Moving to another country with your family is quite daunting! I’ve experienced some very humbling moments, which is to be expected. I feel like a two year old, because I can only produce a series of unrecognizable syllables and grunts, followed by simply pointing at pictures. I’ve learned why two year olds scream and cry, and that is because they are trying to communicate and no one understands them! You’ll be proud to know I have not screamed nor cried yet….at least in public!

Walking around the city of Beijing, people sometimes give me funny looks. I’m an obvious foreigner with blue eyes and very ashy blonde hair.  My husband gets looks as well, but it is mostly from females, because he is tall….and dark….very handsome….darn him! Amidst the looks and the humbling moments I have learned something that seems to go very far here…just SMILE. Chinese people are some of the sweetest, most accommodating people I’ve ever met. When you smile at them, they almost always break into a huge grin. The Chinese are so forgiving and inviting. If you butcher a word, they simply appreciate you trying to speak their language. If you accompany your points and grunts with a smile, they will help you point and will genuinely try to understand you. It is hard not to fall in love with this culture and these people.

Unlike many of the westerners I’ve met here, this is our first time leaving our home country. There has been so much to take in, it is almost overload. It’s only been two weeks; we are still amateurs with a capital A! But, I am thankful to the Lord that he lead us here. I know that rough times may come and there is still so much to do as we adjust, but everything will be okay as long as I can just smile.