Prone to wander

Rain update: 15 days straight.

This weekend has been very blessed and restful. Unlike past weekends, there hasn't been stuff going on nearly every minute, which is good for renewal. But sometimes it's not so good because then I tend to think about things too much. Like what kind of adventure I can go on next.

Anyway, this weekend the only adventure I really took was to Wal-mart, which isn't really an adventure anymore. It is very predictable, actually. You wait in the pelting, freezing rain for the 231 bus. The bus lurches to a stop in the middle of a gigantic puddle. You leap on the bus and drop in your one kuai coin, while the bus accelerates at a rapid speed. You stumble to the back of the bus in search for a seat, being strangled by the umbrella and mittens and hat and bag you are carrying.

You arrive at Wal-mart 35 minutes later. You squeeze through the mass of bodies filling the now crowded bus to reach the exit. You jump out the back door and promptly land in another puddle. Then you race in front of the other buses at the stop, and thread your way through five lanes of traffic, while taxis and mopeds nearly brush past your legs. But then you arrive at your destination--Wal-mart--which is slowly taking over the world one store at a time. But I don't complain. Because you can find things like yogurt and ground beef there. And you get to give Him lots of thanks when you realize you are still in one piece.

On Saturday I also met with my student again as we continued our study of the word and who He is. It is still going very well. Thanks as always for your thoughts about it! Then I made her some vegetable soup from scratch. I made a gigantic pot of vegetable soup, filled with cauliflowers, beans, and carrots--all purchased for a grand total of less than $1. And it actually tasted really good, even for my first attempt.

This morning we went to the small international fellowship downtown, like every Sunday. It is always a refreshing time with other believers. Even though it meets in a stuffy little hotel conference room, it is probably my favorite fellowship ever. I think because it is so simple, and it seems to represent what a fellowship should look like to me, at least. An offering is taken. Only a small portion is taken to rent the room. The rest is given to Chinese people in need--like people with cancer or prosthetic legs. Money doesn't go to salaries or building funds or music equipment. And the time is so blessed. The gathering consists of probably a dozen different nationalities from all over the world. And we just meet to lift up thoughts for each other and to listen to people read from the word. Today I was especially struck by how amazing that this can happen anywhere in the world, let alone in the middle of China! He is truly awesome.

Well, time to go. It is our team dinner night.