Tuesday, June 28, 2011

California - NYC

posted by Alan
Click on pictures to see them full size

As is usual in Shanghai, life never stops moving. As was the case two years ago when we first came here, we never know what's going to happen next here, but we know it's not going to be boring.


Shanghaifellowship.org

About 6 months ago, I was presented with a couple of job opportunities. One of which was presented by my good friend Jeff, who at the time was the Community Life Director at Shanghai Community Fellowship, the largest international church in Shanghai. Since then, he has moved back to California where we will attend his wedding on Saturday and I am now the full time Community Life Director at SCF. My job is to look after over 50 small groups and a community of over 1000 foreigners here in Shanghai that attend our church. Training leaders, coordinating events and building community. This job allows me the flexibility to spend time with Daisy and Janie, affords for Daisy to not have to work, and me to utilize certain gifts that I was blessed with. I'm never less than amazed with how God works things out when we trust Him.



Tonight we leave Shanghai for sunny San Diego for the wedding of our good friends Jeff(Cali) and Helen(Brazil), who met here in Shanghai. It will be a mini-reunion of sorts with over 40 Shanghai people flying over there. On July 5th, we'll head back east to NYC until the 25th to see you all again and so you can play with Janie. Also Daisy's sister giving birth, my cousin Wendy's wedding and picking up new visas. Send either of us an email to make plans. We'd love to see as many of you as possible.

agong029@gmail.com
daisydaze@gmail.com
(if you don't know which email belongs to whom, you probably don't know us well enough to see us anyway)

See you soon!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Summer Plans

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Expat life in Shanghai kind of mirrors the school year. During the summer, most people take time to travel or visit home for an extended amount of time. Then in the fall, everyone returns and a new batch of people arrive and settle in for awhile until Christmastime.

Our summer travel plans are booked. In two weeks, I’ll be travelling to Sichuan province with our church youth group to work with Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild homes in places that were decimated by the 2008 earthquake. A step out of comfy Shanghai and back into real China.

A few days after that, we head to San Diego for the wedding of our friends Jeff and Helen. He’s Chinese-American from Cali and she’s Chinese-Brazilian from Sao Paolo. They met and fell in love in Shanghai. That stuff happens here.

Then on July 5th, it’s back to NYC for a few weeks. Daisy’s sister Cecilia is going to pop out Janie’s first cousin and we’ll also be able to go to my cousin Wendy’s wedding. Lots going on in July and it’s going to be an exhaustingly good time. See you all soon!

Lots of Janie:



Wednesday, June 1, 2011

=)

posted by Alan


Dear God,

Thank you for summertime. =)

Love, Alan