Summer

The summer began with Kelly taking a trip to Mongolia with a team from school for two weeks. They did a lot of hiking much to Kelly's dismay because her pack weighed roughly 37 pounds. They spent time with Mongolian students and learned about the culture there. They built yurts (their type of home) for people in the local fellowship there and spent time at the orphanage which was Kelly's favorite part of the trip.


There is not a lot to do in summer in Tianjin but we did manage to find a few activities. Every Monday night the expat families here went to the school and had a picnic followed by games like kickball, soccer, basketball and the little ones played on the playground. It was a nice time to get out and use some energy as well as get to know our other team members better. We also got away to a small village called Ji Xian and visited our friends and had some adventures on the Ldi ropes course and climbing wall. This is where we celebrated John's 10th birthday. He was able to shoot bb guns, have a horseback ride and a motorcycle ride all on his special day. The Ldi experiential course was hosting a game day for the local village children and it was a joy to see them have so much fun and build relationships with the team.


We did manage to get away as a family to Qinhuangdao which is a smaller city of 1.5 million but nicely located on the Bohai Sea. It was relaxing, beautiful and we loved every minute. We stayed at a Holiday Inn right on the Sea and went to see the Dragon's head which is the part of the wall that starts in the sea and also the third gate. The third gate has some unique history and you can walk through the tunnel that the Qing army dug to bypass the wall and eventually overthrew the Ming dynasty.


As first year staff, we stayed behind to help cover the vacant positions. David had more time to work with our Chinese national team. He also had language lessons, spoke at fellowship and emceed fellowship. Jenny did some work for school, orphanage and had time to paint and decorate the apartment a little. We have spent the last couple of weeks helping new staff shop and learn how to get around here in Tianjin. Summer is over now and we are looking forward to spending next summer in Michigan with our family and friends!