My recent updates and prayer requests---from a letter to my Christian mentors.

Dear family in Christ,

How are you? There have been a lot of things happened in your life, I miss you two so much! There were A LOT of things going on in my life, too. Finally I got time and mood to sit down and write you a long letter. I am sorry that I did not do it earlier.

I will not be an assistant speech pathologist in the Hidden Treasures Home, but I will be a special education teacher and self-study Speech Therapy in my free time! This is because the ONLY speech pathologist in the orphanage is the female director, and she is super busy: the leader, mother of eight children, and she is pursuing her doctor degree. Thus, she will provide me materials to study, and I can ask questions when she is available. When she told me this, I was a bit confused. Is this G0d’s will? I kept asking myself. I think I have excluded that HE wants me to do special education, so I applied for speech pathology last year. I don’t know. But up till now, I LOVE working in that BIG Christian Family. And working with those special-needs children MAY add to my future career if I want to be a speech pathologist. I DON’T KNOW. Why HE doesn't show me his purpose clearer? It is like HE put something that I have thought that is not his Purpose to my life again. A detour?

The three girls’ journey at my home was great! My parents love them and miss them. What amazed me most was that, we got to SHARE our faith with my parents! Oh, my Lord, you are so amazing! My parents asked them why they came to China, and why they want to volunteer. They said it is because of their FATHER. As the translator, I was bold enough to share my faith with them too. It was my first time. And I got to know my parents more. It turned out that my mom is a woman with compassion, too. She LOVES to help others. But she told us that this can only be a habit. “We still need to survive, to earn bread.” (As a talented tailor, she only earns 10-20RMB a day just because she doesn't want to charge those poor people). My father is so hardworking and loving. He kept saying: “your faith is so much better than our faith. We pray because we want to get something. But you pray for other people’s sake.” I wept again and again that night. I thank G--------d that I have these awesome parents. I pray hard that they can be saved SOON. They need HIM!!!

As for my father’s sickness and my salary, one night I told my parents and the three girls that I will earn 2500RMB a month there, no national holidays, no bonus, neither insurance. My mom said nothing but signed. Later, she pulled out my Dad’s X-ray picture, showed it to my friends and me. She said: “It is not because I am greedy that I want her to get a better job and earn more. We need money. Her dad is diagnosed with severe cervical spondylotic myelopathy and he needs surgery sooner or later. But he is the only source of income and when he does the surgery, he won’t be able to work for at least half a year. And if anything worse happens, we don’t know what to do. I cried again. It seems like I work so hard for the needed people, but I forgot my parents…who is also in need.

Oh, this is indeed a LONG email. How I miss the days when I sit in front of you and shared my feelings and doubts. I miss you. But we all need to move on. I am so thankful that G---d is with me from the beginning to the end. I wish all is well, and pls keep in touch with me!!!

BTW, CAN I HAVE YOUR BREAD RECIPE? I want to make nutritious bread for my parents. I have got an oven!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

JOJO

p.s. I got a rejection letter from NYU last Friday. And another rej letter from Peking University is probably on its way. :(((((