Jump Through July

 July was bitter and sweet. 

Many hard days, days of growth, days of pain, and also many joyful, good days. This post contains lots of remembrances, for life moves on and sometimes that's a heartbreaking thing.

If you need a bright spot in a hard week:

- breathe in fresh air daily

- spend more time with God

- eat a steamed bun

- laugh with your favorite people

Yi Tao is a joyful, tender-hearted, quiet, observant, thoughtful, fun, little boy who loved to repeat everything I said . :) I already miss him. Besides school during the semester, he only joined 2 weeks of summer school, and I won't get to see him again. 😪

This is my heart because half the time is spent learning reading and half the time is spent learning God's word. 

My last Tuesday night class with these 2 amazing boys.😢

Lele has a little green camera, so we spent half the class learning first what to say to respect someone when you're wanting to take a picture of them, and second, practicing the behavior many times. It was so fun. 

Online class with my Chilean students continues. I'm very grateful to be able to teach them advanced grammar. This bright spot in my week keeps me a little sane. 😄

I listened to patriotic music all day on Independence Day. :)

Now you may stare at the beautiful skies. Hopefully seeing sky photos each month encourages you to look up more often. 😊

Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 

~ Psalm 42:8

😲

This is a giant snail I found after a rainy evening.

This is Astragalus Root soup with pork meat and bok choy.

Astragalus root is an herbal ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Here are some benefits:
1. Boosts energy and relieves fatigue.
2. Strengthens immunity.
3. Protects the spleen and stomach (better when cooked with chinese yam).
4. Nourishes the lungs and relieves coughing.
5. Help regulates blood pressure.

Of course I always add Everglades Seasoning which makes everything more delicious. 😂😋

Homemade milk tea

First time trying Lychee ice cream. Very delicious. 

Thursday, July 23, 2026. Last day of school was very successful.  I taught a girl how to properly elbow and push a boy while simultaneously saying, "Stop. I don't like that." No matter how old a girl is, her voice matters. The funniest thing was the boy was just sitting, letting her practice on him (well not like he had a choice with me there 😂), and she did so great. 👏👏💪 Alot of girls have a hard time spitting out words so I was very proud of this girl's confidence. 😃

July isn't quite over but this is where the photos end for now because I'm taking my own advice from 2 pictures above and doing things I've never done to become someone who I've never been. Continuously growing...💐

How was your July?

Pilgrimage

American Heritage Dictionary defines pilgrimage as "journey to a sacred place or shrine." 

The word originally comes from the Latin peregrinus, meaning “foreigner,” “stranger,” or “one who travels through a foreign land.” The idea is that a pilgrim is not merely traveling to a destination but is on a meaningful journey of the soul. 

Behind every journey lies a story. This picture captures the quiet journey of a pilgrim: a path marked by faith, growth, surrender, and a longing for something greater than what this world can offer. It symbolizes the journey toward God himself. And the journey itself is a place where God meets us. 

There's no looking back - for the road behind has already served its purpose. 

Eyes are forward - not toward the eyes of those watching because the journey is not meant to be lived for the approval of others. 

And there's no running because God is not found in a hurry. 

→ Jeremiah 29:13: And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

→ Psalm 46:10: Be still, and know that I am God...

The Bible uses the idea of a pilgrimage to describe believers as travelers on earth who are seeking God and their true home with him.

Hebrews 11:13, 16
These all died in faith, not having receive the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. 

1 Peter 2:11 
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.

Psalm 119:53-55
Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law. Thy statues have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law. 

These verses show that a pilgrimage toward God does not mean escaping the darkness of this world. It means learning to walk through it with the light of his presence. God waits at the end of the journey and also sustains the traveler along the way. His word becomes the song of the pilgrim’s heart until the day faith becomes sight. What a wonder that our God who leads toward the light also gives us songs for the darkness along the way.


A pilgrimage often includes leaving something behind (comfort, old ways, distractions), walking by faith (trusting God along the way), seeking God’s presence, and being changed through the journey.
It's not just a journey to a place, but a journey toward the heart of God where he himself is the destination. And how precious it is to know God and dwell with him.

Psalm 27:4
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
David's desire was not simply what God could give him—it was God’s presence. And man, that is my earnest heart's desire as well. 

Psalm 73:25
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
Jesus also describes eternal life not merely as a place, but as knowing God.

John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

The Bible begins with humanity walking with God in the garden in Genesis 3 and ends with God dwelling with his people forever. 
Revelation 21:3 
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them...

My deepest hope of heaven is that I'll get to be with God himself and serve him fully without sin or limitations. And that's why I can't wait for it.💚 I'll get to experience the fullness of his presence in a way I can't experience on earth, because now we see through a glass, darkly (1 Cor. 13:12). 

Now, let's remember that 2 things can be true at once. Yes, God is the destination, and he is the one who walks with us during the journey. We don't wait until heaven to know him. 
James 4:8 says, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you...

John 15:4 says, Abide in me, and I in you... 
'Abide' means to remain, dwell, or stay. We can live in a deep relationship with him now. 
We're like children traveling home to a loving father, but our father is already with us on the road, guiding, comforting, and speaking with us. The journey is toward him, but it's also with him. 
To me, this is the most precious thing. My God is my companion and the strength that carries me toward home. 

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. 💜
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art. 
Thou my best thought by day and by night - waking or sleeping - thy presence my light.

God's Gift of Nature

A constant state of hypervigilance inevitably leads to hypervigilance fatigue. 

(Hypervigilance is when the brain continually scans for possible danger, even if there's no  threat. So hypervigilance fatigue is the exhaustion that comes from maintaining that constant state of alertness.)  

And God did not design the body to stay in this state. One of the top best things for refreshment is to get out in nature alone. Nature can't heal. But God can use it to remind a person that he cares. He has written quietness into his creation and can use it to restore the soul. 

Here's some benefits: 

*Nature usually has fewer unexpected noises, slower movements, predictable surroundings, and fewer crowds. Because of this, the amygdala receives fewer danger signals and the body can shift into parasympathetic nervous system mode, which is rest & digest.😌

*Nature requires 'soft attention.' 'Directed attention' happens every day in life and it's exhausting: cars, phones, noises, decisions, people watching you, conversations. 

*Nature uses 'soft fascination' where a person's attention rests on birds, moving leaves, flowing water, clouds, mountains, etc. The brain can rest while staying engaged. 

*Nature helps lower cortisol which means the muscles can relax, blood pressure can decrease, tension can melt away, and thoughts can slow down. 

When the body feels unsafe, the amygdala and brain constantly ask: 

- is there a threat?

-who's around me?

-what could happen?

The constant monitoring costs energy so the body spends an enormous amount of fuel. Because the nervous system activates the sympathetic (fight of flight) system: 

~ adrenaline rises

~ cortisol stays elevated

~ muscles stay tense

~ sleep becomes less restorative 

Get away from noise. Be alone with God in his creation whether that's the beach, mountains, forest, fields, etc. Remember that he is Jehovah Rapha - the God who heals. 💐❤️

These pictures are from when I hiked TianZhu mountain from East to West a few Saturdays ago. It took around 5 hours with minimal breaks. And if you run out of water, there's plenty of waterfalls to drink from.  Ahh, that water is purely refreshing. 😃

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.