Full of praise!

After a month of sweet time with family and a bit of vacation, the new semester (and a return to normalcy) is rolling in.  I say a return to normalcy but really it's a "new normalcy" since so much will be different about this semester:  both girls in school (Caroline half days at preschool, Katie full days at Chinese school), Adam still taking classes at the university but likely also taking over my hours at the 1:1 tutoring company where I was studying, and I will be studying at home with a tutor instead of going out to class.  Lots of changes!

I'll be honest...all of these changes and new ventures (particularly regarding the girls' school situations) have been a regularly source of anxiety for me over the past few months.  I have had to be very diligent to battle fear and worry--the kind of worries that attack you when wake up in the middle of the night or that ambush you as soon as your alarm goes off in the morning, you know the kind.  It has been a faith-builder for me...

All that to say, my heart is full of praise tonight as I am beginning to see God's goodness in answering so many prayers that have been offered over the past few months (mine and yours both, as I know many of you have been thinking of us). 

Caroline started kindergarten last week, and we honestly didn't know how it was going to go.  Self-control is not Caroline's strong suit, and I was just so nervous about how she would respond to being the only foreigner in an all-Chinese environment. Would she be able to understand enough Chinese to cooperate? Would she flip out when she couldn't understand or wasn't being understood? Would she bite the other kids? Would she be respectful to the teachers?  The first glimmer of hope came when I had to take Caroline to the Chinese hospital for the health exam required for entrance into preschool.  It was quite an encouraging experience, as I observed other kids her age as we were standing in line. Some of them were absolutely flipping out, particularly over the blood test (understandable, right?)  And there stood Caroline, cool as a cucumber, who never once batted an eyelash or shed a tear. Totally the Lord. I began to have hope...and remembered that three year olds are all the same and that Caro's teachers would be well aware of the kinds of struggles three year olds have and wouldn't be shocked even if all my worst nightmares about her behavior came true. 

Then came the first day of school.  I'm actually quite thankful that I had class that day and had to miss both the drop-off and pick-up.  I texted Adam during my class break to see how drop-off went. No problems!  Lots of other kids crying but not the Bean!  PTL!  I was so happy to be home when she and Adam came through the door.  She had had a great time--and had even gotten a sticker for her good behavior! Her teachers said she was great, she obeyed, she played well with the kids, everything.  I quickly realized that these teachers are very smart--not only do the kids only have class for 2 hours in the morning during the month of August, but it seems that (at least according to Caroline) the class activities include watching movies, eating Skittles, playing with blocks, playing in a toy kitchen, etc.  These teachers know what they're doing.  :)  Not only that, but we have heard from several parents that Katie's head teacher is "the best." We were a little concerned when we realized she was a bit older than most of the teachers at the kindy (sometimes older teachers can be more strict/harsh), but everyone we've talked to just raves about her.  More reasons to praise!

Then today I learned yet another thing that makes me "heart" this teacher.  She has set up a class notice board online, so that parents can stay informed about the class' happenings.  I managed to actually log on (remember, folks, I'm doing this all in Chinese!) and was delighted to find that they had posted pictures of the first few days of class.  Enjoy! (see if you can spot the redhead....)


More photos and video to come, plus a post of good news about Katie's school situation!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His loves endures forever."