I Love This Place!!!

 I LOVE CHINA!!!  Can I just say that a thousand times, and shout it from the rooftops? Of course I have a special connection to China because it is the homeland of my two daughters, but it is something else.  I haven't quite figured it out yet, but it is so wonderful to be back. 

Noelle and I both slept great last night.  So, we are doing well with the time change.  We were both startled by our wake up call this morning.  We grabbed a quick breakfast, then headed out with Angela to give Noelle a whirlwind tour of Beijing. 

 We took a rickshaw tour this morning.  We visited the home of a local family, and saw how they lived.  She told us lots of the local customs, and let us tour her home.  It was very neat to see and learn about.  Noelle and I both decided we would never complain about the size of our kitchen again.

 After the rickshaw tour, we went to lunch.  Angela ordered us all kinds of food.  We laughed at her quite a bit when she ordered us a bacon dish.  When it came out to the table, she said, "Here is the bacon, and a very special vegetable underneath."  Of course we probed her about the "special vegetable" and she never would tell us what it was.  I can tell you though, that it didn't look like a vegetable.  The large tower in the picture is actually potatoes.  They are covered in honey and fried.  They were a tasty treat that I never would have expected.

 The highlight of the day was definitely the Great Wall.  When we got there, I thought I would be riding up in the cable car like I did last time.  If you have heard Paul or I tell the story, I thought I was going to die in the cable car.  You should have seen my eyes when I realized we were not riding in a cable car, we were riding on the "cableway."  That is a fancy name for a ski lift that is 300 feet off the ground. I tried so hard to be brave, so I hopped right on, only to quickly close my eyes and start praying.  Praise the Lord, we made it to the top.

Once we got to the top, we realized just how humid it really was.  I have only ever felt that kind of humidity in Mexico.  We ventured out through 8 watch towers, catching our breath with the breezes that blow through each one.  Once we got back to the cableway drop off, then the real fun was to begin.

At the top of my bucket list has been bobsledding down the Great Wall.  This time, we were able to go.  It was so much fun!!!  I loved every second of it.  If it wasn't for the cableway, I would have gone right back up and done it again.  However, I figured that I needed to thank the Lord for safely delivering me to the top once, and I didn't need to push it.

I need my prayer warriors to begin praying for camp this next week.  Please pray for the campers and translators. I feel so blessed to get to be a part of something so special.  Pray that Noelle and I will be ready for whatever challenges come our way, and that we would continually show grace and mercy to those around us.