China: 8 Things you Should Know
How did I get to the country?
We left Atlanta on Tuesday and flew through Korea to Beijing. The plane rides were 14.5 hours and 2 hours. Then we stayed the night in Beijing before taking a 19 hour train ride to Harbin.
Best meal?
There is a small restaurant across the street that has expensive food for our budget. (Their dishes cost about 18-36 RMB each and we usually only have about 35 RMB per meal.) However, yesterday we splurged and it was amazing. We ordered green beans, hash browns, and 2 meat dishes. We tried to order a beef dish but the woman told us it was intestines so she pointed out a different dish. The dish she brought us instead was wonderful. It was beef, peppers, and onion. This was the best meal we had in China. Our other foods consisted of lots of rice and noodles.
What did I do there?
We worked with churches that were established by a foreign missionary and few Chinese people. The missionary here is very open about sharing why he is here and told us to share that we were working with the local church. We walked around Universities and met students through basketball, English Corners (where they gather to practice English), and just being approach on campus. We were able to meet many amazing students. We did various activities with them and had a few bible studies.
Weirdest meal?
I did not eat any strange foods, but a few of the boys ate shark fin, scorpions, and locus.
Accommodations?
We stayed in an apartment building as an entire squad. We lived 3-5 people to a room. Rebekah, Linley, and I had our own room. However, after the first week, the rest of our team decided to have crash on our floor most nights. Our apartment is near our University which allows us to walk every day. We took bus rides to Central Street often (45 mins) and the far University (1 hour) to see our friends.
Hardest moment?
One of the hardest moments for me this month was when the entire team lead a bible study at the far University. About 15 Chinese students gathered to hear us share the gospel. It was an awesome experience, in that we got to share about the bible and answer a lot of their questions. However, it was my first time sharing the gospel with strangers and I was nervous when I had to speak. Overall I am very glad I was a part of the bible study and we made many good friends from the experience.
Best moment?
One night, after an English Corner, my team went to the campus cafeteria and ate with about 15 Chinese students. Some of the students were friends, but some that night were new. I sat next to a girl named Leslie. (Read my previous blog “Leslie-My Chinese Friend” for more information) It was awesome to be able to encourage her and hear about her faith. I followed up with Leslie the next day and was able to talk to her about making a hard decision. She said, “I know what I need to do in order to follow God, but I don’t have the courage.” I was able to encourage her again which was great! I really enjoyed sitting with her and talking over dinner. Not to mention the fact that I had the best hot chocolate that night and an amazing dinner!
Favorite person I met?
Winter! She attends the close University. I met Winter a week ago. We sat on the basketball court waiting for her friends to arrive and I made an instant connection. Winter has a very sweet personality and she is so excited to speak with foreigners. Winter is only 18 but she carries herself with a lot of confidence. She is very hospitable and I would totally be friends with her if she lived in Virginia. Winter and her two friends, Alice and Happy, met a few girls from my team for coffee one night. We followed up our original conversation with more about her family and her belief. She shared with me that she has studied the bible at home and attended church with her Grandmother. She was so much fun to talk to and spoke pretty good English. She went home over the weekend (for the holidays) and we agreed to get together and study the bible the following week. I saw Winter and her friends again on Thursday. We went to dinner and church. She brought her bible back to school (it was at home) and she is going to start attending church here at school. It was so fun to see her again! We invited Winter, Happy, and Alice to a sleepover on Saturday night. They got very excited as we described what we meant. They had never heard of the idea before. Overall, Winter is my favorite person because she has such a fun-loving spirit. She is such a joy to be around and loves to care for those around her. I can’t wait to see her tomorrow!
