Day 8: Tai Nua (Dai) people

• 300,000 population
• 140 Christians, mainly buddhism
• live in Yunan

umm....i dunno what to think today. was kinda tired. fed up with work again. Just anoying how there's nothing that I can do right. I just need to swallow and accept. really am properly falling for kadir....not good at all. what is it with me and random guys. noone actually likes me, I'm just so stupid to like every other guy that pays a teeny weeny little bit of attention to me. sigh. sigh. sigh.....

need to cut myself off from everything. but i dunno what to run to....mum's health is not too good. she's not happy about dad travelling away. dad is always away and jon has nothing to do. I also have no idea what i'm doing. GOD, what is up with this family?....give US all some direction.

totally forgot to blog about Friday. nearly blew the car up cuz it properly ran out of water, despite the outpouring of rain. it was so ironic. I took Kadir to his passport interview....another funny story cuz he spent ages asking me where it was, looked it up on goole earth to look at teh building and everything. absolutly drove me mad cuz he wouldn't listen to me at all, insisted that he could go by himself, and then I had to take him there. So, therefore I, not him, ended up getting lost cuz i dont do driving in town....crazy. has to stop several times cuz car was too hot. managed to visit a lady and help up a conversation in mandarin. so bad!!! I;ve even got to the point now where i'm confused with all languages, I walking into work today and was trying to speak to Shna in mandarin....ummm...still, i want to learn arabic! Marharba. that's still the only thing that I know!

chipcum....that's a random kurdish word that Shna uses. not quite sure what it means. I think it's something to do with: what can you/we do?....

Catch-up

Shanghai, here I come! I can't actually believe that I just booked a flight to China. thinking about it, it really is pretty random. There is actually no 'proper' reason for me to go. why the hell did I just do that?.....man, i must be mad, or think that I have too much money to spare! Oh well, i'm sure that there will be a reason and something will come up from it, unexpectedly!


So, i've kinda been busy over the past few days, despite not having to work yesterday (whoohoo....it was like the first saturday I've had off since china!) Dad and I put up my bed on Friday night. I cannot believe 1) how heavy it is and 2) how difficult it is! Doing that (or rather, watching and pretending to help) has given me a whole new respect for designers and for dad! So, I'm in my whole new room. It's pretty damn fantastic apart from the fact that I've discovered that I don't actually like sleeping in a bed! Sounds stupid doesn't it, I don't like being so high up and restricted, cuz i keep on thinking that I'll fall off! Sleeping on the floor is so much better :) Strange isnt it! I'm especially proud of my China map and middle east map. they so nearly fit together. it's fab. I can now go to sleep looking at china and iraq!


Met up with Catherine yesterday. It was lovely to catch-up and chat. Can't believe that she's going to China so soon. hope we're gunna meet up to go and see All Nations and Oakhill Bible College before she goes! I've forgotten how nice it is to be able to chat to a Christian!

Obviously cuz of the mess that i've made my bedroom into, I havent had chance to keep to date with the china prayer and the purpose driven life. I could just skip it, but I'm gunna be good and think about day 5 + 6 now, and them mayeb day 7 tonight if I have time. actually, on the other hand, i'l change that cuz i think i've already done day 5 for the prayer thing! stupid me.

China Prayer

Day 6: Li people

• 1.2 million people
• religions: polytheism, animism, shamanism: 1000 believers ( less than 0.1%)
• live in central and southern Hainan (forest and mountains)
• need the Hainanese Chinese Christians to reach out

Day 7: Tai Lue (Dai) people

• 750,000 people in China (others live in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, USA)
• 3,000 believers
• other religions: Buddhism, Animism
• live in southern yunan
• farmers

Purpose driven life

Day 5: Seeing life from God's view

Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones. Luke 16 v 10a

How can I look and reflect on my life the way that God wants me to. How does God actually see my life. Why am I here? umm....only God can answer that cuz he made us. He must have had a reason. I mean, you don't just go and waste your time on making something if there's no point, do you?

Day 7: Life is a temporary assignment

we will not be here forever. We are aliens in a foreign land.

So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4 v 18

ok, i think this is enough blogging for one time!....best save this cuz i think that the page is failed and I WILL NOT be a happy bunny if it bodges up.

Day 5: Dong

• 3 million people
• less than 100 believers: animism
• Dong language
• farmers
• southwest China
• a musical people
• need more translations

Lord, save these people. May song and praise ring out from their mouths to honour and worship you. Lord, help there to be more believers who can witness in their own community.

I'm staring at the gigantic map of China...so many people live there. So many people need you.

Lord, have mercy. Heal your land. Save your people.

Day 4: Made to last forever

The world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.
1 John 2 v 17

Must learn to look beyond the here and now. God has greater plans that lasts longer than the life here on earth.
Right now, I feel like I was made to sleep.

an interesting day to say the least.

i organised a surprise thing for Shna. I got her the beautiful flowers and made a big card. she was properly surprised! went to staples to buy some office stuff with Shna and Kadir. I really find them both absolutley lovely, but annoying as well. it's so strange. a kinda of strange affection I think. i'm starting to fall for him, which i cannot do. oh well, it does help that all these guys have absolutly no interest in me whatsoever, and i talk to them about finding a beautiful girl! I'm just a little child in their eyes. sigh.

i was very proud of myself for going all the way to wilberforce college today without getting lost. i'm always so petrified of driving. strange how it's so much better on the way home. I got taken around the college and I swear that everyone must have thought that I was new there. even a student came up to me to ask! I really am a stupid little girl.

i'm thinking more and more that I wouldn't be the right person for the job at ARKH. I don't actually think that Shna, Kadir or anyone actually thinks that I could do it. I dont think that they would listen to me at all. I have so much to learn. so much to understand.

i had a nice evening. had people round for dinner and everyone brought some food. we should really do that more often, apart from it annoys the hell out of my brother.

you know what...God is good!

All the time.

God is GOOD!

Day 4: Shui

• 475,000 population
• 200 believers: mainly ancester worship, animism, daoism
• mostly in southern Guizhou, some in northern Guangxi
• Daic language- scripture not yet translated

had yet another hectic day. mixed feelings really. FINALLY made the decision to go study next year. had a lovely chat with the guy there. turns out that he was the speaker at NEEC! Ain't it a pretty small world! Feel a bit strange about the whole situation. I could be out of a job by end of October, but who knows! I'm not seriously considering going to Shanghai in October. Seems like I'm working long hours everyday. I enjoyed helping out in the drop-in today. It was quite strange being in an room full of Kurdish guys and me being the only Chinese girl. I really do wonder what they think this stupid person is doing there!

I'm tired. Tired of everything. Just wanna close my eyes and sleep.

Day 3: What drives your life?

maybe boredom...
how can I revert everything back to God?

Day 3: Bouyei (Buyi or Puyi)

• 3.1 million people
• religion: polytheism, animism, less than 0.2% Christian
• live mainly in Guizhou: basis standard of living
• 10th largest ethnic minority
• don't use Chinese characters: oral language
• mostly farmers
• need to HEAR and BELIEVE

It's funny how the world is so small. A random Chinese lady came knocking on the door at ARKH yesterday. She has got directed to us by the library. Funny how I happened to open the door and talk to her,..in very very basic Mandarin. Ended up helping her. She's actually an university lecturer in Fujian University! Heehee....very interesting....Us Chinese people are everywhere! I had two people from other agencies contact me about Chinese clients! I really do think that I am very conviently placed at ARKH!

princes ave on a night. the pretty sunset, before the storm. the weather is rather strange nowerdays. it's actually pretty nice during the day (not that I really notice since I'm inside all the time) and then it;s liking to rain and be all dark during the evening.

I am actually really really exhausted. with all that moving yesterday, once again I worked a long day (8am-6pm). decided to clean and move stuff. sigh, it's never good enough. i still can't decide what to do with myself. Shna read out the draft job description to me. it's ok. nothing soectacular. it all depends on who is going to apply for the job as to whether I would stand a chance of getting the job. I'm quite interested to find out what it will be like, without shna. I just wish that All nations didn't start so early, or else I would go. but right now, I think that I couldn't get up and go. or could I?....why am I just so rubbish at making decisions? I think that the struggle is whether or not I think I would get the job. At the moment I think that I wouldn't stand a chance since I'm so moody.

Day 2: I am not an accident

I am your Creator.
You were in my care
even before you were born.
Israel, don't be terrified!
You are my chosen servant,
my very favorite......Isaiah 44 v 2

God made ME for a reason, I have a purpose. I was made so that God could love ME. I have meaning to my life.
Why, oh why, do I still have absolutely no idea of what I am doing with myself.

Day 2: Southern Zhuang

• 4.2 million
• less than 0.5% Christians: mainly animism and ancestor worship
• speak Zhuang dialects, central Tai dialects, Baihua, Mandarin
• live in Yunan and Guangxi provinces- You and Zuo Rivers
• grow rice and sugarcane

man, there are so many people in this world. all with different beliefs, language, culture, traditions, food, way of living. It's fascinating. so many who have yet to hear the gospel. I am so fortuanate to have grown up knowing it. I should so be a messenger and tell others. Lord, forgive me for being lazy.

Exhaustion

The Purpose Driven Life
Topic 1: What on earth am I here for?

Day 1: It all starts with God.

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Colossians 1 v 16

It's not about you.

I am absolutely knackered. shattered. don't actually think that I can move. sigh. a day seems like such a long time. so much has happened.
I got my bed delievered first thing in morning. got to work and was moving stuff all day. the office is a mess. i spent so long trying to get all the computers and stuff like that to work and it still doesn't. still not good enough. sigh. my head is spinning.

so, it is Jon's bday today. took him out for lunch. cooked him steak and food, and now have to go out for a drink. As much as I love him, I don't think that I can cope.....

What on earth am I here for?....I dunno. I still can't make my decision about what to do. All Nations rang me. I have an interview on Wednesday. I still have no job description. I still have no direction.

God, how do I fit into your plan? What do you want me to do?

Time: 7:28pm

New beginnings

so, it's a NEW start: 1st September. Jon's 22 today. Can't believe it. Haha,,,i love it during the next few weeks cuz it means that i'm only 1 year older than him..well, at least I pretend to be!

Also, it's the start of Ramadan. Of course, it doesnt bear much importance to me, but it's interesting to learn more about different religions and practises. And it also means that half people that come into ARKH will pretty much be fasting. It amazes me how so many people can do this every year. It's so difficult to not eat or DRINK for the whole entire day. Makes you grouchy and have NO energy. I think that things at ARKH will be a little more low key for the next month. I so will not be able to get any of the guys at work to do anything...sigh...

So, I want to discipline myself over this period. Obviously I'm not going to fast cuz I'm not a muslim, hence I don't follow their pratises, but I can challenge myself to do something. I can learn from their discipline. Hopefully for the next 40 days, I can follow 'The purpose driven life' (again). This is partly cuz I need to find my purpose, and also cuz the youth are going through it on sundays. In addition, I want to go through the 31 day prayer book for China's minority peoples.

I would dearly love to say that I'm going to succeed in follwing through it all, but I highly doubt it. Give me a few days and I'll be lost.....but i'll try.

DAY 1 : Northern Zhuang

• Zhuang is the largest minority with 16 million people (11.6 million are northern Zhuang)
• language: Zhuang dialects, Northern Tai languages, Mandarin
• less than 1% believers: mostly animism and ancestor worship
• mainly in Yunan and Guangxi (Hongshui River valley)
• there are some TSC and house churches
• portions of the Bible are translated in 2 dialects