is a short account of whats going on. With the current amount of children growing and more being expected, Gift of Joy is currently outgrowing its available space. The small six story building we live in is primarily taken up by useless hallspace and a huge stairwell. We currently have staff, students, children, and volunteers all living in the same building, with some local staff living in rented housing behind the center. Not only are we running out of space, but the center is located in what is becoming an increasingly dangerous area.

J.R., having an astounding background in real estate, spent some time eyeing the market around the area and found a building that was perfect for renovation and would give us the ability to house 56 more children (at the least) than we can now. Well, after feeling that he had recieved a go ahead in prayer and support and after writing up a contract in which he almost completely agreed to the owners demands, the owner decided that he was no longer going to deal with J.R..

Confused and unsure, we’ve spent the past 5 days wondering what happened and what was coming next. Well, today, while exiting a meeting, J.R. and Anita were stopped by the people they had just met with and asked if they would be interested in buying the buidling they just met in. They were both estatic. This building is completely renovated (western style), has a garden, and also a separate house. This place would allow us to house even more than the first place. And the best part is that the offer they recieved came in almost below market value.

Now here’s the kicker. J.R. mentioned two things. In order to get the building, we have to raise the money first. But instead of just raising money, that he would like to break it off in shares of $5k. For those of you who are into property investments, Wuhan China is booming. Absolutely booming. The annual return is currently at about 20% and has been steadily rising for the past 3 years. It is projected to continue to rise due largely in part to the fact that the majority of the land inside of metro Wuhan has been sold and is currently or is already developed. There is no where else to go but out. So the property inside is going to do nothing but rise in value. I would love to give you a picture of things here. This place is developing at an unbelievable rate. This is an amazing opportunity. To make an investment that not only helps to give a safe loving environment to underprivelaged children and that yields a 20% monetary return annually. At that rate, it is probably much safer than most invesements you could make INSIDE of the U.S..

If any of you are or someone you know is looking to make an investment but isnt sure where to put it. Please, direct them here, or to the Gift of Joy website, or to email Gift of Joy at this address info@giftofjoy.org. Feel free to research this area on the internet and in investment magazines. You’ll likely find that this is not only the opportunity of a lifetime, but an opportunity to invest in a lifetime.

I love it here.

Things get better everyday. I wont go as far as to say its easy. Dont get me wrong. One could get spoiled here if they were to allow themselves. I mean, living in a country surrounded by a culture that is all about service, its great. People actually tend to get angry when you want to do things for yourself. They are always wanting to do things for you. The first couple of weeks here I was sick. The pollution here is very very heavy due to the unbelievable amount of development going on. The sky is just full of dust and my sinuses and my chest have been giving me problems.

Well we have three of the most amazing women ever right here in out center. Anita, my boss J.R.’s wife, and her two best friends Ada and Yukling. They are all three from Hong Kong. They are like mothers. The whole time I was sick, they constantly checked on me to see if I needed anything, and offered much help. They told me that everyone else calls them Mom. But I told them that it’s difficult for me to call them Mom because they are all so young. All three of them are younger than my oldest brother who is 36. So I told them that I would call them sister. Big sister. I’ve only been here for a month and I feel like I’m part of the family. It’s great.

I’m beginning to teach English to the School of Future Leaders (SOFL) students. I’ve decided to spend time teaching them descriptive words. I told them that being descriptive is very important because if you can communicate descriptively, then you are much more capable of communicating your thoughts to someone, and that holds true no matter what language youre speaking. These students are quite special. They are some of the brightest students I’ve ever met. They are a select group of students who were sponsored by Gift of Joy while they were in Primary and Middle school because their family could not afford their schooling or they had no family to support them. If you check out the Gift of Joy website you can find stories about some of them. Please forgive the non-working links on the site. Part of my job here is maintenance of the Gift of Joy website. Im still learning the coding language and some of the pages are down. The SOFL students are truly “diamonds in the rough” that would have otherwise been overlooked had it not been for Gift of Joy and the help of the sponsors who stand behind them. They are truly blessed with an amazing opportunity here. They are surrounded by foreigners all the time. So their English improves VERY quickly. Most of them could not speak a word of useful English in Nov ‘03. Now I am able to have a full on conversation with most of them, and they follow very well. I rarely have to repeat or explain my words. They are truly blessed with a huge family, wonderful teachers, and a safe, loving environment all here at Gift of Joy.

English House is rockin’ as well. I’ve never seen teenagers and full grown adults have fun and make fools of them selves all for the sake of learning a language. It’s beautiful. They have so much fun and even in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen so much improvement. Over the course of the short time that I’ve been here Ive gotten to know two teams of 10(+/-) people from the US and Australia. The team from Australia left last week and the team from the US is leaving tomorrow. More will be coming soon for short 1 or 2 week stays and then another team from the US will arrive in May to spend two month here. One friend that was my roommate all last summer and also travelled to Cambodia with me will be arriving in May and spending a year here as well. Ive met many Chinese and have befriended a few. This place is honestly nothing like I would have ever imagined. I love it here. I may get tired. I may occasionally yearn for the comforts of home. However, I know that I would be bored if I were not here. Much worse. I know that I would be walking against His will. I would love to go into just how backwards Ministry works here, but I dont want to say anything that will get misunderstood by the wrong people and put me in a tight spot. So, if youre interested, email me. Perhaps we can talk about it more in that manner. God is good, all the time.

This place is amazing. The kids at the center (Gift of Joy Training Center) are absolutely adorable. I suppose I really should call them students. Many of them are 17, 18, and 19 years old, so I cant really call them all kids. Im slowly learning their names even though I havent really been able to spend a lot of time with them yet. Of course, I’ve only been here for four days, so I’ve got plenty of time. I’ve already been to two of the English House sessions and let me tell you, THEY ROCK!! I am honestly reminded of what it was about J. R. (my “boss”) that I liked. Talk about charisma. Now here is a man full of passion. He really has a heart for the Chinese people. English house is full of games and songs and plenty of cheesyness and tons of cornyness. The amazing thing is, the members LOVE it. And just like the English House theme song, their English gets better eeeeevery day! I hope to get some video of it and put together a short clip that I can post on here. Im not sure whether it would be reasonable or not as im sure only a few of those who read this have a connection capable of streaming video. I’ve already gotten to know some of the English House members as well and will more than likely be making a weekly date to play tennis for two hours with one of them (hes in his 40’s!!). Things are shaping up to be an AMAZING year. Gotta run, take care until next time. Blessings and Prayers to all and I ask for the same.

P.S. The street sweepers, they play Jingle Bells! So it’s Christmas every morning here!! LOL!!

Wow. China. Who would have guessed. If someone would have walked up to me two years ago and told me that I was going to be spending a year in China, I would have laughed and said, “Yeah right, along with the education and six figure job to provide the expenses.” I’ve always had such a heart for Asia and everything Asian, but I honestly never imagined I would actually get to travel there. I had pretty much resigned myself to living out my dreams of Asia by surrounding myself with Asian stylings (furniture, art, music, etc.). Now, here I am, in Wuhan, China. Not only am I in China, but I’ve travelled to Cambodia, Thailand, and breifly through Japan (though Tokyo Airport doesnt really count). I was honestly dead set on the fact that I couldn‘t do a thing without first getting my degree. The sad thing is that I didnt really know what degree I was trying to get. Looking back, I didnt have a clue what I was doing. In the midst of a depression that had been stewing for who knows how many years, induced by a handful of things, I was just trying to do what God wanted me to do. The only problem was that I was completely lost and had no idea how to look God in the face and be still and listen for His direction. Dont get me wrong, I havent perfected anything yet, and never will, but I can honestly say that for the past 14 or 15 months, I know where I belong, and I’ve gotten a lot better at learning how to hear God when He speaks. Please dont mis-understand me. I think college is great. But I also think no college is great. What matters most is learning to discern the voice of God, and then following that path. I know that I am to go back to college in a few years. I know that I am supposed to persue a couseling degree. And I know that I am to work in the field of pre-marital and newly-wed couseling. But I know that for this season, God has placed me where I am not only for the people, but for myself as well. There is much left to learn from God, and the more I learn, the less I seem to know.

As the days ticked down before leaving for China, I began to develop a nervousness. I couldnt quite figure it out. I honestly believe it was something spiritual. A last minute confusion set on to try to trip me up and make me change my mind. Strange thing was, I had never gotten nervous before any other time. Perhaps it was the fact that I was about to leave everything I knew for an entire year (or longer) to go to a place I had never even seen. I think that goes back to that inkling inside of us. That spark that slowly drives us to persue our passions. I honestly think the bulk of the things that hold us all back from persuing those things are spiritual. The enemy knows our weaknesses, he knows that we are, by nature, apprehensive creatures. He knows that if he can implant just enough doubt in our minds, that he can keep us from ever even attempting to persue our hearts desires, our true passions in life. Those doubts then begin to turn into excuses that are merely a cover for a fear of the unknown. Eventually, it fades into complacency and, soon, theres no desire left to even persue it because, “well, whats the point, it doesnt matter anyway.” Sound familiar? It’s the story of the majority of the people on this earth. I dont have first hand knowledge, nor do I have any statistics. However, I truly feel in my heart that this is one of the biggest stories for most of the human race, regardless of age, race, religion, nationality, or culture. Be still, spend some time alone, seek your heart, and ask yourself; Have I been denying my heart? You may be surprised at the answer.