How are you?

Knowing I would have a busy weekend, I started this letter to you at 6:20am Saturday; continued it at 7:30am Sunday morning, then I completed it now, on the 38th day of my travel in Springfield, Mo, USA.

Until now, I have offered 22 free classes for the local students and adults, in my 88 free classes since 2009, include 71 Chinese painting classes, 16 Chinese classical poetry classes and 1 Chinese character class; Meanwhile, I have sketched 7 pen paintings from the nature, attended 3 English lessons, 8 Bible lessons in 5 churches, attended 3 Sunday Services; met or had interviews with 20 of 61 people in my list; took 2643 photos, made 336 videos, accumulated digital data 73.70GB, dealt with and wrote notes for 126 photos

Every day, I get up at 4:00am – 7:30am and worked for a long time, so that my camera refused to work and I had to buy a new one on Saturday. The good news was in the past 38 days, just I took 16 pieces of painkillers, the stomachache has reduced a lot since I came back Springfield from Seymour, my health is getting better.:-)

Even though I have not touched any media in Springfield, Missouri as I had gotten much help from the local broadcast station, TV station, newspaper office and web sites in City of Pikeville, Kentucky in May, 2013 yet, I do have been given so many hands from the local Christians voluntarily and naturally.

In case people knew and understood what I have done and what I am doing, they would like to help me and their people. For example:

-- After knowing more about my work, Mr. John David Lawson would like to talk with his head and to arrange me to teach their students to paint Chinese painting and learn Chinese classical poems in his church weekly;

-- After hearing my introducing, checking my paintings and hearing my singing, Principal Rob Kroll, the principal of Jarrett Middle School, whom I met first time by knocking their gate by myself would like to talk with his art teacher, to see the possibility for me to offer some classes for their students.

-- After organizing the event for me in 2010, Dr. Jessica Gerard from Ozarks Technical Community College would like to introduce me to offer some lessons in a private school; for a group of adopted Chinese children and for her summer camps in 2014.

-- After seeing how I taught her daughter to learn a Chinese poem via enjoying the painting, singing the poem on the painting; and then to paint a Chinese painting in my apartment, Ms. Carissa Griffin took me to her church and she would like to organize some more people who wish to learn Chinese language and paintings, to make my work more efficiency.

-- Dr. Pam Sells and Mr. Pat Sells have been connecting with some college and art gallery and hop to help me to find a place to teach and to show my art works.

-- After offering her students 5 classes in May, 2010, Mrs. Wanda Nova not only organized 17 new classes for me in her school and in Ava, Sep, 2013, but also she has made the effort to arrange a demonstration in some conference of art teachers of Missouri, Nov 9, 2013.

-- Ms Rachel Yuxin Yang found me on the street, she has been in my classes twice in a Cafe and she would like to learn Chinese poems and Characters from me weekly, until I leave for China.

My feeling is: There is really a potential group of users of my small project, because of its own special cross-culture and comprehensive character and charming : Combines Chinese painting, music, poetry (not only be limited in poetry itself, but Chinese language) together. People can take any part they need by enjoying one part or multi-parts of the products. If saying, people usually say “ Wow ! ” along with my painting with Chinese poems and translation on it was opened ; most of times, I get applauses as soon as I finished my poetry singings. It is helpful to the local people and it will help the local economy.

The key is: I need a secure foothold, a suitable Platform or a base to work with the local people in the wide target market yet. The limitations as an individual is limiting a good project and creation to be extended and developed, to service for more people continuously.

So, it is certainly important to improve my work quality, my own art and culture level, the more important is to find some best suitable cooperation partners, or investors from USA or China or both, to work with a group of intelligent people together, then we can truly create a wonderful business mode, to service the target users in the world, just like Wal-mart, KFC or Mcdonald's.

Maybe I am a natural idealist and Day Dreamer, but my dream to enter an art college 30 years ago was true in 2010; my dream to teach non-Chinese to paint in my first Chinese painting lesson in 2003 was true since 2009, and the dream to create a cross-culture comprehensive art project in 2000 was summarized by the Volume One of my new book series in 2013. I am thinking, anything is from nothing to be small, then to be big. Everything is possible as long as we work on it continuously, even though I am fail someday, I will not have any pity in my heart.

Maybe is the God helping me? Except I got so much good help from the local American people in Seymour, Ava and Springfield. I have also met a group of American Chinese in two Chinese churches. All of them showed me their friendly and bright smiles, many of them have helped or would like to help me:

-- Dr. / Clif & Gail Smart Professor Qui Wenping and his wife have invited me to have a Chinese dinner, led me into the first church since I came to America, sent me Bible in English and in Chinese and they have helped me to study Bible three times already.

-- Dr. / Professor Qiao Yuhua and her husband Dr. Zhu Xinyuan invited me to make Jiaozi (dumpling) in their house, discussed something about American culture and Christianity; and Dr. Qiao called me and sent a woolen blanket to me in the early morning that temperature suddenly dropped, let me think of a Chinese idiom : offer fuel in snowy weather.

-- Mr. Zhu Bi ( my former classmate in Missouri State, he and his wife and child have immigrated here, we surprised met in a Chinese church) helped me to repair my camera / video recorder on the first day we met again, and then he drove me to buy a new one next day in a hurry before Ms. Carissa Griffin took me to her church. He would also like to help me as long as he can.

-- Dr. Wenrong Yan not only led me into her classroom in Missouri State University, she would also like to help me to find a best suitable way to develop my project better.

-- Mr. Ji Yanjie who is a student of divinity school would like to help me to visit some more art museums...

So, now, no matter how I am busy, how many students I face, I keep doing my best to teach, so that in the 4th church I went on Saturday, Oct 19, the priest Mr. Ryan Zhiheng Fang who taught Bible in Chinese was so surprised how my 11 years old girl student could recite a Chinese poem with so standard mandarin.

After going to churches to learn Bible and English. I have felt so much positive powers of the Bible and I do have a feeling that maybe in the Chinese political course, should be plus some content from Bible.

At the same time, I know clear, since my root is in China, and my “ possible career ” is found on Chinese painting and its highest level is poetry. So, no matter what I am learning, Bible, Western culture and Western art, I must do my own professional work best at the first, so, as soon as I feel the weather is not too cold, I painted outdoor. Sometimes, I felt so cold when I was in the shadows of the trees of buildings and in the wind, then I felt so hot when the sunshine covered me. However, I kept standing to paint for 2 or 3 hours, then to drink something hot in a Café, then I went out of the door to paint again. I would really like to paint American plants and make videos as many as possible before the weather changes colder. Base on the learning from the nature and classical works, to create something beautiful after I come back Beijing.

Also, I keep meeting or interviewing according my plan. Now I have met or interviewed with :

-- Dr. Renrong Yan-Schaefer: an Asian Arts and Letters Coordinator and my English tutor
-- Mr. Gong Xiaoou: Chinese Programs Specialist, my former private tutor.
-- Ms. Anna Bashers: Administrative Assistant, my former tutor
-- Mrs. Hing Wah Hatch and Mr. Jerry Hatch: A part time art instructor and an assistant professor, my friends.
-- Mr. Qiu Xiao : Master student and my “ American Son ”
-- Dr. Edward Chang: Professor of Finance who has taught me face to face;
-- Dr. Wenping Qui (and his wife) : Clif & Gail Smart Professor / Director, the founder of church and a priest.
-- Mrs. Harriet Mears: Honor Doctor of Art of Drury University and my “ American Mother” .
-- Dr. Jessica Gerard : Lead Instructor of Instructor for History, the first organizer of my first Chinese painting workshop in OTC.
-- Dr. Yuhua Qiao and her husband Dr. Zhu Xinyuan: A Professor of Political Science and a computer expert.
-- Dr. Steve Olson: Professor of Accountancy who has corrected my English translation.
-- Dr. Olen Greer: Professor of Accountancy who has taught me face to face.
-- Dr. Nancy Keith: Professor of Statistics who has taught me face to face.
-- Dr. William J. Donoher: Associate Professor & Dept. Head, who has taught me face to face.
-- Mr. Brad Bodenhausen: Executive Manager of Chamber of Commerce, which has been my sponsor of my first art exhibition.
-- Dr. Elizabeth J. Rozell: Kenneth E. Meyer Professor of Management and Associate Dean, who has taught me face to face.
-- Mr. Zhu Bin: One of my former classmate of Missouri State University, an American Chinese who has immigrated and settled down in Springfield, MO.

During the time, I do have found a true culture phenomena: almost all of these native English speakers in the list are Christians, they were born in the Christian families, read Bible, go to churches, believe in the God and make Bible as their instructions of life and work.

It seems like Christianity is the main stream culture of Missouri State, it makes this area still keep the most original American culture, do you think so?

How about you? Do you have anything special in the past week?

Take care and thanks, have a good new week. Shirley Yiping Zhang
Oct 20, 2013