Mission 2012 - Reflections To Date

The entries that I have been posting were all written at the end of the day. We would have finished dinner, possibly gone for a massage and I would finally be wrapped up in bed. At this point I would take time out to reflect on the day, the activities that we had performed, what had been successful, what we could have done better...and ultimately what was God speaking to me about.

The trip is much more that "helping the children" in Sanmenxia. Its about drawing closer to God, listening to His word and ultimately carrying out his will. There is not one person in the universe that God has not mapped out a purpose for their life. You may or not believe it...but thats the reality...the thing is its up to us to either fulfill that purpose or play things the way we want.

This doesnt mean in any way that God simply treats us as workers that are striving towards a goal that he is instructing us to work towards. That is so far from the truth...the reality is God loves us. Simple as that...and as a result this means God only wants the best for us. This is clearly evident in the plan for each of our lives...our Father in heaven wants each of us to lead extraordinary lives...all we need to do is listen to His calling and use the gifts he has blessed us with.

This brings me back to the children in Sanmenxia. A lot of people will say things to me like "I admire what you did" or "thats a really nice things you are doing for those kids" or "you are a really great person to do that kind of thing". Im not trying to talk myself...actually quite the contrary. For the truth is...I cannot do any of it without God. God gives me the job that pays for my trip. God gives me the courage to travel to a foreign country, God gives me the passion to work with these children and ultimately God gives me the wisdom in terms of handling each situation that comes my way. It is all God...not me!

But the problem when doing something like this which can ultimately lead to a high profile is...you can get caught up in the moment. Both times I have travelled to China for mission we have appeared in the newspaper, we have been photographed incessantly and had video cameras follow our most mundane moves. People want to meet us, people want to treat us for dinner...and probably most common...people stare at us like we are movies stars...or circus animals...depending on how you like to perceive it.

It is throughout all this that I need to be giving it all to God...and thank him constantly for what He is doing through my life. This is the calling that God has given me and I am grateful that He chose someone as broken and simple as me to do such amazing things. There are moments where I reflect and honestly find it incredible that I was able to make it through and achieve what I did. But the truth is...I didnt "make it through"...I had God empowering me, guiding me and ultimately using me for His amazing plan.

Mission 2012 - Half Day Means Massage Time

Entry Twelve of my China blog:

Day Twelve…today is our half day at the center. I slept in this morning so I only had 10 minutes to shower and get dressed…but I still made it to the morning prayer meeting in time. A quick breakfast afterwards and it was off to the center.

As we were only going to be at the center for half a day, we didnt plan too much today and went along with what the teacher had in store. As normal it started with singing, and I spent this time with WenKou on my knee and then the rest of the session with Wei Hao, simply tossing a ball as he had lost interest in the singing activity for the day.

Afterwards I spend some time with WenKou in the Therapy room, today we introduced a couple of new activities to him, with some success. He has the right idea with most activities, just needs some guidance at times. But you can definitely see he is making progress.

Afterwards I spent some time with SanYing helping her study English, she is just so intelligent. Its really sad at times to think that she is stuck in that place. She is so beautiful and smart…she deserves much more.

We wrapped up at 12pm and headed back to the hotel. I quickly grabbed what I needed for the afternoon in town and we were off to eat some delicious spicy noodles and do some shopping. After shopping it was off to get a massage…and facial! While the massage was quite good…they decided to do 刮痧 (gua sha) which is also known as "coining" to us English speaking folk. Basically the results speak for itself….it was a touch painful. Apparently the more red marks you end up with, the more unhealthy you are. So according to that…im about to die!

The massage and facial were done and it was time for dinner. As it was a free afternoon, we choose a restaurant which is along one of the main roads close to our hotel. Looking like a classy place, we gave it a try and werent disappointed. Chicken, beef, prawns and even FROG…we ate so much and were totally satisfied as we left.

As we left, looking at our watches it was already after 9pm and we were remarking how fast the day got away from us! It was straight back to the hotel with us and to bed ready for the day ahead of us.

Mission 2012 - Breakfast Appreciation

Entry Eleven of my China blog:

Day Eleven…Im getting into the habbit of having breakfast after the prayer meeting as it affords me another 15 minutes sleep in the morning…that is something I really need at the moment! When you go into the breakfast place each morning, they present you with a few mantou and a hardboiled egg, which is cooked in some kind of soy sauce. Untill this morning I never ate the egg…probably because I was too lazy to take the shell of and get soy sauce over my hands. But this may sound silly…this morning I decided I would eat the egg. Every day the kids in the welfare center are served up such simple meals, with relatively low nutritional content unfortunately. But they eat it up like its the best meal they ever had. They dont complain…they dont throw any away. They are just happy to get what they have been given. I wont let this post turn into a self-reflection post too much…but I just have to say that this is an area in my life I really need to focus on. Am I happy with what I have been given or am I just always asking for more and more? Am I grateful for what I have been given or am I just looking for the pieces that are missing? I feel God is really pressing this topic to the front of my mind and its something that I know during this trip I will see great changes in my mindset.

Off to the center at 8:30am and we commenced the morning as per usual with music, song and dance. Pretty uneventful morning that went off without a hitch, I even had time to take WenKou down to the Therapy room to do some exercises which led right into lunch time.

Lunch time was the standard affair and shortly after it was back to the center. This is where the fun begins… This afternoon it was our turn to run the class. We commenced with making bracelets using string and beads and this went off without too many headaches. But at the end of this we were going to do some exercises using the whiteboard…but wouldnt you know it…NO WHITEBOARD MARKERS to be found ANYWHERE! In the space of 10 minutes while we searched high and low for where the teacher had placed the markers, the kids went from well behaved to totally out of control. It is summed up by Fu Rui coming up to me with a texta in his hand AND a LOT of texta across his forehead! So ultimately the afternoon was free play time for the kids…lesson learnt is dont forget a whiteboard marker!

The day ended with the kids calm again, watching some tv. We headed off to dinner at a supposed "Shanghai" style restaurant…but according to our Shanghai team member…the food on offer was far from Shanghai-nese. But it was good all the same. As per usual I ate my fair share and was pretty full as we made the walk back to the hotel.

Tonight was my turn to lead the evening worship meeting…something I have NEVER done in my whole entire life!! The two songs I chose were: Hope of all hearts by Planetshakers and This is our God by Hillsong. I opened by just sharing on how grateful I am for all that God has done in my life, especially as we are here in Sanmenxia it really highlights how awesome God is and how much we are blessed. I guess it went well…

Mission 2012 - Week Two Begins

Entry Ten of my China blog:

Day Ten…Monday morning, we commence a full week at the center

The morning is as per usual, all the kids march down to the room which holds the Piano. This is music time for them and its something I find majority of the kids really respond to quite well. It commences with the teacher playing the guitar for the children and they sing and clap along. After about 5-6 songs we move into a time of dance, where we join hands and form a circle then dance to a number of different songs. A lot of fun and a lot of laughing. 

It was during this time where I came across one little girl in particular. I vaguely remeber her from my last trip and she usually sits off to the side and is not too involved in the activity. So it was during this time I invited her to join in the dancing, but she automatically wanted to be picked up. As I scooped her up with one arm, while trying to keep dancing with the kids at the same time, Elsie informed me that the carers had told her this girl really likes to hug…and I soon discovered that for myself. She put her arms around me and would not let go. Its time like this I begin to reflect on how truly fortunate I am. It might sound like a broken record…but I have been blessed with so much…much more than I deserve. Simple things like a hug…we can take it for granted. While this little girl had her arms wrapped tightly around me, it underlined the fact that these kids only want to be loved…nothing more. They never did anything wrong, they never hurt anyone. While this girl isnt exactly in the area Im assigned to, I felt God had brought her into my path for a reason. I hope that during my time in Sanmenxia I can make a difference in her life, show her the love of God.

(Unfortunately there were no photos taken of this little girl...one of the disadvantages with not being able to take photos ourself within the center)

After dancing, it was back to the main room, where we sat the kids down and went through a basic lesson with them. Today was "square", "circle" and "triangle". The kids were then tested to see if they could differentiate between the shapes when given pictures at random. Before we knew it, lunch time was upon us and it was time to go for lunch.

Same place for lunch, but we finished just after 1pm which gave us just under an hour to rest up before going back to the center…much needed rest time!!

We got back to the center just after 2pm and the afternoons activity was…OUTDOORS! Now remember its winter in China and the temperatures have been in the minus region more often than not! But outdoors we went…and first activity once we got out in the courtyard was…running laps! While this is easy enough on its own…when you have a child who is tired and doesnt want to run anymore holding your hand…meaning you have to carry them…while still running…you soon get pretty tired!

After running, it was time for ball games and other team exercises. This was honestly so much fun. Being able to see the joy on their faces as we played various games with them. This is what they should be doing more often….this is what the deserve. 

Back inside, we were all a little tired from all the running around, so once back inside it was a chance to take rest and the TV was turned on. While this isnt used too frequently, it is a good option every now and then as it gives everyone a bit of a chance to relax. 

Before we knew it, it was time to go for dinner. The days in the center truly fly by so quickly! Tonights dinner selection…Hot Pot! Luckily it was right around the corner from our hotel, which made it super convenient.

Another amazing day at the center in Sanmenxia. So much fun and so many laughs!

Mission 2012 - Rest Day Number 1

Entry nine of my China blog:

Day Nine…day off.

 What can be said about the day off? Up relatively early and in to the town center to do some shopping and stock up for the week ahead. The day off really was a good chance to rest up and take a break from the rushing around.

For lunch I headed to a local place for some spicy noodles which went down a treat. One thing to remember when travelling in China is that places that look dirty and dodgy usually serve up the best food and today was no exception. Its interesting when you think about it, in Melbourne a lot of people would prefer to go somewhere nice and quiet, not pack to the rafters with diners, not crammed on a table with 6 other people you dont even know. But in China its quite the opposite...the places that are quiet with less people are the ones serving up food that isnt great. Another surefire tip for picking a good place to eat in China...pick the ones that look dirty as opposed to the ones that are spotless and clean...while the look of a place may be off putting at first...you should allow the food to do the talking!

In the evening we went to a local restaurant which served up a few interesting dishes that were quite good. Of course we over ordered as per the norm in China…but it was still extrememly cheap, less than $10AUD per person for about 6 dishes!

Mission 2012 - Old Friend Joins The Crew

Entry eight of my China blog:

Day Eight…it was my turn to share morning devotional! I felt led to share on the topic of perserverence and how God has given us the strength to persevere in our own lives despite what we face.

After devotional, it was a quick breakfast and off to the center. On the weekend the teachers do not come in so the day would be spend with just the carer and us to take care of the children. So majority of the day was spent as free time for the kids.

Today we were met by Kevin, who had come up from his job teaching English in a city south of Wuhan. He would be my roommate for the remainder of the trip and it was great to see him again. When I was in Canada in 2010, he was unfortuntely away from Vancouver so we didnt have the chance to catch up then.

In the afternoon Kevin joined our group and we continued with the free play time. It was a pretty easy day, everything went off without a hitch. Different groups of kids were entertained by different activities throughout the day, whether it be playing with the building blocks, colouring or playing with a ball. 

Dinner tonight was at another restaurant which is near the hotel I stayed at last time. Standard Chinese food again, but big servings so we all went home very full!

Mission 2012 - First Full Day

Entry Seven of my China blog:

Day Seven…our first full day at center. We discussed with the teacher that we would help out with the afternoon arts and crafts activity. The morning was spent doing the musical activities the teacher prepares for the kids. This includes singing, dancing and clapping along. Lots of fun for the kids.

Afterwards we had some free play time for the kids which led right up to lunch time. After lunch we did colouring, which meant each child was paired up and they worked on a colouring sheet as a pair. This consumed most of the afternoon and it was time to go before we knew it!

Dinner tonight was noodles…not the best…but I still ate it all up! A quiet night, but not before I prepared my devotional for tomorrow morning!

Mission 2012 - Reunited With The Kids

Entry Six of my China blog:

Day Six…after grabbing breakfast at the hotel, something I will skip over as it is very mediocre, we commenced the day with a tour of the city center. We caught the bus up to the town square and bought some supplies from the supermarket they have there. Quite well stocked, especially when it comes to the tasty snacks China has on offer. I also took this is as a good chance to snap some photos.

We did a bit of walking around the local streets, checking out the market areas and the likes before heading back to the hotel.

Last time I was here in Sanmenxia we stayed in a hotel that went by the name "Tobacco Hotel" although it was totally non-smoking (which actually means you can smoke anywhere you like). This time we are in a different hotel, but I found the following quite interesting...

We were informed of our choices of where we would be volunteering, I was placed with the boys working with the teacher they have. This was the area that I had selected as my preference so I was well pleased.

We spend the afternoon at the center in our groups. One of the awesome things about the center this time is the fact that everything has come so far. The carers and teachers have introduced more structured programs and its really bringing about great changes!

Once getting inside, we introduced ourselves to the teacher and we integrated into the activites that they had planned for the afternoon. Today was numbers, where the children went through the numbers 1-10 and then had to place small cards displaying a number on the board matching up with the correct number. This was followed up with some free play time.

It was so great to see all the kids again. Most of these kids are the ones I spent most of my time with last time I was here. To see them again brought such happiness to my heart. To see their big smiles, to recieve their big hugs, to hear their wonderful laughs…it all brought such joy to my heart. All my concerns, worries and problems back home…they seem so insignificant…so unimportant.

But I have to make note of one person who stood out today…to see Dang San Ying again, the girl in the wheelchair who sewed my button back on last time I was here…to see her again…to see her happy face…that really was wonderful…she is one I will never forget!

As we only had the afternoon there, time sped by extremely quickly and it was time to go before we knew it. Dinner tonight was near the hotel we stayed in last time I was in Sanmenxia. Fairly standard food, nothing really of note. 

An awesome day and the start of great things to come!

Mission 2012 - Back to Sanmenxia

Entry five of my China blog:

Day five…we are up at 4am to be checked out and ready to go by 5am. We had a 7am flight from Beijing into Yuncheng. All went off well and before we knew it we were picking up our luggage in what could only be described as a tiny airport. A short bus ride and we were in Sanmenxia! 18 months has seen some serious changes to this city. Development is going on everywhere! High rises are going up all over the shop!

After checking in, we were off to what would be our regular lunch venue, a small restaurant which serves up cuisine using local produce. Pretty standard food on offer, then again Sanmenxia isnt exactly known for its varieties of food. 

Lunch done..we were off to see the center! The anticipation amongs the team as the bus transported us to the center was high. Again the center has seen some nice landscaping done since we saw it in the final stages of contruction back in April 2010. 

Bruce, the team leader that I had in my first short term trip and now the project manager in Sanmenxia was there to greet us and give us a tour of the facility. The residents of the center have been separated into different groups to when I was here last, mostly to ensure that they are all getting the most efficient and effective care possible.

The groups are basically as follows:

Babies
Pre-school
Girls
Boys
Elderly

Last time I was in Sanmenxia I worked with the combined group of "Girls", "Boys" and "Elderly". I guess the saddest thing is the fact that the elderly are now separate and recieve minimal attention. I definitely hope that before the end of the trip I would get the chance to spend some time in that 

After the tour we headed off to dinner and once back at the hotel we were given the chance to choose where we wanted to volunteer. After giving in our preferences it was time to get some well deserved rest after a VERY LONG day!

Mission 2012 - Meeting The Team

Entry four of my China blog:

Day four…today we meet the mission team in full. But before we do…its BUFFET BREAKFAST time!! Unfortunately after our first night in Beijing we didnt get to enjoy the breakfast as were in a rush to get to Tianjin…but I had seen what they had on offer….and two things took my fancy….PANCAKES and DONUTS!! So it was with great anticiapation we headed down and while the others were a little more restrained with the food…I didnt hold back!!

Breakfast wrapped up…checked out…it was off to Jade Hostel…the destination of our afternoon meetup with the team. After we got there and checked in, it was barely 11am and we still had at least another 3 and half hours before we would meet everyone we would be going to Sanmenxia with….so what else do you do when you have free time…you go SHOPPING!!

Off to Wangfujing we ventured…and I have to say…today was COLD. Its going to be a common theme…but today was just seriously COLD!

Some browsing the shops, a quick lunch and back to the hotel to meet the team.

This is probably the time where you feel most anxious…meeting a whole new group of people who you will be spending almost 3 weeks with. Almost every waking second at that! But as always, it was an awesome group. Smaller than my last trip, but definitely an awesome group of people. A mix of people from Canada, the UK and Australia made up the team of 12. We quickly moved to the meeting room of Jade Hostel where we sat down for our introduction meeting. This was pretty much a formality for for me, but the introductions was a great way to get to know the team.

After the discussion, we were off to dinner. Tonight was Peking duck and an array of other Beijing foods. Good time with the team before hitting the bed for an early night ahead of our early morning the following morning!

Mission 2012 - Back to Beijing

Entry three of my China blog:

Day three begins a little slower as we dont need to race off too early…but that didnt stop two members of the group rising at 5am!! It was around 9am when we ventured out of the room to grab some breakfast before heading off to the train station to travel out to see more of the city.

Today was freezing…and when we got off the train we were really smashed by the sheer coldness that Tianjin had on offer. Here we checked out the local market which was majority populated with expensive rip-offs of expensive brands! Purdey actually saw a rip off of the glasses I had just bought back in Melbourne which were going for almost the same price I had bought the real ones for!! Insane!

After trying a few bits of pieces from the street vendors it was off to lunch at a well known lunch venue (we like to eat well if you didnt notice). This place was quite interesting in that you goto one area of the venue where they have live sea animals awaiting the lucky opportunity to be eaten by me!

 After selecting a variety of things…most of which I had never tried…it was back to the table to await the various sea creatures appearance on our plates! Deliciousness followed and it was just another meal that we left totally stuffed.

Afterwards we ventured back to the city to catch the train back to Beijing. Fighting the craziness at the station, we boarded our train and we were heading back to Beijing at around 300km/hr again. Upon arrival, we decided to do things a little differently. Untill now we had taxi-ed it everywhere…but this time we were going to subway-it! Competing with the crowds, we eventually made it back to our hotel and prepared for dinner…Sichuan food!!

Now I like to try new foods at the best of times…but something about Frog really had a me a little concerned. Dont get me wrong…Ill try anything…but green just is not the colour I like my food to be! Despite this…Elsie highly recommended that we order Frog…so thats what we did….and MAN was it spicy. My lips tingle even now thinking about it!

Dinner was wrapped up in just under and hour and we were headed back to the hotel in amazingly cold winds. We couldnt get back to the hotel fast enough!! But when we did get back…we were all ready to hit the bed…!

Mission 2012 - Off to Tianjin

Entry two of my China blog:

Day two and we were up early to get to the train station for our ride over to Tianjin. The journey takes less than 30 minutes with most of that speeding at around 300km/hour. We get out of the train in Tianjin and…POW…the real winter weather is starting to hit us hard. It was cold in Beijing, but it felt like Tianjin bumped it up another level…I guess its all preparation for the the serious stuff in Harbin!

Anyway coming out of the station, we grab a taxi…and you would not believe how hard it was to find a taxi that knew where the apartments we were staying at were located. Apparently Chinese people havent really grapsed the concept of street numbers yet…so unless you know the cross section that the place you are going to is near…you have little hope getting to your destination. 

After checking in the apartment…which I have to say was quite beautiful…we were off to see the sights of Tianjin!

Tianjin is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the country. It is the 6th largest city in terms of population with around 13 million people. It is also a sister city with Melbourne Australia!

First stop was 天津古`文化街 which is a market place with shops and street food. We basically tried everything and anything insight…not all good…but all interesting. After plenty of looking and eating…it was on to the next logical thing….LUNCH! Todays destination was 食品街, which is apparently well known in the area. I think the common theme of our travels is to eat basically everything and anything in sight! 

The afternoon we ventured out to a peaceful lake area that goes by the name of 海上公园…and you wouldnt believe who we saw…! 米老鼠 and 唐老鸭! Or Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck for those non-mandarin speakers out there! 

Anyhow after the mandatory photos…we were off for a stroll around the lake which was quite beautiful. 99% of the lake had frozen over, although you could see areas where cracks had begun to appear before it had re-frozen.

The walk was nice despite the cold temperatures. After this we headed back to the hotel where we prepared for our Hot Pot dinner!! Tonight we were dining at 海底捞火锅, which apparently is right up there in the Hot Pot game…and we werent disappointed! I wont list everything we ate otherwise we would be here all nighth, but needless to say we were treated to quite a feast and went home totally stuffed!!

Home was our destination after dinner where we showered…thoroughly of course to relieve us of the Hot Pot scent and off to bed!

Mission 2012 - Arriving in Beijing

This is my first blog entry while in China:
Well we have been in China for almost two days now so I should start blogging down what we have been to so far!!

We left Melbourne on Friday night at 11:30pm…China Southern was the airline of choice for the journey…the first time I had flown with them and although it was nice to be seated in Premium Economy…the onflight service is on par with the service you get in Chinese restaurants….so it will probably be my last time flying with them…

We had one stop in Guangzhou, a 2 hour stop before our connecting flight to Beijing. I have to say that Guangzhou airport is up there with one of the most unorganised airports I have been to. No structure, no process…randomness everywhere! Although I should expect that from China…chaos!

A quick 3 hour flight had us up to Beijing just before midday on the 31st and praise God my luggage made it too!

So we were in Beijing…and it was COLD! Not unbearable and it was probably exaggerated by the fact we had just left the heat of Melbourne…but it did require the addition of jumper, jacket, scarf and beanie!!

After checking in to our hotel, we headed off to Sanlitun for some shopping and organising the essentials. This took basically the whole afternoon which lead us into the evening beautifully….PEKING DUCK!! Anyone who remotely knows me will know that my love of duck of the peking variety is unmatched! And here we were in the home of Peking Duck…Beijing! Last time I was here we had tried Quan Jude…which was good, but not great. So this time it was off to try another well known restaurant that is a master of the ancient art of Peking Duck. Da Dong (大董) was fantastic. Although the menu was a hefty 96 pages long…the food they dished out was superb! Duck Liver, Chestnut soup and of course the main event…the duck!! While there isnt too much you can do differently when it comes to Peking Duck, they did have a few minor variations, but ultimately… duck + sauce + pancake was delicious!!

Afterwards it was off to Karaoke and comedy followed. Overall it was a really fun night and a great way to ring in the new year…despite it being pretty much a non-event in China.

Mission Trip to Sanmenxia

Life continues to go on...no matter what you do...its like a runaway train...no matter what you say or do...it just keeps going. This is what I found since coming back from China. Life goes on the same... I had some amazing life experiences on what was my second mission trip. There are memories that will be forever embedded in my memory, there are people who touched my heart in ways that I will never be the same from. I had the wonderful opportunity to share this period of life with new friends and not so new friends. But above all else...I was able to learn more about myself, what I have been gifted with by God, what I have been called to do by my heavenly father.

3 Weeks can seem like a long time. Its equal to 15 working days...and anyone with a fulltime job knows how slowly 15 working days can take to pass by. But the 3 weeks we had in Sanmenxia went by like a blink of an eye. What I would give for one more day, one more session, even one more hour. Those kids are beautiful. They are unique. They all have their own special character. When we look around at our own circle of friends, there are reasons why we have befriended those individuals. They might have a simliar interest, they may be easy to talk to, they may play the same sport as you, they may work with you...whatever reason it is...they are counted as one of your friends. I can sincerely say that each of those boys in the center are my friends. I care about each one of them, I love each one of them.

While I was away, each day I wrote a blog entry about the days events. So I have decided to publish them  one day at a time. There will be sections which are boring and monotonous. You may tune out after only half of the first one, but more than anything I just want to document the whole trip. I will post photos to go with each day to give the entries some context.

But I also want to share some of my thoughts now, reflecting back on the trip, the moments that I shared with different individuals.

So I hope that in some way, you will get something from my tales from Sanmenxia.

Before I wrap up, I want to take this chance to thank my 3 companions from Melbourne who embarked on the journey with me. Doing the mission trip with you was a pleasure and I thank you that I could share it with you.