Three days after arriving back home from Thailand a seven person team from TCC arrived to explore our city, get to know us, and pour into our family. We had an incredible time! This was a special team because Uncle Travis was leading it (our bro) and my BFF was a part as well. She does not love China (this was her third trip), but she does love me, so she comes and serves and makes me laugh, laugh, laugh!
We found it quite amazing that this team was laid back and SOOO easy to host. What a blessing.
Of course the trip started with the traditional girls v guys scavenger hunt around our city. The rules were simple, get your list of items accomplished, no helps unless you find an English speaking person. Sophia, Bella, and I tagged along with the girls and it hurt us not to help them in any way, especially when they were standing in the wrong line at KFC and we couldn't even nudge them in the right direction.
Rachel was on it! She found a girl who could speak a few words of English.
In the end we ran into the guys...who won the whole thing quite fair and square. The girls went wayward from the beginning when they went down the wrong street and their taxi driver had no idea what they were saying.
The team got a good little picture of rural China and the beautiful valley in which we live.
The rice, indescribable green...
a pig farm...
Lots of playful times with Uncle Travis.
We stumbled upon this farmer letting his water buffalo have a romp in the water.
We took TCC to visit friends in the village.
This girl...Heather. She came up with the crafts for the kids during our 'retreat' study time. She actually went to my Pinterest page and then asked me ideas from there. A fabulous idea. She taught Sophia and Bella how to sew! Brooke helped the kids glue buttons on trees for one of my fave crafts, and Rachel helped the kids make beautiful paper stars that are already hanging in their rooms. So thoughtful.
Brooke became a besty of Bella, who still talks about her.
This guy, our local friend, has always loved Tobin.
Travis was reenacting what he was doing last time TCC visited our town, six years ago. Bella was being rocked in arms like this! Growing up fast.
I cannot document all that we did with the team, but I will say a highlight was the intentional time to do a study together on fear and anxiety, simply to encourage us in our fight for joy and His presence!
Each person on the team, in their individual way spurred us on in our love toward God and others. And watching them love on our kids was quite special for us.
We had lots of parenting discussions, with resident daddy expert, Travis, here. (He would not call himself that, but he is. He is intentional yet laid back, and always seems a trove of wisdom when we pose certain parenting issues to him. )
more to come....
And fyi, they left on July 13th, I got very sick the day before, cold/fever/chills/cough. It lasted 4-5 days, got a little better and then came back. I am still sick, functioning at about 1/4 speed, if that. I may visit the local hospital in the next few days if I don't get better. Going on day 12!
