Cheryl's New Moves

Every time I get on the subway, I think about the New Moves that I have learned here. These are the new moves I have learned from living in the big city of Beijing.

1) Subway Sequence – when we go through the subway, we take off our backpacks to send them through the security scanner. As I take off my backpack, I also take off my lightweight jacket. By the time my bag comes out of the scanner, I have my jacket off. The subway is warm and packed so it’s often too hot for a jacket inside the train.

      2) Subway Swipe – how to swipe the subway card upon entering and exiting the subway station. This one is easy, as long as the machine works and the card has money on it.

     3) Subway Surfing – how to stand in the subway when I can’t hold on. I spread my feet apart and bend my knees like on a surfboard so that when the train comes to a jerking halt, I don’t fall over. Sometimes that’s not an issue when we are packed in like sardines. There is no room to fall.

     4) Subway Shuffle – how to shuffle my feet inch by inch to exit the train with all the other people. There is no room to pick up my feet when we all leave the train as a pack. 

     The joys of riding one of the world's busiest subway systems. In fact, I hear that one of the stations that we pass on the way to school made news on YouTube. Check out Xi'erqi Station.

Praise

Today we picked up our passports with our new visas from the Public Service Bureau. We submitted the paperwork for the visas through our school shortly after we arrived, 7 ½ weeks ago. Now we can legally stay in the country until the beginning of June 2014. Rejoice with us.

Like many situations here, this visa process tested our patience and trust in the Lord. Communication with officials at times was difficult. At times, Mark especially stressed over the slowness of the process and the potential of being here ‘illegally’. Most people told us that as long as the officials had our passports and the visas were in process, everything was ok. However, I must say, I felt very happy to have them back in my hands today.  The Lord is good in all He does, even when He makes us wait.

Glimpses (Mark)

A quick sketch of the week:

I was so glad to have Rodney Andersen preach in my place this past Sunday. I have been struggling with a sore throat since last Tuesday. It is helpful to hear the Word preached, and not always be the one preaching. Sunday night we shared the Gospel over the course of four hours with a NC in our apartment. It wasn’t our intent, but the conversation turned so natural to it over time.

On Monday we had a tremendous lunch with church members in their apartment.  Our friends J & M and their three beautiful children provided such encouragemen to us in our time together. J & M live on the high school campus where J teaches math. M’s mom is in town for some time from Sichuan province; she is so young-looking I thought she was M’s jiejie (older sister).  JThe children made cupcakes for us, which made us feel like royalty, even if we were on a high school campus.

Also on Monday night we had dinner with “A” at Pizza Hut. “A” is a 4^th generation ABC (American born Chinese) who grew up in Hawaii, attended a major mid-west American university on an instrumental scholarship, and was converted in his freshman year at college. His first time at a college Christian event he heard a message on John 3:16. He had heard it before, but something changed that night. He wrote on a response card, “I will live for God.” He came to Beijing in the fall of 2010 with the intent of one semester of Chinese study. After a month he connected with the CC, and has been discipling CB ever since. Currently he lives with 5-6 other CB. He supports himself by teaching English to other Chinese nationals. “A” has plans to live and minister in China indefinitely. We talked about Jim Elliott’s quote: “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” His life verses are Romans 5:7-8. Please pray for him.

On Tuesday (yesterday) we met with one of our faithful servants in the church. He treated us to lunch at a beautiful restaurant near Ritan Park in Beijing’s embassy district, but only after a discouraging “taxi” experience. Our taxi took 20 minutes to take us on what should have been a 5-minute trip. Whether intentional or unintentional I have forgiven him, but it took a healthy dose of 1 John for me to pour out the bitterness I felt toward him over the course of 6-7 hours. Boy, does this cross-cultural experience reveal how much I need the Gospel!

Today has several great surprises. First, on the way to school this morning we found ourselves riding with “Jennifer.” She is a first year student whom we have met on the subway previously. She is living with her older boyfriend, who she describes as an ISO software engineer. We began to talk about language learning (she is learning Japanese so she can relate to a client) over the course of our talk.  She even mentioned she had used Google Translate for Spanish. Of course, then I began to talk about Spanish (Yo soy el pan de vida or “I am the Bread of Life”) and how Jesus had seven “yo soys” (I Am’s) in the Bible – specifically in John’s Gospel. We remembered six on the subway L. She, plus 3 or 4 around her, were listening intently. Jennifer is willing to have a meal together, but she said several times, “Wo hen mang! Wo hen, hen mang!” I am busy! I am very, very busy!

Later today we got on the subway for our trip home. I found four women staring at me and whispering under their breath. They were smiling and appeared friendly, so I asked – Nimen shi pengyou (“Are you all friends?”). We talked for ten minutes or so, laughing the whole time. They were from Inner Mongolia (part of China) and were on day 2 of a 10-trip to the capital. They could not have been more thoughtful or interested in my life. They were overjoyed at the news we had four children. I should have given them a business card. In the midst of the conversation, a lady sitting with her 3-year old daughter helped me speak Chinese with my four new Mongolian friends. As we were about to get off in the course of 30 seconds this is the conversation which transpired: “Me: You speak great English. Her: I lived in the US for thirteen years. Me: Where? Her: Near Atlanta. Me: That’s funny. My wife and I live 2 ½ hours from Atlanta in Greenville, SC – right up I-85. Her: My husband and I went to Clemson University. We met there. He is from Beijing; I am from Chengdu. Me: No way! My wife and I also went to Clemson, and we have two sons there currently. Me: What was your major? Her: I got a master’s in Applied Economics in 2001. Talk about small worlds! Ray and Brandi are now in Shanghai after thirteen years in the U.S.  I gave Brandi my business card with the hope that we can meet up again.

  

Lama Temple - Part II

Psalm 115 

¹Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
    for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

² Why should the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”
³ Our God is in the heavens;
    he does all that he pleases.

⁴ Their idols are silver and gold,
    the work of human hands.
⁵ They have mouths, but do not speak;
    eyes, but do not see.
⁶ They have ears, but do not hear;
    noses, but do not smell.
⁷ They have hands, but do not feel;
    feet, but do not walk;
    and they do not make a sound in their throat.
⁸ Those who make them become like them;
    so do all who trust in them.

The top of an 80' Buddha carved out of a single piece of Tibetan sandalwood.

The bottom of the 80' Buddha

Lama Temple - Part I

After the winds came through and cleared out the air, we did some sightseeing this past Thursday. We visited the Lama Temple at Yonghegong.  “Beijing’s most spectacular place of worship is also the most famous Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. It has five main halls, as well as some stunning statuary.” (Top 10 Beijing, p. 16) And stunning architecture! Building work on the Yonghegong Temple started in 1694.

Exodus 20:1-6

And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

A few of the many shops lining the street to the Lama Temple
that sell incense.

The entrance gate to the temple area

The beautiful entrance way to the temple area
after entering through the gate

Entering the temple area

Buddha worshipers

Tourists spinning the prayer wheel

Gift shop

Gift shop

Invisible; Forty Four (Mark)

Invisible – that is how we have been on the blogosphere  in the last couple of weeks. We have failed to blog much lately. We are very busy on this end. I am inspired as I watch my wife blog on the couch next to me, twenty nine floors (yes, still a 33^rd floor apartment) above the streets of northern Beijing. Today we talked with our son James back in the States. He is just beginning his Fall break from school in his junior year. Where has all the time gone?

Forty four – that is the paltry number of days my bride and I have logged in this great and ancient nation since our arrival. Cheryl and I have now been six weeks in Beijing.  Much is coming easier; other things are more difficult. For example, we can navigate the subway system and use simple Mandarin (Chinese) phrases as we walk, travel, shop, and interact with Chinese. But little things are getting on my nerves. They are revealing my biases, prejudice, pettiness, lack of love, and sinfulness. The problem is not others, it is me. Period. Language learning will stir up almost every grain of pride in your soul. And my response to another culture reminds me that I need that Gospel of Jesus which can redeem those from all cultures. But I need the Gospel and its power – and badly. That is a clear takeaway through the first si shi si tian (44 days) in Beijing.

We are also getting to know our fellow students at our language school and those involved with Beijing Baptist Church. Both are a real joy. At school I have met others from England, Japan, Australia, France, Russia, China, Germany, Libya, and Guinea-Bissau. In fact, this week I lunch with Mateo (sp?) from Libya and a friend “P” from the States. Mateo must return to Libya every several months and speak to a judge about his immigration status. He mentioned that some of his money in his account has been confiscated by his government. At the beginning of our 11 RMB meal together ($1.80/person for curried chicken over rice) my friend P gave thanks for our food. I have never prayed with a Muslim before that moment. Please pray for him…

At our church (BBC) we have members and attenders from England, Scotland, Australia, France, India, Philippines, Cameroon, Ghana, South Korea, Hungary, Singapore, South Africa, and the U.S. There might be more, but that is all I can remember now. I know this – they are a joy to lead and pastor. I think this is known as “on the job training.” We may all speak English, but we are culturally quite different. That is actually a celebration point. Where Paul writes to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2 that “For he (i.e. Christ) himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility….that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility (Eph. 2:14-16).” We are just learning that this type of spiritual unity between those from different cultures requires love, time, prayer, communication, and faith. But it is mainly a work of the Spirit.

Fresh Chicken for Dinner

On our way home from school, we often buy produce from a local street vendor set up near a street intersection. Although I didn't get pictures of the produce stand, I did catch the following scene. Fresh chicken for dinner. Yumm.