Hello, my name is 依 琳 :)

      My host family gave me a Chinese name!  My English first name is difficult to translate/find similar-sounding Chinese words that mean something significant, so my Chinese host family used my middle name to figure out what my Chinese name will be. After quite a bit of writing down potential characters on a piece of scrap paper (seen above!) They chose 依 琳 (pronounced: yī lín), a name which has two parts; the first part means 'dependent'- they explained that this isn't supposed to be a negative trait or a subservient thing, but a 'sweet quality' possessed by someone who trusts/relies completely. And they said that the second part, 'lin',  means 'beautiful/rare jade or jewel'.  I was so humbled by their kindness, and felt very special for being given such a lovely Chinese name! ^^ 

(Side note- apparently, there is a Taiwanese celebrity who shares a very similar name, so when they announced my name at church there was some laughter when the pastor accidentally said the celebrity's name instead of mine! hehe)

This morning I packed up my guitar and met up with the team to spend some time in prayer/worship to begin the day together.  Later, I went to UTD and got to meet two of our language consultants who will be helping to tutor me and my teammates to learn more of the language more quickly.  They are amazingly sweet and helpful people, and I really am very excited to be able to spend more time with them and learn from them!  (Just in case you didn't know, few things make me more happy than meeting amazing new people :) 

There was also a team meeting/lunch today at one of the churches we've been so generously supported by, and my host family sent this amazingly delicious Asian cake with me to share! :)

I'll be posting again soon to share some more of the things God has been teaching me these last few days (There's been ALOT! I'm still processing quite a bit of it, to be honest.). 

I'm learning so much about God's provision and consistency, about many areas of my character which definitely need a LOT more growth and maturity, and about how my definition of productivity and efficiency is often quite different from what God has in mind. (I ask the question "what more can I DO?" far more often than I ask the more-important question "what more can I BECOME"? 'Who am I becoming' should be asked far more often than 'what am I doing'.  More 'Mary', less 'Martha'. Luke 10:38-42).

Prayer needs:

-Praise! Every other intern team has reported back that they made it to their fields overseas safely! Please pray for continued guidance and provision for them.

-Health. Almost everyone on my team has been dealing with headaches, nausea, and random other ailments which make it difficult to concentrate on difficult language lessons and interact well with our host families. Please pray that health levels and energy levels rise as we are strengthened by God's Spirit!

-This last one needs a little explanation:

I met two people over the last few days, in two separate conversations, who have asked where in Southeast Asia I will be traveling to. They persisted in asking me which towns and villages we will be going to, and continued by listing out the province(s) and town(s) they hoped I would visit. 

"Please, are you going to _____?" 

"I don't think we are going there, why do you ask?" 

"Because my father is from there, and I really need you to go preach the gospel to him."

"Because my family lives in that town, and they need to know who Jesus is."

My heart broke.

I can't imagine their desperation. 

I can't imagine myself knowing that my family is half a world away, unaware of who Jesus is or what lasting hope looks like. 

I can't imagine being so far away, unable to tell them about Jesus, for fear of my safety or theirs.

I'm essentially a total stranger to them. They realize that it is highly unlikely that we would be able to make it to these places (and honestly, I can't even remember how to pronounce/spell the villages their families are in!), and yet they ask me anyways because they are so desperate for their families to encounter the life they found in Christ.

Jesus- please, if my team is not able to reach these people while I am abroad, please help them to encounter you. Make them aware of your love in any way possible! Whether you choose to use me or someone else, please show them how loved they are by you. Please make a way.