Monday, August 22, 2016

INTRO


Hi - 

This blog is an archive of the amazing 6 months our family had living in Beijing, China from February-July, 2016. Many people received these updates through email while we lived in China, since we couldn't communicate with friends & family at home through social media. We've posted them here as blog posts for anyone who would like to catch up.

 The updates begin with one post in January 2016 (a few weeks before we left), and they continue with photos and videos from each week of our mission.

 Also, this blog is intentionally hosted on a Google website. Google sites are blocked in mainland China, so these posts are inaccessible to people living there. (we've done intentionally to make sure there are no problems with safety)

Thanks for reading, and if you'd like to get in touch with us, please send an email to:

Brent, Kim, Ali, Olivia, and Jake Mills
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Update 1 🙏 | Prepare

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update 1    |    01.02.16
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 
Most of you know that our family is going on a mission adventure this year. We received an invitation to serve a 6-month term as part of Beaverton Foursquare Church’s mission partnership with the Haidian Christian Church in Beijing, China. Instead of a 2015 Christmas card, you're receiving this first edition of our newsletter because you either opted in with your email address, or we added you as one of our friends. If you would prefer not to receive periodic updates from us about our mission, please unsubscribe with the link at the bottom of this email. 
 
If you're still reading,
thanks for joining us on this adventure! 
 
I made 3 New Year's resolutions this year as I write this 1st newsletter to family, friends, and partners in ministry:
 
1. Send email ONLY to people who want to receive it. 
We can't use social media to send updates from China, so we are using direct email. We promise not to clutter up your inbox, but it's ok with us if you opt out. Also, please use the preferences link below to give us your preferred email if I've added a wrong one.
 
2. Be BRIEF. 
I know ... I can hear your snickers of sarcasm on this one. In order to meet this resolution, I also resolve to have Kim be my proofreader. 
 
3. DON'T ask for money. 
God has generously provided for us to leave Oregon and serve in China for 6 months, and we hope you will join us as partners in friendship and prayer. 
contact : us
http://www.wechat.com/
The best way to contact us in China is with the social media app WeChat. The app actually has some great messaging, calling, and video features. 
http://www.wechat.com

Send us a friend request:
@brentmills3
@kmills503
@AliMills
@OliviaMills
@JacobMills
http://www.wechat.com/
Please don't repost our content on Facebook or other US social media. We won't be overly secretive about our actions in China, but we want to be careful to protect our Christian friends there.
UPDATE: One month to go!
Our trip to China is almost here ... We depart Portland for Beijing on February 2, and we will stay until July 30. (Ali will return home early on July 2 to attend B4church HS camp) As you can imagine if you were putting your life on hold and moving a family of 5 to China, there are a ton of details to consider. Kim is a person with amazing talents for organization, but even for her, this is a monumental task!
To sum up our prep for mission thus far, the Mills family presents:
 
TOP 10 THINGS WE DID DIFFERENTLY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON BECAUSE OF CHINA:
  1. Scan thousands of pages of books and music.
    Books are heavy, so we/re not taking any of them with us in printed form. School for 3 kids for 6 months uses a lot of books! 
  2. Stock up on products we cannot buy there.
    Who knew you couldn't buy deodorant, contact lens solution or white girl hair products in China? Packing lists are growing as we figure out how to stay through winter, spring, and summer weather with 2 50-lb bags each!
  3. Get travel documents in order.
    Some of you heard that China no longer offers the 6-month teaching visa we originally hoped Kim would be eligible for. Instead, we will use 60-day multiple entry tourist visas. These visas require us to leave China twice for a few days and then reenter for another 60 days. We have plans to visit a Foursquare church in South Korea in April, and we will travel to Japan or another nearby country in June. My parents, Bill & Debi Mills, have made plans to visit us twice this year. (and if any of you want to visit as well, let’s talk!)
  4. Confirm our apartment in China and get our home ready to leave.
    We’re excited to have our friends Kenney & Emily Anderson & their kids stay in our home while we’re gone. Our friends at Haidian Church helped us find a 3-bedroom place to live that is a 15 minute walk from the church. I think we’ll live close enough to invite people into our Chinese home to build friendships and share life with them.
  5. Visit every doctor, dentist, orthodontist and any other medical provider we can think of.
    I had a kidney stone surgery, Ali got her braces off, and we’re trying to cover our bases and avoid experiencing the Chinese health care system if possible. You may have seen some news about the smog in Beijing - unfortunately, the reports are true, and we will be taking some precautions in case the air gets bad again.
  6. Prepare income taxes earlier than ever.
    When we planned our trip, I didn’t realize our tax deadline would move from April 15 to February 1.  I have also learned a lot about how to setup a bank account in China, adjust insurance to cover us overseas, and save money on services we won’t use at home. 
  7. Get musical instruments ready.
    God has opened amazing doors for our musical lives to thrive in China. Ali will be studying violin with Professor Gao Can & playing 5 concerts with an orchestra at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. Jake will be renting a double bass and taking lessons with his teacher here via Skype. We are packing keyboards & audio equipment for shipment so we can give them as gifts to the church.
  8. Learn Mandarin Chinese. (yeah, right!)
    Kim is leading all of us in language skills, and I’m counting on some pretty cool iPhone apps to help me communicate. (hence the banner at the top). If my iPhone battery dies while I’m away from our apartment … uh oh.
  9. Give each other some really unusual Christmas presents.
    Who wants a dual voltage flat iron and international plug adapters for Christmas? WE DO!
  10. Play a lot of Christmas music.
    OK, so maybe this doesn’t differ much from most years for   family of musicians. However, it was a surreal month of December to be preparing for our China trip while simultaneously participating in lots of music events with Beaverton Foursquare Church, Portland Youth Philharmonic, and others. However, with each year the kids grow and improve, there are more opportunities to share our music with others, and we are thankful for that. I think Ali won the prize for the most fun “gig”, as she finished the holiday season with a performance at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall with PYP and Pink Martini. They played an incredible  New Year’s Eve concert to ring in 2016! 
This might sound obvious, but I’ll finish with something we have done daily and often …

PRAY. 

Getting ready for this trip has been a spiritual journey for each of us. I can say with certainty we are all excited to go and serve the Lord, but we all feel overwhelmed at times. We covet your prayers that we will be able to get adjusted to life in China, build friendships quickly, and not let our longing for our comfortable American life keep us from being fully invested in the people and the work God has for us in Beijing.

Thank you for your prayers and partnership. We love hearing from you and hope to see as many as possible in person before we leave. 

新年快乐2016年 (Happy New Year 2016)-
Brent, Kim, Ali, Olivia, and Jake






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Update 2 ✈  | Go

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update 2  |  02.01.16
After weeks‌ months of preparation, the big day is finally here!

Many people (like us) have a chat with God at some point in their lives and tell Him we are willing to follow wherever He asks us to go. In our case, we certainly had no idea what was in store as we prepared to follow His leading to serve in China, but we are as ready as we can be, and we cannot wait to see what God has will do these next 6 months!
 
We have cleaned out every corner of our lives, both literally and figuratively. We have prepared to leave home, school, church, work, friends, and more, and now it's time to launch out on the adventure. We have surely forgotten some stuff, but there is
no going back now. We've tried to say goodbye in person to as many as possible, and if we didn't have that opportunity with you, please know that we deeply appreciate each of your prayers and support. We feel you and we need you, and you are a vital part of this mission. We do not put our confidence in our talents, our skills, or our preparation. This is a work God is doing - we are simply the conduit, and without Him responding to all of our prayers, we are toast. We have no doubt He is in this, and our confidence is 100% in His sustaining grace and mighty power. So, with that in mind ... Please keep on praying! (Colossians 1:9-12 is a good guide)
 
Our pastor, Randy Remington, (at Beaverton Foursquare Church) often reminds us that we always need to prioritize prayer equal to our planning when we are following God in His work. I don't know if our exact number of minutes praying directly equals our number of minutes packing, but in the past 2 weeks, our church family has commissioned us for this work, and we have been covered in blessing and prayer from more people than we can count. There are many Chinese Christians on the other side of the ocean who are praying as well. We have received photos of numerous gifts they have put in our new home, and we are anticipating a joyful celebration with our new friends on Wednesday evening in Beijing. 
 


A few bits of info on where we are going and how you can pray for the first few days in China:
  1. We are moving to a a neighborhood called "Wudaokou". It is a vibrant community with many college students, young adults, and 24/7 activity. Here's a Google Maps link to the area: https://goo.gl/KTrNx0
    Wudaokou is part of fhe Haidian District, which is in the northwestern part of the city. Haidian District is home to approximately 3.2 million of Beijing's 22 million people. 
     
  2. Beijing's time zone is 16 hours ahead of Portland. If you lIve on the US west coast, the best hours to chat are from 4:00-10:00pm PST. (That's 8:00am-2:00pm for us) And ... This means the Super Bowl will air at 7:00am Monday morning in China. Instead of chips, salsa, and wings for the game, we'll have breakfast! (IF we can even a live stream of the game over the Internet)
     
  3. We get to serve as part of the Haidian Christian Church. Here's a link to their website in English: http://english.hdchurch.org/html/aboutus/index.html
    Senior Pastor Peter Wu invited us and will be giving us direction.  Pastor Wu is a godly man and a creative leader. God has given him favor and influence in many parts of China, and we are honored to learn from him and serve with him. 
     
  4. Please pray for health and safety in travel. We are moving 5 people, 10 pieces of luggage (precisely packed to 49.999999 lbs. each), and some valuable pieces of music and sound equipment (gifts for Haidian Church worship ministry). 
     
  5. Please pray for a hassle-free entry. We will be required (as all foreigners are) to register with the local police. We are not anticipating any issues, but it will be the first time we've done this as a family. 
     
  6. Personally, please pray for relationships to form quickly for each of us with our Chinese counterparts. 6 months is not a long time when we consider our dreams of sharing real life with people and encouraging young men and women to become strong, godly worship leaders and musicians. We need God's help to open lines of communication, unimpeded by language and cultural barriers. We also are asking God for friends to emerge for Ali, Livy, and Jake. 

We'll send an update with some photos of our new home soon after we arrive. We look forward to hearing from you via email or WeChat, and again, thank you for your partnership on this adventure. 
 
We love you all-
Brent, Kim, Ali, Livy, and Jake
The best way to contact us in China is with the messaging app WeChat. The app has some great messaging, calling, and video features. 
http://www.wechat.com
Send a friend request: @brentmills3 | @kmills503 | @AliMills @OliviaMills | @JacobMills






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