This Great Work

 China was difficult the first time around to get into---miraculous to have actually made it. The second time, it was easier, but while going through it, it didn't feel like it--we still needed approval to enter the country.  And again, it was nonetheless miraculous. This time around, we could fly directly from Salt Lake City without a week in a city approved for testing. And only two negative Covid tests were needed.  Seemed simple enough. Then we read the fine-print requirements:  2 RT-PCR tests at CILA certified labs with two different reagents 24 hours apart from each other one and two days before the flight.  Who in the US is still doing PCR test with a rapid turn around?  And who knows the reagents they use? No one that we could find. After several phone calls, we were exhausted at the thought of actually being successful.  We finally just decided to use two different certified labs and hope that their reagents were different and that we could g...

Our shipment has been a complicated math problem. While complicated, it might simply be expressed simply as  s=d I'll define the variables:  s=shipment    d=drama Every few days a new point on the graph is added.  On again.  Off again.  Up a little.  Down a lot. Up a lot, down a little.  The plots on the graph definitely reflect a roller coaster ride rather than a smooth glide on a serene pond.   Here are just the highlights of the plotted points. 🎢Point A:  While still at home:  review the long list of prohibited items to be taken into China.  Unpack many things we had wanted to take.  (mostly food items and seeds for herbs, tomatoes etc.)  Re-itemize every single item that goes into the boxes (tedious!!). 📈Point B:  Fly to Dallas and only after obtaining permission to fly into China do we summon the movers to pick up our boxes. ⊶Point C:  Make arrangements for the shippers to meet Chandler at h...

FamilySearch has been my lifesaver. Literally.   💟One night one of the girls was really struggling and I had the thought to open up FamilySearch.  We started looking at trees and pictures--nothing really in depth--and it was as if the difficulty melted away.  I have also found FamilySearch to be a sure fire way for me to respond to the difficulties of living here.  I've been making it part of my daily practice to spend at least a few minutes reading histories or looking at pictures of my ancestors. I'm astounded at the difference such a little thing makes. There is true power in that resource.   It's like I'm surrounding myself with people invested in me and who have walked through difficult things in their lives so they know how to help.  It reminds me of being in the temple. 💟Before I left, I printed out this fan chart.  On it are 126 of my ancestor's names.  I've been SO thankful I followed that idea to bring this print out. I ...

If we're being completely honest, there are some days that I just struggle.  ☁ Some days have been filled with burdening homesickness.  I really miss my kids and my grand babies in a heavy way.  ☁ I miss my neighborhood and going to church in person.   ☁ I miss the temple.   ☁ Some days I really just don't know how to thrive here.   ☁ I got called to Primary and doing Primary music over Zoom is incredibly challenging and --keeping in brutal honesty mode-- even with all of my experience in Primary, I'm not cut out for it. I really just don't know how to do it. It has been very stretching for me.   ☁ We also haven't had very much money to spend.  This is because China doesn't financially honor spousal relationships and so I can't have access to the credit cards on the apps the Chinese pay with.  And there is a two month lag in pay before Tom gets paid from the company here.  So while we have money in the US, I have been...