Dear Dad,
This will be a really short email as it's late and I'm sure you want me to go to bed.
The weather has really heated up this past week. Karen, owner of California Pizza, told us that the local tradition is that after Dragon Boat Festival (which was Tuesday) it's officially summer and it will start heating up. I think that's a lot more accurate than the American groundhog day.
We went to the youth group meeting this evening. Ben, an exchange student at the college from Florida, spoke on idolatry. It was really, really good. He ended on a note of encouragement for the folks with non-Christian families: God is in control, the situation of your non-Christian family did not sneak up on Him, and the best way to honor your parents is to be a good Christian so that they will be saved by your witness.
God really has His hand on the Chens, the family we're staying with and Gene the boy living with them. Gene is tutored in English by Adrian, a really awesome Christian girl from Hualien attending the Kinmen college. John is tutored in math by David, a fellow from church. I didn't know Adrian tutored Gene until Thursday night. I was showing Gene's mom, Lee-shan (she's from Taiwan but is visiting until the end of the semester), my brag book. When she came to the picture of Caleb being baptized she asked if we were Baptists. I explained that we're attending a Baptist church but we've gone to several different denominations. Way-ling asked about Jehovah's Witness. As I'm trying to explain work-based salvation and occult who should suddenly appear but Adrian! And of course she was able to explain it all in Chinese to them. It was absolutely God's timing!
Jia-yo on the desert training! I'll stop CC my emails home to you because Mama said you have a limited amount of time to download them. Be careful and learn lots!
I'm going to bed now.
Love you!
Anna