During the summer of 2002 I was hired as a full time intern (the rest of the time was unpaid) and therefore was at the office every day and a part of the overall staff. We would attend some of the all staff meetings. Rodney Plunket was the preacher at the time, and I’ll never forget at one of the first meetings where he was addressing everyone by name and asking them if they had any more business to discuss and when he got to me he went blank. I gave him a hard time later saying that I had been at Broadway for a year and was now on staff, the least he could do was remember my name. Ha.

Rodney is a very fit, very energetic, young at heart type of  guy. He loves going to camp with the youth, and so that summer he came and taught at our camp in New Mexico called Rockcleft.  Rodney and I decided on the first day that we would start at the beginning of the alphabet and come up with some of the most absurd names for each other we could think of, and every time we saw each other we would create a new one until we got to the end of the alphabet.

Well, on Wednesday we came to the letter O.  I came up with the name Oglethorpe for him and he dubbed me Olga.  I wish I could explain how he sounded when he would say, “Ollllga!”, but let your imagination run wild.  These names stuck.  We loved them! This solidified our relationship.

I don’t think we ever finished the alphabet.  These would forever be our names.  I loved it when he would yell out “Olga” down the aisle at church and people would think, “Who the heck is Olga?” and of course I would holler back “Oglethorpe” with a bit of a grumble…again, use your imagination.

I’ve never seen a man with such an extensive library and on top of that-he has actually read almost all of the books in that library! He has let me use some of those books as I worked on my Master’s degree, and helped me wrestle with a paper on women’s roles based on 1 Corinthians 11.  He gave me such great insight, and has always affirmed and encouraged me in my calling and ministry.

He also has a Doctorate degree and is one of the most intelligent people I have ever known…and this is incredibly evident in his preaching…but not in an arrogant manner. He has studied so hard so that the message is more effective.  He gently teaches the message, yet in a very passionate manner.  He’s not afraid of the Gospel or what people think about his beliefs.  He has even been known to get emotional during his sermons! The knowledge he has enhances his lessons where the Biblical message comes across in a beautiful way.  He is very humble,  yet outspoken; and it is obvious he is in love with God and loves people.  He is your friend the instant he smiles at you. Genuine.

I ended up leaving Lubbock in 2004 when I headed to Juneau, Alaska to do another internship. While I was away, Rodney announced he would be leaving Lubbock to preach in Memphis. I already knew…before he or anyone ever told me. I love our connection.

He has been one of my constants here.  When I send out an e-mail update, he is usually the first one to respond saying he has just stopped to pray for me and to send a few words of encouragement.  That is like gold here! He has also set it up so that he Skypes or calls me EVERY week to check in, so he can learn what to pray for and give me words of encouragement. What a gift! He sincerely cares and wants to be involved.

He is a prayer warrior, a wonderful friend, an awesome preacher, and a blessing. He has encouraged, affirmed, challenged, prayed and loved me this whole journey. I am so incredibly thankful for and love my Oglethorpe.  He is a blessing from our Father who placed him in my life at just the right time, and continues to bless me all these years later. I know our friendship will last into eternity.

Olga and Oglethorpe are passing the torch…

I have been feeling strange off and on over the last week, and just chalked it up to getting to bed too late and not eating like I should…so I tried to start sleeping better and changed my eating habits.  Sunday night, I was planning on joining in on the last night of the spring festival, which is the lantern festival and where there is again a massive symphony of fireworks! I started to feel a heavy pressure on my chest that made it a bit difficult to breathe and uncomfortable to lie down. My left arm also felt painful and was very weak. When I went to get some food before the fireworks extravanganza, I suddenly felt really warm in the restaurant and thought I was going to pass out. I thought I probably just needed some food in me, so I ate, felt better and joined in on the fun.  It was snowing, too! Really great memories between the fireworks and snow! I stayed out for about an hour and really enjoyed it.  I felt alright when I returned, but began feeling a bit worse as they night progressed, but nothing that was alarming.

Monday when I woke up, I felt terrible.  I still had the pressure on my chest, my arm felt worse and I kept having these strange feelings of illness wash over me and at times feel like I wanted to pass out. Needless to say, I was trying hard not to be freaked out, and I am always the last person to go to the doctor! I try to talk myself out of feeling bad-lol.  That didn’t work, so  I decided I should probably go to the hospital and went to get ready…but decided I just needed to lie down…so I did, and fell asleep for 2 and half hours! That’s unusual.  I felt a little better, so I planned on going to our Bible study, but as I started getting ready it was all coming back. So, I made the decision to go to the hospital.  I messaged John that I was missing the study and he said that 2 of the sweet ladies wanted to go with me.  What blessings! They actually stayed with me in the hospital for the whole 3 hours and afterwards told me I could call them at anytime if I began feeling worse…even if it was midnight.  They are so awesome!!

Anyway, after 2 EKGs and blood work…most everything came back normal with nothing alarming.  My heart rate and blood pressure were both a bit high when I came in, but I think that is because I was so nervous…they settled after I had been there for awhile. There was no diagnosis and I have a follow up appointment next week.

I am still dealing with the chest discomfort/pain, but otherwise am feeling a bit better. It seems to get worse as the day goes on and especially at night. I can probably chalk this up to not taking care of myself like I should. I know sometimes I push too hard; ignore warning signs; need to get more sleep, eat even better and get more exercise.

This was definitely a wake up call!

I was very relieved to know that nothing showed up on the tests, but know there is still a reason why I have felt so bad. I am hoping with some additional rest and life changes the symptoms will cease.

It’s ironic, because I have been working on a few blog posts and one of those was about discipline, especially for my health!! I will definitely heed my own advice now! I have to really seek strength in God to be disciplined physically and spiritually. I am working on this every day and will definitely pay more attention to it now!

I don’t want anything to hinder my work here, and know I am partly responsible for that. If I don’t take good care of myself, then I will be no good to anyone else! I know that satan has definitely tried to come after me here-with different fears and physical issues, but he won’t win!! God is my Guide and Sustainer-in Him I trust…and I also know that He has given me this body, this temple, to take care of while on earth.

Please pray that I will be back  100% soon, that I will be more disciplined in taking care of myself, and that I will be able to fully devote myself to the work and opportunities here.  I know these are choices I have to constantly make.  There are too many people who need to hear His Good News for me to be down for long.

The good news is my heels are definitely getting better, and for that I am SO thankful!!

Thank you for all of your prayers-I know God hears them and is answering them! Life is too short and God’s Message is too amazing not to share it with all I am. I know more than ever if I don’t take care of myself, then that defeats the purpose for which I came.

I am so thankful for wonderful friends, a good hospital here in Beijing with great nurses and doctors, international insurance, and God’s incredible faithfulness!

For those of us who remained in Beijing, we went over to Felix and Laura’s apartment (an awesome couple in our church) to celebrate together.  They made more food than I can describe or we could eat, and it was amazing! We had great fellowship & it was a blessing to be a part of. Later we had jiao zi (dumplings), which is a big tradition to have near midnight on New Year’s Eve. A little before midnight, we went on top of their apartment building to watch the symphony of fireworks that were going off ALL over the city.  I have seriously never seen anything like it! It is impossible to describe, so you will simply have to watch:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The story is that lighting the fireworks is supposed to ward off bad spirits.  From what I have heard and witnessed the last few days, there cannot possibly be any bad spirits within thousands of miles of China!! I think they have taken care of it

According to myths and legends. the beginning of the Chinese New Year began with a fight against a mythical beast named Nien (年; nián) who would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers. The villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year, believing it would no longer attack people after it ate the food. One time, people saw that it was scared away by a little child wearing red, and discovered it was afraid of the color red. Afterwards, every time the New Year was about to come, the villagers would paint their doors red, hanging red lanterns & red spring scrolls on windows and doors. The firecrackers were also found to frighten it away (I can now understand why!!)

Any of this sound familiar? This reminds me of Exodus 12 where the Israelites covered their doors in blood to protect the destroyer from coming and killing their firstborn sons. I find the similarities extremely interesting.  In fact, I have found several correlations between some of the Chinese traditions and Biblical stories.  It definitely makes for great teaching opportunities…built right into Chinese history!! We have told the story of the Passover many times…

The firecrackers and red lanterns/scrolls are definitely still very prevalant today. Red is the emblem of joy; and it also symbolizes virtue, truth, sincerity, and good fortune. Chinese couplets are are pasted on each side of the door and on the lintel above the door, usually expressing the feeling of life’s renewal with an uplifting message about the year to come.

Traditional Chinese couplets (dui lian or chun lian) are more superstitious, and not really appropriate for us to hang. Thankfully, my awesome new artist friend, Lydia painted couplets for all of us with God’s blessings on them, and they now hang around our doors! Too cool!!

May we all remember God’s blessings and faithfulness year round-what amazing gifts of love, mercy & grace He lavishes on us daily!!

I plan on being intentional on posting more in the coming weeks…so, I am going to let you hold me to that (You-yeah, you! Wait…is anyone still reading?!) I do have a lot to share, and if you are still reading…then you will be lucky enough to hear the musings of a girl in China.

The Chinese new year/spring festival is approaching, so things are slowing down as people go home to spend time with their families.  This is kind of like their Christmas and everything shuts down, including schools and most businesses. Therefore, I will have more time to reveal my random thoughts. They may be raw,  will be honest, could be funny, and will be real.  I am going to share what is on my heart…

Stay tuned, folks…it’s about to get exciting

It is definitely bittersweet. I have loved being home and have tried to soak up every moment.  I am looking forward to returning to China and to all of the great things God is allowing us to be a part of there…and of course, it is always hard leaving.  I continue to realize how incredibly blessed I have been with an awesome family, incredible church family, and wonderful friends all over the world.  God has continued to provide and put many people in my path who have blessed and helped guide me in my faith walk.  I am eternally grateful and thank my Father for each of YOU.

Life is a great adventure, living in China is most definitely an adventure, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us next!! Please pray for safe travels and that I will be able to have a quick adjustment back to life in China.  Please also pray  for the work that is already going on in China to continue to grow and flourish.  God has provided SO many incredible opportunities for seeds to be planted, hearts to grow, and people to draw near to Him.  I pray that we can continue to help guide many souls to our amazing Father and His incredible Message!!

China was only a small blip on my radar a year ago, but not on God’s.  He told me to be patient and His plans would unfold, called me to trust in Him and just “be”. Interesting that the first two letters of Beijing are “be”.  Some of you might think that is looking into it too much, but I don’t believe there are coincidences with God and that He has ordained it all. I think…no, I know He knew what He was doing when he asked me to “be”, and then called me to Beijing!

It is hard to say this when you are in the midst of it; but I am thankful for the hard, difficult times because it makes you stronger and makes you all the more appreciate during the beautiful times. It makes you more aware of your blessings and the small things you may have overlooked or taken for granted before.  Everything is sweeter, more precious, more meaningful. Each relationship…opportunity…moment is more valuable than ever and is to be fully embraced.

I feel closer to God than ever before, yet I know I am not listening as much or spending as much time learning from Him as I need to be.  I plan on being more disciplined about that this year. It should not even be an area that needs discipline, for the most precious gift we have been given is the ability to approach the throne of our Father with grace and confidence & have a relationship with Him.  That is why I have HOPE.  That is why I am in China…because EVERYone needs to hear that incredible and amazing message of love, grace, & hope…and they are hungry for the Good News we have.

Every day is a new day.  Every moment is a chance for me, for you…to glorify God in our words, our actions, our love.  We have been given new life in Christ and are commissioned to take His message to the masses. We are ALLl ambassadors of Christ, and I pray that we will be His hands and His feet to the world…that we will not be complacent, get too comfortable in the pew, or argue over petty differences while there are still so many who don’t know Jesus.

May you be richly blessed in the year to come; overpowered by the amazing love and grace of our Father; seek ways to break through and advance His Kingdom, shine His light, share His love, and BE His Church.

I can’t wait to see what this year holds, what God will continue to do in China and throughout the world, and what adventure lies in store…it is most definitely quite an adventure of faith when you ask, “Here am I, send me!” You better be ready for what comes next!! ;)

Therefore, if you are in Christ, you are a new creation!! The old has gone, the NEW has come!! ~2 Corinthians 5:17 (with a few changes)

That means “Merry Christmas” in Chinese…in case you were wondering!

Things have been incredibly busy in Beijing lately…the Jackson’s are gone, Marcus and Alex are gone, and the Cooper’s went on a short trip to Hong Kong last week…so I kept Nash over 4 days.  Wow, I definitely have a new admiration and appreciate for single parents!! We had a lot of fun.  I bargained for my last gift last Friday, packed up and headed to Texas (via Toronto) on Monday and am enjoying the time with my family and friends.  It was hard to leave my sweet friends in China & I will look forward to seeing them again! They are truly a blessing.

I held a Christmas party at my apartment on Saturday evening for my seekers groups and a few other friends.  I decorated the house, made cookies, and we had a great time laughing and playing games!! Most people left by 11:00, and the last person did not leave till midnight-we were able to have a really deep and powerful conversation.  It was a very blessed evening!!

Then, last Sunday we had the church Christmas party and it was awesome!! I counted about 100 people who were in attendance for the church service, with MANY of those visiting for the first time and that number grew as we began the party.  Our Chinese teacher, along with several of the ladies from our Wednesday morning study and their kids came!! I discovered how much talent we have in our church! They did wonderful in their singing, acting, and story telling. There was even a Santa appearance! The poor guy got mauled-they loved him!

Everyone seemed to have a great time, and many were able to hear the story of Jesus and the real meaning of Christmas for the first time.  I have found it so interesting that you will see Christmas trees and decorations everywhere around here, but the majority have no idea what it is about.  I pray that seeds were planted and that many of them will return and have the opportunity to learn more about the greatest message of all!

Our latest LST team arrived on Saturday the 19th with John, Brandy & Zane Sloan and on Sunday with Paul Reding. We signed up several readers on Sunday and are praying even more will come.  Please pray for this team, that many seeds will be planted, hearts will be open and they will have a blessed time in Beijing-especially as they are away from family during Christmastime.  We are SO glad they came and are looking forward to what God will do through them!!

I hope and pray you are all having a wonderful & blessed Christmas and holiday season, filled with awesome reminders of God’s amazing grace, love and mercy! I am thankful for each of you and the ways God is using you! May you always remember the most amazing and beautiful gift of all…

God, in His GREAT love…

sent Jesus.

For me.  For YOU.  For EVERY one.

For ALL time.

ONE sacrifice.

Awesome LOVE.  Amazing GRACE.

We REJOICE in that we are now His friends. His children…

ALIVE in Him.  Assured of salvation.  Given a new life.

It truly is unfathomable.  The most incredible message of all time…and we have been commissioned with it!! That is even more amazing. I pray that I can always be so bold to spread it wherever I am.  I know I have not always been. His message is for everyone, everywhere for all time…we are missionaries wherever we go because we KNOW His amazing plan of salvation for all mankind, and because God has entrusted us with the task of taking it to the world.  We have been transformed by His great love, grace, and mercy.  How can we not shout it from the mountaintops? How can we keep from praising His name?! Everyone needs the opportunity to hear THE Good News-will we be the ones to share it?

I am humbled and grateful our Father has asked us to be His hands and feet to His children.  I am grateful He led me to China and for each and every person He has brought into my life since being here. It feels like home because of them. I feel so full and blessed, in ways I could not have imagine nor could explain. I feel like I am getting more out of this experience than they are, though I truly pray their lives and hearts will be transformed by our Father-He has the power and is clearly moving in their lives.  I pray He is moving in yours, too.  What a mighty God we serve!!

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~Romans 5:8

Lately, the funds have started to slow down, and with having to pay for 6 months rent (plus a deposit) up front, my funds are dwindling (though I am SO incredibly thankful for the apartment God provided me with!)  So, I come to you again-asking for your partnership in what God is doing here in China.  ANYthing that you are willing and able to give-whether one time or an ongoing donation would be greatly appreciated.

We have really been blessed in the 3 months we have been here to begin and be a part of  some great studies and have opportunities to grow relationships with new friends and members of the church.  It is awesome and humbling to be a part of what God is doing here.  I want to be able to continue and stay here for as long God would have me stay…but I need YOUR help!!

You can send your tax-deductible donations to:

Garden Ridge Church of Christ; 102 N. Garden Ridge; Lewisville, TX 75067

by putting “Katherine-China” in the memo line of your check…

or you can submit a donation through Paypal. Just click on the “DONATE” tab in the right hand column under “Support Kat in China”.

Thank you once again for those of you who have already contributed and continue to contribute to our mission-there are not adequate words enough to express my gratitude for your willingness!! I know I would not be able to be here if it were not for your generosity. Of course, I also greatly appreciate and cherish each of you who have been and continue to pray for our ministry-that is a tremendous blessing that cannot be counted!!

God has blessed us abundantly and has commissioned us all to carry His Good News to the world.  Please help me as I desire to take His incredible message to the people of China!! They ARE seeking and I want to help them find the Father we know and love.  His hope and salvation is the best news of all! Thank you for being the hands and beautiful feet of Christ to a nation who needs to know His amazing love…

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” ^{~Romans 10:14-16}

I hope you were all reminded and remembered to be thankful for all of the blessings in your life, and especially for the great love, grace, mercy and sacrifice of our awesome Father and His Son! Actually, I hope you are reminded and remember that every day, as every day is a chance to live for Him!!

I was very blessed with my first Thanksgiving in China and the first one away from my family.  Even though nothing can replace being with family, it is awesome how God brings us all together in HIS family!! We were blessed on Thursday to be invited to the home of one of our sweet sisters and have a Chinese Thanksgiving! She cooked an amazing feast and we felt so special to be invited!! The Chinese do not celebrate our Thanksgiving, but I received many text messages during the day from friends wishing me Happy Thanksgiving with messages of thanks-because they knew it was special to us.  I treasure each one!!

Then, on Friday our mission team gathered for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.  I was in charge of the stuffing, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes.  I have never cooked stuffing before and was unsure if I could find everything needed or if I would turn out well! Also, they don’t have ovens in most of these apartments, so you have to cook everything in a toaster oven…which with the help of my good friends, the Cooper’s…was purchased on Wednesday I will have to say that everything turned out great, and we had more food than we knew what to do with!! We ate, watched the Macy’s day parade that I had previously recorded, played the Wii, and laughed at Chuck Norris jokes (I have no idea how that even came about!) I am thankful for our team who is serving the people here in China, and the great time we have when we are together.  It makes it easier to be far from home!

I got this idea from someone else, but I loved it…so I think I can use it, too.  Since we cannot all sit around a physical table together and since we are spread out all over the world…we can pull up a chair here…at the table I have set on my blog.  I want to know what you are thankful for!! I’ll start.  I am thankful for…

A mighty Father who loves me unconditionally and forgives my sins as far as the east is from the west…

Wonderful family & friends who stretch across the miles and oceans.

The opportunity to live, serve & build relationships with the awesome people of China…friendships that are blossoming, hearts that are open and seeds that are being planted.

Online venues which have allowed to “meet” and be blessed by amazing people which I probably have never known otherwise.

A mission team who has the heart for people, a passion for seeing Jesus’ name spread, & who I have the privilege to serve with.

Those who are financially supporting our efforts, those who are praying for our work, and those who encourage my soul with their uplifting words.

A roof over my head,  food in my cabinets, clothes on my back,  shoes on my feet & clean, accessible water.  I know there are many around the world who don’t have these things which we often take for granted.

So, grab another helping of mashed potatoes and some pumpkin pie-and please tell us what you are thankful for!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. ~Phil. 4:6