Unbelievable!

Housing prices in Taipei I thought were going down... but I've seen no downward turn...

I've been looking at possible places to buy and have made several offers... and I've been turned down!

This evening at our complex meeting, I heard of another place in our community that's for sale!

The listed price is NT$570,000 per ping! People in the States don't use 'ping'... So... our place is 45 ping, which includes the parking and public area.  That would mean that our house would be about 25 million NT$! CRAZY! One of the members of our complex said, "Why don't you buy that apartment? It has a great view!" That house is smaller and would be about 500,000US$! My sister and brothers would never want to retire here! My brother in law needs waves. My brother, Eddie, needs enough land to raise horses. My brother, James... hum? Maybe James would want to live here!

But unbelievable!

Seek Him First!

Fixing Up the Danhsui House

Alan and I drove off to Danhsui as we were meeting the refrigerator repairman!

We got there at 11:05 and the doorbell rang at 11:15!

While the repairman and his apprentice worked on the refrigerator, Alan and I helped our tenant switch furniture. After the furniture was switched, Alan took a nap while I cleaned and organized things for her.

The repair was successful! Praise the Lord! They were finished by 12:25! And Alan was hungry. So, we had time for lunch and a drive around Danhsui.

They are building a new MRT line and we were quite impressed with how much progress has been made!

It was just such a blessing to have another spontaneous date with Alan!

We got back by 4pm and I got things ready as I needed to head off to tutor!

Isaiah lined and he got the Pronunciation Class. He had to 'pretend' that he had really poor English pronunciation so that the teacher will let him in the class! Ha, ha, ha... He also had French which he is enjoying... He practiced with the Freshmen Basketball team, tutored and got back home by 7pm. He decided not to join the evening tennis practice, which was optional! Next week -- it will be mandatory tennis practice!

I did not have any time to work on my talks... I have one finished, but not the one for the morning Chinese service! That's the more difficult one... please pray!

Seek Him First!

Too Hot & Too Tired!

The title says it all... that's how I would describe today!

Here I was thinking that fall had started... but by today's heat... NOT YET!

Bible study in the morning and I had prepared a feast... homemade mac & cheese, fish patties, salads and homemade bread!

We ended late and I was off to another appointment...

Tutoring this evening... and then ran a few errands... including buying 15US$ worth of fruit as the kids were complaining that now Dad is home, we haven't filled our refrigerator up with fruit. They missed it... ha, ha, ha... So, I bought four different kinds of fruit -- red/white dragon fruit, yellow watermelon, peaches and pears! What a feast!

Abby went to cram school and Alan had his evening classes.

I spent the rest of the evening working on my talks... No time to run or even go for a walk --

TOO HOT & TOO TIRED!

Seek Him First!

First Day of University!

Isaiah had his first day as a university student!

He only had ONE class!

He is trying to get his schedule "fixed"... He went to attempt adding a sophomore class. When the class started, there were 20 plus students waiting for the teacher.

The professor (who is very popular as her class is fun and interesting and engaging) immediately said she will only allow 10 students to add her class. So, she asked how many are seniors? Eight of the 20 plus were seniors. So, they got to add her class. Then she took all the other papers and did a lottery style 'selection' for two 'lucky' students. Isaiah did not get in.

Presently he has only 15 units. He wants to get at least 19 units, which means two more classes. He has four more classes to 'attempt' to add... One on Tuesday, two on Thursday and one on Friday! Hopefully, he'll get two out of those four! It would be nice to get the Tuesday Old Testament class and the Thursday, Children's Literature class... Those are the two I'd want to take!

His tennis practice doesn't start until next week but the upper classmen invited him to join them tonight. So after a quick dinner, he went off to the River Park to meet the guys and maybe play a couple of games of tennis. They are not practicing at school because the typhoon ruined the courts, which are being repaired. Lucky Isaiah... the River Park is just 10 minutes from our house. That's where I usually go for my run...if the weather wasn't so hot!

Tomorrow his first class is at 8am. He is taking the Ultra Marathon Event Volunteer class... Coach Liu is heading up that class and he is going to be so thrilled to see Isaiah!

For me, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that my son is in university already. Really... wasn't it just days ago that he started Little Samuel Training School as a five year old???

Like I always tell people... both of these kids are such gifts from above...

Seek Him First!

Is Fall On The Way?!?!?!

Today was our HOP third prayer walk... and I knew the weather would be perfect...

At 5:15 when I finished the teaching part, the congregation went out... and it was indeed cooler and with a slight breeze!

I had invited Cindy who shared about praying for Unreached People Groups... There is such a need to pray, pray and pray some more...

For Love Feast, we had pizzas... and the evening was just fabulous!

Abby and I went for a walk after we got home and I dropped off a freshly baked loaf of bread and some homemade cookies to the fire department guys who helped patch up my head on Wednesday... I wanted to bless them in Jesus' name.

So... the evening continued to be nice and cool... I think we will sleep well tonight... and hopefully, this cooler weather will continue.

Maybe Fall is on its way...

Seek Him First!

A Busy Day!

I went out to attend the Back to School Day... while Alan dropped Abby off...

It was a bit of a waste of time, except that the teacher received the scores from Abby's first practice tests. She did a lot better than she had thought... getting a total of 48 out of 75. (Isaiah got 47 on his first practice tests last year!)  We are extremely pleased... She now knows what she can do to improve. Her Science and Math scores were the lowest!

I then scootered all the way out to Danhsui in the HEAT!  The refrigerator repair man was set to meet me after 1pm.

I bought a lunch box and just after finishing it, the door bell rang. He had arrived. He fixed it... but discovered another problem... which another guy will have to come to get the job done. The total cost -- 130US$! It was a bit more than I had wanted to pay, but it beats buying a new one! (Which would have cost 400US$... and the frig is only three years old!)

I scootered back and worked on my Bible study before heading out to pick up Abby.

We went out for a walk and while on our walk, Isaiah called... he was heading back on the bus... and would be back at Soochow in 15 minutes!

I quickly made a stop at the newly opened World Gym for a free 14 day passed... They wouldn't give me one. I had to come before 9/14, which was where I was headed when I slipped and cracked my skull! Oh well...

On the way to pick up Isaiah, I saw a scooter accident. At the next red light, I called 119... Hopefully, the two people weren't too badly hurt...

Alan was at the camp meeting all day (this was a refreshing time for pastors and church leaders).

Tonight... we were all home... What a nice way to end a very busy day!

Seek Him First!

A Date!

We were going to head out to Danhsui as the refrigerator there in our rental property is not working. I called the LG repairman and he was scheduled to be there between 12-3. I called him this morning to confirm. He said, No problem!

At around 10:30, just before we were set to leave, the guy called me back. He can't make it today. How about tomorrow afternoon? I said to him, I thought you didn't work on Saturday. His reply, Well, I'm not going to get everything done today, so I'll have to work on Saturday!

What a miracle!

Alan and I were able to have our usual Friday Date... lunch at a nice restaurant and sit and chat and catch up!

I had to tutor at 4pm, but it's been over three months since we've had a date... Well... we did have that 'date' at the airport when I arrived back from the States and he was leaving to go to the States...

God orchestrated everything out so perfectly!

Oh as for my recovery... I feel much much better! There is some soreness... but overall, I'm doing well. I would not go for a 10km run... not yet... maybe next week... plus, the weather has turned HOT again!

Seek Him First!