getting crunch time...

hey yall
this is perhaps the last post of the whole shootin match...perhaps when i return i might have some things to say...we shall see! our time here is practically over and my thoughts are leaning toward home severely...what is it that i have learned? several things, some best left unspoken but many i feel necessary and even critical to mention...

i read today a quote by g.k. chesterton that addresses my biggest lesson this summer: GREED...

"the best way to satisfy greed is to accumulate more and more, or desire less and less."

i guess when i came to china i thought...moths and rust are for the rich people...i came here and found that i am rich!
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another area that has been brought to my attention with a great deal of persistance is: what i think about...what captivates me? what subject dominates my idle thoughts?

a few quotes that have proved useful, in the slightest, i will list...
c.s. lewis-"no subject of contemplation tends more to humble the mind, than thoughts of father"...

word-"take every thought captive and make it obedient to jc" 2 cor. 10.5

simeon wiel mentioned that we have to faculty of worship instilled in us...that worship is directed into this world or into another...we have no other option...idolatry or father?
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one last area that has been a sweet lesson here is love...do i love people like 1 cor 13 says i should, if i am indeed of the Light?

c.s. lewis says, and i paraphrase without his prolific vocab, that when one falls in love they have indeed fulfilled the law (loving your neighbor as yourself, at least to one person)...they have put all thoughts of themselves aside and implanted anothers interest in the center of their being...they have leaped in one huge bound the massive wall of the self...this is a foretaste, an image of what it would be like to live LOVE, it is at least preparation for it.
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lifting up hardcore that the plane ride from here to there would not blur the things father has tried to get through my hard head these past few weeks...knowing that people who write about greed and idolatry don't learn of its destruction without being living proof of it...knowing also that love i will never figure out, but can indeed grow in...hoping most of all that this wasn't a TRIP...trips are forgotten or perhaps remembered once in a while with pictures that are stuck together and faded...i know this has been a orchastrated time of at least showing me how temporary our time is and how fragile we are and also how important we are in spreading LOVE...not the 60s and 70s kind of love, but the living kind...

getting on a plane in two days...i ask one last time for your prs that i not get off that plane and land into the mold i just left...because hopefully father has made it to where i won't fit that one anymore...

i ask also that you continue to pr with me that these people would see the light and that the ones that have indeed come to know him would continue on in him!! father has been good to harvest here, but the work is far from done...we will leave brothers and sisters from the states here that havent thought of home in years because they have made theirs here...they put their hand on the plow and havent looked back...would you pr for their endurance!

the greatest of these is love...

jon

the bro's at a miao village last week/some other news...

hey fam and friends,
wanted to take a sec to let you in on a few of thoughts lately...desiring home quite a bit...desiring also to stay pour out all that i have left and complete what father has for me here...its honestly a struggle to keep my thoughts in the "here and now". wishing that father would assist me in this battle...i guess if thats the worst of my battles each day, then i have much to learn from the beggars we have passed each week who battle to eat maybe once a day...humbling.

today, we traveled to a town and got to chill out with some bro's and a sis there...it was a pretty sweet time to encourage them! once again the overarching theme of my trip was re-embraced: 'i have it way too easy'...the brothers in that town are far from living an easy life! they live in poverty but have bigger smiles than i do. as i sport my patagonia shirt and my 90 dollars sandals...if this isnt a testament to the uselessness of earthly goods, i dont know what is...these bros had joy and they screamed it with their smiles in the 3 hours i saw them!

this town also had a factory/house that makes blankets with paintings on them...remarkable!
needless to say i picked a few out...from the factory we ate dinner with the bros and hopped on a bus at about 745pm...now you find me here at 1240am...

well the time here in big red is winding down quickly and im left with a long way home to gather my scattered thoughts and arrange my numerous lessons...im hoping to only apply them when i return so that fathers work on me here isn't left for me to foul up, but instead, left for me to build on.

miss all you guys...especially mom, dad, and broski...im glad yall had a good 29th!

mrs. templin...thanks for the shout out and im glad you found my site too!

allison smith...cant wait to see your face and thank you...are you sure you arent an angel? seriously...i dont say this to cause a tear or smile but rather to embrace your lifestyle...an encourager you are!

lola p...girl! how was thailand? i bet you felt that like a cat? cant wait to hear about it! thanks for the encouragement as well...see you in august, dressed in red!

jrod...another funny post by you...are you getting three hours credit this summer for your comedy class? that was dumb...

meg...heck yah ill come chill out with you and mike...i still havent met the bro yet! congratulations again and i will see you at the wedding...ill be there with bells on girl...

me and tanner in the mountains...

well here's the first of the posted pics for the trip...i hope this gives you taste of the coolness that we get to see during the week! gosh! i think this pick is from week 3 and i really dont have any clue what the name of this town is but thats ok...

we have finished the pre-scheduled plans and now we are filling our week with a few day trips and some river play...it is about 9.10pm here in big red and we are bout to get some grub at suntrays(an americanesque chicken place)...i will agree that it is tragic but i must tell you that my desire for chinese food has lessened considerably and i dont know if this is due to lack of hunger or disagreeable menus...i just dont feel the food at this point...struggle...

tomorrow we the bp bros are taking a trip to a small town about an hour and half from here and we are gonna do some pwalking and some lookin around...it should be some sweet time...

yesterday we had an american vs. china basketball game at the college here in town and it proved to be an exciting event...they brought out the big guns, and i might add that both teams were well-equipped...the stands were filled and the crowd was extremely exciteable...it was so fun...we had two real referees and a chalk scoreboard on the wall! wish i could explain more but d.o. has a nice summary on his site and we have to eat...love you guys and cant wait to see you soon! i may post some more stuff later on tonight...

jon

hey guys
another sweet time with the bros...
we had two 7 to 8 hour bus trips this last week. Both proved safe but they definitely included some sick people along the way...im thankful that i wasnt among the 10-12 people out of 20-25 who threw up or at least thought about it (i hope that gives some indication to the smoothness of the ride)...during the week we got to visit some high school classes and tell them about ourselves and our families...they loved seeing the pictures i brought and were really just thrilled to have us standing in their class...we drew pictures on the chalkboard of the U.S.(hilarious) and showed them where Texas was...tburk and i took the morning classes (9-10ish) and then stayed for some others after that...it was a blast! i think teaching here would be so cool! we sang some songs...you know like "im a little teapot", "deep and wide", "take me to your heart"...they were fun! the students here put our schooling to shame...they go from 720-1140 and then from 230-4ish and most have night class from 7-830ish...is that a joke! given i will say that our teaching methods are a bit more effective but they work so hard at learning...after chilling out in the classes we got to play some bball...you know i love that!

they next day we got to do some pwalking and some sight-seeing...we visited a miao village that was really really traditional and is famous for its resemblance of the Qing dynasty clothing and hair styles...pretty cool but kinda sad that it has turned into a tourist sight...

this week is to be filled with a chill day and a few day trips to some villages...i will hopefully keep you posted on what happens....we leave our base town on the 1st and return to you guys on the 3rd...getting excited about being home! i miss it!
encouraged this weekend by your comments...thanks so much again for your time and effort!

could use some pr's this week for the following:
-patience...that will do
-these people would see father in us
-that we would learn to love...
-safety for our return
-d.gilberts family and friends

thanks so much for your prs...they are needed and heard!

hey i have some things to say to some people real fast...

uncle mike...you made me real happy tonight when i read your comment...thanks so much for thinking of me each day and thanks for reminding me of pa tonight...his love for us was beyond words and im so glad that yall got to celebrate his bday last weekend...i wish i could have been there with yall...

agoad...girl, you make me smile every time...the dudes and girls in the classes that i talked to said you are so beautiful when i showed them your picture...i bet gtown is treating you well and im also stoked to get to talk about our summers when you get back...know that im doing the same for you as you are doing for me...thanks so much for your constant encouragement

jenny...girl, i met your husband...he travels with me every week...he's on my team and yall are getting married...thats all there is to it! he goes to tech and he is a stud...all the girls on our team want to date him but you are way better looking than they are and much cooler...lets face it! his name is tanner easley...look him up on facebook if you will...thanks for your prs and thoughts!

brooke b...ya youre awesome...thats all there is to it...and i went on a date with you...can you believe it? that was so fun...and also thanks so much for the encouragement this week!

chelsea o...girl dont you worry i will show you some pictures...it makes me happy that you get excited about china still...i hope im like that in a year! thanks for your constant encouragement to me...you always seem to smile and i think thats really a testament to who works inside you...thanks for your prs

kelly n and laura n...gosh...i wish i could let yall know how much i think of you two...not that you are the same person but when i think of thoughtful people you both seem to come to mind...i mean laura on the every bday and kelly comes in with the soup when i get sick...just two examples...the body at work i suppose...thanks for using your gifts you two...kelly i suppose "contributing with generousity" will apply to yall...thats awesome that r. 12 is your chapter too...i think it is well worth putting to memory...your prs have not gone unheard or unthanked...what a blessing to have your friendships

matty t...say dawg, hey thanks for the words bro...i appreciate you man...be careful with those chics, they are often trouble...maybe thats only for me...dangit. ya pa was a prime example of love bro...he never much cared for sugar coated love or soft words but he to be honest i prefer his raw, uncensored love much more...much missed...run hard core after Him dawg!!!! know that you are thought of over here man...

mama...thanks for the update from home...dont you worry i will be home soon...i will hug the crap out of you too! cant wait to see yall! some american food will be just fine with me...im glad to see that yall are enjoying your summers...i think yall needed one...hows jody? i miss him! im looking for something small to get yall but im not too good at getting gifts you know...i will do my best...happy 29th anniversary on the 26th...ya yall can go on a date if youd like! ha! hows dad likin the hybrid 2? i bet he's likin it a lot...

reminded of this daily:
if i speak in the tongues of men and of angles but have not love im nothing...if i have the power of prophesy and can discern all mystery and all knowledge and have all the faith as to remove mountains but have not love i am nothing...if i give away all i have and give my body up to be burned but have not love i gain nothing!!!
love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy or boast...it is not rude or arrogant...it does not insist on its own way...it is not resentful or irritable...love does not rejoice with wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth...love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things...
love never ends...as for tongues they will cease as for prophesy it will pass away and as for knowledge it will pass away...for we know in part and we prophesy in part but the perfect comes the partial will be done away with...the greatest of these is love!!!!

hope to live just a sliver of it...

jon



given too much,

jon

am i really here...?

nimen hao ma? (how are yall?)
gosh, its good to hear from all of you and im stoked to know that you have taken time out of your day to spend on me...just wanted to let yall know how pumped i am that father has given me this opportunity and now my focus is not wasting the precious time that i have to pour out myself completely so that he might win some!! its hard communicating but its has gotten much easier over the past couple weeks...i can usually understand what the conversations that i hear are about, but cant hold much of one aside from introductions and greetings...i really love this language though and would not be oppossed to trying to learn it someday...i just have like 10000 more characters to learn! hilarious and awesome...

last week was a blast and not much different in content than the first three! stoked about leaving tomorrow morning at like 630 to head really far south(8 hours) to a town there...we will hopefully be staying there for the week and heading back on thursday to finish up the week with some whitewater rafting! heck yah...

this is an amazing place!! the people are as intrigued by us as we are by them...i hope that our smiles do more than evoke one in return...i hope they see our passion for something greater...hard sometimes to keep that outlook, but we have to hope in his power knowing that he doesnt need words to show his love...

im am feeling much better now most of the sickness is gone and i thank you for your prs in that area...

also, i heard today that a family friend david gilbert went home...tragic for his family and close friends...i ask that you would lift them up right now as you read this, knowing that He hears...this news tends to magnify the reality that life is both temporary and meaningful...if i knew the way it feels to lose a brother, i suppose i wouldnt try describing it...

thanks so much again for all your posts...they make me so happy at the end of the week!
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zack smith...you are so good at guitar/songwriting...are you kidding me...give me a cd...thanks also for your encouragement...everyone go to iamalden.com for some sick tunes and wisdom...

whitney...i dont know which one you are but i like both that i know...either cousin or white thank you so much for your post...i wish i could have been in nocona this past weekend...if its whitney weir than thank you so much for your thought and tell your sister that she is in troub. with me...if its whitney white that i really appreciate your post and it makes me happy that you would take the time to look at my blog...

mom...thanks for the post...and no im not disappointed about the non-post last week i just wanted to know how everything was going with yall...

julie anna...cant member if i responded to your post...but yes my hair is a bit more blonde than you left it and the chinese really seem to like it! thats good because i like them too...hope kk is treating you well and i want to hear about all your kiddos when you get back! thanks for being tight!

matt- bro im stoked to see you growing! you are so tight and i hope that this finds you deep in the sword and in constant conversation with father...in his presence is fullness of joy...heck yah!!!!

amber and jrod and drewbie...dangit i miss you like way more that i miss campo verde's or even my car...cant wait to chill out with you...

hoping that i would learn more of love and how to live it...i feel like 1 cor. 13 is pretty clear about its importance...its more important that knowing or trusting or giving...gosh...my pr for you all and me is that together we would learn how to pour out the love we have been given...its a hard pill to swallow when i substitute "jon" for the word "love" in that chapter and see how untrue it really is...its a good bit of free humiliation...

sorry about the length of this post...i told you before they wouldnt be so long...strug...

the greatest of these is love,

jon

alive and kickin'

hey yall
gosh!! another tight week filled with fathers direction and a bunch of bus rides a few train rides and a few miles on the trail...all good! finished the majority of our goal this week and next week is looking like a sweet change of pace...we will take an 8 hour bus ride and go from there...excited about that!!! thanks dad for the ipod...it will help immensely.

this week contained a few different stories worth telling...but not on here...just know that pops is always looking out for us and continues to "establish our steps"...its funny how right solomon is...

we will lose our pack this next week and sport the chacos for the first time...it will be a light load...happy about that!

the food here continues to be good...had my favorite meal today in a different town...it consisted of: pork and peppers, la jiao (kinda like chinese hot sauce...pure), basically a dish of bacon and green onions, soup with tofu and cabbage, fried noodles with pork, and steamed rice, and dont forget the pepsi...not to bad huh...

funny and at the same time amazing to see how pops is working simultaneously here and there and everywhere...ive always been impressed with that imagination...mountains here are beautiful still, rivers flow both brown and some of blue depending prolly on the locality of the coal factories...either way they are spectacular...the bus drivers dont care at all...they assume hit you with the bus than wait for you to move...humorous sometimes...seen a few wrecks...glad that i wasnt in them...

having a great time with the bros! i have learned a lot from each dude, especially our leader...gosh bro is all over loving on people...truly sold out...doesnt care much for talking without action or hearing and not doing...good to see and also humbling!

man, i wish i could be there to talk with all of you! soon...

who lee anna-thank you so much for your encouragement!! you are so cool...if you would give me your email address i will write some more things about how tight you are...

matt(cuz)-thanks man...you are a stallion...i hope things are kickin with you and all is well...i appreciate your prs.

lrouse-keep those kids in line you hear...14 is twice as many as i could handle...so glad to hear that you are enjoying llyc...cant wait for second half! tech writing is gonna be tight!

jrod-bro, save more lives...stand strong upon your feet and dont get distracted by lauren rich. if she shows her face at the pool...i know you just laughed...haaaaa...step on amtraks foot for not replying to my email last week...my heart breaks in my hand...dumb

drewbie-i hope i can make hsb...we shall see...i miss you broski

laura nutter-like you are soooo sweeett...you should be a cake! you know everyones bday and you lift up everbody you know all the time...want you to know that i think really really highly of you...like real high...thanks again and i know you are heard by pops...



happy to know you all

jon

leaving on tuesday so i will try this again

hey to all
cant believe i get another chance to inform yall on whats going on here...its a blessing in itself to get to jot down my thoughts to you all...i havent been able to check my blog comments from yall, because we only get to use "that" computer on saturday afternoons...so thank you if you have posted something for me...it truly is a huge encouragement to read things from my people. if you have something you may want to tell me and dont want to post it you can email me at my address (in an earlier blog).

well, we have 17 days left until we reach U.S. soil but our work here is not done...we have so much loving left to do...its an amazing opportunity to share with these people something bigger and better than their fancy cell phone holders and their hero yao ming...

im pretty sickly these days...i have the sinus stuff...but i know father will give me the endurance to complete next week's excursion. im excited to be stretched more...

our group seems to be bonding well...our leader is so tight...bro is a pure example of humility and i need that...

i just got out of a hair cut/45 minute massage that cost $1.24. pure! ill take it...

i will continue my list of a few things that chinese people love: crown molding, michael jordan, celine dion, they still love staring at us, saying "hullo" (british style), hot food, very little leg room...

learning much about grace...and that i dont possess much of it...forgive me of that...learning a little of what love looks like, hope that father will give me the ability to love more like him...unconditionally...wow, what a challenge...

hoping that you would join me in lifting up our group by the direction of r chapter 12?...its been such a blessing to use fathers words to direct my weakly attempts at pr. cant thank yall enough for your support of our team...i know that you are lifting us up and we need it!

jrod-bro i miss you like a champ...you sit on that lifeguard stand and save lives...you hear me...
agoad-girl...you are in guatemala(sp)...being really tight so you prolly arent checking this, but i miss you too!
amtrak-hows espanol? sorry to hear about the dropping of classes...strug...its ok we can be in cosc together at 11something next session!! 6 weeks is a long time for us to not talk...dont like that too much...
jessi- i better hear from you if you are reading this...if not im coming down there! just cause you are secretary of the big time sorority doesnt mean you dont have to talk to me anymore...joke.
kelly n-thank you so much for you encouragement...you are the nicest person i know...like seriously
drewbie-i miss your comedy...wish i could have some funny faces from you buddy...cant wait to hear of your camp experiences
blake-dont think you are checking this because you dont do computers...but i love you bro
kstew-you are prolly somewhere in africa loving on kids at the moment...i think much of you
chelsea o- thank you as well for you comments...i cant wait to talk with you about this place
bonnie-you are going to love this place!
luther boys- miss you much...but we will have a sick pingpong tourney with our newly purchased racquets...ya buddy
logan- i especially miss your french but you wont read this because you are ruling over pc
mom and dad and jody-what is goin on at home...you can email me...its not taboo...and would love to hear!
minininininniii- i miss you girl...i hope colorado and drew dawg are treating you well...i trust you are thriving...tell your sis hi for me...shes tight!
uncle mike and aunt jan- thanks so much for you encouragement...i needed it...tell your "club" thanks for the prs....janice i will give those cds back soon...hopefully
beads-thanks for the encouragement as well...i thank you are so tight...homepage huh...what an honor!!
lrouse-mountain scaler you...hope you are alive...i emailed you...you havent so far felt the email back...forgiven.
mallory-forgot to thank you for your encouragement from way back in the day...thank you...i think you are so sweet, to boot!
leese-girl...i dont really know what to say about your constant encouragement...blessed to know you will have to suffice...so glad to hear that latvia is going well...continue to love on em'!
tbomb and mikey-umm yall are tight...hope comanche is treating you well bro! cant wait to hear of your new hiring as mayor of that town...mikey-seriously...sounds like you are being dominated by father...so sweet to hear...so sweet! cant wait to continue learning from your example!
molly allen- if you are reading this...you need to know that i was thinking of grace the other day and your name came to my head...thats all i have to say about that...
a.reuben-please be drawing near to father!! please...miss you guys and cant wait til august! stay strong this summer!



blessed to know you all!! my words are empty but fathers arent!! heck yeah...

sitting, like you in much grace-

jon

another chance...so ill take it!

well i had said a bunch of things to you all...but i just deleted about an hour of typing because this keyboard doesnt work right...now im high from the dude smoking weed outside and a little frustrated about all my shout outs that have been erased...i guess its a lesson...well, i cant retype all of that but wanted yall to know im thinking of you and love you all...the shout outs will have to wait till next week...zaijian nimen (goodbye yall)

jon

another week of grace

wow! this week was amazing...complete with so much more than i can describe! but i will attempt what little i can adequately describe. we stayed two nights this week in a small hotel and one night in a villagers home who was more than gracious, even bordering on annoying. but all the more he showed how to be generous...i can use that lesson...its sad and convicting that you can learn of generousity and service from a people who know nothing of our provider...humbling to say the least. we began last week eating dinner cooked by a nice lady with a baby, whom she breast fed on several occassions throughout the night with no hesitation... humorous to watch others reactions...it was a meal dad, mom and jody would love...fried cabbage, rice, la jiao(ground peppers in water), and tofu(dofu in chinese)...we were just thankful for some fill. we stayed in a hotel that night and the next day we traveled a really long way to the villagers home that progressed from a brief visit to a day and a half visit. we just sat around the house on little stools (of which i hope to construct when i return) watching his kids throw their pet owls on their dog's back...accompanied also by tying a massive flying beetle to a string and watching it fly around and make the dog really mad...hilarious...sidenote: all the dogs here look the same...most are like aunt lesa's dog (joe frank) except without the curly tail...for others who arent my family i cannot really describe it adequately. this nice fella was a city police officer, but perhaps not the most honest of them all. he told us we must stay and eat dinner and then he would walk us to town, because he had to go to work anyway...so, he dressed up in his camo fatigues and sat down and smoked like 17 packs of cigarettes before dinner and watched his kids with us...he was so chill...well it ends up bro does not go to work that night but does in face keep his camo on...hilarious...the next morning we rise late (about 945) and climb down the ladder (a house built "little house on the prairie" style, except with a chinese twist) only to have him tell us we need to sit and rest and eat...none of which we needed at that point...but we succumbed...we finally left the village and he walked with us half way down to the next town and then stopped, which leads us to believe he was neither going to work nor was he a cop...also humorous.

i apologize for the length of that story...i will try to keep them shorter for your times sake...an element here that is not held in high regard...time.

leaving the village on wed. we got what we needed from the next town without much complication but definitely with much attention, complete with a basketball shoot around and lots of kids.

from there we took a bus back to the first town and slept in a hotel. we got up at 515 on thurs morning and took a long boat ride up river to our last town...the boat ride was spectacular, complete with a few fellas who enjoy the 630am pot smoke...make your own mental picture if you wish...

the end of last week was uneventful...we were given grace enough to get plenty of info from the last town and then we took a solid two hour bus ride home.

sorry if this was too much info...i will prolly not do this again...i apologize also for the grammer errors, i know they are numerous.

i will do my best to leave a separate blog for pr requests...thanks so much for all your effort on our behalf

allison smith you are amazing!!! like you are so tight!
megan so are you!
tbomb and mikey yall are dudes that im so blessed to know...i trust this finds yall deep in your swords!

in too much grace

jon

one more chance to write for the week

hey all
i wanted to seize the opportunity to write one more time before i lose it for a few days...right now its 8.49pm here on sunday night and in atown it should be 7.51am...that means that most that would be reading this are waking up for some ''club'' in a little bit...club here is a bunch of fun and a time that is crucial for our teams unity...its been really pure to get everyone together every week...tomorrow our team heads out again to the countryside 'hoping' with fathers help to continue his work. the bros were talking today as we walked down the street for dinner about what we have learned so far and it was good time of bonding for us and really cool to see how pops challenges us all in different ways...

i wanted to thank each one of you for writing me!! you dont know how good it is to hear from you guys back home...i forgot to thank some of you though...i was laying in bed thinking about how tight it was to hear from yall...

allison - i dont really know which allison it is that posted such an awesome blog, so if you could let me know i would love that...and thank you for your prs

craig and lesli and the boys - thanks so much for your encourgement as well...i appreciate yalls willingness to give and know you are lifting me up, and for that im am truly grateful...i also wanted to let you know that i think so highly of how your family runs, it is a testament to dads work in you both...

charles...you are prolly the funniest man alive...i love to see fathers joy in you!! continue that pleaseeee!

i hope i havent fogotten anyone...if so im a jerk and will try to remember them throughout this week and get back to you this next weekend.

i am hoping that for those of you who are reading this each week that you could be lifting up some specific things and hopefully i will have updates when we return- that the bondage to alcohol would be broken off of these people, these people would have their eyes and ears open to the good news, our teams energy (its really hot during the day as we are hiking), that we would live out what our friend paul says in his book to rome in the twelfth chapter (this section of word is my pr for myself throughout the trip and it would make me happy if you could lift that up for our team as well)...thank you so much for your prs, they are crucial!!

dad and mom and jody...i love you all so much and thank father so much for giving me your love...

if any of you have specific things that you dont want to post i have setup an account that i will be checking as well its: jontettleton@yahoo.com

you are in my thoughts...

hey to all...
i hope my last posting and this posting are actually posted...i cant really read anything on the screen except what i type so i hope that its working correctly...well, im here in our city and our team of 5 is back from our first trip to the countryside...it was awesome! we hiked a long way and i got my first shower of the week yesterday, so that was nice...i trust that you all are doing well at home! i miss you all so much...im learning so much here!! the food is amazing and im picking up the language somewhat decently...our leader is a stallion on the language...he speaks like 4 or 5 dialects and doesnt even care!! im learning so much from him...so far i have had a great time with the bros and we are getting along just fine...t-burk, jamies, d.o., peeps, and i are needing you to lift us up when you get a chance...mostly ask that we would get done what father wants to get done...that we would remove ourselves from the attention and that serving him would be our focus...

this is a beautiful place...there are mountains in every direction...jody you would love it here...minus all the people that talk extremely loud...how is work going? are you the head architect yet?...good...my pack is working great and its a perfect size for my necessities, which boast mainly water...last night i got to play ping pong for the first time on the street and it was a blast. i played some street dude who was apparently betting people...he called me out and i followed suit...i lost 12-14 but was rather excited at my effort...i think he could have beaten me worse but maybe i can test him again next weekend...

as foreigners we draw a crowd everywhere we go...at first it was awesome and most of the time funny but when we are in small villages it hinders our progress somewhat...(that is a situation that you could lift up for us when we are out in the countryside)...

mom, we got to visit a school (200-300 kids) the other day and you will love seeing the pics from that...they were so excited slash freakin out...we got to go around and introduce ourselves to a few of the classes and they were very sweet kids...how is school?..i hope it is going well...im continually lifting up your patience...

dad, you would love the countryside as well...the mountains and streams are beautiful and the people are so kind...i dont think you would like the food or the tea though...(no sugar and lots of leaves)......how is the golf?
when i get back i will be ready to take you on again with more vigor...

i look at yalls pics often and am constantly thinking about what yall are doing when im walking...like right now jody is prolly getting close to bed in about an hour because its 9:59pm and mom is tired too...dad is still hanging in there by the t.v....ya know stuff like that...

there are a few things that chinese people love and i will share them with you all:
cell phones, leather cell phone belt clips(males), kenneth cole style shoes(males), staring at americans, being really loud, the color blue...the list goes on but i will save some for later.

ambbbberrr, jrod, agoad, blake, kstew, areuben, and others that i miss a lot...you guys are awesome and i think about you so much when im walking...amber when i get back we are getting some sonic and we are gonna eat cookies too!! jrod...golf without a doubt...amber i was gonna send you a bday card to 1107 gridiron but im not sure if thats the right address and now i wont have time to send you a bday card before your bday(it takes like 2 weeks)...sorry girl...but email me your address so i can send you something sometime...agoad, you tear up that camp this week...love on em hardcore...

im sorry all that this is the most randomly put together blog of all time...but im out of practice and have so much to say...A-reuben if you are reading this i hope that you are getting deep in your swords lately and that you are learning so much...

if there is one thing that i have learned so far it is that i take fathers blessings for granted...these people have nothing and i have everything and more and still i ask for more...forgive my selfishness...

i wish you all the best and know that im thinking of you often...