It’s been a while since we’ve posted, but hopefully long gaps like this won’t happen again.
These last few months have been quite eventful, though! With Winter Break beginning in Mid-January, Bethany had a few months off to relax and get caught up in her lesson planning and other interests. I’ve begun working on a large web application.
But the real fun came with the celebrations! During this time frame, not only did the Spring Festival/Chinese New Year take place, but it was immediately followed by the lantern festival. One thing we’ve learned is that very few can throw a festival the way the Chinese do! During this 2 week span, many businesses shut down for the festival. Fireworks were shot off nearly continuously during these holidays, downtown hosted parades and displays, and everyone showed their red pride!
Bethany even got in on the action by launching a lantern of her own!
This “Holiday Season” (mid January through February, from a Chinese perspective) was an important reminder that it’s OK to take a break. In many ways, the school calendar forced us to take that break. When your primary outreach are students of English, it’s difficult to outreach when they are not around.
We did get to build on some friendships over the Break, and had some good conversations. We pray that these conversations will continue as things pick back up.
This past week, classes started back up at Bethany’s college. With it came the roaring up of businesses and activities around town. Obviously, this includes the return of English speaking students. We hope this semester is eventful and full of great conversations! With Lint in place, and Easter right around the corner, it’s a great opportunity to make these conversations happen!