belly shot

Of my pregnant stomach of course!!
Here is 4 months. We are hoping to visit an international doctor soon!!
All is going great.
March 31 is my Quickening date meaning-- the first time I feel the baby move. Bubbles. Butterflies. Gas. These are all words used to describe what a baby's first movements feel like. I will keep you updated!

Exciting day in the Import Aisle

Up to this point in my pregnancy-- I haven't had caffeine. (Please don't ask about Chocolate... this is a totally different category and not included in my lack of caffeine exposure... I LOVE CHOCOLATE)
I know different people hold different views about caffeine during pregnancy.
It has been quite a challenge because China does not believe in caffeine-free options- such as: Decaf Coffee, Decaf Tea, Caffeine-free coke etc... Needless to say, my options have been juice or water (and rationing some decaf peppermint tea my mom sent from America)
BUT all changed this week during my trip to the local super market. I never miss the opportunity to linger down the import aisle. Most imported products are from Korea but this week there is favor in Hengyang-- Starbucks Fraps. Now if you know me (probably only my mom knows this because she funded the habit) but Fraps in the Freeze are the BEST way to make any day WHOLE!! (the slightly frozen frap was always accompanied with a pack of Lance crackers around 9:30 or 10:00 am) And today... Baby Thomas will experience the first taste of caffeine. There is a Frap in my Freezer and Lance in my pants :-)

Wes' Saturday Morning

On Saturday morning, Wes meets with a student to study/teach the Book and then teach boxing.
After they finish...
I always ask Lee- "did you hurt him?"
Wes says "Yes"
and Lee says "You hurt me"

But I think they both have fun.

China's Birthday Present to Me

Many of you know my birthday is May 1... and I am thrilled to say... China has decided to give me a birthday present
Check out the news story

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12844671

"China is set to introduce a smoking ban in most public places.
According to the Health Ministry, the new regulation will come into effect on 1 May in public places including buses, restaurants and bars."

I would love to be optimistic about that this will be enforced in good ole Hengyang... BUT I have decided to not hold my breath.... well actually I hold my breath a lot while smoke is being puffed all around me.

My latest Chinese phrase-- Please stop smoking, I am pregnant.

E-Journal Week 33 -- Post from the e-mail sent

There are so many things to tell you this week-- I don't know where to begin.
We just finished our Tuesday night team meeting. On the menu for tonight's dinner-- Southern Style at the Thomas Household (I need to come up with restaurant name for each week depending on the meals theme.) Beef Stew (products coming from America-thank you package friends, Chaing Mai, Hong Kong and Capital City Changsha), Homemade Biscuits and Apple Cake. It all tasted delicious to me. As we talked about the deliciousness of the Beef Stew-- we laughed about the only local products being the vegetable BUT I have to say the vegetables and fruits is one of my favorite things about our city, Hengyang.
Since I have a lot to share... I will practice the Highs/Lows format... because it works :-)

Highs
1. One of my students who failed last term due to lack of attendance, participation and general lack of care for Oral English has shown great improvement. Last semester, IF he came to class it was late. This semester, he hasn't missed a class and is in his desk before the bell rings. In China, if you fail a class, the only consequence is to retake the Final Exam. The Final Exam can be determined by the teacher. I wanted to have a final for him an a simple exam... so I chose a book for him to read- The Difference Maker by John Maxwell. I didn't want him to feel overwhelmed by a WHOLE book, so I am giving it to him a chapter at a time. This past week, he stayed after class with questions and notes about what he learned from the chapter. I was amazed. I asked him how he like the assignment so far-- his response "I think it is really good, I feel like it will help me improve my attitude and view towards life" BINGO!!! I was an extremely happy teacher :-)

2. There have been some other American in Hengyang this week-- see the blog for picture. They are working at the Orphanage for one month. On Sunday, Wes organized a group of students along with the group of Americans to hang out at a park. (Students LOVE meeting "foreigners") I invited 3 of my Sophomore boys to come. The goal of this day -- meaningful conversations. The afternoon was a complete success-- each student heard about the Father's Love. My students came to me with excitement about how their new foreign friend shared with them about the same BOOK that I have told them about. Results- there will be 2 more boys joining Wes in studying.

3. We talked to our school officials about when we can end our teaching semester and fly back to America. We were seeking approval to leave 2 weeks earlier than the department schedule-- permission granted. We have not booked our tickets so we don't have a definite date... but we are excited that we will be in America mid-June.

4. New Pizza restaurant in Hengyang-- YEP this makes the Highs list. It isn't super close... but we already have a date scheduled to go eat dinner there with our team.

5. The package came from my mom-- this is a LONG saga story (seriously involving customs on a package I sent her... and then getting the products to her that we needed sent... it is a LONG story) BUT the great news is... it made it. In the package-- the disc to fix my broken computer (Wes is working on restoring it now), a replacement Kindle (mine broke in Thailand) and LANCE CRACKERS!!! I have serious LOVE for Lance crackers. I talk about them all the time - it cracks my teammates up. If you haven't had them... don't miss out-- favorite kind- Reduced Fat Orange cracker with Peanut Butter. It is the perfect snack or meal replacement-- put me in an advertisement.

Lows
As I am sure I have lost many of you... because this e-mail is getting long... a few Lows/ Things to Lift up!!
1. Had a cold a week and half ago... recovered... but it has come back again. Please pr that it leaves for good and the baby remains healthy.

2. Weather-- YES, we are lifting up the weather. It has been cold and rainy... as my teammate says "bone chillin cold" We are asking the Father to bring Spring to Hengyang.

I hope you made it to the end :-)

Blessings,

Avery

Not so Typical HY and a couple of Miracles

A former HY teacher came for a visit. He is currently getting his Masters degree in Hong Kong. Portia (our teammate) set up a time for us to go to dinner at HY's greatest Chinese restaurants... the one we refer to as "the Northern Restaurant" They serve food common in the North of China. This was a particularly funny night at the restaurant. We sat in a back room and were one of the first ones there. Some Chinese men come in and light up the Smokes and bring out the liquor. Portia is great and knows I generally ask people not to smoke since I am pregnant... so she gets up and explains this to the men and they stop smoking. (miracle #1) Then the room starts to fill and the packs of cigarettes come out... BUT the waitress tells all the men to not smoke- there is a pregnant foreigner (miracle #2) It was the most delightful meal without the aroma of toxic chemicals. BUT the funny thing remains... we finish our meal and I get up first to leave the room. I get my bag and start to walk out... all eyes are on me and COMPLETE silence!!! Once out the door... I feel like you could literally hear the sound of lighters and then the rumble of men talking. I am amazed the whole place didn't go up in flames with all the liquor and lighters going at one time. And the picture... we just thought it was typical China... Sausages hanging out on a clothes line (notice the white shirt out to dry) -- This was the only thing typical about HY during this dinner.

Foreigners In HY

The past couple weeks our small city of Hengyang has seen more foreigners than it did all of last year. Well ... this may be an exaggeration... but there have been LOTS (being more than 10)
There is a grocery store that is about 1.5 miles from our campus and on a pretty day I like to walk to the store to get the groceries. One of my teammates and I walked there on Sunday afternoon and ran into 4 guys from America. We found out they are volunteering at the Orphanage and welcomed them to HY. Of course, the normal questions-- what state are you from. I say "NC" and one guy gets really excited. HIGH FIVE!! He is from Apex and lives about 2 miles from our townhouse back on JF Rd. Really what a small world. He went to Apex High School and even knows of one of our friend who teaches there.
Later that week, we all got together for dinner and fellowship. Here is the group shot.

Here are the proud NCers

You know your EGGS are fresh when...

... there is a Chicken feather and Chicken poop on the egg :-) haha... yes this is a real egg that I bought and cooked with. The eggs I buy normally have poop (the importance of washing eggs before cooking) but this is the first to have both a feather and poop.

Personal Study

This semester, one of my teammates and I, are completing the Beth Moore Study- Breaking Free. We are currently on Week 2.
I wanted to share a couple things that have really spoken to my heart-
1. The Father desires for us to experience His Peace
So, many of us have heard the song- Peace Like a River- and know that it comes straight from the Book (see Is. 48:18-19) BUT what is our view of this?
Beth Moore expanded my views that a river is not stagnant but a "moving stream of water... He does not say I give you peace like a pond" A river is a flowing body of water. It goes over rocks and sticks... it sometimes takes dramatic turns. I would challenge you to take a look at a River and get a good picture ... maybe even a river with rapids. I took the below picture of a river in NC during the spring... to me it perfectly portrays a river... rocks, sticks and all!! Life and peace is not promised to be stagnant... but He does promise to give us peace like a river... a peace that "can be retained while life twist and turns and rolls over boulders"

"To have peace like a river is to have security and tranquility of heart and mind while meeting many bumps and unexpected turns in life's journey through change."

2. During week 2 audio session Beth Moore suggest that in order to experience LIBERTY ... we must do a continually in-dept study of the Book. We cannot expect to live in freedom and liberty with only a 5 minute devotions. She says these devotionals are good and have a needed place for morning refreshment... but the intimate knowledge of the Book is essential. See John 8-- then you will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free.
What is the TRUTH-- the Words of our Father.

These are just a couple things that have struck me. Every now and then... I may let you know some other things the Father is teaching me through this study in future post.

Fun Lunches

No Sandwiches... what to do? Fun lunches.
Recently, we had Ants of a Log :-) a little fun from childhood... but super tasty.
Do you have some other fun lunch ideas? Only tricky thing... I have to be able to find the stuff in Hengyang :-)