December 18, 2003

Happy holidays from chilly Fuyang, China.

We hope all of you are about ready for the holidays. The day is almost upon us with little time left to prepare.

It is hard to believe that our first term of college is almost over. We have been teaching our classes about the Christmas culture of America, so we at least know ‘tis the season. Our students enjoy singing some of the traditional Christmas songs. It has been great sharing our traditions with the students. The weather is chilly and it certainly feels like Christmastime. Some of the people here have Christmas trees but decorations are not visible like they are at home. We have our tree up, and when the students come over we light up the room for them.

The church has been working on a Christmas program for almost two months. Since we are new to this, we are not sure what to expect. We do not think it will be our traditional candlelight service. It is beginning to have more of a Christmas pageant feel. We say this because one Sunday night we went to the practice. One of the choirs was practicing a very traditional-sounding song. A young lady told us it was about the difficulties that one faces trying to live a Christian life. Another act was a group of ladies doing a traditional Chinese dance. We think it will be very beautiful, and we are anxious to see the program. On Christmas Eve, we will sing with a group, “Hark! The Hearld Agnels Sing” in Chinese. On Christmas Day, we will sing “Joy to the World” in English with another group.

We wish all of you and your families the best during the holiday seasons. We will be thinking of you all. Our thoughts will be on the holidays we have shared in the past and the ones that we will share in the future.

Be truly thankful that you can celebrate this season. Remember the important things in life, and do not let the little things get you down.

• Our prayer request as we close out 2003 happy and healthy in China:
• That we will be the caring teachers that our students need.
• That 2004 will find us following God’s will with our lives.
• That our children, families, and friends at home will continue to have health and happiness.
• That our students do well and thrive in their country as China develops and changes.

Yours in Christ,
Billy and Vickie See
Fuyang, Anhui
Peoples Republic of China