Back In The U.S.of A.

Greetings To All:
How in the wide world are you? We are doing well. Last night at about 7:30 we arrived on the Salem base! After many hours of travel we made it. I'm going to take this time to brag on our daughter. She did fantastic!!! From the taxi ride to the Beijing airport to the ride from the Portland airport to Salem she was a wonderful traveler! The layovers in Seoul and San Fransisco wore Kathy and I down a little bit, but that might be because we know that flying does not REQUIRE those kinds of layover. Dakota has an advantage in that area: she has no prior experience to compare these experiences with. She doesn't know that it could even be another way. Isn't she lucky? Oh, the simplicity of a child. Hey, didn't Some One at some point tell us to be like children? Hmmmm.
Other than being awake between 3:00 and 4:00 this morning, I foresee the adjustment to this time zone being fairly smooth. The time frame above is for the girls. I am still up (6:39 a.m.). So what does one do in this situation? Pray, read, do laundry, journal, and update a blog. I'm enjoying this a little bit. Oh am I gonna sleep well tonight!
Our time in China was excellent! As mentioned in the last entry, "Ketchup On Noodles", God revealed some things to us while we were there. One experience I forgot to mention, and will do so now, was our apartment guests for the last three nights. A team of six YWAMers from Indonesia were coming through Beijing on their way to Inner Mongolia for their Outreach. Where we were staying was a place that is kept for those kinds of circumstances, and for those like ours. So, we were one happy, international family. They were very thankful to be sharing the apartment with us, and we were very blessed to see how God is moving people from other countries of this tiny planet. They of course fell in love with Dakota, and she warmed right up to them. I will post a picture of them in another "photo only" entry that may get done later today.
At some point this week we will be having debriefing meetings about our Outreach. We'll also catch up with some friends that are still here on base. I'll need to get my driver's license renewed. This will be the third state from which I will have received a driver's license (IN, FL, OR.) Isn't that exciting? We also hope to get a hard-copy newsletter out to people before the Thanksgiving holiday. Oh, we'll also get the privilege of driving a vehicle ourselves! Which side of the road is correct? I'm sure I'll find out one way or another. Hopefully the OR BMV doesn't make me take a test.
Well, while the girls sleep, I will go have breakfast. There will be different faces and I'm sure lots of questions asked. I think I'll make it through okay. This morning I have the advantage of being awake for four-and-a-half hours already. As always, we'll leave the light on for you. Oh, wait, that's some one else's saying. As always, thanks for catching up on us, and please drop us a message about what you are doing. I encourage each of you to bechildlike at some point today. So, when you're in Wal-Mart and people wonder why you are rolling around on the floor crying, simply encourage them to be more childlike.
God Bless You,
Carson, Kathy, Dakota

Ketchup on Noodles

Greetings To All:

How in the wide world are you? On this side of the Pacific Ocean life is good. We seem to be in near-constant motion. In approximately forty hours we will be headed back to the states. The time spent here in Beijing has been uplifting and hope-building. As Kathy and I both feel at home here, it's hard not to make any decisions about our future solely based on our feelings. What is truly important is knowing where God wants us to be. Will you please join us in continuing to pray for our future. I know that is a bit vague, so I'll give you a little more direction (and then maybe you can help give us some.) We would like to have a sound financial support system. We would like to be a part of a team here in Beijing. We would like to have "clear" direction for being here.

Some items listed above have been made more apparent since we've been here. There is a (small) team from our organization, and they would love to have us as a part of their team. They are very supportive of eachother in pursuing the individual calling that each of them has on their life. I visited a university that has a good Chinese language department. That seems like a very good prospect for me to learn the language. (Kathy won't have to order our food and tell the taxi driver where we're going all the time herself.) The program I would like to join starts in the second week of March 09. Kathy would enjoy helping one of the team members with tasks for which she desires help. Being together as a family in this city has felt natural.

We are aware of the financial situation across the country. Understatement: not good. It certainly has worsened since we left for Oregon. But, as we reflect on that time in our lives, we know we were very blessed to have been so strongly supported financially! Those times were not as bad as the current situation, but they weren't exactly easy. As we stepped out to do what God called us to do, He provided. We believe He wants to again. Hey, gas prices below $2.00 again? Awesome.

On the lighter side. Tonight at dinner Kathy ordered a noodle dish that had a red sauce. After it arrived she wanted more sauce. The waitress took it and brought it back with ketchup poured on top of the dish. As much as she argued, Kathy couldn't get them to change it. Chaulk that one up to cultural differences. Another unrelated story: this morning after church (one that is only for foreigners) three people approached us and asked if they could take Dakota's picture. (What's new?) But these three people handed me a card that said they were an agency representing foreign actors. Ah, a star is born. I told them that we were leaving in two days and that we may be back in March. They wanted to keep in touch.

Well, the next time we contact any of you will be stateside. It almost seems surreal. But, our path has not come to a lengthy resting place, yet. Each step of the way so far has had its blessings; some we have to look harder for than others, but they are there. Thank you for taking the time to catch up with us! Send us a line to let us know what is going on with you. Sorry, we don't have any videos this time. You'll have to settle for still pictures only. Maybe you can look at them while you listen to a cassette tape. (Hopefully at least some of you understand my sense of humor.) Enjoy!

God's Blessings To You,

Carson, Kathy, Dakota

Oh, The Places We Go

Greetings To All:

Sorry, we haven't updated this blog in a little while. I meant to do it this past Wednesday, but I was unexpectedly busy. I wasn't able to get online while I was at the hospital. Calm down, I was there with some one else of no relation. Our friend/hostess, Carolyn Foster, knocked on our door in the afternoon and asked for my help. A neighbor boy fell and broke his arm. I went upstairs, splinted the arm, carried him to the taxi, and then took him into the hospital. As it turns out, he broke both bones in his forearm. For a seven year old, he did remarkably well.

What else have we been up to? Yesterday we as a family went to Tiananmen Square. Neither one of us feel like doing a lot of touristy things, but I did want to visit that place. The video with this entry is of Dakota being the center of attention while we were there. A lady asked if her little son could have his picture taken with Dakota. We said yes, and the two children started playing. Well, more and more people wanted to see the children playing, and then a good-sized crowd started gathering. Eventually two uniformed guards walked over and dispersed everyone. In a picture and the video the boy Dakota is playing with is wearing split-pants. We've seen several small children wearing those. No, we are not thinking of buying any for Dakota.

We are enjoyng this time together as a family. The traveling has worn us down a little. It has been just over five months since we have had a place to call "ours". We both miss that. Here in Beijing our friends have put us up in a fully furnished apartment by ourselves. Waking up and being able to have breakfast when convenient for us is a rediscovered treasure. Dakota has been a wonderful little traveler on this past leg of our journey. She slept for most of the overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, entertained people in the Bangkok airport, and then slept for most of the flight from Bangkok to Beijing. All along the way people have stopped us and asked if they could take Dakota's picture. We have yet to see any royalties from the pics. Hopefully they will be in the mail soon.

I know that in a previous entry I mentioned that I would like to visit the city of Harbin while in China. At this point it doesn't look like it will happen. It's one less overnight train that we won't have to take. We will be exploring schooling and housing options here in Beijing. It's been simply delightful to see different parts of the city. Kathy has been a wonderful guide. Finally I have the opportunity to experience this with her.

As always, thank you for keeping up with us here on the world wide web. Keep us posted on your lives, please. We'll update you on any other trips to the hospital and other adventures we embark upon. In a city of several million people something is bound to happen.

God's Blessings To You,

Carson, Kathy, Dakota