Thailand Recap

Last weekend we went to a conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The conference was...a conference.  Thailand was BEAUTIFUL!  :)  The people were incredible hospitable and very helpful.  The night bazaar was so great.  They started setting it up in the early evening and it was open until midnight.  They sold lots of souvenirs, clothes, food, jewelry, shoes, and other odds and ends.  It was a really fun atmosphere and a neat experience.  Not to mention there was a Starbucks at either end of the street.  The nearest Starbucks was actually close enough that we could hop into a tuk tuk and go there between sessions at the conference.  :) 

Here are a few pictures of our trip!

Most delicious fruit I have tasted in a long time! 

We did some damage in the markets and shops. :) 

I loved these tuk tuks.  I wouldn't mind traveling like this everyday! 

 

 Inside the tuk tuk

 This restaurant was so adorable, and the food was delicious! 

 These were the most delicious things ever - Banana and Nutella Roti.  Nom.

 

The City Where I Have Sent You

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

-Jeremiah 29:7

Hood Rat Things

I started this post weeks ago and I'm just getting around to finishing it.  This goes out to the Queens ladies who love to do hood rat things. 


I know what hood rat things look like in Dayton but I keep wondering, "What do 'hood rat' things look like in China?"  Well, this weekend I found out.

I went down to the river for a night tour.  The boat ride was really beautiful.  The downtown area isn't much like the rest of the city.  The buildings are all new, clean, and very well lit. That is not the case where I live.  Anyway, it was fun to see in real life what I saw in pictures before I came here.  There's a huge ferris wheel over a bridge - the Tianjin Eye.  It's really neat but not something I care to ride.  It was built in China and it's hanging over a body of water...those two things don't really scream "sturdy and safe."

Anyway, while we were on the boat, we saw people setting off Chinese paper lanterns.  You know, like the ones in Tangled.  It was SO COOL!  With the boat and the lights and the cool fall air, the lanterns made everything feel really magical.  The girls I was with agreed that we needed to find some lanterns and release our own.  As we were getting off of the boat, we saw a family lighting a lantern, so we stopped to watch and then ask them where they bought it.  As they were trying to get it into the air a police car came driving down the walkway (yes, walkway), made them put out the fire, and asked where they bought the lantern.  The people didn't answer, but put out the fire and walked away.

That should have been enough to deter me from any further searching, however...

It felt so much like a Disney movie I just couldn't resist.  I (along with the two 20-year-old girls accompanying me) searched on, looking for the seemingly illegal goods.  We came across a guy selling them for ¥10.  Yes, please!  I'll take two! Unfortunately for the guy, it's hard for American's to blend in here, so a crowd had started to gather. As I was getting ready to pay him, I saw a police officer come barging through the crowd out of nowhere and grab the guy selling the lanterns.  Before I knew what was happening I told the girls, "Walk away! walk away now!" and we got the heck out of dodge.  A few minutes later we walked back to where we had just tried to buy the lanterns.  Where there was once 1 guy selling them, there were now 3.  We quickly handed the people ¥10, took our lanterns, and left.  I still haven't released my lantern...maybe I will do it this weekend.  I can understand why they are a bad idea - fire floating through the air usually doesn't end well.  BUT I just can't help myself, so here's hoping I don't burn anything down.  

we are the rescued

“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.”

"We care for orphans because we are the rescued."

-David Platt

October Update

In lieu of doing a monthly newsletter (because I somehow lost the template and because this just seems simpler) I'm going to try a monthly blog update.  We'll see how it works.  :)  I feel like I experience so many new things everyday it's hard to decide where to even begin, so I'll just hit a few highlights.

September was a wonderful month!  The humidity has finally dissipated and the cool fall air has moved in.  The days are getting shorter.  New street vendors have come out, selling everything from caramel corn to delicious cooked yams.  During the month of September I met some new Chinese friends, got plugged in at the orphanage, and visited Beijing.  I went to an "English Corner" a few weeks ago and I'm hoping to go back every Friday.  At English Corner we just hang out at a coffee shop and give the students an opportunity to practice their English.  I was starting to get discouraged about how difficult it has been to meet Chinese people (I know, I know...I live in China.  It's harder than you would think to find people who speak English) and how much time I spend with other Americans, so this group was like a breath of fresh air for me.  I also met a new Chinese friend on the street one day and she has been such a blessing, showing us around the city and introducing us to her friends.  I'm excited to see how these relationships will grow and expand!

I've blogged a lot about the orphanage already, so I won't say much about that except that it was the highlight of the month of September for me.  Please be praying for me as I continue to look for ways to be involved in the lives of orphans in Tianjin.

Beijing was pretty fun!  It was strange to be out of Tianjin for a few days.  We stayed at the Peking Yard Hostel.  It was way nicer than I expected and located very close to the subway so it was super convenient.  We did a lot of shopping at cheap markets....and I mean LOTS of shopping.  Our efforts to go sightseeing didn't really pan out, though, so I don't have many pictures of our trip. We tried to go to the Temple of Heaven, but it didn't work out.  The next day we planned to go to the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square but we got there too late and couldn't get in.  We did get to spend at little time on the Square.  It actually worked out great that we were late because we were there at night and got to see all of the buildings lit up.  It was really amazing!  I have never seen so many people in one place before.  I've also never been stared at or photographed so much, even in Tianjin.  People actually asked to have their picture taken with me, which has NEVER happened.  It was surreal.  As much as I enjoyed Beijing, it was good to come back home to Tianjin where things are starting to feel familiar and normal. 

My Chinese is coming along very slowly, so please pray that I'll start to pick it up quicker and that I'll have more discipline to study.  I'm not satisfied with just being able to get around.  I want to be able to really communicate with people. 



Resting in this Truth this month: He who calls you is faithful - 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Ancient Culture Street

Today some new Chinese friends took my roommate and I to Ancient Culture Street.  It was a really cool place!  I was sort of expecting more of China to be like this before I moved here.  I think my favorite part was when we went to the roof of KFC and looked out at Culture Street and saw skyscrapers in the background.  I love seeing old China and modern China coexisting.  Here are some pictures from our day. 

Our new friend Tom writing my Chinese name, Moli.

Sweet potatoes...they are SO GOOD!  (Even if they do come out of a rusty barrel...)

I love these colors

Lanterns!

Ancient China meets modern China

Nzinga trying the stinky tofu... It smells terrible but she said it was delicious!

So.Many.People.

My bicycle obsession continues...

Making a horse out of liquid candy

Meat

Agape House

Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting the Agape House in Langfang, China.  I also got to ride the bullet train for the first time which was super exciting.

The Agape House is a group of foster homes for orphans, most of whom have IO, Osteogenesis Imperfecta.   IO is genetic bone disorder commonly known as "Brittle Bone Disease." The children are divided by age, so several children around the same age live in a house together with foster parents.  I love this arrangement because they are living as a family and they get to experience the love of parents.  It's also really neat to see the children interact with one another.  They understand the struggles of the other children in the house so they can relate to one another in a way that other people can't. 

At the house there is a bakery, called the Bread of Life Bakery.  There is a man, Danny, who oversees the bakery, but older orphans who have lived in the Agape House work there and make the baked goods.  They also travel to Beijing (and hopefully someday Tianjin) to sell their bakery items.  We had pizza from the bakery for lunch, and it was seriously the best pizza I've had in a very long time.  For dessert we had red velvet cupcakes... OH.MY.WORD.  They were delicious. 

http://www.breadoflifebakery.org/

During our visit we got to play some games with the kids, and it was probably the most fun I've had since I've been in China.  There is an activity house in the complex which is very nice.  There is a swimming pool for therapy, a piano, and lots of games.  We decided to forgo the board games and play silly group games. Most of the kids are in wheelchairs, so I thought it would be difficult for them to maneuver around in such a tight space.  There were moments where it felt a little bit like human Tetris, but they are amazing little drivers!  We played a "signs" game and let me just say these kids have a LOT of personality.  They are so silly and clever! Next we played a quick game of charades before the kids had to go. 

We heard one of the older girls practicing the piano. Sometimes teachers come give lessons but it's inconsistent so she mostly teaches herself. 

We spent the rest of the day working in the yard and sitting around hearing stories about the House and the people who work there.  It was a refreshing time of being with people and enjoying the outdoors and sunshine.  It was so great!  Here's the website for the Agape House...Take a minute and check it out!

www.agapeflh.org