Sorry about the late posting following the earthquake and all of the events. It has been a little crazy here and we have been very busy. The earthquake took place 300 miles to our north, but I was still able to feel it in our 5th floor apartment. I did not know what it was exactly as we often feel shaking from dynamite blasts at the nearby mines, but this was different. It started shaking the couch I was sitting on and continued, making my head hurt. I went to the window to check if the building was shaking, but it wasn't so I returned and it was still shaking (maybe a minute or so it all), then stopped and I thought nothing of it until my mom called later that day wondering if we were okay from the earthquake. What earthquake I thought immediately and then it all made sense and we checked online. Patty was outside and saw the water in the pool swirling and making huge waves on a calm day, but there was no impact in Anshun besides the general sense of uneasiness, fear and unknown. Many students did not sleep the next couple nights as they were afraid of aftershocks, and last night (a week after the earthquake), we awoke to thousands of students outside our window at 2am, again afraid of a powerful aftershock. It has really shaken many of their views of life and death, but also caused many of the same changes as we saw in America following the September 11th attack. There is a great level of nationalism and strength found in the country today. The government is doing a great job of supporting the people with aid and help for rescuing and students have watched endless hours of the news coverage. In class on Monday, we allowed the students to watch the raising of the flag in Tianamen Square--it was an amazing thing to watch their eyes and see the emotion that went into the event. We were able to see it in person during our visit to Beijing and it is something that I can find few comparisons to--there is great pride in their nation exemplified now and possibly strengthened by the coming Olympics. Our hearts and minds are not far from the victims of that area--luckily we have not heard of any students who have lost family or friends in the earthquake though a couple were still waiting for word from the epicenter.

Most of our weekly events have paled in comparison to the overwhelmingness of the earthquake. The seniors have all but graduated from my classes so there have been some get togethers and we went out hiking to Luo Xian Cun for the third time in three weekends with some students (they have never been there). It is a long walk so it is fun to talk and the village is like a different world surrounded by mountains and cut off from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. This weekend, we also went to Guiyang to get together with our teammates and it was fun to hear firsthand how other foreigners are doing at the fellowship and to hear stories and to just get to spend time together. On Sunday, Patty threw a surprise party for my birthday with lots of students coming. A few of them got me gifts, even though I tried to tell them no in advance. It was not a surprise as some students kept asking me about it all week, and it is hard to keep a surprise when our lives are almost the same. We had a huge cake and I got silly gifts like a singing angel, and a dog on the moon that dances and plays a song. I love them though!! This week we will have our sports meeting on Thursday through Saturday because of the days of mourning, so that should be a fun way to spend time with students. Patty and Kris will be going to Guiyang for a women's retreat and spa getaway. It is much needed and will be a great blessing and relaxation.

We hope your lives have been blessed this last week and will continue to be blessed in the coming days!!