December 2000

Dear Friends,

Get up, take the child…to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you… (Matt. 2:13).

At Christmastime it is good to remember that, regardless of where we find ourselves on our human journey, God has left footprints for us to follow.

The last 11 months have been quite full for us (as they are for any new parents), but some days it seems that raising our baby in a second culture is a lot more than we bargained for. Since the beginning of Advent, I’ve found special comfort and encouragement in several of the familiar Bible passages related to the birth of Jesus— but especially in the idea that Mary and Joseph must have known something about what it was like to be new parents in a place far from home.

From time to time, Mary must have wished she could have been within easy reach of her own mother’s help or advice. I know that especially when Ben has been sick, the stress of figuring out how to care for him has made me yearn for the familiar reassurance of home. And maybe Joseph—like John—also had days when the challenge of dealing with a new language and new customs on top of learning how to be a good father seemed more than a little overwhelming. I have a feeling if they could sit down together, the two of
them would have a lot to talk about! What did Mary and Joseph do, I wonder, when the advice of their well-meaning Egyptian neighbors was completely different from everything they had been taught to do for a child? Just how did those Jewish parents go about raising their firstborn child in Egypt?

The Bible doesn’t tell us. We don’t get any details about what they faced in Egypt or how they managed. We’re only told that God was leading them, and they were listening. "Get up!" God said, and they went. There are days when it is truly a joy and an adventure to be living here in China working with wonderful students and our friends at Amity. But on the days when it’s not so easy, it helps to remember God’s words to Mary and Joseph: "Remain there until I tell you." Or, in other words, "Just hang in there, and rely on Me".

When they arrived in Egypt, the reason for being there was clear enough—a murderous tyrant was after their child. But as time went on, it may be that they occasionally wondered, "Just what are we doing here and what does it all mean?" According to Matthew, their sojourn with the Egyptians was somehow all part of God’s mysterious plan for Jesus. Hundreds of years earlier, it had been foretold that God’s "son" would be "called out of Egypt"—a land not known for its hospitality to the Jews—and that this promised one would finally
overcome the forces of hatred and enmity with the irresistible force of God’s divine Love.

Maybe Mary and Joseph understood all that, or perhaps, like us, they had to be content with just enough understanding and faith to help them through each day. I expect they did their best to be good parents and good cross-cultural neighbors, and that their days were spent on countless acts of kindness and responsibility most of which may have seemed fairly trivial to them. They knew they were part of something unique in the history of God ’s relationship to the world, but that didn’t mean that they understood every little piece of the puzzle.

Christmas reminds us that as followers of Christ we are all part of something unique in the history of God’s relationship to the world. Sometimes we are given a glimpse of the eternal significance of our particular situation, but most of the time, we are simply called to listen and obey. For each person, the call may be different: "Get up!" "Remain!" "Return!" But during this Advent season we pray for you and for ourselves the grace to hear God’s Word and follow.

Update from John:

A special Merry Christmas to all of our sponsors back home in the States. I had the rare privilege last month of crossing paths with a member of one of our sponsoring churches: Ruth Berry from Second Presbytery in Lexington, Kentucky, came through Nanjing as part of a group of ministers and healthcare professionals touring some parts of China. She came bearing gifts for us from her church, and especially from the Women’s Tuesday Study/Book Group. I appreciated the chance to become a little more acquainted with Ruth.

Here is an outline of my recent activities: I am continuing in my full-time language study. This is my second and final year, after which I’ll be working in the offices of the Amity Foundation. But even as I continue as a student, I’m already beginning to take on some responsibilities in the education division of Amity. Amity’s Nanjing staff is all Chinese. Our presence represents the first time for non-Chinese to work in the role of assistants at Amity’s headquarters on a regular basis. So far, I’ve mostly been called upon to lend a hand doing revisions and editing of English-language publications, namely, proposals for new projects, Amity’s fall update, and an alumni newsletter for past Amity teachers. I have also provided narration for three videos now, one of which, a general overview of the church in China, was being recorded in English to be shown at the annual evangelism conference in Amsterdam. Another, entitled "Salt and Light," is a video about a hospital in northern China that was founded by a Chinese Christian, is staffed entirely by Christians, and has had a powerful witness in that region. Lastly, I’ll mention that next summer at Amity’s Nantong Orientation Conference I will be acting as Activities Director. A very merry and blessed Christmas to everyone at the PC(USA) headquarters, and to all our loved ones sprinkled throughout the country. May the New Year bring a new and lasting peace to our broken, fallen world. Pray for us here in China, that God may make us instruments of that peace.

Update from Kim

With 12 classes per week and more than 200 students, teaching alone would be enough to keep me on my toes, but that has felt like just the tip of the iceberg this term!

Like John, my responsibilities in the education division of Amity are growing. I spend every Monday in the office helping my colleague Liu Ru Hong plan for Amity’s Nantong Orientation Conference. This is a three-week program held annually to provide language study, teacher training, and cultural background for new Amity teachers. I’ll be serving as the program director during the summer of 2001.

In addition, I’ve been involved in the following: (1) helping to summarize evaluations and revise teaching materials for Amity’s volunteer summer English program, (2) accompanying my colleague Liu Ru Hong on a weekend trip to visit two of our teachers in Jiangsu Province, and (3) assisting Amity by leading a recent workshop for a weekend "World Teach" conference in Shanghai.

Aside from official responsibilities, we’ve been inviting students to join us for dinner once a week, and that has sharpened my culinary skills—I’ve been thankful for my Aunt Beth’s book of favorite recipes! As Christmas approaches we’re planning to invite students over for open house on several different occasions, so we’ve been decorating like mad, and will soon start baking! The apartment looks beautiful, and we’ve nearly decided we’ll just have to leave it this way all year!

All of this is what I do in addition to being a full-time wife and mommy. The days are packed!

For friends and family, we love and miss you, and for our sponsors, we are deeply grateful for your prayers and support. May God bless all of you with warmth and wonder this Christmas!

Update from Ben

During the last six months we have discovered that Ben has asthma. There is no way to tell at this point if this will be a lifetime condition. Apparently, many children outgrow it, and we hope that will be the case with Ben. In the meantime, however, he has had four different attacks that have caused us to seek professional medical help. One of these occurred during Ruth Berry’s visit to Nanjing, so Ben and I didn’t get a chance to meet her, but she brought Ben a wonderful "Pooh" book, and we appreciate her thoughtfulness. Recently, the children’s hospital here in Nanjing gave us some equipment we could use at home and some medicine we could use on a regular basis.
My mom has also sent a nebulizer from the U.S., which we will have on hand after January. On a day-to-day basis, he is generally fine, but colds can cause him to start wheezing, so we have to be especially careful. We are thankful for the doctors here and thankful for the help from home. Whenever you pray for us, please say a special prayer for Ben’s health.

He looks as strong as a little ox and is growing faster than we can keep him in clothes. At 10 ½ months, he is 30 inches tall and weighs 25 lbs. He has been crawling like a little speed racer since seven months and cruising since nine months. Just in the last few days, I’ve seen him start to let go of things and stand on his own, so walking may be close at hand. He still has blonde hair and beautiful big blue eyes that are a source of utter fascination to most of the Chinese people he meets. He has eight teeth now and a beautiful little smile. We love him dearly and wish we could share him with all of you in person! Again, thank you for your prayers for Ben, and may Christmas joy and blessing fill the lives of all the little ones you love!

John, Kim, and Ben Strong

The 2000 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 162