December 9, 2011

Greetings:

Our time here in Kunming is winding down. We are in a temporary apartment about 10 miles from where we used to live. It does feel like an entirely different city and much farther from all the conveniences we had. Now everything is a few minutes away, even with our 3-wheeled scooter of which we affectionately call "wumpy" on account of the dents, scratches and sounds it make (See Photo). We definitely are glad we have this.

It is also very quiet.  I could never believe China could ever be so quiet.  There are also many more birds. Then again, when I walk out to the main road I can count 15 cranes moving about buildings all with scaffolding.

Mom's and Dad's: Last Saturday I received an E-mail from one of my sisters explaining that my mom, Marilyn, has taken a turn for the worse and would die any day.  On the same day, Elaine's dad had an operation for Melanoma. Thank God for SKYPE!  Please keep them and all of us in your thoughts and prayers.

Furlough: We plan to return to the USA in March sometime for 6 months or. It will be a summer of transition. It seems Elaine's parents, who are approaching 90 are considering a move to stay with Elaine's older sister in Ohio. Everything is changing! It will be a busy time and we hope to visit with you all as well.

It will be good to be with you again during this uncertain time.

Looking into the Crystal Ball: It is time to leave Kunming or have a different situation.  Maintaining the Rep Office will only become more and more difficult as the local Government ramps up the need to extract taxes from Foreign Enterprises. As it is now, many are already, using the Boxing Term "tossing in the White Towel." Fortunately, there are 2 people gladly willing to take it over. They have a long term commitment and they will need this. Actually, the Rep Office, as I have told is getting phased out and only those who have already opened can stay open.

Anyway, the future is cloudy, yet hopeful. It is possible that by March things will be more clear.  At least we hope so.  At present, the plan is to stay on track with Thailand as the next destination, but open to other opportunities, say in another city in China. We prefer Thailand, on account of our familiarity and affinity with the Thai People of which the Dai people are also related to. In fact, the Lanna Thai of Northern Thailand call the Dai of Yunnan, the Tai in Laos and the Shan in Myanmar cousins. All related, but with different names in different countries. So, we pray that you will continue to pray and financially support us as we return home for a few months and move into our next chapter.

Thanks for thinking of us!

Doug, Elaine, Clara and Colman Culver