I’m back! We arrived in Hong Kong on a train from Beijing on Thanksgiving afternoon. Contrary to what you may believe, we were able to partake, of course, in a traditional Thanksgiving meal of Papa John’s pizza. Although Hong Kong is not my home, it is wonderful to be back in a Western country. I have found it very fitting to return on Thanksgiving Day because there are many things for which I am thankful. With all that Western normality has to offer I did not realize how many things are not globally ordinary until I found myself squatting over a porcelain hole to poop (not as easy as it sounds!) and stepping in spit on the street to avoid the trash and the children peeing. Once I recovered from the aforementioned Chinese cultural differences (done so by consuming countless amounts of Oreos in order to experience something “American”), I had a wonderful experience and greatly desire to return to China in the future.
My team (Libre) was placed with two other teams (Alethia & Quake) and we were given the opportunity to participate in a Cultural Exchange program at a Chinese university. We went to class every morning from 9-11 and got to learn about Chinese culture (I got to go back to school!). We got to learn cool things like how to pronounce things in Chinese (Pinyin system), how to make Jaotzi (fried/steamed breakfast thing stuffed with pork), and teaching at a local high school (I had little warning and no teacher!). From 4-6 in the afternoons we went to English Corner and helped English major students practice their English (this is where we met most of our new friends). The other times during the day were available for us to make new friends and share with them about Jesus as we felt the Holy Spirit leading us. Contrary to what I normally prefer, I loved not having an agenda or a rigorous schedule to follow. The Chinese students that I met were wonderful people who were so open to making new friends and sharing their lives with me and mine with them. They were very generous and accommodating to my needs and desires. Although the cleanliness of the country is lacking, the culture of the Chinese I met far outweighed it. God is definitely alive and working in China. Please continue to pray for our friends and new Christians in China.
My team (Libre) was placed with two other teams (Alethia & Quake) and we were given the opportunity to participate in a Cultural Exchange program at a Chinese university. We went to class every morning from 9-11 and got to learn about Chinese culture (I got to go back to school!). We got to learn cool things like how to pronounce things in Chinese (Pinyin system), how to make Jaotzi (fried/steamed breakfast thing stuffed with pork), and teaching at a local high school (I had little warning and no teacher!). From 4-6 in the afternoons we went to English Corner and helped English major students practice their English (this is where we met most of our new friends). The other times during the day were available for us to make new friends and share with them about Jesus as we felt the Holy Spirit leading us. Contrary to what I normally prefer, I loved not having an agenda or a rigorous schedule to follow. The Chinese students that I met were wonderful people who were so open to making new friends and sharing their lives with me and mine with them. They were very generous and accommodating to my needs and desires. Although the cleanliness of the country is lacking, the culture of the Chinese I met far outweighed it. God is definitely alive and working in China. Please continue to pray for our friends and new Christians in China.
