New Home, Shangrila

I can't believe how the time has gone. We have already been here in our new home for over three weeks now. It has taken some time for all of us to adjust to the altitude (10,330ft) and then I have been sick along with that. I am just starting to get my energy back now and think that I am finally getting over the giardia I came down with after we got here.
Alianna loves the house here and as you can see from the photo she has fun in the little garden area in our courtyard. The house we are in has two floors with bedroom and living room downstairs and two bedrooms up, a small courtyard area with the bathroom and kitchen on the opposite side. The courtyard is covered with glass so it is nice and warm when the sun is out, even to hot I would say. A big change from the winter when it was freezing. We like this place (in the summer) but our hope is to find a place that we would be able to keep warm in the winter. So we have been looking at some other houses but have not seen one that we like yet. There are no real estate agents or rental agencies here so everything is done by word of mouth.
Shangrila is a small town by Chinese standards about 60,000 people. I think that it is more than that right now as there are a lot of migrant workers here. As with every Chinese city there is a lot of new construction going on, whole blocks of older buildings get torn down to further progress and build shopping malls, a city park or housing developments. Almost all areas of the city have changed significantly in just the last two years. I will try and get some photos to show the difference. There is a lot of tourism in this area as it is a very popular place for Chinese to come. That brings a lot of money into the town but I have seen very little change in the rural areas just a few miles out of town.
One of the things that we have really enjoyed about being here is how different the people are. In Kunming people were very cold and it took a long time to get to know, trust someone. Here there is much more of a small town feel. People at the market are helpful and honest. They remember me after just one visit and we can have a relaxed conversation while I decide what I want to by and then they will give me a good price without me having to bargain. They often ask what I am doing here and I find that when they know that we are here to help people they are even more open and helpful.
The weather here is a change. It rarely gets above 75f (23c) and that is with the unseasonably warm weather that we have been having. The nights are cold. Ida and I have been wondering if after living here for a while we will be able to handle hot summer weather back home.
We are so grateful to be here and are wondering what exactly HE will have us do here. We have a lot of ideas and have just been giving them to HIM asking that HE will guide us in each step of the way. I think that the big thing HE has been teaching us in this time is to commit ourselves to HIM, trust HIM and then HE will open the way before us. When I look at so many of the things that Jsus said and asked of people it looks to me like he first asked for a commitment from them and the rest came later. He said "follow me", "come and see", go out, "wait for the spirit" and then after I will give you understanding, I will give you knowledge. It makes me think that my love of knowledge is out of place. What Jsus wants is my commitment to Him. ( see Ps 37:5,6) Of course we all "know" this but that is the point knowing is not the same as living it.