This post is dedicated to all who supported my venture to the Inner Mongolia region of northeastern China this summer, where I was able to volunteer at a summer camp. To all those who gave financially, prayerfully, and in any other way, here is my gift to you: the fruit of your investment.
This summer was very typical of each new adventure in my life; it didnt go how I expected it to. And thats a good thing, because it continues to humble me when I realize that my plans and my methods are often a far cry from what Gods are. This experience put forth challenges that Ive never faced before, stresses Ive never dealt with before, and trials that pushed me to step up or go home.
For those of you who followed my blog this summer, I dont need to tell you that Inner Mongolia is a fantastically beautiful place, largely still untainted by urbanization and other environmental problems China has become known for. Blue skies abound, animals both wild and domesticated running through seemingly endless green pastures, and a diverse culture full of relatively unknown minority groups abound in this region. Inner Mongolia is a cultural crossroad of Mongolia, China, and Russia, and little is known about it in the western world. This, of course, intrigued me as well as the fact that Inner Mongolia had a summer camp that had spawned from an existing summer camp in my also relatively unknown region of northern Minnesota. A few emails and phone calls later and I had received the go ahead to spend the summer there.
Like most things in my life now, I try not to have big expectations, especially when it comes to China because things change so rapidly here. This is not at all derogatory towards China; in fact its one of those cultural differences I find extremely interesting. And it really helps me to live day to day instead of by my 5-year plan. One of my favorite English idioms is: Hindsight is 20/20. Which, simply put, means looking back on life its clear to see what the Lord was doing and how He used my (and our) circumstances to make us, mold us, discipline us, and grab our attention. My life today is vastly different than what I thought it would be like 10 years ago; five years ago; one year ago.
Inner Mongolia is a place that exceeded even the expectations I did have. A place that I knew little about, but still a place where God is moving. It wasnt at all like what I thought it was going to be like; it was much much more than I had anticipated. So without further adeiu, I present to you a picture show highlighting the summer of 2010 in Inner Mongolia. Enjoy and be blessed.
We bonded. Kelsey, myself and Tyler were the new ‘foreigners in town. These two were a Godsend and all of us mutually agreed that we would not have survived the summer without each other. Thank God for His Body. We also got to live in yurts.
We were guests of honor. Mary, John (couple who run the camp), myself and Tyler (and Kelsey who took this pic) got to be special front row guests at a local middle school. The whole party was attended by thousands and basically revolved around our schedule and arrival. It was amazing, especially considering the choir sang the song He knows my name to close out the ceremony.
We witnessed the spectacular beauty of rural Inner Mongolia.
We introduced Ultimate Frisbee.
We had water wars rafting down the river.
We sacrificed a lamb.
We ate said lamb, a very traditional delicacy in Mongolian culture.
We had an Amazing Race each week.
We made great friends.
We played basketball against the local village police department.
We conquered mountains.
We fit 29 people in a 12 passenger van.
We had lots of great bonfires and great conversations.
We taught English.
We performed. I dont think I, or the kids have ever laughed harder in our lives, nor have I ever acted so ridiculous.
We danced. Then danced some more.
We played Octaball.
We performed some more.
We hung out with camels.
We were amazed by the beauty of Gods creation.
We cooled off in the river.
We performed some more.
And we performed yet again. This particular skit was special though. Its entitled the Parable of the Hats. Hats represent sin and its a great skit because it covers all the way from creation to Christs coming, crucifixion, and resurrection, in very simple terms. Virtually every student, unless he/she was skipping rally time that day, got to see this skit, and they all loved it!
We made loads of new friends of all ages. We had bountiful opportunities to share what Christ means to us in our lives. We had countless conversations that went far below the surface. We saw many seeds planted. We laughed together. We struggled together. We saw eternal differences being made in the lives of the students, staff, and fellow volunteers. God is moving in Inner Mongolia, and in China.
The camp has long ended, I took a short detour to Harbin and played with the tigers, but alas, ended up back where I started: Beijing, to meet up with all my summer campatriots (I just made that word up, like it?) that I had the pleasure of serving with in Inner Mongolia. We had 4 days to kick it, Americans in China style, and it was a much needed break/debriefing for all of us. Here are some highlights of Beijingand there were many:
Saw some cool bathroom signs at our youth hostel. Im not really sure how it all works, but Im pretty sure thats not it.
We climbed the Great Wall. (Matt, Me, and Sam)
Matt, aka Ma Te, aka Matty Poppins, aka Ponicus.
More Great Wall shots. Its pretty great.
We did KTV, a must in China. Many a 80s jam were sung that eve.
We walked WangFuJing taking curious pictures of ourselves.
We ate fried scorpions. Mmmm, crunchy. Check this video out if you want to see if I really ate it or not.
I dont even know why I added this pic, I just like it. This is right before I left Harbin to go to Beijing. These are my dudes Jack and Federer sporting their new Minnesota duds. Gotta represent! Pray for these fellas.
Im currently in South Korea, due to my visa running out, but I will be flying back on the 25th of August, where I start teacher training. Im praying that God will provide me a solid community there, and some brothers to live with and serve with. Your prayers are always appreciated, and really got me through this summer! More blog posts to come soon!!!
That is the word of the day. The camp will be wrapping up on Tuesday, but I have opted to leave a few days early with a group that came up from southern China for a month. Yesterday, we all woke up at about 4:30 am to leave camp at about 5:20am on a bus to Hailaer, to catch a train at 8:52am. We boarded the train which arrived at our final destination, Harbin, at about 8:30pm. Yesterday was a travel day to say the least. This time of year is extremely difficult to find train tickets, and being the frugal traveler I am, I knew travelling with these guys would be considerably more affordable than flying with the other group, plus Id get to see a new city and make some mnstry connections. And on top of that, we are going to the world famous tiger park here tomorrow. Apparently we can buy chickens or ducks for about $9, a goat for about $90, or a cow for around $200. Im not 100% sure what will happen, but Ive heard the tigers are rather ferocious due to not being fed a lot. Well see, it should be an interesting adventure, and will likely be up there on my list of surreal Chinese moments.
The remainder of the Americans at camp will finish up and fly to Beijing in a few days, where I will meet back up with them, and enjoy some site-seeing, some R and R, and a lot of reflection together as we debrief before heading off to different parts of the world. And there is a lot to reflect on. Its been a crazy summer. Some parts seemed they would never end, and others went by faster than I could even process. But God was faithful. As usual, He exceeded my expectations. We had lots of chances to share testimonies of personal transformation, as well as just love the kids, staff, and anyone who He put into our path. Its been super encouraging seeing people ask us questions about our faith, and what drives people to give up their time, money, comfort, and come across the world to a small unknown rural area of China. Its a very radical concept that most people are not used to, so it really makes them think. I love seeing that. All of our lives we are often taught that money, health, success, family, and wealth will answer all of our problems and questions and make us happy The sad truth is that those things will never satisfy what we are lacking. And in this culture especially, the belief is that health and wealth are the chief end, the purpose of life. A typical Chinese person wants a good job, lots of money, good health, and ????, which means happy every day. It sounds nice enough, but unfortunately the focus is always, like the rest of us too, on ourselves. Our sin nature is relentless, we will always want more, that is until we find the one thing that truly satisfies; JC. And with Him, we can find joy in the troubled times. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
The camp season is coming to a close, and we ended up having a good year. We had a student shortage for a bit, but with His provision, every aspect persevered as some little miracles happened in the final weeks. Again, He hears, and He provides. The camp will continue to be a place for kids to come, have blast learning English and playing games, and experience things they have never seen or done before, and may never see or do again. And their lives may be eternally changed
Inner Mongolia is sort of an anomaly in China. There is quite easily more animals than people, has some of the bluest skies and cleanest air Ive seen, and is home to some landscapes found nowhere else in the world. Its a place where you dodge cows on the highway, and tractors go through the toll way (see pics below). Hearts are warm, and the mutton is plentiful. Not until recently have the herdsmen switched to motorbikes instead of horses to round up their animals. Combinations of mud, brick and thatch dwellings abound. Tourism has increased 10 fold in the last decade, but still loads of untouched places remain, especially for the avid hiker. I can only drool at the prospect of being here in the winter with a snowmobile and a snowboard, cruising up to a mountain top thats never been carved in its history. These mountains do have other history though, just a few miles from camp, next to a small town of about 2000, exists a bunker built by the Japanese military during their occupation in WWII. Actually, the story goes that the Japanese enslaved the Chinese to build the bunker, then exterminated those who had knowledge of its intricacies. It had quite an extensive maze of tunnels, and even some turrets still intact. It does make one think though, what they were doing in such a remote area? It must have been a strategic attack point, or guarding point. I will have to investigate further at a later date.
The Father has been at work in me, and the whole group, once more. Ive been exposed again to my own selfishness with my time, my pride and unwillingness to do seemingly lowly tasks. But Hes also been building up leadership within me, and bringing out my boldness in new ways. By putting certain people in my life, Hes pushing me to new heights and lengths, and I thank Him for His continuous faithfulness. I, along with a lot of others, have had lots of cool opportunities to share the Good News, and a lot of the kids kept coming back for more. They couldnt get enough. When you travel any amount, you learn that despite huge cultural differences, people have the same basic needs and desires, experience pain in the same way, but the Word is the same in any language, culture, or country. And more importantly, people of any culture need JC just as much as the next. Even after feeling down at some points this summer, thinking I should be somewhere else, I know that I belong here, and Im in my element here. Im excited for this year, as I continue to make connections and see what He is doing all over this country. Keep lifting us up! Particularly these next few days as I am with one other American guy (huge encouragement to me) and his 10 Chinese college students. A few are brothers/sisters, and the rest have all heard the News numerous times, and I hope their hearts will continue to open as they process what they experienced the last month they were at camp with us. I think they are starting to see the little miracles, answers to prayer, and the love we have for them. But some of them are still far away, but I have a really cool and unique opportunity to spend a lot of time with them in the next few days before they all head back to southern China, and I to Beijing.
But for now ??, which literally translates to again meet, or better translated means goodbye. Its midnight here, and the tiger adventure begins tomorrow at 10am.
Sorry for the laziness! Its been awhile since Ive had time to just sit down and write. But I suppose that is a good thing because it means we are busy here. And indeed we have been, the Lord really answered our prayers and sent over 70 students here last week, and a lot of them stayed for a second week. The group of Americans arrived a few weeks ago, and they have been an awesome addition. Wow, so much to talk about. Seeing my good friend Matt in China is really cool, and I know Matt is having an amazing eye-opening experience. All in all, 16 people came, 4 have since gone, so the 12 additions to our previous team of 5 is really sweet. They definitely added a lot of life, as they were all fresh, ready to rock and roll, whereas those of us whod been here a month already were getting a bit burnt out. Camp life is really hectic, always something to do, and its really cool to be walking out your fa!th, relying on Him daily for all needs. Its not without its ups and downs though, thats for sure. The busyness can sure lead to changes in priorities, and it was very evident to me as I had slipped away from my morning quiet times. The rollercoaster has been a wild ride, but it comes with great rewards in lessons learned. Mine being that Im often selfish, despite what I may think of myself. From the heart comes all kinds of evils. Its always important for us as children of the Father to check our hearts continually, and trust in Him to remove the junk. He will continue the good work he started in you. Its a life long process, and what an amazing journey it is.
After going almost non-stop from June 11 to July 25, with 2 days off in there, it was time for a bit of a break. A few of us had a chance to go hiking for a few hours, and then later on we were invited to take on the local Public Safety Bureau in a friendly game of basketball. It was a riot, and I havent ran that hard in a long time. The Americans won, but the Chinese team played well, actually much better than I expected. I went 1 for 8 with 2 points on the night, one steal and a few assists, and a lot of sweat. After the game we hung out with them and they had this beautiful garden in the back where they were growing all sorts of fruits and veggies. I mean, what else do a dozen guys running a Safety Bureau do in a town of a few hundred. Surely there isnt enough to keep them busy, so gardening is the natural choice to keep them productive. Bureaucracy is great, isnt it? It really was a sweet place, and they had some purple peppers that they gave Michael G and I (yes, there is another Michael G here). This one Chinese guy, who spoke little English, handed them to us and said very very la. La in Chinese means hot, or spicy, so naturally we tried them. They werent really spicy at all, but we later learned they werent ripe yet. Next time we will see the true spice of the illusive purple pepper in the backyard garden of the local safety aficionados. The next day, Tyler, Kelsey and myself, or the 3 amigos we call ourselves, were invited to visit a nearby city called Manzhouli. This is an interesting place because its right where China, Mongolia, and Russia come together. So there is all these influences meshed together in a modern little city packed full of Russian tourists. The architecture makes you feel like your in eastern Europe a little bit, but it still definitely had that Chinese flair. All 3 languages are written on the signs, and the Chinese people who live and work there would constantly assume we were Russian. Even from the moment we got on the bus to go there, an old Russian gentlemen sat next to us and started talking to us in Russian. Then we told him we were American, which was the only word he understood, and he continued to speak Russian to us. We even showed each other our passports, proving we were Americans, as if speaking English and not understanding him wasnt enough. He proceeded to speak Russian to us on and off for the duration of the 3 hour bus ride, unable to comprehend that people existed who dont speak Russian. Sign language didnt work to well, as he kept talking, in Russian of course, and we simply continued to not understand a word, and nod our heads. Oh, well, whatayado?
Today and yesterday were especially fantastic days. We have less students right now, and Ive been prying and prying to get some chances to share. I havent really bonded a ton with many of the younger students, but yesterday I had a few great convos, and felt the Lord answering our requests. Weve had lots of cool chances to share how our lives have been transformed, and its really cool to watch minds try to understand a lifestyle not driven solely by health and wealth. And yesterday as well, we all went up to the hill for a bonfire and American food. I had an awesome talk with a young guy who is really seeking, and I noticed others having great talks as well. The Spirit was really doing something amazing last night! It was one of those days where, for whatever reason, it seemed like the Father just opened up the flood gates. Even earlier that day a group of students were leaving and all the guys students started crying. It was a really cool day, filled with lots of emotions and fruit. The days are filled with ups, some downs, but all a gifts from above.
I could really type for ages, but havent the time. So check out a few pics of the last couple weeks, and keep lifting us up. We are a little light on students currently, so please pry that many would sign up and come next week. Most all of them that come have a blast, and they will never forget it, nor will I.
Me in Manzhouli with my Chinese lunar calendar animal: The Sheep.
We stumbled up this giant Russian doll park. I liked the one of John Lennon, notice the flag, Im pretty sure he was from Liverpool.
They actually had one of Tyler and Is best friend. Right at the front gate too.
MMMM, Borsch (Russian soup). And Russian ballet in Manzhouli.
Found a side by side, 4 wheeler, Jet Ski, and a trolling motor at this weird expo show in Manzhouli. All 4 things I have never seen in China. The Jet Ski was called Sea-Ski, with the exact same font as Sea-Doo.
Some fire shots up on the hill, back at camp.
More fire shots.
Good friend Nike (he chose that name) figuring out how to make smores. He managed to get the cracker, chocolate and the marshmallow all on the stick prior to roasting.
The team, most of them anyways.
Funny translation on a pack of almonds.
A scorpion spider we encountered on hike #2. We later found out they were just locusts, but seriously, these things are huge; bigger than my thumb plus a 2 inch stinger looking thing.
Conquered again. This peak was higher than the one we did a few weeks ago. It was the highest one in sight, so of course it was the natural choice.
Giant mutant clams they have here and in Manzhouli. Unfortunately, littering still commonplace.
We found one of the last steam engines still in use in Manzhouli. The guys were working hard and even invited us on board for a free ride!
Shovel the coal in, pull some levers and let her rip.
Week 2 has officially ended here Inner Mongolia, and there was a stark difference between these kids and the group from last week. The biggest thing being their behavior; these kids actually listened and we quite enjoyed hanging out together. The other difference was that there was only 50 kids, as opposed to 200. This may seem, to you dear reader, that we had officially arrived on Easy Street, but that was hardly the case. The Tianjin school was gone, less one girl, Jennifer (awesome Chinese sister!) who stayed behind to help us for an extra couple of weeks. So essentially it was Kelsey, Tyler, Mary, Jennifer and Myself running the camp activities, teaching, and rallies. Although this week was abundantly less stressful, as we were going almost all day non-stop, 6:30am-8:30pm.with nap time after lunch of course. But we were organized, we had a plan, made a schedule, and things fell into place quite nicely as we introduced many American favorites to the kids such as Ultimate Frisbee for sports, and the Moose Song during rally time. If you dont know the Moose Song, you better check it out. We were even fortunate enough to hike up the hill on Thursday night and have a bonfire. Kudos to the cooks who did a phenomenal job making authentic American cuisine for everyone, hamburgers and fries, the perfect meal on a summer eve next to a roaring fire. Check out some of these pics of some of my new little buddies on the hilltop:
Good times!
Before lighting the match! Check out those blue skies! BEST IN CHINA!
Tyler, Luke, Me, and Ying Yu, chillin, laxin, and acting all cool.
The downside to the week was that somehow, someway, I managed to get a cold in 100 degree heat. I wasnt alone though, Kelsey and Mary got it too. But seriously, how does that happen? Whatever. It knocked me down for a day, and Im still fighting it off but Im back to 99%. Yes, it was hot. Really hot. We were rejoicing when it got down to 90 on Wednesday. I thought Minnesota had a large seasonal temperature fluctuation; its got nothing on this place. From an average of 20 F in the winter, getting down to 60 or more regularly, to over 100 this week! We were all Jones in for a dip in the river! Which we did Friday by the way.
The other struggle I had was with one of the kids the second night. He would not stop crying and wanted to call his dad as he missed home (phones were off at 9, lights out at 10). And me, being sick, just wanting to sleep, saw my impatient unsympathetic self come out again. So he kept everyone up until I finally told him to call his dad and then go to bed. Keep in mind these kids would not understand it if I asked them Hows it going? There English is almost nonexistent. So he calls his dad, and through tears hes trying to tell me something, which I finally figured out that he wanted me to talk with his dad. I started talking with the dad and between his lightning fast Chinese and regional accent, and couldnt understand much of what he was saying, nor could I really figure out why he wanted to talk to me. So the boy went back to bed, started crying again and the cycle started over. He called his dad, who wanted to talk to me again, I told him to speak slowly as my Chinese is not very good, so he slowed down for about 5 words, then proceeded back to standard mach 7 Chinese. I caught very little of it, and apologized. I felt bad, but at the same time, a bit disgruntled at the boy, thinking to myself, Why cant this kid even handle 2 days away from his home? Not to mention the fact he seemed completely immune to the notion that he was keeping everyone in my yurt up, as well as the people in the yurts next door. Eventually, we went back to bed, and he kept crying. Meanwhile one the parents got a hold of Claudia, the Chinese liaison here, and she came to our yurt soon after, waking us up for a third time. I admired her willingness to get up in the middle of the night, answer her phone, come to my yurt and kindly encourage the boy, something I failed to do. Granted she was Chinese, could speak Chinese, wasnt sick, and was the one in charge, but still, God convicted me right then and there. Lessons in humility; we can learn a lot from other cultures. The boy packed his things as one of his relatives was driving out to pick him up. On one hand I think its important for kids to start to learn independence and deal with their own trials, but on the other hand, I saw that this boy was really struggling and wanted to go home, and my failure to empathize with him got the best of me. Its a tough call, many parents enable their kids, submitting to their every request, while others know whats best, letting them work it our themselves with fear and trembling. I know my Father above knows whats best, and I thank Him everyday for the trials Ive endured in my past. They formed me. But alas, my dilemma still remained; it came out that the boy really just wanted to go home and play video games. He, along with lots of the kids who come here, seem like they have a hard time doing something different. We had planned a lot of activities, and worked a lot of long hours to show these kids a piece of America mixed in with their own culture, and I was a little let down by the lack of appreciation. On Wednesday a group of 70 kids came out to camp for the day, in addition to the 50 already there, and we had the whole day planned for them. But a big group of them just wanted to play basketball, or play cards and video games; the same thing theyve done every day of their lives. Why cant they, for one day, try something new? I thought to myself. The kids that did participate were introduced to 4-square. Actually we changed it to 9-square to accommodate everyone. And they loved it! This truth seems to hold tru
e for most Americans too, and for that matter, most people everywhere: Why are we so afraid to step out of our comfort zone? Afraid to step out of the boat like the disciples, less Peter. Well that boy wasnt willing to do it, so finally he went home. We were woken up one last time as, unbeknownst to me, his brother was also residing in my yurt. When the father arrived, or whoever picked him up, they made his poor brother leave too. So we waited as he packed his things, and finally left us to grasp the final few hours we had left of the night, in hopes of getting a couple moments of rest. Granted this boy was only 9, but because he was not willing to stay outside his comfort zone, he kept loads of people up all night, ended up forcing his brother to go home and miss out, and all because he missed what he was used to: video games at Dads house.
Sprtually, its been a dry time for me recently. Being sick, and undisciplined has kicked me in the butt. You can be lifting all of us up in this matter. However, we had some cool opportunities to share some songs and skits with the students, and they were really into them. We did a skit called the parable of the hats, which is amazing, and a great way to give the message in clear simple terms. The kids all thought it was a grand production, and we enjoyed doing it as well. Some of the summer workers have also been really curious and asking questions, so please keep lifting them up too. Im thankful for all the opportunities weve had thus far, as I wasnt how much we could do here. But He has been faithful and we all continue to see answers to our Ps daily, ranging from our health to divine appointments. I knew coming into this summer that big things were going to happen, and will continue to happen. I know lots of people are lifting us up back home, keep it up!
Today, our day of rest, has been relaxing, stormy and lazy, which Im thankful to the utmost. And, 5 new Americans have just arrived! Hallelujah! They are going to help out these next few weeks, and we can all feel the burden lifted a bit. Although I think Kelsey, Tyler, Mary and I worked well under the circumstances, a few extra waiguoren (foreigners) are a welcome relief. Tomorrow we are going rafting (hopefully), but were doing the off-the-beaten-path trip, with a mountain hike thrown in. I cant wait! It will be a different 4th of July, and being away from friends/family at this time is tough, especially talking to my brother a few nights ago, hearing about his grand 4th plans, wishing I could be there, questioning coming here and missing out. But whoever is not prepared to leave it all behind is not fit for the Kingdom. But despite it all, I definitely know I am where Im supposed to be, and its definitely also going to be a UNIQUE 4th of July experience here. Now, if we can only find some fireworks here in ChinaHappy 4th everyone!
Today the first camp ended, after 12 days of non-stop insanity. This time was full of ups and downs for all of us, and even the camp founders John and Mary both agreed that this was the toughest camp theyve ever done. Mainly because there were so many kids that we werent prepared for, and less people to make everything run smoothly. We are all really tired, some of us are a bit sick, but in good spirits as we saw the kids off today. Today has been quite peaceful, less this morning when we had to pick up trash. I had to get my class and bring them out to clean up the area by the yurts and the barns. I gathered them up and they said they already cleaned it. I told them, in Chinese, that I didnt believe them, to which they politely replied that I go and check. Curiously, I went out to the yurts, made it about 5 feet and saw trash everywhere still. I hastily returned to tell them the good news, especially because none of the kids were allowed breakfast until their assigned areas were cleaned. They grudgingly went out, most of them anyways, some refused, and we filled over 5 garbage bags full of litter in the grass. I think their eyes were opened when they saw all of it together, and their idea of litter was apparently way different than mine. I hope they got some message of preservation and keeping their country clean. All that fun aside, we had some really cool experiences the second week of camp, as rafting was introduced. Im sure all of the kids have never experienced river rafting in their lives, and a good time was had by allunless you wanted to stay dry. It basically turned into a splashing contest each day, but it was a great way to fend off the heat. Today is a balmy 100 degrees, hot enough to scare the bugs away at least. The mosquito situation has gotten better, but of course when one specie leaves, another comes. This time it was mutant horse flies; literally 2-3 times the size of their Minnesotan counterpart. And they bite, oh do they bite. But with this heat, not even the giant flies can bear it. This is our one day off and Kelsey, Tyler and myself had talked about hiking up one of the nearby mountains, but alas, weve all opted to take refuge in the cool oasis of the cafeteria basement. No need to fret though, its going to cool off this week; maybe 97 or so through Wednesday. Lets hope the forecast is like Minnesotas: always wrong.
Kelsey, me, and Tyler. I thank the Lord for them everyday!
This evening we are having an authentic Mongolian BBQ with the Tianjin International School who came here for this camp to help us out. They are leaving tomorrow so we are all having one big last hurrah. The authentic BBQ features the fresh killing of a lamb, skinning it, and slow roasting it over coals for a few hours, although in this eat, I don’t know that coals are necessary. The method they use to kill the lamb is quite interesting. They have two guys hold it down on its back, one guy in front, one in back, as a third guy cuts a hole in its abdomen while its still alive. Then he reaches inside the lamb, finds the aorta and rips it with his hands, and it took about 15 seconds or so for the lamb to take its last breath, and bah its last bahs. (See pics below) .This was rather moving as I had just had a conversation with a guy from the Tianjin school about sacrifice, and how it was necessary to shed blood to atone for sins. The life is in the blood. So simple but true. Watching that lamb die was a bit surreal, and I couldnt keep the thoughts of Christs sacrifice for us out of my mind. It was very moving with that in mind, and all the more because it was a lamb. Life is very fragile, and the blood is symbolic in so many ways both physically and spiritually. How great and selfless His sacrifice was and is for us all.
If you can see his hand is trying to find the aorta to pull.
So after that whole ordeal, they went and threw it on the roaster. Props to my bro Tyler for helping them skin it, getting in there and getting his hands dirty. Three hours later it looks like this:
Thats the real deal right there. Mongolian BBQ. Tasty.
Thanks to all who were lifting us up in this time. Your thoughts were felt and greatly appreciated as we saw Him working in a myriad of ways. Keep lifting up this group, and the people who He puts in our path, that seeds would be planted, and we would persevere, endure, and rejoice.
Well the first campers arrived about a week ago, and to be honest, this has been a grueling week. Over 200 kids signed up, and we had some Chinese volunteers come and help, but after a few days some of them decided to leave. Apparently the word volunteer doesnt translate well into Chinese. Being short staffed has really made me realize that Im not the patient, calm person I thought I was. The Lord definitely is revealing my complete depravity to me more and more, and how I need to rely on myself less and less, as I just make a mess of things on my own.
So imagine, over 200 Chinese kids between 8-14, all of whom are from the one child only generation (meaning they have precious little emperor/empress syndrome) and have never been away from their mums & dads a day in their lives. Talk about wound up. The vast majority of the boys did not sleep a wink the first night, nor did I or any of the other counselors. The cool part is we get to sleep in yurts; a sort of Mongolian tent like enclosure (see pics). But these kids are wild, and it really made me think about when I was their age. Was I like that? Maybe. Probably. If I was, sorry Mom, Dad, and any camp counselors I may have annoyed. On one hand, encountering cultural differences can be frustrating, awkward, and downright annoying. On the other hand, if I came here and it was exactly like the US, that would be even more lame. So one has to learn to appreciate the differences, take them with a grain of salt, and grow from the lessons learned, as opposed to just giving up. Plus my Chinese is quickly improving, and Ive mastered how to say "quiet, go to bed, listen to me, and shut up in their native tongue, as well as many other key words and phrases. The one phrase I refuse to embrace is: Oh my Lady Gaga. One of the FIRST things they learn in English is Oh my G*d. Sigh..yes its sad but true. And since the conquerors of the American pop scene usually trickle over to China, Lady Gaga is literally blowin up here. I dont really know her music that well, but Im sure its mega uber pop, and the Chinese kids have started the latest fad phrase with Oh my Lady Gaga. All I can do is laugh. And laugh some more. Despite the times and trials, my time here has been good, and Ive made some great new friends. Theres John and Mary (older couple who started and run the camp) and 2 other Americans, Tyler & Kelsey, who are here for the summer, also very crazy cool brothers and sisters. A group from Tianjin came for this first of two, twelve day camps, to help us out with activities. Their group includes several more Americans, Koreans, and other cool Chinese people, and they have been a huge blessing. We are hoping the next 12 day camp, which starts June 28, will only have around 50 students, especially because the Tianjin group will be gone then. Its truly been a fly by the seat of your pants week, which is very standard in China. There is seldom order or much planning, and sometimes that just works. But it can also make a person like me lazy and complacent, so we try to plan the best we can. None of us knew what we were getting into with this many kids, but were doing our best. But if one is not flexible when they come to China, they will be in for a major trial. One of the biggest things I still struggle with to this day is the lack of the get in line concept. Its usually just a free for all, and chaos ensuesgood fun, and somehow, it just works. Organized chaos I call it. The questions us foreigners always want to ask is Why do you do it that way? To which the response is always No why. So now when I think to myself, why? I just dismiss it from my mind immediately, as I will never know, so theres no point to think about it. Chalk it up to cultural differences maybe? Example: Saturday and Sunday were sports days from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. My station was Frisbee, and every hour a new group would come. I was teaching one group of kids how to catch the Frisbee. At camp, we have a giant grass field, probably 200 feet by 600 feet, plenty of room for many activities at once, and then some. I had my kids line up, run out about 15 feet and I would throw one of my six Frisbees to them, and they would come running back while the next kid went, and so on, very rapidly. While we were practicing, they were getting better and faster, and then this older Chinese woman came walking up, slowly of course. The whole time the kids were running back and forth and I was throwing, it was clear we were using this small section of the field with intensity. Without a care in the world, she decided to walk right in between the 15 foot section from where I was standing with the kids, and the other kids who are running out to catch, rendering my activity momentarily useless. She took her time, walked through, while we stopped and waited, and she seemed to have no clue that we were playing a game, though I dont know how she couldnt. I asked myself, why? Then I remembered the rule I made for myself. Then I disobeyed my rule and came up with the theory that maybe the elder Chinese have a free pass to do whatever they please. Not sure how I can test my hypothesis though, nor would it be worthwhile. This type of thing has happened to me on numerous occasions doing activities here. I guess I cant blame them for their curiosity, but where does cultural difference stop, and common sense begin? This is why I love China. But to be honest, I must submit that every culture, and person for that matter, has its moments; none is better or worse, just different.
Our days have been super busy, and finding alone time is literally impossible, something Ive really struggled with. Please lift me up in this, as Im feeling a bit distant from the Father. Getting up early is hard, especially because my kids take awhile to settle down and get to sleep, I still manage to get up around 6-6:30, grab a quick shower and head to group devotions with the Americans. Then we have a teachers meeting, breakfast, class until 10:30, then I get a break while the Tianjin takes the kids for activities until lunch. Then after lunch, my favorite Chinese invention: the xiuxi (pronounced She-oh-she). Xiuxi is, more or less, national naptime until 2:00pm. This is standard throughout the country, and classes are never scheduled at this time, and workers of all occupations usually have this break as well, unless you run a restaurant and have to cook through the xiuxi time. At 2:00pm its English class again until 4:00, then free time until dinner. After dinner we have activities ranging from movies, hiking and bonfires. We also started river rafting this week, which was a great time, especially at the end when we all through each other in the river.
Weve already seen a lot of cool things happening here, lots of chances to chat and share our lives with the people weve encountered, and I know it will only get better. Some people have begun reading the Word and weve had loads of chances to sing, do skits, and shine a little light over here in China. Please lift them up. Please also ask that we may be well rested, energized, focused and unified. I know something big will happen this summer, and is already happening. The day before camp started last week, we were invited to a middle school to be guests of honor for a program they prepared. They changed the date of it twice, just to accommodate us foreigners coming. The school is about 5000+ students, and we walked in and had special seating as guests of honor right up front. They put on a really cool talent show, lots of skits and lip-synching songs, and some real singing too. It was one of those surreal moments in China again, where I thought to myself how crazy it is to be here. We watched as several students sang Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and of course, Lady Gaga. The best was one group of kids who did a rendition of Rammsteins famous tune, Du Hast, which means You Hate in Ge
rman. It was funny because they had guitars and keyboards, but you could barely hear them over the playback of the actual song, so it was more or less lip-synched. Ive never seen a Goth Chinese kid before, but he was all decked out in his white make-up and Cannibal Corpse T-shirt. A little Chinese metal head. I was shocked simply because 99% of the Chinese youth listen strictly to pop music, and they all know the exact same songs. Even most interesting was that one of the biggest groups to perform, probably 100+ kids, sang He Knows My Name, which I wasnt too familiar with, but the subject of the song was crystal clear. There is definitely some cool things happening up here in Inner Mongolia. His hand is evident, despite the trials, or perhaps because of them, as we continue to immerse ourselves in this Chinese subculture. The life of the people here doesnt seem to have changed a lot over the centuries, but its fascinating nonetheless. Herding, farming, and villages abound. I was fortunate to run across a rather concise book about the history of Genghis Kahn before I headed up here on the train. Its really quite amazing how much the 13th century Mongols have effected ALL modern cultures. Genghis Kahn established foreign trade, religious freedom, and ensured the protection and safety of millions of his followers. Some of the methods they used and things they did were rather cruel by todays standards, but Genghis Kahn, aka Temujin, was really brilliant despite his acts; centuries ahead of his time. The Mongols conquered more land and more people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400, and created the biggest empire the world has ever known. Not bad for an illiterate herdsman. And reading about the steppe life, it gives me a greater appreciation, and almost a sense of tranquility when I look out at the hills of rolling grass, knowing Genghis Kahn himself likely roamed these areas at some point. If anyone is interested, I would highly recommend the book, if for no other reason than just to know how many things he did, politically, economically, etc, came to shape the modern world.
The weather is dry and cool instead of hot and muggy; the mosquitoes have subsided some. Weve had lots of opportunities already to show and share; thank you Lrd for hearing, and answering our prayrs! Supper time, signing out.
