On Saturday morning, April 11, Brad and I awoke bright and early to grey skies over Langfang. The morning was busy as we finished last minute preparations for the 10 guests who would be arriving around 11am. We hoped the weather would clear up before the guys played basketball in the afternoon. I showered, washed […]
Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
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April 15, 2009: Naomi Faith
May 26th, 2011 
Jessica Our dearest daughter, Before Brad and I were pregnant with you, I spent most of the summer studying the story of Ruth and Naomi. I love the romance of Ruth and Boaz, the loyalty and reputation of Ruth, and the good character of Boaz. I also love the story of Naomi, a broken woman who […]
February 18, 2009: Dear Baby Girl
May 25th, 2011 Jessica “Am I a Father nearby, and not a Father far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?” Jer. 23:23-24 Dear Baby Girl, It’s hard to believe that you are already 21 weeks old! I’ve read that you’re about the size of a […]
January 13, 2009: A State of Expectancy
May 24th, 2011 Jessica “Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that you leave room for the Father to come in as He likes.” –Oswald Chambers Dear Friends, On the morning of January 10, 2009 my friend Danielle met Brad and me at our apartment before boarding the train bound for Beijing. We were on our way […]
December 14, 2008: Sing in Exultation
May 23rd, 2011 Jessica “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my Father.” Ps. 22: 9-10 Dear family and friends, Yesterday was a memorable day for the Distad family! Brad and I went […]
November 6, 2008: Dear Baby
May 21st, 2011 Jessica “Get comfortable and then number from one to five. List five trite, cliched, and heartwarming topics that are very ‘human.’ The goal of your list is to come up with what you might call the ‘Reader’s Digest’ quotient, that is, a topic almost anyone can relate to. Choose one of your topics. Set pen to […]
October 28, 2008: Woven and Spun
May 19th, 2011 Jessica Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. On Thursday night I was getting ready for bed, I experienced the most unusual of sensations. I eyed myself in the mirror as I changed into a tie-dyed t-shirt and pajama pants. Nothing seemed different at first glance. […]
July 9, 2009: Naomi’s Birth Story
May 18th, 2011 Jessica Naomi Faith was born three weeks ago this Tuesday, at 9:13am. She was a week overdue, but she wasted no time at all in labor and delivery! Her labor took just over 5 hours, and she was born less than 45 minutes after we arrived at the hospital. She weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces at […]
10 Rainy Day Activities for Toddlers
May 14th, 2011 Jessica I was watching the weather channel this morning, and saw rain clouds for the next 7 days. Since it looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time indoors this week, I thought I’d share 10 activities that we like to do when the weather keeps us inside: 1. Homemade Play-Dough: We keep our homemade […]
December 16, 2010: Oliver’s Birth Story
May 11th, 2011 Jessica “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.” Luke 2:6 Oliver Andrew was 12 days overdue, and we were beginning to wonder if he was staying inside to avoid the cold weather! He surpassed everyone’s predictions of his birth date. […]
