Homeland Journey to China

From Chris:
Flying Home Adventures
We got up early and had a very Chinese breakfast at the hotel.  I should have got us going and we missed the first bus to the airport.  It seemed like we had plenty of time, but there were several delays.  They had an over-eager transport authority officer checking each one of our bags for illegal souvenirs.  He looked over very carefully the ceremonial sword toys we bought Steffi and Mollie. 

The X-ray machine found brass knuckles in Brendan's suitcase, but he and I couldn't locate them.  They made him repack, and then, suddenly, another officer swooped in and took Brendan off to a far away place and wouldn't let me come. 

By now, we were very late for the plane.  They checked the rest of the baggage, but Virginia remembers that they had set hers, mine and Mollie's suitcases off to the side.  Brendan was finally returned to us and we hurries to the plane. 

In Seattle, we found that those three suitcases had disappeared, though Brendan's made it.  At LAX, we filed a missing bag report, then went to lunch and picked up the rental car.  When we returned, we found Mollie's suitcase, but the other two were still missing.  These were finally returned to the Carlsbad Airport.  I had kept my computer in my bag, and so it had remained in Beijing for inspection.

Sharing Faith
On the trip to LAX, I sat next to a Chinese woman and I spoke some Chinese with her.We talked about our adoption and why we did it.Straight away she asked me if I was a Christian.She said she wasn't but was moving in that direction; it hadn't clicked yet. She had gone to Notre Dame for college but didn't become a Christian there.

I told her I grew up in an atheist home and she was very interested in this.She asked me how I became a Christian and I talked about how I first started towards Christ when I woke up as a 13-year-old fearing death.She was startled by this because her 13-year old son had just experienced this only 3 weeks ago.I mentioned how it might happen to some because of a "sentinel gene" in them. She noted how conscientious and cautious her son is.I also answered about the radicality of the Bible

We talked about how heterogeneous the authorship of the Bible is and she commented on how it always had deep wisdom for her.We talked about Genesis 1-11 being allegory, which she accepted readily.after that, I moved the conversation naturally to other subjects.i felt we had talked enough about Christianity.It was just the right amount.

 

The trip home was uneventful -- which was good after our Beijing to LAX problems!  We got up at 2:30 am to catch our 6:15 am flight from San Diego to LAX.  It turned out the Airline desk didn't open until 5 am, but Virginia had time to return the rental car. 

Final Thoughts

The trip to China and California was a real success.  Everyone felt closer together as a family.  Maggie came away confident and expectant for her trip to China next summer.  Brendan received instruction on not pushing his sisters's buttons and the concept that one does things unilaterally for the good of others rather than for one's own good.  It was an important time of instruction for him and he really tried to improve.  He was excellent at not complaining about his illness or discomforts and, as always, sought to try new experiences and give everything the benefit of the doubt. 

 

Mollie contined to excel in being pleasant, at peace and letting jabs just roll off of her.  I think she ended the trip very comfortable being Chinese, but happy to be a Kearney and glad to return to all the American comforts.  Sophie greatly enjoyed and appreciated everything in China, being open to new things like Brendan.  She was Miss Adventure, especially loving the cable cars and the white water rafting.  Steffi saw a lot in China and I think will process it all over the years.  She enjoyed the trip and rarely complained about China.  I think it was very positive for her.

For Virginia and me, this was a wonderful joy watching the trip work so well for the children.  As well, we got to enjoy being a family of seven one more time, but this time on a truly grand scale.  For Virginia, it was the culmination of a massive planning effort.   For me, it was a time of really being completely with family and nothing else for 6 full weeks.  It was so enjoyable and restful.

This entire trip I set a goal for peace within myself.  I stopped thinking about work and focused on the kids, the trip and music.  I really felt at peace the whole trip.  I think I accomplished my goal, but now I have to apply it to daily life back in Waco.