Tuesday June 22, 2010
The why is - we have always wanted to go on a mission somewhere after we retired. But I was still working and planned on at least 1 more year. In November 2009 Ronda saw an add in the Church News inviting couples between 60 and 70 years old with a 4 year college degree to apply for a teaching position in China.
The how - We filled out the papers and sent them in not expecting anything to develop. We were accepted. In 2010 at the end of June I retired so we could go to China. Ronda has been retired for several years.
We want to go live in another country while we are still young. We did not want to wait a few years and then have a major medical issue as happens to so many people. We have traveled to other countries and it is often rough in the best of times. If you get sick it can be very hard.
We want to go away for a year while my mother is in good health as she is now.
Many missions are expensive - going to China and teaching English through this program we will get paid by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University - not a lot of money but they provide the living quarters and the plane ticket both ways. Financially we can work in China for a year and build some lasting relationships.