Buckle Up!

It's gonna be a crazy ride! The first team of 4 arrives on Monday. I've spent the last week planning their daily schedules which means I haven't slept much! There were some days that I worked until 11:30pm, woke up at 5:30 the next morning and started working at 6:00. BUT - with 4 teams coming in a 2 1/2 week time frame I decided we need some major organization :) They will be going to the ranch, taking lanuage class, helping with English class, participating in the bakery with the children, observing the Rehab room and/or elective classes the children take, manual labor projects, putting on programs, doing B-studies, visiting an orphanage, tourist stuff etc. Since the teams get here at different times they will be on different schedules. Plus, they need someone from CRAM to go to meals with them to help them order because they can't speak the language. That is a ton to keep track of! That is why I decided we need to be organized. We want the teams to feel at ease and taken care of. While all this is going on, the CRAM members still have their normal tasks to manage (me the rehab room and the ranch; others language classes and family). Whew!! Like I said - it's going to be crazy so Buckle Up people!

The horses are doing better, finally! I've been going out 2-3 times a week to work with them. Last Thursday I took 5 people with me and trained them to be horse leaders for the hippotherapy sessions. They did great!! This makes me feel very positive about the program - and excited! I spoke with the principal and she is okay with what we proposed (schedule, children, etc). This is a wonderful blessing!! The current principal is new this year and apparently MUCH nicer and obliging. The last principal was not so nice and loving and often wouldn't let volunteers play with the children.

I know I said I'm super busy but I'm loving it. Patricia and CY (everyone calls them mama and papa) said it seems like I've been working for them for years. They say I can't leave in November :) It is amazing how at ease I am here and how it feels so natural. Praise Him! Sorry I haven't put up any photos. People don't like their picture taken here (people out in public that is) - they get offended so I'm trying to be respectful. Hopefully I'll soon learn how to ask in Chinese. I love photos and I want to give you all a visual of the world I'm living in.

Okay - I must rest while I can. I'll soon be heading out to meet with some girls to go bowling or roller skating and then we are having some Korean-Chinese students over tonight. Last weekend we went to KTV - karaoke! It was so much fun. Each group has their own room with couches and a big screen tv with microphones. It was a blast - switching off from us singing American songs and them singing Chinese songs and everyone dancing around...it's hilarious at times :)

Wish you were here!!

Response

Aw, people ARE reading the blog! I really wasn't sure and I didn't know if it was interesting at all. After reading your responses on the site and in email - I will definitely keep up with it :o) I probably won't be able to write as often as I'd like but I'll do my best. It means so much that you all are standing behind me. Thank you!!!!

Busy times are Good

I've been in China now for 9 days and am already nice and busy. Last Monday I went to the bakery at the Special Education school and helped the kids make bread. It was great fun - they sing and dance and are all smiles. I learned how to use one hand to gracefully roll the dough into a perfect ball. The children are much better of course! They make 7,500 sweet red bean bread rolls each month! I must admit - they are tasty! :)

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings I will be going to the rehab room at the Special Education school. I began last week and things went better than I expected. I was nervous about my knowledge in pediatrics but reminded myself of the basics: if it's weak strengthen it; if it's tight stretch it. Of course there is so much more than that (balance, coordination, gait, sensory integration, speech issues, cognition, etc) but reminding myself of the basics helped take some pressure off :) I LOVE the children here! They are precious as are the two rehab techs (called teachers here). Karen, the PT who was here for 4 years, did a great job training them. Nate has been a big help translating too!

Beginning in late May, I will be doing the hippotherapy program out at the ranch Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. The children are so excited for this to begin! I am too but there sure is a great deal of work involved. This past Thursday I went out to the ranch to get familiar with the area, the horses and Zaibin - the ranch hand. He speaks some English but not a great deal. We've already decided that he will learn some English words from me and I will learn some Chinese from him. I will spend the next few weeks preparing the horses for the sessions - getting them used to people again, riding them and desensitizing them. A man named Jessie is normally here to do this but he is back in the States because of family issues. We hope to see him in June! I will speak with the principal of the Special Ed school to work out a schedule for this program and discuss which students will participate. Who gets to ride is up to her - not me. Finally, I need to find volunteers who are available to help and then train them. Whew!

I feel very honored that in the short time I have been here I've already established a good relationship with Patricia and CY Kim - the founders/leaders of CRAM. That being said, they've asked me to act as an assistant to them. This means I work in the office (it's at the Special Ed school) frequently. The work for them never ends so I'm very glad to help. This job alone could keep me busy for my 6 months :)

We have many teams coming to visit this May! Most are here for 10 days. I have been helping in the office to prepare for their visit - organizing who comes when, what they will do when they are here, who picks them up and drops them at the airport in Yanji, hotel reservations, etc. I can tell you I will not be bored in May, ha!

Other things I will dip my hands into: I hope to hang out with the children at the special ed school in the bakery, the art room, the sewing room, and out on the playing field. I will take a Chinese class however, I'm thinking that cannot occur until June. There is a family here who is planning on starting an orphanage out in a nearby village - I want to visit that village with them "often." There is a home for the elderly about two hours away - I'll go there a few times :) AND the CRAM staff gathers together on Saturday mornings at 7 and Sunday afternoons at 4. Hmmm - then there is "play" time and building relationships time.

Simply put - things are hoppin'! The emotion is under control now and I feel at ease here. I can't say I expected to feel this way and so quickly in China but I'm thankful that I do. I wish that I could tell you all about some of the deeper and more serious matters that go on, however under the circumstances I cannot. That being said - not exactly sure how this blog thing will work out this time around. I'm not even sure if people are reading it, ha! If it seems no one really is then I'm going to skip it. It takes time and energy :)

Hope you all are well! Stay in touch~

Settling In

Wow! It is so much colder here in Hunchun than I had anticipated! People are still wearing long johns under their clothes to keep warm and the wind wips around! I however, did not pack such clothing! Last night I was in my apartment with my hoodie pulled over my head in attempts to stay warm. Hopefully this cold weather leaves soon! We're in a mountainous region (mountains like the East in the States) and I can see snow on some of the peaks. To add to it - the heat is shut off in China on April 15th and not turned on again until mid October. Yee-haw!!

To fill you in on the team here: I would say the majority are Chinese or Korean. In our meetings all 3 languages are communicated. Everyone is so nice and loving! There are several Westerners too: four of us who are single, a young married couple with a 13 month old son, and a family with 4 children ages 13 years to 12 months old. My roommate, Grace, is a 32 y.o Korean-American which comes in handy - she speaks Korean very well which is the 2nd language here under Chinese (this is due to our location...30 minutes from NK). We have two meetings a week which is often the only time everyone sees the rest of the team. People are very busy here.

I've gone to the Special Education School and will dive into the physical therapy aspect on Tuesday. Nate, a Westerner here, will be translating for me while he is here the next 2 months. His Chinese is amazing thus he will be a HUGE help! I won't start the hippotherapy program until late May due to the weather. I'm very anxious for that to start...I feel confident with my skills in that area plus I'm ready to be around the horses :o)

I'm still in the adjustment phase. You've all said that I am so brave but I'm not so sure. My mornings are often filled with emotion - it's tough to do these things "alone." I know that the people here will soon become like family - I'm ready for that feeling. I miss my family and my friends. I've really been emotional over missing my dad. Traveling overseas again has brought back memory of the last time I was overseas and getting that phone call from mom. Hopefully there is healing coming from my tears over him. I believe there is :)

China

Hey guys! At this point, I am lacking the brain function to fill you in on my time thus far. I am extremely exhausted and largely affected by the jet lag! Know that I am safe, moved into my apartment, have an awesome roommate, and am amazed at the work being completed here by the organization I am with. I promise I will write soon!

Back in the USA

I want to thank everyone for their concern and love during this difficult time. The death of my father in Colorado was compeltely unexpected and has left my head spinning. We don't always understand why certain things happen or the role they are meant to play in our lives. However, I do believe that God knew the timing of all of this and I believe that he will continue to direct my path. I have quite a bit of processing ahead of me and do not know at this time what my near future holds. For now, I will remain in Colorado for an undetermined length of time. Please pray that I will have clarity as to what direction I am to take. I am an analyzer and unfortunately that leads me to see this from many different points all presenting different pros and cons. I know that I need to take care of myself and my family at this time. Asia is a difficult mission field and the last thing I want to do is go over there broken. Yet, I am also one who believes in finishing what you started, working hard, perservering, etc. Where is the balance? To put it simply, above all else, I want to do what is right...not necessarily what will present the least resistance. I greatly appreciate and need your support and prayers in this.
All my love,
Keira

A Peek

"Then the time came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was far more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

It's hard to paint a picture of my world this last week. I got to the point where I was doing a basic self-check: I knew that all 5 senses were still intact. I was breathing. I still had a heartbeat. However, I was numb...completely numb and yet completely tormented. Make any sense? Exactly. Some of you received those dark, tormented emails that provided a glimpse of what was taking place deep inside of me. Was it a reaction to my attempts of processing what I am about to take on? I don't know. But I fully believe that I would not have pulled through without your prayers and support. I can honestly say that in the last week I have experienced some of the most extreme, desperate and frightening emotions.

But alas, it has passed!! Now that I have reached the other side I can share some of my lighter experiences thus far in Thailand. I'm pretty sure I've perfected the squatie toilet and using a bucket of water to pour down the toilet to flush. I'm now used to a toilet "burping" at random moments thus requiring me to smell potent sulfur while lying in the other room or while showering practically on top of the toilet. I've gotten used to the idea of a mattress being so firm that when you are stepping onto it with your heavy backpack in tow, it doesn't move...at all. Forget the fancy memory foam! (You know the commercial where the woman jumps on the mattress and the glass of red wine doesn't spill?!) Just when I thought I couldn't improve, I've mastered the art of sweating like nobody's business. Delightful, eh?! (Beth and Maggie, I guarantee I will be using that trusty Neosporin at some point, ha!) My stomach became inspired by the olympics and has really taken to completing some sort of gymnastics throughout the day. Unfortunately, that has led to some peculiar sulfur taste in my mouth. Yummy! And don't be thinking there is any connection between my mouth and the burping toilet...gross! I have a feeling I'm really increasing my romantic potential with all of this talk :O)

On the relational side of things -- I've met some amazing people here! People from New Zealand, Australia, Holland - all so nice. Most are just traveling through but it's been great to have conversation and some laughs. And the locals are so, so friendly! The land of smiles and kindness! On the topic of nice people -- those from the organization we at GRI are teaming up with, Partners, are awesome! I just met them yesterday but already feel warmth from them. All but one girl are married with children (various stages of life) which is somehow very comforting to me right now. And they all have a common passion - a heart for the hurting and forgotten. I think I'll fit right in!

So, get ready for the adventure. There will be very high highs and low lows but because of you all I won't be alone! As I've said time and again - I want to live a life less ordinary. I guess I better cowboy up then! I love you all dearly and miss you! (Not to ruin the moment but there are little ants crawling on me in my bed right now!)
"Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." I John 3:18