Saturday night came upon us quickly and it is amazing the appetite you can work up delivering rabbits. We shared a huge Chinese meal back at the hotel and most everyone retired early to our typically hard Chinese hotel beds. However, even the backboard I was sleeping on didn't disturb my slumber as we really were tired from all the walking and activity of the day.
Sunday broke to another beautiful fall day with clear skies and temperatures in the 20s (C) and no rain in sight. Our schedule for the day had us visit a school that was home to over 500 students from middle school through high school ages. The cost of the school is 6,000RMB (USD$900) per year and includes room and board! The kids are from all over China as this school has an excellent reputation. We shared about one hour of time with the students and their leaders singing, talking and praying together. It was really a neat experience and was amazing to see how God is working in this part of the world. Mason and Regan got involved in a pick up basketball game and Landon was the "cute" star of the morning and they were standing in line just to take his picture to which he has gotten very used to since coming to China.
Our final stop on this trip was to a nursing home. The Religious Affairs Officers had arranged for the local media to be present and included a TV station, radio and newspaper. We were welcomed to the elderly home with a flurry of firecrackers which is very common here. Our South African friends upon hearing the barrage of explosions said "If this was in South Africa we'd all be on the floor right now taking cover!" As the smoke cleared from the 2 minute continuous fireworks display we all walked into the old folks home carrying a gift bag for each of the residents. They welcomed us very warmly and we helped them open their gifts and put on the new red scarves to "show off" for the cameras. We had about and hour to spend talking with them and learning of their lives. One gentleman that we met was a government official in the Cultural Revolution and made sure we knew that! We also met a man who was visiting his mother and was so happy that we had come to spend time with them that he kept repeating the same words over and over in Chinese and must have introduced me to his mother a dozen times. Many of the residents were very impressed to meet my three sons and they would get big smiles and say "Hen hao" (very good). We finished the visit with a Chinese song that we had been practicing to the big smiles and tear filled eyes of the residents. They seemed very happy to have had our diversion to their normal routines and I hope that someday we can return and see them again.
2 comments:
What is amazing to me is your family doesn't seem to be experiencing much culture shock. You all are just diving right in and making the most of your situation.
Today is voting day here in Minnesota. Did you guys mail in your votes?
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