Hello One and All!
We hope that you all had a great summer. As you probably already saw the pictures, we traveled to Germany to see Opa and Oma. Before we left though, Uwe had to finish up the school year. That went really smooth. Then there was the starting of the renovations of the school building. We left in mid-June and flew to Frankfurt.
It was great to see Opa and Oma. Megan finally got to meet her Opa.
Some of the fun things we did this summer was to take a trip to the local fair. We got our brats, slushies, and pony rides. Marcus and Megan loved Oma's berry patch. I think they were there twice a day to get a few for their bellies. The kids and Uwe got to enjoy the wading pool a few days this summer as well. It was unfortunately cold this summer in Germany, but we did have some very nice days at the beginning and at the end.Uwe's sister, Dorothea, and her family came from China as well to visit. We all went to the Rhein River and saw a castle and walked around a small town that still had a wall and cobblestones. It was a nice outing with great weather. Marcus liked the knights.
Since we've been back it has really been a sprint ( long one at that). Uwe finished up the renovations in time for school to start. Eight new staff members plus their families arrived. We were the tour guides and host family for many of them. They are all great! We couldn't have had a better crew! We just celebrated Matthea's 4th birthday with shapes. She was able to blow out her own candles this year. She was very pleased with herself. Marcus has started Chinese Kindergarten, and that has been going well. He is still adjusting, but has made friends. They are all numbered and wore tags the first week. He is number 9 and his friends are #11 and #13. We have come to learn one of their names now, but for awhile they were known in our house by their #. =) This is still an adjustment for me....you see I can't read what they give me, so I always go to a friend or two to have them help me. So, I'm getting my Chinese class in one way or another this year. =) Megan is a fireball princess. She is a drama queen and thinks she is 16 already. She's talking more and that helps so much. She likes to play with Matthea, and they usually can find someway of making a mess usually one that can be picked up quickly, but they have been known to get into the crayons. Example...caught them in Marcus's bed drawing a mural on his wall. They wanted to try their hand at being artist? Who knows....but they are a lot of fun, even in their most craftiest ideas. Can't wait until their older...YIKES!Hope all is going well there for you all. We are still going, going, going....but slowing down some I believe. We have a retreat with the staff; a week vacation; and a weekend get-away to look forward to for the next month and a bit. So, that is nice. I'll try to write once we have more to share. Take care and God Bless,The Maurers
Saturday, November 3, 2007
May 2007
Well Spring has come and gone and I'm sitting here wondering where the time went. But, that just happens doesn't it? You get caught up in the daily busy-ness and then "poof", two months have gone by. That is somewhat how I feel tonight as I finish up this newsletter that I started two months ago.
Easter was really good. Dorothea, Peter, and Madlena came to visit over the vacation. We celebrated Easter together and Madlena and Uwe's birthdays as well. We then took a trip to the Taroko Gorge which turned out to be the best thing for everyone. It was so restful, peaceful, and just plain beautiful. You can see from the pics how amazing it really is. I've heard Uwe talk about it for years now, and thought that I wouldn't be that impressed with it..but, I was very impressed.
After the Rieggers left, I experienced my first air raid drill. Yes, that is correct. Uwe had just left to go and work on his paper when it went off. It reminded me of the tornado sirens that would go off when I was in the US. He called and told me that the traffic had stopped, many stores had their lights turned off and that there were police everywhere. But, no one seemed worried and had told him it was a drill. It lasted a half hour in which I spent that time cleaning and letting the kids sleep.
We had a few visits with Adriel Lam, one of Uwe's good friends from high school. He was on island and they were able to catch up a bit. We were just at their place about a year ago....seems like it was longer.
We've ended the school year with banquets, banquets, good-bye parties, and dinners/breakfasts with friends, teachers, and students. To say the least, diets have been started and an exercise plan is being drawn up for the summer. We will be going to Germany to visit Uwe's family in a few days. We are quite excited about seeing his parents, grass yard, and fresh clean air. We will be there until July 18th, when we must return for the arrival of new staff.
Here is a run-down of the family progress though:
Uwe: His knees are much better. He played indoor soccer this week and there was no pain, so PTL. School is out, but he has to work this week and part of next due to construction going on at the school. He has been part of a team renovating and giving the school a new look. It is being done in phases and this year the library and computer room moves to a different location; and a few rooms are getting a facelift as well. The school was able to expand a bit by adding a few more rooms, which will be a blessing when it is all said and done. He has also been finishing up that paper. He will be sending the official draft to his prof this week and is very excited to get this finished. He will start the next class in mid-July while we are in Germany, but is looking forward to getting to Germany to relax a bit and refresh his mind.
MaDonna: I'm working on organizing the house and preping meals around food that needs to be eaten before we leave. So, meals could be a bit creative... I am also busy with just packing and keeping the kids from unpacking, which can be a chore. My plans this summer are to potty train both girls and get Matthea to eat more, as well as take walks in the woods, and finish the girl's books about Wuhan. (Yes, I know that we've been gone a year and I just finished Marcus's last week.)
Marcus: He is helping Uwe at school with moving/cleaning whenever he can. He loves to help out like that. He also was accepted into the Chinese Kindergarten next fall, which he is excited about as well. His latest funny quote was while watching the movie "Man From Snowy River" where Jess has fallen off her horse and is on the ledge of a cliff screaming for help. It was, "Mama, didn't they have cell phones back then?" Different generation, maybe even culture our kids are growing up in.
Matthea: She is continuing to progress more and more. She officially took her first steps about two months ago. She is now walking from one couch to the other on her own. She is still at the very beginning stages of walking, but will be there soon. She now has a walker that we are able to use for free, only she doesn't seem to like it. She can't turn it and gives up and just crawls to where she wants to go. She is eating a bit more and has a huge desire to eat. We give her lollypops to suck on, licks of whatever sauce we have on our plates, and I give her fruit in a mesh bag that she chews and swallows the juice only. We are hoping this summer she will be able to increase this amount and gradually throughout this year tip the balance so that she is eating more by mouth then through the tube. She has also become more stubborn. She is determined to get her way and is not happy at all when she doesn't. To say the least, she has smacked two of her therapist and others when she hasn't gotten to do what she wants or doesn't want to do what is asked of her. So, as there are two sides to a coin, there are two sides to this dilema...it is something we have to train her not to do; but it is great to see that she has a strong opinion about it. But I'll end with her on a funny note....she loves to dress up in hats, gloves, and glasses or goggles no matter the season. So imagine us on an outing somedays when she is determined to wear these items.
Megan: Boy has she developed in the speach area. She has just begun to speak in 3-4 word sentences. Her behavior has improved greatly and is not such a demanding child. She is still the drama queen of the family, though. Her favorite things now are to sing, tie blankets around her neck and be a butterfly, watch movies, and basically is a busy body most of the day. She loves to go out with Papa to buy drinks or whatever errand he may have. She acts like such a big girl when she gets to do this, it is so cute. Her favorite songs are "Jesus Loves Me", "Jesus Loves the Little Children", and is learning "This is the Day".
Church: As I mentioned last time that we have been involved with startup church. We are in need of a few key positions that need to be filled for the fall. One is a youth leader. Please pray that God would bring about the perfect fit for this position. We have some students from a different school that attend and it would be strategic if we could get a couple from that school to lead out in this position. The other is a Chinese family that can lead out in the Chinese speaking community. We want it to be a bilingual church, but we need some leaders to be Chinese to really get that going. Please pray that this summer God would put it on hearts to want to do something like this.
Other prayer points:
1. Safe trip to and from Germany
2. Uwe to finish his paper before his class begins in July
3. Uwe's class at U. of Bath to go well
4. Renovations at school to continue to go well while Uwe is gone.
5. Meg and Matthea to be potty trained this summer - go easy/smooth
6. Matthea to increase in eating amount; as well as progress in walking completely indepentantly
Praises:
1. New furniture for us
2. Uwe's knee is better
3. Matthea walking
4. Megan talking more
5. Marcus made it into the school
6. Md - time to finish up this newsletter
Thanks for all the prayers, support and encouragement that each of you have sent our way. We really do appreciate you. Take care, blessings and please write and let us know how we can be praying for you.
Love,
md from the family
skype name: umdmaurer
facebook page: MaDonna Maurer and/or Uwe Maurer
snail mail address:
Roosevelt Rd, Sec. 3, Lane 283, Alley 14, #18-7th floor, Taipei Taiwan 100
Easter was really good. Dorothea, Peter, and Madlena came to visit over the vacation. We celebrated Easter together and Madlena and Uwe's birthdays as well. We then took a trip to the Taroko Gorge which turned out to be the best thing for everyone. It was so restful, peaceful, and just plain beautiful. You can see from the pics how amazing it really is. I've heard Uwe talk about it for years now, and thought that I wouldn't be that impressed with it..but, I was very impressed.
After the Rieggers left, I experienced my first air raid drill. Yes, that is correct. Uwe had just left to go and work on his paper when it went off. It reminded me of the tornado sirens that would go off when I was in the US. He called and told me that the traffic had stopped, many stores had their lights turned off and that there were police everywhere. But, no one seemed worried and had told him it was a drill. It lasted a half hour in which I spent that time cleaning and letting the kids sleep.
We had a few visits with Adriel Lam, one of Uwe's good friends from high school. He was on island and they were able to catch up a bit. We were just at their place about a year ago....seems like it was longer.
We've ended the school year with banquets, banquets, good-bye parties, and dinners/breakfasts with friends, teachers, and students. To say the least, diets have been started and an exercise plan is being drawn up for the summer. We will be going to Germany to visit Uwe's family in a few days. We are quite excited about seeing his parents, grass yard, and fresh clean air. We will be there until July 18th, when we must return for the arrival of new staff.
Here is a run-down of the family progress though:
Uwe: His knees are much better. He played indoor soccer this week and there was no pain, so PTL. School is out, but he has to work this week and part of next due to construction going on at the school. He has been part of a team renovating and giving the school a new look. It is being done in phases and this year the library and computer room moves to a different location; and a few rooms are getting a facelift as well. The school was able to expand a bit by adding a few more rooms, which will be a blessing when it is all said and done. He has also been finishing up that paper. He will be sending the official draft to his prof this week and is very excited to get this finished. He will start the next class in mid-July while we are in Germany, but is looking forward to getting to Germany to relax a bit and refresh his mind.
MaDonna: I'm working on organizing the house and preping meals around food that needs to be eaten before we leave. So, meals could be a bit creative... I am also busy with just packing and keeping the kids from unpacking, which can be a chore. My plans this summer are to potty train both girls and get Matthea to eat more, as well as take walks in the woods, and finish the girl's books about Wuhan. (Yes, I know that we've been gone a year and I just finished Marcus's last week.)
Marcus: He is helping Uwe at school with moving/cleaning whenever he can. He loves to help out like that. He also was accepted into the Chinese Kindergarten next fall, which he is excited about as well. His latest funny quote was while watching the movie "Man From Snowy River" where Jess has fallen off her horse and is on the ledge of a cliff screaming for help. It was, "Mama, didn't they have cell phones back then?" Different generation, maybe even culture our kids are growing up in.
Matthea: She is continuing to progress more and more. She officially took her first steps about two months ago. She is now walking from one couch to the other on her own. She is still at the very beginning stages of walking, but will be there soon. She now has a walker that we are able to use for free, only she doesn't seem to like it. She can't turn it and gives up and just crawls to where she wants to go. She is eating a bit more and has a huge desire to eat. We give her lollypops to suck on, licks of whatever sauce we have on our plates, and I give her fruit in a mesh bag that she chews and swallows the juice only. We are hoping this summer she will be able to increase this amount and gradually throughout this year tip the balance so that she is eating more by mouth then through the tube. She has also become more stubborn. She is determined to get her way and is not happy at all when she doesn't. To say the least, she has smacked two of her therapist and others when she hasn't gotten to do what she wants or doesn't want to do what is asked of her. So, as there are two sides to a coin, there are two sides to this dilema...it is something we have to train her not to do; but it is great to see that she has a strong opinion about it. But I'll end with her on a funny note....she loves to dress up in hats, gloves, and glasses or goggles no matter the season. So imagine us on an outing somedays when she is determined to wear these items.
Megan: Boy has she developed in the speach area. She has just begun to speak in 3-4 word sentences. Her behavior has improved greatly and is not such a demanding child. She is still the drama queen of the family, though. Her favorite things now are to sing, tie blankets around her neck and be a butterfly, watch movies, and basically is a busy body most of the day. She loves to go out with Papa to buy drinks or whatever errand he may have. She acts like such a big girl when she gets to do this, it is so cute. Her favorite songs are "Jesus Loves Me", "Jesus Loves the Little Children", and is learning "This is the Day".
Church: As I mentioned last time that we have been involved with startup church. We are in need of a few key positions that need to be filled for the fall. One is a youth leader. Please pray that God would bring about the perfect fit for this position. We have some students from a different school that attend and it would be strategic if we could get a couple from that school to lead out in this position. The other is a Chinese family that can lead out in the Chinese speaking community. We want it to be a bilingual church, but we need some leaders to be Chinese to really get that going. Please pray that this summer God would put it on hearts to want to do something like this.
Other prayer points:
1. Safe trip to and from Germany
2. Uwe to finish his paper before his class begins in July
3. Uwe's class at U. of Bath to go well
4. Renovations at school to continue to go well while Uwe is gone.
5. Meg and Matthea to be potty trained this summer - go easy/smooth
6. Matthea to increase in eating amount; as well as progress in walking completely indepentantly
Praises:
1. New furniture for us
2. Uwe's knee is better
3. Matthea walking
4. Megan talking more
5. Marcus made it into the school
6. Md - time to finish up this newsletter
Thanks for all the prayers, support and encouragement that each of you have sent our way. We really do appreciate you. Take care, blessings and please write and let us know how we can be praying for you.
Love,
md from the family
skype name: umdmaurer
facebook page: MaDonna Maurer and/or Uwe Maurer
snail mail address:
Roosevelt Rd, Sec. 3, Lane 283, Alley 14, #18-7th floor, Taipei Taiwan 100
March 2007
Greetings to each of you and a Happy Easter to you all!
We hope and pray that all is going well with everyone. It has been a long time since I've written anything, so I thought I had better sit for a few minutes and at least start. Hopefully, this will get out before Easter, but who knows.
If you saw the pics, then you realize that we have had Megan for 1 year now. We celebrated with supper at Outback Steakhouse. Then we bought a table and some stools for the kids as a celebration for everyone. They have enjoyed the smaller table so much.
Marcus: Finally, a few weeks ago only, his tooth that came loose at Christmas time is out. The new tooth came through before the old was out, but it looks like it is fine. A few days after that tooth came out, the one next to it came out as well. He is ready for school, and I think we all are ready for him to go. It was a good decision not to send him this year with transition and all, and we are beginning the process of registration for next fall at a local public school. He really enjoys math, and is beginning to read a bit which is fun to watch him sound out the words.
Matthea: If any of you saw her last summer, you would not recognize her today. She has changed so much in just the first 6 months that we lived here. I think that the first two months she made this change of "I want to be a big girl" attitude and began trying new things. Then when we started regular therapy she was ready for their challenges. Since Christmas she has learned to sign more and we are still working on walking without assistance. She offically has taken her first 5 steps as of last month. They are a bit wobbly, but controlled. Other new things is that she has graduated to a big bed, this is great but with some challenges as well....she is still learning to stay in it once it is bedtime. We catch her out playing with toys or trying to get in bed with Megan regularly. It is funny. One last thing that has brought a bit of stress, yet excitment at the same time (if that is possible) is schooling options for her. The dr. all believe that she should start school in the fall. Uwe and went and looked at the options that are available and they are not bad. The stressful part was that we had 3 days to make a decision of where we would want her and if we even wanted her in school next fall. We decided that it was too soon and to wait another year....but with that said, we now know what the process is and probably where we would want her to go.
Megan: She has become quite the mother hen, making sure that everyone is doing what they are suppose to do and taking care of those that are injured. She talks non-stop and it is becoming more clear what she is saying. She is still the entertainment for us nightly with her many dance moves, monkey faces, and comedian style stage preformances. She loves to be mom and take her dolls for a walk in her baby stroller. She is also the first of the kids to have her shoes ready to put on at any sign that we might be going somewhere.
Uwe: Is still busy with school and his paper. We co-coached the JVB girls and had a great time. We were so proud of them at the tourn. There was only 5 and they played two games in a row. Now, their style of ball is to fast break the whole game and they were awesome. They won the first but the second they lost by 1 point in the last 10 sec. and our last shot went in 1 sec. too late. It was truly a scene from a movie. Those girls were awesome. The cool part is that 4 of the 5 are 8th graders and we are now co-coaching the MS team, on which they are on. We are expecting to do really well, or at least we should. In between those games though, Uwe coached the MS boys soccer...he has been so busy with everything, but having fun being on the field again. He also has been on a teacher/staff team that has been playing on a league. They had a tourn. a few weeks ago and they were the champions. It was so fun to see him play. Matthea jumped and clapped most of the time. The other two, well, it was just too long and they colored or played on the stage with the other kids. But, out of all of this Uwe's knees are in lots of pain. He is going to the Dr. again and will probably have to have surgery on them.
Md: Busy with the kids, of course, still doing the Bible study with the Grade 6 girls. That should finish up next month, so that will be nice. I got to attend a retreat for ladies this month. It was nice. A friend told me that I was going and she would watch the kids on Fri. while Uwe was at work. It worked out well and I had a nice time hanging out with some friends. I did alot of laughing, which was so good. The speaker was good too, but I enjoyed just hanging out. But, of course, there are some funny kid stories to add to this retreat...before I left, literally hours before I was to leave...Marcus decides to be cowboy and ropes the TV. All I saw was the TV and stand fall forward; Marcus with the face of "oh, this could be bad" look; and him sticking out his fingers to catch it so it wouldn't hit the tiled floor. He was in some pain, but nothing broken not even the TV. The second incident was with Megan. She had her snack and was sitting in her booster chair. I went to get the broom and I came back to Megan rocking in her chair and flipping it backwards. Again, I was thinking "Am I going to get out of here before the kids kill themselves?"....but, again, she didn't really hurt herself, just scared her alot, and scared me too!
Other things that we are involved in is starting a church that is focused on the families at our school. It isn't totally focused on them, as others are welcomed to come as well. But, our main targets are the parents and the students who don't have a place to go for discipleship. We've only met a few times, but I am very excited to see what God has in store for it. It has been something on our minds and when we got together with the other two families, they had been thinking along the same lines. So we need prayer for this.
Other prayer concerns:
Marcus's school decision...that he's get a good school with a good teacher.
Uwe's knees
Matthea to obey quicker and to understand that she is in trouble
Good ending of the school year
And fun and safety over the Easter holiday as Uwe's sister and family are coming to visit for the week. (Looking forward to this...this will be the third Easter in a row that we have spent with his sister! How fun is that?)
We hope and pray that all is going well with everyone. It has been a long time since I've written anything, so I thought I had better sit for a few minutes and at least start. Hopefully, this will get out before Easter, but who knows.
If you saw the pics, then you realize that we have had Megan for 1 year now. We celebrated with supper at Outback Steakhouse. Then we bought a table and some stools for the kids as a celebration for everyone. They have enjoyed the smaller table so much.
Marcus: Finally, a few weeks ago only, his tooth that came loose at Christmas time is out. The new tooth came through before the old was out, but it looks like it is fine. A few days after that tooth came out, the one next to it came out as well. He is ready for school, and I think we all are ready for him to go. It was a good decision not to send him this year with transition and all, and we are beginning the process of registration for next fall at a local public school. He really enjoys math, and is beginning to read a bit which is fun to watch him sound out the words.
Matthea: If any of you saw her last summer, you would not recognize her today. She has changed so much in just the first 6 months that we lived here. I think that the first two months she made this change of "I want to be a big girl" attitude and began trying new things. Then when we started regular therapy she was ready for their challenges. Since Christmas she has learned to sign more and we are still working on walking without assistance. She offically has taken her first 5 steps as of last month. They are a bit wobbly, but controlled. Other new things is that she has graduated to a big bed, this is great but with some challenges as well....she is still learning to stay in it once it is bedtime. We catch her out playing with toys or trying to get in bed with Megan regularly. It is funny. One last thing that has brought a bit of stress, yet excitment at the same time (if that is possible) is schooling options for her. The dr. all believe that she should start school in the fall. Uwe and went and looked at the options that are available and they are not bad. The stressful part was that we had 3 days to make a decision of where we would want her and if we even wanted her in school next fall. We decided that it was too soon and to wait another year....but with that said, we now know what the process is and probably where we would want her to go.
Megan: She has become quite the mother hen, making sure that everyone is doing what they are suppose to do and taking care of those that are injured. She talks non-stop and it is becoming more clear what she is saying. She is still the entertainment for us nightly with her many dance moves, monkey faces, and comedian style stage preformances. She loves to be mom and take her dolls for a walk in her baby stroller. She is also the first of the kids to have her shoes ready to put on at any sign that we might be going somewhere.
Uwe: Is still busy with school and his paper. We co-coached the JVB girls and had a great time. We were so proud of them at the tourn. There was only 5 and they played two games in a row. Now, their style of ball is to fast break the whole game and they were awesome. They won the first but the second they lost by 1 point in the last 10 sec. and our last shot went in 1 sec. too late. It was truly a scene from a movie. Those girls were awesome. The cool part is that 4 of the 5 are 8th graders and we are now co-coaching the MS team, on which they are on. We are expecting to do really well, or at least we should. In between those games though, Uwe coached the MS boys soccer...he has been so busy with everything, but having fun being on the field again. He also has been on a teacher/staff team that has been playing on a league. They had a tourn. a few weeks ago and they were the champions. It was so fun to see him play. Matthea jumped and clapped most of the time. The other two, well, it was just too long and they colored or played on the stage with the other kids. But, out of all of this Uwe's knees are in lots of pain. He is going to the Dr. again and will probably have to have surgery on them.
Md: Busy with the kids, of course, still doing the Bible study with the Grade 6 girls. That should finish up next month, so that will be nice. I got to attend a retreat for ladies this month. It was nice. A friend told me that I was going and she would watch the kids on Fri. while Uwe was at work. It worked out well and I had a nice time hanging out with some friends. I did alot of laughing, which was so good. The speaker was good too, but I enjoyed just hanging out. But, of course, there are some funny kid stories to add to this retreat...before I left, literally hours before I was to leave...Marcus decides to be cowboy and ropes the TV. All I saw was the TV and stand fall forward; Marcus with the face of "oh, this could be bad" look; and him sticking out his fingers to catch it so it wouldn't hit the tiled floor. He was in some pain, but nothing broken not even the TV. The second incident was with Megan. She had her snack and was sitting in her booster chair. I went to get the broom and I came back to Megan rocking in her chair and flipping it backwards. Again, I was thinking "Am I going to get out of here before the kids kill themselves?"....but, again, she didn't really hurt herself, just scared her alot, and scared me too!
Other things that we are involved in is starting a church that is focused on the families at our school. It isn't totally focused on them, as others are welcomed to come as well. But, our main targets are the parents and the students who don't have a place to go for discipleship. We've only met a few times, but I am very excited to see what God has in store for it. It has been something on our minds and when we got together with the other two families, they had been thinking along the same lines. So we need prayer for this.
Other prayer concerns:
Marcus's school decision...that he's get a good school with a good teacher.
Uwe's knees
Matthea to obey quicker and to understand that she is in trouble
Good ending of the school year
And fun and safety over the Easter holiday as Uwe's sister and family are coming to visit for the week. (Looking forward to this...this will be the third Easter in a row that we have spent with his sister! How fun is that?)
Jan. 2007
Hello to you all and Happy New Year!
We had a great vacation. Christmas was really special since it was Megan's first Christmas with us. It is hard to believe that she will be two next week and that we will have only had her a year next month. Time has really flown by and we are so blessed to have her in our family.
The day after Christmas we had some friends (Abby, Erin, Amanda, and Becky) come from the mainland. They spent about a week here with us. We took them around the city and just enjoyed having them around. We really miss them and it was a treat to have them here. The kids REALLY enjoyed their attention. The best for me, md, was watching Matthea when they arrived at the house. She honestly remembered them. She was so thrilled to see them, jumping in her seat and clapping her hands. If it had been strangers, she would have hid her face and not looked at them for a time. But, that was not the case.
Many of you probably heard about the earthquake that rocked the southern part of the island. Well, we are in the north and felt nothing. We were outside walking around, as well, and those more experienced with earthquakes say you don't always feel them when walking around. We read it in the paper the next morning.
School has started up and rolling right along. Uwe and I are finishing up the JVB Basketball season. We are now 3-2, which isn't too bad for a young team. We have a tournament next week and hope to do well there. They are a fun group of girls and we've enjoyed co-coaching together.
Sorry so long to get this out and news so old. I'll get out the new newsletter for March this week as well.
md for the fam
We had a great vacation. Christmas was really special since it was Megan's first Christmas with us. It is hard to believe that she will be two next week and that we will have only had her a year next month. Time has really flown by and we are so blessed to have her in our family.
The day after Christmas we had some friends (Abby, Erin, Amanda, and Becky) come from the mainland. They spent about a week here with us. We took them around the city and just enjoyed having them around. We really miss them and it was a treat to have them here. The kids REALLY enjoyed their attention. The best for me, md, was watching Matthea when they arrived at the house. She honestly remembered them. She was so thrilled to see them, jumping in her seat and clapping her hands. If it had been strangers, she would have hid her face and not looked at them for a time. But, that was not the case.
Many of you probably heard about the earthquake that rocked the southern part of the island. Well, we are in the north and felt nothing. We were outside walking around, as well, and those more experienced with earthquakes say you don't always feel them when walking around. We read it in the paper the next morning.
School has started up and rolling right along. Uwe and I are finishing up the JVB Basketball season. We are now 3-2, which isn't too bad for a young team. We have a tournament next week and hope to do well there. They are a fun group of girls and we've enjoyed co-coaching together.
Sorry so long to get this out and news so old. I'll get out the new newsletter for March this week as well.
md for the fam
Christmas 2006
Merry Christmas from Taipei-
Christmas is less than one week away and we've spent the past week recovering from scarlet fever and strep. Yes, Matthea was the winner for the diagnosis of scarlet fever. The rest, except for Marcus, had strep. Somehow he managed to stay healthy despite everything. I won't bore you with all the details, but after a a few visits to the hospital we were able to get all treated and started on antibiotics. Although Marcus wasn't diagnosed, he still got to take meds with the rest of us.
But, considering this we look back at the year and are still amazed at what blessings and works He has done in our family. This time last year we were only four and sitting on a beach in Hainan Island with friends. Then a few months later we became five, when Megan joined the crew. And boy, has that been a great addition to this family. If we ever thought that we were bored before, that is not the case anymore. She is quite the entertainer and brings laughs to our lives.
In the spring we got Megan's citizenship in Hawaii, where we spent a week with the Lam family. It was nice for Uwe to hang out with his grade school buddy and for me to hear more stories from the "good old days". We left Hawaii and began the packing of all of our belongings to move from Wuhan, China to Taipei. That period of time was really a whirlwind and I get dizzy when I think about all that went on the last few months/weeks in our house. I do remember how hard it was to say good-bye to great friends.
The summer took us to the US, where we had a conference, doctor appointments for Matthea, and Uwe had a class in England. We had time to catch up with my family, which was really nice. We had a time of testing of my faith with my visa for Taiwan, which came through with less than 24 hours before we were to be on the plane headed to Taipei. To say the least, we learned that God is more than able to do anything. But, I'm sure we'll come around to that lesson again, as we are human and always need to be reminded of this.
The end of the summer we arrived in our new apartment. We spent the first few months getting to know the area and the people at the school. We began to broaden our boundaries of the city and ventured to the zoo. Then a protests against the Taiwanese president started, so our boundaries were readjusted again...but only around the govt. buildings where they were being held. Then Thanksgiving came and all was quiet again in the city. We had a few days off from school, so friends came to visit and we took them around the city seeing Taipei 101 and other fun places.
Then after Thanksgiving, the city livened up again with campaigning for city council and mayor. I have to write about this, b/c we've just spent the last 10 years in a country where voting from the population doesn't happen. To say the least, I was having some culture shock from all the campaign signs, cars driving the streets with their promises blaring out of a speaker, and in the end each politician had their own parade of about 6-10 cars, trucks, and taxis parading the steets. It was a little too much for this girl to handle, and was glad when they finally ended!
During this time we have been having therapy for Matthea. This has been one of the best things about living here. She has really done well and progressed a lot. Right before we started, her attitude seemed to change to wanting to walk, talk, etc. So the timing was just wonderful~ The speech therapist works with her on making sounds and obeying commands, as well as telling us what she wants more. The OT and PT are working on standing without support and walking. She has been walking on a tread mill every week. It is really funny to watch. She has handlebars to hold onto as she walks for 10 min. or so.
As the Christmas season is approaching, we all have enjoyed just sitting and watching the tree lights, reading stories, drinking hot chocolate/coffee, and just taking time out for each other as a family. Uwe and I have had fun watching the girls watch in wonder at the tree and all the wrapped boxes underneath. They love to read the Christmas books that we have and to find baby Jesus. Marcus made us laugh the other night as we sat around watching the lights and drinking our hot chocolate. He sighed and said, "I love this time of the day when the girls are asleep and we can sit and look at the lights in peace."
I'll end with that. We hope that you have times of peace during this season when things can get quite hectic with all the paper, trees, shopping, and possibly runny noses....
Love you all!
Uwe, MaDonna, Marcus, Matthea, and Megan
ps. You can check out the Christmas pic of the kids that is attached!
Christmas is less than one week away and we've spent the past week recovering from scarlet fever and strep. Yes, Matthea was the winner for the diagnosis of scarlet fever. The rest, except for Marcus, had strep. Somehow he managed to stay healthy despite everything. I won't bore you with all the details, but after a a few visits to the hospital we were able to get all treated and started on antibiotics. Although Marcus wasn't diagnosed, he still got to take meds with the rest of us.
But, considering this we look back at the year and are still amazed at what blessings and works He has done in our family. This time last year we were only four and sitting on a beach in Hainan Island with friends. Then a few months later we became five, when Megan joined the crew. And boy, has that been a great addition to this family. If we ever thought that we were bored before, that is not the case anymore. She is quite the entertainer and brings laughs to our lives.
In the spring we got Megan's citizenship in Hawaii, where we spent a week with the Lam family. It was nice for Uwe to hang out with his grade school buddy and for me to hear more stories from the "good old days". We left Hawaii and began the packing of all of our belongings to move from Wuhan, China to Taipei. That period of time was really a whirlwind and I get dizzy when I think about all that went on the last few months/weeks in our house. I do remember how hard it was to say good-bye to great friends.
The summer took us to the US, where we had a conference, doctor appointments for Matthea, and Uwe had a class in England. We had time to catch up with my family, which was really nice. We had a time of testing of my faith with my visa for Taiwan, which came through with less than 24 hours before we were to be on the plane headed to Taipei. To say the least, we learned that God is more than able to do anything. But, I'm sure we'll come around to that lesson again, as we are human and always need to be reminded of this.
The end of the summer we arrived in our new apartment. We spent the first few months getting to know the area and the people at the school. We began to broaden our boundaries of the city and ventured to the zoo. Then a protests against the Taiwanese president started, so our boundaries were readjusted again...but only around the govt. buildings where they were being held. Then Thanksgiving came and all was quiet again in the city. We had a few days off from school, so friends came to visit and we took them around the city seeing Taipei 101 and other fun places.
Then after Thanksgiving, the city livened up again with campaigning for city council and mayor. I have to write about this, b/c we've just spent the last 10 years in a country where voting from the population doesn't happen. To say the least, I was having some culture shock from all the campaign signs, cars driving the streets with their promises blaring out of a speaker, and in the end each politician had their own parade of about 6-10 cars, trucks, and taxis parading the steets. It was a little too much for this girl to handle, and was glad when they finally ended!
During this time we have been having therapy for Matthea. This has been one of the best things about living here. She has really done well and progressed a lot. Right before we started, her attitude seemed to change to wanting to walk, talk, etc. So the timing was just wonderful~ The speech therapist works with her on making sounds and obeying commands, as well as telling us what she wants more. The OT and PT are working on standing without support and walking. She has been walking on a tread mill every week. It is really funny to watch. She has handlebars to hold onto as she walks for 10 min. or so.
As the Christmas season is approaching, we all have enjoyed just sitting and watching the tree lights, reading stories, drinking hot chocolate/coffee, and just taking time out for each other as a family. Uwe and I have had fun watching the girls watch in wonder at the tree and all the wrapped boxes underneath. They love to read the Christmas books that we have and to find baby Jesus. Marcus made us laugh the other night as we sat around watching the lights and drinking our hot chocolate. He sighed and said, "I love this time of the day when the girls are asleep and we can sit and look at the lights in peace."
I'll end with that. We hope that you have times of peace during this season when things can get quite hectic with all the paper, trees, shopping, and possibly runny noses....
Love you all!
Uwe, MaDonna, Marcus, Matthea, and Megan
ps. You can check out the Christmas pic of the kids that is attached!
Christmas 2006
Merry Christmas from Taipei-
Christmas is less than one week away and we've spent the past week recovering from scarlet fever and strep. Yes, Matthea was the winner for the diagnosis of scarlet fever. The rest, except for Marcus, had strep. Somehow he managed to stay healthy despite everything. I won't bore you with all the details, but after a a few visits to the hospital we were able to get all treated and started on antibiotics. Although Marcus wasn't diagnosed, he still got to take meds with the rest of us.
But, considering this we look back at the year and are still amazed at what blessings and works He has done in our family. This time last year we were only four and sitting on a beach in Hainan Island with friends. Then a few months later we became five, when Megan joined the crew. And boy, has that been a great addition to this family. If we ever thought that we were bored before, that is not the case anymore. She is quite the entertainer and brings laughs to our lives.
In the spring we got Megan's citizenship in Hawaii, where we spent a week with the Lam family. It was nice for Uwe to hang out with his grade school buddy and for me to hear more stories from the "good old days". We left Hawaii and began the packing of all of our belongings to move from Wuhan, China to Taipei. That period of time was really a whirlwind and I get dizzy when I think about all that went on the last few months/weeks in our house. I do remember how hard it was to say good-bye to great friends.
The summer took us to the US, where we had a conference, doctor appointments for Matthea, and Uwe had a class in England. We had time to catch up with my family, which was really nice. We had a time of testing of my faith with my visa for Taiwan, which came through with less than 24 hours before we were to be on the plane headed to Taipei. To say the least, we learned that God is more than able to do anything. But, I'm sure we'll come around to that lesson again, as we are human and always need to be reminded of this.
The end of the summer we arrived in our new apartment. We spent the first few months getting to know the area and the people at the school. We began to broaden our boundaries of the city and ventured to the zoo. Then a protests against the Taiwanese president started, so our boundaries were readjusted again...but only around the govt. buildings where they were being held. Then Thanksgiving came and all was quiet again in the city. We had a few days off from school, so friends came to visit and we took them around the city seeing Taipei 101 and other fun places.
Then after Thanksgiving, the city livened up again with campaigning for city council and mayor. I have to write about this, b/c we've just spent the last 10 years in a country where voting from the population doesn't happen. To say the least, I was having some culture shock from all the campaign signs, cars driving the streets with their promises blaring out of a speaker, and in the end each politician had their own parade of about 6-10 cars, trucks, and taxis parading the steets. It was a little too much for this girl to handle, and was glad when they finally ended!
During this time we have been having therapy for Matthea. This has been one of the best things about living here. She has really done well and progressed a lot. Right before we started, her attitude seemed to change to wanting to walk, talk, etc. So the timing was just wonderful~ The speech therapist works with her on making sounds and obeying commands, as well as telling us what she wants more. The OT and PT are working on standing without support and walking. She has been walking on a tread mill every week. It is really funny to watch. She has handlebars to hold onto as she walks for 10 min. or so.
As the Christmas season is approaching, we all have enjoyed just sitting and watching the tree lights, reading stories, drinking hot chocolate/coffee, and just taking time out for each other as a family. Uwe and I have had fun watching the girls watch in wonder at the tree and all the wrapped boxes underneath. They love to read the Christmas books that we have and to find baby Jesus. Marcus made us laugh the other night as we sat around watching the lights and drinking our hot chocolate. He sighed and said, "I love this time of the day when the girls are asleep and we can sit and look at the lights in peace."
I'll end with that. We hope that you have times of peace during this season when things can get quite hectic with all the paper, trees, shopping, and possibly runny noses....
Love you all!
Uwe, MaDonna, Marcus, Matthea, and Megan
ps. You can check out the Christmas pic of the kids that is attached!
Christmas is less than one week away and we've spent the past week recovering from scarlet fever and strep. Yes, Matthea was the winner for the diagnosis of scarlet fever. The rest, except for Marcus, had strep. Somehow he managed to stay healthy despite everything. I won't bore you with all the details, but after a a few visits to the hospital we were able to get all treated and started on antibiotics. Although Marcus wasn't diagnosed, he still got to take meds with the rest of us.
But, considering this we look back at the year and are still amazed at what blessings and works He has done in our family. This time last year we were only four and sitting on a beach in Hainan Island with friends. Then a few months later we became five, when Megan joined the crew. And boy, has that been a great addition to this family. If we ever thought that we were bored before, that is not the case anymore. She is quite the entertainer and brings laughs to our lives.
In the spring we got Megan's citizenship in Hawaii, where we spent a week with the Lam family. It was nice for Uwe to hang out with his grade school buddy and for me to hear more stories from the "good old days". We left Hawaii and began the packing of all of our belongings to move from Wuhan, China to Taipei. That period of time was really a whirlwind and I get dizzy when I think about all that went on the last few months/weeks in our house. I do remember how hard it was to say good-bye to great friends.
The summer took us to the US, where we had a conference, doctor appointments for Matthea, and Uwe had a class in England. We had time to catch up with my family, which was really nice. We had a time of testing of my faith with my visa for Taiwan, which came through with less than 24 hours before we were to be on the plane headed to Taipei. To say the least, we learned that God is more than able to do anything. But, I'm sure we'll come around to that lesson again, as we are human and always need to be reminded of this.
The end of the summer we arrived in our new apartment. We spent the first few months getting to know the area and the people at the school. We began to broaden our boundaries of the city and ventured to the zoo. Then a protests against the Taiwanese president started, so our boundaries were readjusted again...but only around the govt. buildings where they were being held. Then Thanksgiving came and all was quiet again in the city. We had a few days off from school, so friends came to visit and we took them around the city seeing Taipei 101 and other fun places.
Then after Thanksgiving, the city livened up again with campaigning for city council and mayor. I have to write about this, b/c we've just spent the last 10 years in a country where voting from the population doesn't happen. To say the least, I was having some culture shock from all the campaign signs, cars driving the streets with their promises blaring out of a speaker, and in the end each politician had their own parade of about 6-10 cars, trucks, and taxis parading the steets. It was a little too much for this girl to handle, and was glad when they finally ended!
During this time we have been having therapy for Matthea. This has been one of the best things about living here. She has really done well and progressed a lot. Right before we started, her attitude seemed to change to wanting to walk, talk, etc. So the timing was just wonderful~ The speech therapist works with her on making sounds and obeying commands, as well as telling us what she wants more. The OT and PT are working on standing without support and walking. She has been walking on a tread mill every week. It is really funny to watch. She has handlebars to hold onto as she walks for 10 min. or so.
As the Christmas season is approaching, we all have enjoyed just sitting and watching the tree lights, reading stories, drinking hot chocolate/coffee, and just taking time out for each other as a family. Uwe and I have had fun watching the girls watch in wonder at the tree and all the wrapped boxes underneath. They love to read the Christmas books that we have and to find baby Jesus. Marcus made us laugh the other night as we sat around watching the lights and drinking our hot chocolate. He sighed and said, "I love this time of the day when the girls are asleep and we can sit and look at the lights in peace."
I'll end with that. We hope that you have times of peace during this season when things can get quite hectic with all the paper, trees, shopping, and possibly runny noses....
Love you all!
Uwe, MaDonna, Marcus, Matthea, and Megan
ps. You can check out the Christmas pic of the kids that is attached!
August 2006 The Move
Greetings from the island of Taiwan!
We are officially moved and working on being settled. We were greeted at the airport by our boss and wife, Tim and Bonnie, along with a few of the teachers that were already in the city. Tim and Bonnie were great, they stayed in the Taipei for two days to help us out. They watched kids so we could sleep, unpacked the kitchen boxes and put the kitchen together, took us shopping, whatever needed to be done. I don't think that we could have survived the first two weeks without them. We got so much done those first two days.
This first month was spent exploring the area. We found where to buy groceries, the market, a small playground, the route to take to go to the school, subway stations, and began scouting for pre-Ks for Marcus. We also discovered places to eat...oh, my the choices that we have. We could eat out every night and have dishes from different countries for a week, I believe. We have Greek, German, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and McD's and KFC all within 5 min. walk. It is really unreal and hard on the waist line. The other bad discovery was Dominoes...you buy a large and if you pick it up you get a second large free. Way to tempting for this pizza lover (md that is). But, after a week or so of take-ins we finally got food in the fridge and began cooking our own meals. Now for a diet to begin. Ha! Ha!
We also had a few interesting experiences as well. The first being md's first earthquake. It was on our second day at a supermarket. I really thought that I was having a dizzy spell and going to faint. But, then Uwe looked up and saw the signs moving and told me it was an earthquake, not my tiredness making me sway. I was relieved. The other event was the renovations of our kitchen. What started out as replacing some wheels for a few drawers turned into a renovation project that lasted 2 weeks. Yes, after my kitchen was completely put together I had to re-box the dishes and things and move them out. The cabinets were so old that they could no longer find replacement wheels, so it was cheaper to put in new cabinets. Then, new bottom cabinets should match the hanging ones, so they had to be replaced as well. But, to hang cabinets the tiles must be attached well and they were not in some places, so this led to re-tiling a wall in the kitchen. As you can see a domino effect began with just my boss commenting to the handy man that the drawers needed replacing! I'm very thankful, but for 10 days or so, I wasn't able to use the kitchen much. The dust from knocking off the tile chased me the three kids out of the house one day. The day they put the cabinets in chased us to the back room for the entire day. All of this was fine, just would have been nice to have known in advance. I guess we were notified a few hours before they arrived, which in this culture is normal. Somethings are the same here as in mainland....But, my kitchen looks great now and I love it!
While this was all going on the kids and I passed a flu virus around. I was sick with a high fever for about 2-3 days. Uwe stayed home so I could rest. I also had a sinus infection that was causing me to feel like there were 3-4 earthquakes a day. It was strange. I was glad to have my equalibrium balanced out again.
Uwe spent the month getting to know the school and teachers better as well as his normal principal duties. The school has about 220 students. It is different yet the same. It is a good school and he is enjoying getting to know the new place.
Matthea turned 3 this month as well. We invited some little girls over and had a small dog-themed party. We played games like fetch and imitated dog tricks. They all brought over their stuffed dog or animal and we had a little parade or show, in which all got a blue ribbon. Matthea enjoyed it all. In fact, the birthday song is now probably her favorite one now. One of her gifts that we are all enjoying is a tank with fish in it. The greatest thing is that this tank also has shrimp and snails in it as well. It is quite the tank and fun to sit and watch.
So, renovations, sickness, and birthdays can sum up our first month in Taipei. Life doesn't slow down, does it? Hope you are having times of rest and peace as we do have those times too. =)
md for the fam
We are officially moved and working on being settled. We were greeted at the airport by our boss and wife, Tim and Bonnie, along with a few of the teachers that were already in the city. Tim and Bonnie were great, they stayed in the Taipei for two days to help us out. They watched kids so we could sleep, unpacked the kitchen boxes and put the kitchen together, took us shopping, whatever needed to be done. I don't think that we could have survived the first two weeks without them. We got so much done those first two days.
This first month was spent exploring the area. We found where to buy groceries, the market, a small playground, the route to take to go to the school, subway stations, and began scouting for pre-Ks for Marcus. We also discovered places to eat...oh, my the choices that we have. We could eat out every night and have dishes from different countries for a week, I believe. We have Greek, German, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and McD's and KFC all within 5 min. walk. It is really unreal and hard on the waist line. The other bad discovery was Dominoes...you buy a large and if you pick it up you get a second large free. Way to tempting for this pizza lover (md that is). But, after a week or so of take-ins we finally got food in the fridge and began cooking our own meals. Now for a diet to begin. Ha! Ha!
We also had a few interesting experiences as well. The first being md's first earthquake. It was on our second day at a supermarket. I really thought that I was having a dizzy spell and going to faint. But, then Uwe looked up and saw the signs moving and told me it was an earthquake, not my tiredness making me sway. I was relieved. The other event was the renovations of our kitchen. What started out as replacing some wheels for a few drawers turned into a renovation project that lasted 2 weeks. Yes, after my kitchen was completely put together I had to re-box the dishes and things and move them out. The cabinets were so old that they could no longer find replacement wheels, so it was cheaper to put in new cabinets. Then, new bottom cabinets should match the hanging ones, so they had to be replaced as well. But, to hang cabinets the tiles must be attached well and they were not in some places, so this led to re-tiling a wall in the kitchen. As you can see a domino effect began with just my boss commenting to the handy man that the drawers needed replacing! I'm very thankful, but for 10 days or so, I wasn't able to use the kitchen much. The dust from knocking off the tile chased me the three kids out of the house one day. The day they put the cabinets in chased us to the back room for the entire day. All of this was fine, just would have been nice to have known in advance. I guess we were notified a few hours before they arrived, which in this culture is normal. Somethings are the same here as in mainland....But, my kitchen looks great now and I love it!
While this was all going on the kids and I passed a flu virus around. I was sick with a high fever for about 2-3 days. Uwe stayed home so I could rest. I also had a sinus infection that was causing me to feel like there were 3-4 earthquakes a day. It was strange. I was glad to have my equalibrium balanced out again.
Uwe spent the month getting to know the school and teachers better as well as his normal principal duties. The school has about 220 students. It is different yet the same. It is a good school and he is enjoying getting to know the new place.
Matthea turned 3 this month as well. We invited some little girls over and had a small dog-themed party. We played games like fetch and imitated dog tricks. They all brought over their stuffed dog or animal and we had a little parade or show, in which all got a blue ribbon. Matthea enjoyed it all. In fact, the birthday song is now probably her favorite one now. One of her gifts that we are all enjoying is a tank with fish in it. The greatest thing is that this tank also has shrimp and snails in it as well. It is quite the tank and fun to sit and watch.
So, renovations, sickness, and birthdays can sum up our first month in Taipei. Life doesn't slow down, does it? Hope you are having times of rest and peace as we do have those times too. =)
md for the fam
Summer 2006
Well the summer is over and we survived the schedule, barely! I’ll do a run down of the time we had in the US and in another newsletter I’ll write about our move to Taipei.
We left Wuhan with many tears and love on a Sunday morning and flew to Shenzhen to make our way to Hong Kong. We left mainland China with a heavy heart and excitement for the unknown. Hong Kong was filled with many surprises. We stayed at the Bethany Ministries and just had a good time there as always. We worked on getting our work visas that Monday for Taiwan, but of course, that wasn’t as smooth as we’d planned. Everything was fine except for my medical checkup. I had gone to HK the week before and had a checkup done, but one section wasn’t filled out and the result was an incomplete application for my visa. They wouldn’t accept mine. This one error would turn out to be a huge headache the entire summer, but one that God used to grow character and faith in me. So, Uwe and the kids all got their work visas and I enters Taiwan as a tourist.
We spent 5 very fast days in Taipei. Uwe and the kids got all their paperwork done and were official alien residents. We looked at our new apartment and dropped off some of the bags there. We walked around the area to help me get familiar with it; visited friends; and checked out the nearby park.
Then it was a long flight to the US, with no problems. We stayed in one of my parent’s rental houses for the summer. My niece was gracious to leave her TVs, treadmill, computer, phone, plus everything else there for us to use. The first two weeks were getting the girls over jet-lag. That was rough. We saw the doctor and began working on my work visa. Of course, this Taiwan office required more documentation, so we had to round up all that was needed for that and wait.
We had two week in NY, for PFO (Pre-Field Orientation). That turned out to be wonderful. We met some of the neatest people and learned some very valuable lessons for the field. It was a time of transition for us as well; letting go of the old and embracing the new. It was just a time of healing as well, a refreshing wind in the midst of chaos.
The last few weeks were spent in MO with my family, with Uwe traveling to England one week for his class. The kids had a great time with the cousins, aunts and uncles. They rode horses; fished; played with puppies; and went swimming. It was just fun to be able to see everyone and hang out.
Back to my visa problem. Literally, the afternoon before we were to fly out the next morning I was able to drive to Kansas City to pick up my passport. Two days before this, they were not sure it would be ready in time. Uwe and I almost bought new tickets, but just didn’t feel like that was the answer at the time. It was an interesting time of testing. You see, I felt like my blessing bucket was empty…that there could not possibly be anything left in it. But, I kept holding onto the fact that there was no set amount you could receive from God. He just keeps giving and giving. So, every time I’d get a bit panicky I’d remind myself that God could do it. But, if he so chose not to, that he would then give us an alternate plan and that I just needed to trust in him. Wow, what a lesson…too bad that I forget so easily and go back to the worrier that I am. Well, I know that he has more lessons for me to learn about in Taipei. I’m thankful that he is patient with me and that he loves me enough to take time and to teach me, even though those times of teaching are never painless.
May God bless each of you love and grace this day!
Love, md for the maurers
We left Wuhan with many tears and love on a Sunday morning and flew to Shenzhen to make our way to Hong Kong. We left mainland China with a heavy heart and excitement for the unknown. Hong Kong was filled with many surprises. We stayed at the Bethany Ministries and just had a good time there as always. We worked on getting our work visas that Monday for Taiwan, but of course, that wasn’t as smooth as we’d planned. Everything was fine except for my medical checkup. I had gone to HK the week before and had a checkup done, but one section wasn’t filled out and the result was an incomplete application for my visa. They wouldn’t accept mine. This one error would turn out to be a huge headache the entire summer, but one that God used to grow character and faith in me. So, Uwe and the kids all got their work visas and I enters Taiwan as a tourist.
We spent 5 very fast days in Taipei. Uwe and the kids got all their paperwork done and were official alien residents. We looked at our new apartment and dropped off some of the bags there. We walked around the area to help me get familiar with it; visited friends; and checked out the nearby park.
Then it was a long flight to the US, with no problems. We stayed in one of my parent’s rental houses for the summer. My niece was gracious to leave her TVs, treadmill, computer, phone, plus everything else there for us to use. The first two weeks were getting the girls over jet-lag. That was rough. We saw the doctor and began working on my work visa. Of course, this Taiwan office required more documentation, so we had to round up all that was needed for that and wait.
We had two week in NY, for PFO (Pre-Field Orientation). That turned out to be wonderful. We met some of the neatest people and learned some very valuable lessons for the field. It was a time of transition for us as well; letting go of the old and embracing the new. It was just a time of healing as well, a refreshing wind in the midst of chaos.
The last few weeks were spent in MO with my family, with Uwe traveling to England one week for his class. The kids had a great time with the cousins, aunts and uncles. They rode horses; fished; played with puppies; and went swimming. It was just fun to be able to see everyone and hang out.
Back to my visa problem. Literally, the afternoon before we were to fly out the next morning I was able to drive to Kansas City to pick up my passport. Two days before this, they were not sure it would be ready in time. Uwe and I almost bought new tickets, but just didn’t feel like that was the answer at the time. It was an interesting time of testing. You see, I felt like my blessing bucket was empty…that there could not possibly be anything left in it. But, I kept holding onto the fact that there was no set amount you could receive from God. He just keeps giving and giving. So, every time I’d get a bit panicky I’d remind myself that God could do it. But, if he so chose not to, that he would then give us an alternate plan and that I just needed to trust in him. Wow, what a lesson…too bad that I forget so easily and go back to the worrier that I am. Well, I know that he has more lessons for me to learn about in Taipei. I’m thankful that he is patient with me and that he loves me enough to take time and to teach me, even though those times of teaching are never painless.
May God bless each of you love and grace this day!
Love, md for the maurers
5/2006 Good-bye China
Still busy, but surviving the ride. So much has happened that I'm not sure where to begin. The beginning, or where I left off is probably the best.
The week before Easter was busy with Uwe's boss coming, Chinese curriculum teachers coming for meetings, and the new principal and wife coming to meet the team. We thought it would be fun to have a huge BBQ in our yard the night that everyone would be around. Well, at about noon or so, termites were found in our house. Yes, about 100 plus of those critters crawling/flying around in our hallway. I was beside myself as we were about to host 40 plus people later that evening. But, after some phone calls, the exterminator came and we got rid of them before the party started. We had a great time in the yard with great food and fellowship.
Easter weekend we left for Suzhou to visit Uwe's sister, Dorle, and family. They had recently had a baby girl and Oma was there too. It was the first Easter in a long time that we were able to celebrate with our family. We had a great time coloring eggs, resting, and taking a cruise down a canal of the city. Oma had brought dye to color eggs, so Marcus and the girls were able to color eggs that were hidden on Easter morning for them to find. We truly felt that we were able to rest/relax a bit from the stress of packing/moving and all the other hectic things that had been going on, so that was great. We wanted to see the old part of Suzhou, but somehow missed it. But what we were able to do was excellent since we had small kids and not a lot of time. We viewed Suzhou on the canal. I believe we got a good glimpse of what the city is like. Maybe one day we'll go back to explore it more. We enjoyed our time seeing Dorle, Peter, and especially little baby Madlena. She was such a doll.
Oma came to visit a few days after our return. She spent the week playing with the girls during the day and Marcus in the afternoon. She took the girls on walks around our complex, one at a time of course, at least once a day. They really enjoyed it. One morning we went to school and she read books to Marcus' class. He really enjoyed this. We were thankful that Oma could come and visit us and see the kids' life here.
Shortly after Oma left, Uwe traveled to Taipei for some meetings. He was able to find an apartment, a place for Marcus to attend pre-school, and a place to worship. The great part is that all three are within walking distance of where he will go to work each day. From his description it sounds like I might get spoiled with all the shops/restaurants there. (Starbucks just around the corner, isn't that scary?) This will be the first city that we've lived in that has a Starbucks, period, let alone close to our house. The biggest event for us while he was gone that week was having a bat in our house one night. It was injured, but it was still a bat. Story goes like this: Marcus points and tells me to look; a bat was on the floor. Thank goodness the girls were already in bed. But, how do you get rid of a bat? Butterfly net? Don't have one. Tennis racket? Don't have one of those either. Bucket with lid? That I have, but what if it bites me? Those were the thoughts running in my mind. So, I called the only person left in our area to come and help. He brought another guy who was visiting and a pair of gloves. They got it out, but I was still shaken a bit about it...in fact still am. I am all the time looking everywhere for another one. Pathetic!
Literally less than 24 hours after Uwe returned, we flew to BJ for our good-bye party. I wanted to do some shopping and Uwe needed to pick up some documents at the German Embassy. That weekend was special. It was fun to see many of our friends from all over this country. The kids were able to play together in the pool at the hotel and we were able to catch up in between splashes. =)
At the banquet I was asked what each city that we lived in was like, but I honestly couldn't think straight for some reason. But, at the end I knew what I wanted to say, but it was late and I thought it better to write it here, as I wanted many of you who were not able to be there to read it as well. So, here it goes..if you would rather not read my speech, you can skip the blue writing. =)
Tianjin for me was a time of learning who I was and making new friends. I also met my husband and we shared our first year of marriage there. We had marriage counseling from the Millers and learned some valuable lessons on money management and communicating with each other. I had a great time learning along and from Angie what it was to be a principal's wife. Tianjin was the place where if I needed an egg or some sugar, I'd just go up stairs to one of the neighbor's and ask for one. We communicated through the pipes and all listened to some (won't mention names) sing in the bathroom. I was a great place to begin our marriage.
Shenyang was were we began our famiy. Marcus was born there. We were the only married couple in the school for a few months. But, then I think we went to 8 weddings that first school year. Soon, many of the new brides were asking me about being a wife. I laughed b/c I had only been married for a year myself, but with the wisdom of the good book, and advise from other wives the questions were answered. Shenyang was a time for me to grow as a wife and a mother. I had some great examples there of mothers and I am so thankful for that. It was also a time of learning that God's timing is perfect. This theme has continued through even today. His timing in everything is perfect, so I don't need to fret and worry b/c he has it all planned out and knows.
Wuhan has been a time of faith for me these last 3 years. Trusting the Father to take care of every need that I have. From finding places to live, Matthea's birth and illnesses, to just trusting him for strength and mercy each day. I could list the many tests of faith, but I would probably have to write a book. I'm not sure I passed each test, but I do know that my faith has grown. And for that I'm thankful for each crisis that was put into my path.
As we travel to our next destanation, I'm not sure what will be next. I'm hoping some rest, but if not, I do know where my strength comes from each day.
Thank you to all of you who have blessed my life more than I can say. Please keep in touch and if you are ever in Taipei, please come and stay with us.
After Beijing, we left for Hawaii, not for vacation, but to obtain citizenship, passport and a visa for Megan. We were there for only 8 days and were blessed so much. Uwe's friend, Adriel, and his wife, Melissa, let us stay with them and their three children. Also, their church had a car for us to use as well. We were able to get everything we needed, but it was truly because of the Lord. It seemed that at every part of the process I had either forgotten something, or didn't know I needed something. How we were able to obtain it all in 5 days is a miracle to me. Again, his timing is perfect and I just had to trust him that all would go well. But we were able to do a few fun things. We went to Sea Life Park with the kids one morning. They really enjoyed the dolphin shows. It was great. We went to the beach once and the two older ones liked it, but Megan liked to just sit on the towel and eat cookies. Our last day there, Adriel and Melissa took us out to the sandbar and fixed us breakfast. The kids played in the sand and water and had a great time. The tide came up a few hours later and we got back on the boat. Uwe and I took a short swim in the ocean which was fun. Maybe we will be able to go back again when the kids are older and go snorkeling. Hawaii is a beautiful state, one which I definitely want to return to.
This has been a long newsletter and I apologize for that. We have had so much going on this month. We leave China in a few weeks. Our good-bye dinners have started and we are packing up the house. It is hard to believe that we are leaving, yet we are excited about the next place.
Our schedule for the summer goes as follows:
June 4: leave Wuhan
June 5-7: be in Hong Kong to apply for work visas for Taiwan; staying at the Bethany Ministries to reflect a bit as well.
June 7-12: In Taipei setting up house a bit and getting the residency established.
June 13-24th: At Md's parent's house
June 24-July 7: Attending PFO (Pre-Field Orientation) at Houghton College
July 7-24: Back in Missouri visiting family
July 15-21: Uwe in England taking classes
July 25: leave for Taiwan and arrive on the 26th.
We still have quite a bit to do before we are settled, but at least there are few times of rest in the midst of it all.=)
Things to pray for us are:
1. Visas for Taiwan go smoothly
2. Finishing well here and saying good-bye well.
3. Kids have been battling colds and fevers since we've returned.
4. Strength for the crazy schedule.
Praise:
1. Great trip to Suzhou
2. Uwe's trip going well and things are going well here.
3. Ticket for Hawaii trip (we had every leg of the trip except from BJ to Korea. We were going to have to fly out of a different city, but the transit time was only an hour and a half and we didn't think that was enough. But, on the day that I had to make a decision on what we were going to do, 4 tickets openned up from BJ to Korea, so we have no problems with transit times. PTL!)
Thanks for your prayers, we really appreciate it.
With love, md for ummmm
The week before Easter was busy with Uwe's boss coming, Chinese curriculum teachers coming for meetings, and the new principal and wife coming to meet the team. We thought it would be fun to have a huge BBQ in our yard the night that everyone would be around. Well, at about noon or so, termites were found in our house. Yes, about 100 plus of those critters crawling/flying around in our hallway. I was beside myself as we were about to host 40 plus people later that evening. But, after some phone calls, the exterminator came and we got rid of them before the party started. We had a great time in the yard with great food and fellowship.
Easter weekend we left for Suzhou to visit Uwe's sister, Dorle, and family. They had recently had a baby girl and Oma was there too. It was the first Easter in a long time that we were able to celebrate with our family. We had a great time coloring eggs, resting, and taking a cruise down a canal of the city. Oma had brought dye to color eggs, so Marcus and the girls were able to color eggs that were hidden on Easter morning for them to find. We truly felt that we were able to rest/relax a bit from the stress of packing/moving and all the other hectic things that had been going on, so that was great. We wanted to see the old part of Suzhou, but somehow missed it. But what we were able to do was excellent since we had small kids and not a lot of time. We viewed Suzhou on the canal. I believe we got a good glimpse of what the city is like. Maybe one day we'll go back to explore it more. We enjoyed our time seeing Dorle, Peter, and especially little baby Madlena. She was such a doll.
Oma came to visit a few days after our return. She spent the week playing with the girls during the day and Marcus in the afternoon. She took the girls on walks around our complex, one at a time of course, at least once a day. They really enjoyed it. One morning we went to school and she read books to Marcus' class. He really enjoyed this. We were thankful that Oma could come and visit us and see the kids' life here.
Shortly after Oma left, Uwe traveled to Taipei for some meetings. He was able to find an apartment, a place for Marcus to attend pre-school, and a place to worship. The great part is that all three are within walking distance of where he will go to work each day. From his description it sounds like I might get spoiled with all the shops/restaurants there. (Starbucks just around the corner, isn't that scary?) This will be the first city that we've lived in that has a Starbucks, period, let alone close to our house. The biggest event for us while he was gone that week was having a bat in our house one night. It was injured, but it was still a bat. Story goes like this: Marcus points and tells me to look; a bat was on the floor. Thank goodness the girls were already in bed. But, how do you get rid of a bat? Butterfly net? Don't have one. Tennis racket? Don't have one of those either. Bucket with lid? That I have, but what if it bites me? Those were the thoughts running in my mind. So, I called the only person left in our area to come and help. He brought another guy who was visiting and a pair of gloves. They got it out, but I was still shaken a bit about it...in fact still am. I am all the time looking everywhere for another one. Pathetic!
Literally less than 24 hours after Uwe returned, we flew to BJ for our good-bye party. I wanted to do some shopping and Uwe needed to pick up some documents at the German Embassy. That weekend was special. It was fun to see many of our friends from all over this country. The kids were able to play together in the pool at the hotel and we were able to catch up in between splashes. =)
At the banquet I was asked what each city that we lived in was like, but I honestly couldn't think straight for some reason. But, at the end I knew what I wanted to say, but it was late and I thought it better to write it here, as I wanted many of you who were not able to be there to read it as well. So, here it goes..if you would rather not read my speech, you can skip the blue writing. =)
Tianjin for me was a time of learning who I was and making new friends. I also met my husband and we shared our first year of marriage there. We had marriage counseling from the Millers and learned some valuable lessons on money management and communicating with each other. I had a great time learning along and from Angie what it was to be a principal's wife. Tianjin was the place where if I needed an egg or some sugar, I'd just go up stairs to one of the neighbor's and ask for one. We communicated through the pipes and all listened to some (won't mention names) sing in the bathroom. I was a great place to begin our marriage.
Shenyang was were we began our famiy. Marcus was born there. We were the only married couple in the school for a few months. But, then I think we went to 8 weddings that first school year. Soon, many of the new brides were asking me about being a wife. I laughed b/c I had only been married for a year myself, but with the wisdom of the good book, and advise from other wives the questions were answered. Shenyang was a time for me to grow as a wife and a mother. I had some great examples there of mothers and I am so thankful for that. It was also a time of learning that God's timing is perfect. This theme has continued through even today. His timing in everything is perfect, so I don't need to fret and worry b/c he has it all planned out and knows.
Wuhan has been a time of faith for me these last 3 years. Trusting the Father to take care of every need that I have. From finding places to live, Matthea's birth and illnesses, to just trusting him for strength and mercy each day. I could list the many tests of faith, but I would probably have to write a book. I'm not sure I passed each test, but I do know that my faith has grown. And for that I'm thankful for each crisis that was put into my path.
As we travel to our next destanation, I'm not sure what will be next. I'm hoping some rest, but if not, I do know where my strength comes from each day.
Thank you to all of you who have blessed my life more than I can say. Please keep in touch and if you are ever in Taipei, please come and stay with us.
After Beijing, we left for Hawaii, not for vacation, but to obtain citizenship, passport and a visa for Megan. We were there for only 8 days and were blessed so much. Uwe's friend, Adriel, and his wife, Melissa, let us stay with them and their three children. Also, their church had a car for us to use as well. We were able to get everything we needed, but it was truly because of the Lord. It seemed that at every part of the process I had either forgotten something, or didn't know I needed something. How we were able to obtain it all in 5 days is a miracle to me. Again, his timing is perfect and I just had to trust him that all would go well. But we were able to do a few fun things. We went to Sea Life Park with the kids one morning. They really enjoyed the dolphin shows. It was great. We went to the beach once and the two older ones liked it, but Megan liked to just sit on the towel and eat cookies. Our last day there, Adriel and Melissa took us out to the sandbar and fixed us breakfast. The kids played in the sand and water and had a great time. The tide came up a few hours later and we got back on the boat. Uwe and I took a short swim in the ocean which was fun. Maybe we will be able to go back again when the kids are older and go snorkeling. Hawaii is a beautiful state, one which I definitely want to return to.
This has been a long newsletter and I apologize for that. We have had so much going on this month. We leave China in a few weeks. Our good-bye dinners have started and we are packing up the house. It is hard to believe that we are leaving, yet we are excited about the next place.
Our schedule for the summer goes as follows:
June 4: leave Wuhan
June 5-7: be in Hong Kong to apply for work visas for Taiwan; staying at the Bethany Ministries to reflect a bit as well.
June 7-12: In Taipei setting up house a bit and getting the residency established.
June 13-24th: At Md's parent's house
June 24-July 7: Attending PFO (Pre-Field Orientation) at Houghton College
July 7-24: Back in Missouri visiting family
July 15-21: Uwe in England taking classes
July 25: leave for Taiwan and arrive on the 26th.
We still have quite a bit to do before we are settled, but at least there are few times of rest in the midst of it all.=)
Things to pray for us are:
1. Visas for Taiwan go smoothly
2. Finishing well here and saying good-bye well.
3. Kids have been battling colds and fevers since we've returned.
4. Strength for the crazy schedule.
Praise:
1. Great trip to Suzhou
2. Uwe's trip going well and things are going well here.
3. Ticket for Hawaii trip (we had every leg of the trip except from BJ to Korea. We were going to have to fly out of a different city, but the transit time was only an hour and a half and we didn't think that was enough. But, on the day that I had to make a decision on what we were going to do, 4 tickets openned up from BJ to Korea, so we have no problems with transit times. PTL!)
Thanks for your prayers, we really appreciate it.
With love, md for ummmm
Newsletters 3/2006
Well, we've got the immigrant visa for Megan. I took her down for her physical and Uwe came a few days later for the interview. Everything went really smooth, so much that it was amazing. We were able to rest and relax a bit while we were there, so that was nice.
Marcus and Matthea stayed home with friends. Marcus got to spend the night with a good friend and Matthea had one of her favorite teachers watch her. They were glad when we finally came home, but did really well while we were gone.
Thanks for the prayers! Now we are planning the Hawaii trip sometime in May to get the citizenship completed, then we're off to Taiwan. Things are going fast and busy, but extremely smooth and very well. Can only give the credit to God who provides all.
Thanks again!
MaDonna for the gang
Well, we have had a busy few months, but the Lord is good to us. March began with a trip to Guangzhou to get the immigrant visa; business meetings in Beijing for Uwe; a visit from Md's parents; and a medical trip to Hong Kong for Matthea ended the month.
Guangzhou went really well, you can read about it in the previous blog. Uwe's meetings were very encouraging and challenging as well. They had a great time with the Father. Uwe came back recharged and refreshed. Also on Uwe's plate this month was one of our teachers leaving for medical reasons. He had to pick up the class for a few days, but was relieved by a former teacher who is still in town. We are forever grateful for her help and the help of a friend coming in after Easter to fill in for the rest of the year.
Md's parents came for 10 days and we all had a great time. They spent time with the girls at home playing and reading books. They went to school a few times; one in which Grandma read to Marcus's class. He really enjoyed that. We then took a trip with some of our friends to see the famous dam of China and a minority villiage on the Yangtze River. That was really something. We spent the night in the city of Yichang and then a bus took us through the scenic route to the villiage. We stopped at one place to view the Xiling Gorge, which was so much better then the time Uwe and I took the 3 Gorge cruise 4 years ago. At the villiage, which was nestled on a small tributary of the Yangtze, we were able to see the life of the Tu Minority that are from that area. They demonstrated many of the ways of life of this minority group from years before. Some of the more fascinating sites were watching the men row a fairly large boat upstream on the Yangtze; listening to two people talk/sing to each other from somewhere on the mountain to the river below (usually sharing deaths, weddings, or other significant news from person to person or village to village); and watching a wedding ceremony. From the villiage we traveled to the dam area. Grandpa really enjoyed this site. We were able to watch boats go in and out of the locks; see where the water will come to when the damn is completed and see the lift that will carry the boats over the dam to make travel faster. It was very interesting, but I still don't want to be around if it should collapse. The trip was a nice ending to my parents visit.
I took Matthea to Hong Kong last weekend. My friend, Mandy, went with me. She is from there, so that was a huge help! We stayed in her villiage where she grew up as a child and where her parents and some of ther siblings still live. The appointment for Matthea was to be for a reflux and swallow study. It looked like everything was lining up really nicely. But, in the end it just didn't work, so we were not able to get anything done medically. I won't bore you with details as to the problems we faced that day, but will tell you that when the answer to what I was to do came; the peace that passes all understanding just rushed through my body. I will never be able to explain the peace I felt when the idea to just wait until we get settled in TW came from my friend. At that moment, I knew that is what we were to do. Also, Mandy's mother's birthday was during that time as well, so she was able to celebrate with her family. I was invited as well and had just a great time. I was able to spend great time getting to know my friend so much better. I got to try her favorite foods, see her hometown and meet her family. It was just a special time for me. Although, I didn't spend much time resting, I came back refreshed and recharged. And for this I'm am truely grateful as this month is not slowing down any.
Things to think about for us this month:
1. Traveling safety: We will be going Easter weekend to visit Uwe's sister, husband, and newborn baby plus his mom is there visiting; Uwe travels to Taiwan at the end of the month; We all travel to Beijing over May holiday for a good-bye party; We then travel to Hawaii for citizenship papers.
2. Hawaii trip that all goes smoothly
3. Visas for Taiwan go smoothly
3. Transition as we have exactly two months today before we leave for Taiwan.
Thanks for your prayers as we have seen great things happen. One, Megan is doing so well. She has fit right in and it has been fun to watch her personality just blossom. We have adjusted to her as well.
Matthea is doing great. She is starting to do frontward rolls (Matthea style) and is working on bouncing and walking with only holding one hand. She is signing more and more and that has been fun for us all.
Marcus is loving school and homework. He's a great big brother and a big help to us as well. Please remember his transition as it isn't always fun watching your things being given away to others or disappearing. Wisdom for us as we decide what should go with us and what isn't that important.
Blessings to you all!
md for the fam
Marcus and Matthea stayed home with friends. Marcus got to spend the night with a good friend and Matthea had one of her favorite teachers watch her. They were glad when we finally came home, but did really well while we were gone.
Thanks for the prayers! Now we are planning the Hawaii trip sometime in May to get the citizenship completed, then we're off to Taiwan. Things are going fast and busy, but extremely smooth and very well. Can only give the credit to God who provides all.
Thanks again!
MaDonna for the gang
Well, we have had a busy few months, but the Lord is good to us. March began with a trip to Guangzhou to get the immigrant visa; business meetings in Beijing for Uwe; a visit from Md's parents; and a medical trip to Hong Kong for Matthea ended the month.
Guangzhou went really well, you can read about it in the previous blog. Uwe's meetings were very encouraging and challenging as well. They had a great time with the Father. Uwe came back recharged and refreshed. Also on Uwe's plate this month was one of our teachers leaving for medical reasons. He had to pick up the class for a few days, but was relieved by a former teacher who is still in town. We are forever grateful for her help and the help of a friend coming in after Easter to fill in for the rest of the year.
Md's parents came for 10 days and we all had a great time. They spent time with the girls at home playing and reading books. They went to school a few times; one in which Grandma read to Marcus's class. He really enjoyed that. We then took a trip with some of our friends to see the famous dam of China and a minority villiage on the Yangtze River. That was really something. We spent the night in the city of Yichang and then a bus took us through the scenic route to the villiage. We stopped at one place to view the Xiling Gorge, which was so much better then the time Uwe and I took the 3 Gorge cruise 4 years ago. At the villiage, which was nestled on a small tributary of the Yangtze, we were able to see the life of the Tu Minority that are from that area. They demonstrated many of the ways of life of this minority group from years before. Some of the more fascinating sites were watching the men row a fairly large boat upstream on the Yangtze; listening to two people talk/sing to each other from somewhere on the mountain to the river below (usually sharing deaths, weddings, or other significant news from person to person or village to village); and watching a wedding ceremony. From the villiage we traveled to the dam area. Grandpa really enjoyed this site. We were able to watch boats go in and out of the locks; see where the water will come to when the damn is completed and see the lift that will carry the boats over the dam to make travel faster. It was very interesting, but I still don't want to be around if it should collapse. The trip was a nice ending to my parents visit.
I took Matthea to Hong Kong last weekend. My friend, Mandy, went with me. She is from there, so that was a huge help! We stayed in her villiage where she grew up as a child and where her parents and some of ther siblings still live. The appointment for Matthea was to be for a reflux and swallow study. It looked like everything was lining up really nicely. But, in the end it just didn't work, so we were not able to get anything done medically. I won't bore you with details as to the problems we faced that day, but will tell you that when the answer to what I was to do came; the peace that passes all understanding just rushed through my body. I will never be able to explain the peace I felt when the idea to just wait until we get settled in TW came from my friend. At that moment, I knew that is what we were to do. Also, Mandy's mother's birthday was during that time as well, so she was able to celebrate with her family. I was invited as well and had just a great time. I was able to spend great time getting to know my friend so much better. I got to try her favorite foods, see her hometown and meet her family. It was just a special time for me. Although, I didn't spend much time resting, I came back refreshed and recharged. And for this I'm am truely grateful as this month is not slowing down any.
Things to think about for us this month:
1. Traveling safety: We will be going Easter weekend to visit Uwe's sister, husband, and newborn baby plus his mom is there visiting; Uwe travels to Taiwan at the end of the month; We all travel to Beijing over May holiday for a good-bye party; We then travel to Hawaii for citizenship papers.
2. Hawaii trip that all goes smoothly
3. Visas for Taiwan go smoothly
3. Transition as we have exactly two months today before we leave for Taiwan.
Thanks for your prayers as we have seen great things happen. One, Megan is doing so well. She has fit right in and it has been fun to watch her personality just blossom. We have adjusted to her as well.
Matthea is doing great. She is starting to do frontward rolls (Matthea style) and is working on bouncing and walking with only holding one hand. She is signing more and more and that has been fun for us all.
Marcus is loving school and homework. He's a great big brother and a big help to us as well. Please remember his transition as it isn't always fun watching your things being given away to others or disappearing. Wisdom for us as we decide what should go with us and what isn't that important.
Blessings to you all!
md for the fam
Newsletter 2/2006
Hello to you all!
We have great news about our adoption: it is completed. Megan is in our home and officially ours. We picked her up on Monday this week and were able to bring her home that same evening. We will need to travel back next week to pick up her passport, but a friend offered to do that for us today.
Megan is adjusting ok. Many of you may nod your heads and even smile as you read what the past two days have been like due to experience with adopting a child of your own. They have been times of tears for all in the family and laughter as well. Megan is very shy around strangers so it has taken her a bit to not be scared of us each time she wakes from sleeping. She goes through periods of the day crying anytime you put her down, even if she can see you. Then other times are spent playing happily with a toy or laughing with us in games. The other times are sleeping and eating. I have to admit it hasn't been easy, but we are doing ok. Matthea has handled the adjustment ok for the most part. She has her times where she wants "Mama" to hold her, but all in all she is a trooper. Marcus has been such a huge help as well. But, the crying has taken a toll on him. Today was better since he spent the entire day at school. We've heard that this period does end maybe in a week, maybe a bit longer...but at least there is an end. We are weary, but know where our strength and wisdom come from with each new situation that comes up.
Thanks for your prs for us as we are very excited and a bit in unbelief that we have her. She has the cutest smile that lights up her entire face and shows her two huge bottom teeth.
Other things that we need pr for in the next few months are as follows:
1. Trip to Guangzhou March 8th to get Megan's immigrant visa, so we can go to the US.
2. Safe trip for Md's parents as they come to visit March 18-28th, they'll be a big help with taking back some bags for us so we don't have to ship so many things.
3. March 31st we will all travel to Hong Kong for an appointment for Matthea. She will have a reflux test done as she still seems to spit up after she eats. Also, during that time, we hope to have a feeding evaluation and a swallow study done or at least set up an appointment for one to be done a few weeks later. Pr for it to be done while we are still there. Matthea wants and loves to eat, but we are afraid to give her too much at a time.
4. Trip to Hawaii to get Megan's citizenship and passport sometime before school ends. No date set yet. Hawaii does it in a week, faster than any other place and we need it soon for our next assignment in Taiwan.
5. Packing and sorting all the things that need to go with us and things that need to be given away. Md is known to be a pack rat, so lots of pr there. =)
Thanks again for your prs, we really appreciate them!
We have great news about our adoption: it is completed. Megan is in our home and officially ours. We picked her up on Monday this week and were able to bring her home that same evening. We will need to travel back next week to pick up her passport, but a friend offered to do that for us today.
Megan is adjusting ok. Many of you may nod your heads and even smile as you read what the past two days have been like due to experience with adopting a child of your own. They have been times of tears for all in the family and laughter as well. Megan is very shy around strangers so it has taken her a bit to not be scared of us each time she wakes from sleeping. She goes through periods of the day crying anytime you put her down, even if she can see you. Then other times are spent playing happily with a toy or laughing with us in games. The other times are sleeping and eating. I have to admit it hasn't been easy, but we are doing ok. Matthea has handled the adjustment ok for the most part. She has her times where she wants "Mama" to hold her, but all in all she is a trooper. Marcus has been such a huge help as well. But, the crying has taken a toll on him. Today was better since he spent the entire day at school. We've heard that this period does end maybe in a week, maybe a bit longer...but at least there is an end. We are weary, but know where our strength and wisdom come from with each new situation that comes up.
Thanks for your prs for us as we are very excited and a bit in unbelief that we have her. She has the cutest smile that lights up her entire face and shows her two huge bottom teeth.
Other things that we need pr for in the next few months are as follows:
1. Trip to Guangzhou March 8th to get Megan's immigrant visa, so we can go to the US.
2. Safe trip for Md's parents as they come to visit March 18-28th, they'll be a big help with taking back some bags for us so we don't have to ship so many things.
3. March 31st we will all travel to Hong Kong for an appointment for Matthea. She will have a reflux test done as she still seems to spit up after she eats. Also, during that time, we hope to have a feeding evaluation and a swallow study done or at least set up an appointment for one to be done a few weeks later. Pr for it to be done while we are still there. Matthea wants and loves to eat, but we are afraid to give her too much at a time.
4. Trip to Hawaii to get Megan's citizenship and passport sometime before school ends. No date set yet. Hawaii does it in a week, faster than any other place and we need it soon for our next assignment in Taiwan.
5. Packing and sorting all the things that need to go with us and things that need to be given away. Md is known to be a pack rat, so lots of pr there. =)
Thanks again for your prs, we really appreciate them!
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