From China with Love...

My friend Andrew Gyure is in China visiting some orphans north of Beijing on Yalu river over the border from North Korea.  Andy is such a talented writer and traveller that I thought you'd want to eavesdrop on this letter.


Ni hao everyone!

Internet access has been very limited so it's been hard to send any updates before now.  This could be my only one.  We are in the countryside and the living is very primitive by our standards.  The internet goes on and off but mostly it's off.  The electricity constantly goes on and off too.  There have been torrential rain storms for the last 5 days and the lightning is always knocking out the power.   But even when there is no rain, the utilities are far from dependable.  A few days ago I had composed a multiple-paragraph email to you when all of a sudden ... C R A A A A C K!  Lightning knocked the computer out and I lost the entire message.

Upon exiting baggage claim at the Shenyang Airport, I had expected to head for the taxi stand to catch a ride to the train station for my 3 hour journey to the children's home in Dandong.  Instead, I was greeted by a gracious-looking Asian woman wearing a straw hat festooned with ribbons and a flowing scarf (picture an Asian version of Mary Poppins) surrounded by 6 precious children all screaming "Wo men wan ying ni qu Zhong Guo!" (We Welcome You to China!)  It was Kay Lee, Director of the Fengcheng Children's Home.  She and the kids decided to surprise me by picking me up at the airport!  Before I could say "kung pao chicken" two of the older kids whisked my bags out to a waiting van and off we went on the first adventure -- a visit to the Shenyang General Hospital.  One of the kids who recently had an operation for cleft pallet was getting a check up.  What an experience -- if you think the ER's are overcrowded and understaffed in the U.S., you should have seen this place!

I am truly loving and savoring the interaction with the children -- it makes bearing the adverse living conditions worth it.  I am staying in a small (7' x 10') quarter meant for staff.  My next door "neighbor" is the gardener/maintenance man.  There aren't enough descriptive words in my vocabulary to describe the horrendous bathroom I share with him.  Only scalding hot water barely trickles out of the shower head.  The toilet is typical Chinese -- a basin in the floor.  You squat and do your business and hope to God the thing flushes when you pull the string connected to the water tank.  Most of the time it does not flush and you have to use a bucket of water to force your waste down the hole.  There is a small tear in the screen in my window, and with the rain storms, mosquitos have been a BIG problem as are flies.  After racking up no less than 15 mosquito bites, I finally went to town and bought a mosquito net.  Other than the frequent rain, weather has not been as bad as I expected.  It's actually been cool enough to sleep fairly well.  (Thanks for your prayers!)  If only it weren't for the Chinese pillows -- they are like sleeping on a sack of rice, in fact, I'll bet that's exactly what is under the scratchy pillowcase!

I've been teaching the children American folksongs, helping them to practice English and just playing and hanging out with them.  I am also teaching them how to email and use the internet.  If I can find the ingredients at the local store, I want to make chocolate chip cookies one night.  I also took them hiking on the far eastern terminus of the Great Wall which is only 20 miles from here. The bad weather has forced us inside much of the time, but we have been able to shoot baskets and play badminton two or three times.  I also held a "movie night" with Chinese Jet Li DVD's and microwave popcorn -- they had never seen microwave popcorn before!  (I brought it from home-- it's not sold in the markets here.)  The older boys love to just wrestle and engage in all kinds of  horseplay.  Either I overestimated their ability to speak English or mine to speak Mandarin (or a combination of both), but there is more of a communication gap than I thought there would be.  Most of them are "special ed" kids and far behind the other Chinese children their age who can speak English very well.  It didn't take long for me to realize I have ALOT more Mandarin to learn before I can truly communicate well with the Chinese people.  Just knowing the conversational "basics" doesn't really cut it.  But it doesn't take knowing Mandarin to communicate the love of Christ -- I can tell that a smile, a warm hug, my undivided attention and my presence here goes a long way with these children.

The home is run entirely on biblical principles.  The kids spend 6:30 - 7:15 every morning reading their bibles.  We painted a mural of the story of Noah's Ark on one of the walls in the house.  Some of the children grow their own vegetables on the premises; the home actually pays them for what they harvest and then incorporates the produce into the children's meals, thereby teaching them the value of money.  There is a darling little place called "The King's Cafe" where guests and volunteers can relax and hang out and receive their meals.  It doubles as a training ground for 3 of the children with special needs so they learn aspects of good restaurant service-- right down to presenting a check with a mint!  The hope is that one day they can get jobs in the hospitality industry (which is flourishing in China) and thereby contribute to society and earn a living.  One of the things I've been asked to do, given my hotel background, is to teach them some principles of good customer service.  I've conducted 2 "classes" so far, also incorporating some scriptural elements of service and servanthood.  The training was very well received.

The food has been better than I expected and very healthy.  Lots of egg, vegetable and noodle dishes.  And spicy pickled vegetables, an influence from neighboring Korea.  Sometimes something special like meat and vegetable stuffed steamed buns and boiled dumplings.  I'm trying not to offend the ladies in the kitchen by not eating white rice (my doctor has outlawed it for weight loss purposes.)  They give me a baffled look when I pass the rice bowl by as it is, of course, the staple of their diet.  The boys must eat 4 huge bowls with every meal.  I don't know where they put it all!

One of the best aspects of being here is that believe it or not, there is a wonderful little Christian church just up the hill.  The children routinely scamper up there for rehearsals, classes and services. Compared to the other buildings in this area, it is quite modern and comfortable. It is what is known as a "Three-Self" Church, or one of the government-sanctioned and approved Protestant churches in China.  "Three self" refers to the three principles of self-governance, self-support (i.e., financial independence from foreigners) and self-propagation (i.e., indigenous missionary work.)  Governmental influence over Three-Self churches varies widely from city to city and province to province.  I am told the one here has very little regulation or interference from the government.  The church is so close that, during my first 4 nights here, I was actually lulled to sleep by the sweet strains of their choir, practicing their hearts out for an annual praise and worship service that took place this past Sunday night, which I was prvileged to attend.  What a joy to see a place filled to the rafters with Chinese Christians worshipping authentically and with great excitement.  They have a 20-member choir, a praise band, even words to the songs projected on a screen, just like home!  The lady that runs the children's home knows the pastor well and is trying to arrange with the pastor for me to sing "How Great Thou Art" in Mandarin in front of the entire church this coming Sunday!

I have spent one day playing "tourist" in the city of Dandong, walking the "broken bridge" between China and North Korea; "broken" because the American troops bombed it during the Korean War.  (So you can walk halfway across only.)  The contrast between the North Korean and Chinese shoreline of the river is amazing.  Dandong has high rise buildings and a thriving tourist wharf buzzing with activity while North Korea has one or two ramshackle buildings.  Interestingly, the North Korean side also has a ferris wheel -- most likely a facade to make it appear that people have happy lives there.  Word has it no one in Dandong has ever seen the ferris wheel turning.   I got talked into sharing a speedboat ride on the Yalu River with a group of tourists from Singapore -- there were 5 of them plus me.  Before I knew it, to my horror and distress, the captain had us across the river and hugging the North Korean shoreline.  I was shocked that he took us over the border into North Korean waters and protested vigorously.  I kept ducking down to hide my caucasian face thinking that shots could ring out at any second.  (There was no visible military presence at all, but you never know.) The driver kept telling me "it's OK, it's OK", but I insisted he get us out of there immediately.  We were close enough to see people riding bicycles and harvesting crops!  All I could keep thinking about is the whole thing blowing into an international incident and having to explain to Hillary Clinton what the hell I was doing on that boat.

I also explored a very raw and gritty country marketplace featuring meat, seafood and produce. Ducks were being beheaded right in front of me, live giant crickets were writhing in huge bowls destiined to become someone's next meal, and wrinlkly-faced women pounded out thin Chinese pancakes and sold them 20 for 25 cents.  There are not many Western tourists here, if any, so a 6'3" blue-eyed caucasian draws lots of stares and curiosity.  I must have posed for a dozen different pictures while looking around there.

I just heard thunder which means lightning can't be far away, so I had better hit "send" before I lose this entire message too!

Please pray for my mom while I'm away, so far she's doing fine and I'd love to keep it that way!

Love,

Andrew



God's Speed Andrew!
      

Have it YAH-WEH at Burger King!

1st Peter 3:15  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...


Last week after a long morning, I had a couple of encounters with God.  I was able to provide the funds for immunization shots for a student going to Haiti.  It gave me great pleasure to see this process through.  Seeing his face and joy was worth the money provided.  


After that meeting I went to lunch.  I started off for Chik-fil-a, and as I entered the parking lot I remembered that it was Chicken Sandwich Monday at Burger King.  I turned around and drove a short distance there.  I enjoyed a Chicken sandwich combo for $2.99.  While staring away into space, I was thinking about our gifts of the Holy Spirit class taught by Cisco.  I was just wondering if God was only going to use a gift a giving that some people saw in me.  


Kind of startled, I looked up and saw a man standing next to my booth looking at me.  I said, "hi."  He looked at me intently and said, "You look like you have a lot of peace. Can you tell me how to have that?"  I smiled, and gave God a little chuckle in my head thinking, "So, you are just going to throw one in my lap!"  I motioned with my hand for the gentleman to have a seat.  Some doubts quickly shot through my head.  I asked him if he wanted a burger, his reply, "no".  I asked him if he needed a bus pass or ride, his reply, "no".  I responded, "Tell me your story."  He had gone through a divorce, and was having some financial issues related to that surface.  He was concerned about his image, since he was missing his upper dentures.  He confessed his culpability in the failure of his marriage, and some current issues with drugs he was working out with a 12-step program.  He was really concerned about his past sins and failures. I asked him if he knew Jesus as his Savior.  He said sure, but didn't seem confident.  I asked him "Why would Jesus let you in heaven?"  He seemed perplexed at the question.  He grimaced and said, "'Cause I try hard!?"  I let him know that he could have confidence in that answer.  I asked him if he wanted to know how.  I shared with him the gospel, reminding him that Jesus was the only way to heaven.  We can do nothing to earn our way.  We have to rely on the sacrifice of Jesus, God's perfect son.  I asked him if he believed that.  He said "Yes."  I told him that Jesus' sacrifice removed his sins as far as the east is from the west. He was happy at that thought.  I am, too!  I also told him that Jesus' sacrifice covers our past, present, and future sins.  "Do you want that for yourself," I asked.  "Do you want to receive Jesus as your Savior for your sins", I asked.  "Yes."  Wow.  First time anyone has said that to me when asking that question.  So, with a big grin and holding his hands, he prayed with me to accept Jesus as his Savior.


He had a big, gaping smile, but, that didn't matter any more.  I bought him a hamburger and fries, and agreed to meet for a service later that week at The Rock.


God seemed to be saying to me, "I can use you however I wish."  Just be obedient.


So, be ready, with the reason for your hope.  You never know when you will need it.

Beginning a good work...

So, this is a blog?!  I'm more of a Facebook person with it's faster pace and sniper style.  The title comes from my current Scripture Life verse, Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;".
God is transforming me daily to what He wants me to be.  No, He's not done, and won't be for a long time.  The following posts will be about this transformation.  Hopefully, the work you see being done in me will spark a work in your own life.  See you around....