Welcome Home

Yesterday we were welcomed back home with a blue sky and 60 degree weather. After a freezing time in Harbin and a little chilly in Changchun we were so excited to only have to wear light jackets as we walked to the grocery store today to get some necessities.

School doesn't start for another couple weeks so we get to wonder around Baoding and do whatever we want to do until we have to start teaching again. This vacation was so different than last year. Both were equally amazing and fun but totally different. We had such a great time celebrating the Lunar New Year (15 day festival) with JinJing and her family. We enjoyed yummy food cooked by her father as well as delicious food at JinJings favorite restaurants. We got to sleep in, go bowling, ice skating, shopping and learned how to play majiang. Curtis and Josh have a good friend, Jacky, who they play basketball with here in Baoding. He is from Changchun as well so the boys got in some good basketball, eating and shopping time with one of their good friends as well. Our time in Changchun was relaxing and fun.


To see picture from our vacations click on each location to get to the link: Changchun- Spring Festival, Harbin- Ice Sculptures, Harbin- Polarland , Harbin- Snow Sculptures.

We are really looking forward to this next semester. Sadly, we decided we won't be returning to teach a 3rd year. Most of the friendships and relationships we have made here will be graduating and finding jobs or going to graduate school all over China. We are very excited for many of our friends and the opportunities they have found, yet still encouraging and supporting those who are struggling to find jobs. They say this year is the hardest year for undergraduates to find jobs. Most of our students/friends have been keep very good attitudes despite their disappointment after returning from another job fair with thousands of students looking for a job. We are confident they will find the right positions though, and are encouraging to look for jobs where they will be most happy.

As far as our job searching goes...we have applied to work with a group called CARES Team. They have many locations all throughout the U.S. and we have applied to the one in the Denver/Colorado Springs area. It is a very cool program that focuses on apartment ministry. We won't know for sure if we will be accepted or placed until we can get back in July. Until then we will keep our options open. Our main goal for coming back is to get Curtis through his Medical schooling which will bring us closer to our overall goal of working with or starting an orphanage. So which ever jobs we encounter along the way we hope to continue to work towards our dreams.