China 2011 Travel Blog

And up and down and up and down...

Today was certainly a day of many learnings. We have definitly left the glitter and lights of Hong Kong for rural China, a rare experience for Westerners. Nothing here is familiar - food, houses, roads, towns, driving, churches, language... all new and strange. This morning after a delicious breakfast of various new kinds of food, we traveled for an hour on the bumpiest road ever to church. There are many things that we take for granted living in the US, and good roads are one of them. When we arrived we were warmly welcomed and had our first experience with a truly Chinese toilet. Let's just say, major bonding moment. 

The church itself was very large and full of old style desks, nearly every one of which was full. We later learned that there were approximately 1000 people there. We were introduced by Peter Shen to a warm reception, and we later sang "Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart" during the offering time. It was very cold.

Afterwards we were treated to a "hot pot" lunch, which was extra delicious. Unfortunatly after lunch Gwen was feeling ill so we went back to the hotel. During our stay at the church, I had taken a misstep and took this opportuntly to check my foot, and it looked a bit swollen. I'm fine now, and my foot feels much better, but not before my first (and hopefully last) experience in a Chinese hospital where no one spoke English. But, as I said, I'm fine, thanks to the help of a wonderful lady pastor, and Gwen is feeling better.

For dinner we ordered in and were treated to some New Year's treats, including sweet soup and sweet rice. The food here is fabulous!