Our first (very long) day.

Tuesday began very different from most-- after Sunday. It was strange for us to board a flight late Sunday night to arrive Tuesday morning ten hours later in Beijing. The airport was stuffy and humid, which was fitting as it reflected the hazy gray skies outside. As we killed time in the muggy terminal we began playing a game in which one player hits the hands of another before he can pull away but quickly stopped as we all broke a sweat from doing so. I ran around the airport a bit in search of water and managed to ask a woman cleaning in my extremely broken ramblings of Mandarin; finally we went through the most aggressive and fastest security check we've ever seen before were off to Justin's home city. In Jinan we had an abundant feast with his parents, sister, uncle, and grandparents. The twelve of us each sat shoulder to shoulder on our own individual wooden bench around the circular table with a rotating center as we ate a variety of local dishes of whole fish, a rooster, pork, shrimp skewers, and various vegetables before moving on to dumplings, lots of watermelon, and a local jasmine hot tea. After the meal we spent time together and asked for the Father's blessing on them. We each got to spend some time individually with one of the family members and then asked the Spirit to move in them, continuing and multiplying the good work.

Today we are now all awake after a good night's rest and anxious for breakfast. Submit requests for blessings of health for all of us as the forces of the dark world are pressing on us to take us out of the race.

The heart of it all.

melanie ferrer comin at you. :)

I honestly have been sitting on my bed...smiling. We are less than 24 hours away from boarding our flight to China! I'm stuck in awe. I cannot even fathom this opportunity to serve God in China!

I feel like we've been preparing, praying and awaiting this departure and it has finally arrived. I'm not even done packing, but I have such an urge to blog about this and let you all know how things are going. I went to a prayer meeting at Church this morning and just prayed and cried. We all prayed and cried. We were completely humbled by God and His being. How He hears our prayers, answers our prayers, cares for us, and knows us intimately. He is so beyond us. Anyway, as they were praying for my team and I, I felt such peace and encouragement from God. He is going to do so much through this team!

Yes, I am so excited that He is providing and sending this team to China. But what I am soo excited and fascinated with... is the heart of this all and the main reason we get to serve in China. Since I've been back home for the summer, I've been studying Jesus' every move through the Gospels and the fruits of Spirit. And as I study His perfection I see more and more of my imperfection. But you know what covers us in the midst of our sinful nature?! FORGIVENESS AND GRACE! Man.. we fall short on a daily basis but still He loves us, loves us that He died on the cross for us to save us from hell! His grace is amazing! Bask in it! Team China.. Readers.. He saved us, He's changed us, He's formed us and He's now sending us! And... that all this takes place because of what His first did on the cross. So here it is readers, the reason why Team China is heading out in the first place. BECAUSE GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE SENT HIS SON JESUS CHRIST TO DIE ON THE CROSS FOR YOU AND YOUR SINS SAVING YOU FROM HELL AND GIVING YOU ETERNAL LIFE. Yes, YOU! This is the heart of it. Now that we know and believe in this profound statement, we go to share the good news in China! We get to do all that we are doing in our lives.. because He first died on the cross and gave us salvation! Receive His Grace!

Please keep us in your prayers as we are breaking down walls of the enemy and building up walls for Christ!

We are one.

We leave from LAX in 72 hours. That number is quickly dropping (I started an hourly countdown at the 96th hour). I am anxious to meet back up with the team as we head off to China together. The unity of the team has always been strong. Even when we first began with eight people and added a ninth we all were excited and it felt like family. Losing two members due to circumstances out of our control was difficult in the sense that we knew we weren't going to be with people we had grown close to on the trip; our little family was dwindling. Once this summer began it seemed as if we were ready. Recently some new developments have made a dramatic shift in our team and we have lost another member. Adrianna's circumstances have her stuck in Texas and without a visa. As sad as this is, I must remind myself that if God wanted her to go He would provide a way. It's been a blessing to have her with us during the past six months and I know that God is working in her; this is not an end-all for her, nor for us. The six of us will continue with our plans to teach English in China and share the work of the one who's burden is light. Why should we worry? He has it all in control and we'll press in to what He has planned. I cannot worry about it; I have no control over life's situations and God asks that I trust His plan. HIs ways are higher and deeper than I know.

Ephesians 3:20

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.

A Few Days Before Leaving

It's going to be an exciting week leading up to our departure for China. Personally I've been running some errands and getting paperwork in order for our travels while Justin has already arrived and spending some time with his parents where we'll soon meet him Tuesday morning of next week. Hopefully this post will be quite concise as I'd like to go to bed. This busy week started today (as most weeks start on Monday...) and won't stop until we are aboard that 16 hour flight across the Pacific. We are still awaiting one visa to be submitted for approval, arranging hotel lodging for our first days of arrival (a surprise as we recently learned we'd be illegal guests at national's home), and doing a few other preparations. Personally my week is going to be filled with meeting friends each day and a couple last nights at the restaurant. I have a lot of friends who are visiting this week whom I am anxious to see. It seems like this will turn out to be a very encouraging week. Strangely enough, I'm actually already anticipating coming back here. I'm excited to continue being involved with life here; to see everyone, to start an internship, to put my roots in just a little deeper. Breakfast meeting is in five hours.

In brief, here are some items to lift up:

·still working to obtain all team visas

·discernment and clarity in responding to the call

·continued support of financial needs

·team unity would multiply; love would be infectious

Y no olvido la copa mundial. ¡Ojalá gane España!