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!!