tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26579591850981324822024-03-13T14:44:50.688-07:00My Psalms 143:8-10 JourneyEnjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-76577250101726536132016-06-13T20:10:00.003-07:002016-06-13T20:11:55.996-07:00Another Goodbye... Some people might think that since I move so much, it should be easy by now, right? No, it's not. I remember how much I didn't want to move from our home in Washington. I was happy! I didn't want to leave. I'd lived there the longest I have lived anywhere, 5 years. I also remember just trusting God that He knew what was best. Sure enough, He was right as always. I love Taiwan! In fact, after only being here a week, I almost felt guilty about enjoying my new home so much already. Haha!<br />
<br />
Since the very beginning of living here I have fell in with Taiwan - it's people, culture, food, and beautiful land. I don't know if it's because of my stage in life or what, but since moving here I really feel like a part of Taiwan and all the people I have met here (Taiwanese and other nationalities). They will always be a part of me and in my heart. I'm going to miss everyone here terribly! At the same time, I'm excited to go back to the States and see my family and friends. But.... I don't want to leave! As you can see, I'm having conflicted emotions. Haha!<br />
When I'm tempted to worry though, I remember these two verses:<br />
<br />
<span class="text Jer-29-11" id="en-NKJV-19647">"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11</span><br />
<span class="text Jer-29-11" id="en-NKJV-19647"></span><span class="text Jer-29-11" id="en-NKJV-19647"><br /></span>
<span class="text Jer-29-11" id="en-NKJV-19647"></span><span class="text Jer-29-11" id="en-NKJV-19647"> "</span>Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring
you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I
have promised you.” Genesis 28:15<br />
<br />
I especially like the last one since it promises that He will bring me back to this land ;)<br />
I know I can trust my God, I trusted Him before and He brought me here! His plans are always Plan A and I don't want to interfere with them. I'll just have to see what the next adventure He has planned for me.<br />
<br />
But to all my friends in Taiwan; I'm going to miss you so much! But I will see you again, if not on this earth then in the next. <3<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oR_zqwNutek/V191CRPCE_I/AAAAAAAAA74/8KOgKvajyzkz4Tue9IgUDIk7C0RCqYHfwCLcB/s1600/grppic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oR_zqwNutek/V191CRPCE_I/AAAAAAAAA74/8KOgKvajyzkz4Tue9IgUDIk7C0RCqYHfwCLcB/s400/grppic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gbupcV3f49M/V190_wlRyeI/AAAAAAAAA7o/tTtijL3n4RIX6WXKXoy_mtB7w0sg_akHQCLcB/s1600/13422396_10154117222132850_3345132175350440364_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gbupcV3f49M/V190_wlRyeI/AAAAAAAAA7o/tTtijL3n4RIX6WXKXoy_mtB7w0sg_akHQCLcB/s400/13422396_10154117222132850_3345132175350440364_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dv-2n3TdYq8/V190_H17arI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/HPjLsW8CMMkIy25BHmpiFYWfDEDsHgiAQCLcB/s1600/13350250_10154117222117850_2099270307438731910_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dv-2n3TdYq8/V190_H17arI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/HPjLsW8CMMkIy25BHmpiFYWfDEDsHgiAQCLcB/s400/13350250_10154117222117850_2099270307438731910_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d1PWtW093g0/V190_DcmMuI/AAAAAAAAA7U/3bFGgv0eRW8IZCuxqZqcY9nPHCBlsOXSgCLcB/s1600/13087818_10208809559949307_3783220800115931885_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d1PWtW093g0/V190_DcmMuI/AAAAAAAAA7U/3bFGgv0eRW8IZCuxqZqcY9nPHCBlsOXSgCLcB/s400/13087818_10208809559949307_3783220800115931885_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UIwEWYOkErs/V190_gF02SI/AAAAAAAAA7c/LnuarRVI4gs3VD75_JvzqcEULs9xlUnTwCLcB/s1600/13407267_10154105256287850_7676397435668217618_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UIwEWYOkErs/V190_gF02SI/AAAAAAAAA7c/LnuarRVI4gs3VD75_JvzqcEULs9xlUnTwCLcB/s400/13407267_10154105256287850_7676397435668217618_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E1_1VD5wKBU/V190_LB03lI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/WmfXXpEOpaAx6IlQ7p6WRqFbO7auphPIgCLcB/s1600/10391872_10208579322313510_4622899388520103160_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E1_1VD5wKBU/V190_LB03lI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/WmfXXpEOpaAx6IlQ7p6WRqFbO7auphPIgCLcB/s400/10391872_10208579322313510_4622899388520103160_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EV2J_R_e5Sk/V190_-cCEAI/AAAAAAAAA7g/r-p8ImNP7coYLuNTdQR5-9luncWZvkfFQCLcB/s1600/13411761_10154112520952850_3846572671704410705_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EV2J_R_e5Sk/V190_-cCEAI/AAAAAAAAA7g/r-p8ImNP7coYLuNTdQR5-9luncWZvkfFQCLcB/s400/13411761_10154112520952850_3846572671704410705_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh0AT-czUsI/V191HpUQzNI/AAAAAAAAA8A/9ZlFszmN_1MM8xyh5BJlOWHPyPJSHjaqgCLcB/s1600/IMG_3840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh0AT-czUsI/V191HpUQzNI/AAAAAAAAA8A/9ZlFszmN_1MM8xyh5BJlOWHPyPJSHjaqgCLcB/s400/IMG_3840.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-42039189412369013852016-05-30T03:32:00.002-07:002016-05-30T03:32:36.499-07:00Racing up the 101 I gingerly opened my eyes as my dark room was suddenly illuminated by my light.<br />
"Oh! The race is today!" I practically jumped out of my bed in anticipation. We were going to run up Taipei 101 with it's 91 floors, and 2,046 stairs! The problem was, I was still kind of sick with a flu/ cold...<br />
Well, God was going to have to help me. I knew we had to take a health check-up too and that made me a little nervous.<br />
All of us runners; my dad, my mom, Inah, Benjamin, and myself, met at the MRT (metro). My dad noticed that Benjamin didn't have his tag on his shoe.<br />
"Do you have it? You can't run without it." my dad commented.<br />
"Yeah, it's in my bag right... right...Where is it?" He said, rummaging through his bag. Apparently, he left it at home! Luckily he rode his scooter and was able to zoom up the mountain, find it, and meet us again in time.<br />
We just milled around in the drizzling rain for about an hour until we could line up. They had separated us all into groups because of the amount of people and how narrow the staircase was.<br />
I remember looking up at the 101 as far as my neck could tilt. It was slightly intimidating yet exciting at the same time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ERFuEECWV_g/V0wU0uj8wlI/AAAAAAAAA6A/UwQPauZ1th0U6JogEGcfDTV4ZhQsIXAKwCKgB/s1600/13094154_10154392449076992_4913469342725394581_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ERFuEECWV_g/V0wU0uj8wlI/AAAAAAAAA6A/UwQPauZ1th0U6JogEGcfDTV4ZhQsIXAKwCKgB/s400/13094154_10154392449076992_4913469342725394581_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Soon, my parents got in line with the rest of us not too far behind for the health check up. I was starting to get nervous. I wasn't sure want to expect. Soon enough, I could see they were taking people's temperatures.<br />
"Uh oh. I've had had a fever the last week. It had gone away, but it still makes me nervous."<br />
Benjamin was in front of me and when he finished, he kind of paused to see what would happen with me. As the guy put his instrument over my forehead, I prayed and tried to prepare myself for the likely disappointing of not being able to run. Those three seconds seemed so much longer! He looked at it and said, "Okay, good" and waved me in. I couldn't believe it! I was so excited, I was in! I high-fived Benjamin and Inah and went to find my parents.<br />
I ended up being in the same group as my dad. We waited and slowly winded our way in line into the building. As we got closer, we saw that they sent people one at a time with a few seconds in between to space them out. Being next in line, the guard looked at his watch, said 'go', and I was off!<br />
I knew that there was no way anyone (at least no normal person) could run all the way to the top, but I was excited and decided I would run at least a little and then maybe at the end. Well, after 12 stories (so 24 sets of stairs), I had run all I could. My lungs started hurting really bad but I kept going; 24th floor, 30th, 35th, 49th, 52nd ... man was I getting tired! It wasn't so much that I was tired, but that my lungs felt like they were going to collapse! I started stopping more often for water, but every time I stopped, I would start coughing like crazy. I wanted to be done by the 60th (something) floor. <br />
"Maybe I shouldn't have passed that health check." I thought ruefully. "Okay, think positive, Enjoli" I told myself. "I can do this! I'm running/walking up Taipei 101! How cool is that?"<br />
Each floor seemed farther and longer apart though. I was just trying to survive, I decided. 84th floor, 85th, 88th, and finally 90th! Just one more! I was able to somehow run up the last floor only to walk the few steps to the finish line.<br />
"Yes!" I pumped my hands into the air. I survived!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L_JIj7TS-4Q/V0wWBFrd6YI/AAAAAAAAA6U/RRtBXNL10Z0AEqlLEEkYJPRuKdTAvkGagCKgB/s1600/13123356_10154021685972850_3050940532459862057_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L_JIj7TS-4Q/V0wWBFrd6YI/AAAAAAAAA6U/RRtBXNL10Z0AEqlLEEkYJPRuKdTAvkGagCKgB/s400/13123356_10154021685972850_3050940532459862057_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
I saw my mom and her video camera as I passed the finish line, but I was feeling really faint and just wanted to sit down, "and maybe get some water." I thought as I made my way over the the water stand. I grabbed a cup and sat down at the closest, open place. It was so hard to breathe, I felt faint and a little nauseated, but I was done! After a while, my mom found me. My dad had come just a few minutes after me. Somehow, I made it to the elevator and back to the bottom of the building. By then I was feeling a lot better and felt like a could function again, haha! Once there, we got our medals, bag of goodies, and our certificate. I had made it in 30 min, 7 seconds.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OAzX_v-ouc4/V0wU0lVXaqI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/XCyBPcJk6lg8XutXYQZMw5ia05D6lTS2ACKgB/s1600/13124917_10154021688772850_4648630992735216172_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OAzX_v-ouc4/V0wU0lVXaqI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/XCyBPcJk6lg8XutXYQZMw5ia05D6lTS2ACKgB/s320/13124917_10154021688772850_4648630992735216172_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPV_6x4v2j0/V0wU0dYc2II/AAAAAAAAA6Q/2LgkwvJ1624eoV4oPIcwvxhpLCvVTTaVQCKgB/s1600/13083113_10208827836446208_2991584192594196232_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPV_6x4v2j0/V0wU0dYc2II/AAAAAAAAA6Q/2LgkwvJ1624eoV4oPIcwvxhpLCvVTTaVQCKgB/s400/13083113_10208827836446208_2991584192594196232_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Wow, God is good! I don't know how I did that; only with God's help! Afterwards when people asked how the race was, I responded; "Honestly, it was awful while running up, but so exciting and rewarding when I finished. But some advice; never run up the 101 while you are sick!"Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-88790521151193363242016-03-05T23:14:00.001-08:002016-03-07T21:02:54.464-08:00Jesus Wins! <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
I always look forward to our annual ECR; English Church Retreat. It's
always uplifting, reviving, and also a lot of fun. This year's speaker was
Elizabeth Talbot from Jesus 101. She was awesome. She just had this way about
making everything easy to understand, fascinating, sometimes funny, yet always
profound. I enjoyed it so much, I would like to share with all of you some of
the things she talked about that I found interesting.<br />
<br />
During the first meeting, Elizabeth Talbot talked about Revelation 1:8 <span class="woj">“I am the Alpha and the Omega, <i>the</i> Beginning and <i>the</i>
End..."</span><br />
<span class="woj">Okay, so most of us know this short, simple verse. If you
dig a little deeper, you'll realize something beautiful. God says He's the
Alpha and Omega. What does that really mean? Well, it's the first and last
letters in the Greek alphabet. So, in other words Jesus is our A to Z. This is
the cool part! We all have problems, right? I can guarantee you that your
problem starts with a letter between A-Z. That's what's awesome! He will
always be there and He can help you overcome any problem you are having.</span><br />
<span class="woj">The verse also says He is the Beginning and the End.
Meaning, God has been with and knows your past, He is here now, and He will
continue to be with you in the future. We don't need to worry and ponder too
much on the past because Jesus is the past! We don't need to worry about now
because Jesus is the present. And we don't have to worry about what will happen
in the future, because that's what Jesus is. It's amazing how powerful and
beautiful this simple verse is. </span><br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<span class="woj">She also talked about how Jesus is our Goel. It's a Hebrew
word which means 'kinsman redeemer.' The translation of this word is used
many times in the Bible. For example, Boaz was Ruth and Naomi's goel. He
was their nearest kinsman or kinsman redeemer. In Bible times, the goel
of the family had four roles: </span><br />
<span class="woj">1.) Redeem a relative who had sold himself into slavery</span><br />
<span class="woj">2.) Redeem property that was given up by a poor relative.</span><br />
<span class="woj">3.) To avenge the blood of a murdered relative.</span><br />
<span class="woj">4.) To appear in a lawsuit as a helper for a relative to
make sure that justice was down. </span><br />
<span class="woj">We have someone who has done all that for us; Jesus. We are
slaves to sin, but Jesus died on the cross that we might be redeemed. He has a
place in Heaven ready for us because he avenged His own blood for us. I love
this image of Jesus and am so glad He is our Goel! </span><br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<span class="woj">Something else the speaker said was very applicable to my
life. We were all born with a purpose which means God has a plan for each and
every one of our lives. Elizabeth Talbot is a pastor and she told us a story
about how even when she was young, she loved to line up her dolls and preach to
them. As soon as she said that, I remembered that I used to do something very
similar! I would line up all my dolls (and Emily, my sister. Haha!) and teach
them. I always loved to play teacher and read to my little sister. Since I was
two years old, I told everyone I wanted to be a teacher. I realized how
many teaching opportunities God has provided for me in the last few years. I've
taught in Tanzania, Summer school here in Taiwan, I help at Outdoor School with
the upper grades and Adventures Club with the lower grades currently, and I’ve
taught kids in lots of other small ways. When I heard her say that, it was like
the Holy Spirit nudged me and said, "See? I have a plan for you too,
Enjoli." </span><br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<span class="woj">I want to mention one other thing before I close. She talked
about the Woman at the Well and the differences between her water and
Jesus' water. I love how the Bible describes what she did when she ran to
tell the town that she had met Jesus. John 4:28, "</span>The woman then
left her water pot, and went her way into the city..." This is also a
symbol. She finally accepted Jesus' living water, left the past behind, and then
shared Him with others. You know, the gospel is like a gift exchange. We bring
death and exchange it for Jesus' gift which is eternal life. Jesus dies, and we
walk away with the Water of Life (like the woman at the well). It costs us
nothing, yet it costed Him everything. What an awesome God we serve! Satan has
lost and Jesus wins! <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d7RujGfXExc/VtvYqPy1FXI/AAAAAAAAA34/oaIxSPsmIR8/s1600/ECR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d7RujGfXExc/VtvYqPy1FXI/AAAAAAAAA34/oaIxSPsmIR8/s400/ECR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-72043493913575811142016-02-07T01:14:00.001-08:002016-02-07T01:18:20.007-08:00A Crazy Run<span id="goog_1424222902"></span><span id="goog_1424222903"></span>"Ugh" I moaned as the light in my room turned on at 4 am.<br />
"Make sure you're up" my dad said, "We leave in a half hour."<br />
I stumbled to the bathroom, splashed cold water in my face, and then threw on some warm running clothes.<br />
I
glanced out the window. Yep, the forecast was correct; extremely cold
and lots of rain. In fact, rumors said it might even reach 2 degrees
Celsius (35 F) in the city!<br />
<i>"Well, this should definitely be an interesting day"</i> I thought, not knowing <i>how</i> interesting it would be...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QzqaOTeIgmk/Vrb3hK0StUI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/7EiWCxoW5hc/s1600/before%2Bselfie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QzqaOTeIgmk/Vrb3hK0StUI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/7EiWCxoW5hc/s400/before%2Bselfie.jpg" width="300" /></a>At about 4:45, we were all in the van. Marcy, my mom, Shin, Benjamin, Joel and I were doing the 1/2 marathon, my dad, Danielle and Jean-Raymond were doing the 10k, and Emily, Melissa, Patrice and Tracy were doing a fun run (3k). I was just shivering with excitement ... and probably the cold, haha! Fumbling in the dark, we tried to pin our numbers on our shirts, and tie the scanner on our shoes. We all jumped out of the van and joined half of Taiwan (so it seemed) ... there were SO many people. Literally thousands of people all lined up behind a giant starting line. We quickly joined the mass crowd of runners decked out in plastic raincoats. Before we knew it, the countdown finished and we were off! Well, we then started tiptoeing/jogging in place until we got to the starting line with thousands of others.<br />
Benjamin was close behind me as I tried to run to the side and pass the massive crowd. We ended up staying together the whole race.<br />
"This is like an obstacle course!" He commented once. "Haha! Your right!" I said while a I jumped over a puddle, dodged a few people, ran around a thrown raincoat, and tried to avoid running into anyone. We continued running in the dark and rain for a while, just trying to get ahead of the multitude. After a few kilometers, it cleared up a little and we could run our pace a little easier and not have to worry as much about running into people. In the beginning, my nose and fingers were just connected icicles to my body, but soon enough the running warmed us up a bit. The plastic raincoats everyone were wearing littered the side of the road.<br />
"Oh! There's the Grand Hotel." I pointed. "I wonder how long we've been running. I haven't seen any signs yet."<br />
Just a few minutes later, we saw the poster which read "6k."<br />
"So, we run 6 kilometers in a little less than a half hour."<br />
We continued to run as the sun slowly peeped behind the shadowed mountains. It was also really cool to see the city below as we ran over an overpass.<br />
We continued just running and running and only 'stopped' to grab a cup of water or energy drink, swallow, toss the cup to the side, and continue running.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYl5ppp5NYU/Vrb3ofob2jI/AAAAAAAAA2U/FjrXp4tbM5s/s1600/group%2Bpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYl5ppp5NYU/Vrb3ofob2jI/AAAAAAAAA2U/FjrXp4tbM5s/s400/group%2Bpic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
"Oh, look up there." Benjamin motioned to me. "Looks like we have to run up that big hill."<br />
"Ugh." I hate running uphill. The uphill run was the last 1/2 marathon I had run. This one was supposed to be flat. :/<br />
It wasn't too bad, but was very tiring. After about 13k, I was starting to lose my energy and get a bit tired, but we ran on. At one point we saw Marcy and my mom running as we were headed in the opposite direction (there was a turn).<br />
"Hi!" we waved to them.<br />
"Oh great."<br />
"What?" Benjamin turned to me.<br />
"Oh, just one of the pins holding my number just came unclasped."<br />
I spent the next few minutes trying pin it back without jabbing it into me.<br />
It started to get colder as we ran in the opposite direction with the wind on our wet faces.<br />
I was very grateful for the water stop when we had only 3 more kilometers to go. I quickly downed the refreshing drink. I noticed there was a symphony playing for us.<br />
"Wow that's nice."<br />
I didn't think about it too much because by then, I was just trying to keep myself going. <br />
"I'm... so...tired!" I panted.<br />
"Me... too." Benjamin answered.<br />
<i>"Just keep running. Just keep running. I'm almost there. Just 2 more kilometers!" </i>I told myself.<br />
We were planning on picking up our pace at the last kilometer, but when we got there we only had enough energy to just keep going.<br />
"It's so close... but so... far." I gasped between breaths. What seemed an eternity later, we rounded the last bend and we could see the giant finish line.<br />
"We can do this!" we said as we picked up our speed (I don't know how we did. The only reason I think I did was because whenever I see the finish I get a spurt of energy so I can just be done, haha!)<br />
"Let's finish together" he suggested, so I grabbed his hand, lifted them up and then, YES!!! We finished!<br />
Then out loud, "We did it! We did it!"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r2NHKwAYqTE/Vrb3hOGduxI/AAAAAAAAA2M/eSiSRdpw6SQ/s1600/Finish%2Bline%2Bwith%2BBenjamin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r2NHKwAYqTE/Vrb3hOGduxI/AAAAAAAAA2M/eSiSRdpw6SQ/s400/Finish%2Bline%2Bwith%2BBenjamin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I stumbled forward and collected my medal and towel. I dropped down on the wet grass and then laid down. It was too bad no one was there at the end for us, but just a few minutes later my dad and Danielle came over. They had finished the 10 a little earlier and had come to see us.<br />
"Good job! You did it." My dad congratulated. "There serving some hot ginger tea over there if you want some."<br />
"That sounds good. I'm not cold yet, but I know I will be. Ugh, but you'll have to help me off the ground."<br />
He did, and Benjamin and I went to get some tea.<br />
"Let's go to the finish line a look for the others!"<br />
I agreed and we walked to the sidelines for them.<br />
"Is that them?"<br />
"Oh, never mind."<br />
(A little later...)<br />
"There they are! Right there!"<br />
We shouted and Benjamin waved his towel in the air to my mom and Marcy as they came into sight.<br />
"Jia yo! You're almost there!" I encouraged. Soon they crossed the finish line. We decided to a wait a little to see if one of our other runners would come. Soon, we gave up and went to join the others. We stood around for about an hour after finishing and I was absolutely freezing! I couldn't stop shivering and chattering. My shoes to my knees were soaked as well as most of the rest of my body. As we started looking for the others, I could hardly walk. It was incredibly painful. I was walking like a penguin for two days afterwards, lol!<br />
The walk to the van seemed an eternity away, but finally we jumped (well, more like slowly eased ourselves inside) the warm van.<br />
We joked that our next run would probably be in a Typhoon, because each run is crazy. The first one was straight up a mountain, this was in record coldness, so the next one might as well be in a typhoon!<br />
<br />
A little later, we found out that I had won 5th place in my age group! I was super excited. I would have even won some money, but apparently there weren't enough people in my age group. Out of those thousands of people, I would think that would be more than enough, but that's okay. :p I was elated that we had made our goal as well! We were under two hours; 1 hr, 57 sec. to be exact. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KAIzDHBjg84/Vrb3anIKGdI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/cCwlnjkmiTc/s1600/snowmen%2Bon%2Bcar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KAIzDHBjg84/Vrb3anIKGdI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/cCwlnjkmiTc/s400/snowmen%2Bon%2Bcar.jpg" width="300" /></a>As we were waiting in the van to pickup the 3k runners, Danielle was talking on the phone with her sister who was still on the mountain.<br />
"Really?"<br />
She hung up the phone and squealed, "It's SNOWING on the mountain!!!"<br />
We all immediately looked out the window and sure enough, you could see the mountain dusted with snow.<br />
Yes, you heard me right. It actually snowed on the tropical island of Taiwan. I know. Wow. It was the coldest it had been in over a decade.<br />
<br />
The Taiwanese were hilarious. After we were all cleaned up from our race, we drove up the mountain to celebrate with hot soup and hot chocolate. On the way, we saw tons of cars who had purposely piled snow on their cars and put
little snowmen on their wind shields! It was pretty funny. There was a lot of traffic too. It seemed like <i>everyone</i> in
Taipei wanted to see the snow and take picture. Can't blame them. We did too!<br />
(On a sad note, we heard a couple days later that over 80 people had died from the 'extreme' cold weather. It was mostly because their bodies weren't used to the cold, and just didn't wear enough. Probably a lot of homes don't have heaters either. Anyways, I've been keeping their families in prayer)<br />
So, pretty crazy day, don't you think? :) <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lx9KKFVTz4E/Vrb3axft9lI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/EACh1NmsXeg/s1600/group%2Bphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lx9KKFVTz4E/Vrb3axft9lI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/EACh1NmsXeg/s400/group%2Bphoto.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oc06tq25hvw/Vrb3a5nOw8I/AAAAAAAAA2Y/UrdE2TtSp5c/s1600/group%2Bholding%2Bmedals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oc06tq25hvw/Vrb3a5nOw8I/AAAAAAAAA2Y/UrdE2TtSp5c/s400/group%2Bholding%2Bmedals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWm18A9lQEk/Vrb3bU9n92I/AAAAAAAAA2Y/PosYzvXQ4-k/s1600/thumbs%2Bup%2Bwith%2Bmedal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWm18A9lQEk/Vrb3bU9n92I/AAAAAAAAA2Y/PosYzvXQ4-k/s400/thumbs%2Bup%2Bwith%2Bmedal.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span class="PXLWASD-M-f"> </span><span class="PXLWASD-M-f"> </span><span class="PXLWASD-M-f"> </span><br />
<div class="topHolder">
<span class="PXLWASD-M-f"> </span> </div>
<div class="editor" style="top: 50px;">
<div class="state composeMode">
<div class="toolbarHolder">
<div>
<span class="tabs"> <span class="PXLWASD-M-k"> </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span class="tabs"><span class="PXLWASD-M-k"> </span> </span> <br />
<div class="PXLWASD-M-s">
</div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-39029536489232250282015-12-28T22:23:00.001-08:002015-12-28T22:23:47.617-08:00Miracle at a Talent ShowMiracles happen all the time and I would like to share one I experienced recently...<br />
<br />
After finishing my personal devotion on Sabbath morning, I rolled out of my bed, blew my nose, and walked out of my room.<br />
"Good morning" my dad greeted me.<br />
"...ood...m...ing" I croaked. <i>"Where is my voice?!"</i> I thought. Clearing my throat a few more times, I tried again, but it still sounded pretty awful.<i> "Oh no. Not today!"</i> I inwardly moaned.<br />
You see, that night was the church's Christmas Talent Show. I was planning on singing "O Holy Night" (by Point of Grace) with my mom. This was really important to me for a couple of reasons. First, my mom hates singing up front. I've been trying to convince her to sing it with me for four years! I love singing with my mom; I think she sings well and that our voices really blend, regardless of the excuses she gives. Also, I just love that song and how well it's done and really wanted to sing it. Finally, my mom agreed to sing it with me this year. I was so happy! Finally, haha! We practiced many times and figured it all out. And then... I had no voice. Great. Just great.<br />
Running to the kitchen, I started cookin' up all sort of concoctions. I drank some nasty tea, took cold medicine, tons of cough and throat drops, used throat spray, gargled salt water (Ugh! That was nasty), and anything else I could think. (Did I forget to mention I was supposed to sing a special music for church too?)<br />
Soon, I had most of my voice back, but I still sounded congested and I knew it would be next to impossible to sing the really high notes that I was planning to sing that night. The song is a little difficult to sing because it starts low and then I have to go ultra high at the end. It's a lot harder to sing when you have a cold too! (I had caught the cold the last day we were in Japan and had it for a little over three weeks!)<br />
"Ok, God. I guess it's up to You if you want me to sing. You know I really want to sing this song but I want to sing for Your glory, so, Your will be done."<br />
<br />
As we were getting ready to head over to set up for the talent show that evening, I asked my mom if we could practice.<br />
"Sure." she said.<br />
She pushed play and we went through the song once.<br />
"That was horrible!" I exclaimed. "My voice basically left me at that highest note and my voice kept cracking. Are you sure we should do this?"<br />
"I think you can do it. It' already in the program. Just don't practice anymore or you'll strain you voice. Suck on your couph/throat drops until we sing, that might help."<br />
"okay..." I said, not completely convinced.<br />
<br />
The talent show was really going great. There were beautiful songs sang, funny skits done, cute stories told, and a lot of laughing and clapping. But I was coming up on the program quick. Problem was, I was feeling even worse! I kept coughing, my nose was plugged, and I just did not feel good. (In fact, I actually ran up a few of the stairs in the building to clear my nose, but it only lasted a minute.) Soon, I was the next one up.<br />
I turned to my friend, "I'm so nervous! I don't know if I can do it!'<br />
"Let's pray then."<br />
"Thanks, Gracie." I said.<br />
She finished at the same time the group ahead of me did and it was time for me to go up.<br />
My mom called me up and it was time.<i> "Please, God? Send me a miracle so I can just sing this song." </i>I prayed silently and started the song.<br />
After I hesitantly sang the first line I realized something. <i>"My nose is clear! I can breath! And my voice isn't strained or cracking at all. I'm not even scared in front of everybody!" </i><br />
Coming to the end of the song, I took a deep breath right before I sang the highest notes. Then, the song was over. Just like that!<br />
After the song, I distinctly remember just keep saying in my head, "I did it! I did it! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, God!"<br />
I then made my way to my seat. As soon as I sat down, I nose became really congested and I started coughing again. That's when I realized that God had indeed answered my prayer and had given me a miracle! I was just ecstatic with joy that He would do that for me. He cared about me wanting to sing a song. It wasn't important, but it was to me. That's why it was important to Him. This incident reminded me of how God gave me my voice in Tanzania when I needed as well. (Look at my blog entitled, "Miracle in the Classrom."<br />
Wow. God is so good; isn't He? Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-86139575762410572852015-12-14T18:50:00.001-08:002015-12-14T18:50:26.481-08:00To Tokyo We Go"So, let me see, Japan will have been the ... one. two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.. yep! This will be the 10th country I've been in." I counted to myself as I gazed out the airplane window. The sky was full of billowing white clouds. I looked around me and noticed my family and our friends who came with us were all sleeping. Being a light sleeper, I knew I wasn't going to fall asleep so I let my mind wander to all the exiting things we did in Tokyo, Japan.<br />
My mom decided that during Thanksgiving break we were going to go to Japan. And why not? So, Wednesday night we arrived. Our trip turned out to be exciting right from the start.<br />
After we landed in Tokyo, we had to walk all the way to the other side of the airport to catch the Metro. We had to hurry so we wouldn't be late. Problem was, Melissa, a teacher at TAAS who joined us, was currently on crunches. It was a little bit difficult and painful to go at such a fast rate, but it looked like we could still make it. <br />
My dad rushed ahead to buy our metro passes but we were close behind. After much confusion of paying at the wrong station, going to the wrong exit, and so forth, we realized we had just missed our train. Thankfully, someone helped us decide which alternative to take. We all took a deep breath as we sat down in the right train. Then, my mom sat back up.<br />
"We still have to figure out which train to transfer to and where we get off."<br />
I was glad that we hadn't passed our stop before they figured it out about fifteen minutes later.<br />
As I looked at the map of all the metros I was amazed.<br />
"That is SO complicated. Taipei's metro system is <i>way</i> easier!"<br />
Eventually we arrived and found our hotel with no other mishaps. <br />
I remember seeing a haze of orange in he sky behind a tall building and commenting, "Why is the sky orange over there?!"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0_hCyEJJYAs/Vm97bKUF9VI/AAAAAAAAA0o/TAFpcoJ1Hq4/s1600/2015-11-25%2B19.58.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0_hCyEJJYAs/Vm97bKUF9VI/AAAAAAAAA0o/TAFpcoJ1Hq4/s400/2015-11-25%2B19.58.27.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
I found out right after we finished checking in. It was the Tokyo Tower! It was really close to our hotel so we walked over and took some pictures. It's like Japan's version of the Eiffel Tower. We went up to the observatory. They had this kind of majestic music playing and it matched the amazing scene out the glass walls. We could look down on the huge city of Tokyo. You couldn't really see how big it was, but you could see hundreds and thousands of lights twinkling all over the place. It was beautiful. Afterwards, we hurried to the hotel because it was freezing outside! I think I almost forgot what winter felt like! lol!<br />
The next morning, we joined a tour to see Mt. Fuji (or Fujisan). The group we were with was pretty small so we had a lot of room in the tour bus. I remember being so surprised as I looked out the window in the beginning of the ride. The reason was, for a split second I forgot that they drive on the ride side of the car there. So, I see a car drive right next to us and all I see in the 'driver's seat is a box!<br />
"How is the car driving!? There's only a box! Oh..." haha! I realized my mistake before I had even finished my thought, but it was pretty funny.<br />
As we left the city, the scenery was just beautiful. There were rolling hills and mountains covered with dense forest. I could almost smell the fresh greenery in the cool air. We weren't able to see the peak of Mt. Fuji though (until later) as it was covered with thick, dark clouds. <br />
We road over the only 'singing road' in the world too. There's a certain part of the road as you approach the Mt. Fuji that you hear singing coming from the road as you drive over it.<br />
When our leader first told us we were going to drive over ad singing road I was like, "a <i>what</i>?!" But it's true! It sang! Apparently, they strategically place little bumps and lines on the road so that when you drive over it, and you listen carefully, you can hear a song. I didn't know the Japanese song, but it was really cool to hear!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://il2.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/8285935/thumb/1.jpg?i10c=img.resize%28height:160%29" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="irc_mi" height="225" src="http://il2.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/8285935/thumb/1.jpg?i10c=img.resize%28height:160%29" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="400" /></a></div>
When we reached the highest point you could drive to, we took some pictures (even though we couldn't see the top) and turned around. After lunch, we drove away from the mountain to go on a gondola ride. As we turned away from the mountain, the tour guide shouted, "Oh look behind us! Mt. Fuji is coming out!" All heads immediately turned and we were able to see the peak of the tallest mountain in Japan.<br />
"That is a rare treat." the tour guide explained. "Mt. Fuji is usually very shy."<br />
We got a great view from the gondola, and after that we took a ferry ride on one of lakes surrounding Mt. Fuji. The water was so graceful and peaceful. It was a nice, relaxing ride.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTz7dISUX2Y/Vm97gr_qSQI/AAAAAAAAA04/KVgeeUd5jp4/s1600/2015-11-26%2B16.22.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTz7dISUX2Y/Vm97gr_qSQI/AAAAAAAAA04/KVgeeUd5jp4/s400/2015-11-26%2B16.22.51.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lKtzZoyWbhI/Vm97fMJPBnI/AAAAAAAAA0w/Gsq3gFeletI/s1600/2015-11-26%2B14.12.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lKtzZoyWbhI/Vm97fMJPBnI/AAAAAAAAA0w/Gsq3gFeletI/s400/2015-11-26%2B14.12.59.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
By the time we arrived back in Tokyo, it was dark and we were starving! We decided to go and try to find an Indian restaurant. One of the ladies on our tour decided to join us for dinner as well. The only problem was, we couldn't find it! People kept giving us different directions and we ended up walking a big circle. It took us a while, but we finally found it and the food was amazing. :)<br />
On Friday, we met up with the Smiths (friends we had previously met on their visit to Taipei) and went to the Sky Tree. It is a super tall tower and the has the highest look-out in the world! It has only been there three years. The view was absolutely spectacular! There was great weather and you see the entire city. Its so big, it's beyond words in my opinion.<br />
"Wow," I said to myself, "And I thought <i>Taipei</i> was huge..." It just went on forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and... okay, I think you get my point.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gyIFr--lsgE/Vm97lcT9y6I/AAAAAAAAA1U/AWyiAN66zPY/s1600/2015-11-27%2B18.28.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gyIFr--lsgE/Vm97lcT9y6I/AAAAAAAAA1U/AWyiAN66zPY/s400/2015-11-27%2B18.28.44.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
On our way back to the hotel, we took the wrong train <i>three</i> times. See, that just shows how complicated the Tokyo metro is. Even the <i>locals</i> get lost! There was like a sea of people, too. I haven't seen very many places so packed with people. At rush hour, they have what they call 'train pushers.' They will literally shove and push the people so tight into the cars so they can all fit when the doors close. Thankfully we didn't have to experience that.<br />
Anyways, we finally got on the right train. We had fun trying all the drinks in the vending machines though. Japan is actually known for their vending machines. They have very unique ones and their absolutely everywhere. You can get cold or hot drinks, hot soup, ramen, some have ice-cream, french fries, and all sorts of stuff! They have really good Japanese drinks too.<br />
The next day was sabbath and we went to a church there. It was nice. The potluck was a little different. They had us sit down, and then they served us the food! We took a walk in the park afterwards and saw some fall colored trees.<br />
That night we went to Shibuya Crossing. Probably one of the busiest crosswalks in the world. It's kind of like New York's Time Square or something. After we crossed the road my mom asked me what I thought.<br />
"I felt like I was swimming in a sea of people! Haha!"<br />
We did some souvenir shopping, grabbed a bite to eat and then quickly went to our hotel. We had to take a taxi for a short distance but it was absolutely ridiculously expensive! I have never seen a taxi ride cost so much, and it wasn't a very long a drive at all! <br />
Anyways, before even the crack of dawn, we had to jump out of our cozy beds and rush to the airport.<br />
In summary, we had a great, fun-filled, exciting trip and I have now been to 10 countries! I wonder which one will be next... :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwEQwHyIJrM/Vm97n2H6-lI/AAAAAAAAA1g/r71JbiTAHNc/s1600/2015-11-28%2B15.10.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwEQwHyIJrM/Vm97n2H6-lI/AAAAAAAAA1g/r71JbiTAHNc/s400/2015-11-28%2B15.10.13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J7ureVgyVFs/Vm97ixqhZFI/AAAAAAAAA1I/CMJ7C4BAuD8/s1600/2015-11-27%2B14.28.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J7ureVgyVFs/Vm97ixqhZFI/AAAAAAAAA1I/CMJ7C4BAuD8/s400/2015-11-27%2B14.28.21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-91350960718248739012015-11-04T04:15:00.004-08:002015-11-06T00:27:38.605-08:00God's Race<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:RelyOnVML/>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="371">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;"><span class="text Heb-12-1" id="en-KJV-30214">"...Let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, <i>and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us.</i>" Hebrews 12:1</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;"><span class="text Heb-12-1" id="en-KJV-30214"> </span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">I just ran
my first half-marathon a couple days ago. You wouldn’t believe I used to hate
running, but I did! Back when we lived in the States, my mom had to practically
drag me to go running with her. She didn’t always take me, but when she
did, I would always complain, “But I have too much homework!” or “I’m tired,”
and “Do I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have</i> to go?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">When we
moved here to Taiwan, my mom recruited some people from church and formed a
running group. Soon, they dubbed themselves the New Life International SDA Runners.
They ran every Sunday and Thursday evening along-side the river. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">One Sabbath
(Saturday) evening, my mom told us that we had to go running with them the next
morning. I was reluctant, but I went. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it! It was
actually fun! Probably because we usually stop for tea on the way back.
Sometimes, we jokingly call ourselves the “tea runners.” Lol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that, I would run with them
periodically. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">This year, I
officially became part of the running club and got my own T-shirt. My goal was
to run a half marathon. I had a difficult time though because I wasn’t allowed
to run like half of the time! As I mentioned in the previous post, due to my
allergies, my mom wouldn’t let me run unless I was a certain weight because she
was worried about me losing weight (which was completely understandable but I
still didn’t like it). Thankfully, every time I was allowed to run, I ran just
fine.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sVT-JjQVr_0/VjxjKwv_OjI/AAAAAAAAAww/kkHhsjuvzfc/s1600/group%2Brunning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sVT-JjQVr_0/VjxjKwv_OjI/AAAAAAAAAww/kkHhsjuvzfc/s400/group%2Brunning.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Soon, the
day of the ½ marathon arrived. Some of us were nervous, some excited, and I was
a little of both. I was super excited, but we had heard that it was uphill.
Turns out it was uphill, right up a mountain!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">The starting (and ending point) was at a track. As we jumped out of the van, we could feel the excitement in the air. Tons of people were milling around and stretching.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">To our great amusement, someone on the stage started leading some excerices moves, but it was more of a dance then an exercise. It was hilarious to watch.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;"> Soon it was time for the race to begin. Everyone assembled on the track and the countdown began!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;"> "...Shi, Jio, Ba, Qi, Liu, Wu, Si, San, Er, Yi!" The alarm went off and we started our race. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"Yeah! We're doing it! We're running!" My mom shouted gleefully as we rounded the bend and started running up. We ran up hill after hill, right up the mountain. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Panting, I asked my mom, "Are you sure this results in good health? Not in broken legs and collapsed lungs?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"Well, I guess it's a good things health care is so cheap here." She smirked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"Oh, thanks a lot." I laughed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">We continued trudging upward. It was treacherous! During all our training, we only ran on flat roads. We were not prepared to run straight up a mountain!" </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"Jia yo! Jia yo!" People would shout and encourage us as they passed out sports drinks and water at the stations along the way. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">At one point, we saw our fastest runner, Benjamin, on his way back. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JGEmRMsmDzQ/VjxjK2IvZNI/AAAAAAAAAws/ZG9ymzJPG5w/s1600/enjoli%2Brunning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JGEmRMsmDzQ/VjxjK2IvZNI/AAAAAAAAAws/ZG9ymzJPG5w/s400/enjoli%2Brunning.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"You're almost there! (to the half way point)" he encouraged us as we cheered him. Finally, we forced our legs up the last hill and made it to the half-way point where they gave us a scrunchy to prove we made it. Then, we headed back.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"At least all those uphills will be downhills on the way back." I gasped between breaths. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Those down hills were straight down, though, and it started to bother some of our groups' knees, especially, Inah. We were getting close to the end and us girls wanted to finish together so we were were determined to stick together. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!" Danielle complained.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"We got this! We can do it!" my mom encouraged. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"O, God, help us finish." someone else said muttered. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"Oh, I don't think I can run anymore, my knees really hurt." cried Inah. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;"> "Come on, Inah! You can do it! Just a little longer! We're almost there! "I encouraged as I grabbed her hand.Yes, we were almost there. Almost! Soon we saw friends cheering us on as we the finish line came into sight. We ran, hand in hand, and stopped together over the finish line. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"We did it!" I shouted. I walked over and received my medal and proudly put it around my neck. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Benjamin had already made with Marcy a little behind. Soon, the two remaining boys brought up the rear, including my dad. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SrnHrCveS6U/VjxiQrATd-I/AAAAAAAAAwg/4CWQqnutY9g/s1600/finish%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SrnHrCveS6U/VjxiQrATd-I/AAAAAAAAAwg/4CWQqnutY9g/s400/finish%2Bline.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Next of course was picture time! After taking pictures we slowly lowered ourselves onto the ground and drank lots of water and rested our weary limbs. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">The were some people talking loudly in Chinese on the microphones on the stage but I was concentrated on resting my tired legs. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">All of a sudden, Shin looked up and told me, "That's your name!" </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">"What?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Then I heard them announce my friend's name. (Apparently they mispronounced my name so bad that I didn't even recognize it, haha!) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Bewildered, we walked over to the stage area. They kind of lined us up, me in front of Danielle, and they asked where we were from and how to pronounce our names. We had absolutely no clue what was happening as they said something in microphone and read our running numbers. Finally, Shin translated: We were the third and fourth fastest runners in our category! We couldn't believe it! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Before we had really processed this information, they ushered us on the platform and announced our name to every one (along with a bunch of Chinese). Then, two guys came and shook our hands, gave us a plaque (!!!) and a gift. I was thrilled! My first marathon I had placed third fastest in my category, received a plaque (even if it is in Chinese), got a running shirt, and medal to boot! I thanked God for how He had blessed me. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CeN1Nuc8RPw/VjxkDwPsNWI/AAAAAAAAAw8/R6BcjeeIASM/s1600/winners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CeN1Nuc8RPw/VjxkDwPsNWI/AAAAAAAAAw8/R6BcjeeIASM/s400/winners.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">The fact that all of us made it without any major injuries was a miracle. God was really working. My mom, just the day before could hardly walk! She had injured her food and it hurt so bad she didn't come to church. God healed her thought and she was able to run a half marathon the next morning without any difficulties. Inah also has a really hard time with running uphill, but she made it! Benjamin had brand-new running shoes that he was worried about blistering and hurting his feet, but they didn't. My dad and Danielle were really nervous about it as well, and they did just fine! God was definitely running with us. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YW-x_GO92yE/VjxiQ7qqtuI/AAAAAAAAAwc/uh4qmbKsyKk/s1600/Jumping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YW-x_GO92yE/VjxiQ7qqtuI/AAAAAAAAAwc/uh4qmbKsyKk/s400/Jumping.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">During the race, God brought a verse to mind: Acts 20:24, "</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-20-24" id="en-NIV-27651">However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the <b>race</b> and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">I finished my physical race, the half marathon, but I still have another race to run and task to complete: to tell everyone of God's amazing love and grace. Will you join me in this race?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-67700868957320393012015-10-29T05:36:00.003-07:002015-10-29T05:38:01.055-07:00"So... I can... eat again?!" "We got your allergy tests back." my dad said as he glanced at me through the front mirror.<br />
Instantly my heart did flip-flops and a cold chill of nervousness rushed over my body. Before I could respond, my dad told me he wouldn't tell me the results until we got to the house and he had showed and talked it over with my mom.<br />
<br />
Okay, so maybe I should back-track a little: <br />
As you may know from a previous post, I became allergic to a LOT of things. I took the test in February and it said I was allergic to: Dairy (the highest), wheat, soy, gluten, rice, sunflower seed, papaya, orange, almonds, buckwheat, wheat, eggs, walnuts, peanuts, and tea. Yep, basically everything. Anyway, since then I have tried to completely avoid any of those foods. Do you know how hard that is? Indescribably difficult. Besides the difficulty of finding gluten free, dairy free, nut free, rice free, ect., did you know that almost everything is cooked in soy oil (and here, sunflower oil) or has soy lectin in it? Most Gluten-free products are made with rice, but I couldn't eat that either. On top of that, all the labels here are in Chinese, of course! These eight months I just had to eat at home, bring my own food everywhere, or/and just watch others eat. That is difficult in Taiwan where everyone eats out. I kind of got used to people eating yummy food that I couldn't in front of me, but it was still hard.<br />
A couple months ago we found out more about my allergies. I will try and explain the best I can: I got this bacteria called Candida (yeast) that ate holes in my stomach lining. This resulted in all my food going into my bloodstream. This made my body react to the food as an allergy. <br />
So, while we were in the states, we got a bunch of pro-biotics and other "stuff" to heal my gut. I also started juicing once a month.<br />
Because of all this, I was doing a lot better; only breaking out in hives every now and then. But suddenly, I started getting them more frequently and we couldn't understand why. We were worried I was gaining new allergies (which kind of freaked us out). About this time, we found out that Candida grows on sugar.<br />
My parents decided to put me on an extreme diet for a month and then I would get retested. The diet consisted of: raw vegetables, quinoa, the few nuts and oil I could eat (and seasonings and stuff). I couldn't have sugar, fruit, or carbs (except for a cup of beans a day so I didn't shrivel into a twig :p). In fact, my mom was constantly worried about me losing weight; especially since we run a lot (training for a 1/2 marathon). I wasn't allowed to run and had to walk if I was under 108 lbs / 48 kg (which was the case a lot of the time; but I was still able to keep up when I could run, thankfully). <br />
<br />
That last month was horrible. I had such intense cravings for anything sweet (an apple sounded heavenly). I mostly ate salad and nuts. "And I thought my old diet was bad" I remember thinking to myself. I survived and God helped through. After the month was finally up, we went back to the clinic where I got my blood taken and was told I would get the results in two weeks.<br />
Another thing we decided to do was have an anointing service for me. It
was really special. After church, (a couple days before my re-testing) the elders laid their hands on me,
prayed, and anointed me. I felt peace in my heart. I knew that we had done everything
we could and that it was in God's hands now. I knew many people were praying for me.<br />
<br />
Two agonizingly-long weeks later, my dad told me he got my results, as I mentioned in the beginning. My dad pulled up to our house, and we all hopped out of the car. I went to my room and my parents to theirs.<br />
"O, God," I prayed. "I'm so nervous! What if I'm still allergic to everything? What will I do? It's so hard to eat and live like this. Please let the report be good. I know You can. I have believe in You, 'Help my unbelief." Most importantly though, let Your will be done."<br />
I decided that even if the results were bad, I would just see it as God's will for me and I would survive. He could help through.<br />
Eventually, my parents called me into their room. I could hardly bear the suspense as I slowly walked into their bedroom. I braced myself, as I waited for them to tell me the news.<br />
"Your allergies are so much better! There are only a few things on here and you have no more high allergies!"<br />
I sighed with relief and plopped onto their bed. "Thank-you, God!" I whispered.<br />
My mom then proceeded to explain that I still need to be gluten-free, and mostly vegan but there were so many more things I could eat!<br />
"So, I can like, almost eat like a normal person again?!"<br />
"Yes!"<br />
I don't know why, but my eyes started filling.<br />
"I'm just... so overwhelmed! I can.. I can eat again!" I laughed through my misting eyes.<br />
"Yes, you can eat again, Enjoli. You just have to be careful to rotate everything and only eat these certain things sparingly and you should be fine" my mom repeated as she and my dad gave me a hug.<br />
Walking into the kitchen, I turned to my parents, "I just can't believe it! I can eat again! But I forgot how to eat... You're going to have to teach me how to eat like a normal person again!" I laughed.<br />
That night I hardly slept a wink, thinking about food, haha! I am definitely more thankful for food than I ever have been in my life. I will never take food for granted again. I repeatedly thanked God for answering my prayer that night. How good, loving, and kind our God is!Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-19314125065788502212015-10-17T23:00:00.001-07:002015-10-17T23:00:08.344-07:00Flooded!"I found another drip!" I hollered to my dad as I examined the water dripping onto the floor with my flashlight.<br />
My dad shook his head as he scrounged around the kitchen for another pot. "Every time I turn around, there's another leak!"<br />
We were in another Typhoon with no electricity, and water was seeping through our ceiling. This typhoon wasn't as strong as the previous one, yet for some reason our house was leaking water everywhere! We had an assortment of pots, pans, towels, and rags all over the floor.<br />
"Maybe you should go up to the apartment above and see what's happening." my mom suggested.<br />
The wind subsided for a moment, my dad quickly ran upstairs. Even though the wind wasn't too strong, we all still prayed that he'd be safe as he went upstairs to talk to our neighbors.<br />
Finally, he stepped in the door. "They're not home."<br />
"No wonder our house is leaking everywhere. They probably have a window open letting all the water in their apartment." my mom sighed as we all sat on the couch in the living room. We were at a loss of what to do.<br />
I flashed my light around the room, staring at the many brown streaks of water, the puddles everywhere, and the ceiling in the dining room. We were all starting to get quite worried about it. The ceiling was starting to droop and water was almost pouring out of it. It look like it could collapse at any moment.<br />
Finally, my parents broke the silence.<br />
"Well, you girls can probably go to bed. We're going to have to get up on the hour to empty all these pots and trash bins so our house doesn't completely flood."<br />
We said another prayer together, then tried to get some sleep.<br />
Being a light sleeper, knowing that the ceiling could collapse, and random drops of water on my face made it very difficult to sleep.<br />
"Just keep us safe, Lord." I prayed.<br />
It was a crazy night. I woke up many times during the night. Once I woke up to a huge 'CRASH!' I stepped over the small lake forming in front of my door to find out what had happened.<br />
"The Chandelier fell and broke." my dad explained. He was sweeping the glass up. I noticed that the ceiling was lower, and there were even more drips and leaks everywhere.<br />
<br />
Finally, morning came bringing the beautiful sunlight. We thanked God for keeping us safe and that the ceiling hadn't collapsed on us. The typhoon was gone! The sun was out! But our house was flooded...<br />
My mom walked over to school in the morning and recruited some help. We didn't know what to do. We were worried about water damage and we knew we needed to pack our stuff. But where would we stay? Would we permanently move out?<br />
The owner of the apartment above us came and found his whole floor covered in about 2-3 inches of water, which explained our situation. His and our apartments were the only ones damaged though.<br />
The school found us a hotel so we packed some stuff and moved into the hotel and stayed in it for about a week.<br />
The owner of our house came to look at it and talked with us.<br />
"Yes, yes, this needs to be fixed. But this is not too bad, and we can just paint over this..." she said as she observed our home.<br />
We knew that it was not safe to live in anymore, especially since our landlord didn't want to even make all the necessary repairs. So, we had less than a week to find a house.<br />
What a crazy week it was! We all had to still go to school on top of trying to find a house, and packing our stuff at our old apartment.<br />
Towards the end of the week, my dad found this super nice, big apartment that was owned by a former staff of our school. <br />
I don't know why, but I just had this distinct feeling that it was all going to work out and that God would give us this apartment.<br />
So, Saturday night we went to look at it. It was huge, beautiful, and in the perfect location! Long story short, the land-owner was super kind and generous, loaned us furniture from her own storage, and we were moving in four days later!<br />
<br />
No one else that we knew were really affected by the typhoon, so why were we the unlucky ones to have our house flood? Well, maybe God just wanted us to move so we could have a nicer, bigger house closer to the city. Now we can do more outreach activities in our home. Plus, God taught me something. Many times when bad things happen to us in life, we are tempted to get all upset, blame God, and get all stressed out. But, God is in charge and He can handle anything. We weren't too stressed because we knew God was in control and he would work everything out for good, and He did! Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-47211070802908347022015-09-14T02:23:00.004-07:002015-09-14T02:23:35.032-07:00Chop! Chop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G_LIoN5kY98/VfaN8WmML-I/AAAAAAAAAuo/zlXz5xJZxIM/s1600/2015-09-01%2B16.30.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G_LIoN5kY98/VfaN8WmML-I/AAAAAAAAAuo/zlXz5xJZxIM/s400/2015-09-01%2B16.30.00.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Okay everyone, I actually did it. I, Enjoli Canfield, have cut my hair! Haha! Maybe some of you who don't know me are thinking, "Okay... so you cut your hair... why is that so significant?" Well, if you <i>do</i> know me, you know that I have (had) extremely long hair (about an inch past my waist) and hadn't cut it for 6 1/2 years. That's a long time. I almost thought I would never cut it.<br />
So how did I decide to do it? My family has been telling me and teasing me about cutting my hair for the last year or two. Whenever they mentioned it I would quickly say no and hold my hair protectively. I couldn't help but notice that my hair was starting to look really dead on the ends though. It was getting a little annoying and my hair was breaking and splitting a lot. My hair looked longer and healthier a year or two before. I also prayed about it ('cause why not? He cares about every hair on our head, right?) and realized a few things. First, I cared too much about my hair and realized that my hair was kind of a security thing to me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6f3rOF8URFA/VfaOA1o-ikI/AAAAAAAAAvI/08hQzZdx7to/s1600/2015-09-01%2B16.51.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6f3rOF8URFA/VfaOA1o-ikI/AAAAAAAAAvI/08hQzZdx7to/s400/2015-09-01%2B16.51.34.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Anyways, it was about time to cut it and I knew it. My mom scheduled an appointment for me. So, the time came. I was a little nervous, but mostly kind of excited. The guy was amazed at how my long my hair was and couldn't believe it when we told them I hadn't cut it for 6 1/2 years.<br />
"6 and a 1/2 years! Really? Wow" he exclaimed while examining my hair.<br />
Then he asked how much I wanted. We told him I just needed to cut all the dead off so my hair could be healthy again.<br />
He put the apron-thing over me and had me stand up (because of how long it was) as he cut the biggest chunk off. My parents even brought the video camera for the occasion! :p Then he started to chop it off. I stood absolutely still, and a little tense as I felt the scissors pulling and cutting my hair. It felt so high up! The next moment, he was done cutting the basics (he still needed to touch up). I looked in the mirror.<br />
"How do you feel?" my mom asked.<br />
I stared in the mirror while running my fingers through my hair. "I can't beleive I cut it! It's so... so... short!"<br />
"It's not that short." she answered.<br />
"It just feels so short. But I'm still glad I'm cutting it."<br />
After that, he put me back into the seat and cut some minimal layers and brushed things up.<br />
<i>"He's cutting more off?"</i> I thought to myself. <i>"Well, I trust he knows what's he's doing." </i><br />
Now, where I went for my hair cut is kind of on the fancy side. They really like to pamper you. After he finished cutting my hair, he took me to wash my hair. He led me to this quiet, dimly lit room, and set me down in the reclined chair over the washing bowl. He put a cooling mask over my eyes, told me to relax, then started massaging and scrubbing my head. It felt amazing. He also put some sort of cooling (Like peppermint) stuff in my hair, and then laid a warm towel over my face and under my neck for a few minutes.<br />
After the washing ordeal was over he took me back and dried my hair. Finally, I was done.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PYoGSdCcCow/VfaN_BwU_yI/AAAAAAAAAu8/sL4QroIKfpQ/s1600/2015-09-01%2B07.41.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PYoGSdCcCow/VfaN_BwU_yI/AAAAAAAAAu8/sL4QroIKfpQ/s400/2015-09-01%2B07.41.52.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03GJxAC5ZGE/VfaOG-CYUeI/AAAAAAAAAvY/RKrHwrLYeEY/s1600/2015-09-02%2B07.12.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03GJxAC5ZGE/VfaOG-CYUeI/AAAAAAAAAvY/RKrHwrLYeEY/s400/2015-09-02%2B07.12.38.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
"What do you think?" he asked me.<br />
I kind of stared at myself in the mirror in astonishment.<br />
"I'ts so short! Well, not really, I mean it's so much shorter. But, I really like it! In fact, I love it! Thanks so much!"<br />
He smiled, satisfied with his work and said, "You are so beautiful!"<br />
He handed me the ponytail of my hair to keep. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to keep it, but my Dad was already taking it. <br />
I was ecstatic about my hair cut. Everything was a new experience for the next couple of days. It was surprising how easy it was to wash and brush!<br />
So, yep, I have officially cut my hair! I really like it and think it's really pretty, but of course I know that what's most important is that my inside is pretty. It's like the new me, and I want to make sure I'm pretty inside (and out!) :D<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OPNVTaDTzI0/VfaPevddrJI/AAAAAAAAAvs/u8Y6zFQ2vZI/s1600/2015-09-01%2B18.07.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OPNVTaDTzI0/VfaPevddrJI/AAAAAAAAAvs/u8Y6zFQ2vZI/s400/2015-09-01%2B18.07.01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-85412180611757590792015-08-22T21:40:00.005-07:002015-08-24T02:26:33.260-07:00Typhoon!!!"Ah, no big deal." That's how most Taiwanese respond to the news of a coming Typhoon. If fact, that's what my thoughts were when I heard of it. The reasoning being that most typhoons are just a bit of wind and lots of rain. We had experienced two typhoons already and that's exactly how it was. In fact, there had been one a couple weeks previously that wasn't scary at all and I loved it because it meant no school! What my point is, I wasn't expecting to go through the biggest typhoon I had ever been in (including the ones when I lived in the Philippines).<br />
"Have you heard of the coming typhoon this weekend?" Jeff asked me as I was helping one of the other teachers, Melissa, set up and clean her classroom.<br />
I paused my sweeping, "Oh really?"<br />
"Yep, it's supposed to be pretty big, but my guess is that it won't be much bigger than the one we had just a couple weeks ago.<br />
"Yeah, probably."<br />
When I got home, I went looking for my dad, "Daddy! Did you know a typhoon is coming this Friday?"<br />
"Yeah, I heard about it. Let's look online for the typhoon news."<br />
We found out that Typhoon Souledor was coming straight towards us in Taipei. The news also confirmed that it was going to be a very strong one and that all business were to be closed Friday afternoon and all day Sabbath (Saturday).<br />
That night, we went out to eat at a fancy restaurant with the TAAS staff (and families). I was even able to get a plateful of food!<br />
I turned to my friend sitting beside me and asked, "Did you hear about the typhoon? It's supposed to be pretty big!"<br />
"No, not really."<br />
I told her some statistics that we found online.<br />
"Really? Huh. I wonder it will actually be as bad as they say." she commented.<br />
I wondered too.<br />
Friday, my dad sent out an emailing saying that church would be canceled because of the typhoon. Many thought that canceling church was a good idea, while others thought it was kind of silly.<br />
"Well, I guess we'll find out this evening" my dad told us.<br />
My dad, Carolyn, and I went to pick my mom up from the school around noon. It was pretty cloudy and quite windy.<br />
When we got home we made sure to charge all the laptops and freeze some water bottles.<br />
Sure enough, that evening it started to pour and the wind picked up speed. It wasn't too bad though. The eye of the storm was supposed to hit us about midnight. After watching it for a little, we turned off the lights and went to bed.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilHHbwyFrZ0/VdlKIDogvHI/AAAAAAAAArM/LNDR_QBKyWM/s1600/2015-08-08%2B08.50.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilHHbwyFrZ0/VdlKIDogvHI/AAAAAAAAArM/LNDR_QBKyWM/s400/2015-08-08%2B08.50.36.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view out our living room window, Sabbath Morning</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After we went to bed, the typhoon continued to increase at alarming speed and intensity. Most of the night I was only half asleep, half listening to the howling craziness outside.<br />
At about 2-3 in the morning, a giant crash woke Carolyn and I up.<br />
"Wow! What was that!" I exclaimed and rushed to the window. I stared awestruck at the sight before me. "Wow" was all I could say. Carolyn soon joined me at my side.<br />
We were in the eye of the storm and the I had never seen such strong wind in my life! It was absolutely crazy!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zKkn15oSPtM/VdlKJJKpRLI/AAAAAAAAArU/wyXIAKAB57g/s1600/2015-08-08%2B08.51.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zKkn15oSPtM/VdlKJJKpRLI/AAAAAAAAArU/wyXIAKAB57g/s400/2015-08-08%2B08.51.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside my bedroom window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"It sounds like a roaring ocean out there!" I whispered as I watched the trees swaying dangerously from side to side, rain pelting the earth, a waterfall cascading down the steps out my window, and debris flying all around. We found out that the crashing sound came from a a huge tree that had fallen right next to my window and room. There was banging metallic noises coming from a septic tank outside too.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p7dqca7UWbw/VdlJ0I86yJI/AAAAAAAAApk/abG3oRZhKgI/s1600/DSC00891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p7dqca7UWbw/VdlJ0I86yJI/AAAAAAAAApk/abG3oRZhKgI/s400/DSC00891.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The septic tank and tree that fell right outside my window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My parents came out of their room and we shone the flashlight outside the windows and looked around. It was just crazy.<br />
"Well, this is definitely the biggest typhoon we have ever been in" we all agreed. Soon, we went back to our bedrooms, hoping to get some sleep before sunrise. <br />
In the morning it was still storming out pretty bad. Not quite as bad, but bad enough! There was so much rain in the swirling wind that the whole sky would white out.<br />
We just sat on the couches, eating our breakfast as we watched the craziness outside. Soon we decided to have 'church.' We watched a sermon by David Asscheric and sang some songs.<br />
"The Lord's our Rock, in Him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm; We find in God a safe retreat, a shelter in the time of storm. Might Rock in a weary land, Cooling shade on the burning sand Faithful guide for the pilgrim band - a shelter in the time of storm" we sang. (I thought it was an appropriate song to sing during that time. ;) )<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSH9SNIcTiw/VdlJ2FblLCI/AAAAAAAAAp0/rXzo1hfwHmU/s1600/DSC00892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSH9SNIcTiw/VdlJ2FblLCI/AAAAAAAAAp0/rXzo1hfwHmU/s400/DSC00892.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gPrDDNJ1Kuc/VdlJ-zY5SUI/AAAAAAAAAqc/SSU7WDqY5t4/s1600/DSC00898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gPrDDNJ1Kuc/VdlJ-zY5SUI/AAAAAAAAAqc/SSU7WDqY5t4/s400/DSC00898.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1VsgusmfW-g/VdlKBzsA-sI/AAAAAAAAAqs/w1gngRILKFg/s1600/DSC00901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1VsgusmfW-g/VdlKBzsA-sI/AAAAAAAAAqs/w1gngRILKFg/s400/DSC00901.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The typhoon gradually calmed in the afternoon and finally it was safe to go outside. It was incredible how much damage it had done! The pool was really scary looking. It was a creepy green color and had a chair, a piece of roofing, and lots of tree branches and leaves in it. Fallen trees were everywhere. All the banana trees were broken, the basketball court fence was down, and worst of all, we had a shattered car window! Another car close by had completely lost two windows and all the glass went flying at high speed towards our car, breaking one of ours.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oCpKCs_HonE/VdlJ7ol5UmI/AAAAAAAAAqM/2utjURbCTw0/s1600/DSC00896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oCpKCs_HonE/VdlJ7ol5UmI/AAAAAAAAAqM/2utjURbCTw0/s400/DSC00896.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fallen plants and basketball court</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LaqgVYxg-84/VdlLKSo6E4I/AAAAAAAAAtQ/ynkQNXjCbRg/s1600/DSC00899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LaqgVYxg-84/VdlLKSo6E4I/AAAAAAAAAtQ/ynkQNXjCbRg/s400/DSC00899.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shattered window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ktA_M7cZLEc/VdlKAIG8MNI/AAAAAAAAAqk/J793xZFdgzw/s1600/DSC00900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ktA_M7cZLEc/VdlKAIG8MNI/AAAAAAAAAqk/J793xZFdgzw/s400/DSC00900.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glass inside our car</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That night was a very hot and humid night. We still didn't have power.<br />
The next day I walked over to the school to see how they fared. When I walked in the gate I was surprised! Almost all the teachers were outside working, moving piles upon piles of leaves that carpeted the roads. We all pitched in the worked and cleared the roads by evening leaving us with half of the ball field covered in a ginormous pile of leaves, branches, and debris. In fact, we went three full days before the power came back on!<br />
<br />
<img alt="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/11822750_10204461573287864_9179174391948276825_n.jpg?oh=e9a04853bd16a57ccf8a684b9cc82da4&oe=56721363&__gda__=1446565518_001da25051a1dda3cbd2ebbab9e8ed36" class="shrinkToFit" height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/11822750_10204461573287864_9179174391948276825_n.jpg?oh=e9a04853bd16a57ccf8a684b9cc82da4&oe=56721363&__gda__=1446565518_001da25051a1dda3cbd2ebbab9e8ed36" width="298" /><br />
<img alt="https://scontent-nrt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/11233996_10204461572887854_8268878197906606151_n.jpg?oh=39cc3f83ee047b0210dc469a0509e995&oe=567442C0" class="overflowing" height="400" src="https://scontent-nrt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/11233996_10204461572887854_8268878197906606151_n.jpg?oh=39cc3f83ee047b0210dc469a0509e995&oe=567442C0" width="298" /> <br />
The school's power turned on that night, but ours was still off. It wasn't until the <i>next</i> night that we got power back. (Making it a total of 3 full days without power!)<br />
It turned on at about 3:30 am.<br />
"Enjoli!" Carolyn called my name.<br />
"Hmm?" I mumbled as I woke up and turned to her. <br />
"The fan's on! That means we have power again!"<br />
"Awesome!" "Thank-you God." I whispered as I went back to sleep.<br />
I'm so glad God kept us safe during the typhoon and pray for those who were less fortunate than ourselves. Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-27860310363065578682015-08-06T22:38:00.001-07:002015-08-06T23:29:10.903-07:00Summer School Fun"Ms. Enjoli! Ms. Enjoli! Come and get me!" shrieks of laughter followed as I chased the kids around the gym. <br />
"Wow, I really love these kids. Sometimes they can be difficult and exasperating, but I think it's worth it." I smiled to myself.<br />
This Summer, Carolyn and I were TA's (Teacher's Assistances) at TAAS' summer school. I was put with my mom in first and second grade, and Carolyn with Mr. Johnston in third grade (probably the most difficult class). My basic job was to lead my kids to each of their classes, and help them and the teachers with whatever they needed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iIDikwMt1Ew/VcRBkq8SSFI/AAAAAAAAAn0/IYfA3ipNlcI/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iIDikwMt1Ew/VcRBkq8SSFI/AAAAAAAAAn0/IYfA3ipNlcI/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
First on the schedule was chapel in the Gym.<br />
"I am a C, I am a C-h, I am a c-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n, Amen!..." They sang as loud as they could. They never tired of that song. Some of them would even try to spell all the letters with me, but it got difficult when the song got faster and faster, haha! We sang some others songs such as I've Got a River of Life, Peace Like a River, Lord I lift Your Name on High, Jesus loves is a Bubbling Over, and our theme song; God is so Good. There are four verses to that song, so we added one every week. <br />
After singing some songs, we would have a story. Some teachers told lesson stories, while others told Bible stories and had them act it out. When it was my mom's week, she told the story of Joseph, and each group acted out a scene from his life. The kids did a great job and I think they learned a lot. <br />
After the closing prayer, all fourteen of my first and second graders would line up behind me and we would walk to the classroom where we had English Class.<br />
During this class, we mostly taught them names of objects and simple, conversational English. We played learning games, watched fun learning songs and videos, read stories, colored pictures, and even did some easy worksheets. Some of the time I actually went down and helped Jeff (One of the other teachers) with the 6th and 7th graders during English. That was fun too. I (as well as they) thought it was hilarious when we did timed tongue twisters with them.<br />
After lunch I would take them to their classes; first was Outdoors, second was Cooking, third was PE, and last was my Mom's Travel Class.<br />
"Okay, throw your trash away from lunch and come line up!" I announced as I went and stood by the door.<br />
Shoes scuffled around the room as they hurried to throw their trash away, grab their backpacks, and line up behind me.<br />
"Okay, who's my line leader today?" I asked.<br />
"Joy!' Came the unanimous response.<br />
I led Joy to the front.<br />
"Are you guys ready to go to Outdoor class? Good. Lets make a straight line and be super quiet!" I smiled as I then led them to the next room.<br />
During Outdoor class, Mr. Johnston taught them about different animals and insects that live in the area. After a powerpoint of pictures along with a short description of the different parts of that particular type of animal, he would hand out some papers. I would go around and help the kids color their pictures and label the different body parts. Then, always to the excitement of the children, we would go outside looking for those animals and/or insects.<br />
Soon, it would be time for cooking class with Ms. Machado.<br />
"Everyone line up and wash your hands. Make sure you don't touch anything afterwards!" She would tell the kids as they came in for class.<br />
During this time, the kids would help cook and make a different receipe everyday. The food they made would usually be what they ate for snack later on.<br />
P.E. class was probably most of my kids' favorite class.<br />
I felt bad for one of the girls, TingTing, who had a broken arm during the whole summer school. Part of the P.E. time I would stand on the side with her, but I also helped and joined in many of the games as well. The kids' two favorites were "River, Bank" and what they called, "Lions and Zebras." To play the first, Jeff would shout either River or Bank (the names of the two sides of the line.) So, they would jump over the line, then back, depending on which he said.<br />
"River! Bank. River. Bank! Bank! Oh, I saw you, Hudson, come and judge with me." He called.<br />
The latter game I mentioned is the equivalent of Rainbow tag, but the person in the middle (me) was called the Lion and the rest were called zebras.<br />
"Lion, Lion! What color makes you hungry!" they would gleefully shout.<br />
"Hmm... The color YELLOW makes me hungry!" I answered.<br />
Squeals of laughter followed as the kids wearing yellow would dash across the Gym trying to avoid getting captured by the 'Lion.'<br />
"Drink lots of water!" I called as they gathered their belongings to head back to our final class. Most of them were already downing their water with the remains trickling down their chin.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xKVT2XXh4OA/VcRCy20dX8I/AAAAAAAAAog/oURt1jvFKzI/s1600/FullSizeRender%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xKVT2XXh4OA/VcRCy20dX8I/AAAAAAAAAog/oURt1jvFKzI/s400/FullSizeRender%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Their final class was Travel Class. It was always so nice to walk into the air-conditioned room after romping around outside in the humid, sticky heat. Everyone cooled off quickly, sweat ceased from dripping off the boys' hair, and they all became excited about the new country they were visiting! Each day, we would visit a new country, learn about it, watch a video about some tourist attractions there, and make a craft on something important to that country. They would also receive a stamp in their homemade passport.<br />
"Today we are visiting California!" my mom exclaimed one day. "Do you know where California is or tell me what continent its in?"<br />
Hands shot into the air.<br />
"Okay, Ryan," my mom said, "Can you show us on the map."<br />
Jumping out of his seat, he ran to the board and pointed at a colored region.<br />
"No, that's Africa. Let me give you a hint, it's in the United States of America. Where is California?" she asked.<br />
Soon, he found and pointed it out.<br />
Afterwards, she showed a fun video of some of the tourist attractions there as well as famous national parks. The craft that day was making Redwood Trees.<br />
After they finished and everything was cleaned up, they ate their snack which they had made in Cooking Class.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iceiI0olsNc/VcRCyK086XI/AAAAAAAAAoE/znjlaVdPzzg/s1600/FullSizeRender%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iceiI0olsNc/VcRCyK086XI/AAAAAAAAAoE/znjlaVdPzzg/s400/FullSizeRender%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The last hour of the day was "Fun Time," which consisted of us entertaining the kids outside. About fifteen minutes before the vans came to pick the children up, Jeff and I would gather all the kids into the gym and sing some fun songs with them. "Silly Songs with Enjoli" He liked to call it. Soon, the vans would come and take all the children home and we were free to go home.<br />
Every Friday (with the exception of one because of a Typhoon) was a field trip day. The first Friday we went to a pottery place. The kids had lots of fun painting their own cups and later playing with the molds on the machine. I didn't know what to draw on mine and finally decided on a simple wreath of flowers along the top of the cup.<br />
Another Friday we went to a Butterfly Conservatory. We did all sorts of fun stuff.<br />
"Wow! There are <i>so</i> many butterflies!" I exclaimed when we walked past the bushes loaded with the beautiful insects. I tried to avoid them flying in my face though.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eL8aBkf_MSU/VcRC1SpsYhI/AAAAAAAAAok/KsWwOozBD5I/s1600/FullSizeRender%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eL8aBkf_MSU/VcRC1SpsYhI/AAAAAAAAAok/KsWwOozBD5I/s400/FullSizeRender%25288%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
"Teacher Enjoli! Teacher Enjoli!" one of the kids called as she pulled on my arm and pointed ahead. There was a HUGE spider. Just then our tour guide directed our attention to it and started talking in Chinese to them. Later, we made a craft that flies up in the sky (maybe like a helicopter thing? I don't really know how to explain it.) We also went through an obstacle course with the kids.<br />
"Scary, teacher!" Some of them whined as the clung to my arm.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmRVgoVB0yM/VcRC0hG4dOI/AAAAAAAAAo0/29IEST2zxH8/s1600/FullSizeRender%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmRVgoVB0yM/VcRC0hG4dOI/AAAAAAAAAo0/29IEST2zxH8/s400/FullSizeRender%25287%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
"Oh, it's not that scary. It's just like a spider web and we get to climb over it. I'll go with you, don't worry." I smiled at them as they squirmed and clung to my arm. Once I got them on the 'web,' they were fine. Then, we looked at some other insects and even made cotton candy! (I can eat <i>that</i>, haha!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q6FjjwvGWBE/VcRCzXooGJI/AAAAAAAAAoM/GY_0VtQenKc/s1600/FullSizeRender%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q6FjjwvGWBE/VcRCzXooGJI/AAAAAAAAAoM/GY_0VtQenKc/s400/FullSizeRender%25286%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Another field trip we went to a chocolate factory. I helped the kids as they made decorative chocolates and such. It looked really good!<br />
"Here, do you want some?" our tour guide asked as he gave me a chocolate.<br />
"Oh, uh, sorry but I'm allergic to dairy." I kindly rejected.<br />
"Oh really? That's too bad. I think we have some dark chocolate with no milk in it though." So later he gave me a few small squares of dark chocolate. Sure, it was a little bitter but it was the first time I had eaten chocolate in a<i> long</i> time and it was amazing! :)<br />
The last field trip we took was to a water park! Of course, the kids had an absolute blast! They like to climb on Jeff and I's shoulders and we would shoot them in the air. They also like to 'capture' me. Thankfully it wasn't too big of a hassle to get all the kids out, changed, and into the buses.<br />
I learned a lot from helping at Summer School. First of all, I got another chance to teach, especially when my mom was sick the last week. I ended up having to teach English Class by myself quite a few times. But, I think that most importantly, I began to understand more of how God sees His children and how every child is beautiful, amazing, and unique in their own way.<br />
Like the first week of school, (without realizing it) I had labeled and categorized most of my kids. You know, these kids are really good and obedient, these ones are trouble makers, those kids are difficult to teach and are really slow, ect.. But I quickly learned that I shouldn't be so quick to categorize people. <br />
For example, we had one 'trouble maker' named Star. He didn't like to speak English and didn't have a problem with saying no to teachers. I found out later though that he is a really sweet boy and he actually decided to become best buddies with me and became a leech! During fun time, or on field trips he clung to me and made me laugh at the silly little things he would tell me.<br />
I ended up become very close to most of my kids and at the end of the four weeks I was very reluctant to say good-bye. I had learned to value and love each and everyone of them.<br />
"I kind of wish I could just start my career now and have these kids as my students." I remarked to my mom one day. <br />
I'm so glad I could have another great experience teaching God's precious children. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0x-uN5tyn-Q/VcRC13o_ASI/AAAAAAAAAo4/1pMnkFUNSIk/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0x-uN5tyn-Q/VcRC13o_ASI/AAAAAAAAAo4/1pMnkFUNSIk/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-28165279702793468042015-07-24T02:19:00.002-07:002015-07-24T02:22:49.095-07:00Touring the City with Carolyn "So what's the big plan for today?" I asked my mom as I finished my last spoonful of mango, banana, and dragon fruit smoothie with granola sprinkled on top.<br />
"Well, I thought we would go to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial and watch the changing of the guards as well as many other things if we have time."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPeK5hhxhkk/VbH-zjTCP-I/AAAAAAAAAlg/6FHkWL4uwKE/s1600/DSC00676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPeK5hhxhkk/VbH-zjTCP-I/AAAAAAAAAlg/6FHkWL4uwKE/s400/DSC00676.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-swUq-VCByLM/VbH-1fd9qbI/AAAAAAAAAls/8DIXIr3zZ2c/s1600/DSC00685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-swUq-VCByLM/VbH-1fd9qbI/AAAAAAAAAls/8DIXIr3zZ2c/s400/DSC00685.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Just then, Shin came in and told us we would have to hurry and leave if we didn't want to miss it.<br />
We hoped in the car and drove down to the Memorial, ran up the many steps, and waited with the throng of people. We were just in time! A few minutes later, the change of guards came slowly marching in. It was quite impressive and somewhat long. I thought it was amazing how synced they all were. Every time they stomped or hit the ground with their gun, it sounded like only one person was doing it. Smiling to myself, I noted that their marching rituals almost looked like they were dancing, haha!<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zR0MtoMa66A/VbH-zncs4SI/AAAAAAAAAlk/cX92CpajFh8/s1600/DSC00681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zR0MtoMa66A/VbH-zncs4SI/AAAAAAAAAlk/cX92CpajFh8/s400/DSC00681.JPG" width="400" /></a> It was sweltering hot under the sun and extremely bright, but we wanted pictures of the impressive Memorial afterwards. Plus, Carolyn had never been there before. (We took Carolyn back with us from the States. She's been here a few weeks and will be here for a couple more, so we have been trying to show her everything. It's a good excuse for us to go see things we haven't too!)<br />
Afterwards, we decided to go somewhere that had been recommended by a friend the day before.<br />
"You should really go to the cat city." Jeff had told me.<br />
"Cat city?"<br />
"Haha! Well, it's actually called 'Monkey City' but it's full of cats! There are cats everywhere; cat shrines, and stores full of everything cat. If you like cats, that's the place to go. I have no idea why it's called Monkey town. It has nothing to do with monkeys, and everything to do with cats." he explained.<br />
So, we followed his suggestion.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nEULFgLCOeg/VbH-2tjgz1I/AAAAAAAAAl0/vqJ0UiLlMg0/s1600/DSC00704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nEULFgLCOeg/VbH-2tjgz1I/AAAAAAAAAl0/vqJ0UiLlMg0/s400/DSC00704.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
"Wow! This place really is full of cats!" I exclaimed as we hopped out of the car and looked around. There were many stray cats laying around. The cool thing was that they weren't really stray because the locals take care of them and tourists could buy a handful of food to feed them as well. <br />
After walking around and buying some cat souvenirs and post cards, we headed off to our next adventure.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uMvyiQuyPeQ/VbH-4NqSPdI/AAAAAAAAAl8/bgQgfjmt4lk/s1600/DSC00710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uMvyiQuyPeQ/VbH-4NqSPdI/AAAAAAAAAl8/bgQgfjmt4lk/s400/DSC00710.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cujGFWDx-mY/VbIAbATWU-I/AAAAAAAAAmM/2L0A2Mq4njQ/s1600/DSC00705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cujGFWDx-mY/VbIAbATWU-I/AAAAAAAAAmM/2L0A2Mq4njQ/s400/DSC00705.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5GVyUYP8dsg/VbH-5iD6N4I/AAAAAAAAAmE/n0EhFZOBRBo/s1600/DSC00716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5GVyUYP8dsg/VbH-5iD6N4I/AAAAAAAAAmE/n0EhFZOBRBo/s400/DSC00716.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We drove to another town, but the road was very windy and we didn't feel too well. It wore off quickly though and we had a lot of fun. This town was known for their lanterns. They have these huge paper lanterns that you buy. You can write or paint anything you want on them, then they start the fire in the middle, and you get to watch them soar up into the sky. It was cool seeing everyone painting their lantern and sending them all off in the middle of the railroad (I'm serious, that's where they did it!) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1mFsIF9vRs/VbIBRJzKDaI/AAAAAAAAAmk/kMao3G1CNyc/s1600/DSC00727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1mFsIF9vRs/VbIBRJzKDaI/AAAAAAAAAmk/kMao3G1CNyc/s400/DSC00727.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mCU5vBoz9XY/VbICIbKEL2I/AAAAAAAAAnM/3G-yO3GDDhE/s1600/DSC00752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mCU5vBoz9XY/VbICIbKEL2I/AAAAAAAAAnM/3G-yO3GDDhE/s400/DSC00752.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
About half way through painting and drawing on our lantern, it started to pour. Everyone scrambled for cover with their lanterns. It was perfect timing too, because as soon as everyone had cleared the track, a train came through. Thankfully, the rain let up for a few minutes and we were able to send up our lantern. As soon as we sent ours up though, it started to pour again! We had fun running through the pelting rain back to the car.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XRjF7VM4MGs/VbIBW3a206I/AAAAAAAAAnE/nESiMUwZIVA/s1600/DSC00758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XRjF7VM4MGs/VbIBW3a206I/AAAAAAAAAnE/nESiMUwZIVA/s400/DSC00758.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iny9m6NIn8I/VbIBPxLQZCI/AAAAAAAAAmc/fu4t-4P4i3k/s1600/DSC00734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iny9m6NIn8I/VbIBPxLQZCI/AAAAAAAAAmc/fu4t-4P4i3k/s400/DSC00734.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
After we drove back to Taipei, we took Carolyn to the underground mall. It is a large mall under the MRT at Taipei Main Station. We took her to Krispy Kreams, bought some fresh fruit (Mango, guava, wax apples), looked at Chinese dresses and hair things, and many other shops. It was a fun-filled (and busy) day!<br />
<br />
One afternoon, Carolyn and I decided to go to the Shilin Night Market together to look around and go to the famous Toilet Restuarant. The first time I had been there was my birthday and it was a lot of fun so, I wanted to take her there. When we got there, Carolyn ordered the poo poo ice-cream (of course!) and I ordered a strawberry Ice. The problem was, our waiter didn't know any English whatsoever! I tried to tell her "No milk," but she just tilted her head and said, "Mik?" Then, I remembered something! I remembered Shin teaching my mom how to say "no milk" in Chinese a long time ago.<br />
"Buyow Nioni" I told the lady (That's the best I know how to spell so you know how it sounds).<br />
"Oh, oh! ok." The lady said.<br />
I silently thanked God that He had reminded me of that so I could eat my Ice without having to worry about having an allergic reaction.<br />
After eating our delicious ice-cream, we walked around the night market.<br />
These are just a few of the fun things we've been doing. Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-82375213789242258632015-07-11T01:33:00.004-07:002015-07-14T02:14:44.867-07:00Back home to Wenatchee<span style="font-size: small;">Wenatchee! Home sweet home.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">We had <i>one</i> more car ride; from UCA to Wenatchee. We did some car
shuffling, and Carolyn and Caleb ended up riding with my dad and I. This road
trip was somewhat fun since it wasn't 10+ hours as a couple of our previous
rides were. In the backseat, Caleb and I (and Carolyn joined later when she saw
us having so much fun) played more than a few games of Uno and Old Maid. Three
hours isn't that long, and we soon reached our destination.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://scontent-tpe1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10492594_10153307154842850_3851761874287798029_n.jpg?oh=b4e37301fed203e27e134ae7cb857319&oe=5623FD38" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="spotlight" height="225" src="https://scontent-tpe1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10492594_10153307154842850_3851761874287798029_n.jpg?oh=b4e37301fed203e27e134ae7cb857319&oe=5623FD38" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">The first couple days were spent at the Jones' house. We had all sorts of
fun together. That night, all us kids slept in the living room; two on the
couch, two on the floor. To make them go to bed (so I could... Just kidding :p
lol) I told them a story, stopped at a cliffhanger and made them go to bed since hey had swim-team the next day.</span><span style="font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Not being able to ever decline an opportunity to swim, I decided to join
Anthony for swim team. We woke up early, had just enough time to put on our
swimsuits, and we were out the door. To be honest, it was a little difficult. I
had been in a swim team for a long time. But, I kept up just fine and had a lot
of fun.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: right; float: right; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="spotlight" height="225" src="https://scontent-tpe1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11167992_10153307186472850_3205767225481946518_n.jpg?oh=e7c38431d702c706bef6b5aa66b25d10&oe=562B675F" width="400" /> </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Later that day we went to pick blueberries at Blueberry Hills. The
blueberries were absolutely <i>ginormous </i>and definitely the most delicious
ones I've ever eaten. After picking (and eating) blueberries in the heat for a
couple hours, we decided it would be a great idea to go jump in Lake Chelan.
Oooh! It was so nice and cool. We had a lot of fun swimming in the super clear
lake with Katya. Sadly, Anthony got a bee-sting ad his foot was all swollen so
he didn't swim. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">That evening my mom brought Anthony and I along for a run (not sure how,
haha but she did.) We made the mistake of eating a bunch of food including
ice-cream, so we didn't run for very long. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">The whole week we were there, it was pretty hot, so what did we do the next
day? Swim in the public pool! My favorite part was the high dive. The rest of
the day we just stuck around the house and played games. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="spotlight" height="225" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11403292_10153307206707850_5864022563343543294_n.jpg?oh=9946cc14a66524f86441d379060d59a1&oe=56549394&__gda__=1445052336_f0a4752d2310af77ae6186009b290e9a" width="400" /> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Anthony and I decided
we wanted to play checkers. I found the board but there were no checker pieces.
So, I got creative, and used blueberries and raspberries! Every time we jumped an
opponent, we would eat the berry. It was berry fun ;) </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xtp1/t31.0-8/11705550_10153348775187850_165741810179218222_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="spotlight" height="266" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xtp1/t31.0-8/11705550_10153348775187850_165741810179218222_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">On Wednesday, Katya, Anthony, Emily, Caleb, and I went ice-skating! We had
the whole rink to ourselves, gliding and skating like crazy. Of course, we
played tag. I went ice-skating for like 5 years in a row for my birthday and
tag was always part of it. Of course, I fell a few times, one was a harder crash
than the rest and I ended up with a huge bruise on my knee for about two weeks.
It was definitely worth it, though. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xT7TKh7VrcA/VaDOkoA24WI/AAAAAAAAAjI/30Mwi7UnbWE/s1600/DSC00340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xT7TKh7VrcA/VaDOkoA24WI/AAAAAAAAAjI/30Mwi7UnbWE/s400/DSC00340.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Afterwards, we went to the church swim party at the Mehrer's house. Earlier during our vacation, we found out we would still be able to go to the church's annual swim party. It's always so much fun and ends in a (friendly) water-gun fight, because they have a lot of them there. They always keep the pool really warm (almost like a warm jacuzzi). They also have a small high dive and slide.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">We spent that night at the Skeel's house. It was nice visiting with them and
later playing Ticket to Ride the next day. Later that afternoon we packed up
most of our stuff then went with the Jones' to the bookstore where they
insisted on buying a gift for us before we left. I got a Willow Tree figure of a
girl playing the flute. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">That night we went to Carolyn's Senior Recital. She went back and forth
between piano and violin. She did a great job! It was really funny because she
used some of my songs and played it for the recital. (A year or two previously, I
had left my book at their house and needed a song right away to play for a
funeral, so she copied it and sent to me ... and copied a song for herself!
haha) She also learned and played Clair de Lune which I used to play. I
was honored. :P</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jBf_qE_9cGA/VaDOowjtu7I/AAAAAAAAAjg/73QHILLhQ04/s1600/DSC00408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jBf_qE_9cGA/VaDOowjtu7I/AAAAAAAAAjg/73QHILLhQ04/s400/DSC00408.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Afterwards, we went to their house for the reception. We also spent the
night there.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">The next day was kind of a lazier day. We slept in late and when Caleb woke
up we played some more card games. Later, the Jones' called so Caleb, Emily,
and I went over for a little bit. The rest of the day we finished packing and
helped Carolyn pack as well since she was coming back to Taiwan with us!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zyDoPxLq8bk/VaDTfIWZtYI/AAAAAAAAAkk/SWsZrQMeFyU/s1600/DSC00443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zyDoPxLq8bk/VaDTfIWZtYI/AAAAAAAAAkk/SWsZrQMeFyU/s400/DSC00443.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We had haystacks that night. Poor Caleb got really sick that night though
and didn't eat anything. We also found out the most of the Jones' as well as
my dad and sister got sick! We decided we must have caught a bug or virus or
something.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F5O3TpgRpCw/VaDOrXagIdI/AAAAAAAAAj0/jOR7VxxqhUc/s1600/DSC00440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F5O3TpgRpCw/VaDOrXagIdI/AAAAAAAAAj0/jOR7VxxqhUc/s400/DSC00440.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fucXhKy3pBk/VaDOqG82laI/AAAAAAAAAjo/qY9frElyJSg/s1600/DSC00439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fucXhKy3pBk/VaDOqG82laI/AAAAAAAAAjo/qY9frElyJSg/s400/DSC00439.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">The next day was Sabbath! It was an exciting day. I got to finally go to
Abundant Life! :D At the pool party two days prier, Alison had asked me to do
the children story.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">“Um…uh, sure!” I answered.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">So, that Sabbath I told the children’s story. I told them a teeny bit about
Taiwan and then told them how I got lost, haha! My mom, sister, and I also did special
music. My mom and I sang “Glorious Ruins” while Emily played the guitar. Besides
being really nervous, all went well. The week we were there just happened to be
the thirteenth Sabbath, so we were able to see and hear about how all the
classes were doing. We heard about sponsored children in other countries, and
heard adorable kids sing. Then, my dad did a slideshow and sermon about Taiwan
and the ministries we have here.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_HGWRMJfhXM/VaDOsifDXII/AAAAAAAAAj4/zVy-MqC47I4/s1600/DSC00452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_HGWRMJfhXM/VaDOsifDXII/AAAAAAAAAj4/zVy-MqC47I4/s400/DSC00452.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">Afterwards was potluck! It was delicious (I still like Taiwanese food better
I think though)! Our friends, the Fowlers, came especially from Seattle to
visit us. So they joined us for potluck as well as our afternoon “hike.” It
turned out to be way to hot so we decided to play in the river instead. It was a
blast! Julia and I fought the very mild rapids upstream and then let the
current carries us back to where the adults were. Soon, others joined in the fun. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PSOml2VBCRM/VaDOvC-vobI/AAAAAAAAAkA/oC7OZItFLvY/s1600/DSC00496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PSOml2VBCRM/VaDOvC-vobI/AAAAAAAAAkA/oC7OZItFLvY/s400/DSC00496.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yK8tqQXHw20/VaDOynVhNeI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/nPt0ydOvwmU/s1600/DSC00534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yK8tqQXHw20/VaDOynVhNeI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/nPt0ydOvwmU/s400/DSC00534.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Then, the sad part… saying goodbye.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">That night, we had a nice supper together with the Hardens, then we packed
up. After our final prayers, tears, and goodbyes, we went to bed to get some
sleep before 3 am. (I slept next to nothing though) Then, at 3 am we took
Carolyn with us and got up and left! After a couple <i>VERY</i> long plane rides(which I got absolutely no sleep as usual), we
made it to Taipei where Shin was waiting for us. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">It was hard leaving, but it was great to be back. :) <span style="font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-15401772761966545882015-07-06T05:29:00.001-07:002015-07-09T19:01:10.206-07:00Roadtrip through California <div class="thread-body" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_28318" role="presentation" tabindex="0">
<div class="body undoreset" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_28331" tabindex="0">
<div class="email-wrapped" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_28335">
<div id="yiv6748499930">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_28334">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_28333" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_28332">
What a busy vacation, and so much driving! But it was worth it. After
our visit in Utah, we drove down to California and stayed a night with
my Aunt Margo, Uncle Mo, Cousin Emma, and great grandma. </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_28386">
We had a lot of fun celebrating Grandma's birthday. She didn't recognize my dad at first. </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930">
"Hi! Happy birthday!" my dad said as he sat down bedside her.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6QlFmQPDWe8/VZpxkZ6yu3I/AAAAAAAAAf4/H5vE4DZGWWY/s1600/DSC00040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6QlFmQPDWe8/VZpxkZ6yu3I/AAAAAAAAAf4/H5vE4DZGWWY/s320/DSC00040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_891897320"></span><span id="goog_891897321"></span></div>
<div class="yiv6748499930">
She
didn't recognize him but said "Well, thank you." Then, my mom and the
rest of us walked in and she immediately recognized us and figured out
who she was talking to. </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_29004">
"You smarty pants!" she told my dad. "You're real sneaky! I didn't know who you were!" </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_29005">
We all had a great laugh about that. That night we ate out a really good Mexican restaurant as well. </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3065" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="yiv6748499930" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RI2E0OCcx-s/VZpkNAmZWwI/AAAAAAAAAfY/lvP1A9pyY80/s1600/DSC00032.JPG" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_29007" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" class="yiv6748499930" height="180" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1436180154459_29006" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RI2E0OCcx-s/VZpkNAmZWwI/AAAAAAAAAfY/lvP1A9pyY80/s320/DSC00032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3064">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a1A0pTZFPY0/VZpxkgvn4ZI/AAAAAAAAAf0/ickvmXd1ULQ/s1600/DSC00026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a1A0pTZFPY0/VZpxkgvn4ZI/AAAAAAAAAf0/ickvmXd1ULQ/s320/DSC00026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3063">
The
next day we went and visited my Aunt Marian. But first we to see my
great grandpa Buddy in the Hospice Center. He was in real bad shape, but
he recognized us and was happy to see us. We made it just in time,
because he died a few days later. </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3062">
<br class="yiv6748499930" /></div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3061">
We had a lot of fun
with our Aunt Marian and Uncle Josh. We walked to the beach, played a
little, and even introduced them to Bubble Tea! </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3057">
<br class="yiv6748499930" /></div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3058">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dpogaMj7ydM/VZpxvvRIb6I/AAAAAAAAAgk/I5RXSpbjPjw/s1600/IMG_4397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dpogaMj7ydM/VZpxvvRIb6I/AAAAAAAAAgk/I5RXSpbjPjw/s320/IMG_4397.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Then,
we left again and drove down to my Nana and Papa's (grandparent's) house
in Paradise (great name, right?) We did a bunch of fun things. The
second day we were there, we went with my Nana to a scrap-booking shop
and made scrapbooks and cards. I made a scrapbook about Taiwan. It took
several hours and I'll treasure it forever. </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3059">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-da-TvczEZpg/VZp2ISx3a_I/AAAAAAAAAig/78Q6McyK0SY/s1600/IMG_4542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-da-TvczEZpg/VZp2ISx3a_I/AAAAAAAAAig/78Q6McyK0SY/s320/IMG_4542.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kEqKAr96OnE/VZpx6AhbTsI/AAAAAAAAAhE/TcuIq02gx68/s1600/IMG_4599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kEqKAr96OnE/VZpx6AhbTsI/AAAAAAAAAhE/TcuIq02gx68/s320/IMG_4599.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The next day we drove
over to the famous San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. It was super windy and a little
cloudy so it was hard to see most of the time, but it was still visible
and magnificent. We went on a nice little hike nearby and had a picnic
by the beach.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i5_jH-9QYvs/VZp2E7gKMGI/AAAAAAAAAiU/c7iiLAb3RdE/s1600/DSC00092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i5_jH-9QYvs/VZp2E7gKMGI/AAAAAAAAAiU/c7iiLAb3RdE/s320/DSC00092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3111">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iNmY0a6JJpE/VZpxk-n5FlI/AAAAAAAAAf8/MkKyWkTto70/s1600/DSC00103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iNmY0a6JJpE/VZpxk-n5FlI/AAAAAAAAAf8/MkKyWkTto70/s320/DSC00103.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-usbqa9heL-M/VZpyEwF_hFI/AAAAAAAAAhk/3Uu6qsZjCR4/s1600/IMG_4627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-usbqa9heL-M/VZpyEwF_hFI/AAAAAAAAAhk/3Uu6qsZjCR4/s320/IMG_4627.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The day after that we hiked Mount Lassen. It was a
long and hot hike (and most of you know that I'm not that much of a
hiking person) but there was a beautiful view from the top and SNOW! In
fact, there was a great big glacier. We also saw sulfur bubbling and
spewing out of the ground. It smelled of rotten eggs, but it looked
cool. haha!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p3FTgjuMR2Q/VZp2BiXi6OI/AAAAAAAAAiI/5vUD_-JBpyE/s1600/DSC00137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p3FTgjuMR2Q/VZp2BiXi6OI/AAAAAAAAAiI/5vUD_-JBpyE/s320/DSC00137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3112">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FsF3npMtejA/VZpxnLbHh1I/AAAAAAAAAgE/HgLDzu0fD8o/s1600/DSC00129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FsF3npMtejA/VZpxnLbHh1I/AAAAAAAAAgE/HgLDzu0fD8o/s320/DSC00129.JPG" width="320" /></a>All in all, we had loads of fun and adventure. After
spending about a week in Paradise, we took my Nana along with us and
drove (<i>again!</i>) to the Upper Columbia Camp meeting. It was awesome seeing
people we hadn't seen for a while, and to listen to the spiritually
reviving sermons. My parents parenting seminar went well too. </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3113">
Next, we had one more drive... back to </div>
<div class="yiv6748499930" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3114">
Wenatchee!</div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv6748499930yui_3_16_0_1_1436181887688_3115">
To be continued.... :) </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-74300194211945574602015-06-15T17:26:00.000-07:002015-06-15T17:29:00.704-07:00Utah - Grandma's House!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xyM3UOJGONE/VX9qNOCLv4I/AAAAAAAAAco/5WWw_-AWyTQ/s1600/IMG_4224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xyM3UOJGONE/VX9qNOCLv4I/AAAAAAAAAco/5WWw_-AWyTQ/s320/IMG_4224.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"There it is! There's Grandma's house!" I excitedly exclaimed to my sister. </div>
We had come to spend about a week with our Grandma. Our grandma's house isn't really hers since our Grandpa died 2 years ago. My Uncle Ryan bought it from her but she still stays there. So, not only did we get to see our Grandma, but our Uncle, Aunt, and two younger cousins, Lexi and Cruise.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gok5HEn6wBU/VX9qTb38VWI/AAAAAAAAAdM/2W81Uky-jh0/s1600/IMG_4258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gok5HEn6wBU/VX9qTb38VWI/AAAAAAAAAdM/2W81Uky-jh0/s320/IMG_4258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The first day or two we did a <i>LOT</i> of shopping. But it was so much fun! We could buy all sorts of things you can't easily find in Taiwan. I was able to go to thrift shops as well as other nice stores and buy tons of new clothes. (One of my favorite things to do. What girl <i>doesn't</i> like buying clothes? haha) We could also go to Grocery Stores and read the ingredients! A new concept, since the ingredients are always in Chinese back in Taiwan. It nice to be able to walk over to something and think, "Mmm. That looks good. I wonder if I can eat it?" Then look at the ingredients and be able to decide whether or not I can eat it. Bam! Just like that. <br />
It was pretty hot. I mean, Utah is a dessert. And what better way to cool off than to swim! My Grandma took us, as well as our little cousins, to Cowabunga Bay Water Park in Los Vegas! It was a BLAST.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6wcKXZXd8g/VX9tuc356OI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/pXXCh2icink/s1600/IMG_4285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6wcKXZXd8g/VX9tuc356OI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/pXXCh2icink/s320/IMG_4285.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
As soon as we entered the park and applied our sunscreen, I grabbed Emily's arm shouting, "Come on! Lets go, Daddy!" We rushed over to a bunch of slides, only to have to wait in a long line. That's the one bad thing about water parks; the long lines. But it was worth it! We went on all sorts of slides, Twisty, dark, ones with 'toilet bowls' (for lack of a better name), and all sorts of slides.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-65F6OPb8pC8/VX9qWAs_xfI/AAAAAAAAAdg/MB0fsuoCQ1Y/s1600/IMG_4309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-65F6OPb8pC8/VX9qWAs_xfI/AAAAAAAAAdg/MB0fsuoCQ1Y/s320/IMG_4309.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
On of them could sit all four of us. It went straight for awhile then suddenly dropped us on a hug wave-thing. It sent us really far on one side, then to the other until we dropped down the whole in the middle.<br />
My dad even convinced me to go on the Rocket slide. I was terrified, but I did it! They stick you in this small tube where you stand on a little platform, legs crossed, arms to the side, and your head back. The attendant pushes a button, but you still stand there for about 7 seconds. After those seven panicky seconds, the platform falls and disappears. You go shooting straight down at top speed! My Dad says I screamed pretty loud when the platform fell, haha! <br />
I managed to have enough time to go on every single slide (Except for one that I wasn't heavy enough for :/ )<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oKGvFZa2kfU/VX9qXaLPsVI/AAAAAAAAAdo/jXAb5qagKjQ/s1600/IMG_4313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oKGvFZa2kfU/VX9qXaLPsVI/AAAAAAAAAdo/jXAb5qagKjQ/s320/IMG_4313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Afterwards, we stopped at Taco Bell. Because of all my allergies, I think we gave the poor lady the hardest order she ever had! We didn't home till really late. <br />
It was so good to play with our little cousins and spend time with our Grandma. There's something about Grandmas that are so special. :) It was great to meet our cousin and her new baby as well as some other family. All in all we had a great time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-buXSjYLhv3E/VX9qTD1xPSI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/yKw-OgS1mNk/s1600/IMG_4246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-buXSjYLhv3E/VX9qTD1xPSI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/yKw-OgS1mNk/s320/IMG_4246.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BPKEXuKhUmE/VX9qOQetuZI/AAAAAAAAAc0/ccuz5j6FmCs/s1600/IMG_4242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BPKEXuKhUmE/VX9qOQetuZI/AAAAAAAAAc0/ccuz5j6FmCs/s320/IMG_4242.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8l0CBcCSDCY/VX9qYv-P-5I/AAAAAAAAAdw/HJDXr3vXqQI/s1600/IMG_4322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8l0CBcCSDCY/VX9qYv-P-5I/AAAAAAAAAdw/HJDXr3vXqQI/s320/IMG_4322.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-25786858141536382932015-06-06T13:26:00.001-07:002015-06-06T17:34:21.270-07:00Back in the USA<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.goog-spellcheck-word
{mso-style-name:goog-spellcheck-word;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<span style="font-size: small;">The last week of school was absolutely crazy;
I had finals all week and the next day we were on a plane! Wednesday was
probably the busiest day. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The night before, I had a sleepover with some
friends. In the morning, I walked over to the school and finished my finals. We
only had school till noon so in between my class; I (as well as many others)
had our yearbooks signed by as many of our friends as possible. As soon as my
last class ended, my dad and sister were waiting downstairs to take me to
lunch. TAAS (the school my mom works at
and my sister attends) were having lunch at a restaurant for all the staff and
their families. I was kind of sad that I didn't have much time to say goodbye to
all my friends, but we were already a little late. With some help from our
trusty guide and friend, Shin, we found the restaurant and ate a TON of food.
As soon as I got home, I had to pack everything for our trip back to the
states. After I finished, I went to the Senior Graduation for my school with
some friends. I got home pretty late so I went straight to bed. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DizU5mG6RD0/VXNUTTiSFOI/AAAAAAAAAa8/O8JHlh0alzI/s1600/IMG_3900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DizU5mG6RD0/VXNUTTiSFOI/AAAAAAAAAa8/O8JHlh0alzI/s320/IMG_3900.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Early the next morning, we lugged our
suitcases up the 97 steps into the van, drove to the airport, and hopped onto a
very VERY long airplane ride. The first flight was 11, almost 12 hours long.
The second was about 3 hours long. It was pretty miserable. <i>Of course</i> I
had to get sick the night before we left. :/ I was kind of in denial, I just <i>couldn't</i>
be sick, not now! But, after a few hours on the plane, there was no doubt that
I was sick. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ReJu4Xrx5g/VXNUbu55s5I/AAAAAAAAAbQ/JmoaxxAGnFM/s1600/IMG_3899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ReJu4Xrx5g/VXNUbu55s5I/AAAAAAAAAbQ/JmoaxxAGnFM/s320/IMG_3899.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Eventually, we arrived in Seattle. I was
sick, jet lagged, and absolutely exhausted, but I was back. Walking out the
entrance of the Seattle airport brought back a flood of memories. Memories from
the last time we were in this airport, leaving the States to go to the foreign
land of Taiwan. I remember waving goodbye to Caleb and Stephen after they
dropped us and our luggage off. Afterwards, I told my mom I needed to go to the
bathroom. After making sure no one else was in there, I just sobbed my eyes
out. I hadn't really cried about leaving until then. It just hadn't seemed
completely real I guess. <i>Anyways.</i>.. I don't know why I'm mentioning
that, I hadn't told anyone that because it's a little embarrassing, even if it
was a natural thing to do. I'm SO glad that we moved to Taiwan though, as I
have mentioned many times before. It was great to be back though. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">As I stepped out of the airport doors and
stepped onto American soil I thought, "Wow. I'm really back!' </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Soon, Stephen loaded his truck with our
luggage and we started on our 3 hour drive to his house. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pf4H1di7pCY/VXNTtNEdc_I/AAAAAAAAAao/I3-ps-Ylx8s/s1600/IMG_4116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pf4H1di7pCY/VXNTtNEdc_I/AAAAAAAAAao/I3-ps-Ylx8s/s320/IMG_4116.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">It was so exciting to open the door of their
house and see them all again. Some other friends (the Jones) came by to welcome
us back as well. That night it was wonderful to get some much needed sleep. My
hours and days were very confused besides being sick. It is kind of funny how
we arrived in the San Francisco airport before we left Taiwan (12 hours
earlier). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5mewBt_8Xs/VXNUXhz_mYI/AAAAAAAAAbI/c2smKc6s4nI/s1600/IMG_3906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5mewBt_8Xs/VXNUXhz_mYI/AAAAAAAAAbI/c2smKc6s4nI/s320/IMG_3906.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qhHMvGNS2iA/VXNV-qWoK6I/AAAAAAAAAbU/F2qDeN3FdlY/s1600/IMG_4161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qhHMvGNS2iA/VXNV-qWoK6I/AAAAAAAAAbU/F2qDeN3FdlY/s320/IMG_4161.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">On Sabbath, we went to the Cashmere Church.
Again, it was so exciting to see everyone! My special music went… well, okay
considering how congested I was and how sore my throat was just the day before.
I was feeling better that Sabbath, praise God. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I was touched by all the food people had made
for me. I was able to eat a whole plateful of food at potluck! Something I
haven’t been able to do for a while. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">After potluck, we went for a hike with the
church. I usually don’t care that much for hikes, but this was an exceptional
hike. It was so much fun catching up with all my friends, laughing about old
memories, and just being together. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CL2Iqa4mD3E/VXNWrPqRTZI/AAAAAAAAAbc/MnqgpdTh7r0/s1600/IMG_4185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CL2Iqa4mD3E/VXNWrPqRTZI/AAAAAAAAAbc/MnqgpdTh7r0/s320/IMG_4185.JPG" width="320" /></a></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LbCUsvZLKVg/VXNWwBvyJRI/AAAAAAAAAbs/58JHXE1ceew/s1600/IMG_3964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LbCUsvZLKVg/VXNWwBvyJRI/AAAAAAAAAbs/58JHXE1ceew/s320/IMG_3964.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3ekWrg-A_Q/VXNWtd_jI3I/AAAAAAAAAbk/6lSfQKDO8vg/s1600/IMG_4196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3ekWrg-A_Q/VXNWtd_jI3I/AAAAAAAAAbk/6lSfQKDO8vg/s320/IMG_4196.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Sadly, we had to leave the next day. We knew
we were coming back and we were excited about going to Utah. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So, right now I’m in Utah! But I’ll tell you
more about my trip later… ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-51028149915367268602015-06-03T15:30:00.000-07:002015-06-03T15:30:44.710-07:00Cambodia <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zyvs0bXCGWM/VW98l8Ae6hI/AAAAAAAAAXI/7L4cfsdhtWc/s1600/IMG_2364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zyvs0bXCGWM/VW98l8Ae6hI/AAAAAAAAAXI/7L4cfsdhtWc/s320/IMG_2364.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
"Ugh! It's no use trying to sleep. I'm too light of a sleeper." I thought. I opened my eyes and looked over at my friend, Gracie. She was fast asleep and had been most of the trip.<br />
You see, during spring break, I went with the 8th grade of TAAS on their mission trip to Cambodia. My parents were both helping, my sister was going, so it made sense that I would go too.<br />
Our adventure started at 3 in the morning. We all met at one of the MRT stations where we had hired a tour bus to take us to the airport. Once everyone was there along with their luggage, we set off on our long journey. At the airport we managed to get all 23 of us (counting myself and staff) through without any troubles. The flight was about four hours. I sat beside Gracie, who promptly fell asleep as soon as the plane left the ground.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngwtq-iqzaE/VW98GVK1d1I/AAAAAAAAAVs/39vBqi9ojB4/s1600/IMG_1535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngwtq-iqzaE/VW98GVK1d1I/AAAAAAAAAVs/39vBqi9ojB4/s320/IMG_1535.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qJbz8GRvVgg/VW98M7D0HhI/AAAAAAAAAV0/RtQuB7Z0Q4A/s1600/IMG_1653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qJbz8GRvVgg/VW98M7D0HhI/AAAAAAAAAV0/RtQuB7Z0Q4A/s320/IMG_1653.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The heat smacked our faces as we stepped out of the airplane. Our first stop in Cambodia was Dairy Queen! We hadn't had that since the States, but they had one right outside the airport.<br />
The next leg of our journey was the longest; an eight hour bus ride to the orphanage where we were heading to.<br />
It was dark by the time we finally arrived at the orphanage. We were surprised how hot it was even though it was dark outside! The director/founder of the orphanage and school met us as soon as we got off the bus. He showed the girls and the boys to the different houses we'd be staying at.<br />
We were separated into two rooms where they had some bunk beds for us. There were some scary squat pots outside as well as the showers.<br />
Showers; those were definitely fun! Now, most of these eight graders are really rich kids and not used to poverty like this at all. I could tell from the very beginning that this was going to be an interesting trip. If you wanted to shower, you had to go outside where there was a pump and pump your water into a bucket. So, we had cold bucket showers. The first night, the girls were very loud and there were a couple screams when they discovered some frogs. Although everyone was kind of freaked out by the bucket showers outside, it became a lot of their favorite time of day. The cold water felt amazing after our long days under the scorching sun.<br />
So, after everyone had showered and set up their mosquito nets, we went to bed. The frogs outside were SUPER loud, but I was so tired I fell asleep anyways.<br />
In the morning, we all went over to the boys house to have worship with Tim. After that he showed us around the area. I thought it was really cool they didn't have an orphanage, but rather many homes where there would be parents who would take care of and raise like ten kids or so. I think they would feel more loved that way and like they have a family. <br />
After he showed us around, we were taken to the work site. The whole reason for this mission trip was to try and help build a playground for the orphans.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-btIGCakQ7r4/VW98aUKDTUI/AAAAAAAAAWc/rUj7WWq-I2E/s1600/IMG_1907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-btIGCakQ7r4/VW98aUKDTUI/AAAAAAAAAWc/rUj7WWq-I2E/s320/IMG_1907.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Lho5BredJg/VW98bWasybI/AAAAAAAAAWk/nrx8Cww3eZc/s1600/IMG_1916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Lho5BredJg/VW98bWasybI/AAAAAAAAAWk/nrx8Cww3eZc/s320/IMG_1916.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2tL-LbM-PZM/VW98ciaereI/AAAAAAAAAWs/VFhGdZW3eG8/s1600/IMG_2070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2tL-LbM-PZM/VW98ciaereI/AAAAAAAAAWs/VFhGdZW3eG8/s320/IMG_2070.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
We were split up into groups and worked on different projects. Some worked on yielding the brick wall for a sand box, others on a swing set, and I ended up mostly helping with a climbing ladder of some sort. I learned how to chisel pretty well. I also helped drill the holes into the wood. It's was melting outside under the sun as we worked.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kC7Er6RLm5A/VW985IRPIkI/AAAAAAAAAYU/YorE1rymFhI/s1600/IMG_2562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kC7Er6RLm5A/VW985IRPIkI/AAAAAAAAAYU/YorE1rymFhI/s320/IMG_2562.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BNVXBkB4ZXs/VW99EQQ6LsI/AAAAAAAAAYs/lWpZwDorxR8/s1600/IMG_2610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BNVXBkB4ZXs/VW99EQQ6LsI/AAAAAAAAAYs/lWpZwDorxR8/s320/IMG_2610.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ctosTDZ175U/VW99MjvWuZI/AAAAAAAAAY0/7KenSlz0IY0/s1600/IMG_2613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ctosTDZ175U/VW99MjvWuZI/AAAAAAAAAY0/7KenSlz0IY0/s320/IMG_2613.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qYW-adptkVY/VW98QjnGQWI/AAAAAAAAAV8/ciXvoQ9RaPk/s1600/IMG_1635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qYW-adptkVY/VW98QjnGQWI/AAAAAAAAAV8/ciXvoQ9RaPk/s320/IMG_1635.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
At about noon, everyone went and ate lunch. I always had to go to the hot, stuffy kitchen to cook my own food. But it turned out to be very difficult to keep the ants out of all my food. There was always surplus of delicious mangos though. After lunch the kids had the choice of either working outside again, or helping in the classrooms at the school. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dAVp6uCPasI/VW98RsZ1sWI/AAAAAAAAAWM/-UkNDZRCpZE/s1600/IMG_1810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dAVp6uCPasI/VW98RsZ1sWI/AAAAAAAAAWM/-UkNDZRCpZE/s320/IMG_1810.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
After lunch on Tuesday, I went to help teach the kids at the school. I think I ended up in second grade, but I'm not a hundred percent sure. When I came into the classroom, there were two teachers. They had the students greet me with their traditional standing, then 'bowing' their head with their hands pressed together. They said something in Cambodian as well, but of course I was clueless to what it meant. After some difficult communication, I found that the teachers wanted me to play a games with the kids.<br />
"They kids love to play games and get to know new teachers?" They explained. I quickly racked my brain for a game to teach and play with these kids. I finally came up with a game, the class Thumbs Up, 7 Up. Through translation, I taught them how to play. They really enjoyed it and played it multiple times. After they had finished, the teacher told me to do something else.<br />
"Like what?" I asked.<br />
"Anything!" She answered<br />
"Well, that's helpful." I thought "I have no idea!" Finally, the teachers gave some vague ideas and I decided what I could do. I had each of the children come and write their name on the blackboard. Afterwards, I pointed to a name and then the student would stand and tell me what their favorite thing to do was. It was fun learning the names of the children and what they like to do.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XmTg4vg7W38/VW98Rx3mo9I/AAAAAAAAAWI/LKKJWew743A/s1600/IMG_1783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XmTg4vg7W38/VW98Rx3mo9I/AAAAAAAAAWI/LKKJWew743A/s320/IMG_1783.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
After we finished, class was dismissed and the teacher left. The kids quickly grabbed my hands and arms. I started swinging them around by their arms. They squealed and asked to do it again and again until I was tuckered out and it was time for their last class. I followed them into the classroom and realized there was no teacher! A few minutes later, Tim came by and saw me alone. He called the teacher but they didn't answer.<br />
"Sorry to put you in this situation, but can you teach them? I can't get ahold of the teacher. It's Art class now."<br />
"Uh, ok..." I answered somewhat timidly.<br />
Tim brought me some colors, which I handed out to the kids as well as a sheet of paper. I just drew a bunch of things on the blackboard and had them copy it on their paper. I had a few misbehaving little boys, but that was soon taken care of when Tim stopped by and saw what was happening. He went outside with him and gave him a whooping with a stick! He wasn't munch trouble for me after that.<br />
During our time there, we also took a trip into town with some of the older students and made some friends with them. We drove to a tourist shopping area as well as the regular market. We all road in the back of a tiny pickup and the road was no where near smooth, on the contrary it was super dusty and bumpy. Some of the bumps sent us flying and squealing. We bought some souvenirs as well as traditional outfits to wear to church. On Thursday (my sister's birthday!) we went Angkor Wat. It was SO magnificent. It was all so cool looking. There was one problem though, and it was making everyone miserable.... It was 104 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) !!! We were melting! It was worth it though. ;)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5gf0sgcKChs/VW98TIFDPqI/AAAAAAAAAWU/YIzTfKmP478/s1600/IMG_1863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5gf0sgcKChs/VW98TIFDPqI/AAAAAAAAAWU/YIzTfKmP478/s320/IMG_1863.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
In the end, this mission trip was all about those cute little Cambodian kids. I only taught at the school once, but a few of my students would come to the worksite to see me every time they had a break. They would smile and say "Teacher! Teacher!", then try to take me with them back to the school. I felt so happy that we could help build a playground for them. Before, they only played some sort of game involving sticks and rocks, I'm not sure how they play it, but a few of the other 8th graders learned and played with them. I'm so glad we could do something for these precious orphans, they were so thrilled at the idea of having a playground.<br />
<br />
"Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality." (Romans 12:13 NIV)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m_iMbFhSLUo/VW98eUXY2YI/AAAAAAAAAW0/4SXU58Rclpo/s1600/IMG_2314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m_iMbFhSLUo/VW98eUXY2YI/AAAAAAAAAW0/4SXU58Rclpo/s320/IMG_2314.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0RAN0OHYKGA/VW98mQJwnCI/AAAAAAAAAXU/r2MuSiMwI4Y/s1600/IMG_2399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0RAN0OHYKGA/VW98mQJwnCI/AAAAAAAAAXU/r2MuSiMwI4Y/s320/IMG_2399.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4cI9xOpbhA/VW98nz88rAI/AAAAAAAAAXc/0ntLY6qg5Y0/s1600/IMG_2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4cI9xOpbhA/VW98nz88rAI/AAAAAAAAAXc/0ntLY6qg5Y0/s320/IMG_2400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AIRCCAanApM/VW98o_1cI3I/AAAAAAAAAXk/7W3_dkcFDfo/s1600/IMG_2419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AIRCCAanApM/VW98o_1cI3I/AAAAAAAAAXk/7W3_dkcFDfo/s320/IMG_2419.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5CgYqwHItHU/VW98qBKGlFI/AAAAAAAAAXs/1igvEAreTy4/s1600/IMG_2482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5CgYqwHItHU/VW98qBKGlFI/AAAAAAAAAXs/1igvEAreTy4/s320/IMG_2482.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JMbf9a0_OoQ/VW98z1FOYcI/AAAAAAAAAX8/ds-cC8Z6j8A/s1600/IMG_2484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JMbf9a0_OoQ/VW98z1FOYcI/AAAAAAAAAX8/ds-cC8Z6j8A/s320/IMG_2484.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-19120714867197140762015-03-23T04:56:00.003-07:002015-03-23T04:57:29.627-07:00Hope for the Future <div class="s2" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span style="line-height: 14px;">“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29 </span></div>
<div class="s2" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="s6" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">It’s been almost two</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> month</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">s</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> since I found out about all my </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">food </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">allergies.</span></div>
<div class="s6" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">In the beginning </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">it was extremely hard</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">(not that it isn’t now… </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">haha</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">!). </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">We were trying to figure out what was in what, if I </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">could eat this or that, and basically</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> what </span><span class="s7" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 14px;">could</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> I eat?! A month</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> ago I </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">even </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">went on a three day juicing fast. I only drank juiced vegetables and fruits. It was hard, but I know it was good for me. I needed my gut to calm down</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> and heal</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">. </span></div>
<div class="s6" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">For a while I kind of felt like there was nothing I could eat. I felt like complaining all the time</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">,</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> but I did my best not to. I knew God would help me through this. And he has! The last week or so I have really felt like there is hope for the future. </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">He has helped me find solutions and yummy food I can eat. </span></div>
<div class="s6" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">For </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">example, we</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> w</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">ere able to have someone bring gluten free flour from the states so I was actually able to have bread! I even made banana bread.</span></div>
<div class="s6" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">Also, my dad makes the best tacos in the WORLD, but bec</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">ause of the soy in the veggie meat I couldn’t</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> eat it. BUT, he found a way to make it with lentils. I didn’t think it would be that great</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">, but it is! It’s a good thing</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> I can eat corn because we have been able to </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">use</span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;"> that as a substitute for a lot of things. </span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">We even found corn pasta and tortillas! </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2657959185098132482" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
<div class="s6" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">So, I just feel that God has really blessed me and given me hope. He has really encouraged me the last few weeks.</span></div>
<div class="s6" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s5" style="line-height: 14px;">Thanks for all the prayers! </span></div>
<div class="s2" style="line-height: 21px;">
<br /></div>
Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-6356687094990887682015-02-18T20:28:00.002-08:002015-02-18T22:59:38.373-08:00News of DoomIf you know me, you know that I LOVE to eat, especially all the Taiwanese food. I could eat dumplings, fried rice, bubble tea, ect all day!!! You would also know that I tend to like things that are not so healthy.... Like dairy. I always thought my sister was kind of crazy (in a good way) being vegan, even if she did make exceptions with desserts. I told myself I would never go vegan, I couldn't! I liked it too much!<br />
<br />
Well, for the last two months my back would start to break out in hives randomly and itch like crazy! The first times was at home. I tried chestnuts for the first time that night for supper. Later after I had gone to bed. My back was a little itchy so I kept scratching it, but it kept getting worse and was stinging. Suddenly, I bolted upward, turned on the light and looked I the mirror and my back. Sure enough, it was covered with red bumps and rashes. I immediately went to my parents who gave me some benedryl. They decided I must be allergic to chestnuts.<br />
<br />
A week or so later, on a Saturday night, our family and some other church members and friends took us to Hot Pot for the first time. It's really good and a lot of fun. At each persons place at the table, they have a little stove and pot inside the table. It's full of water and then they bring out two platters heaped with cabbage, lettuce, mushrooms, funky veggie meats, and other vegetables. You turn on your little pot and just add what you want into the boiling water and cook it yourself! You can put noodles in it, get rice on the side, and they have a really good sauce you eat it with.<br />
So, we ate there and loved it! In fact, the Taiwanese were surprised that we liked it! It is very traditional Taiwanese food and they said most foreigners don't care for it that much.<br />
When we got home in bed, I realized that had broken out in hives again. After talking it over, my parents decided that there must have been chestnuts in one of the veggie meats and that's why I reacted. So, the next time we went to hot pot (a week later with some visitors) I didn't eat the veggie meats and I was fine. So, we decided we had figured it out.<br />
<br />
But no, it came back again.<br />
<br />
A week or two later,my dad had to go to the conference or something far away. We decided we wanted to go have fun and maybe find a last minute Christmas gift for him. We decided to take a friend, Shin, along with help us. He could translate and he knew all the stores, because we had no clue where to even begin. So, we shopped around a little bit and got some of our last minute Christmas gifts taken care of. Then, we were hungry! So we went through the night market and ate something. Shin gave us these sugar/candy coated strawberries on a skewer. They were super good! After that, he took us to a little restaurant. We had some French fries and he insisted that we try this 'butter tea.' To be honest, that didn't sound very appetizing, but it wasn't too bad!<br />
As you have probably guessed, I broke out in hives again. Now we were really puzzled, I definitely didn't have a chestnuts that night and we just couldn't figure it out.<br />
<br />
A short time later, we went to CareGroup on Friday night like usual. Joshua (the owner of the house we meet in) cooks us some yummy food, usually some sort of curry, then we sing, have a fun question for everybody to answer, and then we break up (Chinese and English) to have bible study. Well, during the bible study I realized I was reacting to something I ate again. My back was super itchy, and it was worse than all the other times. We left as soon as possible so we could get me some medicine. This was again very puzzling. There was nothing new or strange in the curry and I had eaten it many times before!<br />
<br />
Finally, my dad decided that they needed to get me checked.<br />
After school one day, my dad picked me up to get tested. We explained what was happening and they told me they would test to see what I was allergic to. So, they took my blood, gave me some medication to take every night, and told us we would get the results in about two weeks.<br />
So, I just carried on with life. Then, everything changed as the results came back this last Thursday...<br />
<br />
"I'm home!" I shouted as I came in the door after school. It was about five (school doesn't end till 4:30!) and I was starving!<br />
I poked my head into my parents room.<br />
"I'm here! What's for supper?" I asked.<br />
"Well... We got your results back..." They answered hesitantly.<br />
"Oh. So, what I'm allergic to?" I asked as I put my school bag down.<br />
"Come on it and we will explain the results." My mom beckoned me.<br />
"I can tell you one thing though, your not going to like it" my dad mumbled.<br />
Getting a little bit nervous, I again asked, "So, what am I allergic to?!"<br />
"Enjoli, we found out that you are allergic to a LOT of things. The number one highest is milk... Which means no dairy so..."<br />
"What!? I'm allergic to all dairy!? You mean I have to go vegan like Emily!?" I exclaimed in horror.<br />
"Yes but it's different, you are highly allergic so you can't have anything that even has a tiny bit, no desserts,..."<br />
"But!..." I interrupted.<br />
"Just wait, there's more."<br />
"More!!?"<br />
"You are highly allergic to dairy, but you are also allergic to eggs, wheat, soy, wheat, gluten, peanuts, almonds. Additionally, you have a mild allergy to rice, sunflower seeds, papaya, and orange."<br />
This was too much.<br />
I ran out of the room and sat on my bed to think. I was allergic to everything!!! I couldn't eat any of my favorite foods! No dumplings, no fried rice, noodles, no bread, no pizza, no ice cream, or any good thing it seemed!<br />
<br />
My parents came back into my room and explained that I might be able to eat some of those food sometimes if I am really strict for like 3-6 months. If I don't eat any trace of those foods, I can eat one of those things (not dairy though, it's too high) once, every four days (as long as I don't react) but I have to switch it up. He also explained that I have to be strict because if I just continue to eat it, my allergy to them will increase and will increase to the point I could die or something if I ate one of those things. My allergies might explain why I've always had dry skin, or eczema.<br />
<br />
As you can imagine, these last couple days have been pretty hard. It's hard to find things I can eat, and when we find something, I can't just repeatedly eat it or I might become allergic to that as well. So it has been challenging.<br />
But, you know what? No matter how hard this trial may be, I know God will help me. Just like in my favorite bible verse Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."<br />
It may be hard, but I will live. I need to be thankful for the food I can eat.<br />
<br />
Another verse comes to mind...<br />
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:25-26 NIV)<br />
<br />
I just need to think positively. Because of all my allergies, I will probably be a lot healthier and I won't have as many health problems when I'm older. I can relate and sympathize with others who have similar problems. Before if someone had a bunch of things that they couldn't eat I would think, "That's horrible! I'm glad I don't have that, I would die if I couldn't eat 'this or that' !!!"<br />
So, through this, God is teaching and growing me. In the mean time, I will remember His promises in Philippians 4:-3 and Matthew 6: 25,26.<br />
Thank you for all of your prayers!Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-87902738548374724672015-01-05T01:59:00.003-08:002015-01-05T02:04:55.025-08:00Happy New Year! 2015, wow. Time sure has flown! So many things have happened in 2014.<br />
In the beginning of last year, I went to Tanzania... I can't believe that was a whole year ago! That also means I've had this blog for a year. It seems as though I were in Africa only a few months ago.<br />
It was while I was there in Tanzania, that we decided it was God's will to move to Taiwan.<br />
In between the time after I got back from Africa and when we left, we spent many happy days making memories with our friends back in Washington.<br />
2014 was kind of an emotional year for me as well; a year full of change. Leaving my home in Wenatchee with all my friends was extremely hard. It was the longest I had ever lived anywhere! I just couldn't wrap my mind around the thought that leaving my home was better for me and my family and that it was God's will!<br />
Now, here we are in, Taiwan, And I absolutely love everything about my new home. So, this year I had to practice a lot of faith in God. It always works out best when we follow His plan verses ours. And sometimes it's REALLY hard to believe that it's true. God always keeps His promises, though.<br />
To welcome the New Year, we watched the fireworks display at Taipei 101. We didn't go down into the city because the traffic is absolutely insane. So, at midnight, we just walked up our 97 steps, crossed the road, and watched them from the mountain! We had a somewhat clear view of the tall tower, although it was a little foggy that night. It was really, really cool, although, it only lasted about 5 minutes or so. Then, we promptly went to bed. :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OUUHirZDpwQ/VKpgYvCVrHI/AAAAAAAAAUw/x9Ie8xxlbnI/s1600/IMG_1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OUUHirZDpwQ/VKpgYvCVrHI/AAAAAAAAAUw/x9Ie8xxlbnI/s1600/IMG_1678.JPG" height="320" width="215" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K619l93TEDg/VKpgYkygeSI/AAAAAAAAAUs/WFNI97Gqpw0/s1600/IMG_1679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K619l93TEDg/VKpgYkygeSI/AAAAAAAAAUs/WFNI97Gqpw0/s1600/IMG_1679.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
I have quite a few New Years resolutions. Here are a few of them:<br />
- I want to remember God more throughout my day at school<br />
- remember more Scripture promises<br />
- prayer more (I have this one almost every year. But, hey? Who doesn't need to pray more?)<br />
- try and be a little bit more faithful to my blog; not as irregular when writing. It's hard though because of school...<br />
These are a few of my New Years resolutions.<br />
I encourage you to make your own resolutions. As for now, let us all try and turn the world upside down this year by doing the LORD's work, and bringing the Word to the whole world.<br />
"B<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">e ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58 </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-5793552768399910842014-12-01T04:09:00.001-08:002014-12-02T18:33:57.243-08:00A Night Full of Surprises <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wJKhy7-XfU0/VHxNinr4SCI/AAAAAAAAASA/lJVs7iTnQG8/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.23.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wJKhy7-XfU0/VHxNinr4SCI/AAAAAAAAASA/lJVs7iTnQG8/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.23.12.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
"Enjoli," my mom said as we walked into the house Friday night, "Next week is going to be extremely busy, so I was thinking you should just invite Danielle over tomorrow night after church and we can celebrate your birthday."<br />
"Can I invite some other friends too?" I asked.<br />
"No, just one."<br />
"Well, okay."<br />
The next day at church my mom asked Danielle and she said she had to ask her parents.<br />
"My parents said it's okay!" she grinned.<br />
So, after church we were going to take Danielle home but we brought another friend, Gracie, with us because she needed a ride. <br />
"Okay, lets stop by Danielle's house so she can get her stuff for tonight." my mom says as we pulled into their driveway.<br />
While Danielle was getting her stuff, I went over to talk to her sister Samantha.<br />
"Hey, Sam!"<br />
"Hi! What are you doing here?"she asked<br />
"Just waiting for your sister to get her stuff."<br />
"What stuff?"<br />
"Oh, well, your sister is having a sleepover and we are going to celebrate my birthday."<br />
"What about me?" she asked just as my mom walked over.<br />
"Sorry," my mom said, "I'll make it up to you." she smiled.<br />
I felt a little bit bad for her but soon we were on our way home.<br />
After we had family worship, my mom told us were were going to go somewhere, but that it was a surprise. So, we hopped in the car and started driving down the mountain.<br />
"Okay, Enjoli. Put your head down and close your eyes! Emily, you're not allowed to speak!" my mom shouted from the front seat.<br />
After driving for a while, the car turned off.<br />
"Okay, you can open your eyes!"<br />
I opened my eyes..."What in the world!" I exclaimed. "Why are we in the Carrefor (A grocery store) parking garage!?"<br />
"I don't know!" my mom said mysteriously as we walked into the grocery store. We ended up walking through the back door outside.<br />
"Okay, we'll tell you now. We just wanted to take you to he 50 to get your favorite Carmel Bubble tea!"<br />
"Oh! Cool!" I said.<br />
We crossed the street and were just getting in line when I saw one of my friends come around the opposite corner towards me. For a split second I thought we had just happened to cross paths, but that thought quickly left when my when my friend, Gracie was followed by a bunch of others!<br />
I just stood awestruck as they all ran up to me saying, 'Happy Birthday!'<br />
"So that's why you wouldn't let me invite anyone else!" I told my mom. "You had already planned on them meeting us here!"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HQHjtG-MpWs/VHxNhzG26iI/AAAAAAAAAR8/7hcp56ZHKsY/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.22.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HQHjtG-MpWs/VHxNhzG26iI/AAAAAAAAAR8/7hcp56ZHKsY/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.22.45.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
I was very excited to see them all, after I got my drink they gave me a card. They had all signed it but there was also a clue on where I was to go next! <br />
The first card read: " I know you love surprises! So I have a few for you. Now that you have your drink, you must find something to eat. There will be another card at the restaurant. Sorry there isn't any peanut sauce, but you still like the food right?"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
"So where are we going, Enjoli?" My dad asked. <br />
"The Thai food restaurant! But, I don't know how to get there!<br />
"Ask Shin."<br />
So Shin led us to the Thai food restaurant. As soon as i walked into the entrance.. "Happy Birthday to You! Happy birthday to you!..." I just stood there in total shock as my friends pushed me forward.<br />
"There's more!?" I said!<br />
There in the Thai restaurant were friends from Care Group and church.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XLc4nOPFKBU/VHxNer8BCvI/AAAAAAAAARo/U09hcJ1w1Pk/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.08.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XLc4nOPFKBU/VHxNer8BCvI/AAAAAAAAARo/U09hcJ1w1Pk/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.08.56.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WC1QB0XGYmw/VHxNgVpdeLI/AAAAAAAAAR0/KpT88k6olXE/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.09.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WC1QB0XGYmw/VHxNgVpdeLI/AAAAAAAAAR0/KpT88k6olXE/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.09.08.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
"Wow! This is ... is... awesome! Thanks for coming, everyone!"<br />
The food was SO yummy. I even tried the weird, rainbow colored, transparent egg. <br />
As I finished the last bit of fried rice on my plate, they started singing to me again! Then, they plopped a chocolate cake in front of me.<br />
"Cut it! Cut it!" my friends chanted. I made the first cut but then handed it off to my dad who is much better at that kind of thing.<br />
"Oh, I'm so full!" I moaned. The food was all so good... and filling!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v6kgfp38FmU/VHxNjhNcCQI/AAAAAAAAASM/2OZZpRtgwXw/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.30.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v6kgfp38FmU/VHxNjhNcCQI/AAAAAAAAASM/2OZZpRtgwXw/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.30.36.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mw16OSz8Rb0/VHxNdtD-bVI/AAAAAAAAARc/aundynAQD6M/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.08.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mw16OSz8Rb0/VHxNdtD-bVI/AAAAAAAAARc/aundynAQD6M/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.08.19.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
"Okay, here's your next card." my mom handed me an envelope.<br />
"Another one? Oh boy!"<br />
The second card read: " <br />
I know you are full, but you like to tell me how, 'There's ALWAYS room for ice cream!' Go freshen up in the restroom and while you're there have a bowl of soft serve ice cream with me!"<br />
"WHAT?!" I shouted. "Just... what?! Eat ice-cream with you in the bathroom!? I am so confused." <br />
Where would you eat ice-cream in a bathroom?" Sam hinted to me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VPbnx9ajAsY/VHxMMhIUx9I/AAAAAAAAAQU/VgwBWl2hrh4/s1600/2014-11-29%2B20.14.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VPbnx9ajAsY/VHxMMhIUx9I/AAAAAAAAAQU/VgwBWl2hrh4/s1600/2014-11-29%2B20.14.01.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BCVv8zeZFMk/VHxM2wlFKjI/AAAAAAAAAQs/TpPwHfzd6Ik/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.26.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BCVv8zeZFMk/VHxM2wlFKjI/AAAAAAAAAQs/TpPwHfzd6Ik/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.26.08.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
"OH! The Toilet Restaurant (The Modern Toilet)! Let's go!"<br />
We hopped on the MRT and walked over to the restaurant. I climbed up the narrow staircase and then BAM! There were all my friends from school singing happy birthday!<br />
I was just astounded and shocked yet again!<br />
"I did not expect you guys to be here!" I laughed as I took a seat. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WYqRksslvDI/VHxM4oZJxjI/AAAAAAAAARM/0FYJjG4svhE/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.23.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WYqRksslvDI/VHxM4oZJxjI/AAAAAAAAARM/0FYJjG4svhE/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.23.32.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The restaurant was really fun; everyone sat on a toilet, ate at a bathtub-table, ordered poo-poo ice cream (swirled chocolate ice cream served in a toilet) and there were toilet paper rolls for napkins,<br />
the waiters were all in bathrobes, it was really funny. They told me I had a chance to win something if I spun the wheel, and amazingly, I won a mango shaved ice with more chocolate ice-cream!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4wa6PSbvGs8/VHxM7tG69pI/AAAAAAAAARQ/UQrvWR7zX9U/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.44.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4wa6PSbvGs8/VHxM7tG69pI/AAAAAAAAARQ/UQrvWR7zX9U/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.44.15.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-msKWmBEzmZs/VHxML5yBBNI/AAAAAAAAAQM/LEvVTx5tKl4/s1600/2014-11-29%2B20.10.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-msKWmBEzmZs/VHxML5yBBNI/AAAAAAAAAQM/LEvVTx5tKl4/s1600/2014-11-29%2B20.10.58.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X-jJdYMC02s/VHxM5ZsdfzI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/l08Tr9fhJmQ/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.36.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X-jJdYMC02s/VHxM5ZsdfzI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/l08Tr9fhJmQ/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.36.02.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-taxfDMUtXKQ/VHxM6ti1dBI/AAAAAAAAARE/kG3cVssiXo4/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.38.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-taxfDMUtXKQ/VHxM6ti1dBI/AAAAAAAAARE/kG3cVssiXo4/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.38.16.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c-s_WRa9gkk/VHxM4I_xXeI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/7cCNnhKMlOU/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.28.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c-s_WRa9gkk/VHxM4I_xXeI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/7cCNnhKMlOU/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.28.45.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n68rAIcDkO4/VHxNmJlS_2I/AAAAAAAAASc/Fch4799jfwQ/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.46.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n68rAIcDkO4/VHxNmJlS_2I/AAAAAAAAASc/Fch4799jfwQ/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.46.53.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I was SO, extremely stuffed, but it was good. I even told the toilet/WC story to everyone. (If you haven't , you got to look it up.)<br />
When everyone was finished eating and taking pictures ;) I was handed my third card that read," Look at how many friends you have gathered! While you were in the heart of Africa, your friend William told you a funny joke. Tell your friends the joke! Then take the MRT to the heart of Taipei to enjoy the punchline."'<br />
" oh, I know what joke that is!" So I told them the Cookie joke and soon we were all laughing. The punchline is " I am a doughnut, but I couldn't figure out what the heart of Taiei was! With a little bit of prompting, I finally got it, "Taipei main station!"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNeIC99uecY/VHxMMJjujBI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/J4dA70Qzvg4/s1600/2014-11-29%2B20.59.14-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNeIC99uecY/VHxMMJjujBI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/J4dA70Qzvg4/s1600/2014-11-29%2B20.59.14-1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Off we went back to the MRT to Taipei Main Station. When we got off, we walked over to the Krsipy Kreams. We were about to get in line when... The Happy Birthday song was being sung yet again but this time by a bunch of my teachers who surprised me! Soon, the whole restaurant and everybody near by was joining in! One of my teachers gave me a doughnut. Ugh, I was so stuffed I could hardly eat half of it. I thought I might go into a food coma! Lol!<br />
I was given my last card that read: " Although your journey has ended, the fun doesn't have to! Go buy yourself a birthday present and have a good night!" Enclosed was some money for me to go shopping. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rPXtgqoQ728/VHxLw8Nb5vI/AAAAAAAAAP8/DJruHSCQw64/s1600/2014-11-29%2B23.19.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rPXtgqoQ728/VHxLw8Nb5vI/AAAAAAAAAP8/DJruHSCQw64/s1600/2014-11-29%2B23.19.55.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Soon, never hone except my school friends, Danielle, my mom and I left.<br />
"See you at church next week Sam, Gracie, Connie, and Hannah" called as they waved goodbye.<br />
We didn't know where to go shopping because a lot of t of places were closed, but we finally decided to go to the Shilin Night market. we had a lot of fun shopping and looking in the stores. We even looked at a pet store with cute persian kittens! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bB_BKvgIFeI/VHxLw85axDI/AAAAAAAAAQA/hl44o9Yl58o/s1600/2014-11-29%2B22.27.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bB_BKvgIFeI/VHxLw85axDI/AAAAAAAAAQA/hl44o9Yl58o/s1600/2014-11-29%2B22.27.18.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
I wanted to take one home, but my mom and I both knew my dad wouldn't be too happy about that :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7E12_AufxB8/VHxLvCRWiKI/AAAAAAAAAP0/hRxtD5JuD9A/s1600/2014-11-29%2B23.40.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7E12_AufxB8/VHxLvCRWiKI/AAAAAAAAAP0/hRxtD5JuD9A/s1600/2014-11-29%2B23.40.02.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
It was about 12:45 am when we finished shopping and went out separate ways! Danielle, my mom, and I caught a taxi home.<br />
When we walked inside, my dad and sister were just finishing a movie.<br />
I walked into my room to set down my bags and "SURPRISE!!!" My friend popped out of their hiding places.<br />
I thought you went home!" I laughed. We all had a great big sleep over. I don't think we actually got to bed until 2:30.<br />
The surprise birthday party was so... So... Spectacular! It couldn't have been any better. I am really thankful for all the people here who love and care about me and gave me such an amazing surprise ( I'm kind of hard to surprise too)! Thank you everybody who came and helped plan it, especially my amazing parents! I know Shin helped a lot too. I am so blessed! :D It was the best birthday ever! I will always remember my sweet 16! :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B7QsVMmpCkY/VHxTkU7ooEI/AAAAAAAAATQ/otWPtFI_EYo/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.32.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B7QsVMmpCkY/VHxTkU7ooEI/AAAAAAAAATQ/otWPtFI_EYo/s1600/2014-11-29%2B18.32.37.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QPva27EX7hM/VHxR6C_QLiI/AAAAAAAAATE/Jh_-L1Y_urk/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.37.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QPva27EX7hM/VHxR6C_QLiI/AAAAAAAAATE/Jh_-L1Y_urk/s1600/2014-11-29%2B19.37.43.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-26044886303107410522014-11-28T04:00:00.002-08:002014-11-29T23:15:42.641-08:00Baptism Contemplations <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQcy6VoJRbU/VHhjOnkPUhI/AAAAAAAAAO8/B6phOLSfXyA/s1600/IMG_1874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQcy6VoJRbU/VHhjOnkPUhI/AAAAAAAAAO8/B6phOLSfXyA/s1600/IMG_1874.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">"Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26988A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26988A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26988B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26988B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38 </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A baptism has to be one of the most beautiful things to witness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two weeks ago, we had a baptism for a couple who had been attending church regularly and finally decided to choose Jesus publicly after they had come to every night of the Evang<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e</span>listic Series. The husband, Max, brought tons of visitors every night with them! It was amazing to see God work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the baptism, they did something very special. The parents were insistent that their little 7-year-old daughter be right there to witness their baptism. So, as the couple were baptized, little Sharon stood right up in the front with her nose smashed against the glass. She was SO excited that her parents were getting baptized. I was in the front singing and I could see all three of their faces shinning with their new found love of Jesus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just this sabbath we had another baptism, for Samantha. This baptism was very special as well. She was baptized by her dad who has been a pastor before (but is now a principal). This reminded me of my baptism back in the U.S. when I was baptized by my father. I remember how special it was. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." Luke 15:7 </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f4sIbtEmzqc/VHhi7Eg92cI/AAAAAAAAAO0/EUap8zd2pmQ/s1600/IMG_1825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f4sIbtEmzqc/VHhi7Eg92cI/AAAAAAAAAO0/EUap8zd2pmQ/s1600/IMG_1825.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vTlP4HzCQU8/VHhjQu2Lb5I/AAAAAAAAAPE/qucEmn4wptA/s1600/IMG_1837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vTlP4HzCQU8/VHhjQu2Lb5I/AAAAAAAAAPE/qucEmn4wptA/s1600/IMG_1837.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4JkTz7O1pvQ/VHhjRYcORrI/AAAAAAAAAPM/k-ssxVcHtik/s1600/IMG_1891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4JkTz7O1pvQ/VHhjRYcORrI/AAAAAAAAAPM/k-ssxVcHtik/s1600/IMG_1891.JPG" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ap__t2O3CC0/VHhirmwaVBI/AAAAAAAAAOg/vyFbfY7B4xQ/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ap__t2O3CC0/VHhirmwaVBI/AAAAAAAAAOg/vyFbfY7B4xQ/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-co1F5Cbjask/VHhinje48SI/AAAAAAAAAOM/9BPCT1VGETw/s1600/IMG_1959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-co1F5Cbjask/VHhinje48SI/AAAAAAAAAOM/9BPCT1VGETw/s1600/IMG_1959.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PLKWb8Ab8gU/VHhh_Aui9WI/AAAAAAAAAN8/OGhDlAnS4SI/s1600/IMG_1938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PLKWb8Ab8gU/VHhh_Aui9WI/AAAAAAAAAN8/OGhDlAnS4SI/s1600/IMG_1938.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-71612799230407396552014-11-13T04:40:00.001-08:002014-11-15T20:27:32.736-08:00A Sabbath Morning in the Police Department "Oh no! I left the camera in the taxi!"<br />
It was Sabbath morning and we were on our way to the 'Big Event.' The Big Event was a big gathering and church service of all the Adventist in Taiwan that was sponsored by the conference. It was also a celebration for all the people getting baptized. From our church, we had seven people (Praise God :) ) come up for baptism during the evangelistic series a little while back. I helped with the children's program and in all, the Evangelisitc series was a great success.<br />
My dad had to leave early so, that left my mom, sister, and I to figure out how to get there. Thankfully, a friend graciously offered to meet us at the MRT station and help us find our way to the hall. We were going to take a bus to the MRT, but it was taking a while and a taxi conviently showed up.<br />
"Let's just take the taxi," my mom said,"who knows when our bus will come, it's taking forever!"<br />
We waved the taxi and hopped in. About fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the MRT station. My mom payed him and then we got out of the taxi. We started walking to the other side of the station where we were supposed to meet Shin. This is when my mom halted and gasped, "I left the camera in the taxi!" We immediately turned around and ran back to the road where he had dropped us off. My mom peered through a few of the parked taxis, trykng to sen if it was the right one, but it was in vain. The taxi had already left. One of the drivers beckoned us to hop in his taxi, thinking that we wanted a ride.<br />
"No, I left my camera in another taxi!" My mom tried to explain.<br />
"Enjoli," she said, turning to me,"Hurry and go get Shin!"<br />
Turning around, I quickly run back to the other side of the station. I got quite a few stares as I ran by. I could just imagine their thoughts: "Who's that white/American girl all dressed up that's just running through the station!?"<br />
Finally, I spotted him in the crowd.<br />
"Hi, Happy Sabbath!"<br />
"Hi!" I gasped for breath, "You have to come ... Quickly...my mom ... Left her camera... In the taxi!" I exclaimed between breathes.<br />
His smiled turned into a worried frown. "Let's go!"<br />
So, we ran back to the other side of the station.<br />
When we arrived, my mom brought us up to date, "I kept telling this guy that I left my camera in a taxi, so he told me to call this number. Apparently, that 'number' was the police department. So, the police should be here soon." My mom sighed. Not surprisingly, she was very stressed and worry.<br />
Shin immediately began calling and talking to people.<br />
Soon, the police came and talked to us. Of course, we had no clue what they were saying, but Shin translated for us, "He said they are going to check the cameras surrounding the MRT to see if they can see the taxi you came in and it's number." He translated. "Stay here and I'll go with them to the Police Department around the corner and watch the video cameras."<br />
So we waited...and waited ... And waited.<br />
"I'm sure they'll find it. And I guess if we don't, well, you keep talking about getting a new camera." I told my mom, trying to cheer her up.<br />
We waited for about an hour or so after they left when Shin called us.<br />
"We can't find it, but if you want, you guys can come over here and see If you can."<br />
So, we walked over to the police office. We kept watching the video but we couldn't find ourselves either!<br />
Suddenly, mom my spotted the bottom of her long, church dress in the video.<br />
"There I am! We are right there!" We couldn't see the license plate of the taxi though. Our taxi had pulled in between two other taxis and dropped us off. It just so happened that right as we get out of the car, a bunch of traffic goes by. If my mom had not worn a long dress (which she debated on doing) there was no way you could have seen us.<br />
The police went back in the video and played it in slow motion. After a few tries, we saw the license plate!<br />
The police went right to work and called the number. Turns out that it was only the number of the taxi, but eventually they got a hold of the driver.<br />
We were just talking amongst ourselves as we sat in the office chairs, when they told us the great news; they had got a hold of the driver and would be here in about a half hour!<br />
You can know without a doubt that we thanked God for the miracle he performed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657959185098132482.post-16758262816108678102014-11-02T01:42:00.002-07:002014-11-07T01:45:12.306-08:00Lost... Again! Did I mention in my last post how much I love how safe Taiwan is how kind the people are? Well, it couldn't have been more true last Thursday.<br />
I had previously been instructed to go to my friend, Danielle's house after school, because they (my parents) were going out. So, as I slung my bag over my shoulder, I started walking alongside my friend, Vivian, to the bus stop.<br />
"Which bus are you taking?" She asked as we crossed the street.<br />
"Well," I answered, "Today I'm going to my friend's house so I can take either the 5 or the 15. Oh look! There it is! Bye, I'll see you tomorow!"<br />
"Bye bye!" Vivian called as she waved.<br />
Taking a seat, I glanced at my watch. It read 5:15. "Hmm." I thought, "I should be there in about 20 minutes, add or subtract a few minutes for traffic up the mountain."<br />
I gripped my seat as the bus lurched forward. The bus started to drive down the busy road and I leaned back and watched the scenery. Suddenly, I sat up as the bus driver turned to the left.<br />
"Wait a minute!" I thought. "We are supposed to go straight up the mountain, why did he turn?!"<br />
He continued to drive and I continued to get more and more nervous. None of my surroundings were familiar at all.<br />
"God? Where am I going? I could use some help. Please just help me to get to Danielle's house safe and sound." I prayed inwardly.<br />
I considered getting off, but, that wouldn't help me any because I wouldn't know how to get back! So, I continued to sit in the bus while I kept driving and dropping of people. Finally, the last person got off and it was just me. The bus driver turned around in his seat and started 'yelling' (he wasn't, but the Chinese Language makes it sound like they are sometimes) at me in Chinese! Of course, I had no clue what he was saying!<br />
"I don't understand," I tried to communicate with him, "I only know English!"<br />
"Ah" he answered. " uh... Final. Finished. Um, all done."<br />
By now he had parked and turned off the bus in huge parking lot. Things were not looking good. I had come to the final destination of this bus route, and it was the last round one as well. This guy was off work; off duty for the night. I was very lost, somewhere in the middle of Taipei city, with a bus driver that can't really speak English, and I had no way or idea how to get back.<br />
"Where are you going?" He asked.<br />
"Yang Ming Shan." I answered.<br />
"Ah. Hmm..." Then he mumbled in Chinese. Finally, he said something that I took to be "sit down" by his gestures.<br />
As I sat down, I watched as the bus driver went back to his seat, started the engine and turned around! He ended up doing the whole route again so he could take me back to where I had started.<br />
I was so thankful for this driver who had gone way out of his way to take me back since I was lost.<br />
"Shea Shea!" (Chinese for thanks or thank you) I thanked him as I stepped off the bus and started over. Only a few moments later, my bus arrived I finally was on the right bus.<br />
<i>Sigh. </i>If only it ended there, right? But no, I had to go get lost again.<br />
As I stepped off the bus, I noticed it had become very dark and a little cooler. As I trudged up the mountain road, I thought, "Shouldn't the short-cut to their house be pretty close by?" I kept walking, but I didn't see the gazebo where I was supposed to turn. I was almost to<i> my </i>house when I realized I had definitely passed the shortcut. I thought about just going home and forgetting the whole thing, but I knew the my parents would come to pick me up at Danielle's house. If I wasn't there they would be worried. So, I decided to turn around. After a while of searching, I still couldn't find the short cut!<br />
Abruptly, I stopped and peered down a road with a sign I recognized.<br />
"Oh!" I exclaimed out loud, "This is the other shortcut to their house. I'll just take this one." Eagerly I<br />
strode down the road until... There was a fork in the road.<br />
"Hmmm. Right or left?" I pondered for a few seconds. "I think it's to the left." I hadn't take this short<br />
cut for a long time because I usually take the other one 'by the gazebo'. I followed the road until it became dirt road, then a trail, and then a tiny, little, narrow path that was leading me into the vast unknowns of the mountain. Now, there had been street lights the whole time I had been on the road, but now I was by a creek or something, in the jungle, on a tiny little path, and now there were no street lights. Finally, I turned around.<br />
"Forget it! I'm just going to go home." I told myself.<br />
So, I walked all the way back to the road and then all,the way up the hill back to my house. I was just so tired, hungry and very sore. The reason I was so sore was because just a few days earlier, I had a 'fight with concrete' and the concrete won. Let me explain.<br />
So, my friends and I were outside walking back to the school (we had just gone out for lunch)<br />
under the MRT station (MRT is like a subway or train). There are these huge, round, concrete pillars with a cement square around them that hold the track up. Now, I was walking backwards because my friends were all gathered around me and some of the girls were playing or doing something with ID badge which was around my neck when suddenly, "SMACK!" I fell back into the cement square and smacked my head really hard on the huge pillars. They told me afterwards that they just kinda stared at me, not sure what to do. Finally, one of the guys pulled me up.<br />
"Are you okay?" They all wanted to know. "Um, ya kinda." They insisted I go talk to Mrs. Longfellow (a teacher). I didn't think I needed to but I reluctantly went. It's a good thing too, becuase my arm had a big gash and was bleeding, a big bruise and cut on my hip, lots of minor scratches, but the worst was my head. It was throbbing! I pressed ice on it the fir the rest of school. I had a big goose egg. My back has been hurting periodically too, but it's much better.<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Anyways,</u>I was sore and tired as I trudged homeward bound. Atleast, I reach the gate, but...of course it was locked and the gatekeeper wasn't there.<br />
"Ugh!" I moaned. "I just want to go home and hop in bed!" I waited a while, but nobody came, so I finally decided to try and find the shortcut to my friends house <i>again.</i><br />
"God please help to find that silly old gazebo and the shortcut!" As I walked back down the road in<br />
the dark, I kept telling myself (out loud) "You're fine, Enjoli! You can do this! You'll find it in no time.<br />
Thankfully, I was right.<br />
"Thank you!" I shouted as I glanced heavenwards. I briskly walked down the trail to the school campus (her house is in the school campus).<br />
"Oh no! What if the school's gate is locked?!" I remembered. "Well, we'll just have to see."<br />
I arrived at the gate and it was open! Finally, I arrived at their doorstep and rang the door bell. As Danielle let me in the house I exclaimed, "You don't know how happy I am to see you!" I then proceeded in telling her the story as she fed me some supper, becuase I was really hungry and hadn't eaten much all day.<br />
About a half an hour later, my parents arrived.<br />
"Did you have fun?" My dad asked.<br />
"Well... I just got here 30 minutes ago."<br />
"What!?" He exclaimed.<br />
"I'll explain in the car."<br />
As we drove home, I retold my story.<br />
"Did you pray when you got lost?" My mom asked me.<br />
I answered,"Are you kidding me?! I was praying the <i>entire</i> time!"Enjolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715421705308322269noreply@blogger.com5