Rusty

(Visiting Grandpa)
(Some of our family in Rochester)
(Andrea and my birthday cake)

I'm a little rusty at the blog business lately. After having written for my blog nearly every other day for the past 10 months or so, it is strange not having written for almost a month.

Anyway, life in America has been incredibly blessed these past four or five weeks. I've been spending lots of time with my family and friends, just resting, breathing fresh air, and exercising. I was able to visit Rochester, NY to see a lot of family, and then I also went down to Virginia to visit old friends and my college fellowship there.

I know my life is more fulfilling in China, but that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying life here for the moment. On the contrary. It's like I can't get enough of the world on this side of the globe. Kansas seems indescribably beautiful; the people seem indescribably friendly; my family and friends seem indescribably dear and priceless; the sky seems indescribably blue; the country seems indescribably free. (Do you realize how many different fellowships people in America can choose from?) I just want to talk to everybody, look at everything, go everywhere, and eat everything.

Over the past few weeks I've also been able to talk to literally hundreds of people about China and the Father's plans for the nations to know Him. I've shared at several fellowships in Kansas, New York, and Virginia, as well as talking with countless individuals. And I'm just in awe at how other people are also so excited about what He's doing in China and all over the world.

Anyway, He has been good to me, especially as I look at the world through my new lenses of being the ripe old age of 23. I turned 23 just a couple of weeks ago, and I can hardly believe it. Shouldn't I feel wiser and more intelligent? Shouldn't I have a hefty paycheck? Shouldn't I have a serious boyfriend? Shouldn't I have a couple gray hairs sprouting?

Well, maybe not. He has different plans for all of us. And I'm just thankful that I can return to China in a couple of weeks, although it's not exactly the easiest or most glamorous road. But it's all for Him!

Can't get enough of this place

I wasn't going to update my blog for a while, since I'm on a little "furlough" from China for several weeks. However, I just want to write and say how thankful I am to be home. It's like I've been looking at everything through fresh eyes.

Usually I like to poke fun at my hometown, Topeka, for being slow and boring. Whenever I come home to visit, nothing has changed. The people and buildings look the same, and the stories in the tiny city newspaper are the same. Yet this time around I can't help but notice how blessed this place is.

The grass is green. The sky is blue. The air is fresh. The ground is clean. People are extremely friendly. Strangers wave or smile at me nearly all day long. There's hardly any traffic to speak of. Everyone's very supportive of what I'm doing in China...

So, is this place for real? I'm just appreciative that I can rest here for a few weeks. America's not any better than any other country, but having been in several other countries I think I can safely say that America is indeed a very special and blessed nation.

Return from the Far East

(Fruit vendor in Beijing).
(The airport people gave us face-masks at the Beijing airport. I only wore mine for 2 seconds).
(We had to capture this moment. Jodi received mail in LA from the U.S. postman).
(My first American meal in many months. It was also a momentous occasion).
(Saying goodbye to my team in LA at a Chinese restaurant).

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Did anyone ever notice that America is amazing? After having been gone for 10 months, I'm overwhelmed by the order, the cleanliness, the lack of pollution, the extremely well-fed (perhaps over-fed) people, the plenty, and the beauty of the land and the people. It's like having woken up from a coma for a year, and finding things really different, but still rather the same. And for now I'm unable to see signs of an economic crisis. I'm pretty sure America's terms of "poor" are vastly different than the most of the world's. If someone has a roof over their head and something to eat, then they are pretty well-off.

I won't go into explaining all the differences between China and America. They are like two completely different planets that you can't even begin to describe. I'll just say that I still love China, but I'm so thankful I can rest in this country for several weeks before going back. My head is just spinning with everything I see and experience and eat here. It's like China never happened or existed, except I know that somehow I've become a very changed person.

It was indeed a long journey to get home to Kansas. We spent several days in Beijing, which gets more Western and well-mannered by the day, it seems. I've been there four different times now.

Beijing and much of China is scared to death about swine flu, even though there have been probably less than 100 cases. The hotel we were going to stay at kicked us out, because they said the "government needed it." When I walked by there a few days ago, it was being used as a quarantine hotel. China is forcibly quarantining whole planes of people coming from the Western countries if even one person has a little cough or fever. They think it must be swine flu, and they immediately quarantine 300 people in a hotel for one week. This is happening all over the big Chinese cities. No wonder the tourist spots were empty.

This particular hotel I walked by had guards in face masks surrounding the hotel. Nobody went in or out of the hotel. The doors were barricaded, then taped, then barricaded. The entire perimeter of the hotel had off-limits tape. It was like people with the plague were in there or something. It seemed a bit... extreme. But China is China, and it can do whatever it wants, I suppose.

After we finally flew back to America, I stayed in LA for a couple of days with a few of my teammates who live there. Then when I flew to Kansas City yesterday I sat by a guy who actually is going to visit China next week for a vacation. He asked a lot of questions about China, so I got to tell him some good stories. He thought everything was either really amazing or funny. He was only a couple of years older than I am, and he works long hours as an accountant in LA making good money. But he flat out told me, "I envy you. I wouldn't have the guts."

That made me realize that I'm really blessed to be able to live in China, even though it's extremely difficult at the same time. Lots of people think I'm brave. But I'm not. The Father's the one who has given me the courage and the love for those people. One of the biggest things I've come to realize this year is how completely inadequate I'm on my own. But with Him (and your tireless support), I can accomplish some crazy things!

Well, that's about all the reflections I have for the moment. I'm just relishing being here. I may have more to report later.

THANK YOU FOR AN AMAZING 10 MONTHS, my faithful friends, family and supporters!!

HOME

I'm back in Meiguo (America!) More details to come soon...

Homeward Bound

(Saying goodbye to the "Watermelon Lady")
(Farewell lunch with some of our Chinese friends)

It is mid-afternoon on Wednesday, and we have just said farewell to some of our closest Chinese friends. Half of my team had to say good-bye to them probably for good. I'm glad I just had to say "see you again!" I'm only leaving for 2 months, and then I'll return to this now very familiar place that has slowly been turning into my home.

We have just been packing, cleaning, and saying good-bye to friends and neighbors on the back street (like the noodle people and watermelon lady). The majority of my students left a long time ago, so I don't have to think about finding them and saying good-bye. Currently I'm packing a suitcase to take home. The rest of my stuff will be migrating downstairs to the 4th floor, where I'll live next school year.

We also have to make this apartment look spotless for next year's teachers. Chinese apartments get dirtier than most, at a much faster pace. I scrubbed and scrubbed the kitchen, for example, and the warped cupboards and chipped floors can't really ever look decent no matter what I do. The walls around the propane stove are also permanently blackened. And I discovered that there is wood rotting under our kitchen sink, bringing lots of nice bugs with it.

Okay, I should get back to cleaning and packing! I'm excited to be headed back to the U.S. for at least a few weeks. And I'm glad I don't have to say good-bye to this school and city forever, because I'll be back!

This is probably my last blog for a while. Tomorrow we actually get to fly to Beijing (taking an airplane, instead of the train, is a rare opportunity in China). I joke that we are flying on China Duct-Tape Airlines. The few times I've been on an airplane in China, I was pretty sure the plane was held together by tape or staples. Then we fly to LA on the 30th on China Scotch-Tape Airlines (actually China Eastern, but close enough). :) I'll arrive in Kansas on the 2nd. Please think of us, as we have a lot of meetings and traveling ahead of us for the next week.

This is all for now, folks! Thanks for tuning in for so many months! You have been incredibly faithful in your encouragement and support.

The swat heard around the world

I know I just wrote a blog post yesterday, but I'm back for another fun filled entry!

Earlier I was reading my friend Ashley's blog about how Obama swatted a fly on television. PETA apparently had problems with his actions. That reminded me of how I even heard about this really un-newsworthy event all the way in China. (I didn't hear about PETA's reaction--nobody cares about PETA in China--but I got to hear how the American president so heroically slayed that fly). In case you didn't know, people are absolutely in love with Obama here. They have no clue what he actually does as president or what he stands for, but they think he's very polished and eloquent. That's all that matters for a leader, they believe.

Okay, I could go on, but I probably shouldn't. I'll talk about something else. How about the neighbors who are drilling holes in the concrete walls and hammering things at 10:31 p.m.? Okay, I won't even talk about that. What should I talk about then?

This morning Jodi and Shannon and I jumped on the bus to go downtown. It was extremely hot, hazy, humid, and polluted. But it still was a blessed time. We had to go pick up some t-shirts Jodi had designed for us. The place to pick them up was down the city's shopping district, which is filled with swanky shops, rich people, and plenty of beggars.

Some of the poverty you see in China is unbelievable most of the time. There are human beings literally on the doorstep of death, writhing at the passerby's feet. For the most part, people just walk by these people without so much as a backwards glance. I have seen paralyzed people, elderly people, little children, and severely burned people begging, all while people go about their clothes and electronics shopping.

So whenever we go downtown, we make sure to carry extra change, because you're bound to have plenty of people to give it to. Jodi and Shannon (who are roommates) had been collecting their loose change this past year in a Ziploc bag. While we were walking, they found one person to bless with this gift. And they found that man in the midst of shoppers ignoring his presence.

He was an old man shuffling aimlessly around in a tattered shirt and raggedy pants. He had a bit of wiry, gray hair. His face was leathery from the years of harsh weather, and his eyes were big and sad looking. In his hand he held onto a single white little baggy, which probably contained all his worldly possessions.

Jodi quietly walked up to the man and gently placed the bag of money in his hands. He was stunned, and couldn't say anything. It seemed that he gave a little laugh of incredulity. He had that look of, "Is this for real?" Jodi just smiled her big, gracious smile, and the man's eyes filled with tears. We walked away, and he remained there--rooted to the spot. No one probably ever noticed him or ever gave him more than 2 mao (about 3 cents).

Despite the surrounding chaos and extreme heat, I only could think of that man and the look on his face. That's why the Son came. He came for the poorest and weakest. He came for the outcast, downtrodden, and downcast. He notices people that others do not.

I was just thankful for being able to witness that moment. For some reason it was very powerful for me. We've been able to bless people in a lot of different ways since we've been here, but watching Jodi and Shannon and the man seemed incredibly significant.

We can't help everyone. The needs are endless, especially here. It can be extremely overwhelming, even paralyzing, to see some of the crushing poverty and injustice that surrounds us every day. But He knows we can't help every single person. We are still limited in a lot of ways. But He does call us to help the people He puts in our path, even if it is just serving one person in a seemingly small way.

Thanks to Him for getting me out of my self-centered mode today!

In other news, I went to eat dinner with Jodi and some of our Chinese friends. We ate at a little Korean restaurant, which basically was a dirt floor with tin scraps for a roof. Three shirtless men cooked the food right in the room with us. We had to maneuver around dogs and children going to the bathroom in the middle of the street to get there. But the food and company was grand.

We've been doing other little activities, but I think I've thrown enough words at you for now. Enjoy your weekend!

Roads paved with gold

(On the fairly crowded city bus this afternoon. And is it just me, or is China filled predominately with males?).
(The diligent road pavers).
(Eating at "Happy Harry's" with my students).

It is about 5:30 in the early evening as I write this. The temperature is 92 degrees. The heat index is 109 degrees. I feel like I am back in Kansas, except there's really no escape from the heat.

I finally got in touch with some students. I hopped on the city bus at 11:20 and arrived at new campus 20 minutes later. They are repaving the huge road in front of the school. This is an amazing thing in this city. The road, which was literally littered with boulders and collapsed concrete, is now on its way to becoming a real road. But that means they were pouring asphalt in 110 degree heat. So when I got to cross the street, I had to leap over tons of gooey tar.

This occasion reminded me of a few weeks ago when some students asked me only half-jokingly, "Are the roads really paved with gold in America?" I was thinking, "Wow, isn't that what immigrants to America thought 100 years ago? And some people still think it." I assured them, "No, they aren't paved with gold." But they are usually fairly smooth, and paved with asphalt which can't be said for a lot of roads in China...

Then I also was reminded of how I was thinking many Americans are considered "poor," if they don't have a car. Most "poor" people in America could easily be considered middle class or almost upper class in China. Middle class Americans would be considered extremely rich in China. In China you are rich if you have a car, a 3 bedroom apartment, and an air-conditioner; you are middle-class if you have a refrigerator and a motorized bicycle; you are poor if don't have enough food to eat.

It always puts life in perspective when I sometimes ponder things like that...

Anyway, I found my dear students near the back gate. We wandered and wandered until they decided on a restaurant for lunch--"Happy Harry's." I asked who Harry was, knowing that no Chinese person had that name. They said it was perhaps the man behind the counter who cooked our food. He was bent over in half from age, he didn't have a shirt on, and a little cigarette drooped from his mouth. He didn't seem to fit the description of Happy Harry. He was more like Haggard Hu.

The tables were the most creative I've seen in China. The seats were swings hanging from the ceiling. When I sat down I was pretty sure the ropes would snap. I doubt those swings have had any Americans sit on them. I weigh more than most Chinese girls and boys. And the students were enthralled with the swings. They asked, "isn't this the most romantic restaurant?" I looked around at the buzzing flies, Haggard Hu, and the sweat dripping down everybody's eager faces. "Um, I don't know if 'romantic' is the right word for it..."

I had some fried rice with some limp vegetables strewn on top. Three of the girls only ate "ice-cream" for lunch. They insisted they were too hot for anything else. So they only ate some jelly-looking "ice-cream," with red beans and cherries and other things mixed in.

Anyway, we had a very pleasant lunch. I have missed those students these past couple of weeks. After lunch we walked back across campus in search of air-conditioning. There is no air-conditioning in any of the buildings or dormitories, except for the China Post on campus. So we all piled into the China Post, probably making a nuisance of ourselves, but greatly enjoying the cool air. All my students spoke longingly of their hometowns, which they promised had much pleasanter weather.

We reluctantly left after a while. The students headed back to their dorms to sleep. There wasn't anything else they could do. The total lack of air conditioning and heating is one reason I think productivity is sometimes rather low in this "furnace city." In the extremely hot months (June-October), all people can do is sleep or sit motionlessly or eat a watermelon. In the extremely cold months (December-March), all people can do is wrap up in a million layers of clothes, and again, sleep or sit motionlessly, with eyes glazed over.

Only the sturdy people (which doesn't include me or most of my students), are doing something. For example, from our kitchen window I can see construction workers building another rickety, multiple story apartment building in the searing heat. I can also look down out my window right now and see a dozen firefighters/soldiers, clad only in olive green shorts, running several miles... The only other active people are the pilots who have been flying fighter jets across the city for several days. I don't look at the planes; I look at the people's faces on the ground. Everyone gazes up in wonder and amazement at this sight. I think they are probably also filled with pride--their country is modernizing, and catching up with the West. They probably never anticipated the day that their country would have its own, albeit Russian-made, fighter jets.

The visions of America's roads paved with gold are gradually being replaced by a rapidly modernizing and developing China. And I'm here to witness it all. I'm pretty fortunate. :)