Kevin and I lived in China for the first 5 years of our marriage. He lived in China for a total of 13 years. 

China was very different to anywhere I’ve ever lived (and I’ve lived in 8 countries over 4 continents so that’s saying something!). Living in China was the first time I experienced culture shock. Everything was so different and often very challenging. We lived in rural China in a city called Zhangjiagang (previously a fishing village). It was a city of around 1.5 million people which is small by Chinese standards (most cities are around 5 million people). Of the 1.5 million people, only around 200 were foreigners. We lived in a compound of about 10,000 people and were the only foreigners. Less than 1% of people spoke English, we couldn’t drive (you have to take the driving test in Chinese to get a license there), there was only one foreign restaurant and we had to travel to another city to buy foreign food. 

Although living in China had its challenges, the Chinese were very welcoming, they treated us well, we had a lovely home and we always felt safe, all of which were a blessing.

We used to travel between China and the US approx. 6-8 times a year to see and spend time with Kevin’s children. The first few times we visited, we either stayed in hotels or Air BnB’s but we wanted a home that we could enjoy as a family, a place where we could create memories together and set down roots. In 2013 we bought a house in San Antonio, Texas and we went on to make it a home for us and Kevin’s children when they were with us and when we were in town.

China was good to us in so many ways and we were and always will be thankful for our time there. We had a good life there, but we yearned to live in the US permanently. It was time. For Kevin, being away from his children became harder and harder. His children are his three loves, and he didn’t want to miss more time with them than he had already missed. 

Kevin had built a successful business in China, and it was going to be tough to sell (seemingly impossible!). Very few people are prepared to make the kind of sacrifice he made to move to China, build a business from scratch, learn a new language and be away from his children and everything that was familiar to him. 

In 2015, Kevin and his business partner (who lived in the US) started talking about the possibility of him buying out Kevin’s 50% share of the business and we were thrilled. Could this be the answer to prayer we had been waiting and believing for?  About a month later, Kevin’s business partner decided to not go ahead, and we were back to square one.  

We continued praying and believing that the Lord would make a way for us to leave China. We didn’t know how or when, all we knew was that God is faithful in all things and that He answers prayer.  

Kevin and I were talking one day, and I said to him “If we believe that the Lord will make a way for us to leave China, we need to start living like we are leaving”, so we started living like we were leaving. Over the next year, we went through our things and donated the things we didn’t want or need and every trip we made to the US that year we took some personal items with us to leave at our home in San Antonio. 

In December of 2016, Kevin business partner again broached the possibility of buying Kevin’s 50% share of the business. This time the discussions proceeded with ease, a deal was made and on March 1, 2017 (just 3 months later!) Kevin and I were on a one-way flight from Shanghai to San Antonio. That was the final time we left China. 

We prayed for 3 years for God to make a way for us to leave China and move to the US permanently. For us, selling Kevin’s business and leaving China was the “parting of the Red Sea”. It was the impossible being made possible. 

Whenever we feel discouraged, we remind ourselves of our “Red Sea” experience and we remind ourselves that if God did the impossible for us then, He will surely do it again….and again….and again. 

We always celebrate March 1^st because it’s the day we left China for the last time and it’s the day we started living in the US permanently (we left China on March 1^st, traveled for 24 hours and arrived in the US on March 1^st…got to love time differences right?). 

The word the Lord gave us for 2017 was PROMISE…..and it was a year that we saw and experienced the promises of God in huge and unforgettable ways! He is a promise keeper!

Isaiah 65:24
I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers. 

This is one of my favourite scriptures. The Lord knows what we need and He is faithful to answer.