Melanie Ferrer reporting!

Ni Hao! We're here! We've finally made it to Yanji and we're all settled in. Sorry this blog is way over due, so it might be a little long. Our time here in Yanji has been amazing already! Yanji is a very unique city in China because of the biracial influence of the Chinese and Korean. Our hosts are very kind and extremely hospitable, the ladies that serve us in the cafeteria are sweet and cater to us, and our students are AMAZING! We just finished our first week teaching. WE LOVE IT! We've fallen in love with our students already! We teach 4 days a week and we each have about 25 students. The first couple days we spent a lot of time in our office brainstorming and preparing games and lesson plans. We were all excited and a little nervous for our first class but once we all reunited after class was over... we couldn't stop talking about how much we enjoyed our classes! The students are eager and enthusiastic about learning and improving their English. We've finally gotten the hang of things with juggling classes, making lesson plans, correcting papers, meeting up with students, eating bommb Chinese and Korean food (haha, all my pictures are of food!), resting and of course having Devo time!

We had the opportunity to hang out with our students on Saturday night! It was hecka (super) fun! Students came out to meet with their teachers and have a fun outside of the classroom. Amara and Justin headed off to coffeshops and spent some chill time with their students. They we're able to dialogue and build relationships them. Brandon, Nate and I went to a fair that comes every summer here in Yanji. SO MUCH FUN! They made us get on some crazzzy rides with them. After walking around, Nate joined the students in playing Chinese hackysack. I decided to hang out with some of my girls and chat. It was awesome being able to sit down with my girls outside of the classroom and talk.

The team is doing well! Amazing actually! We're closer than ever. We've definitely all opened up and we've become brothers and sisters, literally. God has truly made us of one accord! The memories are already stacking up for us! We're having great devotion time, prayer time over our students/our team/our walks/everyone back home, prayer walking and singing praises to God as we walk down the streets of Yanji, yelling Jesus loves in you Chinese, making time for our students, and always basking in His amazing grace! Something that I've noticed and I really admire about our team is how we are using our God given passions and talents to lead us and create opportunities to share Christ's love and truth. Nate (Nathan) is amazing at learning and teaching languages so he invest so much time in bettering his students and anyone else who wants to practice, and of course allowing time to minister. Amara (AJ/Sleeping Beauty) is looking into stirring up their minds and creating discussions about disabled/special education children, and hopes to lead discussion about how Christ loves everyone. In Chinese culture many children/people who are disabled/crippled/special are frowned upon or abandoned and unloved. Brandon (B Lee) is loving on the students with his "great" singing in class and meeting up outside of class to play basketball, tennis and volleyball with students, and through this he is being relational and loving on them. Justin (Justina) is being successful at using his experience as an Chinese ESL student to benefit his own students. Claire (Cassssh) is using her love for history to get their minds thinking about the past, famous people, religion, and is gearing toward sharing His truth through the interests God has given her. I (Monnayy!) am picking at their brains and challenging them with questions to think about the injustices that are going on in this world and how we as people in this world can better it, but through this I hope to share that the root of it all the injustices in this world is sin and the only solution is Jesus Christ. It's beautiful to see all my team members use what God has given them to be used for His glory and for opportunities to minister! We are all spending a lot of time with our students and loving every minute of it. But we are not just here to teach English we are here to share the truth and redemption of Jesus. Justin told me last night that many people here just know of Jesus as a famous man but many people don't know who He really is and what He has done. We pray and ask you to pray that He would be made known as a famous man because of the work He did on the cross for all of us sinners and how He gives eternal life to those who believe and follow after Him!

Sunday we were able to attend a Foreigner's Church service. It was succch a blessing to worship with so many different races! Chinese, Korean, Caucasian, German, Filipino, Russian... the list goes on. It's so beautiful to see tribes, nations and tongues come together and worship the true and living God! Like our Brother said, we're related through the blood of Jesus Christ! Can I get Ammmmen?! We were encouraged to see how much God is working in our brothers and sisters here in China! We've also found a restaurant and coffee shop that are owned by Christians! I turned to Claire the other day crying and overwhelmed about how powerful His hand is. Amara shared to Casssh and I that she is in awe of the work He is already started and she is encouraged to further His kingdom even more!

Overall, we are blessed beyond measure. Because one...like I shared before we have been saved and we are captivated by God's love and grace. Two, we are able to testify of His goodness through first hand experience. And three, we are honored that He entrusts us to expand His kingdom!

WE ALL SEND OUR LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL! You are all in our prayers just as much as we are in yours! Zai Jian (Bye!)!