Answering the call...

Heading out!

2010-03-31T05:35:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to hit the road again! I leave for Shanghai in exactly one week--Wed. April 7'th. I hope and pr.y that everything goes well this time around and would appreciate y'all's pr.rs as well. I'll post some pics of my new teaching materials in another day or two. Lr.d willing, there will be more posts and pics this time around.

I'm excited for this fresh, new opportunity to serve and do His will. Even though this is a kind of follow-up appointment, I know HE will do great and wonderful things to further HIS kindgom and bring souls to a new life in HIM. Please remember the little armature "missionary" and the work in China. Thanks everyone for following!

P.S. If you don't have a gmail account and can't comment, don't worry! See my email address on my info page and shoot me a note! I do ask than ALL emails sent to me will be discreet in their content, such as using HE, Father, pr.y, prrs are with you, etc. The emails can and will be scanned by the Chinese gov. No harm will come to me personally, but might to those I'm involved with. Worst comes to worst: I'll be deported; they'll be arrested. But if everybody just sticks to what they're supposed to be doing, every thing's ok. It's not like the gov. is trying to lock up all the Christians or anything like that.

The last few days at NCCC

2009-12-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

I had a class about Thanksgiving! They had never heard the story before, and it was so much fun to tell them! In my heart, it was best class I ever had. They were attentive and active and wanting to hear more.

“So they came to America on this big boat, looking for a new life and an escape from the Evil King of England.”

"Lots and lots of food!"

Take a look at what they were thankful for:

Up there in the right hand corner, one boy wrote,

“Thank you, Sister Faith, for telling us every day to be good children.”

“I'm grateful for God's infinite love.”
(Zhang Xin, 5'th grade)

“Love. This is what God has given to us humans.”

(Zeng Yuan Yuan, 5'th grade)

"I love God"
(Zeng Wen Bing, 5'th grade)

Other answers included,

"I thank the Lord for giving us all our food."

"I'm thankful for God giving us another day."

Little girl: Xiao Bing, 1'st grade

Little boy: Li Yun Fei, 4'th grade

The night before I left, they had a going away party for me which consisted of a bonfire, treats, and their version of karaoke. We set up two tables side by side which served as our stage, and we all had a blast! The kids sang mostly Christian songs, or songs like, “Auld Lang Syne”. It was very sweet and a great way to say goodbye. I gave gifts to all the children that evening, and many of them gave me small gifts and notes before I left.

"Who is better, girls or boys?"
(I think the boys did better, but it sure was close!)

The 9'th graders! They served as "cheerleaders" for the singers!

(Grace, Connie, Jasmine, and Sally...haha!)

(Tang Ai Min and Xiao Yi, roommates in the 7'th grade)

(Li Jian, 7'th grade)

There were tears and hugs and best wishes passed out all around. I love these kids and they love me, and what's most important, most of them love God now too.

I'm back in Tennessee now. I returned last week and am missing my kids a whole lot! It is good to be back, though, and I am looking forward to whatever the Lord has in store for me now. There are still so many more pictures and stories to tell of the children! I am working on a book now, and once that is completed I will post and let you all know. Thanks again for your support and prayers throughout these past few months. Please don't forget about these precious children. They need love and prayers now more then ever. Thanks!

Going for a walk

2009-10-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

Here is how a typical walk for me goes:

I start out with a quiet, responsible kid, then have a half-dozen or so little munchkins follow after us saying, "Faith Jiejie! Faith Jiejie(Sister Faith)! Let us come too!"

So, we start off on a big, wild adventure!

They stop to take a peek in the window to see what some other boys are doing (there's my big, responsible boy I started out with: Dai Shengyou, 7'th grade. He is such a goof for the camera! He had an appendicitis attack last month, but has recovered from the surgery and is doing fine now. He's still a little too thin, though. He likes to come to my room and see if I'll give him any American candy. Considering how thin he is and how well-behaved, I usually give it to him!)

They're messing with a whole bunch of flashlight pieces. I'm not sure if they're taking it apart or trying to put it back together! (the kid on the right in the white shirt is named Noah. He is one of the sweetest kids here and the most well-behaved. He only has one foot (the other was amputated a while back), and hops around our center with a smile on his face. He's such a trooper! You should see him on the badminton court!)

So, we continue down the road....and the little boys see some beautiful flowers on the neighbor's tree...and, yes, they start to pick them! I say, "No, don't do that! I'm not taking you with me next time if you don't listen to me."

But they're just too cute! And then they want to give ME the flowers! (That's Hai Ting(above), our youngest child here. He's 4 1/2 yrs. old and started 1'st grade this year. He's doing very well in school! He's really sweet, but needs to be taught what one should and shouldn't do in public. For instance: one shouldn't just go in the middle of the road, even if it's a country road and you aim right into a puddle. Lesson learned on this walk...)

Here is Zeng Wen Bing, the feistiest kid here! He's in 5'th grade. When I first got here, he was always hitting the other kids and causing trouble. He's much better now, and ridiculously sweet! He gives me thumbs-up and calls me “Sister #1”. He come up to hug me every day, many times a day. His parents both died when he was very young, so he has grown up not knowing the love and security of a family. His older brother is a bit feisty too (he's the other kid playing with the flashlight parts above).

Tuo Tuo caught a frog! How cute...
Tuo Tuo, Hai Ting, and Zeng Wen Bing put together make one exercise of a walk!

But it's all worth it.

It's good.

No, better than that....it's wonderful!

My many roles

2009-10-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, and I really love living here! I don't know any group of people I love more than I love these kids. They are my Chinese family, an we are such a BIG family!

There are over 70 kids living here now. I love them all so dearly, but it is a challenge to help them at times.

Sorry I've not posted for such a long time! It is difficult to get online, and it is hard to blog from China for a number of reasons. Here are a couple roles that my life here consists of:

REFEREE

Here is Jack with a bump on his head given to him from Beth, the girl in the yellow jacket. She whacked him with her shoe because he was teasing her and wouldn't give back the shoe. I'm trying to mend the situation. These two are typically good kids....

MIDDLE SCHOOL TUTOR

Here we are in one of the the reading room where the middle school students do their homework on the weekend. Dai Sheng You needed help with the dictionary.

“Wait, you're asking an American to help you with your Chinese composition? I'm an ENGLISH teacher!” Here I am trying to explain to Grace how to write an outline. She's our best student and plans to go to Harvard one day. She was writing about how China has changed over the years, and she wanted my help.

My favorite thing (and the thing I do most) is teaching the elementary school students. They are here a lot more than the middle school students, so I have a lot of time with them. I have many more pictures and stories, but it is really difficult to get things posted on the blog. I'll keep trying...maybe I'll come up with a newsletter. I'm busy now with teaching the kids not to curse and fight. I'm really upset about their dirty little mouths and mean to do something about it. They are generally good kids, but like all children, they need good direction or they will fail. I do as much or more teaching about living right as I do teaching English. Please keep remembering all of us here. Thanks!

Life here

2009-09-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

This is Jenny. Her English is very good! She's probably the best speaker of all the kids here at NCCC.

(Zhang Meng Lin, 14 yrs old. 9'th grade.)

Life here is going well! I have totally fallen in love with the children here, and most of them seem to like me too! The girls like me to sleep in their rooms, and I have for the past four nights! I like being with them, and it's important to spend as much time with them as I can. The beds here are pretty hard, but I've pretty much gotten used to them. I like it here; it seems that everyone is warm, friendly, and welcoming. I'm making friends with some of the locals. I really like talking with the lady who watches the school gate. She is nice and always asks me to sit down and visit. The English teachers at the local school are great. They come visit me sometimes and invite me to go for walks with them. They have invited me to join their dance class. I don't think I'll be learning how to dance, but it is really nice of them to include me.

Seashore, Noah, Xiao Yin

We three have become good friends. Seashore gave us necklaces that match, so we are now, officially, “一家人” (one family)! I really like these two kids.

(Zhao Feng Long, 17 yrs old. 6'th grade. Zeng Ling Ling, 17 yrs old. College Freshman)

Some Big Girl Pics

2009-09-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

I Love her shirt! She didn't know what it ment, and after I explained that it supported the U.S. Army, she didn't want to weat it anymore, lol! The other girls say that this color is ugly, so nobody wants to wear this shirt now! Liang An Hua, 15 yrs. old, 9'th grade

These two left our center yesterday. They are going to college! I will miss them. Zhang Hai Yu, in the orange shirt, asked me lots of questions about important things before she left. I sent a Gospel of John with her.

Zeng Ling Ling, 17 yrs. Zhang Hai Yu, 20 yrs.

Our Mini-Contortionist

2009-09-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

Xiao Bing (6 yrs. old) is a wonderful, clever, talented young girl with the sweetest smile. She came skipping into our center last week and brought a fresh, new glow to NCCC. She loves to dance and sing, and she is a really wonderful dancer! She has been to dance school and learned a lot there. She's a mini contortionist! She will dance for us sometimes; we all enjoy watching her. She likes to be with people, and whoever she picks to hang out with feels honored. Her smile is so precious. She is one hundred percent cuteness!

I played with her a little bit this morning. I told her not to move while I balanced toys on her side as she lay down. She didn't move, but fell fast asleep! So sweet!

Xiao Bing really needs a lot of love. Her father drowned himself in a river after a fight with his wife, and Xiao Bing's mother and step father do not want her. Her grandfather has been taking care of her, and it's obvious that he cares about her. He lives near our center and has come to visit Xiao Bing every few days.

Please be praying for little Xiao Bing. She needs so much love, and the only love that can last for her whole life is that which comes down from above! She is a precious little bundle of joy! I don't understand why a mother would do what her mother has done...but there are many, many stories just like Xiao Bing's. It hurts so much! I want to hlep these children, but how? I remember what a good friend told me before I left home to come here: "Love never fails!"

Thanks for all your prayers! They are needed and appreciated!

Here at NCCC

2009-08-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is Tuo Tuo, 5 yrs. old. He likes to follow me around and is the most wonderful greeter I've ever had! He lets me give him kisses and even kissed me back once! Like all the other children here, he washes his own clothes. Can you tell? :P

I arrived at the orphanage last week. It seems like such a long time ago since I left the medical mission and headed to Xi'an before coming here. It feels like I haven't seen an American in such a long time! It's been about two weeks since last seeing one in person.

I'm staying in the guest room here, but one night last week I had to stay in the girl's dorm because some other guests spent the night. I enjoyed being with the girls. The original plan was for me to stay in the big girl's room, but I was kidnapped by the younger ones and couldn't free myself from them! I don't know if it made a difference or not to the older girls, but the younger ones sure did want me to stay with them! I took one of the hardest baths I have ever attempted in their bathroom. It wasn't a bath and it wasn't a shower. It was a spicket in the wall about waist-high that poured burning hot water out onto the floor (but most showers in China don't have a stall; they just are open in the middle of the bathroom and drain out from a hole in the floor). There was a big bucket of cool water under the spicket, so I dunked my hair into that to wash it(don't know who used that water earlier or for what they did, but I didn't care -- I was so dirty!) I managed to get clean by using half burning hot water and half cool water in a little plastic bowl. Another interesting thing about their bathroom is that there is no door from the bedroom to the bathroom. You just have to trust that no one will come in, or just not care if they do. There are about 5 toilet holes in the room adjoining the shower room (no doorway and no walls between the holes). I'm glad I have this guest room to myself, but I also like spending time with the girls in there rooms.

THE CHILDREN

So, who would NOT want to spend time with this kid? Dai Li, 7 yrs. old

The children are so sweet! Some just follow me around and do whatever I'm doing. That can be a very good thing, and I like them to be with me, but sometimes a girl needs privacy! I hope God can use me here and that these children will come to know and serve Him. I've have many weird emotions these past few weeks. Maybe that's part of culture shock, but I think it's mainly homesickness (maybe homesickness is a part of culture shock?!?). I was pretty well prepared for everything I've seen so far, but the way of life is much more difficult than in the States.

A couple of the precious, grimy children! Tuo Tuo again and Ma Quan, 6 yrs. old.

WATER!

Esther gave me some apples the other day, and when I went to eat one she told me I'd better wash it first. “What?!?!” I said, “With what? The water coming out of the faucets? It's BROWN it's so filthy! How can I use that clean my apple?” The water here is different at different times and if you let it run long enough, the brownish rusty color fades away for the most part. But it's still pretty nasty. Right now, our water is shut off because the machine used to supply water to us and the local school is broken or something. We hane to go to the river nearby to wash our hair and clothes. We haul buckets of water to the orphanage everyday. It's not really that bad—very good exercise! My only problem is that it is stressful on us, and we need to be careful not to get heat exhaustion. We usually go in the morning or evening when it is cooler. I went out with a half dozen girls this morning to find water to wash our clothes. The first water hole we looked at was murky (sometimes it is clear) and the second one was just as bad. We finally went to one of the local guys who lives on a small, dirty lake and has a faucet that is fed from the lake (I think it is supposed to be filtered). It took us two hours from the time we left to the time we came back with clean clothes. It should have only taken 30-40 min.! Oh, how it makes me appreciate our washing machines back in the States! They are such time savers! I hope I will never waste time again!

The children's definition of washing and my definition is a little different. Some of the children here are “washing” themselves by the river instead of hauling the water back. That kind of shower consists of getting yourself soaking wet but keeping your clothes on because there are local farmers walking around the area. You don't always use soap—just get yourself wet! That's how some of the girls are taking showers right now. The younger children are very dirty most of the time, but I am too. It's just a dirty place, but it's not like it's filthy disease-ridden kind of dirty. It's a grimy kind of dirt because it's really humid here and there isn't much grass at NCCC, so you sweat your head off everyday and anywhere you go there's dirt. So you get pretty dirty no matter what you do or where you go!

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TEACHING

One night, for English class, I asked the children to tell what is important to them. Their answers were terrific...I was so pleased to read them! The boys wrote in red and the girls in white. As you can see, the boys don't like to participate as much as the girls do! There actually are more boys than girls here at NCCC.

Notice how "Water" is very important to some of them? We need it so much! I sure hope we can get running water again soon!

Xi'an

2009-08-26T00:25:00.000-07:00

I was able to visit Xi'an before coming to the orphanage. I saw my precious little friend, Li Dan Dan and met her family. I had an absolutely wonderful time in Xi'an, though I didn't do much sight-seeing. I was only there a few days, and my purpose was to visit with Dan Dan. Maybe I'll be able to go back sometime and see more places, but I loved just being with her and her family.

She loves her father. She says he and his motorbike are cool!

This is Dan Dan and her friend who lives in the room about their's.

Dan Dan's mother and a little neighbor kid. This little girl is so skinny!

Dan Dan's family live in a small room in an ally in the city, but it is clean and comfortable. They leave the door open and have a blanket covering the doorway. Every time someone would stop by, Dan Dan's mom would ask them to come in and have something to eat, but most would not. Just this little girl did. She is 2 or 3 years old. She is so quiet and sweet! I really like her.

Dan Dan's father took the Dan Dan and me to a park by the river. When we were leaving their house, Dan Dan's mother asked her father how we would get there, and he said the three of us could go on his motorcycle. She replied, “Faith wouldn't dare ride on that!” I said that I would, and away we went! That was so much fun! We were going about 25-35 mph in the city, and when we got to the highway we went 45-50 mph. Dan Dan's father was in front driving, Dan Dan was behind him, and I was sitting side-saddle in the back. Many women here in China sit on the back of their guy's motorcycle, and, since it is summer, many of them are in skirts sitting side-saddle. It's not really too dangerous. There are not a lot of accidents here, but we did come within inches of a car that tried to pull out in front of us. That was the only scary part. I think if a person really wants to see China, one of the most enjoyable ways would be to sit on the back of a local friend's motorcycle or electric scooter-bike and see the life of the people here and enjoy the ride! But just be sure your friend is a good driver—the traffic here is crazy! Whether you're crossing the street, or or riding in a car or on a motorbike, you can reach out and slap the vehicle next to or in front of you—you really get that close just about every time you go out. And I have seen many little kids crossing the street all by themselves!

I thought this bridge was cool. I really like bridges, and China is full of them! I was sitting on the bike when taking this picture.

It was wonderful getting to meet Dan Dan's family and friends. I love them all so much and hope to go back there before returning to the U.S. Dan Dan's parents are really very good; they love and discipline and take very good care of their children. It is very encouraging to see her mother trust our Father, and I hope Dan Dan will make the decision to follow Him like her mother has done. I was able to talk with Dan Dan a little bit about how important it is to honor her parents and please our Father. She is not the most obedient child and not the nicest big sister, but will do better when given firm direction. I have many more pics of my trip to Xi'an, but am having trouble getting them up. I don't like posting without pictures, but I'll go ahead and get up what I can.

A GOOD REASON TO LIVE IN CHINA

2009-08-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

Know how much a milkshake costs? Try to guess... Look and the picture and think about how much you would spend for a delicious blueberry milkshake. It's not the best quality—more like a frozen yogurt shake.

It cost me 4 RMB. Divide that by seven and that's how much you are paying in American money. Unbelievable! It would probably cost me about $4 USD in the States. Who would not want to live here in China???

They took me out to get the milkshake. Such nice girls!

I had a dream last week that I was back in America buying something for $9 USD when I can buy it here in China for 9 RMB. I said, “This is ridiculous! I'm going back to China!” I miss everything and everyone back home so much, but I don't know how I'm going to adapt to the price differences.

Yes, it was pretty good!

Good Times with Good Friends

2009-08-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome time in Changde on the medical mission and met plenty of fun, amazing people. Some were fun, some were amazing, and some were a little of both. I'm at the orphanage now. I left Changde last week, but wasn't able to catch up on everything I wanted to write about before I left, so here is some of it:

A KFC EXPERIENCE

Loved their sign...so true!

One night, some of us from the team had eaten enough Chinese food for our western stomachs, so we thought to give KFC a try. What a treat! We went out with a group of our translators.

After the fantastic food (which was a little spicier that what the States serves—we are in Hunan!) two of the cutest kids I have ever met came up to us Americans to shake our hands and introduce themselves. SOOO sweet!

This first one said, “Hi! My name is Lucy, it's nice to meet you!” “Well, it's nice to meet you too!” I replied (what else can you do in such a precious situation?!?). “How old are you?” “Um...(the little black eyes rolled to the back of her head as she thought about it) I'm nine years old.” “Oh, well your English is VERY good!” I said. Then she moved on to the next person to go through the same routine. The older gentleman in the picture is Dr. John Baily. He sponsors many of China Agape's medical missions and is one of the moste pleasant persons I have ever met.

The little girl's friend came up to me, and I asked her the same questions. When she said she was nine, I turned to the first girl and said, “You're nine too!” “No, I'm not,” she said, “I'm Lucy.” Wow, I lost it! Way too sweet and just so cute!

They were facinated with the hair on Dr. Wallace's arm!

These are some of the interpreters that helped us SO much! The American lady is a nurse, Becca Wallace.

MORE TO COME

Thank you all for your patience in waiting and watching my blog. I'll definitely be posting more because I am now at my final destination: North Canton Christian Care Center. I'm so glad to finally be here and am having a good time. I really need pr.yers so that I could be a good Engish teacher and friend. Oh, as a P.S. I can't tell who is who when reading your wonderful comments, so if you could, please write your name when you post! Thanks so much! Oh, P.P.S. there is a humongous evil spider in my bathroom and there is no door between him and my bed, so PLEASE remember to pr.y about this! Thank you!

Yu Zhi

2009-08-09T08:27:00.001-07:00

This girl was just so sweet! She is 11 yrs old and has trouble speaking due to the fact her pallet was not repaired until two days ago. She was very hard to understand, but very smart. This was her first time meeting foreigners and she was really excited! She wanted to be with me everywhere and kept asking me to take her to see more Americans, because “Americans look good,” she explained to me. We went outside the afternoon before her surgery and walked around a bit. I offered to buy her ice cream. She said no because the doctors told her not to eat anything that morning due to the fact she was scheduled for surgery in the afternoon. What a great little girl! She asked if I'd be there in the operating room with her, and it "so happened" to be that my shift in the OR was at the time of her surgery. I held her hand as she went to sleep and was there when she woke up. She was such a brave girl and didn't seem scared at all!

This is us in our OR uniforms. We all have to wear hats, masks, and apprpopriate hospital clothes. I am smiling, really!

She was pretty beat after the surgery and took a while to snap out of the anesthesia. She came kicking and screaming, literally. We had to hold her on the bed to keep her from falling off, but she was fine once she woke up completely. The Chinese guy helping out (I think he's an anesthesiologist) kept tapping her head and yelling her name to get her to wake up!

That's Jared in the background. He's the 18 year old guy from Canada. He's really good with the patients here.

I saw her the next morning, and she was doing great! She's such a trooper! Unfortunetly, I wasn't able to say goodbye to her the morning she left because I was late in getting to the hospital. That was sad for me! I came to hospital an hour after I usually do and almost all the beds were empty! The children had gone home, but I'm know they are glad to be home! There are 4-6 beds in a room, typically. They usually can go home the day after their lip surgery and a couple days after cleft pallets are repaired.

I hope Yu Zhi can learn to speak well someday. It will be hard because she has already learned to talk, so please remember her before the Father. Thank you for careing!

The patients

2009-08-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hey, All, sorry it's been so long since the last post. We have given surgery to about 50 children so far, but like I said, we are running out of patients! I hope and pr.y that more show up tomorrow as is planned. I fall in love with some of the children and their parents.

These first pictures are of little Yang and his mother and aunt (he didn't really want his picture taken at that time!). They are from Xi'an and had to take a 22 hr. train ride to go home the morning after the pics were taken. I promised to try to see them when I go to Xi'an later.

These twin brothers, one of which came for cleft pallet surgery were so cute! Some of the nurses brought toys with them from America, and I was asked to help pass them out one afternoon. This boy, the one with the IV and medical ID band, looked and looked at the four small stuffed toys I held out to him and then GRABBED a little lamb once he realized one was for him. What a sweetheart. He was very up and at 'um soon after the surgery.

This is just a tired mom and her baby girl late at night after her surgery. I offer to hold them sometimes, but most of the time they just want Mama! Such precious people...

It's really great to see kids come here who have such a big problem and walk away with a new face or a new mouth inside. It makes SUCH a difference! I haven't seen anything quite like it before.

Interpreters

2009-08-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

Clare (middle) is a good frend and kept me supplied with tissues for when I had to use the restroom!

Nacy's English is very good! She says they don't have any real American friends, so they like talking with me.

Sophia (front, middle, white shirt) did not plan to come along as an interpreter, but was drafted! She's the oldest and one of the best.

The fingers. It's a Chinese thing! I'll be doing it before too long! These girls make a great team.

Being a translator here is not always easy because we are working in a hospital. There are about a dozen of us, mostly girls. Most of us are young and just want to help—we are by no means professionals. Students from a local college(Hunan college of Science and Arts) volunteered to help the mission. There are times when there is not much to do, but when we are needed it can be difficult. But because there are Chinese and American interpreters (some of the American doctors are ethnic Chinese and serve as interpreters as well) it goes very smoothly. Sometimes I need to run to another interpreter to ask about a word and sometimes they run to me. We say to each other, “If I have anything complicated, I will ask you!” Ha ha, we do have a good time doing it and really like being able to help with the work. In the spare time between jobs, we can help each other with new words and talk about different things in our lives. The conversation helps improve our language skills and is a good way to know each other better. We also visit with the kids who had surgery and their families. The children have parents, grandparents, aunts, siblings, and others staying with them. Each kid probably averages two or three family members with them.

Some children are orphans. I fell in love with one little orphan girl who is a year old (above). She wanted everybody to hold her and liked it when I came to see her. She was just so drooley and smiley and sweet! She especially loved playing with my hat. She had a cleft lip repared and looks great! It was hard to say goodbye. She was scheduled to go home today.

I worked in the OR the first day and the patient rooms the next. Today I am scheduled to serve in the OR again. I don't get near as much time with the kids and their family when I'm up there, but I do like serving there as well (mainly because there is more work to do). Please pr.y for more children to come and get surgery. They are running out of kids to work on. I know that sounds weird, but that is one of the things we need most right now. Thank you all!

The first day on the mission

2009-08-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

The day we arrived in Changde was not very eventful at the hospital. After dinner we had a brief meeting of all who were there from America and those from the hospital who will be working with us. After the meeting, the American team headed out to see the hospital settings and screen some patients. There was a couple there with their baby boy (about a year old). They came a long way to see the foreign doctors because their son has a tumor growing in his mouth. The poor boy looked really bad and the mother was so worried about him. She asked the doctors if there was anything they could do for him, but they said this kind of tumor just needs time and it will clear up when he's four or six years old. She started getting upset and worried because they said they wouldn't do anything for the baby. She asked them to operate, but they said it would do more harm than good and that he was too young for surgery anyway. She started crying and asking them if there was anything anyone could do for him. She said she couldn't stand waiting for it to go away because it just keeps getting bigger. They tried to make her understand that it will be okay and examined the tumor to help her feel better. They told her to bring him back next year if she would like for them to look at him again then. I did the last half of the interpreting for this poor lady. She was just so heartbroken and worried and upset. She wasn't yelling or anything, just crying and begging them to do something. She felt much better after they looked at him and promised her a dozen times her baby would be okay. She was much better when we left her and thanked us all profusely.

The next day was very hectic and pressured, but things settled down and got better as the day went on. I went with my roommate (one of the anesthesiologists) to deliver supplies to the OR first thing in the morning. We were going to go right after that to the opening ceremony, but the hospital started bringing in patients before the rooms were ready! Everything was pretty confusing for the most part because it was the first day. The arrangements between the American doctors and the local staff needed to be set and that took a little while. But every one wants to work together in harmony, so it is going pretty well. One thing I like about China is that there are so many people that want to help you no matter what you're doing.

I'm in Changde

2009-08-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

The flight from Shanghai to Changde was interesting. First of all, the domestic airport's weight standards was different than the international flight. I had to dish out 400 RMB (Chinese dollars) at the check-in counter, but didn't have that, so my friend with me paid with her bank card. I need to pay her back! The other Americans on the medical team had to pay a lot for their luggage too. The plane was delayed for an hour because of the pouring rain, but it was all fine.

Lines in a Chinese airport are something else! Had someone cut in front because I didn't step up soon enough and they all just PACK into the plane or bus or whatever as fast as they can and get off the same way, not looking out for others too much. But it's not like they're rude. That's just the way things are done here. The people are very nice and very excited when I speak Chinese to them. They kind of fall back and get a shocked look on their smiling faces. "You speak Chinese?!? Your Chinese is so good!" They are very kind, even though my Chinese isn't that good. I struggle a lot.

The American lady in the pic. is one of the OR nurses named Max. We were waiting to get in line to board the plane.

The lady I sat next to on the plane was very nice and ended up giving me her phone number in case I need anything while I'm in Changde. We took a couple pictures together. The one I have was taken in front of the little airport of Changde. That's my plane!

The air here is pretty bad, but it's not like you feel polluted exactly. It's like heavy air. Really hot and humid. And kind of foggy, but not a cloud kind of foggy. Your skin just feels sweaty, sticky, and dirty when you walk around outside. I'd like to go to a garden or park and see if it's better there. I really want to see people doing their exercises in the early morning.

I used my first Chinese toilet today! Their wasn't a door for my stall, but there was a separation between me and the other lady. And there was toilet paper! The hospital isn't bad, but working there is kind of difficult because OR vocab is really hard. Harder than I expected. But, I've got the dictionary and a whole bunch of young Chinese college kids helping with translating, so everything is working out okay. We have AC in our hotel and in the hospital, so the heat doesn't get to us. I'll write more about the hospital, workers, and patients another time. Sorry if my posts are funky sometimes. It's hard to make it perfect. More pics coming!

Heading to Changde

2009-08-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

It was great fun to be in Shanghai for a day and a half. I didn't go many places, but did end up at the mall to buy a new carry-on suitcase because the handle of mine broke in the Newark airport! Everything here is a good deal cheaper than in The States. The suitcase is very good and just cost me 116 Yuan (about $16 USD) My friends here talked me into letting them take me to get my hair washed at the beauty place down the street. That was great! They soap up your hair, rinse it, and give you a free massage. They were surprised at the length of my hair and even more surprised at my Chinese! I had a good time, and the whole only cost about $2 USD. I will be doing that again!

I didn't take many pics here in Shanghai. Stupidly left the camera in by bag instead of taking it with me. I DID get pics of my hotel....big deal, right? I'll take plenty more later. I leave for Changde, Hunan Sunday afternoon. I'll be meeting the medical team at the local airport in Shanghai and pretend to be an interpreter for them. Hehehe... More posts later! Comments are cherished and appreciated!

Arrival

2009-07-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

I made it to Shanghai! All by myself! :) Everything went well getting over here, and my new friend, Angie, met me at the train station when I arrived. I'm staying in a local hotel at night and with friends during the day. China is wonderful! I love it here. The feeling of the community in Shanghai's suburbs where I am staying is so secure. Everyone is nice and many people here speak English. It feels safe to walk around the streets here (so long as you watch out for cars!). The traffic really isn't bad at all in this place. It's a school/ business community. Life here doesn't seem too different from the States, and nothing has really surprised me. I really, really appreciate everything people have done to help prepare me for China. My American friend here reminded me that life here in Shanghai is very different than life further inland.

I'm so thankful to be in the country our Father has so surely called me to. I know many people are pr.ing for me, and want to say thanks to you all for that. I feel so anointed with this whole trip – perfectly at peace. I'll take some pics and post them before too long. Thank you all for lifting me up!