My "Chiner" day

Wow, there's great things happening in people's hearts here! So many students are joining or finishing up studies of the Word. They are so open--please continue to think of them!

It continues to rain forever. At least I'm thankful that the temperature is quite a bit warmer than last week when I was wearing long underwear!

Yesterday I taught classes all morning, returned to old campus for a break, and then went back to new campus for another class at 4 p.m. Because of the detour, traffic is always crazy now, and it takes about 40 minutes to get to new campus. I got on a bus just after 3 p.m. in the pouring rain. I gave myself plenty of time to get to class. At 3:20, we got into a major traffic jam in one of the back streets. We couldn't budge, and that was the only road to get to new campus. There wasn't even an accident; the cars and trucks and mopeds and buses had all gotten in to one big, impossible knot.

We didn't move for a very, very long time. I was standing up the whole time, back to back, leg to leg, with many other very sweaty people in the quite humid, suffocating bus. I thought I would faint, and felt trapped, which isn't rare on Chinese transportation. An ambulance was also trapped in the mess behind us. The pitiful siren wailed the entire time. Somehow He helped me not go insane or broil alive. The bus finally started to move again nearly an hour later! I got to class at 4:30; half an hour after class had started. Thank goodness Jodi was there and could sub for me. Thanks, Jodi!

Then at 6 p.m., Jodi and I went to a nearby campus where some of our foreign and Chinese friends live for one of my friend's birthdays. We ate awesome food and danced. Then we had to make the journey back to old campus.

The buses had stopped running, and we stood on a dark, quiet street waiting for a taxi or little bread van. We flagged down a bread van, and it pulled over for us. We got into the pitch-black van with quite a few other people already in there. I sat backwards with my knees knocking Jodi's knees, and was face to face with the other strangers. I like how you can jump into a strange vehicle in the middle of the night in China and be safe.

We started to chat with the dark figures in the van, and we finally could start to see their faces. It was great fun talking and joking in our limited Chinese. They asked if I was Chinese, and I said that I was indeed. Then I asked them if they were Chinese, and they said, no, that they were foreigners. We all roared with laughter as if we had shared the greatest joke ever. I also like how total strangers in China can become your best friends in just minutes.

Then, in English, Jodi and I talked about how it was strange that one of the guys next to us had facial hair. (This is a little rare in China). In Chinese he said, "I do understand a little of what you're saying." So I smiled and told him in Chinese how his "hair face was handsome." Then I asked if the girl sitting next to him was his girlfriend. He said, "No! She's my student!" I just dug a lot of holes for myself with my Chinese. But great fun was had by all.

The crusty driver who didn't speak a word to us, dropped us off at the corner near old campus. We jumped out of the tiny silver vehicle, and said goodbye to our new friends, as they continued on to their destination down the road.

And that, my friends, was my interesting Tuesday...


(In a typical Chinese crowd)


(Crammed on a typical, humid bus).


(Swing dancing with some other foreigners and Chinese friends)

The Nanchang Wall

I'm not sure how familiar you are with the story of the Berlin Wall, but it first came about as a barrier of barbed wire. Then, with too many people fleeing west, the communists began to build a concrete wall nearly overnight in 1961. Berliners woke up one morning and found that they were being walled in by concrete.

I had a somewhat similar feeling when I woke up on Thursday morning. I slowly walked about 10 minutes to the main road to catch the city bus. I found that traffic was even more in a chaotic knot than usual. There was a huge blue barrier with a sign in Chinese informing people that this road would be closed until August 2011! I managed to find a different bus in the opposite direction. Then the bus joined all the mopeds, bicycles, fruit carts, trucks, and other buses on a detour. A 15 minute ride has now become 40 minutes. All the major traffic has been diverted through tiny neighborhood/countryside roads that aren't used to handling that amount of traffic.

Here are some of the interesting things I now see on my way to and from school everyday:
1.) 25 story-tall apartment complexes being built.
2.) Rice paddies and water buffalo.
3.) Lots and lots of rubble piled alongside the road for miles.
4.) Elderly people standing looking confused, wondering why all of a sudden a highway's worth of traffic is now going through their tranquil neighborhoods.

This little journey plunges us into a landscape which is a frenzy of construction and traffic. Then the next minute we have returned to the countryside of 1950s China. This afternoon I rode my bike along parts of this journey today, and took some interesting pictures for you to enjoy. And since I have a bicycle, I can still squeeze around parts of the barriers that have been put up along various points. The blue barrier is being quickly replaced by a million concrete blocks. They are literally building a wall. And for some reason it reminds me of the Berlin Wall. There aren't that many similarities between our "Nanchang Wall" and the "Berlin Wall," except that I'm disoriented by its sudden appearance, and the fact that we do live in a communist country, just like Eastern Germany used to be... And the similarities end there.


(Some of the many high-rise apartments being built).


(A tasty looking pond...)


(More houses).


(People cultivating their tiny gardens in view of a local government building).


(Little Laura at the original Berlin Wall five years ago!)

Showers of Blessings

(Enjoying the rain with my friends and my giant school bus rain boots).

Maybe it hasn't really been raining for 6,000 days straight, but it sure feels like it. It has been raining steadily for the past 4 weeks, with one day a week where it isn't raining. I've noticed that my students are getting a tad grumpier, a tad sadder, and a tad more despondent each passing day. People practically live in their rain boots, our clothes never dry on the line, and we have buckets permanently catching the leaks in our kitchen. And today it was so cold that I wore long underwear and my winter coat--in mid-April! Oh, sun, where are you??

Despite constant rain, we are continuing to count our blessings, which He showers down on us. Besides having shelter, food, water, etc., we also have our friends and students. We are safe and loved. And He isn't far away, although He can sometimes feel that way in such a crowded, rainy place.

In other news, do you remember the soldiers and snowstorms play I talked about last blog? Well, it turned out that our students were competing against other universities in a province- wide competition... And they got first place! This weekend is also the last time for one of my studies for interested students. They will have to make a decision to follow Him or not. Please think of their hearts!

Soldiers and Snowstorms

Contrary to the title of this post, the weather has been rather pleasant lately. Although Nanchang is famous for not having a spring, it sure has felt like spring for the past few days. It has been raining off and on for a good 3 weeks, although it seems to let up every Friday, just in time for playing frisbee.

Yesterday, I ate my usual Friday lunch with my friend Reborn. We ate noodles in the small "minority nationalities" (i.e. Muslim) canteen. I was a little disappointed not to see any exotic minority nationalities. On television and in the newspapers in China, all the minority nationalities are shown wearing extremely flashy costumes, covered in fur/sparkles/feathers. Everyone looked very normal in the cafeteria. Only the workers wore little white hats indicating that they were Muslim. And it took them approximately 3 minutes to notice that I was sitting in their canteen. About 10 of them stopped cleaning the tables they were cleaning, stretching out the uncooked noodles they were stretching, and scooping rice they were scooping. All motion ceased and they stopped to stare. "Finally," they were probably thinking, "a minority has come to our canteen."

Anyways, after lunch, Reborn and I wandered around new campus, which is totally opposite from old campus (where I live). There is actually a lot of greenery. We sat by the small lake and pagoda under the most beautiful tree, which was busting with pale pink flowers that looked like tissue paper. It smelled and looked like heaven.

New campus was actually just farmland a few years ago. Now the area surrounding it is turning into China's version of the suburbs. There are wide, open roads, and there is a frenzy of building activity as new projects and middle-class apartment high rises are being thrown up. They are even building a gigantic stadium nearby to host some sports event. Some of the huge lake in the area has been drained as they prepare to build a bridge to cut the drive around the lake from maybe 30 seconds to 15 seconds... It is a little overwhelming.

And finally we have arrived on the topic of soldiers and snowstorms. Jodi, Rachel, and I had the privilege to help my old students (Jodi's current students) rehearse an English drama that they will perform in a city-wide competition. I'm glad I had drama experience from high school (yes, I was in the Advanced Theater Ensemble). :) But, high school never had any dramas like these students'.

Chinese plays are primarily propaganda, which is not a bad word in China like it is in America. Usually plays or performances are based on one of five topics: 1.) The communist party 2.) Natural disasters and overcoming them 3.) The People's Liberation Army 4.) The previously mentioned minority nationalities who are so happy to be included in China 5.) Diligent students being good citizens. This particular drama fell in categories 2 and 3.

These dear students are great actors and actresses, especially because they performed with such heart-felt emotion. The drama was so... dramatic. The drama is supposedly based on the true story of a soldier who saved the life of a little girl during the 2008 "snow disaster" that caused chaos across China.

The soldier was visiting the girl's house. Only the little girl was home, but she let him in and gave him a drink of water. The the house collapsed under the weight of all the snow. The valiant soldier protected the girl and kept her alive while they waited to be rescued. The little girl's grandfather and mother went to the house and saw that it was destroyed. The grandfather died of grief right then. The mother collapsed and was carried away by a neighbor.

But, not to worry! All is not lost! The glorious People's Liberation Army appears on the scene and digs the girl and soldier out. The girl survives (thanks to the soldier), but the soldier unfortunately does not. However, no one ever tells the girl that he died. This whole story is called the "Lie of Love."

Then at the end, the whole cast comes out to sing "Edelweiss" with candles. Rachel was actually crying. I felt heartless. It was very sad, but I still have yet to shed my analytical, rational skin. Why does a 10 year old girl let a man into her house? Why are buildings built so poorly that they collapse under a foot of snow? Why don't they tell the girl that the soldier gave his life saving her? But I suppose it is China, and I will probably never understand these things.

I'm sorry I couldn't upload any videos from this heart-wrenching performance. They did a great job!


(My old students as the grandfather and little girl in their English drama).


(The People's Liberation Army saves the day).


(The soldiers and doctor find the little girl).

April Showers

April showers bring... flooded streets and soggy students. And they actually have brought beautiful flowers, which is a welcome reminder of the new life we have in Him, even if we are literally surrounded by trash and downpours.

Thanks especially for your thoughts of late! The Easter gathering on Monday went well--we ate together, colored Easter eggs, and watched The Passion. I had lunch today with one of the special students who came to the little party. It was cold, rainy, and windy, so we ate bowls of beef noodles from the canteen in the office. We had great conversations, although I was extremely tired. Of course, He always does incredible things when I'm at my weakest and tiredest.

We talked together about many things--especially how she wants something to believe in, since life is so empty. You can tell she is not satisfied with the status quo, even though she is at the top of her class. Her parents are from neighboring Jiangsu province. They are poor, and are farmers in the countryside. They are entirely uneducated. They live surrounded by squalor, especially as factories are taking over the farms, and destroying the environment.

At one point, I didn't know what else to talk about. I was hoping He would continue to provide us with meaningful conversation. So I asked her, "What do you want to talk about?" Without hesitating, she said, "The [Word]." I was amazed. The Father has really been moving in her heart, especially since the Easter lesson. I'm sure He has been moving in her heart long before that, but this is the first I've noticed. So we talked a little bit about that, and how I'm not anxious, because the Father has also provided for me throughout my life. I told her how He is living and true. Now she will be joining our study of the Word with other interested students on Sundays. Amazing!

That's all I know for now. Oh, yesterday was the 24th birthday of my old elementary school friend, Sara. She moved away from Kansas when we were both 12, but we have been faithfully writing letters to each other for the past 12 years. It hasn't mattered where in the world we are, or how much the post office has raised stamp prices. Happy birthday, Sara!


(Random patches of gorgeous spring flowers around the city).


(Spring washing).


(Some of our favorite neighborhood kids playing in a box).


(Coloring Easter eggs with our students and friends).

The tomb is empty!

Happy Easter/Tomb Sweeping Day! Easter this year falls on the same weekend as China's traditional holiday, "Qing Ming Jie," or "Tomb Sweeping Day." I sort of liken it to America's Memorial Day, expect it is a bit more somber. People pay their respects to ancestors, clean tombs, and burn paper money for their deceased relatives.

In stark contrast to Tomb Sweeping Day is Easter! We talked about the meaning of this holiday all class. Tomb Sweeping Day is all about death and grief, while Easter is also about tombs--but how the Son's tomb was empty! He is alive and gives us life! Death could not hold Him down...

One of the many activities we did was a drawing one, where I gave them the Easter story in parts. In groups they had to draw this amazing story. I gave them nice paper, crayons, and markers. They never got to use crayons and markers as they grew up, so I guess it's never too late for them to learn. I just like how I can give crayons to 20 year-olds and they get very excited.

There was one girl in particular who was really moved by the Easter lesson. I think His spirit must have been moving in her heart. Before the lesson, she and I talked about heaven and what we believe in. She matter-of-factly told me that He doesn't exist, and that there is no life after death.

However, in the middle of class during the Easter lesson, she piped up in her shy little voice. She rarely talks, and is a very rational person. She said, "Miss Laura, I changed my mind." I asked, "About what?" She said, "About [him]. I believe. I believe this!" So hopefully I'll be having lunch with her soon to talk more about it. Please keep her in your thoughts!

And out of 190 students, I have one who is a believer. She is also very shy, with poor English, but she was thrilled that we were talking about Easter. We talked about our Easter plans. She will go home to a house fellowship. She said that the government is against them, so they have to be very careful. But she is full of such joy.

This weekend Jodi and I are having an Easter party. We are having some interested students over to dye Easter egg, and talk more about Him. It should be great. Again, please think of these students!

Have a blessed Easter! He is risen!


(Students drawing the Easter story).


(Diligent students).


(Eating a Good Friday lunch today with my two fellow Xinjiang buddies).


(Buses are so crowded because of the holiday. It took Kelsey and me half an hour to get on a bus today).


(And lastly, here is a video of our bus ride today during holiday traffic. Make sure the volume is on).

Busting out of the box

(Baking tiny loaves of apple bread with my student).


(With our former teammate, Shannon, who visited us from America. Apparently it was white sweater day).


(Shannon and her cool moves).


(With Shannon and some of her family).

Happy Palm Sunday!

It is a warm, balmy Sunday afternoon. This is the first moment I've been able to sit and breath for a long time. It has been a very blessed, but long week and weekend! Classes, meeting with students, activities, and visitors from afar have defined my week. I guess that's how it should be! But I'm not sure where the month of March has gone.

I have also been speaking more Chinese than usual, which is also good but tiring. For example, I talked to a student in Chinese on the bus yesterday for an entire 30 minutes. I have finally reached a point where I can have basic conversations. Although they aren't anything too fantastic, it's much better than before.

The week was punctuated with strange little events or conversations. On Friday morning I was walking through the front gate of new campus when I saw a small crowd of people watching something going on. As I got closer, I heard the most awful, heart-wrenching wailing.

I slowly walked past three women collapsed in grief. One woman in her 40s sat sprawled on the sidewalk, clutching a large funeral picture of a boy wrapped in black ribbon. He was probably her son and had been a student at our university. A much older woman, perhaps the grandmother, was lying on her side on the dirty pavement, with the same picture propped against her. Yet another woman, maybe an aunt, also held a picture of the boy and sat on a ledge.

All three were screaming, crying, and shouting things in Chinese. I've never witnessed such intense mourning. My heart just ached at their seemingly bottomless sorrow and hopelessness. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end because of the shrill, desperate cries.

With a heavy heart, I climbed the five flights of stairs to our office. When I got upstairs I looked out the window to see them, and they had vanished! Later I heard that they were the relatives of a boy who had committed suicide in the lake at school last year. They were angry at the college and decided to come to campus themselves. A student told me that "of course, the police quickly took them away." Scenes like that are rare and potentially explosive in China. In addition to the school "losing face," such anger and unbridled emotion is apparently harmful to social harmony and stability.

Despite that scene weighing on me, I enjoyed great conversations with students and friends, such as one of my Chinese sisters. She is really blossoming into a courageous and spiritually strong person. In their required politics/propaganda class, the students must review the basic tenets of Marxism and the party line, etc. They are a bit weary of it, since they've been absorbing it since primary school, but some students, such as my friend, are ready to have their own perspectives and opinions.

Last week in class the teacher told the class how the people from a certain province and minority are killers and thieves and can't be trusted. The teacher will say points like that, but won't let them discuss it or share their opinion. However, my friend was upset about this, and stood up to respectfully refute the teacher's statement.

It isn't very common for Chinese students to question or contradict the teacher. The class of over 100 students went dead quiet as my friend said she disagreed and why. The teacher was a bit taken aback. Now my friend is worried about her grade in that class, because of what happened. But she said that she would feel worse if she hadn't seen anything. Now some students think she is crazy. Others think she is so brave, and some students have told me that.

As for me, I'm just in awe when people try to push the envelope just a bit, and are trying to climb out of the "box" one step at a time. It brings me hope that change is coming in China, and that He is changing hearts and minds through brothers and sisters who are pursuing truth, and not mediocrity.