Times to Remember

Wow...so much has happened lately that I cannot relate it all, but I will do my best to share highlights from the last couple weeks. Right now it is actually 12:10 on a Sunday night. I just finished making 2 batches of brownies for a movie night tomorrow. I went to 3 rooms to see if anyone wanted to help make brownies and ended up with 10 girls!! A huge improvement from past occasions!
The past few weeks have just flown by and now here we are, almost into December. Perhaps the biggest news of late would be my unexpected trip to Hong Kong! What seemed to be a somewhat crazy (and it was) situation turned out to be such a treat! My visa is a visitors visa and allows me to stay in the country for 60 days. This was to expire on the 19th of November. Before I came to Taiwan I was told that it would be no problem to renew my visa here in Taiwan (the lady working with me from Christ's College had called some office here to find out). So before the 19th we went to that office to get it renewed. Well, we found out that she had been told wrong, I could not renew it there, I needed to leave the country. One of the closest places is Honk Kong. So we were able to find cheap tickets and a cheap (but nice) hotel and Amanda (the other intern) and I went to Hong Kong for two days! We had about a day and half in which we toured as much of Hong Kong as we could. We saw many places, did shopping, and found our way around and across the water of the huge city. It truly was an amazing experience and we both had so much fun! We were praying quite a bit about the return, that they would allow me back into Taiwan and give me another 60 days, they did! The only down point (perhaps high point for some!) to this was that it causes me to have to come home a week earlier than I had anticipated. This means that I will be leaving around or on the very last day of exams. This may be a bit crazy and would not really allow me to leave in a more settled state or have a few last times with some of the students after classes are out. But God has His hand all over this and I know He has it worked just as He desires!
Here are a few pictures from Hong Kong!


(View of Hong Kong Island)

(Jackie Chan and I have the same size hands!)

(Tsing Ma Bridge - Worlds longest road-and-rail suspension bridge)

(Amanda and I overlooking Hong Kong from The Peak)

Thanksgiving this year will be one I always remember, particularly because it was like no other Thanksgiving I have ever had. Naturally, no one really does anything for Thanksgiving here. Students were having midterms, but the staff of Christ's College always has a big Thanksgiving dinner together. So during the day on Thanksgiving we began painting the English Dorm hallway. All the walls are white and plain, the halls look like a hospital. We wanted to bring some color, make it look a little more 'homey' (this was a bit difficult at first for some of the students to understand I think, they just didn't really get it!). So a few of us began painting and continued to get others to help out as they came by! It was a fun Thanksgiving day activity and a great time with the students!


(Walls before paint)

(Girls painting the walls)

(Walls after painting!)

Yikes!!

So, one day I went over to Judy's (one of the English teachers) house to get her help for a recipe to use to make a dessert with some of the students. As we were sitting there talking I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. I looked up to see a huge spider, probably the size of a large sand dollar, emerging from behind a picture on the wall. I do believe my heart stopped for a few seconds and I was up out of my chair with my hand on the door knob. I normally am ok with spider...but this was more along the lines of a small rodent. The spider moved across the wall faster than I thought possible and kinda fell down to the floor. I was trying to stay calm by actually staying in the house, but I was ready to run at any second. During all of this Judy had not moved from her chair, but was just very calmly (as she always is) watched. I asked her what she normally does about them, since she has had them before. She said that she normally has bug spray, but that it was in the kitchen...in which the spider was now blocking the way to. So, to try to help the matter, Judy picked up a bottle of cleaning spray that was on the table and squirted the spider a few times. He scurried somewhere into the kitchen and out of sight. So we went back to our recipes and left him to find his way home. I hope he did, because I sure don't want to see him again....ugghh!
I knew those things existed...but actually seeing one in real life is quite an experience!!

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I cannot believe it is almost halfway through November and less than two weeks until Thanksgiving! The past few weeks have been busy and fun with many new experiences. I am learning many things about who God is, ministering and ministry, who I am, and what God has called me to do now and in the future. I am being stretched and strengthened, praise Jesus!
At the beginning of November the school had their annual Sports Day! The morning of the big events I had to be out at the field at a certain time and the students had a different time they had to be out there. Well, it ended up that I got locked inside the girls dorm building. Fortunately there were cleaning ladies inside that I hoped had a key, unfortunately, they speak absolutely no English. After about 10 minutes of hand motions, acting things out, going from floor to floor, they finally got the idea that I could not get out. I think they were trying to tell me to get out of the building...while I was trying to tell them I couldn't!! However, I learned that there is an advantage to not being able to speak the same language...you don't know what they are saying when they yell at you, so it doesn't upset you!!! Yeah, I think they were a bit upset at me....but I don't know why! haha...experiences to remember! ;)
These are a few pictures of Sports Day!

(Students lined up to begin Sport Day)


(Mr. Lyle, Amanda, Sam, Me, and Christie)


(Dr. Hovater getting the girls ready for tug-o-war)


(playing games!)