Over the past six months work has been steadily progressing at our new campus. Now our combined Christmas and Chinese New Year break is here and it’s time to move. Our school has been in its current building for over 10 years…so the move is bitter sweet to many. All the staff on our team have been given assignments to help with the moving process. Our family volunteered to pack the library. The girls and Sean (with the generous help of our guest, Christine Orsini) did an amazing job on their first day of packing!

Empty book shelves

Our final exams are FINALLY over! It is such a relief to wake up in the morning and know that you don’t have to rush off to school or to pleasantly realize that for the next four weeks you have break! However it is not all fun and play; during this break our school is moving to a new campus (what a job!). To pull it all off schedules were made and we were “drafted” onto work lists to pack, unpack, clean, and all the other jobs included in a move. My dad volunteered to pack the library (because he has no classroom to pack). So, of course, if he signs up we are automatically “on the list” as well. Though some may think of this as a spoiler to their break, I am actually enjoying the work of packing Library books. We have the Library all to ourselves and we can listen to music or audio books as we pack. Additionally I always enjoy jobs where your progress is visually measurable. In two days we have already packed almost the whole Library and it is so satisfying for me to see all the boxes of books being slowly stacked and creating “walls” in the Library. Over this break I am expecting some work cut out for me in the packing business, but I am joyfully looking forward to peaceful hours packing and stacking.

Our final exams are FINALLY over! It is such a relief to wake up in the morning and know that you don’t have to rush off to school or to pleasantly realize that for the next four weeks you have break! However it is not all fun and play; during this break our school is moving to a new campus (what a job!). To pull it all off schedules were made and we were “drafted” onto work lists to pack, unpack, clean, and all the other jobs included in a move. My dad volunteered to pack the library (because he has no classroom to pack). So, of course, if he signs up we are automatically “on the list” as well. Though some may think of this as a spoiler to their break, I am actually enjoying the work of packing Library books. We have the Library all to ourselves and we can listen to music or audio books as we pack. Additionally I always enjoy jobs where your progress is visually measurable. In two days we have already packed almost the whole Library and it is so satisfying for me to see all the boxes of books being slowly stacked and creating “walls” in the Library. Over this break I am expecting some work cut out for me in the packing business, but I am joyfully looking forward to peaceful hours packing and stacking.

We are so excited about the increasing impact our company is having here as we provide basic training and materials to fellowships.  Here’s an update:

From the Headrick family…we wish you a Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year

Michael finished his first semester at Hong Kong University this week and returned home for his Christmas break. All of us are so excited to have him home with us for one month. He will return for his second semester on January 13th.

At the beginning of this year teachers at our school encouraged students to start and be a part of a small group. After a powerful and moving time at Fall camp (a retreat for all the high school students each September) many students were seeking a place that they could grow in their faith and fellowship with others. I really felt called at that time to start a small group of my own because I had such a fun time doing one with Rachel last year! So I asked around and though only 3 out of the 6 girls that I asked actually had the time to do it, I was very happy that God had given me the opportunity to lead a small group. I have realized over the course of our gatherings how important it is to have a time and a place for Christian fellowship. It is so rare out side of small group opportunities that you really get to share about your faith and how you are feeling with others your age. One girl, a new student to my grade, had quickly become a close friend of mine at the beginning of the year and though I knew she was not yet a Christian, she was openly curious and seeking. She told me later that she had been moved both at Fall Camp and at Vida, a spiritual retreat, but she wanted to learn more about Christianity before she committed to anything. She has such an open heart and I am so encouraged in the fact that each time we meet she shares how surprised she is at different aspects of Christianity, like how God shows no favoritism and how He accepts everyone. I have had a wonderful time learning about God through the girls in my Bible study as well as leading the group in discussions. Most of all, I have learned the importnace of friendship and fellowship in my walk with Christ!

At the beginning of this year teachers at our school encouraged students to start and be a part of a small group. After a powerful and moving time at Fall camp (a retreat for all the high school students each September) many students were seeking a place that they could grow in their faith and fellowship with others. I really felt called at that time to start a small group of my own because I had such a fun time doing one with Rachel last year! So I asked around and though only 3 out of the 6 girls that I asked actually had the time to do it, I was very happy that God had given me the opportunity to lead a small group. I have realized over the course of our gatherings how important it is to have a time and a place for Christian fellowship. It is so rare out side of small group opportunities that you really get to share about your faith and how you are feeling with others your age. One girl, a new student to my grade, had quickly become a close friend of mine at the beginning of the year and though I knew she was not yet a Christian, she was openly curious and seeking. She told me later that she had been moved both at Fall Camp and at Vida, a spiritual retreat, but she wanted to learn more about Christianity before she committed to anything. She has such an open heart and I am so encouraged in the fact that each time we meet she shares how surprised she is at different aspects of Christianity, like how God shows no favoritism and how He accepts everyone. I have had a wonderful time learning about God through the girls in my Bible study as well as leading the group in discussions. Most of all, I have learned the importnace of friendship and fellowship in my walk with Christ!

My Malaysian friend, Hephzibah, asked me to show her how to make homemade dinner rolls. Together we decided to invite a few other friends over for a baking gathering. Two other 8th grade moms also came, (not pictured) one from Japan and another from Malaysia. The young lady from Vietnam just became a Christian last May. This will be her first time to ever celebrate Christmas in her life! She grew up Buddhist. I cannot imagine NEVER having celebrated Christmas. Her love for the Lord was so vibrant.

We enjoyed lunch together of broccoli soup and the dinner rolls we made, along with some yummy sugar cookies (Sean’s Grandma Hazel’s recipe).

Ladies below are from Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, US (me), and Singapore.