Update 6/29/25: Days 31-33 Xiamen & Huge Prayer Request

Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Our time in Xiamen has been restful so far. We have spent a lot of hours playing games and catching up on sleep. 

Hours of playing Sleeping Queens, Rat-a-tat-cat, garbage, go fish, old maid, solitaire, and a few other card games. 

On Friday (6/27), Yuan arranged for some of his badminton friends to play mahjong with us. Watching YouTube actually helped us learn the basics of the game before we played with them. I’m sure they took it easy on us, but we all had an amazing time. Normally, it is a betting game in China, but we just wanted to learn all the rules if the game. We did play with poker chips, which helped us learn the scoring side of the game. I’m still not 100% sure we have it all down, but we learned a decent amount. I did manage to win a round that earned me 5 coins from each player! Shan started getting the hang of it and the ladies said he is sharp, which we all knew.  

The ladies that came and played with us were so sweet! They not only gave of their time, they also came with fruit and snacks! Even though we didn’t speak the same language, we all had a great time together.

These mahjong tables were the best! They automatically would stack and shuffle the tiles for you. No delays in playing! We went to a hotel to play mahjong. You can rent a room with a table and play for a few hours. I found out this hotel alone has 18 mahjong rooms!

The kids found these signs funny as we left the mall and headed down to the subway. 

We took a nice little walk from the train. It’s been so hot that most activities are done once the sun sets. Even then, it is hot and humid! We were able to see the city center of Xiamen. 

For those who asked for our prayer letter before the trip, I have an update I will share when we are home that was pretty spectacular!

Yesterday (6/28) I had a bad headache, so Yuan arranged for the kids to play badminton. They had a blast! We learned quickly that they are much better at the game than we are. Shan did a great job holding his own, but I’m sure those who know him aren’t surprised  by that. 

This morning’s breakfast: veggies and eggs. We had to get creative after not finding oil or butter to use when we went to 7-11. We used yogurt instead. It didn’t do great, but it was edible. 

Today (6/29), we played games all morning and then found a pool so the kids could swim. It was refreshing and fun. Our free shower caps didn’t pass the pool’s swim cap requirement, so we had to get new ones. If we go back, I’ll have to grab some goggles for the kids too. In China, swimming is mainly a form of exercise. Thankfully, the pool had a smaller pool where the kids could just have fun. They also had a sauna, which I spent some nice time in.

Riding the subway back to the apartment. We are getting good at navigating all of the public  transportation (bullet trains, subways, and buses).

Prayer Request:

I have a serious prayer request. Yesterday, after the kids got back from badminton, Juyi got a call that her dad had a major stroke. He asked not to have life extending things done to him, so Juyi flew home early this morning. She was able to get the last seat on the flight to Taiwan. I hugged her and told her how God is as providing for her even in this difficult time. He saved a seat for her so she could get home to her family. Please be praying for Juyi, her mom, and siblings during this difficult time. Also pray for their salvation and that God would continue to reveal Himself to her.

Juyi was so worried about us and kept apologizing. I told her that her main job was to get home and be with family, God will take care of us. We did try changing our tickets to make things easier, but it was going to cost $11,000!!!! That is almost as much as I had budgeted for this whole trip (like 3x the price I paid for our 4 round trip tickets). We will stay in Xiamen extra days and then take a 9 hour bullet train to Changshu (7/8). We will rest a day there and pack our bags. Juyi’s husband will take us to the airport on 7/10. Our flight had an overnight layover in Hong Kong. We had tried seeing if we could just catch our flight there, but they said if we didn’t show up to Shanghai, they would cancel our tickets, so to Shanghai we will go. I’m just giving these details to you can pray for us. I feel pretty confident navigating the bullet trains since we have done it a few times, but we will be on our own without an interpreter. Once we get to Hong Kong, it will be easy. Thank you for following our trip across China and praying for us! We have about two weeks until we arrive back in KY.