As I write this Tuesday entry it is 4 am and I have been awake for about an hour. I am beyond tired but not the least bit sleepy and unable to sleep. It has been so long since I have had a good night of solid sleep that I have forgotten what it is like. It seems that normal for me is to be dead tired.
Tuesday was not what we had expected. Several days ago we were asked if we wanted to go with a team from the coffee shop to a cultural event in celebration of the fall holiday. We thought it would be a learning experience, but little did we know that we would be in a parade and would be interviewed for a TV program. Being in an event like this as an American makes a big statement to them that we support China. At the beginning of the event we had to line up in straight lines to listen to a few speeches. Our team leader gave us a summary of each speech so that we would know what was going on.
After the speeches came a three mile march to different sites. There were more people behind us that in front of us on this march as we stretched out for about a mile.
We passed through a park with exhibits of stone and pottery.
We ended up at a historical gate.
From the gate we went to find a bus to take us back home and lunch. After lunch Mike and I had a meeting with my city team leader in which we discussed my future here in Wuhan. I will have more on that later as the picture becomes clearer. At this point pray much for me.
After the meeting, Jiajing’s parents along with Jiajing’s cousin, who spoke English, came to my apartment with gifts for Mike, Connie, Donna, and me. They also brought a piece of luggage for Mike to take back to the states for Jiajing. Their act of kindness to us was very real and sincere and appreciated. There is no question about our acceptance into their family. Their act of kindness had a big impact on Mike and is causing him to do some deep thinking. He now understands how difficult my future decisions are going to be. I do not know where the road leads that I currently find myself on. I would like to pull over to a rest stop and look at a map, but I can’t seem to find either the rest stop or a map. This is for me a life defining time and I don’t know how it will turn out. I pray I don’t have an accident along the way by making a wrong decision. This is why prayer is so important.
After a relaxed time with Jiajing’s parents, Mike and I went to the coffee shop to eat a sandwich and see if one of my students was going to come to talk with Mike about financial things. She came and they had a great talk and decided to stay in touch by email.
Tuesday was not what we had expected. Several days ago we were asked if we wanted to go with a team from the coffee shop to a cultural event in celebration of the fall holiday. We thought it would be a learning experience, but little did we know that we would be in a parade and would be interviewed for a TV program. Being in an event like this as an American makes a big statement to them that we support China. At the beginning of the event we had to line up in straight lines to listen to a few speeches. Our team leader gave us a summary of each speech so that we would know what was going on.
After the speeches came a three mile march to different sites. There were more people behind us that in front of us on this march as we stretched out for about a mile.
We passed through a park with exhibits of stone and pottery.
We ended up at a historical gate.
From the gate we went to find a bus to take us back home and lunch. After lunch Mike and I had a meeting with my city team leader in which we discussed my future here in Wuhan. I will have more on that later as the picture becomes clearer. At this point pray much for me.
After the meeting, Jiajing’s parents along with Jiajing’s cousin, who spoke English, came to my apartment with gifts for Mike, Connie, Donna, and me. They also brought a piece of luggage for Mike to take back to the states for Jiajing. Their act of kindness to us was very real and sincere and appreciated. There is no question about our acceptance into their family. Their act of kindness had a big impact on Mike and is causing him to do some deep thinking. He now understands how difficult my future decisions are going to be. I do not know where the road leads that I currently find myself on. I would like to pull over to a rest stop and look at a map, but I can’t seem to find either the rest stop or a map. This is for me a life defining time and I don’t know how it will turn out. I pray I don’t have an accident along the way by making a wrong decision. This is why prayer is so important.
After a relaxed time with Jiajing’s parents, Mike and I went to the coffee shop to eat a sandwich and see if one of my students was going to come to talk with Mike about financial things. She came and they had a great talk and decided to stay in touch by email.
