As we move through our 2nd week in China, the Mills family is doing well. We are working to establish a new "normal" for the 5 of us - chores around our apartment, schoolwork, music practice, shopping for food, managing money and transportation, etc. Some of these kinds of adjustments are required of any suburban family when they are dropped into an urban environment, but adjusting to Chinese culture & language adds additional layers of learning for us as well. We are doing all we can to fasttrack our understanding of how to efficiently run our family in Beijing so we can maximize our time for ministry in this 6 month mission.
We have been able to access US social media quite a bit ... However, please join us in being careful not to post any messages to any of our Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat accounts that mention church, ministry, etc. Fun photos and family stuff are completely fine to post, and all 5 of us are trying to keep in touch as best we can.
Before I get to the update, several of you have asked about our mailing address. Here is a graphic you can print and use as a label for mail. I think the US Postal Service is the best way to send letters, and UPS is probably best for packages. You will need to address mail to me (Brent) since my name is listed with the landlord. Shoot us a WeChat message if you mail something so we know to look for it.
We felt it was best to summarize this past week with our ....
1. Chinese New Year is a REALLY BIG DEAL!
Nearly all shops, businesses, and restaurants closed for 10-14 days, and Beijing is a ghost town during this holiday. We have ridden subway trains with less than 10 people on them during the middle of the day. We have not heard a word from our friends at Haidian Church since last week. And ...
Fireworks.
Endless Fireworks.
All night long for a week Fireworks.
Seriously with the Fireworks ... Go to bed people!
(photo taken from our 9th floor apartment window)
2. Cooking familiar food is possible with some creativity. In our family, Kim does most of the cooking (and we are VERY thankful for it). It has required creativity for her to find ways to make things our family likes in a kitchen with 30" of counter space and one outlet to share among several appliances. However, we have already enjoyed pancakes for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and spaghetti for dinner. We have happy kids eating foods they recognize! (especially after Jake scarfed down dinner at a Chinese restaurant a couple days ago, only to later learn he was eating pig intestines!)
3. Grocery Shopping = cultural education.
There is a small market in our area that sells some American/European foods, but those products are very expensive. We are trying to limit our purchases in that store to absolute necessities. Chinese supermarkets have lots to offer, but they have aisle after aisle of product labels we can't read, and some products are shocking in their absence. (like matches ... they sell candles, but no matches - why?!) We took these pics in a market near our apartment. There is an entire aisle of WHITE rice (the other varieties of rice are on another aisle - all these bags are just the white rice). There is an entire aisle of soy sauce -- why so many varieties? Who needs that much soy sauce?
These Lay's chips almost made it into our shopping cart. Then Ali noticed the flavor:
ROASTED SQUID! (and the one below it - Cumin Lamb). Many American companies are doing business in China, but they have clearly adjusted their products to fit the Chinese palate.
4. How to do laundry in China:
A. Translate buttons on the washing machine.
B. Realize the washer only does cold water.
C. Start the washer and wait a very long time for it to finish.
D. Hang clothes to dry (since there is no dryer) in the apartment drying room.
E. Realize it's best to wear clothes multiple days so we don't have to do as much laundry.
F. Work together as a family and learn it can be fun!
5. Some things just don't translate.
I'm guessing this coffee shop was trying to let customers know they have a warm and relaxing environment. Somehow, the message just didn't come across quite right.
(it says, "ESSE COFFEE gives you all smiles when you live a busy and stressful lice, so you lose a sense of smile.")
6. IKEA is the place to be in Beijing. And the place to take a nap.
We connected with a new friend named Christina who graciously offered to use her car to help us bring some purchases back from IKEA to our apartment (and we had a great conversation about the love of Jesus and why we came to China).
We've been to IKEA many times in the U.S., but IKEA in Beijing is a different story:
- Complete gridlock in every aisle of the store
- Long lines in the cafe (but worth the wait for cheap and tasty ice cream)
- People sitting on the display couches drinking coffee and treating them like their own living room.
- But most of all ... people sleeping on the beds! This mom is actually putting her baby down for a nap under the blanket in the display crib!
7. iSchool in China? Yeah ... we got this.
Ali, Livy, and Jake are rocking it with their schoolwork. Kim scanned nearly 10,000 pages of books, worksheets, and teacher's manuals before we left. With an iPad to read and a MacBook to work on, the kids are already into a good rhythm and haven't missed a beat. (Olivia created a reading spot in the windowsill of her room - not a bad view looking out over the city while doing her schoolwork)
8. The news you see about Beijing's poor air quality? It's true. Smog levels are measured with an AQI number - lower numbers are good. In Oregon, the average AQI is around 25. Thursday & Friday in Beijing, the AQI fluctuated between 200-300. Lots of people wear masks. We purchased an air purifier machine for the apartment. It makes us sad to see people who are required to work outdoors in these conditions. (this was the view out our window Thursday)
9. When you're missing home, cheer yourself up with a burger!
We found a fun little place in our Wudaokou neighborhood known for authentic American food. It's amazing how good a hamburger tastes after just a few days away from home!
10. Ministry at Haidian Church is going to be exciting. We had lunch with Pastor Peter Wu, (nice timing on this photo!) and he outlined some of the ways we'll get to serve while we're here. He asked Ali to put together a full length concert this summer (with help from her violin teacher at the Conservatory). He asked Olivia to help with Children's Ministry at the church. Bible stories are read to kids in English, and many parents who aren't believers bring their children to hear them because they want their kids learn English. Our whole family has been invited to lead another soccer camp in May, and I'll be spending a lot of time with the leadership of the English service. I get to start serving this Sunday, sharing a portion of the Valentine's Day message about God's perspective on love and marriage. (I'm thankful for many conversations with my mom in the past couple years about marriage ministry!)
There's the Top 10 for this week. We have gotten messages from many of you, and it means a ton to us to hear about your lives and know how we can pray for you, even as you are praying for us. We miss you, and we look forward to hearing from you whenever you have time.
Cheers,
Brent, Kim, Ali, Livy, and Jake
CONNECT WITH US ON WECHAT! http://www.wechat.com Send a friend request: @brentmills3 | @kmills503 | @AliMills @OliviaMills | @JacobMills
In our family, Kim does most of the cooking (and we are VERY thankful for it). It has required creativity for her to find ways to make things our family likes in a kitchen with 30" of counter space and one outlet to share among several appliances. However, we have already enjoyed pancakes for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and spaghetti for dinner. We have happy kids eating foods they recognize! (especially after Jake scarfed down dinner at a Chinese restaurant a couple days ago, only to later learn he was eating pig intestines!)
Smog levels are measured with an AQI number - lower numbers are good. In Oregon, the average AQI is around 25. Thursday & Friday in Beijing, the AQI fluctuated between 200-300. Lots of people wear masks. We purchased an air purifier machine for the apartment. It makes us sad to see people who are required to work outdoors in these conditions. (this was the view out our window Thursday)
We had lunch with Pastor Peter Wu, (nice timing on this photo!) and he outlined some of the ways we'll get to serve while we're here. He asked Ali to put together a full length concert this summer (with help from her violin teacher at the Conservatory). He asked Olivia to help with Children's Ministry at the church. Bible stories are read to kids in English, and many parents who aren't believers bring their children to hear them because they want their kids learn English. Our whole family has been invited to lead another soccer camp in May, and I'll be spending a lot of time with the leadership of the English service. I get to start serving this Sunday, sharing a portion of the Valentine's Day message about God's perspective on love and marriage. (I'm thankful for many conversations with my mom in the past couple years about marriage ministry!)
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