The migration of Mills family members back and forth across the Pacific is nearly complete! Jake is now getting to experience a familiar life for many Chinese kids - he gets to be an only child for the final two weeks of our family's mission. With both Olivia and Ali back in Oregon, the apartment is quieter here in China, and we will spend the final 2 weeks finishing projects and eating lots of "farewell meals" with friends in Beijing.
Here are some photos from last week ...
Our week with my cousins, Katie Fuller & Krissy Hires, was awesome. As kids, we spent tons of time together, but now that we are all raising our own families, we haven't had extended time together in many years. We had a blast visiting some sights in Beijing, and these Oregonians were thankful for some clouds and rain on the day we climbed the Great Wall of China.
We've visited most of the historical sights in Beijing, but the Temple of Heaven remains my favorite. It was built before Columbus even discovered North America (1420), and the views are breathtaking. In addition, this Temple represented the place where Chinese emperors would come to pray to the "god of the heavens" to pray for rain and a good harvest. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:11, where the Bible says that God "put eternity in the heart of man" - even in ancient China, there was evidence people recognized their need for an all-powerful God they couldn't see.
We logged some steps visiting Tiananmen Square, tasting some fine Chinese tea, and haggling over prices at Beijing's pearl market. Jake and I were outnumbered with 4 ladies deciding the family's activities for the week.
Lay's potato chips sells flavors in China you won't see in America. We held a family contest to see who could identify 6 of them: Cucumber, Yogurt, Roasted Squid, Mexican Tomato Chicken, Italian Red Meat, and Seaweed. YUM!
We finished the week with a farewell dinner for Olivia with the worship leaders from Haidian Church. The Peking Duck tasted great, but the impact of these people in Livy's life over the past 6 months was far greater!
We are so thankful for Katie & Krissy's willingness to come all the way to China to help Olivia get home in time for Beaverton Foursquare Church's junior high camp. There was a welcoming party at PDX airport and she is excited for a week of time with friends and Jesus at camp.
With our family reduced to three, we headed to church Sunday morning, and Haidian Church asked me to lead worship for the final time in the English service. (we will use our final Sunday next week to complete the training for their sound and technical teams). The worship team has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 6 months. If you'd like to hear what they sound like now, here's a link to a video of yesterday's service: http://hdchurch.org/ministry/volunteer/news/12996
We finished our Sunday with the life group of people who sponsored us and gave so generously to provide our housing in Beijing. It has been fun to walk through life with them this year - babies are growing, a couple got married, and we have enjoyed serving the Lord together in China.
We have 12 days left in China, and we have a ton of emotions building - excitement to come home and see all of you, but some sadness for the people we will leave here in Beijing. We hope you are having a great summer, and we cannot say thank you enough for your love, support, and prayers for us.
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