Today we went to the Beijing Christian Fellowship church. We had to show our passports that we were foreigners to get in and then we mistakenly went upstairs to the Mandarin service. We recognize "We bring the sacrifice of praise" took communion and then realized there was an English speaking church meeting in a downstairs auditorium. Whoops. We worshiped with them and took communion with them as well.
Some thoughts about that. . . it is interesting that China has freedom of religion but you have to show your passport to get in. . . God is not contained in a building. . . being western does not make you Christian. . . I love the Lord and am glad to worship him where ever I am. . . even in another language if I happen to be in the wrong place :)
We went to another tour and swoop place. This time for jade. It is very beautiful but very expensive even in the government shops. A woman wears a jade bracelet on her left wrist it is good for the heart, keeping you from cancer, and means longevity. It is really fun to have government store workers speak "Chenglish" as they tell us all about their wares.
We went to lunch and a little bit of shopping at the Friendship store. And then to the Great Wall of China. We hiked to the first tower in 15 minutes--maybe we should have paced ourselves because once we hiked up there we were done. Craig would have gone on but the rest of us were ready to head down. I think if the Great Wall was in USA it would not be open to the public. Ever step has a different depth and height, the stones are warn in places and the mortar is higher than the stones in some places. It is a lawsuit waiting to happen! The spot we went was in the mountains and is so much more than pictures can capture. Craig and I were standing there in awe that we could be at the Great Wall and the kids were running back to get on the bus--I am not sure they realized what the big deal was.
Tomorrow we get Luke. . . I have some fears still but the excitement is winning over. We get up early to travel to Nanjing (2 hour plane trip), settle into our hotel there and then go to pick him up. I have no idea what this will be like so I am keeping my expectations to a minimum and going to go with the flow. We travel with another family who is adopting a little boy and have a 4 year old little girl (Chinese). It will be nice to have someone with us who has done this before.
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5 comments:
I am so excited and nervous for you. I can't imagine the antcipation for all of you. May God give you peace and patients these next few day. Love you all. Roni
As I am reading your blog this morning on Sunday 9am, just before leaving for church my stomach has such butterflies. I am in awe of your journey! God is so great and I am so proud of all of you! You are a blessed family and I know the Lord is guiding your every step.
We are praying for your hearts, nerves, minds and everything else inbetween. God knows your plan and will guide both your family and your new son Luke.
Thank you again for giving us a little taste of what you are going through!
We love you and continue to pray for your adventure!
The Smith's
When you get home tell Ben I want to have my picture taken with him. I like to pet his head, but I have always wanted to pet Craig's head too. Be sure to show Luke pictures of me to help in the transition. Have a great day. I am Very Excited for you.
I am praying for you! So exciting and what a blessing:) Can't wait to hear about the meeting.
I love to hear Craig's and Shar's "perspective". What are the chances of getting the perspectives of the other three travelers?
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