Jason & Susan

Jason’s job search update. Roche gave Jason a job offer! PTL! Excellent company that shares similar vision to further China’s development and R&D, with opportunity to work alongside the most brilliant of Chinese scientists, in addition to other noteworthy community services they are involved with (collaboration with World Vision). Roche is just down the street from where we live and where Susan works! Coincidence or providence? Thankfully, we don’t have to move, or at least until we decide to buy a place, which means… we’ll be in Shanghai/China for the very long haul! =) Yes, went around the neighborhood over the weekend looking for our next investment.

How this job opportunity came about, it is truly providence from above. One of our network associate is a doctor at World Link Medical Center. He introduced to us an organic chem researcher he had been discipling, who connected Jason with some chemists at Fudan University where he was doing language studies. One of them had connections with Roche and helped pass along Jason’s resume. It so happened that the R&D manager was looking to start a project in the exact same area of research that Jason did in grad school, so that led to an interview, eventually leading to a job offer! PTL! As they say in China, it’s all about “guangxi”, but we know the ONE who orchestrated the details of our lives.

Last night, we were sharing about how things might have been like (or different) if Jason had decided not to come out to China last summer. Susan would have moved back to U.S., perhaps attend grad school (not something she wanted to do). Jason would have done a few years of post doc (not something he enjoyed), then a few years of industry experience with big name companies like Roche, who would hopefully one day send him (us) out to China. Or the many years of rigorous academic tenure route. That was the logical path to follow. Of course by then, we’d have added a few years (or decades), couple of extra pounds, some wrinkles, gray hair, and 3 little Wu-Wongs running all over the place. Yes, very very logical.

But instead, it was the path of uncertainty that we followed, the blind man’s path in the eyes of men, but the blind man’s faith in the sight of God. It was a huge leap of faith for Jason to come out here with very little language, no cultural background, no job, and no industry experience. Many deemed this decision a peculiar and illogical move, but we trusted in the One who makes the impossible possible.

Our prayers for where we will be and what we (at least Jason) will be doing after this summer have been answered. Thank you for journeying with us this far.