My team and I were blessed to have been invited over to several people’s houses for dinner this past month. We were welcomed into homes full of warmth and hospitality to spend time with some of the amazing families that are working here. We were able to share our stories of the past 10 months with people who were genuinely interested to hear them. We asked questions about the things they were doing here in China and how they came about deciding to come here long term. These dinners and lunches were some of my favorite moments of the month. We were blessed with delicious home cooked food as well as many good questions that made me really think and begin to process this past year.
We also made some really great friends our own age that we were able to hang out with and just have fun. Every day was filled with a mixture of ministry, exploring, going out to eat, meeting new people, and social events. My team and I played ping pong together- which most people know is one of my favorite things to do. We also went to KTV which is karaoke to celebrate my team mate Jah-Jah’s Birthday we also had hot pot; which is a famous Chinese dish where you order raw food and cook it in boiling sauce. We went to an open mike night at a local coffee shop, a Halloween party, Korean barbeque, shopping at the morning market, a trip to the country side, roller skating, Ultimate Frisbee, game nights, and team movie nights. Every day was different but every day was unfailingly wonderful.
Our team was split up by gender into 2 different apartments and we mostly kept track of our own schedule, being on our own was nice after not having a lot of independence over this past year. My team and I had conversations about how nice it was to feel like “normal people” since our abnormal lifestyle can sometimes make us not feel like ourselves. We figured out how to navigate public transportation and did our best to communicate through the few words we learned in mandarin. It was really fun and I felt very blessed by the time we spent there. (Below is a picture of my team with our roommates for the month)
When our month was up we took a 24 hour train ride to Beijing and stayed for a couple days before flying to the Philippines. I made the most out of my time there and walked around the city exploring until I thought my legs were going to fall off. I visited the Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Olympic Stadium, and the pearl market. I loved being a tourist for a couple of days but it was exhausting and I was glad to move on to our final month and country.
I am currently in Manila in the Philippines. After a day and a half I already love it. My team and I are doing “ATL/ Unsung heroes” this month, which stands for “Ask the Lord.” We do not have a specific contact that we are working under; we are getting out and finding people here that are doing awesome things for the Lord that could use help from the World Race. I know that there are big things in store for us this month as we listen and follow the direction the Lord is leading.
