I have come to learn that I am a past-oriented person. The way that I face the future is by reflecting on my past experiences and emotions. This blog is part reflection, part practice in thankfulness, and part of my grieving process… so that I can walk forward stronger. In January 2020, I complete a 30 Day Yoga Challenge titled “HOME” through Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. After the 2019 Christmas holiday (when Kelly came to visit me in China) our school commences for two weeks of classes before Lunar New Year holiday. On January 20, my roommate Grace, our friend Gloria, and I fly to Thailand for a planned two week holiday to visit Grace’s parents. There are whispers and rumors that a sickness has become an issue in western China. I think little of it. I meet an elephant. On January 29th, while still in Thailand, we receive news that our school decided to delay opening for two weeks due to virus outbreak in China. Classes are scheduled to resume online temporarily. Grace, Gloria, and I decide to extend our stay in Thailand for some fun and sunny weather. At the end of the month, after much deliberation and prayer through November and December, I send in my official resignation letter to ISQ. We are living in the village where Grace’s parents have agreed to take us in for an extended amount of time. The well runs out of water on more than one occasion and Thailand hits the start of dry season. School is delayed reopening for another two weeks. Grace, Gloria, and I are teaching online through Home-Based Learning from Mae Ai, Thailand. We adjust to the one hour time difference between Thailand and China while teaching. The news projects the virus is spreading and getting worse. I begin to have nightmares. I run 42km in 29 days. I begin applying for jobs and have interviews with schools in Fiji and Austria. On February 11-12, we travel to Chiangmai to renew my soon-to-expire tourist visa for another 30 days. School is delayed another four weeks. I make plans to return to China anyways as rumors spread that the Thai immigration office is turning away requests for renewed visas. I continue with job interviews in South Korea, England, Bolivia, and Fiji. I run 32km in 31 days. China closes its borders to all foreign countries. I cry a lot. After 55 days in Thailand, I decide that I will return to America to wait until I can return to China. I say what I think are temporary goodbyes to my roommate Grace and friend Gloria. I fly home with over 50 hours of travel time from Thailand to Atlanta, Georgia through Malaysia and Qatar. My friend Brittany picks me up in Atlanta and I feel strange. I am reunited with Benji and my family. I continue teaching online, but now with a twelve hour time difference. My classes run between 6:00 PM and 2:00 AM EST. All four Manning siblings unexpectedly end up back at home due to Coronavirus hitting the USA. At this time I am hopeful that I will get back to China before the end of the school year. I apply and audition for Sight & Sound Conservatory. I continue teaching online (resulting in poor sleep and many tears). Live classes, assemblies, parent/teacher conferences, and staff meetings take up hours of the day and night. I run 40km in 30 days. I begin meeting with a global counselor from Barnabas International. My brothers and I compete in Bradley James’s unofficial “Merlin” Quiz Night where we finish in the top ten of thousands of contestants. I am overwhelmed by the uncertainty of when I will get back to China and turn down all job offers from Fiji, South Korea, England, and Bolivia. I am still clinging to hope that I will get back to China before the end of the school year. I discover podcasts and begin listening to many in all my free time. I run 22 km in 30 days. It begins to dawn on me that I may not make it back to China before June, I choose to remain optimistic. I begin to video chat with friends who are still in China at 5:00 AM or midnight to talk them through packing up my apartment. It is a really difficult ordeal. I am still teaching online through the night. I attend the Odyssey Representative Meeting online… it is a very emotional encounter. I celebrate my 29th birthday with flowers and take-out from a Chinese Restaurant. I am still praying that I’ll get back to China before the end of the school year. I quit running due to stress and grief. In Qingdao, school resumes in person for those who are still in China. I am now teaching online to a class of students who are together without me. The borders do not reopen. Grades are due, goodbye videos made, final staff meetings and classes occupy more time. I watch the 2020 Graduation online. My friends finalize things being packed up at my house and classroom in China. I ball my eyes out through my “Exit Interview” with LDi. My items from China are shipped on June 17th. I think that I will never look at a teaching position again. I begin applying for local jobs. My counselor invites and encourages me to attend a debriefing conference in Oklahoma for expats and mission workers who have returned to America. I am blessed by sweet friends with the funds to pay to attend the conference. I complete my taxes. I have a follow-up conversation with the school in Fiji. They give me a 10 week extension to decide if I am interested in coming in 2021. I purchase a microphone and begin auditioning as an audiobook narrator on ACX. I apply to a local dog camp and boarding facility. I fly out to Tulsa, OK on July 27 for the Interlude Conference. I attend the Interlude Debriefing Conference in Tulsa, OK. The time is healthy, but hard. I meet wonderful kingdom workers from all over. I reconnect with friends from Senegal while in Oklahoma City. I decide to register for a masters class for the fall in order to get my teaching certificate renewed. I am hired as an audiobook narrator for a junior author from Florida (his novel follows the journey of four air force pilots after the attack on Pearl Harbor). I interview and get hired at a local dog camp and boarding facility. My brother Nick transfers universities and leaves home. My sister Kelly begins graduate school to become a Physician Assistant in Pennsylvania. My brother Timmy moves out before starting his senior year of undergrad. I am the only kid at home. We celebrate Benji’s sixth adoption day! I temporarily dye my hair purple because that’s how I’m coping, haha. I pitch a new podcast idea to Kelly, who agrees to join me as co-host. I reconnect with some friends from university. Kelly and I begin recording a new podcast titled “Not A Lady: A Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Podcast”. The podcast discusses the famous 90s Western starring Jane Seymour. Kelly breaks down the medical practices in the show and I talk from a historical/literary perspective. I work full time at the dog camp and begin private pet-sitting jobs on the side. I record, edit, and produce 50+ hours in order to complete the audiobook. On September 18, Not A Lady Podcast launches on over eight different podcast streaming services. Two months later on September 26, I pick up four suitcases from Black Mountain, North Carolina containing my items from China. I visit with some China friends nearby. I begin a recertification course online and continue working at the dog camp. Over a week after picking up items from China, I finally open them and go through them. I am thankful, but also heartbroken to find a number of sentimental and priceless items are missing/were lost. I am hired by a local pet sitting company. Not A Lady Podcast publishes five episodes. Benji and I dress up together for October 31 for the first time in three years. I complete the eight week recertification course with 100% average. Not A Lady Podcast reaches over 1,000 plays across eight episodes. I continue to work at the dog camp and pet sit on the side. I begin going through all the items I have had in storage for the past three years. Considering my anguish and the strain of getting my things from China/losing precious items, I decide I want to get rid of a lot. Kelly comes home for Thanksgiving as a surprise and our family spends the holiday together. I officially sign a three year contract with a new school beginning in January 2021. I begin the visa process for my new job. I turn in my two weeks’ notice at the dog camp. I will continue pet-sitting privately until my departure date. Our family is blessed to be able to spend our first Christmas in our home together in years. I write this blog because I find it hard to look to the future without processing the past. The truth is that I (and everyone else) will likely be processing and grieving 2020 for the rest of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for the many unexpected blessings I experienced this year. I just find it hard to celebrate things like “I spent a whole year with my parents and Benji!” when I realize that it came at the cost of saying goodbye to friends, animals, and students in China. It’s just how my brain and emotions work. It is not right or wrong, it’s just me. I’ve learned a lot about myself this year. Some good, some really bad, most of it just hard. I know everyone will have their own 2020 story. I’m still unsure about how to talk about mine. I haven’t written a blog in five months. I’ve found it extremely difficult to talk about myself and my emotions (especially when I consider the thought that no one wants to add my struggle to their own). This blog—of writing out my year—is not the most poetic, profound, or pivotal thing I’ve ever written… but I think it has helped me through another step in my grieving process. A step in the right direction. At one point this year, I told my mom, “I have nothing to show for 2020.” But reading the above, I can see that is just not true. I have A LOT to show for 2020, some really beautiful and great surprises… and yes, many really emotional and difficult hurts and losses. I do have a confession for you, though. When school ended in June 2020, I told my family that I wanted to quit teaching. I never wanted to be an educator ever again. After all that happened with administration in 2018-2019 and the cutting of the theatre program at ISQ in 2019, I felt rejected and unappreciated. Then, with teaching online in the Spring of 2020, I felt exhausted, overworked, and abandoned. Teaching online striped away everything I love about being a teacher (namely relationships and time with others). I’ve been very lonely living in North Carolina with my parents. My family moved here after I had already moved out at 18, so I have no friends here (and it’s really hard to make friends amidst a pandemic, y’all). For the past nine months, I’ve seen maybe 20 people total outside my immediate family. I recognize that many people share this experience. All my lowest points in the last two years led to me want to be finished with teaching forever. Yet, the Lord worked on my heart – as He always does. He gave me some hard physical labor at the dog camp and some sweet puppy loving to remind me how much I love teaching. I love my students. I love the opportunity to create. I love my passion for theatre as a tool to transform. I love my heart for Third Culture Kids and the ministry of the performing arts. I love every trial that the Lord walked with me through while in China. It drew me closer to Him and helped me know myself all the more. In 2012, I was thrown off a horse in an accident that should have taken my life (read about the accident HERE). It took about seven months before I was able to get back on a horse (full "Wounded Series"). 2020 feels appallingly like the emotional equivalent of that accident. I’m ready and excited to mount up and use my gifts, talents, and passions to serve the Lord again. Thank you to those of you who prayed me through this year. And thank you for your patience and encouragement as I struggled to find my footing amidst the chaos of all that’s happened this year. The Lord is good and I remember that most of the time. So, the final thing to do would be to announce where I’m going next. I put it in another blog, and you can read all about it HERE. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
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Recently, I read a post on social media where a person was lamenting the realization that at some unremarkable point in their childhood, their mother and father had put them down and never picked them up again. I contemplated this post as I walked Benji this afternoon. It is a sunny day and I found myself admiring the many tall trees standing in the backyard of my parents’ rental property. As I looked, I realized I could not remember the last time I had climbed a tree. I have vivid memories of climbing trees all throughout my childhood and into my adolescent years, but I cannot remember the last time I intentionally climbed a tree with no reason other than to sit in it. I believe these two realizations are deeply connected. What is so devastating about these thoughts is that these precious memories – whether they be memories of being held by a parent or a tree - brought such comfort and joy to our young lives, and yet they ended abruptly without us even realizing it. There was no big “moment” to wave the experiences goodbye, no opportunity to process what that final event meant, and no time to lament their unexpected conclusions. These “happy norms” just ended and time kept going. We kept living not realizing they were over until long after the time to mourn them passed. Leaving China feels a lot like that for me. 183 DAYSIt’s been very difficult to write over 134 days since I returned to America. 183 days since I left China. In the time since, I lived with friends in a rural village in Thailand, transitioned to teaching online school, flew over 50 hours from Thailand through Malaysia and Qatar before landing on US soil, after which I resumed teaching online full time with a 12 hour time difference. Zoom classes, grading, a million emails, virtual assemblies, web-linked staff meetings, digital goodbye parties, and live-streamed graduation ceremonies. I spent months working late into the evenings and sleeping until late mornings to try and feel rested. I struggled with sorrow, loneliness and jetlag. I felt thankful to have a place to stay and to be with my family, but also felt some horror to be back living with my parents after 11 years “on my own”. I didn’t want to write about my mourning or depressed emotions because I don’t want to seem like I am elevating my hardship above anyone else’s. In the world right now people are cut off from friends and family, employees are losing their jobs, businesses are forced into closing, young and old people are hurting and struggling through the unknown, and of course, people are dying. I recognize that my “issues” pale in comparison to many of these experiences of others. So, I hope you’ll allow me to share my emotions and experiences during this time, but please recognize that I am not diminishing anyone else’s struggle by sharing my own. I know I have much to be thankful for, but I’d be lying if I said I was okay. I had my first job interview for a new position outside of Qingdao in December 2019. I felt that the Lord was telling me it was time for me to move somewhere else, when after meeting with school leadership it was determined that theatre and the performing arts were not a priority for the school at this time. As I have expressed before, this is a way I feel that the Lord has equipped and challenged me specially to minister to Third Culture Kids. I understand the school leaderships reasons for not prioritizing (especially with what has happened since), but it remains a devastating blow. From January to April 2020, I completed interviews and applications with organizations in countries that include USA, China, England, Austria, Bolivia, and Fiji. Nothing felt like the right fit… as my world fell deeper and deeper into chaos around me. It finally got to the point where I couldn’t teach online, process my experiences, pack up my apartment in China remotely (more on that in a bit), and be job-hunting at the same time and be healthy. I turned down multiple positions and decided to stop job searching for a time. Another difficulty I experienced was living through the initial impact of COVID19 in Asia in January and February. When it was determined that I would return to America in March, I naively thought that if I had to go at the least I would be “escaping” the closures, quarantine, shutdowns, and unknown of the future in the U.S. As you all know when I arrived March, it was only a few days before COVID19’s influence reached critical in the US… it was like suffocating through the same nightmare twice. Listen, I know I’m healthy. My family is safe and healthy and I HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR… but in the middle of all the confusion and unknown, the shock of the entire experience felt (still sometimes feels) completely overwhelming. China did a great job in-country and shutting down and getting “control” of the spread of COVID19. Social distancing and proper mask use helped numbers drop and normalize significantly in four months. So much so, that five out of six of the company’s schools (including mine in Qingdao) were able to resume on-campus, in-person learning before the end of the school year (June 12). Still, the borders remained closed, meaning I was teaching online while a good number of my students were together in school. I will not even try to explain how difficult doing school that way was (there were many tears shed at 1:00 AM after Zoom classes). I still (naively) held out hope that I would be able to return to China and get to say goodbye to people (friends and students), food, places and things that had been my beloved HOME for my last three years of life. NO GOODBYESI NEED those goodbyes. I NEED that closure. From the whispered goodbyes to the full on sob sessions. How can I be expected to move on to the next thing without a proper farewell? Maybe some people don’t need those goodbyes, but I know that I really do. I feel like I’m functioning mentally and emotionally at a quarter capacity because my thoughts and emotions are overwhelmed with grief and loss. Sometimes that sorrow becomes panic and despair. It’s lonely. I feel like many people stateside either can’t empathize with what I’m feeling or they don’t want to understand. The number of times I’ve heard people say, “I know you must be so glad you’re not in China right now.” Or, “You should be grateful you got out of there. ” Or “I’m really glad you decided not to go back.” NO! Is what I want to scream back in their faces. I don’t, I just say nothing and cry. On top of teaching full time online, I spent late nights or early mornings talking with friends in China as they literally went through my apartment room by room, item by item, boxing up, selling, and getting rid of things for me. Have any of you ever imagined what it would be like for someone to have to pack up your house without you there? Probably not, because who would think of such an insane thing. I need to tell you that when it comes to this, I really am so thankful for how the Lord provided. A friend told me as she went through my clothing drawers, “I’m really thankful that you are clean and organized. That’s made this a lot easier for us.” Shout out to the incredible Sarah P., Sephora P., and Hannah K, who did so much to help Grace and I get our stuff out of our apartment. They didn’t have to do it, but volunteered and sacrificed wholeheartedly to make a terrible situation more breathable. For me, however, the actual process felt so uncomfortable. Having to decide what I wanted to keep or get rid of with someone else waiting to execute my decision. The height of my struggle was in watching people come to the house to buy things I decided not to keep. I watched through a video call as people bargained prices for the sheets on my bed, sheets still made-up from when I had slept that final night before Thailand. GOD IS HEREI haven’t really mentioned God too much in this post this yet. He’s here. I have felt Him… even in the moments when I raged out my feelings to Him in prayer or journaling or in a phone call to a friend. God is good. I don’t know why He is doing this (gestures to the world, but also my own personal experiences). I know God has me where He wants me right now (because I tried to get out). I know where He has me is not for my comfort or happiness, but instead it is to make me more holy and like Him. I don’t know what’s next for me yet. I have a lot of ideas and options, but it’s a difficult time to be job-hunting (especially internationally) or planning for a future in which there is no clarity on what the world will look like. Thank you to those of you who read this whole thing, heard my struggle, but didn’t condemn me for these overflowing (some would say dramatic) emotions. Thank you to those of you who prayed me safely back to the U.S. Thank you to those of who gave financially to help me get on my feet after the unexpected expenses of leaving Asia. Next week I will be attending a debriefing conference in Oklahoma for missionaries and Christian expats who have been serving abroad and find themselves returned to their passport country. I have been meeting weekly with a Christian councilor from Barnabas International (the organizers of this conference) and I pray this conference will continue the process of emotional, mental, and spiritual healing I am seeking with the Lord’s help. HOW TO END THIS BLOG?Most days, I have hope and assurance that nothing in this world is outside of the authority and power of God. I have confidence that wherever I end up next, it will be where God wants me to be. Am I afraid of what obeying His calling will cost me? Even more so now than the first time I think. Am I still committed to doing it. I am. PRAYER REQUESTSDear reader, can you pray for me? And after you do, can you tell me that you prayed for me? Remind me that I am not alone in my walk with Christ. Can I remind you that you aren’t alone either? Nothing is keeping God from watching over you or calling you through hardship to become more like the image of His Son.
Co-written by Kelly Manning KELLY COMES TO CHINASarah here! Many of you are aware that Christmas 2019 was the first Christmas I didn’t travel to the USA to be with my family for the holidays. I made this decision for three reasons. The first reason was that financially, after being in the USA for a few weeks this summer, it was going to be very difficult for me to travel back to the USA. The second reason is that my last two Christmas’ have not been very restful, lots of travel to see friends and family over the course of a short, jet-lagged 11 or 12 days. Lastly, I needed to make a decision in regards to whether or not I would sign another contract teaching in China… and I knew if I went back to the USA, I would certainly choose to leave. I wanted my decision to be based on prayer and supplication alone (not on how much I miss my dog – I mean, my family *wink wink*). Though my family was disappointed with my decision to be away from them this Christmas, I was excited because the timing worked out that my sister Kelly was able to come visit for a little under two weeks. Not only did she make plans to visit China, but she’s here to help me blog about our time together! Kelly? Want to chime in? KELLY: Okay, so I am pretty nervous about contributing to this blog. Mostly because I am in no way, shape, or form a comparable writer to my sister! But, I am here to contribute my thoughts and experiences about a trip that was an absolute blast! SARAH: Oh wow, do go on… haha. But don’t feel nervous, Kel. After all, I was an English major… I would hope that would give me an advantage in the writing department. Shall we start? KELLY: Sure! SARAH: So, Kelly arrived in the middle of our last week of school before Christmas holiday. This means everything from farewell parties (to students and staff who won’t be returning after Christmas break), to large group movie viewing (ISQ Middle School watched “The Santa Clause” - many students seeing it for the first time! Does that make me old?), and of course ISQ’s Annual 12 Days of Christmas Sing-a-long! KELLY: It was really cool getting to visit Sarah’s school and see her in action with her students. S: I didn’t really tell you much about the 12 Days of Christmas, did I? K: No, you didn’t. S: I wanted it to be a surprise! K: You should tell everybody else what it is. S: Right! Well, it’s an annual House Competition. Our school has four houses that all staff and students are assigned to. The Houses include Morrison, Taylor, Goforth, and Liddell (can you spot the theme?). The 12 Days of Christmas is one of our only ALL SCHOOL events. The houses sing through the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” together and compete for House Points. House Points can be awarded for “Best Singing”, “Loudest House”, and “Overall House Spirit”. It’s super fun… and this year I got to be MC for the event! I tried to convince Kelly to lead with me, but she would have none of it. K: Sar, you did a great job on your own. I’m not one for public embarrassment exactly... S: Public embarrassment! What are you talking about? K: You all should see the video. She’s insane. Let’s move on. S: Great idea. So, school ended and you and I took a 3 hour train bullet train to Beijing. K: We did. I had told Sarah early on in our planning that it wasn’t absolutely necessary for us to go to Beijing. I really did intend for this trip to be an opportunity to see Qingdao and spend the holidays with my sister. S: But my thought was, how can you come all the way to China and not see The Great Wall? So, we ended up traveling to Beijing and meeting up with my friend Abi and her sister who was also visiting from the USA. (Some of you will remember Abi from our trip to New Zealand in 2018. Read my Blog Series about New Zealand HERE.) K: I am really glad we went to Beijing! It was extremely fun to be with not only Sarah, but also Abi and Hannah. I can’t imagine missing out on The Great Wall. I knew it was going to be spectacular, but I underestimated the pure beauty of being in the snowy mountains of China! S: Yeah, that was really special for me, too. I didn’t expect there to be snow on our visit to the Great Wall. It was SO COLD, though. I could’ve lived without that, haha. K: The snow made it worth it. S: While in Beijing we also traveled to The Summer Palace (this was my second time [Read HERE], but it looks different in winter), The Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, and some really awesome shopping streets and markets! Any thoughts on those places, Kel? K: We really got to see and do so much! I couldn’t get over the pure enormity of the palaces and temples! I also really enjoyed our AirBnB and being able to take the subway everywhere. S: I can see it in your face… you want to talk about the food. K: I really do! S: Go for it. It’s one of my favorite things about living in China. K: The FOOD. I’ve read and heard a lot from Sarah about the amazing food in China. S: Read a previous blog I wrote about the food HERE. K: It was a whole other experience to have the privilege of actually eating some of the awesome dishes China has to offer. Sarah did a great job of having me try a variety of things. Some of my personal favorites were jiaozi 饺子 (any and all forms of dumplings), Korean kimbap, REAL Bubble Tea (we literally drank so much), and Korean rice cake and dumpling soup. Since being back in the States, the Asian grocery store and I have become much better friends, haha! S: Dude, I’m so glad you liked all the food. How was it being away from mom and dad for the holidays for the first time? K: It was definitely different not getting to be all together. But, I think you and I have a very unique relationship. I think a lot of that has to do with our five year age gap and the reality that we haven’t lived in the same place for over ten years. S: Is this you telling me I’m old? K: Well, you are. Just kidding. No, I’m saying that I was really glad to have made this trip to spend time with you. I think we both expected to be very sad about being away from Mom, Dad, and the boys during Christmas. S: And BENJI. K: Of course! Everyone loves Benji the most. While it was difficult not being able to be all together, it was actually okay. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if I had been without Sarah. Everything about it was different, but we had such a wonderful time and I can’t say that enough. S: Plus, we got to spend Christmas day with my favorite China family! The Peeks! They fed us SO well and we played lots of great games. I mean the two girls, two boys thing had us feeling right at home! K: Yeah, it was really fun. S: And we kept our family tradition of watching Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” on Christmas Eve! Plus, we called our parents and extended family multiple times to stay connected. It sure it nice to live in this day and age. Technology makes it really convenient (most of the time). S: When we returned to Qingdao, we got to do some more fun stuff. We walked to the Olympic Sailing Center, visited the May Fourth Square Statue, toured the Tsingdao Beer Museum, and discovered the ShiLaoRen Beach and Sculpture Park. Tell the readers what you thought about those places! K: Qingdao is such a neat place! You look in one direction and you have numerous skyscrapers. However, in the other direction are jagged mountains and an endless ocean. I love that it’s all right there! I also really enjoyed experiencing May Fourth Square at night because the statue and buildings were all lit up. Sarah knew so much about every place we went to, which made me feel like more than just a tourist. S: You’re doing great, Kelly! Now’s the tricky part… how to end the blog. It’s the part that I always find myself spending the longest time thinking about. Today, I’m assigning the closing thoughts to you! What are your final thoughts or reflections on your trip here? K: China has always felt forever away. Let me tell you guys… getting to SEE and BE a part of Sarah’s life in Qingdao made it feel closer than ever. I got to play UNO with her students. I watched her lead a school wide event with all the goofiness and fun only she could bring. I ate dinner with her coworkers and spent Christmas with her friends. I stayed in her apartment and took the bus that she rides to school every single day. I went to the movies with her and watched the new “Star Wars” movie with Chinese subtitles while drinking bubble tea. S: That IS a sign of true sisterly love. K: Actually yes, because I’m not really into "Star Wars" that much haha. But, you said you wouldn’t interrupt! S: Oops, sorry! KELLY: I ate at Sarah’s favorite places and laughed with her friends. I loved walking along the beach by her house, the one that she’s told me about numerous times. Maybe it’s silly, but these are the things that made this trip for me. Was seeing The Great Wall amazing? Of course! Was taking a bullet train across the Chinese countryside unbelievable? YES. Was experiencing the culture and being surrounded by the language a growing experience for me? ABSOLUTELY! But I would choose walking across the street to buy handmade dumplings with my sister any day. I would choose laughing with her about strangers shouting “I LOVE YOU” in broken English at us on a crowded subway. I would choose watching her barter in Chinese in the center of an authentic Chinese antique market to get me something. I would choose all the things that made me recognize she is more brave, fun, dedicated, and resilient than I ever would have imagined. The one thing I heard a lot of while I was in Qingdao was how blessed and lucky they are to have her there. I am very blessed and grateful that I was able to witness it. SARAH: Okay, now I have to talk because that was too nice to just leave be. Thanks, Kel. I know we have our differences, but I love you lots. I’m really grateful to have spent this Christmas with you. I’m thankful that whatever paths the Father leads us both on as we go from here, we have this special time in China together! Long time no blog! This semester is seems to have evaporated at such a pace that I didn’t even notice until a few days ago that it is almost gone! 2019? Where did you come from, where did you go? I don’t know a guy named Cotton Eyed Joe... Alright, sorry for that one. I’m in a weird mood today. Here’s a look back on my past month in China. VIDA Retreat |
ELEMENTARY | TWIN DAYTwo weeks ago was Middle School was celebrating "TWIN DAY"! Two of my co-workers and I decided that we would be triplets to celebrate. Here we can be seen sporting Star Wars t-shirts, jeans, and ISQ Dolphin sweatshirts. I'm thankful to have coworkers who don't mind being fun and silly with me! |
FINAL THOUGHTS
P* REQUESTS
- I am a keynote speaker for an upcoming Youth Retreat in Qingdao (Nov.)
I don’t want to waste any opportunity to share truth. I am looking for pryr in my preparation, as well as, during the actual times I share - I am leading a student trip to Shanghai for staff kids during district’s upcoming teacher’s conference (Nov.)
I'm asking for safety, great relationship building time, spiritual growth and connection - Kelly (my sister) has applied for a visitor’s visa to come stay with me in China over Christmas break
We are still waiting on her confirmed visa. It will be my (maybe Kelly’s as well) first time away from my family for Christmas - Relationships with coworkers (unity, blessings, one-mind, servant heart)
- My upcoming decision to either stay in China or leave and ?????
I have reasons to stay and reasons to go… and I have lots of options for where to go. I just want to be obedient to where my Father would have me - My sweet stray Oliver has gone missing from the neighborhood
Two or three people swear they saw someone walking him on a leash a few weeks ago. I’m hopeful that he was adopted and is being loved and cared for by a great family… but I miss him desperately.
DAY ONE
Weihai, Shandong Province
The ShenDiao Mountain Wildlife Park is named after the tall mountain at the center of the reserves’ grounds. It hosts hundreds of species from around the world along with breathtaking coastal views in Rongcheng County in Weifang. Guests can see wild animals up close and personal. The zoo is famous for its successful tiger breeding program (featuring a number of rare white Bengal tigers).
DAY TWO
YangMaDao, Yantai, Shandong Province
The Yangma Island is located in the middle of Yellow Sea, 5.6 miles north of Muping District and 18.6 miles east of Yantai City. Owing to its beautiful sea scenery and pleasant climate, The Yangma Island enjoys the fame of ‘Oriental Hawaii’. In 219 BC, the first Chinese Emperor, Emperor Qin Shi Huang [the same emperor who started building the Great Wall of China and the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'an], passed by the island and was impressed by the flourishing grasses and thousands of galloping horses. Therefore, he regarded the island as a valuable land with a good geomantic omen, and ordered some persons to raise imperial horses here. That is why the island is named Yangma Island (an island for raising horses). Following the legend, a horse-race ground has been built in the island, which has held 11 national and international horse race events since its completion. When there is no formal competitive activity, the ground becomes an entertainment park, where activities such as horse riding, archery take place to entertain visitors.
DAY 3
YantaiShan, Yantai City, Shandong Province
Despite its name as a Yantai Mountain, this lovely historical park isn’t really a mountain, but instead features a gently rising hill which boasts picturesque views of one of China's busiest harbors, along with a number of tourist attractions. The name Yantai Mountain (煙台山) came from a beacon built in 1398 during the Ming Dynasty. It was used to signal an early warning of the pirates from Japan.
Later, the city was named Yantai City after the beacon. According to the "Tianjin Treaty" (天津條約), Yantai opened to foreign countries later in 1861, and became the earliest port opened to foreign countries in Shandong. Many well maintained villas throughout the park were formerly consulates during this time period. The area is the location of four former foreign consulates representing the UK, the US, Denmark, and Japan, as well as other ancestral temples, a war memorial, some museums and a tea house.
Day Four
Penglai, Shandong Province
Penglai Pavilion or Penglai Pagoda (蓬莱阁) is a famous tower perched on top of Danya Mountain at the northernmost part of Jiaodong peninsula, Yantai. It is noted as one of the Four Great Towers of China. It is said that Penglai was the place that Emperor Qin Shi Huang looked for the elixir of life, and the place where the great Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24) paid his sacred visit. In addition, the legend of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea adds a more mysterious atmosphere to this place. The legend goes that the eight immortals crossed the sea using their special powers after they got drunk in the Penglai Pavilion. Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang were said to be the three divine mountains in the sea for immortals to live in. The dividing line between the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea is also marked and clearly visible from the area. Warlord Zhang Zongchang (1881-1932) wrote a famous poem titled "Visiting Pengai Pavillion" about the pavilion's beauty. The Penglai Pavilion has been regarded as a 'Fairyland' since ancient times.
A Commissioned Heart
...I teach (and attend) classes
...I wonder over my fellowship's future
...I basically compete in the Amazing Race,
but with no million dollar prize
...I read the Good Book
...I have some final thoughts
I’d love to hear from you, be sure to comment below or send an email to [email protected]. Blessings!
PREPARATION AS A BRIDESMAID
THE REHEARSAL
WEDDING MORNING
I hope you enjoyed what will be my last "CHINA Year 2" Blog!
Coming up: South Africa, Summer in the USA, & CHINA Year 3!
Nothing Says Hurricane like the End of the School Year
The Seasons Change
Reflecting on the 2018-2019 School Year
- This year, I learned that I could do things I only dreamed I could do, things like writing a script or trusting and obeying G-d even when it seemed like everyone and everything was against me.
- This year I learned that I have a long way to go when it comes to not being crushed by criticism and rejection. I need to build the foundations of my self-worth not on what other people tell me they see or think of me, but instead my value should be found in the fact that in J-sus’ eyes I am already enough.
- This year I completed a one-to-one discipleship program with a mentor from my fellowship in China. The entire process was a comfort and a challenge for me to grow in my faith and be bold in sharing the Hope I have.
- I learned that G-d doesn’t promise me an easy path. He doesn’t guarantee me any amount of happiness or worldly success. He does promise me that He will be with me and I will not be overcome.
- I grew to realize that it’s okay to tell people you need prayer. That there are a lot of people out there willing and eager to know how they can pray for you. It’s also okay… not to be okay.
- I learned the hard lesson that you can’t win people over with your own passion and enthusiasm. You can just do your best to follow the path you feel G-d has called you to… and there will likely be opposition.
- I am thankful this year for the my support team in China. The friends who will cry with me and give me words of hope and encouragement even when I am beyond reason with anger, hurt, and doubt. I am thankful for friends who don’t give up on the people they love. I am thankful that even 5,000 miles away from my family, I feel like I have people who are family and who love me despite my flaws.
- The 2018-2019 school year may have been my most challenging yet, but the L-rd remained faithful to me and I know that He has a plan for me. Also, one of my professor’s at university once said, “The hardest years of teaching are the first five. If you can survive those, you can survive it all.” Happy 5th Year of Teaching to me! Here’s a toast to year 6 and beyond!
Upcoming Events
Thank you for reading through another year with me!
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
(featured in the show playbill)
By: S.D. Manning
ISQ's MIDDLE SCHOOL THEATRE PRESENTS
ROBIN HOOD PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS
DIRECTOR MOMENTS
BEHIND THE SCENES
REHEARSAL PHOTOS
ON STAGE
WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS:
REFLECTIONS ON ROBIN HOOD
PR-Y-R REQUESTS
- Finishing the school year well
- Starting on the path to getting the “Robin Hood” script published.
I love to get feedback!
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