HEY HEY HEY! I mean.. uh... Ni-hau!

Left His seamless robe behind
Woke up in a stable and cried
Lived and died and rose again
Savior for a guilty land

It's a story like a children's tune
It's grown familiar as the moon
So now I ride my camel high
I'm aiming for the needle's eye

I chased the wind, but I chased in vain
I chased the earth, it would not sustain

There's only One who never fails

To beckon the morning light
There's only One who set loose the gales
And ties the trees down tight
When all around my soul gives way
He is all my hope and stay
There's only One, only One Holy One

Lord, You are my Prince of Peace
But this war brings me to my knees
See, there's a table You've prepared
And all my enemies are there
But where my Shepherd leads
Where else can I go?
Who else fills my cup 'til it overflows?

There's only One who never fails
To beckon the morning light
There's only One who set loose the gales
And ties the trees down tight
To the Solid Rock I fly
Though He bids me come and die
There's only One, only One Holy One

This is a song written by Caedmon's Call. Their newest cd is called 'Share the Well' and it is amazing. It was recorded in India and In Ecuador. It's an amazing album. In many of the songs it speaks of stories of the people. Others such as this one direct praise to God. If you like different music, give it a go. You can check out the more complete story on their website. :)

How you guys doing? I've been learning about how to teach english... most know it we're suspecting.. .but they don't understand how to speak it correctly... Some may know it very little. So our information is still quite vague. I'm hoping to have a guitar to play in China, whether it be theirs or mine. We'll see what happens. Anticipation is building as I am finishing sending my last piece of needed ID away to be finished tommorow. It's a little more than a month and a week. Time is ticking.
The temperature there is rising as it is here... and will continue to build until we arrive. Currently they're getting about 33 degrees in the day and 21 at night with about 70-80 percent humidity. We're expecting it will be at least another 5-10 degrees more by the time we get there. 'Waterfall' Persperation is expected from most of us. As such we'll have to keep many large jugs of water on hand if we plan to survive... hehe...

I still don't know if there will be, or I will be able to be on a team going to rural...rural Wuhan in the mountains. If I had the opportunity, I would be glad to take it. In any case, RURAL Wuhan is not in fact rural at all by our standards. In PA, we might have... meh.... hundreds living in rural areas around here. Farmers mostly. In anycase, the equivilent there is over a million people. Check this out in digit form!

PA (innercity- 35,000)
Rural - 1,000 (if we're lucky)
Wuhan (innercity - 7,000,000+)
Rural - 1,000,000

That is crazy.... heh.... Pray for us... we're going to be needing all we can get. In anycase, I think I've mastered the chopstick thing. Unfortuately, I don't believe I've mastered the cuisine they might posess. heh.. that'll be fun :)
her-ping may-ger rem
(Peace Everyone)
xie-jin
(Goodbye)

...

Ok... so I'm staring at the wall. What a long day... Too much to think of doing. Have a good day! xie-jin

Ow ow ow.... my arm

Heh.. I hit it on the sharp corner of this wall really hard. I had my leather jacket on, so it didn't break the skin... but wow.... I hit it really hard. lol, a nice bruise should show up in a day or two...

Tonight was the windup for youth. We had free hamburgers and pop, and then there was a quick talk and then a tae kwon do demonstration. They showed us some selfdefense moves and then broke a bunch of wood slabs and then some bricks. It was pretty nifty. yes... so then after that Josh, Chris, Ben, Jon and I went downstairs and invented a game where you get points for hitting people with a pencil. I was doing ok, lol, but then they kept starting the game over, and then, heh... they threw off my groove.....;) Yeah, well, I lost since Ben had to leave, but not by much... lol... I think it's because I nailed my arm on that wall... I couldn't move it for a few minutes... so I was kinda worried I had broken something... Instead I think I just bruised it nicely.

Also, someone blessed me with a wad of cash and a thank you note... all anomynous... or however you spell it. I don't know who sent it... someone found it on the floor... and I'm the only James there. It said only: A) THanks for all you do here and B) THanks for all you'll do over there That's it.... it was ... wow. :)

Anyways, thanks to all you out there who are praying and reading and just being there for me. I hope you all have a great day. :D

xie-jin

Are Ties Evil? Or just hard to tie?

I don't think they're evil... but they sure don't like me... Off to a grad thing tommorow and lol, the ties of .... hardness to tie.... are haunting me. Mmmm... have a good one people!

xie-jin

727

Nope... not the plane... it's the time. THough I am starting to think about the trip coming up.

How are you guys doing out there? I've been completely exhausted this weekend... I'm working at a garage sale in which we are selling many a wonderful thing. I found some nicknacks... but nothing spectacular.

I'll spare you the details of how hard some of that work was... but for everyone in Saskatchewan.... you remember it snowed? Well, heh... I was out selling burgers in that.... well.... trying. I couldn't really because the BBQ had no propane tank yet in the morning.... and then it was so windy that it... hm... it just was nasty. Boxes flying.... glass shattering... and I often got to chase the stuff that would roll away.

But nevertheless, we're doing it again today.... :) It'll be great... the sun is shining.... the wind has died down, and I got there bright and early.... but nobody was there...so here I am killing time in order to go back and start again.

Anyways, pray that God uses this sale for his purpose... and that our team won't kill each other. Have a good one everyone... thanx for listening! :D

xie-jin

Mondays... hahaha

Well, though they are evil for most people. My mondays are days off work and days for me to think. Haha, and now I have a lot of thinking to do.... In the midst of learning Chinese and learning proper english, I also am: Planning out a Grad I'm going to in Pambrun... (Near Swift Current) Trying to help with some of the largest fundraising events for the China trip we've done so far. It'll take up the whole weekend on the 13th and 14th I believe. Then I just found out about a language learning seminar that is coming up just after that weekend, and in between the grad weekend... I want to attend that if they will let me... but if they let me, then I have to arrange stuff out for work... because lol, It's a big formal deal there... you have to write out a request form and stuff.... wow.... One of the days I work, I'm just switching with Tammy so that I can play at youth for the last night they're having this year... until fall. :) It should be fun if I can make it. :D

I've never been good at planning.... so this is a stretch..... O.o

But things are well otherwise... and I think I'm going to go and fill out my NBI app now. I've been putting off that too. But meh, that's what my mondays are for. Have a great day everyone, and enjoy the sunshine! ^_^

So close... yet so far...

Well, almost 2 posts in one day.... missed 24 hours by 16 miniscule minutes... wow.
Please keep Karina and VTI's team in prayer as they leave today.... and also my China team... we're starting the real nitty gritty now... heh. We're learning to teach english. !!! Fun.

ANyways, being that it's 12:17 am ... I was considering posting Jars of Clay lyrics.... but since I always seem to talk about them... if you want their lyrics, go buy a cd, or check out some lyrics online.... instead I give to you an unnamed poem that I wrote a little over a year ago watching a sunset. Enjoy... even if it doesn't rhyme.

The winds begin to whisper

As the sun tries to hide its golden face

Flooding the darkening sky with red

You pull back the mantle of the heavens

Unveiling the splendor of the great lights

The moon's face rises to reflect the beauty of the sun

Yet your glory outshines them both

They know well enough to bow at your feet

Why not us?

Why do we try to ignore your soveignty?

Who can fathom your ways or understand your mind?

Who are we to question the Almighty God?

For we are as wood in a fire, chaff in the wind...a vapor

Yet still you stooped to help us and sent your son to die

This still brings tears to my eyes

In that you still loved us before we existed

While we hated good, hated love and hated you

Still you bless us with your creation

The magnificance that can cause all time to stop

But how much greater would it be

To instead behold the eyes that spoke it all into existence

Give me an "L"

Thursday... in the life of a part time librarian. It's a great day. The sun is shining. It's work... and I'm inside.

Eat with Chopsticks!! ^_^

Xie-jin