The best four months

Words cannot describe what an incredible four months that I have had here in China. I came with a purpose and I truly feel that I have accomplished that purpose. These children have the light of Christ in them! I truly love them as if they were my own children. I feel like my heart has grown beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I could feel my Saviors love for them pouring through me. I am so glad that I could be a part of their lives for this short time frame. As much fun as I have loved traveling and doing crazy things in China, in the end, it was all about these sweet children. The girls and I missed them so much when we were away from the school. I love them so much. My heart is broken, as it was the first time that I came to China. I have now had two opportunity's to spend time in China, fall in love with the Chinese people, their culture, and their children. I am so blessed! I know that many of these children will one day accept the message of the restored Gospel and I look forward to the wonderful reunion I will have with them in heaven. I hope that I can never forget the things that I have learned here in China. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this opportunity that I know is once (or twice:) in a lifetime! It was very last minute and spur of the moment but has turned into another life changing experience. 

Wo ai Zhong Gou!!!

(I love China!)

Our Christmas Performance!

The kids performed so well for their parents! The months of practicing paid off big time! They really did so well. I want to stuff them all in my suitcase and have them stay with me forever. We taught each class a christmas song and dance that they performed. I also picked 4 kids from each class and taught them the Twas the Night Before Christmas poem. I was running the show so I was pretty busy but I loved being able to watch the kids do so well!! I Love them!! 

Just before our program! The room was decorated so cute! Wow, we are such great teachers. 

They had us put makeup on all of the kids! They were so cute!! It was so fun to put eye-shadow on the boys. They looked like little China Dolls. 

This is eating our last breakfast. Yay for Rice porridge- aka mushy rice and water. 

Last Few weeks

Hangzhou and Shanghai vacation!

Last week we had the opportunity to go on a short vacation! We first spent two days in Shanghai. We stayed at a cute little hostel that was so perfect. The 6 0f us we in a room all together with bunk beds. We loved it. Besides it being rainy the whole time we were there, it was a blast. We had a good time going to church on sunday and spending some time with the young single adults. It took us an hour of being lost walking in the rain to find where the branch meets. We were determined though and were extremely glad to finally find it when we did. 

This lady at the train station loved us. She was teaching me Chinese while we were waiting for our train station. 
Some cute girls we met came to our hostel Sunday night to play cards! They are so fun. 

Here are some of the members that we met in Shanghai. 

On our way to Church..... we were lost... and it was raining. 

Outside our Hostel in Shanghai. 

 

    This is an obstacle course that we did at an Amusement park in Hangzhou. It was so much fun! We were harnessed and attached to a cable so it was not dangerous. Some of it was a little tricky, but mostly it was just fun. 

The second half of our trip we were in Hangzhou. Hangzhou is famous for the great West Lake. It is a huge lake surrounded by temples, bridges, and pagodas. It was very beautiful. Hangzhou was a very fun city. There was lots of shopping and cool sights to see. They are also famous for their silk markets. You can get all the silk you want for very cheap. None of us wanted silk so we did not spend too much time there. The Hostel we stayed at was great! The Chinese people running it are very helpful in helping us find all the things that we want to do. We loved our vacation! When the trip was over it was very nice to get back to our home here at the school in Changzhou. We love it here and really do feel at home here.

BEST Thanksgiving ever!!

         Thanksgiving in China was the best! I had such an incredible day. I am so full of happiness and love right now for my many blessings. We just got back from our 5 day vacation to Shanghai and Hangzhou yesterday so we were so excited to see our kids during teaching today. They all ran and hugged us so tight when we saw them. They were trying to ask us where we had been and they told us that they missed us so much. One of the teachers today told her kids that we only have 11 days left to teach them and then we fly back to America. A few of her kids started bawling and then they told the other kids that we are leaving them soon. It was so sad. I just realized how precious that rest of my time here really is. 

          We finished teaching around 5 and then we rushed back to our rooms to get our American meal ready!! We had.... lots of different kinds of pasta, mashed potatoes and gravy, fruit salad, bread and muffins, hamburger rice, Chicken legs (no turkey :(), taco saladish stuff, a delicious veggie plate, and of course lots of Jello and cake. It was so fun to prepare whatever food we could come up with and just put together random stuff! We took all the food to the cafeteria and ate it with some of the Chinese teachers at the school. Our 2 Canadian friends who also live and teach at the school joined us as well.  During our meal we went around and everyone said what they were grateful for. Our Chinese friends just thanked us so much for being here with them told us how much they will miss us when they leave. We have become so close with them and will miss them a lot when we leave. It was SO FUN to give them some American food. They didn't really like the mashed potatoes haha but they LOVED the Jello! Also the cake that we made.. (in our microwave) was way to sweet for them. We still loved it though. 

            So today I am grateful for my China experience. It is almost over and I have grown more than I ever could have imagined in these few short months here. I love this opportunity to be able to teach and learn more about the Chinese people and their culture. I LOVE the kids I teach as if they were my own children, I have become so close with them.

Happy Thanksgiving to all those back in America!! I hope you eats lots and lots of turkey for me :) 

LOVE- Carly Jo