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

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.

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.

Rachel is taking an individual Art Portfolio class this year. Here is one of her big assignments for this semester. She chose a painting of the Creation. I am so inspired by her talent and diligence.

Each year as Advent begins, I have always wanted to have an Advent Wreath. But Christmas decorations as slim here in China. Maddie and I got creative this year and glued some pinecone tree ornaments to a round piece of red paper. Then we melted taper candles into some tealights to act as candlestick holders. Last we placed the wreath on an unfolded dinner napkin. And here you have it…our homemade Advent Wreath. We are enjoying the nightly reading of Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide for our Advent devotions. (I highly recommend this advent story, which is great for the whole family).

Despite the cold, foggy, gray days of winter, God gave me a small gift. The orchid plant I bought for Rachel on her birthday last July added new growth and a blossom opened the weekend of the Thanksgiving holiday. I can see at least five more buds that should be opened by Christmas. What a beautiful gift!

Our high school choir students made a visit to our school’s new campus to say thank-you to the construction workers. They sang songs and passed out cookies. Rachel and Jessie, as part of the video news club, went as reporters to cover the story. At this point in the construction the men are working 24-hours a day in order to meet the January deadline, so that our school can be ready for students. They come from the countryside and live in tin building shelters with no heat. One of my Chinese co-workers at school said that it means more than we know for our students to come and share holiday spirit with these manual laborers. I’m really thankful Rachel and Jessie were able to take part.