China Update Email 3

Dear brothers and sisters,

Just as a preface, please do not reply to this email because of the sensitivity of what I am doing here. But please to ask the Boss for me every day if you can! :)

This past Monday, I started my first day working with the organization here, and it has been quite an experience! The group here is composed 1/3 of internationals (all from the US) and 2/3 of Chinese nationals, and they range in age from kids my age all the way up to those who are married with teenage kids. Also, even among the Chinese nationals here, there is great ethnic diversity. This province is well-known for the presence of ethnic minorities, and in fact, the minorities actually make up a majority of the Chinese staff. Having only had contact with Han Chinese previously, it has been an eye-opening experience working with different types of people here. As you can see, I have encountered many different types of diversity here!

I have begun working on the microfinance projects that I hope to complete by the end of this month, but I have quickly realized that all of my training and education are barely applicable unless I understand the context of the people that this organization works with. I am trying to learn as much as I can while I am in the city (which is already substantial), but I know that truly understanding the villagers' situation will only happen once I see them and live with them.

I will be visiting the village for the first time this Sunday, and I hope to learn a lot. It is several hours away by car, and so when the organization visits, it's usually for several days at a time. I look forward to spending time there but am also a bit nervous about communication, as the local dialect can be difficult to understand. Even some of the co-workers at the organization have no knowledge of English, so that has been a challenge so far. If you could ask the Boss for me to trust in His provision and for Him to grant all of us patience as we work with each other, that would be great!

Unfortunately, blogs are highly restricted here, even more than they were previously, so I apologize for not being able to update my blog very often. I will try my best to do so, but cannot guarantee anything. I will still be able to send email updates, though, so I hope that you can keep up-to-date and ask the Boss for me.

I hope to update you again soon!

In Him,
Mark