warning....long random post ahead :)

November....I have now been in China for about a month and a half, but that has consisted of three different months. There are still times where I have to step back and think that I am really here, I am really in China...and that thought still seems so foreign to me. At the same time, it really does feel like home. I am so comfortable here living day in and day out.

My first session is over. It was busy, crazy, wonderful, frustrating, draining, and everything else, but all in all I really enjoyed it. At the end of the session, Kyle (who I co-facilitated with) and I were talking and said no matter what happens during the session, at the end the students are always happy, always thankful, and it is always an awesome experience. I think that really sums everything up, not only for the session, but also for life. When everything is said and done, and you are able to look back on things, it is good.

One of my biggest questions when I was planning to come to China was why did God want me to spend a year in China when He so directly led me into special education. I didn't doubt that His plan was best, and He knew what He was doing, but it was definitely a question that often floated through my mind. When I arrived in China the question was still there, but I knew I had to wait patiently before I could find any of the answers. So far this question has been answered in awesome ways. The first came my second week here when I was eating lunch with two of my teammates at a restaurant right outside of campus that we call Muslim 1. We had ordered our food and were just enjoying the conversation between the three us of when a big group of college age students walked in. At first we thought nothing of it, and as they began to sit down it was apparent that there were not enough seats so we let one of them sit at our table since we had an extra chair. It ended up that the entire group was deaf. The most amazing time followed, where we communicated with body language and written words as the student was translating from sign language to Chinese to English. He was a dancer in college, and had such a joy and passion for life. I walked back to campus when we finished thankful, and assured that He really does have the perfect plan in mind for me. The next moment came at church this past Sunday. I sang with a few other teammates as part of the worship team, and then we all sat down to listen to the sermon. It was about how Ruth was committed to Naomi because she loved her and wanted the best for her. The sermon ended with a video clip about Team Hoyt. If you haven't heard about them it is a father son team that complete marathons and triathlons together. The thing is, the son has cerebral palsy and can not walk on his own, so he rides along with his father as he swims, runs, and bikes. Go to their website to watch the video about them....you won't regret it! (http://www.teamhoyt.com/) I had heard of their story many times before, but it touched me in a new way on Sunday, and was another gift from the Lord. After the sermon a guest speaker from America spoke and told how this story touched her. She had a friend who had a daughter with cerebral palsy, and to make a long story short, because of this precious child she is now a Christian. This made me so thankful that I have the privilege to teach these children, and I know because of this experience in China I will be a better teacher for them. The culminating event (for now :) ) will be this Friday when some of us are going to visit an orphanage for disabled children who are waiting to be adopted. I am so excited about this experience, not only because of my special ed background, but also because these are children just like Kristen, and the opportunity to play with them and love on them is something that I hope she experienced when she was in an orphanage, so the precious hours I will be able to spend with these children is something I am overly excited about!

We had a team Halloween party on Saturday night. It was kind of a last minute thing, so people through together costumes using pretty much whatever they had, or buying a few things here and there. It ended up being so much fun! I went as an 80's workout person, and several others went as various 80's figures. It was such a fun time to spend with everyone. I really have been blessed here so far by having some really great friends already. It makes things so much better and so much more fun! Then last night we all went to an AWESOME pizza place for one of the girls birthdays. It was also a super fun time of relaxation and fellowship. After a huge dinner we went to KTV. Chinese people LOVE karaoke, and there are KTV's all over. It was pretty crazy, but a lot of fun too and we all laughed a lot!

I'm still trying to figure out how to post pics in my blog (cam put the other ones on for me) but here is the link to my Picasa album which I think works :) http://picasaweb.google.com/a.b.twarek . I just put a picture of my class, one of my class after a body part labeling game we played, and a few from the Halloween party on it so I hope it works and maybe some day I'll figure out how to do this through all the confusion Chinese internet causes!

I just want to again say thank you so much to everyone who has been praying for me and for sending me encouraging e-mails! Please never underestimate the power of your prayers and encouragement, and just how much is helps me get through each day. Paul continuously thanked his supporters for their letters and prayers, and know that I will be continually thankful for each of you! And, to be more specific, please pray for this upcoming session, that He will find ways to work through each of the teammates, that we will have the strength for each day, and that everything we say and do glorifies Him!