May 1, 2004

Nimen Hao,

We hope spring is bringing you joy and happiness as nature and life begins anew. Fuyang Teachers College is in bloom now with many varieties and colors of roses. It is much more beautiful now than when we arrived in the fading season of August last year.

The Easter season was a nice experience. On Palm Sunday, we were in Huangshan for a provincial teachers’ conference so we attended church with our Swedish host, Anders Ahlenius. The songs at the Huangshan church were all tunes that we recognized. The minister and the song leader spoke enough English to tell us the hymn and scripture numbers so we could follow along.

Many friends have written to ask us about SARS and our feelings. There has been a case of a death due to SARS in Hefei, Anhui. Hefei is the provincial capital. It was reported that a medical student in Hefei had been researching SARS. In the process, she contracted the disease. Her mother came to care for her, became sick herself, and eventually died. There have been a few changes on the campus due to precautions taken against SARS. Here at our college, security has tightened at the gates of entry. Now, the guards have locked all but one gate for entrance. Students and staff must show their college ID. The college is not allowing people to pass through for short cuts. At this point, there seems to be no threat of outbreak compared to last year. It appears that the Chinese learned from their mistakes.

Please continue to pray for us, our students, and our families and friends at home.

Peace,

Vickie and Billy See