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My dear friends,

Grace and peace are yours beyond measure from G-d the Father and our L0rd Jes-s Chr+st.

I traditionally begin my posts with apologies, and in this (perhaps last) post, I shall do no different. I am very sorry that I have not posted since February (yikes), but I ask you, dear reader, to please understand that I've been rather busy over the past few months. I have made some life-altering decisions, and any big decision requires serious contemplation. This is on top of my already busy work-schedule and evolving relationships with various people (although one girl in particular).

Much has happened since my last post, and so I will have to summarize. I can think of no better place to start than with my engagement. On March 30, 2014, I proposed marriage to Ivy. We went for a Sunday-morning walk through Wuhan University's campus to look at the beautiful cherry blossom trees. She figured out something was up (she told me I seemed rather emotional, which, to all of you who know me so well, is an obvious giveaway that something out of the ordinary is happening), especially when we were pushing being late for ch-rch. I told her that we would want to remember the day, all the while looking for some place where we might have a little privacy. (In China, that's like asking for a ride to the moon.) When I finally found a patch of grass with relatively few people around, I went down to one knee and asked, “你愿意嫁给我吗," the Chinese equivalent of "will you marry me." She talked a little while, but to be honest, three months after the fact (or even three hours after, for that matter), I can't recall what she said. All I know was that I was still waiting for a "yes" or "no" answer. She finally did say yes, and we scrambled off to ch-rch from there.

This semester in school, I started to understand better what it means to teach in Chinese culture. Being an American with no real understanding of teaching in another culture (much less one so drastically different from my own), I was doing everything I could to try to keep my students happy--and with only modest results. Although I can't say I fared much better this semester, I think I learned a lot. This is an experience that will always stay close to my heart--along with my students. Many of them were extremely accepting throughout these two years. Some of my students admitted that, after the initial excitement of having a foreign teacher, they were a little disappointed to discover that I am rather introverted until they got to know me better. I was also pleased to learn that some of my students consider me more Chinese than American, as I want to seem Chinese to Chinese people (but perhaps there is more truth in what they are saying than even I realize). At the end of the year, some students prepared a surprise for me. One class made a scrapbook for Ivy and me (as she also taught them another class), while perhaps the most unexpected came on my last day of class. My last class of freshmen stopped the movie I was showing them for our party and asked to sing a song. Then some students from another section came in and brought out a guitar. They translated one of their favorite Chinese farewell songs for me. It very nearly made me cry. I kind of wish that had been my last class period, because the last class of the day (and my career) was not as good. It seemed rather anti-climactic. I played a movie for my sophomores at their own choosing (although the decision was admittedly divided), but I noticed that few if any of them payed the movie much mind at all. Half-way through class, I asked if they wanted to listen to music instead, and many of them responded "yes," so I played music for them. They listened for less than a minute or so before they went on to talking as loudly as before. At the end of the class, I started singing "American Pie" to them, but they didn't even listen to me singing, so I stopped the music and let them sit in silence for the last few minutes. Needless to say, after the lack of concern they showed for my final class (which they knew was my last class in China), I felt a little better about returning to the States.

I had some trouble working out flight details for coming home this year, too. With everything else that was going on (trying to get a visa for Ivy, wanting to say goodbye to friends, wanting to spend time with Ivy before I left), I wasn't entirely sure when I could return to the States. When I finally picked a date, I found that FoC didn't really have any money left on their credit card, so I had to wait while prices got higher. Then it was decided that, because my salary is above the expected pay grade, I had to pay for my tickets myself. For a while, it was looking like I wasn't going to return until just a couple weeks before school started--just in time to readjust before classes start at WLS. I debated that option, but decided that I need to get a leg on the ground States-side (find a job, figure out living arrangements, etc.), so I looked for flights that could get me home at a relatively reasonable price. I was encouraged to appeal to FoC, and I did, but have received no response and expect nothing from them. As it is, I am writing this message to you from Tokyo, on my trip home. I took a flight here from Shanghai, and I will catch a connecting flight to Chicago, L-rd-willing, in a little under an hour. In case you manage to catch this before then, I am on flight NH 1012, set to arrive on July 1 (before I depart, a quirk that happens when you travel the globe in this direction).

That leaves only a couple other big decisions before I wrap this up. First, I decided to return to my studies after this year. I am enrolled at WLS for the fall of 2014. This was a difficult decision, and I didn't make it lightly. I haven't always been sure it was the right decision, either, but I trust that G-d will use it according to his good purpose. I pr@y that He can equip me better for His work there, so I may continue in my mission wherever He sends me. I trust He has been preparing me with all my experiences thus far.

Easily the hardest thing to leave behind, though, was Ivy. As I write to you know, she is no longer my fiancee, but my wife. We received our wedding certificate from the city of Wuhan on April 25, meaning we were legally married. That started a new stage in my life, in which I have adopted a more Chinese culture and way of life. I have enjoyed the last few months of marriage, but that also makes it all the harder to leave. I miss my wife already, and I saw her only a few short hours ago. We have been going through the necessary paperwork to file a CR-1 (Conditional Relative, or "spouse visa," for those who have been married 2 years or less) so that she can join me as soon as possible. We have finished the paperwork for, as far as I can tell, step two out of four, but each additional step will take more time for processing, meaning it will easily be a few months, if not the better part of a year, before she can join me. We held a Chinese ceremony, entirely in the Chinese language, on June 8, with her father attending. It was a whirlwind wedding, considering we began planning on Tuesday and held the ceremony on Sunday. Although attendance wasn't particularly high in quantity, the quality was good, and I believe more people left with the impression that our unorthodox (at least, by Chinese and American standards) wedding was special, but I also hope all who were there heard the good message, as it was pre@ched by our shepherd.

The good Work this semester was mostly saying goodbye to people, although I did meet new people and introduce them to His Word. We studied Ps@lms, a book which has become very important to me in China, where it's sometimes hard for me to tell if G-d is near or far. I sowed the seed, and now I'm trusting Him to water it, and I keep my dear friends in my pr@yers. I miss them, too, but I know that goodbye isn't forever for us.

With that, I would like to apologize for the lack of pictures in this post. Perhaps I can add another post of pictures this semester, or, if you have time, you can consult me personally and hear the stories directly from me.

A special thanks to my family and any other readers who have followed me throughout these two years. I know I haven't been good at keeping things updated (which made for rather lengthy posts), so I feel I owe you a special debt of gratitude to all of you. I would also like to thank my dear wife for everything she has done for me over the last two years. I look forward to whatever the future holds for the two of us. I can't wait to see you in the U.S.!

Grace and peace be with you all.
IHS