Ni hao, Beijing!

Wow, where to begin! The last few days have been a whirlwind... partially because of this super fun experience called jet lag and partially because of the overwhelming sense of newness that has saturated every moment since I stepped out of the plane in the Beijing airport. I find myself randomly stopping whatever I'm doing and thinking to myself, "Wow, I'm in China."

There's plenty to love about being in Beijing. For one, the food is absolutely de-to-the-licious. Especially if you like onions and garlic (and I love onions and garlic).

We've also discovered some twists on staple American snacks... like Breezy Blueberry flavored Pringles (yep, you heard me... and they're surprisingly tasty) and Green Tea Sprite (not pictured because I downed that baby so fast that I didn't have time to snap a shot of it).

Another great part about being in Beijing is the people... especially the kids. They're so stinking cute! (I mean how can you not fall in love with this?)

And who can forget the history of the city? One of my favorite moments has been our trip to Tiananmen Square, along with the lesson I got in painting Chinese characters from a student studying art here in Beijing.

Overall, though, my favorite part about Beijing by far has been spending time with and getting to know my teammates. Yesterday we were able to share our stories with one another, and it has blown me away how Father guided each one of us in such specific ways to teach in China. As I sat and listened to each of them tell their story, I was overwhelmed with how much love I felt for them already... and I know that this is only possible because of the overflowing of Father's love. I can't tell you how much I look forward to living in community with these people the rest of the year, bearing one another's burdens and sharing in joy and fellowship. It is my hope that our students and others that we meet might know we are Sons and Daughters because of the love we have for one another.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of our Teaching classes, so we'll finally get a taste of what the classroom will be like! Hope all of you back in the States are doing well... please keep me updated because I'd love to be lifting you up from China! Until next time... zai jian!