Surprises, jet lag, and culture shock

Well I made it home!  It was a long journey, but really it was not bad at all.  When I got home I had my family waiting with huge excited smiles for me, and Will was waiting at Waffle House ready to surprise me!  It was a great welcome home.  And it was nice to have something other than oatmeal for breakfast.

Monday and Tuesday were pretty brutal with the jet lag. I spent half of them falling asleep on whoever I was sitting next to, in the middle of the floor, one time on the stairs (yes, I have talent), in the car, and oh yeah occasionally I would actually fall asleep in my bed.

Last night I slept long and at the right time, and today I have been going strong.

Since I have been home I have been to the movies, been shopping, swimming, running, I have celebrated my father’s birthday, and I have been accused of defacing my roommate’s car.  What can I say; I like to jump right back into things.

 All in all I miss China, and I miss the people who I grew to become very close with while I was there.  But I am glad to be home. It was time.

Here is some of the reverse culture shock which I have experienced:

·         Not nearly being run over when crossing the road

·         Having rules when driving

·         Having to abide by the concept of the line

·         Actually having toilet paper provided for me AND being able to flush it.

·         Not having tons of people around

I think that the thing that is really interesting is that it felt completely normal for me to be in China and now that I am home that feels normal too.  I hadn’t seen my family or Will in over 70 days, 2 and a half months, but once I was with them again it was like we never skipped a beat.  I hadn’t been around Americans, used American food, been to an American mall, and so on for a long time but America is normal too. 

It boggles me how two very different countries can feel so normal to me.  They both even feel somewhat like home.

It blows my mind how seeing people and doing things here in America picks up like I never left. 

Now there is a major transition to take place before August 15^th (and 5 of those days will be spent in Kentucky).  Now I have to process my trip, take care of a decent sized list of things for school, catch up with an equally long list of people, and kick my butt to get into shape for soccer (which I began this morning).

Thank you everyone for your prayers and your support this summer.  Thank you for sharing in the experience with me.  Don’t stop checking this page every now and then.  Life is an adventure, so I will still have adventures to write you about sometimes.

Zàijiàn Zhōngguó

Jīntiān wǒ qù měiguó (Today I am going to America).  I am used to weekend trips, but this trek is going to top my 26 hour long train ride. 

So pray for divine appointments for ministry, for adjusted sleep patterns, humorous sightings, a starbucks, and just easy travels.

To be honest traveling by myself hardly fazes me now.  You just pack, leave, and go with it.    Pretty simple, and airports are easy.  Traveling is good for people watching and having adventures.  Also a good chance to read, journal, day dream, plan, scheme, sleep, and listen to music.  Oh and do strange things like brush your teeth, wash your face, wash your bangs and proceed to dry them under the hand dryer in the public restroom (I have done that before… more than once).   The nice thing is that here it’s no big; I am just the crazy foreigner.  In the states…. In the States I am just crazy. Lol.

But just to give everyone a picture of what my trip home looks like here is how I plan to get there:

Step one: put hair in pig tails

Step two: find some ruby red slippers

Step three:  click my heels together and say there is no place like home

...hopefully since Like Dorothy my name begins in D and I am from Kansas this plan will work.  It will teleport me home much more quicker than my back up plan, and it will drop me off in my bed already as well.  But in case I can't find the appropriate footwear, or heaven forbid it doesn't work as well as it did in the movie the following is plan B:

• Yinchuan to Beijing.  
• change terminals and check in again
• at 4:15pm July 24^th  I will take a flight  to Vancouver.  The tricky thing is i arrive at 11:30 Am on the 24th... technically that is 5ish hours before I left China.  Yeah I know it’s pretty cool.
• Then after another 4 hour layover I leave for LAX.  
• YAY CUSTOMS!!!!!
• Check in for the 3rd time on my travels home...
• And six hours later at midnight thirty I will get on a flight to Minneapolis.  I arrive there at 6:06 am (meaning it is really only a 3 and a half hour long flight)
• then  leave there an hour later and finally land at KCI at 8:30 am on July 25^th… convert that to China time and it is 9:30pm July 25^th.  Therefore making the entirety of my journey about 37 hours.
• Hug my family, get my bags, and then…..
• WAFFLE HOUSE!!!
• Home to shower and do laundry.

That is a total of 5 flights, 5 planes, 4 layovers, 3 check-ins, 3 countries, 2 longerish layovers, 2 times paying to check my 2 bags, and 1 long awaited waffle house stop with my fam jam.

Thanks for keeping me in your prayers as I travel.  I will post again eventually, possibly not till I have recovered from jet lag.  Just know that because my summer here is over doesn’t mean my blog is.  I still have a life full of adventures to share about, one that I really believe will lead me back here someday.

Well, I am leaving on a jet plane today, and I don’t know when I’ll be back again…

Li Ai

The Final Countdown

It is the final countdown.  I will be home so soon. This has been my last full day in China, and even though I have started packing I still cannot fathom the fact that tomorrow morning the gun sounds and i leave from the starting blocks here in Yinchuan on my way home. As of right now i only have 45 hours till i am home, only about 16 more in China.  Looking back I can remember the day I left very visibly, and it does not seem like it was 10 weeks ago.

 

The last two days have been very relaxing.  I have had a lot of personal space and alone time to get my head and my heart ready to come home. I have worked out, helped cook and eaten Chinese food, i have fellowshiped with these people, played games with them, learned from them, served them, and been blessed by them.  I just finished babysitting the two daughters of one of the families in this complex so they can enjoy a quiet night about with each other. 

That is something that i have definitely grown in this summer... my ability to take care of children.  Not the reason I came to China, but hey a bonus is always nice.

 

Less than 12 hours from now i will be headed to the airport for leg one of my journey home... I better finish packing.  I wonder if Anderson Cooper will be there waiting to give me my first set of instructions and then leave me little challenges along the way till i get home.  My own little mini amazing race.  the benefit is that since i would be the only contestant i would automatically win!

PS... i am a fan of the show The Amazing Race.  I think it would be super fun to be a contestant on that show. (shout out to my Aunt Marilyn)

Well i don't have much else to write.  I am in the middle of this transition so when I have processed through it some more I will fill you in.  In the mean time I think the best words to leave you with to describe my journey home are those of Peter Pan's "Second star on the right, then straight on till morning." Because I really will be going straight on till morning."  

Wanan (translation: good night) for the last time from China, 

Devra

Bitter and Sweet

We tend to be fans of combinations.  We don’t like things to be completely one color, just one texture, or just one taste.  We put black with white, crunchy nuts in smooth peanut butter, salty and sweet.  Another combination we like is bittersweet. 

Today has a large hint of bittersweetness.  3 hours ago I went to the airport to see the family off.  That was bittersweet. 

Sweet because I think this will be a great time for them as a family. Sweet because it means I am close to leaving as well (but that in itself is bittersweet).  Sweet because the kids were all so excited to be flying to America. And it was sweet because I know that I am going to have adventures of my own still.

There is no mistaking the bitter after taste though. That family brought me in alongside them all summer; they made me a part of their family.  I was much more than just a teacher.  I am used to having Gabriel’s head peeking over the couch at me, snoring in the bed next to me or hearing him knocking on my door in the morning (depending on where we are living lol).  I am used to Ariel coming and sitting in bed with me in the morning and reluctantly letting me brush her hair for her.  I am used to hiding my stuffed camel from Abby because she thinks everything is her baby. 

I am used to watching Cindy and learning what it is to be a loving, humble wife and a dedicated selfless mother from her.  I am used to running errands with her in the afternoon when we share details about our lives.  I am used to making her laugh with my ridiculous slang, crazy American ways, and my overall Devraness. I am used to our inside jokes and how we just look at each other a certain way and start laughing. I am used to one or the other of us making tea for the other person most nights.  I am used to how we try to find small ways to bless each other. Her’s is a fellowship that I will greatly miss, and losing its constancy makes today as bitter as the last cup of coffee in the pot. 

I think I will see them again.  Maybe in China after a while, or maybe in the States since they will be there for a while.  Either way that family has ministered to me greatly and taught me so many things, probably without their realizing it.  They have seen me through good and bad days, healthy and sick days, and great adventures.   I look forward to keeping tabs on how the Lord continues to use them in the future. 

Two things I think summarize that goodbye:  First, the look in Cindy’s and I’s eyes as we hugged and exchanged a few words knowing that there was volumes more behind the surface. And second when as Gabe was about to jet off in excitement to security, he turned around and grabbed hold of my arm.  He tugged so I would bend down and listen, and this is what he had to say before leaving on his great adventure, “Devra, can I have a butterfly kiss now?”  I taught him what butterfly kisses are.  They always cheer him up, and probably 2 or 3 times a week either I give him one or he comes and asks for one before bed. 

I think that I left my mark on that family, and I know that they have left theirs on mine.

Now to compliment that large amount of bitter, here is something very sweet.  Today, on Thankful Thursday the countdown dropped below 100 hours till I make it all the way home to Kansas.  I can’t believe it is that soon.

I am spending the next couple days living with a young newly married couple and their neighbors/colleagues who are another long term American family. I think it will be a very fun last couple days. In my 3 days here I have already learned much from them and am enjoying their fellowship.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers. The family is super grateful; please continue to pray for them as they have only just begun their journey.  And thank you for the prayers for my health.  I am feeling much better already!  But please continue to pray.  Thanks!

I pray that all of you are very aware of the things that you are thankful for today…. Enjoy my favorite day of the week!

Less than 100 hours left,

Devra

Thoughts from a Snuffaluffagus

Here is an interesting fact: the family I live with… they have a curse that has been following them.  That curse would be no running water.  The last place we lived the water went out a lot, and here we have had water for only a couple of hours the last 2 days. 

Now before you think that I am living in some barbaric place, a hut, or a dilapidated apt building that should be condemned allow me to clarify that I am indeed living in a very nice building with all modern furnishings (hence internet access).  It just happens that either something is wrong with the pipes, OR this is just another case of the Chinese not making any sense to me.       

But who needs running water when you have Jesus.  He is living Water, and He has provided enough water for our needs. Do not to take water or good plumbing for granted. Lesson learned.  Check.

I have a couple of prayer requests.  Beyond just that the Lord would continue to move here and strengthen those who are here full time.  Beyond that He would continue to fuel the passions He has given me and give me His heart for this country.  Here are the two more pressing prayer requests that I have now:

1)Pray for the family:  They start their journey to America tomorrow.  Pray for safe travels there, safe travels in America, that the kids would behave well, that they would be met with favor wherever they go, that this time in the Americas would be restful and would clarify the vision God has given them for their lives, and that all their needs would continue to be met.

2) Pray for me… I am battling allergies, or a head cold or something.  I would really like my sinuses to be clear before I fly, because flying congested is not pleasant. Plus it is just not fun to be constantly sniffing, snuffling, and blowing.  It makes you always sleepy.  I feel like Snufffaluffagus (the wooly mammoth from Sesame Street, in case that reference went over your head)

this would be Mr. Snuffaluffagus

God is good.  Today was a wonderful Wednesday and tomorrow will be a thankful Thursday!  As I learned from Psalm 112 today, if you delight in the commands of the Lord and fear Him then your heart will be established and the your faith will shine like the city on the hill Jesus calls us to be. 

Only 4 days left now.  Here’s to making the most of them, loving God more at the end of them, and getting home safe.

Ziajian,

Li Ai 

Shout outs, Short Stories, and Starry Skies

So since I last wrote to you about falling on the stair while running much has happened. I suppose the biggest change is the one in geography.  I am now in a different city again.  We finished moving apartment number 2.  Now that I have left two apartments barren and desolate, boxed up their lives and put them in storage, and packed up mine I definitely feel ready to come home.

I said goodbye to Lee yesterday.  No tears there.  I am not one to have a weepy goodbye, so that wasn’t so bad.  Here in a little over a day I will be saying good bye to the family too.  Then I will be staying here with their friends for 3 more days before I begin the trek home.  That journey will take me approximately 36 hours.

Ok.  Enough with the looking forward, I need to fill the internet world in on what has happened in the last 5ish days.  As I mentioned we moved out of the second apartment and are in another city visiting with friends for a few days.  But before that I was able to eat with Lee at our Chinese friend’s house again. This time it was a much smaller group of us.  We spent some time worshiping together again, and one of the sisters has the most beautiful worshipper’s heart.  You can just sense the Spirit around her intensifying when she sings.

I hope to have that kind of passionate love for and satisfaction in Jesus.  I hope that it can be as visible in my life as it is in hers. Also she and I became somewhat of friends that night.  We talked about cooking, school, and how I hope to live in China some day. 
This woman’s focus was so on the Lord that when she found out I had a boyfriend her very first question was “Does he know Jesus?”   She sang for a while, but she sang the scripture.  The crazy thing is that though her Bible was open her eyes were closed.  She just knew it.

Those two dinners were a real blessing to me.

Another blessing is the internet.  Thanks to the internet I am able to communicate with people back home easily, which in the last week I have done a lot of that.  Shout out to: my mom, my dad, Will, Tiff, Mel, Paul, Brooke,and Kate, and everyone else who I have talked to recently.  It is great to have your support and encouragement.  And to Tiff Leah, Kelsey, and Kevin I love reading your blogs and hearing your escapades in your own foreign countries this summer. 

As for my escapades, Gabriel has developed this obsession with looking at pictures on my computer.  Lately we have been looking at the pictures of Kate, Alex, and I’s excursions in Beijing.  Looking through those pictures makes me realize how much I miss Kate and Alex.  I loved that fellowship.  BUT thanks to the internet I can still talk with them. 
Beijing was a good experience.  I am sure these last few days will be too.  The Lord is faithful to reveal Himself to us when we seek Him.  I have done and seen a lot this summer, but I want to see more of God’s heart and glory.

I was able to see watch the world cup live on Chinese TV on the internet.  I watched the semifinal US game and the final.  Those were in the middle of the night for me.  Good thing I am a pretty natural night owl.  It was really refreshing to watch, well not physically.  It helped continue to make me excited for coming back and getting back into soccer… it is going to be brutal trying to get into shape and get my touch back on the soccer ball in just a couple of weeks once I get home.  BUT I am totally pumped for it.  I have been running some and working out a little here.  It is my senior year, and not only do I want our school to be threepeat national champs, but I want to do my absolute best for the Lord this year.

Humorous story about the World Cup.  On Monday morning Lee asked me how it went, and I replied very downcastly that Japan beat us in pk’s.  Lee’s response, “Well that is ok.  We beat them in World War II.”  HAHAHAHA

Yesterday as soon as we moved out of the apartment a Korean family (here for the same purposes as all of us) moved in.  Literally, we packed the car and went to lunch and they called to see if we were still there or not because they were ready to move in.

On the way to where we are now we stopped in Lanzhou to visit with some other friends who just had a baby.  This baby was only 8 days old and soooo tiny.  He still had his umbilical cord!  I had never seen that before.  The fact that 8 day old babies even have little fingernails confounds me.  I don’t understand how God designed us so intricately to start so small, to grow, and to learn.

The other thing that just inspired so much awe yesterday was the stars.  The stars on our late night drive were so numerous and so bright.  I can’t imagine what they must have looked like when God told Abraham to look at them, and then promised to make his descendants a blessing to all the nations. I was just reading in Galations 3 today about how through the saving work of Jesus I am one of those descendants.  To think that the promise God made to Abraham thousands of years ago is still coming true, and I am a part of it… blows my mind.  It blows my mind how creative, how vast and infinite, how powerful, how glorious, and how faithful God is.  When I see the stars they hold me captive and cause me to gawk at my Creator.   What a mighty and worthy God we serve. 

Today I went swimming… more like splashing.  I don’t have my swim suit here with me so I just waded around in the kiddie area splashing and being splashed by Gabriel.  I was completely soaked…

Anyway Chinese swimming pools are quite the experience.  There were soooo many people there.  They almost all wear swim caps. The men all wear little tight shorty shorts, or they improvise and just swim in their underwear… that was a somewhat scarring experience.  But all in all it was a pretty fun time.

Well my friends, that is all for now. I am sure that I will be writing more over these last few days and hours here.  Going to make the most of them and try to glean all I can from this experience.

Much love for China, God, and all my fam and peeps.

I will be seeing you soon,

Devra

Devra vs. The Stairs

There are two things you should know about me.  1)The first you probably already knew, but I like to run.  I run a fair amount. Tonight for instance the Ge² Lee and I went for a run at 9:30pm.

2)The other is something that you may not know about me: the stairs and I have had a lifelong enmity between us.  They do all they can to get to me to fall down them or trip up them.

Apparently I give them the upper hand when I am unable to clearly see them because it is dark outside.  Who knew?

The stairs did… they took advantage of such a great opportunity and sneak attacked me.  Like a ninja they came out of nowhere!

With no warning I was suddenly completely sprawled out on the sidewalk.

Thanks to my sturdiness and all the extra calcium from the extra nai in my nai cha (milk tea) I came away from this brush with my rival the stairs without any broken bones, strains, sprains, or truly inconveniencing injuries of any type.

BUT the stairs managed to draw some blood… so my white leggings are soaking to get the blood out and my left knee is sporting an "I <3 converse" Band-Aid and extra Neosporin.

The inconvenient part of this injury is that since I live in a Muslim city and have to wear long pants or leggings whenever I go out no one outside this apartment will have the pleasure of seeing my awesome Band-Aid.  If it were a superhero Band-Aid I would really be depressed…

Keeping the first aid kit handy,

Devra

Not Just Another Thankful Thursday

As I have mentioned before, Thursday is my favorite day of the week.  It is Thankful Thursday, and it has been a good one.  I started my day by staying up till 2:30 watching the USA women’s soccer team beat France and advance to the World Cup finals (on Chinese TV from my laptop).  If you ask me that is a promising start to one’s day.  After my good night’s sleep things only got better.

So being that it is Thankful Thursday Lee (or Ge² as I refer to him because gege is Chinese for older brother) and I pao le jintian xiawu (translation: ran this afternoon).  Running is a good way to celebrate Thankful Thursday by thanking God for lungs that breathe, legs that zou de kuai (go fast), sun that shines on you, and the fact that we as Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit! That was a great run.  Waged some spiritual war by prayer running instead of prayer walking as we went too.

The climax of my Thankful Thursday was dinner with Lee, another American, and several local believers.  Other than being thankful that I have the ability to eat way more than I should since the Chinese are so hospitable and keep feeding you, I am thankful for the chance to encourage them and be encouraged by them. 

We worshipped and prayed together in Chinese and in English, which was such a great glimpse, or preview of the throne room in Heaven.  What I experienced tonight was only a fractional dose of what John saw in his vision in Revelation 7:9-10.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

The other realization that I had at dinner is that since these believers are my brothers and sisters, my family and comrades in the blood of Jesus, essentially our dinner was communion. The fact is that apart from Jesus none of us would have been in that room together.  Lee and I would not be in China, and those Chinese friends probably would not even know each other.

So today I am thankful for so many things.  Some are simple and others are more complex, some subtle and some obvious, some spiritual and some physical, and some precious and some taken for granted.

I am thankful that I have one more Thankful Thursday left in China, but at the same time that saddens me.  I have only 3 or 4 more days in this city that I have come to really like. While my time left here is short, I am thankful that I have had time here at all.  These people are amazing and beautiful and they need the light of Jesus.  China, well the whole world, is a dark place but luckily as John 1 points out the Light that is Jesus shines in darkness, and the darkness can’t keep him out.

So I challenge you to list your answer out: What are you truly thankful for today?

Wanan (good night),

Devra

Blitzen, Blitzkrieg, Blitz till the End

So it has been 1, 2, 3, 4… 4ish days since I wrote to you last.  There is quite a bit to catch you up on. Some of it has been eventful and others parts need to step up their game a bit.  But all in all life is still a daily adventure here in Zhōngguó (that is Chinese for China ps).

So backtracking a bit… last Thursday and Friday I helped pack and move the family’s stuff out of the apartment we lived in at the beginning of the summer. On Friday evening we went to a 1 year old birthday party with a bunch of other foreign families bursting with children.  Seriously, sometimes it seems like these people all have small armies.

Saturday I spent most of my day helping test elementary school students on their English and then went and moved some more. So those were long, busy, crazy scheduled 3 days.

Now Sunday is when things get interesting.  Ok, actually they weren’t that interesting because I laid in bed literally the entire day.  No joke.  Sunday morning I woke up feeling sick.  This was a major bummer because it was my last Sunday in Xinning and I wanted to go to some various fellowships, see some friends, and maybe climb an oversized hill as well. But apparently God had other plans.  I spent all day queasy and not eating anything.  Then when my stomach started feeling better I had chills and aches like a fever.  Turns out I got some nasty little 24 hour stomach bug from one of the small army members (aka kid) at Friday’s birthday party.

Well 48 hours later I am proud to say that I have risen from the dead.  Ok, so I am being dramatic, but really I am healthy again.  I got to play soccer last night after I got a pedicure with some friends!  And then today I met up with a friend of Will’s from UK who happens to be in the same city as me at the university that is literally across the street… Crazy huh?!  That was a lot of fun!  And my first time ordering a meal on my own at a restaurant without a picture menu… scratch that it is the second time.  The first time was my second week in China and I was not nearly as successful lol.

After that I came back and hung out with the kids for a while.  A bit later I went running, which was quite an adventure.  Adventure is all in the eye of the beholder, but allow me to recount the events of this evening’s run for you:

-I run around the corner (after I already smiled at and said hello to the security guards here... I like to be friends with law enforcement) and as soon as I get around the corner there is Corrie (the girl from lunch who knows Will) and a bunch of people going to dinner (those are the moments you don’t feel like you are in China).  I stopped and said hello and she told them all how she knew me.

-then I kept running to the soccer field where there is a track

-As always, I  have my headphones in so I don't notice the stares from everyone I run past.

 -I get to the field and they are playing baseball on one end and some guys taking shots (as in kicking a soccer ball) on the other end.  The baseball team did not look that good.  One guy seems like a decent hitter, and their 1st baseman is good... really agile and limber.  Unfortunately he was wearing a yankees hat. I picked up a few stray balls and tossed them back as I ran.

-After running about a mile there I stopped and just jumped in with the soccer guys.

-after I did that for about 15 min I ran another lap and then ran home.

…now my story is more comical.

-in my typical graceful fashion...  I totally tripped over the gate to the apt complex.  I mean big time tripped. I hit my whole foot on the bottom of the gate and WIPED OUT (if life had a background track that Beach Boys song would have been playing).  Now I have a nice scrape that will leave a good bruise all up my left shin.  The gate keeper came out and there was a man right behind me...  they probably thought I was drunk or something…

-Then I walked past my security guard friends again and asked them if they had eaten (common Chinese greeting.  It is the equivalent of “what’s up” or “how ya doin?” in the States).

-After they answered to the affirmative and asked me back I chased down these two boys on Ripsticks and said "wo keyi ma?" (can i?) and they said "keyi" (yes) so I rode on that a bit. 

Anyway it was an eventful run.  Tonight I made peanut butter cookies with Ariel and Gabriel.  That was a lot of fun.   Honestly, I think those two can roll dough into a more spherical ball than I can. 

Tomorrow we head back to Gansu province, and tomorrow night at midnight I hope to watch the USA women in the semifinal of the World Cup.

I only have 11 days left before I begin my travels home.  I can’t believe it is so soon.  I feel like I am right in the middle of the best moments here though.  Best worship, best fellowship, fun adventures, and just a lot of joy and grace from the Lord.

Please be praying for all the ministry going on in this country and for all the teams who are here to be used by the Lord.  They need your prayers.

Check back in soon!

Devra

The New Trend: Debriefing

The hot topic around here lately has been debriefing.  Kate and Alex were debriefing to go home, Cindy and Ben are debriefing in a sense as they are moving this week, and Lee is planning a trip to debrief with his friends.

Keeping in line with that train of thought I am going to take the liberty of debriefing with you.  As you can see from the previous few posts I had nothing short of an eventful trip to Beijing. I learned a lot that trip, and processed through this summer some on my 26 hour train ride home.  I will start with Beijing first and then tackle this summer in general. 

My trip to Beijing was a lot of fun, but also very irresponsible and at times very materialistic.  It was a great reminder of the States and a good way to begin preparing me for going back to America. 

Our trip to Beijing was not spontaneous; we had been planning to go since the beginning of the summer.  BUT we were ill prepared.  We did not do our homework. We did not have a hotel, we did not have a list of souvenirs. We did not have any real knowledge or plan.  So one thing that I learned is the necessity of planning, doing your homework, having some sort of game plan and information to go off of.  I am not suggesting a perfectly scheduled life by any means, just a well informed one.

I relearned how important it is to focus on things above because every moment of life counts.  This is the short part of our existence; our hope as Christians is an eternity worshipping God before His throne (yeah I know it is a pretty awesome hope).  But seriously, if that is our focus then we won’t miss the opportunity to minister when we are on the road waiting for a taxi, or on a 24 hour train ride. It will flow out naturally.  If that is our focus then we will still be encouraged and a little nourished when we attend a church in a language we don’t understand because we know we are surrounded by people with the same hope. When that is our focus maybe it will be easier to keep our heads on strait when we go shopping and are overwhelmed by the things, the cheapness, the fun that is bargaining.

Moving on to this summer:

This summer I have learned that being overseas is a lot like being in America, spiritually I mean.  Now if you have ever been on a short term trip you might find that hard to believe, BUT it is true.  I have watched the people who are here long term, and it is just as easy to get in a rut, to go it on your own, and to not be intentional about your faith when you are here as it is in America.  Comparison, pride, and disunity are all as big of a problem here as they are in America.  

To put it succinctly: Going overseas does not come complete with pixie dust to ensure that you are always flying, nor does it flip a switch and turn you into Jesus. 

It is weird to think that I will be in America again in less than 3 weeks (actually closer to 2).  It is weird because what I have realized is that both China and America feel normal to me.  It is not strange to me to be here, I am not suffering from constant culture shock, I have the comforts of home, and I love it.  BUT I have grown up in America and love my roots as well so being back in the states won’t feel strange either.

Life befuddles me, but I enjoy it. 

Well in less than 650 words those are some of the major lessons I have learned. I still have 2 weeks left, so who knows what else the Lord will teach me.  BUT I am excited to find out!

Still learning,

Devra

26 Hours

I have 48 hours of life to update you on, 26 of which were spent on a train… where to begin?!

Well shortly after my last post Kate, Alex and I woke up from our nap (it was too short to call a night’s sleep).  We said good bye, they got a taxi to the airport, and I went back to sleep.  I had a few hours in Beijing by myself which I spent getting snackage for my train ride, drinking coffee (surprise surprise), talking to Will, AND eating a McFlurry at McDonalds while wearing my newly acquired Wendy’s shirt.  I found humor in that last one, but seen as there are no Wendy’s in China I was alone in that sentiment.

I got to the train station plenty early for my train, so I go some caomei nai (strawberry milk). If you are ever in Beijing go to the Beijing West Railroad Station; it is just like an airport.  It is huge, has book stores, snack shops, and restaurants (including the Kungfu noodle place!).  So while at the Beijing Xi station I made friends with another person getting on my train.  He was trying to teach me some Chinese.  Also he thought I was Australian lol.  He was a very helpful guy.  He was telling me how to hold my ticket so that no one would steal it, and he helped me carry my bag through the crazy mob of people. 

Something that is very foreign to Americans is the overwhelming amount of people in China.  No joke, I have never seen anything like the mobs of people that exist here.  You never run out of people in China.  Never.  In fact often times you have the opposite problem; you can hardly breathe let alone move because there are so many people.
Strange as it seems though I am really getting used to it.  I think that it will be strange to come back to America to not be surrounded by swarms of people. BUT it will be nice.  Being surrounded is draining.

Well when I got to my seat (they were out of sleepers) I sat there for 26 hours.  Many interesting events followed.  There were 6 Chinese people who were all about my age sitting across from me.  They tried to talk to me a few times, but I speak very little Chinese.  So instead of speaking TO me they resorted to speaking ABOUT me.  Mind you I understand enough Chinese to know when someone is talking about me. 

That was humorous because I could tell that one of them was trying to argue with the other 5 and tell them I could understand them.  It was humorous. 
Will called me for a few minutes… I felt like I was their favorite TV show because as soon as I answered the phone they all ceased their chit chat and turned and watched me for about 5 minutes before resuming their banter. 

After that phone call and before everyone tried to sleep, one of the girls came and sat by me.  Through heavy use of the dictionary we were able to communicate some.  I found out she is 2 years older than me and married.  She was very sweet, and really liked my big eyes…. That is a trend among Chinese; they always compliment me on my eyes. 

Other interesting stories from the train:

IT WAS PACKED!!!!! In the sitting car people also have standing tickets so the aisles are full!  As I sat in my seat eating my apple I realized that the butt of the man who was standing in the aisle next me was literally inches from my face and the apple I was eating.  In America that would not be acceptable at all.

The other issue with so many people is making your way to the bathroom and back.  When I looked at the sheer massive amount of people between me and the bathroom I wasn’t sure that it was physically possible for me to make it through.  But I stepped on countless people’s feet and cannot even begin to depict for you how I was in their tighter than sardines as I slowly squeezed my way through to the bathroom. 

Well I made it and I took my sleeping pill.  It is a good thing I posses the strange but oh so handy talent of sleeping in positions that most people find unfathomable.  It is definitely something that I count as a blessing when traveling.  I chalk that one up to God’s foresight in creating me the way I am.            

Well that was the majority of the interesting part of my train ride.  When I woke up there were not near as many people on the train, and I still had 6 hoursish left.  The morning/afternoon was much more chill with the exception of one Chinese guy who spoke English and came to talk to me… I had to drop in there that I had a boyfriend who is an engineer.  In other words sorry hombre, but your English speaking Chinese doctor self isn’t as impressive as you think.  I also found it interesting that he plans to go to Germany next year to make beer. 

Anyway I made it home, I showered the smell of  body odor, smoke, beer (they drink a lot of beer here), and the squatty off of me and then helped make tacos for dinner because our friends were coming over. 

Today has been a long day… and the fact that I am still up at 1 am probably isn’t the best.  But I mean that is why God gave us coffee (which I made some on the train).

Hasta luego,

Devra

An Unconventional 4th of July From the Great Wall

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

Let me pause for a moment to point out that I spent 4^th of July in America when I was 12 and I have only spent one there since… now I am 20.  That is a lot of 4^th of July’s in other countries.  Honestly I think that it has given me a better appreciation for the holiday.  Seriously, spend an Independence Day away from the States, away from the bbq’s, the fireworks, the red, white, and blue overload, the festivities, and all the pomp and pageantry that we focus on in America… Here they just celebrated 90 years of Communism 2 days ago.  Talk about a contrast.  

Different? Yes.  Perfect 4^th of July?  Just about.  Very few things could be added to today’s adventures. Maybe some watermelon and fireworks… Here I celebrated the 4^th of July by climbing the Great Wall, praying over this nation and America, wishing a happy 4^th of July to every foreigner I saw on the wall, and singing patriotic songs on the Great Wall.

Sadly this is my last say with Kate and Alex, my last night in this king bed we have shared for last few days of our adventures.  It has been great to hear them debriefing and begin my own debriefing process.  I am going to miss the fellowship with them.  They have been a blessing to me this summer.  Their accountability, encouragement, and likemindedness have been a large part of my summer.

It will be a boring train ride home by myself tomorrow…

But back to today…

The Great Wall is indeed great.  I enjoyed it so much, and when I live in China someday I definitely wouldn’t mind going back.  The view is amazing.  The climb was fun and invigorating.  We had quite an adventure and took some great pictures (which will be on facebook in a couple of weeks).   We also spent time in this really desolate part of the wall just reading our Bibles and praying… quiet time and intercession on the Great Wall… who needs fireworks on the 4^th of July when they have that?

After a long, hot day of sweating and getting our tan on we headed back into town.  Through the help of a sweet Chinese girl who took pity on us, we found a bus to get back into Beijing.  After that hour and a half it took us another 45 minutes to get a taxi to our hotel… tai mafan. Word to the wise: don’t try to get a taxi in Beijing around dinner time…

Once we got home to the Ba Ba Binguan we went to our regular/favorite restaurant again. Last night when we ate there they noticed that it was our second night there and asked if we were going to be coming back again.  We told them yes, and we kept our word. 

To celebrate our last night together, Kate and Alex’s last night in China, and the 4^th of July we had a feast of all our favorite dishes definitely some gluttony, but we DID WORK on that meal.  The next stop was ice cream. Lol.

After that we went to get a taxi… we were passed by multiple ones.  That is one of the most frustrating things. BUT it ended up being a God moment. While taxi’s were passing us by He brought a hungry, begging brother and sister into our path.  We were able to help them and pray for them… we had a chance to tangibly be Jesus.  As soon as that encounter was over we got a taxi immediately.  I really think that God was keeping us there for that specific reason.

That taxi took us to Tiananmen Square.  We went there because that area is absolutely beautiful at night!  So we walked around, digested our massive meal, and prayed some more. 

This is the point in today’s shenanigans when things took a turn for VERY entertaining.   See China doesn’t have the most happening night life… catching  a taxi at 10:30 is no easy task.  We finally hopped in this little motorized rickshaw that was not made to carry 3 people. Lol.  That ride should have taken at maximum 30 minutes, but instead it took us a solid hour because our driver had NO CLUE where we were going… But the Lord provided a nice woman who spoke English and knew where our hotel was!!!!

So that is our day in a nutshell.  There are so many more details than that.  BUT the long and short is that we prayed a lot, we climbed the Great Wall, had a great time, ate too much, and saw God’s goodness by providing for us and being used to provide for others.

Tomorrow I get some quality alone time on the train. Pray for safe travels for all three of us and for divine appointments along the way.

I have 3 weeks left here… time to make the most of them.

Mingtian qu Qinhai,

Devra

Ps... "Happy 4th of July. Go Communism!" ~Kate Reeves

A Sunday in Beijing...

So today we learned our lesson, always plan ahead.  We learned it yesterday and learned it again today when shopping, but we will ignore the gluttonous shopping memoirs for now… It was a humbling experience.

But more importantly we went to a Chinese church service.  There is a legalized Christian church here. This church felt rather Catholic and rather Western. I can’t tell you if they taught sound doctrine because we went to the Chinese service.  But what I can tell you is that during the reflection time at communion all I could think of was Ephesians 4:4-6.  The Chinese and us are equal.  I may be a Bible college student who has grown up in the church, but I am part of the same salvation, am a temple of the same Spirit and have my hope in the same eternity in Heaven with the Lord that they do.  

So I am in no way above the Chinese believers.  I came here because I felt the Lord calling me here, but that does not give me grounds to be above them… God only called me here to worship Him and make Him known in doing so.  Even if I were here with the sole purpose of discipling these people I would still not be above them.  We are brothers and sisters.  There is no favoritism in Christ. 

Fellowship with our brothers and sisters is so important…  it is essential in America for success as a Christian, and it is essential when you are not in America as well.  Realize that we all have something to learn form each other, and we need each other.

In Him,

Devra

Ps… I bought a pair of shoes from a woman wearing cross earings…. Turns our we are sisters!!! That was a blessing. 

PREVIEW: Tomorrow the Great Wall tomorrow!!! 

Mafan at the Ba Ba Binguan

Women qu Beijing le!!! (Translation: We went to Beijing!!!)

1 twenty-four hour train ride (literally 24 hrs), 1 fifteen minute ticket line, 1 four and a half hour taxi ride, and 7 hotels later we got settled in Beijing at the 8.8 Hotel (translation: ba ba binguan).

Interesting story?  I think yes.  So let’s back track a little. At 11 hundred hours Friday July 1^st Kate, Alex, and I board a train to Beijing.  Mind you that between the 3 of us we have 2 backpacks, 3 purses, and 5 suitcases. Getting on the train was interesting enough because we had to take 2 taxis due to the amount of luggage.  Once we were at the train station the Lord provided a sweet, hardworking lady to help us with our luggage.  One of our suitcases I carry on my back, which left all 4 of us pulling one… the Chinese were definitely gawking at the foreigners with an obscene amount of luggage because they travel with a single plastic bag (no joke).  oh and two more plastic bags for food (how are they so skinny? idk tell me when you figure it out).

Before I move on, left me explain what a sleeper train looks like.  In the hard sleeper cabin there is a walk way with little fold down seats by the windows on one side, and on the other there are portioned bunk areas that have 3 beds on each side (6 per little alcove).  We were fortunate enough to have two bottom bunks and one middle bunk.  This meant we had a little table for all our snackage and coffee (the sweet, nectar of life).   So with all our baggage we overtook this small area and moved in. 

There was a family in the same area as us… they were adorable.  The boy, Tian Tian, was awesome.  He had this toy that he was beyond talented with, and he would randomly speak English. 

You should know that we were the loudest people on the train… but hey we are crazy foreigners.   The train may have been a full 24 hours ride, but it offered plenty to entertain: people eating chicken feet and other unidentifiable foods, smokers that made you nauseous, squatty potties that go straight to the outside, a 5 car walk (that made me dizzy) to the food car, a western toilet that we found, and AWESOME CHINGLISH SIGNS that include but are not limited to:

-caution, scald burns

-do not dump waste in pond (aka the sink)

At night we took some magical little, blue pills which put us right to sleep.  That was a lovely night’s sleep.  In the morning when we woke up is when the train ride went from good to Fanfreakingtastic!!! There was a new man in our temporary home (remember, we moved in). He saw that Kate was reading and asked if it was a Bible.  Come to find out this man was a believer.  We had a Chinese Bible with us so we were able to swap favorite verses with him.  He told us where there is a church at in the morning, and chit chatted with us for a little while.

BUT the story doesn’t end there. 

Remember the adorable family?  Well they were showing some interest in our conversation.  So our new homie begins to take the Bible and explain to them about the one true God.  This is literally how we spent the last hour and a half of our train ride… watching him evangelize and explain scripture and praying under our breath.  We were the last people off the train because we gave the boy and his mother our Chinese Bible and contact information.  Then we prayed in English and our believer friend prayed in Chinese.  

After he helped us get all our luggage off the train and out of the station we parted ways… hopefully we will see him in the morning at church.  But keep him and that mother and son in your prayers.  Pray for discipleship and for those seeds to grow. 

Pause:  this brother was amazing.  His face shone.  His eyes were full of joy, and his demeanor was gentle.  He was ready to share, and made the most of more than one opportunity while we were with him. He was sharing the Gospel and there were so many people around who could hear and understand him… praise God for his boldness and willingness.  That man was a great encouragement and example.  It was such a blessing to see the Word being shared; we do not have the ability to do so but we have the ability to pray.  But it doesn’t have to be us.  I really think that the Lord put that man in our path to encourage us to keep pursuing Him first and then He will take care of spreading His kingdom.

Now for the frustrating part…. Tai mafan (translation: very troublesome, problematic, complicated)

We got to where the taxis were and there was a man offering us a ride instead of waiting in the impeccably long line… so we bargained with him and he said he would take us to the airport, well a hotel by the airport.  this hotel ended up being way more expensive than we wanted.  So greedy taxi man, after getting massively frustrated with us takes us back into the city (for more money….).  At this point we have spent about an hour with this man.  He was seriously about to bust a vein on his forehead with us at times.  BUT the Lord gave us grace to handle the situation without too much frustration on our part, and favor because we have a nice inexpensive hotel.  But poor, poor Mr. Taxi man had to put up with us for 3 and a half more hours.  See the hotels here are tai gui le (translation: too expensive), and we are cheap university students.  Our driver learned this so he only took us to cheap hotels where he would proceed to complain to them about how cheap we were LOL.

Long story short, I now have a new appreciation for Mary and Joseph having been told that there was no room at many an inn…. but multiple hotels later, getting ripped off by a frustrated and hilarious taxi driver, venting about the mafan, learning the phrase “oh my grrrr” from the taxi man, and lots and lots of prayer later we are comfortably situated at the Ba Ba Binguan.

And yes our first stop (after the bank and some delicious Chinese dinner) was Xing Ba Ke (translation: STARBUCKS!!!!).  I told you coffee was the nectar of life.

We have had a great day of driving around though.  I saw Tiananmen Square, and let me tell you this city is gorgeous at night!!! During the day though we only had about a half a mile visibility… 

My workout epidemic has spread to Kate and Alex as we had an awesome workout party tonight.  After what I am sure will be a good night’s sleep (and very cozy because we are sharing one bed) we are going to get up, go to church, meet one of their friends, and shop till we drop!!!

This weekend is already proving to be one of growth.  Seeing how much we are growing in prayer and living a life of worship, working on our Chinese, and listening as Kate and Alex debrief.  The fact that I can hop in a taxi, drive by Tiananmen Square, and it not seem out of the ordinary is crazy.  I really do love it here, and feel at home here.  When I look at these people I think “if only you see what I see when I look at your country… if only you saw the glory of God’s creation and His love for you.”  Join me in praying that they do.  

More too come from Beijing…. thanks for sticking out this uber long story.  

Devra