Upon arrival to China, things began looking more Western for the first time since Australia. They had modern and shiney archietchure. Clean and paved streets. And lots of materialism.
Most of Chinas population congregates in the East.
But we stayed in the West (a far far less visited area).
So we got to see the most western point of the great wall:
I don’t mean this to come across rudely, but I was actually quite surpeized with how non-ridgid (all business) the people of China I met were.
The people in China love to dance, in every free puplic space possible. Every park is filled with people dancing in the evenings… synchronized line dancing!
They also have some of the most elaborate and fantastic park planning I have ever seen.
Or at least in the small city my team and I stayed in.
The people I met in China were so excited to show their food and culture and make a new friend.
One day after eating Bunns for breakfast, my friend John-David and I went to look for a movie theature to check times and possibly buy tickes for that evening.
We poped into a fancy dress shop, and the girl who was there locked up her shop and took JD on the back of her moped as I crouched in the foot platform.
She took us to the theature in the mall, offered to use her movie membership discount for us and our 9 friends, and used her translator for 30min. to help with communication between us and the theatre attendendes. The language barrier is real. (Shout out to Ggoogle translate) (shout out to 5k different chinese characters….. Ni Hao)
JDs card didn’t work there, so one of the theater workers escorted us a half mile down the street to find an ATM. We were perfectly capable ourselves but she insisted.
It is so amazing the lengths people went to show us hospitality!!!
(I saw Terrasic World 2 in 3D and it was the first time i have seen a movie in theaters in soooo long. It was super entertaining.)
During our stay in western China we had great God given opportunities to share life with our hostel owners and many of the guests that came through the hostels.
I also made more friends who lived long term at the hostel.
For a few evenings we held free English lessons at a local coffeeshop.
This was the first time I could say that I have enjoyed teaching.
I made my first friend through that.
Because we were forigners they wanted to welcome us by showing us their local food
Which resulted in trying chicken feet and discovering other flavors and spices that westerners are not used to. I couldn’t even tell you what the spices are!!!
The best food handsdown was hotpot.
I also enjoy the corn shaped and flavored icecream. It has a thin husk (cone sheath) over the cream part.
We got to meet many people through english lessons, including the hostel owners sister who insited we ride around with her in her Porsche suv as she showes us her city.
She took us to a feast then to a fancy tea ceremony at a tea house.
Know I have talked up the hospitality of the people in Indonesia as well as Nepal. But man… my team and I really were treated out….
A serendipitous thing:
One day when Tristian was walking, the woman who had earlier in the week given us a ride in her Porsche saw him and montioned for him to get in. He was already on his way to meet the catholic priest he had met earlier that week. So he brought her along and got to share ahis heart with her as the priest interpreted.
Later on the priest invited us to play music and have an impromptu service, which was such a surprise blessing.
As i have mentioned before, ATL months with no host can be a challenge. Because you just cant plan for or have much of an idea of what you are doing (actually when you do have a host, it can be the same: unknown and sporadic.)
The hardest part of ATL, I’ve noticed, is you have to be a self starter.
It starts by asking.
Intentially tuning in & Using your senses for the kingdom.
I desperately want to see opportunity to serve others. But I must ask.
I ask because I trust. I trust because I know He loves me. And I know He uses everything to work for His glory.
China was a difficult month for many, especially with the language barrier, different food, police presence on every corner, and cameras on every square inch of physical matter.
But guess what!?! my God said we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood.
So we connected with people on a spiritual level, through love joy and peace, as we took on their hospitality and thanked God for every moment of it.
Psalm 105: 40-41
