As we ride a train through the mainland of China in the early morning light, my mind feels like it has been transported back in time to some war torn country. I feel more like I'm riding through Europe after WWII, seeing bomb riddled buildings and roads, spotted by concentration camps and POW camps flashing by.
Instead, the reality is that we are headed to Jiaozuo, China. The country is grey. It's winter, the trees have all shed their leaves. Smoke rises in the sky as cold families light up their coal stoves to keep warm. Old buildings are falling apart or being torn down. Every other building is a shade of grey, brown, or muted red. The only color to be found are the vivid green fields you see pass by in between the city spreads. Even then, they seem forlorn. Not to their full form of life.
Survival of the fittest. Self preservation. Just getting by.
Gloom.
The train keeps chugging along the tracks, and I jostle back and forth in the car. My mind spinning around, taking in this foreign culture. My first impressions of China are based on our minimal amount of time in Hong Kong, a night spent in another city that I can't actually remember the name of, and a train ride. Scenes continue to roll past my eyes like a film strip.
The scene just seems morose to me. Building are crumbling, I've seen shanty towns as we pass by, trash and plastic bags piled high upon tin roofs that drape down close to cold, glassy ponds. The trees are bare and naked against the smoggy winter air.
My mind begins to wander as my eyes scan our compartment. I am sitting on the bottom bunk of three beds basically nailed to the wall. At times I almost feel like I'm on a ship. There is a man sitting against a window to my right, eating peanuts and drinking hot tea. The steam swirls lazily up against the cool window pane. A woman on the second bunk across from me has decided that my bed makes a much better seat, and continues to sit on my feet as I try to sleep. Rain begins to patter against the windows, and creates dark streaks across the glass as we move across the land.
This is China.
I remember back over a year ago, last January, when I was first deciding about the World Race. I was tediously looking through routes, trying to decide which one would be best. July, August and September all had appealing points of interest. But something continued to draw my attention to the August route. And it was a single country that I couldn't take my mind off of. China.
Now, to some, this may seem normal. China is a mysterious land, full of intrigue and beauty. To me, China was fine and dandy, it had the Great Wall, has a lot of history, blah, blah. But honestly, I had never had any desire in my life to go to China. Ever. I have always loved and longed to travel around the country and around the world, but China was one where I have literally said, “Eh, I'll be fine if I never go to China. I really have no desire to see it.”
Imagine my surprise when I dig through the World Race routes and of course, China is the one that catches my attention on the August route. It's not that it even made me want to go to China. Something inside me just knew that I had to. Now that I'm in China, I'm not sure that I have fully even realized what the pull was for. But I am getting glimpses of it. It's still foggy. I can tell there is something big here though.
So, as we passed through the Chinese country for many hours of the night and early morning, my heart began to stir. Through the doom and gloom that I saw in my grey surroundings, for the first time, I felt like I saw a need that I could somehow use my gifts to fill. My heart began to long to throw some color into China. To use my art to bring life to this place. To throw splashes of color on these bare walls. To share life and love through art and color.
Honestly, I'm not sure what that even means or looks like. But I know that God is stirring something, and that is exciting. At least this month, I will be able to bring life and splash some colors on the walls of Eagles Wings, and bring life and love to the special needs kids here.
So here's to you, China. I'm excited about you.
