We had a good meeting today. There were 6 visitors, giving us a total of 10 people. Our numbers are slowly decreasing as people begin to buckle down for finals. I already have notice that next week we'll lose at least two people due to exams and traveling. It's okay though. We only have 3 meetings left before they come to an end, so I'm not too disappointed that our numbers are going to start trickling off to nothing. Perhaps it's better this way.
There's always some difficulty with leaving the mission field. No matter how much work you do, there's always a sense that there's more to do. It's especially true when the number of workers is only about 4 and the number of unbelievers is well into the millions. Sometimes I even wonder if we've made a dent in the number of unbelievers on this campus. That is a question that I'll have to ask God one day. This is one location where we have yet to see the results of all of our sowing and watering. It's okay though. The word has been taught in this city. I can say that for sure.
We're definitely leaving this place with no regrets. The biggest concern we have now is re-entry in America. It's very difficult dealing with reverse culture shock. We didn't handle it too well the first time we returned home. We had no one to really debrief with and we didn't get any sort of special counseling to help us adjust. This time, we bought a book that is specially for missionaries who are returning home. We're going to slowly work through it and try to conquer some of the problems we have now before we return home. I'm hopeful that it will work out. I've also learned that there are some places that allow missionaries to come and stay for free for a short period of time while they readjust to the new culture. It's sort of like a week of counseling, renewal, prayer, and just refocusing on what it is God wants you to do. I'm looking into this option as well. I don't know if we'll do it, but it is something I'm seriously thinking about.
We had some more bad news last week. There were 2 more deaths. Condolences go out to the Kane and Bell families on the death of T. Kane. He was a good man and really too young to leave this world as he did. I'll definitely miss him and I know his friends and family members will too. Condolences also go out to the Whitfield, Miles, and Wright families as they deal with the passing of Mr. Whitfield. He was the grandfather of my sister-in-law.
I have a theory that deaths happen in threes, and so far, this has proven to be true. I'm hoping that one day I'll see this cycle broken. One death is more than enough for anyone to bear. It is really painful when a community of people has to suffer 3 deaths from people they know and love. Please pray for everyone you know who has lost a loved one recently.
I finally completed my second set of medical exams. My class had a little over 2,700 people in it. Out of that number, only 7 people got an A. I was not one of those people, however, I'm quite ecstatic with my B. I thought my score was going to be much worse since I completely drew a blank on one of the exams. On July 1, I will officially be a registered medical doctor in the field of Alternative Medicine. Though I can't practice medicine in America because they don't accept alternative medicine doctors as legitimate, I can still practice in many other countries if I choose. I could register as a drugless doctor or a holistic doctor in America, but I'm not sure I want to deal with the hassle. If you haven't checked on the requirements for practicing medicine in America, you're missing out on a whole lot of confusion, ambiguity, and weirdness when it comes to what's allowed and what's not. For now, I'm quite happy to keep my knowledge in the family until I complete further studies. Who knows, maybe a move to a more alt med friendly country is in my future. We'll see where God leads.
On a good note (yes, I'm a little late, but it's okay), congratulations to my nephew and niece for graduating. I know their dad was super happy about it. I wish I could be there to see it. Not many folks in my family graduate from university, so it's great that they got to do it. I wish them both much success in their future.
We're expecting our friend, Darren, to arrive on Thursday of this week. He'll stay until Sunday. We've planned one or two fun things. Who knows if our plans will work out or not.
I'm still trying to find someone to buy my e-bike. I need to sell it within the next 2 weeks. We're running out of time. I need some takers soon. Please pray about it. Leaving it without an owner would be the same as taking your new car in America and just dropping it off in an alley and leaving it. I hate to do that with a vehicle. Even if I can't find someone to buy it, maybe God can lead me to someone who really needs it. Then I can just give it to them. Whatever the case, I want to leave it in good hands. Though we really need the money from selling it, I won't be sad if I have to give it to someone in need.
Okay, well, it's late and I need to sleep. I've got a busy day tomorrow of sitting at the bank for 2-3 hours trying to pay bills. It's going to take 2 students and a special bilingual banker to help me get it all done. Yay.... I love banking in China...NOT!