Our Final Week in China

During our last week in China we have been volunteering at a special needs orphanage.  Recently, we've had a family from our church adopt a boy from this same orphanage, so we are so very happy to get a chance to visit here. We've had a wonderful experience getting a chance to play with the children, and help out by doing some gardening.  We've also enjoyed spending time in this smaller village.

 Walking the streets, we've seen daily life for most Chinese people.  We are impressed at the way that everyone spends much of their time outdoors talking with neighbors, playing cards, and shopping for very fresh produce and meat.  The grocery store does not sell much in the way of produce or meat because everyone buys these items fresh.   People barbecue meat on sticks over coals in the street and there are wonderful fresh breads and buns available from vendors who specialize in those items.  Some of them sell out quickly.

 Today we went to the farmer's market.  We saw fresh meat for sale along with some live animals who may very likely be next week's fresh meat.  There were also several operations which roasted and then ground up sesame seeds for oil and paste (sort of like peanut butter).  Very fresh produce was everywhere.  There were also clothing sellers, hardware sellers, acupuncturists, toy stores, pet stores (for Koi, turtles and birds), herb stores, restaurants, and fresh noodle vendors (who roll and cut your noodles for you as you watch).  It was sort of like a flea market and was a wonderful experience.

Tomorrow, we will be able to go to church with some friends and then will do one last shopping trip for souvenirs.  Even though we've all bought a lot of things we like and some small gifts for others, we are rather proud that we are going to manage to return home with the same carry on size luggage we brought with us.

Thanks for all the prayers.  We are amazed that we have traveled all this way and had such a smooth experience here in China.  Nothing important was lost and no one got seriously ill.  We've had a number of interesting opportunities to share our lives and faith.  Moreover,  we've bonded as a family and learned that we can manage to overcome challenges and inconveniences better than we had expected.  Best of all, we know this is a trip which has expanded our faith and given us a deeper appreciation for the blessings we have as Americans.