We seem to have a repeated theme...

We picked Kenna up from school this afternoon, and met up with friends on the road as we were walking back...

The girls invited Ella to come over and play dress up, and they started off, excitedly running down the alley towards the back gate. Except that Anaya, running to catch up with them, biffed it on her way down the hill. I picked her up, holding her and trying to comfort her, thinking, "that was a pretty hard fall." Then, once again, someone pointed out to me that she was bleeding... we wiped her off, and seconds later I was calling Anna, "Hi, can my kids play at your house instead? ... uhhh... I need to take Anaya in for more stitches!"

As soon as she heard that, Anaya began repeating, "No! I don't wanna lay down! I don't wanna lay down!" She remembered very vividly being totally strapped down on the stretcher the last time she got stitches: 3 weeks ago! (see Nov 30 entry)

She made it through -- lots of crying, but 6 stitches to the forehead and 2 to the lip later, she was good to go!

You can see she is enjoying her candy-afterward treat (thanks auntie Anna)!

Did they fall together?!

Anaya and Nathan are looking like twins these days... egg twins... same spot on the forehead... and all the Chinese comment on it, everytime we go down the street!

Nathan (sorry, didn't get a picture) decided to go down the front stairs by himself, Michael found him after he landed, so don't know quite how many stairs he tumbled...

Anaya's nice bump came the day after. She and a neighbor girl from several floors above us were outside taking turns pushing each other on a tricycle. Loving to live more on the edge, Anaya was having fun being pushed down the small incline from our back gate, until they ran into the rock wall & pavement underneath!

Titus Taiwan 2008

As I reflect back on Titus Taiwan, 2008, it has been a full year. Exciting. Rewarding. Fruitful. A year in which we have much to give thanks for!

We had a team teaching Himalayan pastors that came down from the mountains for 3 months of their winter to study the Bible, a team out in the jungle villages of Borneo, a team fighting the cold wind in Mongolia as they traveled out to teach in the ghers, Mandarin-speaking teams on 'the other side', teams equipping church leaders with tools for inductive Bible Study, teams discipling new believers, etc.

January: Ran first Training Time. Sent teams out to: Indonesia, Nepal, C*, Taiwan.
February: Ran second Training Time. Sent team to Mongolia.
March: (the day after the above school left for outreach) Michael started full-time SBS staff.
April: Welcomed first set of Titus students back from outreach, debriefed, graduated them.
May: Welcomed first set of Titus students back from outreach, debriefed, graduated them.
June: Staff training & preparations for July school.
July: Ran third Training Time. Sent teams to: K*, C* (x2), Mongolia.
Aug/Sept: Office logistics. :)
Sept/Oct: Welcomed July school back from outreach, debriefed.
Nov/Dec: Office logistics & prep for 2009!

"Titus has been the most challenging but also most rewarding 3 months of my life. I was able to conquer my biggest fear of teaching & come out knowing that God was pleased with me. It was awesome to see the people that I taught begin to really understand how to study the Bible inductively." S.N. (July student)

With SBS, Titus, 4 kids, etc., 2008 was definitely a full year for us -- but we feel so privileged to be equipping students with a solid foundation in the Word, then training them up as teachers and sending them out! All the glory goes to God!