{"title":"Virginia Heslinga","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"china-sweet-and-sour-paperback","title":"China Sweet and Sour - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo escape from corrosive anger, feeling tricked by God, Virginia reaches for an unusual volunteer adventure. She hopes to find a positive outlook and grow to trust God again. A non-governmental organization in China, Amity, takes volunteers into the PRC. China is a country she had never visited and had been warned not to visit. In long days in a community at the edge of the Gobi, Virginia sees she has avoided looking at the source of her anger. Rural and remote locations, team differences, student needs, supervision by Communist administrators, and the stress of showing a positive outlook all day, every day, show Virginia the source of her anger. Interactions show her what she needs to do for a healing of spirit that builds trust. Can she choose the right actions?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51326884839647,"sku":"9781964590998","price":20.23,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/9l5Vk9uhq99781964590998.webp?v=1788465787"},{"product_id":"china-spicy-and-salty-paperback","title":"China Spicy and Salty - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChina Spicy and Salty\u003c\/strong\u003e invites readers into the remarkable true story of an American teacher who wants to figure out a persistent desire for a second opportunity to teach and learn in China with a Non-Governmental Organization, Amity. This English teacher gathers and leads a small, unlikely volunteer teaching team, a nurse, a tennis coach, a pastor, and a ten-year-old boy, to the remote edge of the Gobi Desert. They work side by side with Chinese and Mongolian teachers, navigating not just classrooms but also the complexities of culture, teaching strategies, faith, and friendship.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough almost daily changes in plans, water shortages, internet cafe crime challenges, investigating ancient rock carvings in the Helan Mountains, danger and pain in trail explorations, desert vipers, ceremonial expectations, spontaneous English corners, losing the primary translator, teaching baseball to a camel rancher, grappling with the subtle art of flexibility, owing favors, and saving face, every day delivers fresh challenges and unforgettable discoveries to the team and its leader. Each day and experience tests the team's endurance and collaboration while testing the team leader's heart. She has to examine what true leadership is and how efforts in service spark transformation. Where she has no power to control, her understanding of herself and others emerges from chaos in a quiet unfolding of what she was meant to learn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore than a travel memoir, this is a vivid portrait of China 6 beyond tourism-where hospitality runs deep, cultural misunderstandings spark unexpected lessons, and the grit of daily life shapes personal transformation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers drawn to adventure, cross-cultural exchange, and stories that blend humor, humility, and heart, \u003cem\u003eChina Spicy and Salty:2006\u003c\/em\u003e offers a window into a world both foreign and deeply human.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51327235424479,"sku":"9781964590042","price":18.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/3JT-LJ6kUn9781964590042.webp?v=1788472116"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/virginia-heslinga.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}