Christmas with my Kids and Winter in Minnesota!

I just had a wonderful Christmas celebration with 4 of my 5 children (Isaac, #5, is in Xi'an with Kelley right now)!

Renee, Liza, Carly, and Nate
December 2012

Nate

Carly, Liza, Nate, Renee, and Colin (Carly's boyfriend) all met up in a beautiful setting in Wisconsin. Our friends, the Carlson's, let us take over their cabin for 2 days. We had a blast watching videos of Christmas' past and eating way too much of our favorite foods. We made the most of the time. I'm so proud of my children and blessed that we all have a great relationship. It was hard to say goodbye for another 5 or 6 months, but we are looking forward to spending more time together this coming summer.



I thought I might be able to sneak in and out of Minnesota without any of the "winter-y" stuff.

When I arrived it was in the 50's and even 60's. I thought to myself, "wow, maybe Minnesota weather isn't as bad as I have made it out to be"....... But, Minnesota had the last laugh!

A foot of snow later....
I was scraping windows and shoveling snow. It sure is beautiful though.

I head back to China today. It's always great to return to the States, we have such an amazing country. China is not an easy place to live, but Kelley, Isaac, and I have a "grace" to be there. We love our time in China and know that is right where we should be.

Exciting things are taking shape in China, so I'm anxious to get back....I'm also really missing my wife!

Lots of Progress

The Historic Bell tower in Xi'an

It has been an incredible few months in Xi'an.

Kelley has been leading women's groups and recently meet with a group of 20 young girls about important decisions they will face in life.

Kelley with young women, sharing
advice on good decision making

We have also been able to meet folks who are connected to the local business community and are excited about future possibilities.

Kelley's blonde hair tends to
draw a crowd!

We recently visited an english
teaching center for children. Parents
are also taught in another area of the facility.

Life in Xi'an is definitely not easy, but we are blessed and love our lives in China.

Preparing a salad, wash every leaf!!
--- Just another day in our life of Xi'an.

More to come!!!

Life in Full Swing in Xi'an

The meat market!

Kelley and I have been hard at work since our return to Xi'an. It has been an incredibly busy two months! We've settled in to life in China again and are moving many things forward.

Kelley buying a pillow.

Our language teachers gave us a progress test that included listening, speaking, and writing in Chinese. WE had great results. Both us and our teachers were very pleased with our language progress. For those of you interested in keeping track, Doug has the slight edge having scored 1 percentage point better than Kelley (keep in mind that Doug is writing this blog entry!).

Crazy hair day during
Spirit Week

Our son Isaac is running for student body president at his international school here in Xi'an. They narrowed the field down to him and a good friend of his. Last week they campaigned at the school and speeches are today. We're so proud of him. We'll let you know how things turn out.

Happy Birthday Renee!!
(pictured at only 4 years old...She's all grown up now!)

Back in the States, it's my daughter Renee's birthday today! We had a fun time Skyping this morning and talking about her week and our upcoming plans for Christmas time with her and her siblings. I am so blessed to have wonderful children.

There was recently a funeral in our
building complex. These are traditional
wreaths for a funeral

Here in Xi'an, Kelley and I are excited about the continued connections we are making. We regularly have opportunity to speak. Kelley has been asked to lead a women's group starting this week. Next month, we have our first public opportunity to speak in Chinese. Amazing to think we haven't even been here a year yet and already we are making presentations in Chinese.

Kelley with a Little girl that she
bought a sucker for. She was
just at the doctors office.

We are beginning to translate materials for groups in the Northeast. These materials will be used by numerous fellowships and clubs that see a need for helping those trapped in life controlling addiction.

 
We are thankful for excellent health!

Bless you all,
Doug and Kelley