It is Saturday in Kunming. We got a good night’s sleep and many slept in til 8 or so. A real treat for us. Most are up and ready to go by 7 every morning. We had a relaxing night last night with some shopping some strolling in Green Lake Park and many just sitting and talking with our teammates and new Chinese friends.

Today we will have a day of sightseeing. We will go to a minority village where there are about 25 different mninority areas with people in ethnic dress, displays of their handiwork and lots of opportunity to see Chinese history and culture.

We will go to a meeting tomorrow and then in the afternoon explore more of Kunming. The evening will find us gearing up for next week. Remember us as we are not sure how many or what students we will have next week. Many of the students from this week cannot return because they have other engagements with family and many have to go to work for their family. Ask that we will have at least 60 students.

Here are some messages from the team:P

Hi! Having fun! See you later. Wendy

MMMM! Food! Having Fun! Slowly becoming a chopsticks expert! Miss you all. Joanna

Being blessed and having fun! Miss you all. Laura

Having a wonderful time, food, kids, weather is great. Miss you! Claudia

Making friends out the wazoo. Hope y’all are doing well, keep us in your thoughts. Lane

Mommy and Daddy, I miss you! Hope you’re having fun without me. I love you!!! Carson

I love you all. Hope you had fun at the beach.
Jake, Julia, and Emma, sorry I did not get to say bye. Mom and Dad you are awesome. Hope everyone is well. Nick and Brian, this my sound crazy but I miss you too. Jessie

We are all doing just fine. Food is much better than I thought. We love you. TPLK Sandretzky

Hello everyone. These kids are so wonderful. I want to bring all the orphans home. I think I am getting fat on all the great food. Love you all. Miss you. Beth (Mom)

I love it here, don’t want to leave, the food is amazing, and my class is awesome (btw Mom, bring more crystal light). Love you all. Logan

Hello friends, had unique experience yesterday. Having trip to minority village today. Personal testimony presented too. Health is excellent. He is good. Walking lots. Love Jack

We made it through the first week. I have about 17 students in my class—love them. We are having fun. We are staying in a hotel and walk to school. Two days off—I’m having breakfast in the street stalls this morning and a trip in the afternoon. Hope all is well. Love Claudia.

Dear family and friends—twelve days later. What a great city. Many pictures to show. My work here has been at an orphanage this week. Beautiful children. Saw Bud on Wed. Nice surprise. He’s doing great. Remembering you daily. Love Karen

Dear family and friends. We had a wonderful week. Everything went well. I have made many new friends here, expecially I am very happy to have two new sisters yesterday, please think about me and C and S and join me to welcome them to our family. Miss you all and I love you all. Anna M.

Dear family and friends. We are having an awesome time in China. ALL are well and the Chinese people are great. Love Tom Peggy Kelly and Laura

Hoping all are enjoying yourselves. Can’t wait til you see my shining face again. The people are amazing and several are close to becoming family. Love you all. Lane

Love the students love the team members. Caught a cold. Going to visit minority village with over 20 ethnic groups demonstrate dress customs etc. Still cannot use chopsticks, lots of blooperizing, getting very adept with Chinese toilets. Love you and miss you lots. Please call mom. “Jasper”

Not ready to come home. LOVE you all and miss you all. Wish you couls see it here. The children are precious. Louie might even like them Excited to tell you everything when I come home. Unknown author

This is my favorite city yet. I am part of the team going to the orphanage each day. This is such a blessing to me and the children there are loving us so…
Little “Doug” as we named him has some sort of disease they told us, but we pick him up and love on him anyway. They absolutely love that we bring them new crayons and WHITE copy paper to draw on. I will never look at white paper the same. It will always make me think of them. When we leave each day they yearn for us to leave them more CLEAN paper. Yesterday we taught them to make macrame bracelets and left them with extra yarn/floss so they can work on it over the weekend while we are gone.
THe older children, 11-sh, take care of the younger ones. Just like in the movie “Annie.”
The first movie I will watch when I get home will be “Cider House Rules.” J and S, want a fourth? I would love to put several in my suitcase. Yesterday we had such fun with them and when I got on the bus to come back for lunch(about a 45-50 minute trip) I was fine and then out of the clear blue at the lunch table< I had a meltdown, totally, looking at the video of one of the orphans running to us as we arrived!! You have not heard from us this week as the camp situations have kept us on our toes and we literally fall into bed after an extremely full day of work. Thanks to all who are holding us up…what would we do without you? No computer at the school building for us to use and no time to get out to cafe til yesterday. The food is so delicious. The city is so beautiful!
I am wishing Rallph belated birthday wishes and also to Nancy on the 19th and Joel on the 24th as I don’t know if we can get back to a computer when the time comes.
Sam and Lucy, we have named Chinese children after you…
Gail and Kathryn, thanks so much for looking after the house for us!
Kathryn, hope the running is going well. Oil up that tennis arm for our return!
Susan, sending our best to you for a safe delivery, hope it is not while we are here…can’t wait to see the family.
Wingert’s…go in peace and safety!
 Mollie

As you can see, there is much here for us to do and to see and to be thankful for. We could not do this without the help and support of ALL of our family and friends and meeting houses at home. Your remembering us, financial support, and contributions make all this possilbe. We thank you for your partnership. Continue to remember us to the Boss and all will be to his glory.

More another day. We thank him for having an extended time on this machine today.

Doug for the Kunming Team