MINISTRY:
We had about 25 people in our little apartment on Easter.  We all shared a big potluck meal together, followed by a time or worship and a message about the true meaning of the holiday, and the importance of the resurrection. This was to be followed by a 'dunking' in our bathtub, but we were hesitant as one of the ladies who attended with her son was a police officer. Fortunately, the group had asked before hand if we could arrange a game of "hide the egg".  This provided a good opportunity for Carissa to invite all those with children outside. We realize it is usually the adults who hide the eggs, but sometimes you do what you gotta do! So while the kids were hiding the eggs, we finished up inside. Afterward, the whole group went out, the adults hiding the eggs now, and the world of easter egg hunts was made right again. It actually seemded like the adults enjoyed the game more than the kids! Later on in the evening, as things were winding down, came the best moment of the night as a young girl named Esther became a new sister!

We were also able to celebrate Mother's day in a special way. We all went out to a restaurant where about 15 mother's, many with their children, met to celebrate. We surprised them all with flowers and chocolate (everybody loves chocolate, right?). Steve was able to share a message of hope and encouragement for these ladies. This was followed by an opportunity for anyone to share what their mother meant to them. Not to many of them did, but there were a couple who really broke down when they began to speak. It was a really special evening, and hopefully some of those who came will also come to the weekend study.

FAMILY:

The big girls are almost finished with school for the year.  Vaylah is showing her excitement for the last day of Saxon second grade math!  Our last day of school is June 15th.  Not bad for starting October 15th!  They are most excited about taking a break from Chinese lessons this summer.  Vaylah does not enjoy writing characters at all!!!!

This guy had his second birthday! 

Dayuma is unfortunately caught in perpetual kindergarten.  Her lessons are the last thing we get to each day, so she is in the school year that will never end!  She has begun reading and writing , so we are making progress, and she is thrilled.  Recently on a relaxed night at the table, the big girls were reading silently during dinner.  I looked again and Day had her k-reader open in front of her.  She's a big girl now.   

REQUESTS:

-This Sunday, the 19th, we will be traveling to Thailand to take care of some medical issues. Steve will be seeing a GI doctor there, and likely undergoing some tests (colonoscopy, etc - good times). We will also try to take care of some routine things for the kids while we are here. Please ask the Father for Steve, that he would see the right doctor who can prescribe the right course of action. We continue to actively ask for his complete healing, but at the same time are not opposed to seeking help for the medical field.

-There is an opportunity for us to move into a house in a village about 30 minutes outside of the city. There would be pros and cons to this move. It is a large, stand-alone house with a small yard (which is rare here), adjacent to an empty field leading into a wood and up a mountain. This is exciting to think about for our family, and the house would lend itself to numerous ministry opportunities, but we are not sure of the timing. Even though it is not that far away, it would still be difficult to move again just as we are getting settled in and making friend here- especially for the kids. So please ask for wisdom for this decision, as we have to make it by the end of the month.

New Contact info:

We love to hear from everyone, but communication has been difficult lately as the computer we have been using has no web cam,  and we also lost our magic jack phone after two years.(Someone chewed on it - you'll never guess who). So now  we have a new phone number via skype.  You can call us at 215-310-5864.  Please remember there is a 12 hour time difference :)

Blessings to all and to all a good night!

There and back again - A Reeves' tale

Early in the year 1907, at the Donhuvar compound in Southern India run by Amy Carmichael, and epidemic of dysentery swept through which claimed the lives of 10 of the 16 babies being cared for. Amy, herself away at the time recovering from illness, once again came under fire from most other 'workers'  in the area. The place was to crowded- she should borrow money to expand. She should hire workers to help. She should make use of 'nominal' believers in the work - all commom practices amongst the othes. But none of these were part of the vision that the Father had given to her. She was distraught. In correspondence back with Amy her main helper, Ponnammal, said this: "Let us work until we drop, but let us never lower our standard." This is the path Amy had traveled until this point, and it was the path she would remain on the rest of her life. Uncompromising to what she felt the Lo** had showed her.
     Are the standards that Amy Carmichael upheld universal? Not necessarily - The H.S. works in different ways with different people and in different ministries. But the question that begs answering is this: Have you lowered your standard? Because the temptation to do just that is always there. In fact, when things get tough, that is often the first thing that comes to mind - what can I do to make this easier. Often our answer to this involves lowering the standard revealed to us by the Father. But this should be resisted at all costs. Will He who called you not also be faithful to do it? What is the standard that He has given to you- for you family, your ministry, your life as a whole? Hold fast to that in the tough times and you can be sure that He will see you through.

     Our time in the States was Great! Refreshing, encouraging, fun (though not always restful), we were so glad to see everyone and for the support shown to us. Thanks so much to everyone who shared a meal, there house, their finances, pra*ers, etc. We were truly blessed. But we were also excited to get back to our home here, and get things moving again.
     The second semester has begun for the whole family.  Ruthee and Vaylah are working towards finishing 3rd and 2nd grades respectively.  They are taking Chinese lessons on Monday and Thursday afternoon.  Dayuma is learning to read!  Praise Him for wonders that never cease.  Abishai is turning two this month and can count from one to ten.  Some of the numbers are English and some are Chinese.....none are in order.  Bless his heart he doesn't know yet that he's bilingual.  He just mixes words from both languages!

     Steve has recently begun teaching through the book of Phillipians, and is really enjoying studying with the group. We are all really excited for the upcoming resurrection day celebration. Please keep this in your thoughts, as it will be an open invite to our house and there is at least one scheduled 'dunking'.
     It has been a difficult season for Steve's health. As many of you know he has had a long battle with Crohn's disease. Shortly before returning to the states he had a flare-up, which continued during our stay. The Father was gracious to us and provided several months worth of medicine (a sincere thanks to those who provided for this!) for us to come back with. He is currently doing better, but we feel as though something more permanent needs to be put into place. Our overall heart is to ask for his complete healing - would you ask the Father with us for this? While we are doing this, we are also considering another trip to Thailand next month, where the hospitals and doctors are first rate. If the complete healing is still down the road, we feel it is wise to get under regular supervision for the illness. But in all, we desire wisdom, and not to be controlled by fear of any kind.
     And I (steve) want to say thanks to my wife (she doesn't know i am writing this). She is truly the Father's gift to me. She is like superwoman, especially when I am not feeling great. I am truly blessed!
     Thanks so much and love to all! 

Safe and Sound

We made it to Kunming on July 2nd.  We have slowly gotten accustomed to our new surroundings, and neighborhood.  Ruthee does have her own room with bunkbeds!  She is finally able to protect her stuff!

Vaylah's birthday was a success.  She turned 7 July 20th. She was "asking" that our family would make friends quickly so she would have friends to come to her party.  He answered with just the right number of people....7!

Abishai made one new friend at the class Steve teaches on Sunday afternoon.  Steve was happy to introduce our family to his new students.  Please lift up all of our children as we have a ways to go in this transition. 

The big story for this summer is the second break!  Dayuma originally broke her left radius on May 26th.  On June 23rd we went to the hospital expecting to have the cast taken off, but discovered the bone had slipped back out of position and surgery was necessary to correct it.  We did the surgery on Tuesday, June 26th.  We moved to our new city just a few days later.  It has been a trial finding post op care in a different city.  We have learned the hard way that the Chinese do not often transfer the care of a patient.  Also Dayuma has been traumatized by the whole experience and threw quite a fit for anyone who attempted to remove the stitches or pin.  Finally, with the help of a "sister" MD from Singapore, a Chinese bone surgeon agreed to put Day to sleep to remove the pin and stitches.  We scheduled this procedure for Tuesday July 24th.  To our great shock, on Monday July 23rd she fell from a climbing place and broke her humerus ( the same arm) just under the shoulder (note exhibit A). 

We believe the best option is to fly Dayuma to a foreign friendly hospital in Thailand to diagnose and treat this second break.  Please stand in the gap with us as Steve travels with her to Bangkok to see a doctor trained in the "west".  They are leaving tomorrow July 26th. We are surprised at the timing of these events, but are confident that nothing can separate us from His love.  We know that this battle is not of flesh and blood and this step of moving has put a target on us. 

Naturally the cost of this trip is unexpected because it fell so close to our move.  Already the new friends we made here gave us the money to fly to Thailand.  Praise Him!   We will not know the hospital expense until the diagnosis.  We are believing that He will give us exactly what we need. We covet your prys more than ever as we enter uncharted territory within uncharted territory.  Please ask for our inner strength to be increased. We desire His presence most of all.

Merry Merry month of May

I realize there are no cute faces in this picture, but the story is fantastic.  Recently our neighbors called and complained about this AC fan.  It is on a concrete shelf outside of our kitchen window 11 floors up.  Steve thinks he can fix it!  So he climbs out onto what may or may not be a sturdy landing and uses a screwdriver for a simple repair.  Now he needs to wait on the motor to run again before he can be sure.  So he politely asks for his leftover Indian food and eats his lunch on the landing while he waits.  In the meantime, someone on the 10th floor looks out of their window in surprise.....because there is a white man standing on a window sill!  Steve just very casually smiled and said "nihao".  And that friends, is how you know you are released from culture shock.  The transformation is complete!

Abishai went swimming recently with our sixth grade students.  This is Haley!  She thinks he loves her, but he really just wants those glasses!  He is 14 months now and finally taking some steps.  He sees what he wants, takes some steps, then drops and crawls to get it.  He loves to throw ball back and forth, and he has a wooden hammer he swings at everything and everyone!

Our biggest story for the month of May is this broken bone.  The ulna is broken just below the wrist.  Dayuma fell while rollerblading at 3pm Saturday May 26th.  While you all were peacefully sleeping, we were traversing the Chinese hospital system.  We went to the closest hospital first because we could tell it was broken.  Here we met an impatient doctor who recommended surgery! We left, mostly because of his countenance, to get a second opinion.  A bone specialist with 30 years of experience setting bones helped us at the second stop! It is already healing nicely.  She is now squeezing toys between her fingers when the other arm is full. 

We had a little party at our house on Mother's day.  Some of our friends from Saturday night class made a big decision, so we needed to celebrate.  Here is a picture of some of the girls in our girl's bedroom.  Please continue to lift this group up, as we begin the leadership transition during this last month. Lift up the three guys who will be sharing the teaching duties - for wisdom and growth; that the enemy would have no room to get in and destroy (because we know he will try). I am sure it will have its ups and downs, but I continue to feel led to pass it off to these three I have been training. As it has been said (by someone who I forget) 'It is easier to teach a faithful person skill then it is to teach a skilled person faithfulness.' These guys have shown themselves to be faithful, and the HS can supply the rest!

Ruthee is growing into a beautiful young lady.  She is a big helper around the house and sets a good example for her little sisters.  We are learning how to help her with her hearing.  We play a game at night popping our ears together.  The doctor thinks the ear drum will eventually stay open if she can learn how to open it.  She says everything is so loud when we can get that ear to pop! We are so proud of how she handles it.  She knows it has happened for a reason.  She expects Him to use it somehow.  What a sweet perspective.

June 1st is childrens' day in China.  So our school had a field day.  There was a crazy relay race for class competition.  Vaylah is cheering so hard she is about to lose her pants! She has done so well in first grade.  She teams up with her teacher to share the story of true love with her classmates.  They are quite a pair.  She will be turning 7 just a few days after we move.  She has been sad about not being in the states to share her birthday with her cousins.  We promised her we would invite some strangers to our house for cake.  Just this weekend we received an email from a new friend in KG. Their family is in a homeschool group and they have a daughter Vaylah's age.  Whew!!! The birthday is saved!!
We have arranged for a moving company to come get our things on Monday July 2nd.  We will have to wait in KG for five days for our things to arrive.  Please ask for mercy in an extra measure during this time of transition.  Next week, June 14th-17th, Carissa and Abishai will go to KG to secure an apartment.  Please ask for the perfect place to be obvious to her.  We don't want to move again for a long time!
Be Blessed!
the Reeves

We are two months shy of finishing the school year and ending this chapter of our lives.  On July 1st we will be moving our family to the southwest to start a new work.  Steve will be enrolling in a Mandarin language school to study full time for a year.  The rest of us will be homeschooling and setting up shop in a new city.   Steve will also be stepping in to teach a Sunday morning "class".  A friend has been hosting a "class" in her home and the "teacher" is moving back to the states. 

Abishai's first day swimming!  It is already pretty hot here in southeast China, and all of the pools are opening this month.  We are "hoping" to hire a new ayi in our home when we move.  We like having a chinese speaker in our home.  We want our children to be bilingual, and daily practice is the key!

 Ruthee has hit a growth spirt this spring.  She is taller and heavier and losing more teeth!  She is "hoping" for her own room in our new apartment.  She is having an increasing problem with people messing with her stuff!?!?

Dayuma has been skating to school when it isn't raining.  We are having a rainy season and she is also aquiring the skill of walking in heavy rains while carrying her own umbrella! Such progress :)  She will probably do some pre-k work with mama at home next year.

Recently we attended a benefit barbeque for a local orphan foster home.  Vaylah had her face painted.  We call this one "the toothless butterfly".  We are "hoping" to find a national school when we move for her and Ruthee to attend for a couple of hours each day.  We heard a rumor that some schools will put foreign syblings in the same grade/same class so ease their transition.  They will be the stars of the English class and improve their Mandarin the hard way! ;)

We have many "requests" as we begin this transition.  Some of them are included in the text, but others including finding a moving company, and arranging the travel on July1st.  We also ask for peace to rule in our hearts as leaving is always sad and moving is always difficult.  Carissa will be traveling with Abishai in June to secure an apartment; so we are "asking" for safety and wisdom. 
We are both excited and sad at the same time. We are thrilled to be stepping out into a new work, (for those interested in details, we cannot share specifics here. you can contact our guy Carlos from cc philly to get filled in), which has been the longtime desire of our hearts.  However, it will also be sad to move from the friends we have made here, and to leave behind the ministries we have been involved with. Please talk to the Father concerning these transition times, especially for Steve's Saturday class. He has been teaching the same group for almost two years now, and has grown close with many of them. He needs guidance moving forward, especially concerning the leadership of the group when he leaves. He feels like it has been planted firmly enough to stand on its own.  He also has been seperately training four guys who potentially could share in the load when we move. This has always been the goal for this group - for them to be able to function without the need for constant "outside" assistance. But their well-being is a cause of great concern.

Vaylah lost her first big tooth! She is doing great in the first grade. She and Ruthee are taking piano lessons from our Canadian friend Leanne. Her new best friend is a little Chinese guy whose English name is Jayden. They love to play together at school.

This is aiyi (chinese for Auntie). She watches Abishai at home while Carissa teaches Science. It is nice to leave him at the house instead of bringing him to school. She does not speak English, so it has been good for improving Carissa's Chinese to communicate with her everyday. We also hope this will help make Abishai bilingual. He has gained a few pounds since she started working for us. She feeds him a lot of rice!!!

Dayuma also loves her very much and wants to show her everything when she comes home.

This was Ruthee's first father daughter birthday date. They got all dressed up for a fancy Italian meal. You can't see the earrings in this picture, but it was a success. She is doing well in school, but still has some difficulty hearing. We are hoping He provides the right doctor to help us with this problem.

Spring is here and the weather is heating up quickly. Abishai is turning one this week. We have been so blessed by his life this year. He is about to walk anyday. He says mama, baba (daddy in Chinese), dada, and we think he tries to say jie jie (big sister in Chinese). Big sister is a good one for him to learn!

Life is full with ministry and four little ones. Steve is taking his saturday class through a discipleship program. He is encouraging them to share with their families and friends. They are writing out their testimonies and some "stories" to tell their lost loved ones. They risk a lot when they share so please lift them up.

Steve's time on Tuesdays with the four men from his group has been fruitful. Please continue to ask for that to be a time of preparation for them. They desire to lead the group and Steve desires to equip them for that leadership.

The Year of the Dragon!

Well it's the year of the dragon. We celebrated Chinese new year the last week of January. This year we celebrated with Chinese friends. We were invited to a friend's house for a huge dinner which was followed by lots of presents for the kids. After the new year children traditionally receive red envelopes with money in them if they say happy new year to the right people. Well, our children said it to everyone, and made about 80 rmb. The second year brings more knowledge.

Carissa is busy keeping the home running, and hanging out with Dayuma and Abishai.


Ruthee is about to turn 8! She is doing great in school and looking forward to having a sleepover next weekend. She wants to get her ears pierced for her birthday......which is done at the hospital with novocaine and needles?????? (let you know how that goes )

Vaylah loves the first grade. She is losing a best friend this month. A little american guy is moving to a different city. We are "hoping" He will give another close friend to Vay.

Dayuma is doing better all around. She is finally starting to speak a little chinese. She seems to be experiencing less culture shock.

Abishai is finally crawling, pulling up to standing, eating solids, saying mama, saying baba( chinese for daddy) and drinking from a sippy cup. Everyone in our building calls him by his chinese name, and he smiles every time.

Steve is still enjoying his Saturday group very much. He is beginning to disciple 4 of the guys that attend the group in our home on Tuesday nights. Below is a picture of the saturday group having a New year party in our apartment.

Chinese people love playing "dirty santa".

Please ask for improvment in Ruthee's hearing. She has some air pressure problems in her inner ear canal.
Also for our summer plans....guidance....

Also for Tuesday nights.