Arriving in Beijing

It's hard to believe that it will be two weeks tomorrow since we arrived in Beijing! Time is flying by! A lot has happened in two weeks...and we're now happy to say that we've moved into an apartment and have been in class and working for almost a week! Class is going well and Hayley is really enjoying the one-on-one approach. The Care for Children staff are great, and have made us both feel really welcome. Aaron has been able to brush up on his Chinese by helping translate for a training that is being held for foster care parents of children with Cerebral Palsy. Hayley sat in on the training after class yesterday, and although she couldn't understand much

of what was going on, we both agree that it was incredible to be a part of. We're joining the staff for a Beijing duck dinner tonight!!

Having blue skies in China are rare, so we feel very blessed to have seen the sun more times than not since our arrival! Our first day was amazing! We tried to lay out by the pool at the villa where we were staying for our first week, but as there is usually a catch to everything in China, we didn't have the right ID cards to get in. We made the most of it anyway by riding bikes and being outside. The villa was out in the country...not something we were used to in China! There were fields and trees and even rows of corn! Hayley's day was made when we found a little flower market on the side of the road that had basil! It's planted on our balcony right now.

After about three days of looking, we found an apartment near Chaoyang park where the beach volleyball matches will be held for the Olympics. It's a great area with tons of fun things to do. It's also within walking distance to Hayley's classes and the BICF (International Fellowship) we've been attending. We've really enjoyed being able to worship with foreigners from all over the world! One of our friends, Phil, from Atlanta is also here working at the U.S. Embassy. It's been fun having a familiar face nearby. We're hoping to get involved in small groups through the BICF soon which will help us meet new friends.

Our apartment is pretty much up and running now that the dryer has been delivered and the Internet is working :) All we're waiting on is the water dispenser. It's always more of a task getting things set up here, but with two trips to Ikea and Carrefour, we're almost there! It's definitely beginning to feel a little like home.

It wouldn't be right for us to be in Beijing and not have seen the Bird's nest. It was quite a site! Now we just need to round up some tickets...

We hope you're doing well, and we'd love to catch up with you soon! Thanks for all the prayers, emails and calls. They have been much appreciated! We look forward to updating you more soon!