Saturday morning - Realizing where we are
We were supposed to leave the hotel by 6:45 am to attend the Saturday morning "meeting," at which the faculty and leaders of the school meet for a time of encouragement and singing. We were prepared to sing and and one of our members was to speak.
My roommate Matt and I slept pretty well, but once we woke up at 5:30, we were wired and ready for the day. It was interesting to watch the city come to life outside of our window. Taxis kept tapping their horns as they drove up and saw people who might want a ride. I was hungry when I went to bed the night before, so I was ready for a snack. Down the street we found a small convenience store where I picked up an apple.
Saturday Morning Meeting - The bus took us to the Hope Foreign Language School compound where we went to the meeting with the staff of the school. We were running a bit late, so they were waiting for us. While we waited, C.Y. Kim led the group in a few songs acapella. The most memorable was when we sang a song four times, each in a different language. By the time he asked for it to be sang in Russian, only one lady sang. But there was joy and unity in the room.
I played the keyboard for the students who had prepared several songs to share. It was a Yamaha keyboard, very similar to one I used to own and two that I have now. Good thing I was somewhat familiar with it, because I only had about a minute to set it up and go. Rory joined in when the guitar got there, and we played together while the kids sang.
My team leader, Matthew Prendergrast, spoke to the audience. One of the pictures shows the room, with a quite high ceiling but very cold. It appeared that the room had neither central air nor heat. There were several (10?) large kerosene heaters dispersed through the room, and I sat down next to one. Introducing myself to a man sitting there, I told him my name was David. He then said, "My name is David, too." He teaches Russian at the school. When I told him afterwards that I was the vice-president at the College, he got a look of excitement in his eyes and bowed down to me! I could get used to that. Maybe I'll ask the students and faculty to start doing that. Maybe not.
(By the way, after we meet with the Three Cell Church next week, I will be writing about all of our group meetings while in China. But I would like a little time to process and compare the different experiences before starting to write, so I'll save those reflections for later.)
After the meeting, we all went out for breakfast, including the school faculty who had been at the meeting. They met us at the restaurant. The students sat at tables on the first floor, but the CCCB faculty was invited to eat in a special room upstairs, which we shared with a few of the staff. We removed our shoes and sat on the floor around a circular table. Eating with us was Jim and Andra Howe. They have been with the school for about a year now. They have four children whom they home school. Jim was excited because we brought a table saw that he could use to accomplish several building projects around CRAM.
On the menu for breakfast was soup, rice, and lots of different flavorings to add. The soup had some green onions in it and tasted really nice. I missed along the way the kind of soup, because later someone said it was Ox Tail Soup. And by that, they really meant soup made with the meat from the tail of an ox. I liked it before I heard that was what it was called, and I still liked it afterward, as well.
We paid for everyone to eat, a total cost of about $200 American to feed about 80 people at the restaurant (and I thought it was a really nice place, with great service, and well decorated.)
We loaded the bus and headed out for Three Points, the place where you can see where China ends and North Korea and Russia meet. On the way, I sat next to Matt, who has recently started teaching English at the school. He has only been in China now for 4 weeks. He was glad to see our group and wondered if we could send people every year to come and work at the school.
The bus trip was about 45 minutes, and I got to sleep for about half of it. When we arrived at Three Points, we saw that it is actually a military installation, where soldiers watch carefully for people attempting to come into China from North Korea. There was a recent article in the National Geographic (February, I believe), where the process is explained in stunning clarity with pictures and first hand testimonies.
Looking out in the distance, I was amazed at how hazy it is here, even though we're far from an industrial city. I'm not sure how much this contributes, but this is a holiday in Korea and China where people are burning things in honor of their ancestors. I know in Taiwan, it added to the smell and haze of the city, and I have to believe that happens here. Last night, we saw people doing that on the street corners, burning paper "money" so that their ancestors can buy things in the afterlife. Sometimes they burn paper cell phones as well. I guess if you died before cell phones were invented, that's the only way you can get one in the afterlife.
Speaking of cell phones, they are everywhere here. The 12 year old Korean girl riding the bus with us had her own. Advertisements for them are all over the place. With hardly any telephone lines running out here in the country, it's about the only practical way their people can be connected with one another. I bought a prepaid sim card with about 120 minutes of time in it and the cost was only 60 Yuan (about $10). Too bad it turned out my phone is locked that I brought to use. Maybe I can get it to someone else to find useful.
Pictures will be posted later and maybe some video. The takeaway from the first 6 hours of daylight is that now we know where we are. We're in a nice hotel in a part of town where people work hard to make a living and serve others. We're working with a school filled with dedicated people who are honored to have us come and visit with them. We are eating stuff we aren't used to but enjoying it because we know they are providing us with their best. And we are parked right in the midst of communism, all around us. The razor wire, observation towers, military installations, and rifles are a clear reminder that this is a seriously tense part of the world. Maybe it was driven home when we walked back to the bus and heard explosions across the river in North Korea. Were they bombs being tested? Were they explosives for building projects? Were they just a reminder to tell the Chinese people, "Don't forget we're here too. It's only a few hundred feet across a shallow river."
More to come.
My roommate Matt and I slept pretty well, but once we woke up at 5:30, we were wired and ready for the day. It was interesting to watch the city come to life outside of our window. Taxis kept tapping their horns as they drove up and saw people who might want a ride. I was hungry when I went to bed the night before, so I was ready for a snack. Down the street we found a small convenience store where I picked up an apple.
Saturday Morning Meeting - The bus took us to the Hope Foreign Language School compound where we went to the meeting with the staff of the school. We were running a bit late, so they were waiting for us. While we waited, C.Y. Kim led the group in a few songs acapella. The most memorable was when we sang a song four times, each in a different language. By the time he asked for it to be sang in Russian, only one lady sang. But there was joy and unity in the room.
I played the keyboard for the students who had prepared several songs to share. It was a Yamaha keyboard, very similar to one I used to own and two that I have now. Good thing I was somewhat familiar with it, because I only had about a minute to set it up and go. Rory joined in when the guitar got there, and we played together while the kids sang.
My team leader, Matthew Prendergrast, spoke to the audience. One of the pictures shows the room, with a quite high ceiling but very cold. It appeared that the room had neither central air nor heat. There were several (10?) large kerosene heaters dispersed through the room, and I sat down next to one. Introducing myself to a man sitting there, I told him my name was David. He then said, "My name is David, too." He teaches Russian at the school. When I told him afterwards that I was the vice-president at the College, he got a look of excitement in his eyes and bowed down to me! I could get used to that. Maybe I'll ask the students and faculty to start doing that. Maybe not.
(By the way, after we meet with the Three Cell Church next week, I will be writing about all of our group meetings while in China. But I would like a little time to process and compare the different experiences before starting to write, so I'll save those reflections for later.)
After the meeting, we all went out for breakfast, including the school faculty who had been at the meeting. They met us at the restaurant. The students sat at tables on the first floor, but the CCCB faculty was invited to eat in a special room upstairs, which we shared with a few of the staff. We removed our shoes and sat on the floor around a circular table. Eating with us was Jim and Andra Howe. They have been with the school for about a year now. They have four children whom they home school. Jim was excited because we brought a table saw that he could use to accomplish several building projects around CRAM.
On the menu for breakfast was soup, rice, and lots of different flavorings to add. The soup had some green onions in it and tasted really nice. I missed along the way the kind of soup, because later someone said it was Ox Tail Soup. And by that, they really meant soup made with the meat from the tail of an ox. I liked it before I heard that was what it was called, and I still liked it afterward, as well.
We paid for everyone to eat, a total cost of about $200 American to feed about 80 people at the restaurant (and I thought it was a really nice place, with great service, and well decorated.)
We loaded the bus and headed out for Three Points, the place where you can see where China ends and North Korea and Russia meet. On the way, I sat next to Matt, who has recently started teaching English at the school. He has only been in China now for 4 weeks. He was glad to see our group and wondered if we could send people every year to come and work at the school.
The bus trip was about 45 minutes, and I got to sleep for about half of it. When we arrived at Three Points, we saw that it is actually a military installation, where soldiers watch carefully for people attempting to come into China from North Korea. There was a recent article in the National Geographic (February, I believe), where the process is explained in stunning clarity with pictures and first hand testimonies.
Looking out in the distance, I was amazed at how hazy it is here, even though we're far from an industrial city. I'm not sure how much this contributes, but this is a holiday in Korea and China where people are burning things in honor of their ancestors. I know in Taiwan, it added to the smell and haze of the city, and I have to believe that happens here. Last night, we saw people doing that on the street corners, burning paper "money" so that their ancestors can buy things in the afterlife. Sometimes they burn paper cell phones as well. I guess if you died before cell phones were invented, that's the only way you can get one in the afterlife.
Speaking of cell phones, they are everywhere here. The 12 year old Korean girl riding the bus with us had her own. Advertisements for them are all over the place. With hardly any telephone lines running out here in the country, it's about the only practical way their people can be connected with one another. I bought a prepaid sim card with about 120 minutes of time in it and the cost was only 60 Yuan (about $10). Too bad it turned out my phone is locked that I brought to use. Maybe I can get it to someone else to find useful.
Pictures will be posted later and maybe some video. The takeaway from the first 6 hours of daylight is that now we know where we are. We're in a nice hotel in a part of town where people work hard to make a living and serve others. We're working with a school filled with dedicated people who are honored to have us come and visit with them. We are eating stuff we aren't used to but enjoying it because we know they are providing us with their best. And we are parked right in the midst of communism, all around us. The razor wire, observation towers, military installations, and rifles are a clear reminder that this is a seriously tense part of the world. Maybe it was driven home when we walked back to the bus and heard explosions across the river in North Korea. Were they bombs being tested? Were they explosives for building projects? Were they just a reminder to tell the Chinese people, "Don't forget we're here too. It's only a few hundred feet across a shallow river."
More to come.
posted by Central Christian College of the Bible at
4:20 AM
