Christmas Greetings - 2014

2014 has been a blessed year for the Meyer Family: We began the year in Shanghai, China and will close it out in Minneapolis, Minnesota - where we moved in June.  While we miss so much about our life in China, especially our dear friends, we are thankful for God's faithful provision to return to the U.S.  We are still adjusting to life here, including Joab looking for a new job after being laid off in September.  Overall, we have been encouraged to see how everyone is building more connections here.

Adjusting Well to the US: A lot of people ask us how the kids are adjusting to life in the USA. Truly, they are doing great: School, Church, Neighborhood and Time with Family - they love it all!
- Miriam and Asa: Our big kids attend a local Chinese Charter Immersion School - Ying Hua Academy.  This has been an amazing way for Asa and Miriam to continue in their Chinese studies. They both have made some great friends and love being a part of such a great community.
- Salome was fluent in Chinese when we left this summer and now has forgotten most of her Chinese. This makes us sad, but hopeful she can gain it again next year when she goes to Ying Hua for Kindergarten.
- Silas is talking more and more and when you ask him his name he replies "Elmo" just to see you laugh! He brings a lot of laughter to our home.

Prayers Answered and Fulfillment Awaited: I (Emily) had three prayers for our move to the USA: That we would find a house that feels like a home, a church that feels like a family and a job Joab loves. Truly the first two have been met as we are renting an incredible home in North Minneapolis near the kids school and in November become members of Sovereign Grace Church! Now we are just waiting on God for the job! God has answered so many prayers and we are eager to see Him do so again!

Leaving China: Leaving the place we called home for seven years was probably the hardest thing we have done as a married couple. It was not easy to leave a land and community that we loved. But have learned a lot, grown a lot and by God's amazing grace have seen God provide time and time again.  Below are some highlights from the last year.  As always, we would love to hear from you - either through posting on the blog below or e-mailing us (joabandemily@gmail.com)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Cutting the Christmas Tree

Halloween Costumes

Carving Pumpkins

First Day of School at Ying Hua Academy

Exploring Minnehaha Creek in South Minneapolis

Moving Into our New Home in North Minneapolis

Leaving Shanghai: Boxes and Goodbye

Summer Trip: Visiting Our Friend's Family in the Anhui Country Side  

Final Party with Local Chinese Friends

Spring Trip with American Friends (the Bowmans) to Nanjing

Ringing in the Chinese New Year with Lights in Downtown Shanghai

Tianjin Trip: Part 1 - A Changing Neighborhood and Friends

The first weekend in March we had the opportunity to visit my (Joab's) "hometown" here in China - Tianjin.  Believe it or not, nearly 17 years ago I had the opportunity to spend nearly 1 year in Tianjin, which is about an hour south of Beijing by train, studying Chinese.  Not only did I learn a ton about Chinese language and culture, but I met many dear friends - many of whom I am still in touch with today.

The first day we were in Tianjin we visited some of these friends who live in Tianjin's Muslim area made up most of ethnic Hui - one of China's largest Muslim minorities.  We were able to see first hand how this community is physically being transformed - as an entire neighborhood of one story homes are being converted into high rise apartment blocks.  In the midst of this change, the community is clearly finding ways to maintain their traditions and customs.  

A tower at the neighborhood mosque

The entrance to the men's worship hall

The Old and The New: 

The rubble of the one story buildings with the apartment buildings in the background

A panoramic view of the old neighborhood with the Mosque tower in the middle

The entrance to the new apartment compound with traditional architecture

Though our time with our friends was brief the kids enjoyed connecting with their children.  They have a lot in common having both grown up in China and attended local schools.

A trip to my old "hometown" isn't complete without some great food.  Here Em is enjoying candied haw-fruit, which we can get in Shanghai, but is much tastier (and cheaper) up North!  Em's hand signal is telling us the total (for 2) was only 6 yuan as apposed to 5 yuan each here in Shanghai.

Miriam's 15 Minutes of Fame

As we posted here in October 2011, a picture of Miriam at an art contest in the Spring of 2009 was turned into a propaganda poster near our home. The poster reads "Children are the Future of the Motherland."

As we drove past the poster this afternoon, it was clear that the poster was coming down in the near future, so we had to capture the picture close up.

Seems in China, you never know where pictures of your kids might end up!