A late update

Dear friends and family,

First off we want to let you know that Rachel and I are still alive. A lot more has happened since our last update and a lot more is on our plate, but we are still doing. We're also very excited to share the story of what G_d is doing in China. I can honestly say that Rachel and I have see the more progress in the last two months than previously. Both in the school and in our meetings.

I'm sorry that I'm going to have to do bullet points for this update, I just don't have time for all the details.

1. Rachel and I are excited to publicly announce that we are expecting. We are very excited about the quickly growing addition to our family. Baby Ice Cream is about four months along and roughly the size of my fist.

2. A couple of weekends ago we have a national day which gave us a three day weekend. Just enough time to go to a neighboring city and see some sights. We decided on the province capital city, NanChang. Home of the "Star of NanChang" - the second largest Ferris wheel in the world. Which was well worth the trouble of the visit!

3. While in the City we also spent some time with a fellow teacher visiting her college. Her name is Wendy and we got to be her first two Foreign friends. A big deal for any Chinese person, but especially those that enjoy English.

4. Once we arrive in Nanchang we met Wendy's boyfriend - "San Peng" After getting to know him over the weekend, we gave him an English name, "Peter" for obvious reasons.

5. We have our return tickets to America and are very excited about coming home and seeing family and friends! It has been a long time already and we still a another few months to go.

6. Right now the big thing on our plate is an English competition this weekend. We have a large number of students that are trying to enter, and we are training most of them ourselves on top of our normal schedule. Being the only foreign teacher, there is a lot of pressure on us to make them perfect. But they only gave us a few weeks notice, so it is far from perfect.

7. After the competition, Apple Tree is going to start a discussion group for students, teachers and parents alike to practice English. I am very excited to see how it help in the English learning process.

8. Lastly, Rachel and I have seen great process in the spiritual realm of things. On more than one occasion Tim and Mabel have brought up spiritual matters without us, have begone to pray for things without us present and have made some really tough decisions in a positive direction. All in all, we have seen some real growth in them and their family. Rachel has even had the opportunity to share the good news with their son and his classmate, Petty. It has been a wonder to see and experience

Beyond the information and events listed above, Rachel and I are doing well. We are tired for sure and excited to come back to America, but we are taking the trials with joy. They are growing us together and deepening our faith. We truly appreciate your prayers and encouragements, I often believe it is the only thing keeping us here and allowing us to see such growth. Thank you!

Jeremy and Rachel VanStrien + Baby Ice Cream :)

Feel free to Email us for more details or questions, or just to say "Hello!" We'll are more than happy to return emails.  

March Update

Dear friends and family,

I have the hardest time comprehending that March has already come and gone. I don't know if it has to do with being in China, being a teacher or something else. Regardless of why I cannot keep up with the speed of time, it is time for another update to let you know that Rachel and I are alive and well.

That much is true, Rachel and I are doing well. We are really enjoying the changing weather, the culture around us and new foods with the changing season. March is the first month where you can feel spring coming. You can also hear it! Pingxiang has some of the most sporadic thunder storms I have ever experienced. It could be perfect clear walking home, and then pouring by the time we eat dinner and clear by the time we go to bed. And the thunder is incredibly loud! But that might have to do with the lack of insulation in the walls.

Other changes have begun to take place here in Pingxiang. They have been slow, but most noticeable this month. They aren't the changes that you might expect nor are they for the better. For example; the teachings hasn't gotten any harder, nor have people stopped staring at us, but somethings has changed. Something I believe to be in the area of motives, purpose, or at least priority. I personally would argue for the spiritual realm.

When Rachel and I arrived in China, the spiritual condition of our host family wasn't the greatest, but it had potential for growth. We were meeting for ch--ch, learning news songs in chruch and even pr@ying somewhere regularly for meals. However, as the school has begins to grow and classes grow, spiritual things gets pushed aside. Even eating with our host family is being replaced with the efficient meal-budget. All little changes that are resulting in something much bigger.

Our relationship has changed from being something we enjoy to something to endure. As a whole, the spiritual condition has darkened around us. Rachel and I first noticed this change when we got much more serious about pr@ying and redirection the problem around us. The days we wake up earlier to pr@y are the same days we have the roughest classes or the most schedule changes. You could argue coincidence, but we are feeling a little more than just the common occurrence. Whenever we push an idea, we get a serious push back.

For those who pr@y, we would highly appreciate it. We are finding ourselves fighting against something slightly different than the language barrier. We want to make the most of the remaining time we have, and that is going to require power and help outside of ourselves. We will likewise be pr@ying for progress in our efforts. Rachel and I believe that things can take a real positive turn. The trick is just getting things turned around. We trust that G_d is more powerful than anything we are facing, but it will still come with a great deal of effort and energy. 

Rachel and I are hardpressed, but we have courage. In the midst of the downward turn and the trials we have been facing, we can see G_d leading in a positive way. Just one more thing to prove what Romans says is true, "And we know that in all things G_d works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." We just have to figure out what His purpose is for us. Until then we greatly appreciate your partnership in our efforts and even the encouragement we receive knowing you read our emails. We'll continue to look forward reuniting with some of you very soon.

With much love,

Blessings from the VanStriens

P.S.

Despite what the attached picture of us in China might depict, we have some idea of what is going on, too.

February Update

Happy Chinese New Year!

According to the Chinese calendar, it is a whole new year. Which means, I am due for an update.

February has been a very exciting month and it isn't just because of all the fireworks and New Year celebrations that we got to experience. Rachel and I were blessed to have her family come and the opportunity to travel around China for a week. It still surprises me how much you can really do in a week. I write a brief list for those who have more than one email to read. Following the list will be the more detailed version.

• Accelerated English courses started the end of January into this month. Five or more hours a day, 6 days a week for two weeks.
• Time off/Vacation from the 5th to the 19th of February.
• Took an offer to teach a college student English for five days and loved it. Rachel and I co-taught pronunciation and phonetics.
• Took the train to Shanghai and met up with Rachel's family for the week and receive some of the gracious gifts sent with them.
• Traveled via bullet train to Beijing.
• Lost our hotel directions, few spoke English, it was cold. Made for a great evening!
• Saw the great wall, Tiananmen square, and the forbidden city
• All of us traveled on the sleeper train back to Pingxiang for the last two days of vacation
• Met a young boy named Bill and a girl named Fang Shan (pronounced: Fun Shun), both Chinese.
• Taught them to pay some card games in English
• Shared a "better story" with them too.
• Rachel's family nearly missed their return flight back to the states
• My Chinese phone is now in America.
• We had a big meeting with our host about the school, our group of believers, and a few other things
• Rachel and I have to decide whether to stay another year or not
• We received some study curriculem for our group.
• Rachel and I will start the spring semester next week and be joined with all the Chinese teachers.
• Rachel and I might start Chinese classes before the month is over.

Now for the details.

 Every time we send out a monthly update, we get the feeling so much has happened that it's hard to describe everything in adequate detail. The good news is… most of what took place was a lot of fun. Of course, that makes it easy to write about—and hopefully easy to read!

We are just getting back into teaching after having a small break for the Chinese New Year. We had approximately three weeks off, which was a very welcome and very much-needed break since we worked through Christmas. Well, I should say we kind of took time off. During our first week of vacation, we wound up co-tutoring a college student named David, who was getting ready to take an important test this month. He knew a lot about English, but he had a very thick accent. After four days with us, the poor guy was exhausted and tongue-tied! Both Jeremy and I discovered that we liked tutoring older students a lot. We also think about things from entirely different angles, which has proven valuable in our marriage and when we tag-teach.

The day we finished tutoring David in pronunciation, Jeremy and I raced home to pack. We boarded an overnight train that afternoon, and headed to Shanghai to meet my mom and sister! We can't even begin to say how good it was to see them. We had grown accustomed to not hearing native English speakers. Or familiar faces. Or family. Their presence, even for just a week, was refreshing to say the least. They came armed with all kinds of donations for us and Apple Tree. We have got spices and cookbooks (and Rooibos tea!) for our home, good material for our weekly book meetings, and we have more additions to the library and game cabinet at school. On a different note, it was also encouraging to compare our knowledge of Chinese language and culture with newcomers. We still don't know a lot of things, but we certainly have learned a lot since we first got off our first flight. In some ways, it seemed like we were seeing China for the first time all over again. Mom and Lillian would point out something new and unusual, and we would remember how unfamiliar everything was to us when we first came.

However, there was plenty of China that we had not experienced—and that included our next stop, Beijing. The next day, the four of us lugged our suitcases back into the city and got on a bullet train. The train was really fast, but it honestly didn't feel as awesome as any of us had anticipated. It just kind of felt like a really fast train. The Chinese had warned us not to expect too much, but you know how that goes. Some things you just have to experience yourself.

Once we got to Beijing, we had a ton of trouble getting to a hotel. It was bitterly cold, and we spent four hours walking around—trying desperately to figure out where our original hotel was (the opposite end of one of the biggest cities in the world), how we could get a taxi to take us and all of our bags, where we could sleep for the night (it was going on 11pm) and most importantly—where we could find a bathroom. All of this took place on empty stomachs, since we hadn't eaten anything but nuts and soup the entire day. After some quick thinking on Jeremy's part and some help from Tim back in Pingxiang, we wheeled all our suitcases down one of those sinister alleys you see in Jackie Chan movies to our hotel. We stuck it out there for the next three days, and it didn't turn out half bad. The rest of the vacation was awfully fun. We saw the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square… not to mention a host of tourist shops, markets, restaurants, etc. Mom and Lil took pictures of everything they found interesting, which was quite a lot. We'll post pictures so you get an idea of what things looked like.

After Beijing, the four of us boarded an overnight train to Pingxiang. Mom and Lil had 17 hours to get used to Chinese travel by train. What's that look like? Picture triple bunks stacked nearly the ceiling, with people crammed in every available nook and cranny. What's it smell like? Noodles and spicy Chinese food if you're lucky; disgusting bathrooms and stinky feet more often than not. What's it sound like? Crying babies and Mandarin spoken at full volume at all hours of the night. That might not sound too pleasant, but the emphasis on community and relationship-building makes it all worth it. Everyone was curious to see the Americans, and quite a few people were brave enough to talk with us. We met a boy named Bill who wanted to practice his English with us, and we have already begun to correspond with him via email. We also met a girl named Fen Shang, a sweet girl who helped translate for us to the rest of the curious passengers and vice versa. Best of all, Mom talked with a woman named Tracy from 1-3 in the morning! Tracy is an English teacher from Beijing, so her level of English was very good. Mom took full advantage of that to share truth with her.

A few hours after Mom's conversation with Tracy, we arrived in Pingxiang. Mom and Lillian liked our apartment a lot, and they really enjoyed meeting Tim, Mabel and David. Tim and Mabel went all out to show them hospitality. We went to a fancy restaurant where my family got to try eating donkey for the first time. (It's really good, just in case you get a chance to try it yourself!) The next day, Mom taught Mabel the basics of hand-quilting, while the rest of us played Egyptian Rat Killer. We also showed them the school, our Wal-Mart, Pingxiang's city center, etc. It was so nice to show off our little city. We enjoyed it immensely, and I think they did too. After just seven days in China, they flew back home and are already back into life in America.

Just after Mom and Lillian left, we got the chance to sit down with Tim and Mabel. Since we have officially been in China for six months now, we decided it would be good to give them an honest assessment of what we think of working at Apple Tree. This conversation kind of laid the foundation for figuring out if we'll stay on for another year or not. We talked for nearly two hours, and at the end we all felt very satisfied with how the conversation went. Now, it just remains to be seen whether or not serious change will take place. If it does, that will give us incentive to stay. If not, we will probably have to leave Pingxiang, as much as we love it here.

As always, here are a few things you can be thinking about for us:

• The leadership/management of Apple Tree

• The decision whether to stay here or not

• Finding solutions to problems that have been raised with the school

• Our Book meetings, since we've started a new series with a group from Albuquerque

• Reaching our students, especially Petty, who's been asking lots of good questions

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts! Please write as you're able. We always love hearing news from the States.  

Blessings from the VanStriens

China Update January

So, Rachel and I were thinking about doing something a little different with this update. Instead of telling you all the relatively boring things that have happened, we will spice it up a bit. We have compiled a list of "Best Moments in China." It contains some of our favorite sights, conversations and responses while in China.

First-- the sites we have seen while walking around our part of China. Some of them I have had to take a step back and wonder if I really saw it, and others I just cannot help but laugh really loudly! Before I give you my list, I should let you know that Americans are normally the ones stared at here in China (not the odd sights I will tell you about.) Wherever we go, the Chinese are fascinated. Taxi drivers, the parents of our students and especially people on the street just stare... and stare... and stare...

• There is a restaurant on the way to work. As Rachel and I are walking by we cannot help but notice this lady's hair! It is Huge!!! Looked like a bulbous bouffant.
• Another common sight is people washing their hair in odd places. We saw a lady washing her hair in a restaurant, right next to where they cook the food!
• My personal favorite was seeing a man doing some remodeling. Imagine with me a split room - one upper section and one lower section. This man was standing on the upper section and destroying the divider between the sections. I wanted to stick around and see what happened next, but the result of destroying the floor under you is the same - regardless of your country.
• As many know, China has a lot of small cars and trucks. Yet, even with smaller vehicles they still manage to move large amounts of all sorts of things. Our favorite is a cardboard recycle truck we saw... a small blue truck with cardboard stacked nearly to the street light.
• Rachel and I go for a walk enjoying our day off and we hear a noise. Keep walking and hear it again. A cat! Look a little closer and we found the cat was tied to the fire hydrant. What a joyous moment if you are a dog. Find a hydrant and a snack! Haha (Sorry animal lovers). 
• Our personal favorite? That would have to be the motorcycle we saw on our way to work one morning. Motorcycles are not uncommon, but this particular one caught us off guard. We could barely see the bike because of the amount of live chickens that were hanging from every available spot. Four or five chickens dangled from each handlebars, while six more were tied to the seat. Of course, there were three to four crammed into a compartment in the back. Rachel and I found it hysterical, but everyone else viewed this with an attitude of "How else can you get chickens to the market?" 

As English teachers, we get the chance to witness what happens when students don't practice their English. Below are some of the funny responses we have receive when talking to students. In Q&A format.

Q: What is your favorite color? A: Clock

Q: What animal is this? A: It's a elegant (supposed to be "Elephant".) B: It's a trousers. (supposed to be "Giraffe." Same student... one of Rachel's. :) 

Q: How old are you? A: I am sex! (Six).

Conversations:

• Our Chinese teachers regularly practice reading and speaking to improve their grammar and vocabulary. On occasion they will call us to understand or pronounce a word. Our favorite so far is when we received a call late at night about how to pronounce a word. "Jeremy? How do you say this word? Is it hobo or hObO? (Short or long vowels)" Though a very easy and innocent question, it made our evening.

Rachel and I hope that you are able to enjoy life as it comes and not take things too seriously. February 8th begins the Chinese New Year. If we survive all the fireworks we'll be sending another email at the end of the month. 

Blessings from the East,

Jeremy and Rachel

Happy "Merry Christmas" and New year

As much as I (Jeremy) want to avoid it, every time I take attendance for my classes I have a bit of shock on my face when I write the date. First it was Thanksgiving... and now Christmas has come and gone. I can hardly believe it is almost the end of the year and the beginning of another one. I have already gotten a few yearly updates from friends and family about the different things they have done over the year. Once I get past the shock, I'd say it's been a great year, without a doubt.

December in itself has been a fairly full month. For starters, two of our top students traveled up to Beijing for their big English test, Jeremy contracted chicken pox (not as bad as they make it sound), we traveled down to Hong Kong to take care of some paper work, then we put on a Christmas program and had our own Christmas only two days later. The wildest part of this whole thing is, throughout the whole month, we did not stop teaching or cancel classes. 

The weather has gotten much colder this month, more than I could have expected. we should rephrase that, we have been colder this month then we expected, the weather really isn't that bad. The problem here is, they simply do not insulate their buildings or believe in heating their homes. People seem to just live in the cold and deal with it. Jeremy, on the other hand, has not accepted this idea and is finding new ways to stay warm and make our home livable during the colder months of the winter. Little things like putting foam padding against the single-paned glass does wonders. 

Many people have asked how we celebrate Christmas around here, which is a great question. The Chinese use Christmas as an excuse to boost sales, but they don't actually celebrate it. If the 25th hadn't fallen on a Tuesday, chances are we wouldn't have even gotten the day off. We certainly used the time we had, though. Christmas morning was spent celebrating the wedding of one of our co-workers. Experiencing a Chinese wedding is not too unusual we found-- you just go out to eat a huge meal with the other friends and family of the bride or groom. Other than a few more fireworks and the bride's white dress, it would be hard to tell it was a wedding! Afterward, Jeremy & I began preparing for Christmas dinner. Thirteen of our Chinese friends and co-workers came over to Tim & Mabel's where we fed them a full American spread. Jeremy did a terrific job of creating American dishes with Chinese ingredients! He managed to make mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, pineapple pork (since they didn't have ham readily available at the market), dinner rolls, baked chicken & rice casserole and coleslaw. For dinner, we served banana muffins and apple pie. It was quite a feast, especially for people with Chinese-sized appetites. Our favorite part of the evening was probably watching the Chinese eat gravy, as strange as that might sound. Since they thought it was soup, a couple of them drank it by the bowlful! 

As the calendar moves closer and closer to 2013, Jeremy & I (Rachel) have taken time to reflect on everything we've done this year. I am overwhelmed by the grace we have received through this year; there is no way we could accomplish everything without it. Here's a brief sketch of what all has happened: 

• Rachel's South Africa trip with Chamber Singers (March 10-17)
• Rachel's performance of "A Shayna Maidel", a play set after World War II (March 1-3)
• Jeremy's completion of CVC internship in Ohio
• Rachel's senior voice recital (May 3) 
• College Graduation (May 5)
• Rachel's last summer home
• Rachel's 3 months of employment at Moriarty Community Library
• Jeremy's 3 months of working 3 jobs
• Pre-wedding reception & China announcement in New Mexico (June 9)
• Rachel's 22nd birthday (July 25) 
• Our wedding (August 11) 
• Move to China (August 23)
• Employment at Apple Tree English Training Center
• Our best friends from college were married; week in the USA (September 8)
• Jeremy's 23rd birthday (September 22) 
• First Thanksgiving as a married couple (November 22)
• First Christmas as a married couple (December 25)
• Childhood best friend's wedding (December 28) 

During such a great amount of changes in a small amount of time, we're grateful for your friendship and support. We need people around us, and we appreciate all of you who continue to do that from far away. 

 

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year from the VanStriens :)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving - Chinese edition

Blessings from some rice stuffed pilgrims

~Jeremy and Rachel VanStrien

"Grocery" List Update - Nov

Dear friends and family,

The last few weeks have been anything but boring, and the past couple of days are no exception. Rachel and I continue to rack up new experiences together, some good and some not so good. We trust that the bad things are molding and shaping us into the people we need to be. As for the good things, we just sit back and enjoy them.

This section is just for those that want to know the basics of how we are doing and get on with other things. So, without delay: Rachel and I have experienced everything from eating Chinese take-out for a date, to being taken out for Chinese with company owners and everything between. We are constantly surprised at how many things a person can experience in the matter of two weeks. We are doing better even with Rachel taking her turn at being sick and losing her voice. Next week is inspection, that really shapes what the next few months look like for us.

Now for those that want the details. Rachel and I are doing well and adapting to our "schedule" as best as we can given the nature of it. We have a good idea what to expect each week, and are getting more comfortable with doing things outside of just class. The past weekend we decided to take advantage of an evening off and get some Chinese for dinner instead of making it ourselves. It was surprisingly easy, but the whole idea just made us laugh. Americans ordering Chinese takeout... in China. I hope you appreciate the humor as much as we did. Maybe the next time we go out we can order some American take-out. They have something that looks like a mix between KFC and Burger King. Still not sure what I think of it.

On the subject of food. Surprisingly, that is something we have adapted to quite well. Even an ever-changing teaching schedule is something we got used to pretty quickly, but the changes taking place in the states are the ones getting to us. We hear about people graduating from colleges, starting new jobs, or celebrating birthdays. Those are the kinds of things that I cannot get used to hearing while being a world away. Those are the things that just get harder each time. Missing thanksgiving at my house with the family, not making a Christmas tree with Rachel's family. Those are the real sacrifices. I personally can live on rice just fine, and being cold is bearable, but being away from family and friends is the hard part. Especially during the holidays, keep us in mind.

It isn't all sacrifice though, that much is for sure. Especially when you are one of the only Americans in the city - It comes with some perks. Pretty much everyone wants to be your friend, take you out to dinner or invite you to your home so they can practice their English. We are now friends with a Chinese millionaire, the chief of police, the owner of a beauty salon, and a few other people. I don't have a clue what their names are, but they say "We be friends" so that is good enough for me.

Now, you might be wondering, "How did they get in contact with the chief of police?" So I'll tell you the short version of a long story.
Because we are foreign teachers in a private training school, there is a lot of paper work involved on a multitude of different levels. This is especially true when our competing schools complain about how we operate. One that we have dealt with a few different times is registering with the local police station. And since the chief's daughter wants to learn English, guess who he wants to befriend? Us.
And that is the short story of how we know the chief of police.

Now, on to the business side of this email. People have been asking about how they can help and what ways we need support. As much as we encourage them to support other ministries, they continue to ask. So, to follow the advice of a man with whom I am very close, I am making a wish list of all the things we need or could use. Most items on the list do not need to be bought, only funded. With shipping and exchange rates, the best thing is for us to buy from companies within China. There are only a few American items that will need to be brought or shipped over. If there is anything you would be willing to help with, shoot me an email.

For the school.

1. Foreign Teacher(s) - Granted, this cannot be bought at the store, but it is a financial need. Having another foreign teacher will allow the school to expand and give the current teachers a lighter load all around. To hire another teacher, the school needs to raise roughly $800/Month.
2. Photo copier - ours only works 50% of them time.
3. School Supplies - Pencils, colored pencils, colored markers, glue sticks, and cheap paper plates for crafts.
4. Give away prizes for students: Hot wheel cars, American candy and anything small that is clearly made in America. 
5. Games - Bananagrams, Jenga, Boggle, letter/spelling/grammar games. 

For Jeremy and Rachel

1. iPad - I know, I am being ridiculous, it is definitely a wishlist item. But when I am looking at the options for replacing my computer, it is the most logical. It can function in a class room or at home, and there are thousands of free apps for learning and for organizing. 
2. Dishes - We want to be hospitable to our Chinese friends; however, we currently have two small bowls... which makes it difficult to host people. We need a few plates and bowls for the people we invite over for dinner. Dinner items for 6 people would cost about $25 with enough left over for food to feed them.
3. Recipes - This is an easy one and it's free: Good and easy recipes for classic American food. Rachel and I cook for our study group Monday mornings and our Chinese friends want to learn to cook different American dishes. Soups, stews, and different ways to cook meat are things they really want to know.
4. American spices - China has red pepper, white pepper, black pepper and chili pepper. Oh, and ginger. We could use some more.

With much love and appreciation from some spice-less pilgrims,

Jeremy and Rachel