Travel Journal 2

After getting settled, a lovely dinner of noodles, hard-boiled eggs, and fresh tomatoes was enjoyed!  Debbie presented R with a gift:  two boxes of tea, a box of pecan tassies, and a container of rice crispy treats.  The gift was joyfully received.  We feel a bit like intruders, so we plan to move to a nearby hotel when other family members arrive.

R’s apartment is very modern, clean, and organized.  She is 55 years of age and her husband is 59.  The space is furnished with lovely furniture and many flourishing plants!  Her husband loves to talk and is keeping Randy pretty busy.  He is a very warm and friendly man – very joyful!   [Neither can speak English, but he loves to learn English words!]

It is now 7:10 PM.  I think we will all be quite tired tonight after the night on the train.  Sleeping in a real bed (that’s not moving) will be a treat!  Yay!  They have wireless internet and I got connected.  We’ll do the same on our Kindles and Deb’s iPad!  Cool!

We read until 9:30 PM and then went to bed.  R provided us with an extra quilt reporting that the building heat goes off at 10:00 PM.  We were warm and comfortable in a bed somewhat smaller than a double bed in America.

February 1, 2013  -  Friday

I was up early to read, then went back to our room to sit on the bed and pray.  R’s apartment has a throne toilet.  :-)   A large bucket of water is kept in the corner of the room for flushing.  Very comfortable!

When I came back out they had breakfast ready to eat.  It was delicious!  It featured porridge which was a blended mix of eight or ten grains, rice, and vegetables!  It had a purple color to it.  It was relatively thin and quite tasty.  There was also a bowl of hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters and a plate of spicy, raw cucumbers (very good).  Then we had tangerines and apples to top everything else off! 

After cleanup, we went out for a walk.  We walked along the river and then crossed it.  We climbed 409 stairs (I counted them) to a community recreational area with an ornate building on top of the mountain! 

Then we walked through the recreational area and along a country road;  then under a major highway and into a small community.  This area has ground that is very clay-based.  While coming in by train we saw evidence of homes that had been cut into the clay.  While walking, we came into one of these areas and were able to walk into the caves and see what living in them might have been like.

     

Then we came on a construction site where they were building a version of these cave-homes into a modern hotel.  The construction manager seemed happy to give us a tour of these homes along with a look into their private greenhouse!  When we walked above these homes, we saw the chimneys coming up out of the ground!  This is going to be an exclusive hotel!

Walking back to R’s apartment, it was a spring like day with temperatures probably in the 40’s.  When we came to the large recreational area, we did a traditional Chinese thing:  we walked about two hundred yards back-wards, which supposedly adds years to your life and undoes some of the evil that has accumulated in your life!  [Hmmmm...]

Upon our return, R and Jessica prepared a wonderful lunch of left-over mashed potatoes, rice, lotus root, sliced banana peppers with pork shavings, cabbage and mushrooms, and a few garnishes.  Soooo good! R’s husband was already home from work and able to join us 

for the meal. 

After lunch I journaled and Deb napped.  Then, we took a nice LONG walk along the river.  We passed a huge sports arena that has a running oval track that crosses the river at each end.  Very elaborate! 

Next, we arrived at an area on the river where the swans gather.  Majestic!  We watched for a long time with a small crowd of other onlookers.  When everyone else left, some people went out and dropped bags of corn to feed the swans.  It was fun watching and listening to them as they scurried in to gobble up the food!

We caught a bus into center city and then walked the rest of the way home via several markets.  Along the walk we passed some funeral supply stores with colorful funeral decorations displayed along the street.  Home at 5:45 PM  -  pretty tired. 

We read while R and Jessica prepared dinner.  We had Chinese vegetable wraps.  We put a salty sauce on the wrap along with a spicy sauce (if desired).  Then we loaded it with shredded potatoes, celery 

spears, cucumber spears, and dofu.  You simply rolled it up and ate it.  They were refreshing and delicious!  I ate three.  Then, I read until bedtime.

Travel Journal 1

January 30, 2013  -  Wednesday

5 degrees, feels like 2 degrees at 8:00 AM in Changchun (northeast China).

I showered.  We packed and made arrangements with Julie (our Vietnamese neighbor) to watch our stuff until Rie arrives.  One last check of email.  We took the 306 bus to the train station.  I listened to an older gentleman sitting near the station entrance and playing an unusual stringed instrument;  he had a small speaker system that projected his music quite well.  He played it with a bow.  Few people paid any attention to him.  However, one young woman got down in front of him and looked him in the eye and then put a few yuan (yuan = Chinese dollar - equivalent to 17 cents American) into his can.  He nodded his approval.  After enjoying his music for a while, I also went over and knelt down, looked him in the eye, put a five yuan note in his can and applauded him.  He nodded his approval, quit playing and – with a smile – shook my hand. 

Randy, Jessica, and Hannah arrived shortly after and we found our way into the train station.  We found seats and Jessica broke out containers of fried rice that she had made!  It was a wonderful lunch!  After an hour, we boarded our train with some chaos. 

The train is made up of twenty sleeper cars.  Each car has eleven small compartments with three bunks on each side and a very small table between.  Everyone sits on the bottom bunks.  There are also fold-down seats in the narrow aisle way;  you have to be careful because when you get up, they fold back up to the wall!  It would be easy to reach for something and then sit back down on the floor!

We notice over and over again the differences in a communal culture.  This close living is no problem for the Chinese. Americans would find these arrangements bothersome and inconvenient.  We sat on the bottom bunk while a woman slept on the same bunk.  While Randy, Jessica, Debbie and I played a complete round of Phase Ten, neighbors looked on with curiosity (seeing so many foreigners was obviously intriguing)!  We tried numerous times to share our food, however we were repeatedly turned down. 

It will certainly be interesting when nightfall comes and we all climb into our bunks for some sleep!  Meanwhile, people move about quite freely.  They go to the end of our car where they can get boiled water.  The bathroom is also at the same end of the car.  Between the cars is a section where they are allowed to smoke;  we struggle to keep our door closed to keep the smell of the smoke out of our area! 

Debbie and Jessica have planned well.  So far, we’ve eaten my chocolate candy, Randy’s home-made whole-wheat crackers, apple slices, carrot sticks, celery sticks with peanut butter, and cucumber sticks with Jessica’s home-made dipping sauce. 

Others seem to have brought ready-made noodle packs that just require the adding of boiling water. 

The view so far has been similar to Changchun:  wintry, foggy, snow-covered, flat, and pretty much barren.  We’ve stopped several times, but only for a short while.  A few people board and we move on.  We played several rounds of Monopoly Cards and then went to bed.  They turned the lights off at 9:30 PM.

January 31, 2013  -  Thursday

Well, that was one of the longest nights of my life!  Between the humming noise of the train, the vibration, and the rocking, added to a backache and my usual night interruptions – I was glad to finally craw down from my shelf at 6:00 AM.  That was much longer in bed than I ever spend!  It was good to stretch and stand for a while. 

Throughout the night, the bullet trains would pass us going the opposite direction.  We would feel a tremendous force of pressure as they did so.  Our train would rock and you could feel air rushing through our cabin.

I decided to use the squatty potty before business got too strong.  Quite an experience!  You go into a small room with a lockable door.  It has a tiny sink and a depression in the floor with a hole that drops out onto the tracks.   That’s right, you read accurately.  There are tread marks on the sides of the hole – I guess to give you a target and better traction.  Then there’s a bar on the wall to hold onto to provide some balance.  No TP – it’s a bring-your-own situation.  Then, when you’re finished, there’s a spigot on the wall that runs onto the floor and down the drain.  Viola!  You’re finished.  While I was using the potty, a bullet train passed us and I got a rush of zero-degree-air in a vulnerable position that was quite a shock!!!!   It was a WOO HOO moment!!!!

Our bunks are on the front end of the car.  We get a ton of traffic because the toilet and the hot water boiler are just outside of our cabin – also the smoking area L.  We are waging a constant battle to keep the door closed because cold air enters (and smoke) (and smells) when it is left open.  Unfortunately, most people leave it open!

Probably our greatest problem, however, has been a five-year-old (we've nicknamed him 'the terrorist') who is pretty much unrestrained by his mom.  He intrudes on our space and is quite intrusive while we are trying to play cards.  Jessica has been pretty stern with him, but he is unrelenting.  Randy and Jessica tell us that children are largely unrestrained in China.  For one thing, in most cases children grow up in single-child homes.  However, there seems to be a general concept of letting children be unrestrained as they grow up.  The remarkable thing is that this seems to transform itself as they grow into their teens!  Randy and Jessica indicate that teenage rebellion is almost unheard of in China.  As these unrestrained children grow up, they remarkably become more respectful.  Hmmmm…  Maybe we’re going about it all wrong in America???

It’s 7:45 AM and there is now LOTS of traffic in the cabin.  People are using the restroom and getting hot water.  The battle over the door is in full scale, now!  The view out our window reveals a flat countryside that is still snow-covered and cold.  It is very foggy!  I’m coming to think that all of China is constantly foggy in the winter!  Hannah is up!  So is the terrorist!  He keeps eyeing up my laptop with great curiosity!  Time to get a cinnamon roll for my breakfast! 

Actually, we had orange slices and pomello (our favorite Chinese fruit that seems to be a cross between a mellon and a grapefruit);  also Randy’s crackers, celery sticks with peanut butter, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks with Jessica’s sauce, and then cinnamon rolls.  We played several rounds of Sorry Cards and then had some of my chocolate for a snack!  Randy, Jessica, and Debbie took naps.  Hannah and I played Rush Hour and some word games.  Then Hannah did some reading while I journaled.

Both yesterday and today have been gloomy, gray, foggy days!  It’s depressing.  Looking out the windows makes me long for home!  I have so many options at home;  here my options are seriously limited.  My sitter is sore from this long trip and hard bench seat.  I’m tired of being cramped in and bumped around so much.  Debbie and I love travelling in America;  we have enjoyed our trips so much!  So comfortable and so free!

We’ve rolled through many major cities.  The construction business is booming here as high-rise apartment building complexes go up everywhere.  The massive migration from the rural areas to the cities is changing China! It seems that they develop a model for an apartment complex and then build ten or twenty identical buildings all in a row!  This seems to be happening in every city.  We also ride past small villages where the buildings are all brick and look to have been constructed in the 1930’s or 40’s.  These villages look cold and unwelcoming.  You don’t see lights on or even smoke coming from the chimney’s.  How different from the cozy, friendly look of New Middletown in the winter!

In Changchun, the streets are filled with cars, buses, trucks, taxis, hand-pulled carts, bicycles, motorcycles and electric bikes.  However, in some of the large cities we’ve passed, I notice that they have a separate, blocked-off lane for carts, bikes, motorcycles, and electric bikes.  This appears to be safer that what I see in Changchun! 

We arrived at our destination – after lunch and more card playing – at around 4:55 pm (a 37 hour train ride).  The name of the city is San-Men-Xia;  it is about one-quarter the size of Changchun.  We quickly met Jessica’s sister and then waited for bus 13 to take us to her apartment.  Her name is difficult for us to pronounce so Jessica suggested we car her R [she is the second-born of her family and R is the way the number two is pronounced in Chinese].  She and her husband have a beautiful, spacious, three bedroom apartment overlooking a tributary of the Yellow River.  It’s a scenic location.  The river offers a nice path that appears to be a place where many dogs walk their owners.  

Turning Twelve

We only have one story from Jesus' childhood.  On a trip to Jerusalem with His parents, He stayed behind when they headed for home.  You all know the story.  When they returned to look for Him - surely in a panic - they found Him discussing theology with the religious leaders in the Temple.

For Jewish families, twelve is a special age for both boys and girls.  A Bar Mitsvah (or Bat Mitzvah for girls) means son (or daughter) of the commandment.  Up until this time, Jewish children are encouraged to obey the commandments;  however, after this celebration, they are obligated to do so!  To a certain extent, they are considered adults after this celebration.

When we were raising our children, Debbie and I decided that if twelve was a special age for Jesus, then perhaps we should make it a special age for our children, too.

So, when each of our kids turned twelve, I sat down with them and talked about this age.  We talked about Jesus' experience in Jerusalem.  We talked about the fact that they were growing up.  I told them that from this day forward, their Mom and I would be giving them more freedom.  Notice:  not complete freedom, but a growing opportunity to make decisions regarding things that directly impacted them.  If they handled it appropriately, then more freedom would be given.

Travis received this news with GREAT DELIGHT!  He was ready!  I actually had to step in on one issue and limit his freedom.  He was already on a fast-track toward independence!

Troy, on the other hand, did not seem as delighted.  When Debbie or I would pitch something to him for a decision, he often delayed and leaned on us to help him choose.  He eventually grew to appreciate this emerging freedom of choice, but he resisted it more than his siblings.

Like Travis, Tracie saw the power that this announcement offered her - and she took hold of it.  Although I never had to take back any of her freedom, we could see that she liked autonomy and used it wisely.

This practice had not been modeled by our parents;  it was simply a contrivance of our own.

However, I do recall an incident from my twelfth year.  The men of the New Brighton FMC had developed a practice of having prayer around the altar on Saturday morning.  Afterward, some would go for breakfast together, while others returned to their homes.

One Saturday morning, in my twelfth year, my Dad woke me up and encouraged me to go to the prayer meeting with him.  This had never happened before;  actually, I'm not sure that it ever happened afterward either.  My Dad and I didn't do many things together, so I saw this as a great opportunity.

However, it was awkward.  I was the only kid there.  I was in the company of the men of the church - men I deeply respected.  As they gathered, they exchanged greetings and stood around talking until it seemed that everyone had arrived. Then, on someone's signal, they all headed for the altar.  I went too.

After a period of quiet, one of the men began to pray out loud.  The other men verbally agreed with him by using "Amens" or "Praise the Lord's".  There were a few times when it seemed that several men were praying at the same time. This was not new to me - it often happened in our church.  It felt good to be there.  I listened to how the men prayed and what they prayed for.

I was caught up in the moment.  My sense of God's presence was magnified. I felt like I was in a holy presence!  Without even thinking much about it, in a moment of silence, I began to pray.  I remember that the room fell silent, but that didn't bother me because I knew I was talking to God!  I don't remember my prayer.  I can't tell you what I prayed about.  But I can tell you this:  it was the first time in my life that I felt the filling of the Holy Spirit! He was directing my thoughts.  He was listening and responding to my twelve-year-old prayer.  The men with me at the altar were agreeing with me now. My voice rose!  I spoke with authority.  Tears crept down my face as I prayed.  It was a powerful and formative moment.  I've never forgotten it!

My father never said anything to me about my prayer - he was a man of few words, but I did sense that he was proud of me.  When the prayer time ended and we left the altar, almost every man clapped me on the back and gave me an encouragement of some kind.  I felt an acceptance that I'd certainly never felt before!

It was for me a coming of age!

Growing up!

When I was growing up, the New Brighton, Pennsylvania, Free Methodist Church was like my second home.  Our family was there every Sunday morning for Sunday School and worship.  Then we returned at 7:00 PM for the evening service.  Tuesday night was Christian Youth Crusaders (CYC) and Wednesday evening was the weekly prayer meeting.

Twice a year, we had week-long revivals that ran every night.  On top of that were district quarterly meetings, district youth rallies and other special events.  You get the picture.

When I was twelve years old, I decided to be brave;  I announced to my father that I thought I was old enough to sit by myself in the Sunday night service.  He responded that he and my mom would talk it over.  I felt hopeful!

Shortly after that, he announced their decision:  I could sit anywhere I wanted in worship on Sunday evenings - as long as it was in front of them!  They sat in the third row!

A hollow victory....

New Year's Resolutions

I was listening to KDKA radio as I drove to Kittanning this morning.  The hosts interviewed a psychologist from the University of Pittsburgh about why people make  new year's resolutions.  I found the discussion fascinating.  

The specialist spoke of people grasping the new year as a time for self evaluation.  He indicated that it is a time for people to compare 'who they are' to their ideal for 'who they would like to be'.  

The doctor went on to explain that this desire for self improvement serves as a catalyst for people to make a list of desirable changes they would like to make with the hope that it will transform them into their ideal self!  

Seems reasonable.

Then he reported that only ten percent of the people who make resolutions, follow up on them!  That makes for a lot of disappointed people.  

The thought has pursued me throughout the morning.  Is it true that the majority of people in our culture find a huge disparity between who they currently are and who they wanted to be or expected to be?  How sad!  

If he's right - and I think he is - could it be that we've confused what we want with what God wants?  

Consider Psalm 100:3 - "It is He who has made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture."

When pastor, Rick Warren, published The Purpose Driven Life in 2002, it sold 30 million copies by 2007, and topped the New York Times Best Seller List for over 90 weeks!  I think he struck a nerve!  

We want to believe that God has a purpose for our lives.  

It troubles me that young people today are mapping out their futures by pursuing vocations that promise them substantial sources of income.  Even parents encourage this kind of planning in their children.  But where is the concern for what God might want from a young, committed life?  

Frederick Buechner wrote:  "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."  Who believes that anymore?  

But, could it be true?  

A rich, young man came to Jesus full of hope and self-satisfaction.  He was a good man who had observed the Law through his young life.  He seems to have come with a sincere desire.  Jesus instructed him to sell everything he had and give to the poor.  The price was too high;  he went away sorrowful and still unfulfilled.  The question remains:  Would he have found true joy and purpose if he had done what Jesus asked?  What do you think?

Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He was a religious professional.  He made his living teaching others how to please God.  He was a Pharisee;  highly respected by the people;  looked up to - admired.  Yet, when he heard Jesus teaching about being born again, he realized that something was missing from his life.  He had never been born again - he didn't even know what this meant.  So, he went to question Jesus about the meaning of this phrase. Jesus was patient with Nicodemus, although obviously disappointed with his lack of understanding.  Unlike the rich, young man, Nicodemus must have been willing to make adjustments in his life.  We find him, at the end of Jesus' life, bringing 100 pounds of myrrh to anoint the body of Jesus for burial.  Something tells me that he had begun to get it.

How about Judas?  He wanted life-change perhaps more than anyone else in scripture.  He was a radical, a revolutionary, a zealot.  He desperately wanted to overthrow the Roman oppressors.  He was anxious to see it happen by force - even violence.  His bias was that violoence would be required.  We don't know Judas' background.  Why was he so angry with the Romans?  Had they killed his loved ones?  Had they confiscated his property?  Had they deprived him of freedoms that he held as valuable?  We don't know.  All we know is that he and another apostle named Simon (not Simon Peter) were zealots who lived to see Israel be a free and independent nation again.  Interesting that Jesus would include these two in His group of Twelve!  Judas was disappointed.  Yet, divine providence brought him face-to-face with the Son of God.  Yet he missed it.  His bitterness was so big and his demand for justice so preoccupying that he missed the opportunity of a lifetime! His disappointment eventually became so overwhelming that he took his own life in despair and a sense of having missed the moment.  

The bottom line seems to be that our sense of disappointment comes from our failure to be the person God had in mind when He created us!  

I agree with the nineteenth century writer, George Eliot, who wrote:  "It's never too late to be who you might have been." 

Never!

How do you get the life you’ve always wanted?  Or better yet – how do you get to the life that God has always wanted for you? 

The fact is that most of us don’t or won’t change until we get to a place of desperation.  We have to run out of options – come to the end of our rope.  Then MAYBE, we’ll try God. 

Try God.  What a novel idea.  Try the One who made us in the beginning.  Try the One who knows us better than we know ourselves.  Try the One who’s observed our life every moment of every day;  He even watched us being formed in our mother’s womb. 

Why is it so hard to believe that God created us for His purposes?  Why is it so hard for us to yield to Him and His way? 

Is it true that God wants to give us the desires of our hearts?

Is it true that God wants us to have life and have it more abundantly?

Is it true that God wants to use us to accomplish His purposes?

Yes, to all of the above!

You can have the life you’ve always wanted. 

One of the great works of art in the Western world is Michelangelo’s Pieta, a marble statue of an anguished Mary holding the crucified Christ.  Some years ago a fanatic nationalist rushed the masterpiece and began smashing it with a sledgehammer.  Although the damage was significant, Vatican artists were able to restore the statue to near-perfect condition. 

You were created to be a masterpiece of God.  Paul writes, “For we are God’s poiema – a word that can mean God’s “workmanship,” or even God’s “work of art.”  God made you to know oneness with Him and with other human beings.  God made you to be co-regent with Him – to “fill the earth and subdue it,”  to “have dominion” over creation under His reign and with his help.  It is the goodness of God’s work in creating us that makes our fallenness so tragic. 

But God is determined to overcome the defacing of His image in us.  His plan is not simply to repair most of our brokenness.  He wants to make us new creatures.  So the story of the human race is not just one of universal disappointment, but one of inextinguishable hope.  

What does this all depend on?

It turns on our willingness to give attention to God.

One day when the human race had not heard a word of hope for a long time, a man named Moses walked past a shrub.  He had seen it before, perhaps a hundred times.  Only this time it was different.  This time the bush is on fire with the presence of God.

And Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.”  Everything turned on Moses’ being willing to “turn aside” – to interrupt his daily routine to pay attention to the presence of God.  He didn’t have to.  He could have looked the other way.  If he had looked the other way, he would have missed the Exodus, the people of Israel, his calling, and the reason for his existence!  He would have missed knowing God! 

Don't let it happen to you!  God is desperately trying to get your attention!  Don't you look the other way!  Don't miss capturing the very purpose for which He formed you!