Chicka Da China…
(The Chinese Chicken?!)
(Just a little song I think of when I hear the word China!)
(@ the temple of Heaven in Beijing, China)
Well this is going to just be a little summary of my month in China!
While in China, we stayed in a small city of 1 million people, which really isn’t small! However, in China that is considered a smaller city. We stayed inside an orphanage working with special needs children. I learned more about unconditional love & pouring out love to those that are more of a challenge to understand. I initially thought going to work with these children would be extremely difficult, but what I found out was that yes, although it increased my patience, I realized these are just KIDS! Kids that need an outpouring of LOVE! They just wanted to be loved, to have attention, and to know that someone loved them…just like kids I’ve worked with before.
Most of the month was sorting 2 1/2 truck loads of clothing & toys! It was a HUGE task that I really wondered how would be accomplished in 2 1/2 weeks that we stayed at our location, but it got completed with determination! Box after box of baby clothes, and kids clothes.
At the end of the month, the Lord gave me a vision to throw together a party for the children…to allow them to know how special they really are! So, the boys and girls decorated prince & princess crowns. I made them homemade spaghetti sauce & spaghetti. With the help of my team we were able to have an amazing time playing games, singing songs, and eating cake at the party….I had found out that the children never really had a party before which helped me to understand how much this all really meant to them. The children were squishing & popping balloons and going nuts @ the end. Some of the girls I got to paint nails with & put make-up on. It was a blast!
Other random happenings….
I got my hair-cut! (*never get your hair cut if you don’t have great mandarin language skills)…they cut off an inch too much! But good times…
Visit to the GREAT WALL! Which we got to go to a private part of…which was amazing. Climbing the wall was the hardest hike I have ever had to do…going over a series of large hills that the steps went up was breath-taking (probably because I am not in the best shape I have ever been in)….but once @ the top of each hill I would stop & look out at the beautiful view. It was great to see one of great wonders of the world & to be in the midst of such a part of ancient history in Beijing, China.
The Great WALL!
& A visit to the Temple of Heaven..in which I attempted to jump into some Tai Chi, Tibetan dance & Shuttle-cock. The chinese people love to exercise & they are so calm & relaxed about it. Sword swinging skills & Badmitton are also regularly found in the Temple of Heaven park…
One thing challenging about China was not ever really getting to see the sun…it affected my mood more than I was willing to realize. It was often cloudy or hidden behind smog.
Overall, China was another month of learning, discovery & growth…& I learned how to eat with chopsticks (BOOONUS!!) 5 months in Asia was MORE than enough for me. I am really excited to be going on to the last 3 countries which the Lord has called me to; Ukraine, Romania, then finishing in June in Moldova. I have a HUGE heart for Europe and am excited to see what the Lord will reveal & teach me during this remaining time.
