Catching up with Logan

I had the pleasant surprise of being met at the airport by not only my parents (and Larry and Paulette Tucker, who were gracious to chauffeur us around), but also my sister Elizabeth and nephew Logan. You may remember that Logan was only about three weeks old when I left America last summer. It has been fun to watch him grow and change on the web cam this year, but of course nothing really compares to getting to see him in person. I didn’t know that they would be able to come to the airport, but I was REALLY excited to see them there. Logan is so cute and happy and lovable!!  These are some pictures with Logan taken over a few days after I got back.  


In the van on the way home from the airport…


On the swings at the park


Playing on the slide together


Logan and granddaddy riding the lawn mower


Liz and Logan

Moving

We’re planning to be back in the US for at least a year, and if and when we return to East Asia, we will most likely not be in the same place where we were previously assigned. Knowing that information led us to the somewhat difficult but necessary decision to either sell or move all of our belongings. I don’t know of anyone who enjoys moving, and this was a somewhat stressful time for us. The Lord was gracious to us though, as always, and allowed us to get everything done before we left… even in spite of me severely spraining my ankle three days before we left. We had very mixed emotions as we left. We were very excited about getting back to the US and seeing our families (AND GETTING MARRIED!!!, which we are still very excited about), and yet sad about leaving a place and friends that we love very much and also consider our home. I have some great pictures with friends, but I won't post those in the interest of security.

Those of you who know me well know that I can be a little bit of a neat freak… you can imagine how I was feeling around the time I took these pictures of the moving/packing chaos :)

More Engagement Pictures...

These are some pictures that our friend Lee Ann took for us at a park in our city (We are very grateful!!).  Okay, there are really a lot more than this, but I look goofy in some of them and I don't want to embarass Wendy by posting pictures of her fiance looking goofy online :)

Earthquake Pictures

It’s been a while now since I first traveled to Sichuan to work with victims of the May 12 earthquake. In fact, I feel like I am worlds away right now. The past month has been filled with change and transition, and I am feeling overwhelmed in a different way now  I am finally somewhat “adjusted” to being back in the States and wanted to take a minute to post some of the pictures that I took when I was in the earthquake affected areas last month. Please continue to pray for the victims of this earthquake. I read in a recent article that 2 million people are now displaced and jobless, parents are still mourning the loss of children and families are trying to pick up the pieces of what remains. Pray that the Gospel would reach many of these people, and that the Lord would reveal Himself to people in this area in such a way that they could no longer deny His existence, sovereignty and love for them. Pray especially that many would come to KNOW Him and come to have a personal relationship with Him.



This picture is from a park beside the complex where we stayed for a couple of nights in Chengdu. Although there was not widespread visible exterior damage in Chengdu, many people were afraid to return to their homes. This fear was compounded by frequent news reports forecasting future earthquakes and aftershocks.  



A group from a new refugee camp that was ecstatic to see us, and eager to talk about their experiences in the quake.  



Andy and I with a local high school student who spoke great English.  



A building collapsed on top on this huge dump truck.



More collapsed buildings…



Me with some of the kids from the camp where we spent the night  



Andy holding woks that we bought to donate to the refugee camp

Earthquake

I will try to post a more detailed update about life here soon, but for now, I wanted you all to know that I was not in the area that was most severely affected by the May 12 earthquake in China. I am safe and sound, and there is no damage where I am. The people I know in the affected area are mostly just very shaken up, and some have minor damage in their apartments. No one I know was injured in the earthquake.

Please pray for the many people who remained trapped under buildings in remote areas, the thousands who are seriously injured, and the families who have lost loved ones (especially including the parents of many school aged children who died when their schools collapsed). Pray that the Lord will use this terrible tragedy to call many people to come to know Him as their personal Lord and Savior. And finally, praise the Lord for the Chinese government's swift and open response to this crisis. In sharp contrast to the government response to the recent cyclone disaster in Burma, the Chinese government's rapid response and openess to outside help in this situation will undoubtedly save lives.

Thanks again SO MUCH for praying. More updates soon.

Brian

P.S. You can follow constantly updated reports on the China earthquake by checking out the following sites (these are the ones I use, in this order):

BBC Asia Pacific

CNN

MSNBC

Jesse and Michael in East Asia

One of the most fun things that has happened around here lately was a visit from my best friends from Rocky Mount. Jesse and Michael came over on a vision trip a couple of weeks ago, and it was amazing to finally get to hang out with them on this side of the world. They were part of a large group that came over from the US to visit and encourage us, and I for one was really encouraged by them. Not only was it fun to hang out with these guys, but it was also fun to see them jump into the culture, try new things, and really embrace the people we work with. I’ll post some pictures below, and you can also check out some of their pictures by clicking here.


The group together after a debriefing time


The three of us on a big wall


Jesse masters the art of using chopsticks
(his other  goal was to become fluent in the language during the week)


Michael takes a minute to take a picture while leading games at a school for underprivileged kids


Hanging out with Wendy after a long day


The guys on campus after eating "hot pot" with one of our national friends


The three of us in my city

I'M ENGAGED!

I introduced you to Wendy in my last blog update, and I'm happy to report that we got engaged while we were in Thailand!  We are both really excited about our future together, and SO GRATEFUL for those of you who have been sending encouraging emails and praying for us.  Many of you have asked for more details, so I'm posting the story of how I asked Wendy to marry me below.

...The Story ...
(more pictures below)

Originally, I was not planning to ask Wendy to marry me in Thailand. A lot of people I know have gotten engaged there, and it seemed pretty expected to me. I like surprises. And I really like to give Wendy surprises. I was pretty settled on that until my little sister (who has been married almost five years) pointed out that in twenty years, I wouldn't remember that a lot of my friends got engaged in Thailand. I'd just remember that we got engaged in a really beautiful tropical paradise. I've always hated it when Liz is right.

My mom has been a big fan of me and Wendy getting together for a long time now. Sometimes I have not immediately shared information with her about our relationship because I knew how excited she would get, and I did not want to unnecessarily give her a heart attack. I would have liked for our engagement to be a surprise to her (only because I already knew that she would be thrilled). But mom also has a part-time job at a jewerly store, and was going to need some help buying some jewerly. I thought about this for a couple of days after I talked to my sister about Thailand and then decided I had to talk to her. She was ecstatic of course, and a big help in getting Wendy a great ring along with her manager Tamara Newman and Sharon Dees.

Our friend Joo was coming to Thailand to vacation with his girlfriend Ashley, and he was about the only way that the ring was going to get from North Carolina to Thailand. I am very grateful to him for being the "diamond carrier" as he was later called.

Before we started vacation, I had already decided that I wanted to propose at night on the beach. I had a rough idea about what that might look like, but I had never actually been to the beach where we were going (Ao Nang Beach, Krabi Province). I bought A LOT of candles at a department store in Chiang Mai because I wasn't sure what would be available at the beach.

The morning of our first full day there, Graham and I decided to try to go scope out possible locations. We met "to go running" at 6:45AM. After a couple of ideas didn't work out, we found this little pennisula at the end of the beach where we were staying. We decided that it was the best place in the area. Then we worked out a plan for Graham and his wife Ashlei to go ahead of us that night and set everything up.

That night, we all went out to dinner to celebrate Dennis Baker's birthday. To stall for time while Graham and Ashlei were setting things up, Wendy and I took our laundry to a little shop. Then I asked her to take a walk on the beach with me. Graham called twice while we were walking (I didn't answer, but that was our signal that he needed more time for setup). It took about 25 minutes to get to the end of the beach from our hotel. When we got there, everything was dark except for the candles. I told Wendy I had gotten a Graham to help out with a little date for us. Along with the candles, there was a blanket, desserts, drinks and my iPod (w/portable speakers). One of our favorite musicians is Chris Botti (sax) and I played that while we had dessert.

It was a really clear night, and when we finished eating, we just talked and looked at the stars for a while. Then I told her that I had a little present for her. I pulled out a (wrapped) wooden box with the Chinese character for love carved on the top. She was pretty happy when she unwrapped it because she had been wanting a box made out of that kind of wood (here it is just called "ancient wood" but it is a certain kind of wood that is found in river beds in Sichuan province, and is petrified). She just held it for a minute, and then I told her there was something else in the box. When she opened it, I took the ring box and opened it, and told her that I loved her and asked her to marry me. And she said YES!

After that, we sat and talked more and listened to more music (Michael Buble I think?) and then we walked back to the hotel. We talked to Graham and Ashlei who had been waiting up for us and then our immediate families and I finally got to sleep around 2AM (LONNNNG DAY!).

We just got home from vacation a couple of days ago, and we had decided to not start any serious wedding planning before we got home. Being engaged has been really fun for us, and now starting to think about wedding and future plans is exciting too.

Again, we are so thankful for friends who have encouraged us and prayed for us, and we greatly appreciate (and NEED) your continued prayers as we look to Him to guide our future together.




This is the beach where we got engaged
(picture taken at sunrise)


This is the beach in front of our hotel at sunset


THE RING!

Mid Year Conferences

We were in Thailand for almost two weeks for conferences and development classes. I was blessed to get to take part in two conferences... one was for our first and second year interns and the other was for all staff from our country.

Intern Conference

The intern conference was a time of refreshing for me. I always enjoy getting to be around the interns. Most of them are fresh out of college, and their excitement and enthusiasm, as I have mentioned in previous posts and letters, is contagious. This was a smaller conference, and it was good to hear personal stories about how the Lord has been at work in the lives of these interns and in the lives of students on the campuses where they serve. It has truly been a blessing for me to serve with these young men and women this year.

All Staff Conference

This conference was also a time of being refreshed, but in a different way. The blessings from this conference came in several areas:

1. Worshipping Openly: For some of us, this is the only time of the year that we can freely gather and worship together. A band from the Philippines led worship for the conference. I was constantly amazed to look around me and see all of these people worshipping together.



2. Connecting with old friends: The theme of the conference this year was “One Family”, and it really does feel like a family here. This conference gave us the opportunity to connect with some people whom we don’t see very often, but have come to love very much.

One of my favorite connections this year was with a Korean who was on my campus my first year here. I had not seen him since that year, and this year I got to reconnect with him and meet his wife. For those of you who have been around since the beginning (’02), you might remember me writing about this guy…well, I think I remember writing about him. I didn’t know for sure that he was working with us for the first month we were in class together because Koreans were on a separate team (they didn’t speak English). For the first month of class, neither one of us spoke the language here either. I knew he was a believer because he would hold his Bible under his desk and read it during class breaks. For that month, we could basically only communicate using charades and laughter. We laughed A LOT. Now we both communicate much more easily in the language here, so it was especially cool to get to understand each other almost fully when we saw each other this year.

3. Getting the Big Picture: It’s often difficult to see how things are going down in the trenches. This was a time to get a bird’s eye view from our leadership of how things have been going, and also to hear in person the direction that those leaders believe the Lord is leading us in as a ministry

Development Class





I served as the Teaching Assistant for a class called Transforming Cities. The class was taught by Dr. Eric Swanson (co-author of The Externally Focused Church and Living a Life on Loan). I REALLY liked this class, but I won’t go into too many details here. If the class title interests you, you can find out more information from the following links:

Eric’s blog: www.ericswanson.blogspot.com

The Externally Focused Church

Externally Focused Church Conference ‘08

Second Half of the Semester, Part I

Catching up

Friend, I hope that you had a good Christmas season. I pray that the Savior’s birth was REAL to you, and central to your celebration. He continues to bless me so richly with His goodness and mercy, and I hope that you are experiencing His blessings as well.

Most of you probably know how good intentions work. I’ve had good intentions to update this blog for well over a month now. The month before Christmas is usually one of the busiest times of the year. It is such a great window of time to get to share the true story of Who Christ really is through Christmas parties and outreach events. After Thanksgiving, we hosted a vision trip from the US (you can read more about that below) and then jumped right in to the Christmas season. With those events winding down and students starting to get ready for exams, I’ve had a little extra time over the past couple of days and want to fill you in on all that has been happening here. I have included a lot of pictures to try to make it a little more interesting.

I would like for you to meet...

One of the best things that has happened to me personally this semester is my relationship with Wendy. We met for the first time I came here in March 2002, and we were on the same team my first year here. We have been dating since the beginning of September ‘07. She is a very special young woman and you will probably hear a lot more about her in future updates, so I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to her. Wendy graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2001, and she came here right after she graduated (so she has been here one year longer than me). She is originally from the small town of Hildebran, NC, which is near Hickory.

Brian and Wendy, Christmas 2007

Around Town

A few days ago, Wendy and I took a stroll around our little area of town and took some pictures along the way. It seems like everything is under construction around here! Many of the roads have recently been changed to “one way” to try to help with traffic congestion, which has gotten exponentially worse every year that I have been here. Our city is also a pretty popular tourist destination with the natives of this country, so the city is always constructing new parks etc. to try to make the city look more “green”. Here are a few pictures from our little adventure.

Workers fixing the road and sidewalk near a new foot bridge

Different view of the foot bridge construction area

The newly installed lane barrier isn't working so well for pedestrian traffic

This sign means "Pay attention to safety"


This guy, working approximately 200 feet from the above safety sign, did not give me the impression that he was paying attention to safety (I think that is cardboard that he is using to shield his face as he welds the pole)


New park being constructed a few blocks from my apartment


Bikes (and electric bikes, right) are still probably the most popular form of transportation


Parents waiting to pick their kids up from a nearby middle school


A sod truck rolls down one of the main streets and workers hop off to plant the grass in the median


The one way streets are not completely solving the congestion problem
(It really is one way, far left is the bus lane)


Another new foot bridge near my apartment. Very badly needed as you can see.

* * * Christmas * * *

Christmas was really fun this year! I celebrated Christmas with Wendy’s team, which was smaller than usual because the director and his wife were back in Canada expecting their first child (who was actually born on Christmas day). On Christmas Eve, the five of us ate turkey, green bean casserole (one of my favorite dishes), broccoli, and mashed potatoes. One of the girls made a caramel iced pound cake for dessert. After dinner, we read the Christmas story, made a funny video of ourselves and watched “Elf”. We opened presents together at my apartment on Christmas morning and then had a big breakfast together. That afternoon, the crew watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” while Wendy and I worked on Christmas dinner. We had invited another team in the city to eat dinner with us, and we made chili and twice baked potatoes.

Wendy's team: (Left to right) Wendy, Leeann, Ashley, and Lance in the back

Lance, Wendy and Ashley making breakfast

Lance, holding or wearing all of his Christmas presents. The water gun is from me. Hope I don't regret that later :)


Me with the presents. THANKS SO MUCH to everyone who sent presents and packages!!!!!!


Leeann, Lance and Ashley (sleepily) watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas afternoon

The Christmas night crowd

Anita (mom) and "Callie Noel", born December 25, 2007
(Edmonton, Alberta)