February Memories:-)

Well I decided I REALLY need to get completely caught up on all my blogs!! Since I finished my Vacation I need to get you up to date with life after vacation:-) February was a fun month full of parties, holidays, and intentional conversations!!! Sometimes I just marvel at how the Father places people in my life and allows me to so easily share about HIM! I think before coming to China I thought it would be difficult and i would have to seek out people to be friends with...HA...that is the farthest from the truth!! People just appear! I mean, there are about 11million people in Wuhan but I almost never go a day without meeting a new person or getting to share of the goodness of my Father!

Maybe you remember, from one of my blogs in November, my new friend Shirley! I call her my bus stop friend:-) I met her at my bus stop:-) We were both waiting for the bus and really needed to get on the bus...but 3 buses passed us and didn't even stop:-( We kind of looked at each other and knew what each other was thinking!!! "OH CHINA"! You see, it was "Singles day". China tries to find a way to make random holidays and them people celebrate them. Well, She was going to see a movie with a friend and I was headed to dinner so I asked her if she wanted to share a taxi since we were going to the same general location! She and her friend were happy to go together with me. I felt like I should ask about her and ask if she wanted to have dinner another time! She spoke little english but it was an instant connection:-) So, we exchanged numbers and then went on our way. She and I have become good friends since this night and so on Valentine's day we went out together with some of her co-workers! This guy is a driver for her company and had never had dinner with a foreigner before...right before we took the picture he grabbed my hand and smiled really big:-) LOL It was so funny...HE asked for a copy..then the girls said he was going to hang it in his apartment. HA, needless to say he won't be getting a copy:-) But it was lots of fun! He kept trying to serve me rice and tell me he thought I was beautiful and do anything else he knew to do to try to make a good impression...like offer me is alcohol...I graciously declined and enjoyed watching him try to figure out how to make a good impression to a foreigner. The girls also thought it was quite a funny evening:-) Shirley brought me a Valentine flower and before we left thanked me for being her friend. Last week she and I had lunch and I shared the good news with her. Please lift this sweet girl up in your PRs!!! She was quite moved and we PRed together at lunch. She has many questions and I know HE is pursuing her for Himself. She will hopefully be going to fellowship with me soon!!

One of my sweet friends, Ami from Wuchang, invited some friends over to home for a wonderful home cooked Chinese meal!!! She and her father prepared most of the food along with one of our chinese friends, Berlin! When we arrived there were about 5 dishes already ont he table....there were over 20 dishes on the table before we were finished. It was a feast!!! They had more food to cook and we had to tell them there was NO WAY we could eat anything else! It was great!!! Ami played the piano for us and her father played the violin and then i played a little. It was such a fun night!

The party was also a time to say goodbye to our friend Miki...She left to go to University in Singapore:-( So sad not to get to see her but we hope to take a trip there sometime and visit her:-) Miki and Ami and the girls on either side of me:-)

After Dinner we played a few games of Jenga:-) It was hilarious! the loser of each round had to dance or sing for us!!!

Since classes have started up with a gusto i have been especially burdened for my students! Most of them speak hardly any English and don't understand most of what I say. This is quite frustrating to me as a teacher but also very burdensome for me as their friend. I really want to make sure they have a chance to learn all they can and know my heart about things. So I made a contest in all my classes. If the students joined the contest i surprised them by taking them to lunch:-) So everyday for one week I had a small group(or not so small) that I took to eat at a local restaurant! It was one of the most fun things I have done!!! Most of my classes are the same classes i had from last term. So we already have a relationship...but this has just grown our friendship and love for each other! I told the students they had to speak English the WHOLE time and I was the only one who could speak Chinese to the waitress:-) They thought this was great...but it was the quietest lunch I have ever had with chinese students:-) HA!

This is "Ms. Chandler in teacher mode"...lol"Black", the student beside me was worried about that we should order and how to tell me in English what he wanted:-) It was great:-) I was trying to tell them It was important that they only spoke English and I didn't care how slow they had to speak:-)

Black is one of my favorite students:-) He really tried to help me with the all Chinese menu!

These pics are all fromt he same class...I hate to say it but they are some of my favorites and the only class i remembered to take pics of:-) They are also my best english class...it is easiest to convers with them so we had time to think about pics:-) The other classes i was so concentrated on making sure they were engaged in English I didn't even thing of pics:-( Through this daily trip to the same restaurant I really got close to the workers...they began giving me a discount and now every time I walk past or eat here they say "Hey Lao Shi" translated "Hey teacher":-) It is great:-)

One of my best friends here in Wuhan, Karen, had her birthday at the end of Feb and we celebrated at a local restaurant! Many friends came and had a great time together!!! She is a teacher at the International School very close to my school and we have gotten very close. She is a blessing to me and I'm really grateful for her. We get to be involved together with wrshp in our local fellowship and She also attends the Beth Moore study I am having at my apartment this term:-) He is so faithful to give me friends that encourage me and have the same heart I do for the people here!

This cute girl on the left is Becca! She is also one of my best friends here! She and her husband Adam and their 2 little girls are such a joy to know! Adam is the leader of the organization I am here with! We had a surprise birthday party for her at Aloha Diner(Our favorite western restaurant)!!! Everyone talked about how Becca had blessed their lives and then Nathan sang an amazing song for her that he written:-) "Cause She's a Methodist, A Free Methodist"...It was the highlight for sure:-) So, February was quite the month! Lots of exciting things went on and The Father is working on many people here!