{"id":3955,"date":"2019-03-03T07:10:43","date_gmt":"2019-03-03T07:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/?p=3955"},"modified":"2019-03-03T08:36:23","modified_gmt":"2019-03-03T08:36:23","slug":"family-update-february-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/?p=3955","title":{"rendered":"Family Update \u2013 February 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Donna:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lo and behold,\nFebruary brought to us the Chinese New Year of the Pig. The period leading up\nto this auspicious holiday is definitely the most exciting time of the year for\nthe majority of the population here, as everyone is busy relinquishing their\nworn out possessions, cleaning house and excitedly purchasing new clothes,\nfoodstuffs, flowers  and lucky papers to\nissue in good fortune. Millions of people are crisscrossing the country on high\nspeed trains, planes and private cars to reunite with family for the New Year\u2019s\nEve dinner and TV gala! We had the privilege of participating in the annual\ndinner with Emanuel and Mandy\u2019s family, which included Mandy\u2019s parents from\nShanghai! They prepared the traditional dumplings and fish and an amazing\nassortment of culinary delights! What a feast! Welcome 2019 once again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flowery Chinese New Year <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Home-made dumplings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the 24th<\/sup>,\nwe set off for Sanya, the southern tip of the country! Before the short winter\nended, we decided to take advantage of the fresh air and beauty of the island.\nIt just so happens that the day after arrival, I decided to take a swim, an\nactivity which I believed to be advantageous to my precarious knee situation.\nWell, it just so happened that the knee dislocated once again, leaving a very\npainful and swollen joint. With some pain killers, anti-inflammatory meds and\nsome TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) I got thru the acute phase and am now\npresently in the phase of immobilization and rest. For me, the hardest thing is\nto get thru the pain, and to mentalize myself that pain is actually a blessing…  Maybe I need to slow down and listen more. As\nC S Lewis puts it : \u201dPain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in\nour pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, there\nis a condition named Congenital Analgesia, where people do not feel physical\npain at all. This may sound wonderful, however the downsides of this are quite\nsevere. If you do not feel pain, you may not get the treatment your body needs\nor you may ignore a potentially life threatening injury as there is no sense of\nurgency through the sensation of pain.  I\nrecognize that if my joint was not painful, I would probably be limping around\non the swollen knee eager to get things done, thus hampering the recovery\nprocess.  So even though God may be using\npain to get me to stop, look and listen, He is still the source of all\ncomfort.\u201d Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of\nmercies and God of comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may\nbe able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we\nourselves are comforted of God.” 2Cor 1:3,4.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our trip was\ntouched by seeing old friends in the housing estate, who remembered us from so\nmany years back. A special lunch was held with our good friends, the Fu family\nand the Chan family the ones who led us to our current abode in Nan Shan. So,\nall is well that ends well! Let us cherish each and every moment, as we don\u2019t\nknow what God has in store for us tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Donna’s Knee: Assistance from our friend Wei Hong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Jason helping out with borrowed wheelchair.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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With friends around trials are easier to overcome<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We are glad to report that other members of our family are healthy and are doing well. We are thankful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Philip and Zach in Seattle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Gloria in Portugal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bel Bel in Macau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not least, we had a wonderful time of fellowship and Bible reading, with Chinese hymn songs and prayer, at our own home, along with our long-time friend, Wei Hong. She has an amazing ‘after-death’ experience, after a car crash many years ago. She knows the spirit world is real and she loves Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sharing the Word with Wei Hong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And, finally, just a few images from the garden estate here in Hainan, near Ya Cheng Village, where we are spending 10 days:<\/p>\n\n\n\n