Stuck

Sunday 7:30 – 11:42 We woke at 4:30 a.m. this morning, part of the initiation to China. One of our group members heard last night that her adoption consulate appointment had been confirmed and that instead of the anticipated two weeks away, had now been moved up and she would be flying out today to meet her daughter in two days. What a sweet moment to be able to witness, the joy of a mother hearing the day that she will meet her new daughter.
After showering and preparing for our day, we loaded onto our bus to head for BICF (Beijing International Christian Fellowship) for church. We soon found that due to preparation for the Olympics trumped any other purpose for using the roads. The main highway used to travel from Langfang to Beijing was basically closed down, leaving us stuck in gridlock, stopped (parked) traffic for an unknown amount of time. We have missed church by hours, have limited snacks and drinks, no access to a restroom, and are on a bus that when stopped and turned off, fills with the hot and humid air that surrounds us. In remaining optimistic, we looked for opportunities to see what God may have planned, in spite of our goals today. We are traveling with a Chinese woman, who now lives in Seattle, who has the gift of evangelism. She has known the Lord for about 9 years and literally shares with every person she comes into contact with. We have had the same driver the past two days and she was led by the Holy Spirit to share her testimony and invite him to be saved. She prayed with him and he accepted Jesus as his personal savior. Judy has left a trail of believers behind her, every step of this trip, including a woman who works for PHF who was not a believer. What a small sacrifice, in the grand scheme of life, for another soul in heaven.
As for BICF, I did not understand, how a church preaching to gospel could be in China, so as I asked our leader, Steve and a local missionary, they explained that China is all about “freedom.” The government does not want to appear oppressive, so due to the large amount of international students and business related visitors, they allow this church, available ONLY for foreigners. You must show a passport to gain entry.
Before leaving this morning, we were introduced to a few of the orphans who are currently living in the Inn at PHF. A new “House” where they will reside and be cared for is being built, so their temporary housing is where visitors to PHF stay. They ranged in age from 2 – 12. The older boys were extremely excited to meet us and be touched and loved on by us. One boy, Joseph, leaped into Brian’s arms and there remained for quite some time, with his arms and legs, tightly wrapped around his body. They were intrigued with my hat and enjoyed stealing it and trying it on. We wished we spoke the language as communication was not easy and left so many things we would have spoken, left unsaid. The boys had some type of disabilities, with their legs, one was blind in one eye, and a girl had repaired cleft lip/palate, but as beautifully put by Harry Amend, each child has their disabilities, some on the outside and some on the inside. They are all unique and have a need all their own. I have noticed that since they are not in a family, they have definite boundary issues. Our experience with orphanage children has been that, although their basic needs, may or may not have been met, there has been no teaching of right from wrong, not having to comply in a world that has rules and social boundaries.
We arrived in Beijing, around 1:00, with a lesson in patience, which we apparently needed. We were dropped off at The Temple of Heaven, an enormous park and buildings built by Emperors to pray and make offerings to god, for the harvest. It reminded us of The Forbidden City that we had visited 2 years previously. Everything has significance, the colors, the numbers of items, down to the last detail. We then headed to a market where we were able to do our shopping, bartering and being okay with walking away from something we wanted if the price was not right. Being the second time we have experienced China, we did not waste time looking at items, but got right to work naming our price and making our purchase. We then headed to an Acrobatic Show, which was an amazing show of strength, dedication and practice. We are now on our way back to PHF where we can recuperate and prepare for our first “Real” day of work. Tomorrow we will be at PHF all day and hopefully get some direction and specifics nailed down with our mission.
To the boys: The kids seem to get our attention because we miss you guys so much! Today we had fun buying some gifts to bring home to your and Grace. You will be happy with our finds, but we don’t want to ruin the surprise.
To Grace: Every Chinese girl I see reminds me of you and how I miss you. We also found some cute girlie things for our princess that we will bring home!
Love you all, and please be nice to my mommy!