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	A letter from Billy and Vickie See in China

	February 24, 2004 Dear Friends, It is amazing how time flies. The new semester has started after a nice long winter break and once again we are settling into a nice routine. Our classes are going well. The first day of class was easier this term. Recognizing familiar faces from last term has made the beginning of this term seem much simpler. We enjoyed the Spring Festival holiday. It provided us with much reading and relaxation.

	Vickie's English conversation class in discussion circles.				For the last few weeks, we have been attending the afternoon service at the Fuyang church. There is not room for everyone at one time so the church has two services. When we first started going in August 2003, we attended the early morning service. It bothered us that each week we were treated as special guests and escorted to the front row while older people were not allowed to sit there. Sunday after Sunday the ushers insisted that we sit in the special place, the front row. At Christmas, the minister insisted that we sing with a group during the Christmas program. We did.

	After that, they began to treat us a little more like regular folks. Maybe after hearing us sing they knew we were not so special after all. One Sunday, during the winter break, we went to the afternoon service. It seemed like the afternoon crowd treated us like regular members. We were not taken to the front. Billy now sits with the men and Vickie sits nearby in the women’s section. There is usually someone near us who will help us find the hymn number. We have special “pinyin” (Romanized Chinese) hymnals so we can sing along. Many of the hymns are familiar tunes, and we are enjoying learning some of the more traditional sounding Chinese tunes. After dismissal, people come by to speak and shake hands. With us being the only foreigners in the district, we stand out everywhere we go. It is a good feeling to be able to go to church and to feel like ordinary people. We realize what an important part of “going to church” is just to be part of the congregation. The informal part of being at church when people smile and speak and shake hands is an important part of being there for us.

	It is much more difficult than we realized not to understand the sermon. This is a part of worship that we both truly miss. This past Sunday, our college student friend went to early church. She wrote the hymn numbers, the Scripture, and a brief outline of the sermon. By her doing that, we were able to read and study the scripture during the sermon, but it still is not the same as hearing the Word preached in our native language.		Billy and Vickie at Stone Forest during the winter teachers conference.

	It was very interesting to see the different way the Chinese celebrate Christmas. With Easter coming, we are eager to see the Chinese style of celebrating Easter. Please continue to pray for our students, for the Chinese Christian Church, and for us. In Christian love, Billy and Vickie See Fuyang, Anhui, PRC

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