sub-par post
Well earlier today I wrote out a quaint but heart-warming post of a slightly different format than the typical posts read on this page. Upon clicking the “publish post” button after finishing my masterpiece of a post, the web browser showed me the dreaded “Page Cannot be Displayed” page… So if this post struggles, blame it on that little laptop down the street.
I’ll start with the two main points of the post that got away: books and music. I thought I’d give you a taste of the literature and tunes that have been gracing my eyes and ears here in the Orient. These are also recommendations for those of you who are literate and/or enjoy music. If you really don’t care about books or music, or just want to get on to whatever else I have to say, scroll down to “VDSLRJU.” And… go!
Books:
- Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller - I’m sure most of you have read this already, I was late to get on the bandwagon because for a long time I wasn’t going to read it simply because it was popular. Don’t make that mistake. Miller brings up lots of good points, and he thinks further outside the box than I do.
- Radical Reformission by Marc Driscoll - If you want to read this book about how we ought to be effectively sharing the Happy News we know with the scores of people around us who don’t know it, you should borrow it from Joey Rigney, his roommates, or myself. This one will make you think about stuff you probably haven’t thought about before, but are worth thought.
- Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot - Also one I’m sure most have read. If you haven’t, I really think that this story of the life of Jim Elliot as told by his wife (Elisabeth) and his own journals and letters has potential to change your life. This bro did not care at all. He was sold out for JC in a way most would consider radical, but he (and probably the Good Book) would consider simply the call of duty as a bro or sis.
Music:
- Caedmons Call’s “Share the Well” - This CD I would say has been the anthem of our trip (if indeed the trip needs an anthem album). The album is a product of the member’s of Caedmon’s Call’s various M trips around the world. Lots of stuff about India, lots of quasi-indigenous sounds with foriegn instruments and lyrics, but a very tasty mix indeed. I plan on buying this one immidiately upon arriving in the States
- LeCrae and the 116 clique albums - just kidding, I haven’t listened to these at all on this trip (until right now, as I type I’m listening to clips from the website). I’m really looking forward to my hip hop CD’s, and to ordering the new 116 cut. holla.
- Anything by Mae, Copeland, or Emery - rock at it’s finest.
- Chinese Pop music - most of this stuff is terrible. Chinese people don’t have any other option really, it’s either the really old traditional stuff (not bad), the techno (not good), and the pop (no better than in the States, therefore terrible)
VDSLRJU
I don’t know what all else to say here. The past few days have been extremely enjoyable, however they haven’t been overly eventful. I did successfully spend lots of money on souveniers and gifts for the fam (L.O., you aren’t getting shoes… but instead something much tighter). I’m really starting to look forward to coming home and enjoying various luxuries one is able to enjoy in the States. I think that’s all I’ve got to say really. I’m having a hard time focusing with all the smoke, sweat, and skeeters raping me. I’ll be home in way less than 1000 hours. Don’t loose sleep over me. Cheers.
only one week left huh?
Welcome.
Hey all! Here’s a picture that T-Burk took of us at one of the persistent Chinese people’s “hotels.” I managed to post a pic (though it’s quality may stuggle) to prove that I’m actually in China… see the Chinese people??
I do apologize for not posting sooner, but my desire to be on the internet has diminished a good bit over the past 5 weeks. Don’t be fooled though, I’m sure I’ll find the desire somewhere between Arlington and College Station… or maybe between China and Alaska. Who knows?
Well the trip has way less days left than it used to have, and most of the work that we’ve come to do has been done. I say most… really all the work we knowingly came to do is done, so whatever else happens is stuff that the Father is surprising us with, which He’s more than welcome to do.
Twas a good week for us. We went to a nearby site (not that close, 8 hours both ways on a Chinese bus, which if you’ve never had the chance to experience… it’s insanity) to encourage some bro’s and sis’s, and I believe what ended up happening was quite the opposite. We played around at another school. In the classrooms we conversed with introductions and “how are you doing’s”, and then we busted out the pictures. Chinese people love photos. They tried to steal a few of them, but none were so quick as to be successful against yours truly. A compliment to all the females in my picture album (most of you don’t know who you are, but if you think you’re in it, you are… maybe): all the girls, and boys, said that every girl in my little album was beautiful, one girl even received the comment of “very beautiful and lovely”. After classes we went outside where everyone played basketball, save one. I was saved from the public humiliation of having to play ball by a cheap guitar which some with the help of some of the students beckoned me away from the court, and I got to play P&W songs on the playground of a Chinese school… pretty sweet.
Later this week, we went to the University here in town and played basketball. Well, I didn’t play, I’d say I was the main cheerleader for the foriegners. To make this long story short, it was China vs USA (and one New Zealander); and China brought out their big guns. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the people in this country are short. All of them actually are, except for the 5 who found their way to the basketball court that fateful Friday afternoon. The United States looked sported a pretty good bench as well, with quite a few ballers of their own. Overview of the game is as follows: China dominated the first half, and at one point the US’s score was 18 while China’s was twice that. The momentum never seemed to shift dispite the high hopes of America’s head cheerleader. At the half, as the Chinese practiced shooting, the whitey’s huddled up, drew some plays with chalk on the court, gathered their thoughts and water bottles, and when the whistle blew for the second half to begin, they certainly had their work cut out for them, but everyone was lead to believe they were ready. The strategy discussed in the “locker room” must have been to set up the 3-2 defense quickly every time the Chinese had the ball, for that is exactly what the foreigners did. After countless turnovers and capitalizations on these defensive stops, the Americans tied the game up, and eventually dominated the Chinese with their endurance and beauty with a final score of US: 82; China: 68. It was quite the game indeed, and the audience turnout confirmed the fact. By the second period the crowd attendance numbered 250 to 300 students and faculty who came out to watch their home team get defeated. It was pretty sexy.
SHOUT-OUT CITY
Ma and Pops - when I got your comment about how you just finished watching Spanglish, I laughed because I just left the other room where the credits for said movie were playing. It was good, though not that tight, in my opinion… don’t get me wrong, it’s above average. It’s Sunday here, and that means I’ll be seeing you humans in a week. Now that wasn’t such a long 6 weeks not was it? love you guys, see you soon, make reservations at Taco Bueno.
L.O. - your comments make me laugh. I’m very grateful to receive them. I’ll see you in a week too… you can make reservations at Wendy’s. I can’t decide on the shoe thing, so we’ll see what I come home with for you. It may be way cooler than shoes. It’ll be something though, fear not.
BRAD - man, I remember all that stuff. We used to be awesomer than most people can even wrap their minds around. What happened? oh, that’s right… nothing happened, we’re still tight. Dude, I was thinking about you the other night and how you’re going to be married, and that you asked me to be in your wedding, and I think that’s really sweet. Both of those things. If I ever get married, you can be in my wedding. You can sing a song and play drums or something (if Winegeart isn’t free).
Pilgrim (Rouse) - say girl! Man, make sure you call my Chinese phone number when you and your awesome campers get to China… I want to give each of them high fives. and chopsticks. Keep being tight at camp, and we’ll see you soon!
Brooke, Schmale, and the rest of the 6 chicks - you girls are too sweet to be people. Way sweeter than anything here in China, where they don’t like sweet things. I am truly honored to call y’all friends, and I do look forward to seeing y’all “in the days to come” *Butch* and talking about how cool you are to everyone I know. Thanks so much for the pr’s, I don’t deserve them, but I’ll take them with lots of thankfulness.
Nutterd - you better believe you’ll be listening to stories from the Orient, complete with way more pictures than you’d ever wish to see. You, too, are too sweet to be a person. I forget what compliment Jon and I gave you the other day, but it was really nice, and I thought it fit well. So there’s that. Oh, and you like Emery (new album August 2nd!), so that’s even more points to you.
K Nall - it’s getting to be that time. Pack a rain jacket or an umbrella. You’re gonna have a rad time man, and I’ll be thinking about you for sure. These schools are a crazy place to be… a real good place to be also.
Becky - thanks again for the pr’s, and I’ve been talking to Pappy a lot about the youth group… how’s all that going? I trust He’s giving everyone guidance that we so desparately need.
Tommy and BCA folks - Dude, I’m so excited about going to your wedding for real. I love you (singular) and you (plural) so much. Keep seeking Father and what He’s got for you, cause I bet it’s way different that what you may think, and probably better too.
People I forgot - you are cool though apparently not cool enough for me to remember you.
Alright, now for the lifting requests:
- that I wouldn’t miss anything Father has for me in these last few days here
- that Father would help me debrief and figure out some of the things He’s taught me
- that He’ll graciously help me (and you) hear his voice
that’s it for now. If you leave a comment (which seriously blesses my heart more than you can shake a bamboo stick at), you are welcome to let me know if my posts are too long, because honestly, I don’t know if I’d want to read a post as long as mine tend to be. Kinda late to ask that, but hey, it got asked! I love you guys, every last one of you, though probably not as well as I should. lata.
confused as ever
In case you haven’t heard or read the comment Mal left me (thanks girl) on the previous post, I wanted to let you guys know, that my friend David Gilbert died Thursday as a result of brain strokes caused by his lymphoma. It’s with great emotion and confusion that I tell you this. I could ramble on and on, I’m sure, about why I’m so confused, but I’ll spare you all. Father’s ways are just way freakin higher than mine are, and I trust that many, many people will come to know Him through this situation. dang.
please, please lift this stuff up:
- comfort for the Gilbert’s (mom, dad, two bro’s) during this crazy season
- comfort for Jennifer Leftwitch who was David’s sweet girlfriend
- that this situation will open up doors all over A&M’s campus for the Happy News to go out and touch and change lives.
I do take great comfort knowing that David is, right now as your eyes read this post, singing and dancing will all his might in his glorified body, staring into the eyes of JC’s beautiful face, and just enjoying perfect intimacy with his Creator. That, friends, is something to look forward to indeed.
Happy Father’s Day Pop’s, I love you.
my mind is blown
I’m overwhelmed here… it’s a collection of things really… I’ll attempt to give you a taste of things that are blowing my mind.
First of all, I’m listening to Copeland off of purevolume.com, and I think they’re great, so that’s a start. Add to it that I’m at the new nicer, internet place that I mentioned last week, where tons of Chinese males (and like one girl) are playing video games that I can’t imagine playing, or watching movies that would be seen as totally goofy and a waste of time in the states, but the four people to my left at computer 33 are thoroughly enraptured by it (and I won’t lie, I’m watching it too). Throw in the mix that the Father has once again proven himself faithful and awesome and like Mr Provider 2005 once again this week, and that He totally healed my knee last weekend, and that’s kinda where I am. Oh, and lest we forget the people who left me comments in the past few weeks, for you, I have a paragraph (it’ll be the next one) and some shout-outs.
Those who left comments: you have no idea how warm my heart was these past two weekends when I’ve come home to see you sexy people leaving me messages. Every one of you. I kid you not, I was happy as a lark. It is a huge honor to call you people friends (or families), and y’all are seriously, no exaggeration, at least 5 times sweeter to me than I am back to you, and I really do thank Father for y’all, and for putting people in my life that I do not come close to deserving.
Now for the story of the week. Wipe your tears away from the previous paragraph, and get ready for the tears that are to come from the current one. That may not be true. I still haven’t decided what story to tell… thinking… ok. We entered into the town I will call “Town 3″ which was the last town we needed to visit for the week, and the last one for the trip as far as some things are concerned (I have to be vague for security purposes). We, as always, immediately draw a crowd, and the majority of said crowd was distracted by Jon and I throwing the frisbee. The frisbee is an amazingly powerful thing here in China. After about an hour in Town 3 we hear a lady yelling at us from the roof of a building, and beckoning us to come up there. I thought she wanted us to go up there so we could get away from the crowds (I think I have a small idea of what JC felt like when he drew crowds everywhere he went). It turns out that she has rooms that travelers can stay in, and she was extremely persistent about us taking advantage of her offer. Not long after going upstairs a man ran upstairs and was yelling for us to go down to the po-po station. This isn’t the most desirable place for anyone to be, especially us whitey’s. After the officer offered much questioning and looking at passports, and made a few calls, and during the same time us lifting up some serious pr’s to Father, we walked out of the room safe, and allowed to stay in the town. After getting settled in our room we went down for dinner, where we ran into the po again, and we shared dinner with him. Father certainly has a sense of humor. That’s why he let Jamz break the chair he was sitting in and fall to the ground with no injury. Sorry for the choppy story, I’m slightly scatterbrained. Theme: Father is good, and better, and best, all at once.
Now for a few shout-outs, everyone’s favorite part (except for the people who don’t get mentioned… dang it):
- those who birthed me - I’m glad to hear camp was nice. I don’t know that speaker of whom you speak, but I’m sure he’s just fine. On a more important note: Pop’s… final three in kajobee can-can? that’s amazing. I’ll have to think about it, but I don’t know that I ever made it that far. I mean, I probably did, but it’s not coming to mind right off the bat. Congrats. The Y must indeed be paying off.
- L.O. - I love you a lot, but you don’t get a very big shout-out this week, because you failed to leave a message last week. I hope you’re hanging in there with your grown up job and all. lata.
- Misty, David, baby Abi - thanks for the collective comment last week. y’all are real sweet. I look forward to seeing my great cousin Abi and seeing whether or not she’s scared of me this time around. She has no reason to be, I’ll tell you that right now. I’m not scary. Period.
- Uncle Stan - I won’t lie, I figured that you’d make your way around to these parts of the web. Thanks for the encouragement, and for letting me borrow your hairclippers. No offense intended with the “po-po” comments earlier, I promise.
- BRAD - pony, thanks for trying to win the contest. I might give you the title of winner whether you win or not, because you’re getting stinkin’ married! are you kidding? You’re going to be grown up in like 5 months or something. Dang. I guess our days of fun are over. Well at least they will be in 5 months, until then, we’ll be tappers together and we should moon lots of people. peaces.
- Beth - thanks again for the comment and the pr’s. You are indeed far to sweet. I imagine you’re heading off to camp pretty soon, and I know you’ll have a rad time there, and I pr that you learn lots of wonderful things about Father and how cool he is and how cool he thinks you are. Until next time.
- La La - I won’t lie, I always thought it would be nice to receive a comment from you, but I never thought it would happen because you’re all wrapped up at LLYC, but you managed to find a way. You and I will surely share many-a-story come the second half of summer. Probably pictures too. And maybe even some ice cream. Or cookies or milk or handshakes or something. Oh, and speaking of pictures, I looked at your CO pics on webshots… I think you’ve got lots of things to teach me now… oh how the table has turned.
- Mallory - girl, you are so tight!! (not that everyone else mentioned isn’t, don’t be upset other people, if you knew Mal, you’d understand). I knew you’d appreciate my singing in a barber shop. I promise that you didn’t appreciate it as much as I appreciate it when you sing. Not a chance. I’ve told a lot of people here about how cool you are and how you sing like an angel. It always seems to come up when people are looking at my pictures and they get to yours.
- Kelly and Nutterd - you two girls like each other, and so I thought I’d pair you up for this shout-out. I think that you two are two that I shouldn’t be allowed to call friends. Clearly you are cooler and sweeter than I deserve. I covet your pr’s, and Nall, know that I’ll be doing the same for you when we swap. Nutter… what the heck are you doing this summer? probably being tight. See, that’s the kind of stuff I should know. This is one reason why y’all are sweeter than I.
- Matt Graham - bro, that’s a good number of states in one week. I’m pretty sure that you have beat my record. By two to be exact. Dude, I won’t lie, I really miss hanging out with you and other local CS rockers, and I miss listening to y’alls music. But fear not, I’ve sung Matt Graham songs, Cody Kimmel songs, and thought about Jimmy and Faith, while here in China.
- Mrs T. - thanks for leaving me a comment. Don’t you worry about Jon’s hair, it looks just fine. I thought about stretching the truth and telling you that he dyed it black, but I decided against it. He’s doing just fine. Fear not.
- SamB - I know you’re over in the Motherland, but I thought I’d leave you love anyway. Because that’s what you do when I’m D.O. and you’re SamB.
- Roomies (all 9) - I love you dudes a lot, and I know only 2 of you read this, but that’s just fine. Actually, I think only one of you do. So it’s your job to make sure all the others know I love them. Just kidding. Have fun in C town/ville/city whatever.
Ok, I hope I didn’t forget anyone. I’m gonna throw out some lifting requests, mostly the same as the usual ones, but still important.
- that Father will keep providing, showing us where to take our steps, and keeping us safe in this crazy land.
- that we will have safety in traveling next week, as we plan on taking a pretty long bus ride, and the buses here are crazier than the land is.
- security protection for us and the other team that’s here. We’ve had a few scares so far, so this is a big one.
- for Father to till up the soil of the hearts of the people here.
- (not related to the trip) that Father will bring healing in an amazing way to David Gilbert as he battles lymphoma
On that note, if anybody knows anything about David Gilbert’s current state, I would LOVE to know. If by chance any of you will be contacting him, please tell him that I love him and that I’m lifting him up. He’s staying at Arlington something… dang it… I guess MCOA, that one or the other one. Anyway, yeah, this dude is amazing, so is his family, and his sweet girlfriend, so lift him up man, cause I hear he’s not doing too well.
Alright, sorry to end on a kinda sad note, but fear not, because David is a bro, and whatever happens is good for him, it’s a win-win for us bro’s and sis’s! Alright guys, I love you all, I mean that, and I’m sorry I don’t love you the way you deserve to love, but at least JC does a pretty amazing job at doing that where I, and every other human, falls short. lata.
red carpet at the barber shop
I know I said in the previous post that it would be the last one for a while, but we actually aren’t heading out til tomorrow, and something amazing happened today, so I had to post one last time. We also found this really nice internet place that’s ten times bigger than the old one, and way nicer… and same price (0.25 US Dollars/ hour)! Yeah, things are certainly cheaper here, as I will illustrate in the story you are about to read.
After waking up late on Monday morning and going to the “fried rice lady” on the corner for some (of course) fried rice, Jon, T-Burk, and I decided we were feeling a haircut. We happened to be eating our fried rice on the steps in front of a barber shop, so we went in, told them what we wanted, and let them do their thing. We let them know that we wanted the cheapest shampoo (prices of haircuts here depend on the shampoo you get), and the cheapest haircut they had. Here is what the bottom of the line haircut entailed:
They start by sitting you down and shampooing your hair, but not in a sink, they just pour the exact amount of water on your head, throw in some shampoo, and go to town with the lathering. It was pretty normal until ol’ girl started thumping my head as a part of the lathering process. Then, and this really caught me off guard, she started shampooing my ears, and this was no mistake, no slip of the hand, she went to town shampooing my ears as if they were as hairy as some 80 year old man’s. She proceeded to basically just massage my head with the shampoo still there, and about 15 minutes after I sat down, I was instructed to walk over to the corner where the shampoo was to be rinsed off. I’m certain my hair has never been this clean before. After the rinse off, which also included some ear massaging, I was told to go back to the chair I started in. She started going for the shampoo bottle again, and I thought, surely not… and I was right.
Instead, she started massaging my head/ neck for a short while, until she abruptly reclined my chair, turned my head to the side, and made me cough. Just kidding. She turned my head to the side and started going to town with the Q-tips in my ear. After that whole process was over, I was certain that my ears had never been so clean before. She went on and started massaging the upper half of my upper body (chest up). She would beat on my chest like Tarzan would beat on his own, and she did all kinds of stuff I don’t even remember… it was a lot to take in. She then took my arms one at a time and massaged the mess out of them, including popping fingers and more punching. That part was pretty nice. She finally returned my seat to the upright position, and then she massaged my shoulders and neck some more, and my back to boot. I started to worry that they weren’t actually giving me what I asked for, I thought surely this isn’t all included in the cheapest haircut, seeing how we had been there for an hour now (no exaggeration), and not a single hair had been cut. So, after 15 minutes of shampooing, and 45 minutes of massaging, I was finally moved to the chair where people’s hairs get cut.
I was transferred to a bro in a pink shirt with dyed hair and orange glasses, who sang quietly beneath his breath has he cut my hair. Keep in mind, (or I guess for those who don’t know) my head is shaved. I just wanted it shaved again because it was starting to get a little long. Apparently in China, they do not have the different guards on hair clippers that we have in the States. So what happened you ask? Well bro used a comb in between the scalp and the clippers with the precision of a professional table tennis player (also a huge thing here in China). Finally, about 20 minutes later, my head was shaved. My head shave took longer than both Jon and T-Burk’s normal hair cuts. I thought that was funny. But not nearly as funny or enjoyable as the entire experience was. Oh, all the while, American hits such as “I Will Be Right Here Waiting For You”, “My Heart Will Go On”, “Candle in the Wind”, and others were being played while bro was clipping on my hair. He must have not known the words to these songs, so I sang in his stead. All the while people’s heads turned and eyes fixed on the foreigner who looks like soccer star David Beckham (he’s like a superstar here, and I hadn’t even heard of him in the States, but everyone tells me I look like him).
After paying (I’ll tell you the grand total in a bit), we went outside on the steps we ate lunch on, along with everyone who was involved in any of our haircuts (about 7 employees total), for a photo. The girls faithfully held up their peace signs as the guys probably tried (successfully) to act cool. And now for the moment everyone is waiting for. How much did your awesome haircut experience put you back D.O.? The grand total was 10 kuai, which is equivalent to approximately $1.25 USD. This place is wonderful.
Alright, thanks for bearing with me on that story. I know it was long, but I thought it was really delightful, and I thought you might enjoy it too. For real this time, until next weekend.
farewell until next weekend
It’s that time of week again, the time where D.O. puts up his last post of the weekend, heads out the next day for another week of backpacking and watching Pappy do amazing things, and y’all start turning up the pr’s. That’s about all I have to say to be honest (the only reason I’m here on the internet is because Jon wanted to use it, and I love him, so I said ok).
I will, however, close out by sharing with you my Chinese name:
陡香焦
which is read “dew shung joww” (joww rhymes with pow)
and literally means “steep banana”
Alright, love you guys… til next week, triple peace in the far East.
shout-outs only… for real
Lucy - you’re so sweet. Thanks for the message, and way more thanks for making this your homepage… this site certainly isn’t cool enough to be anyone (other than my parents) homepage. Hang in there in CS, you’re fun time will come soon, and my boring time will coincide, so we’ll trade. Thanks so much for the pr’s. Oh, and tell whoever lives/ comes by the Marstellar house while you’re there, tell ‘em hi, and then add whatever you want, good or bad, and say it’s from me.
Brooke - girl, we all know that you’re tight, so don’t try and say you aren’t. I don’t know what the deal is with the color blue, I think it’s the local culture that I’m in more so than the entire country, but dang, they love it. I’m glad you liked the story about the visit to the school. We’ve had other school visits, but I forgot to mention the funniest part of the story you read: the kids sang “Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you” in it’s entirety, and in return we sang “I’m a little teapot” complete with motions.
Kelly - dang right you’re gonna head my way! That’s so rad. You better pack a lunch, these people are crazy here. In the best way. I’m glad to see you’re going to have a blog too, so we’ll swap roles at the summer’s halftime.
T-bomb (and Mikeyo) - thanks for the message dog. More so thanks for the pr’s. I’m looking forward to coming home, and I’m super glad to hear you’re growing in Pappy daily. You still date that girl? lata.
SamB - bro, I’m happy to see your name on this thing. It’s like seeing your face or something. You are going to have wonderful and hilarious, and both, stories when you get back. I’ll be in A-town for like 48 hours, and I’m pretty sure you won’t be back yet… we’ll see… love you dude.
L.O. - yeah, sorry I forgot you that first time, I forgot lots of important people. I hope your surgery went well (like the 9 other one’s have overtime). I asked Pappy to hook you up. He will.
Parents - laptop huh? I’m glad you came to your senses and got a new compy… that old one wasn’t cutting the mustard.
that and the other
since last time I didn’t get a chance to post the “that and the other” portion of “this, that, and the other”, which includes shout-outs and lifting requests, I’ll do so now. Again, I haven’t yet had a chance to read my comments from the week, so if you left one, and didn’t receive a shout-out, then just wait, your time will come. And if you get a shout-out and haven’t left a message yet, then you are stepping on my last nerve.
Parents - I was thinking about how I won’t call you for six weeks while I’m here, and I started to think that was a long time, but then I realized I probably have gone six weeks without calling you while I’m at A&M, so maybe if y’all think about it that way, you won’t miss me so much. But keep lifting me up (not that I’m worried you were about to stop), cause I like, and need, that kind of stuff. I love y’all.
Granny - I hear you got a new computer and email… I bet that is hilarious. I would send you an email, but here in China I’m keeping away from my email account for security purposes, but maybe you can check this site and read/ comment. I love you, see you in less than a month.
Misty and David - I don’t know if y’all ever hang around this site, or on the internet at all, but I wanted to let you know I got my baby cousin Abi something here in the Orient (don’t worry about repaying me, I owe Misty one for the little egg whistle she got me in Taiwan), and it may be too big, but I figured she’d, or at least her mom, would like it. Oh, and if you aren’t checking this site, then now you should feel guilty for getting a shout-out and never having visited the online diary for the masses.
L.O. - I bet you’re having a blast in A-town working a semi-grown up job(s) and hanging out with high school friends. As jealous as I am of you, I still plan on getting you something that deals with footwear here in China, and I’d like to know what size shoe you wear. Preferably in the European scale, because that’s how they roll here. My Euro shoe size is like 44 or something. I love you dude, keep hanging out with Pappy, he likes it more than you (or I) can understand.
Matt, Joshua, and Seth - last time I checked, both of y’all failed to leave a comment, which leads me to believe (though hopefully I’m wrong), that neither of you grace this site with your presense. That’s just fine, but don’t expect a radical shout-out til you do. If indeed I am wrong, I’ll make it up to you with baked goods or kisses or something.
Tommy - Jon and I were talking about you the other day, right here in China, and we decided that you, sir, are tight. We like you a lot, and Tara too, and we’re looking forward to coming to your wedding when we return to the land of the free and the home of the brave.
George W Bush - hey man, thanks for the financial support you gave me for this trip, I knew you’d come through. Dude, I’m looking forward to our lunch date when I get back, until then, you just hang in there, and keep leading our country the way Pappy wants you to!
Supercinski’s - I’m sure you two are faring well in the race for the most comments. If I had to guess my folks are your top (and probably only) competitors. More important than your posts, though, are certainly your pr’s for me, and I seriously appriciate those more than comments or dolla bills.
Becky - dude, thanks again for being a pr warrior for me while I’m here. Feel free to let the Monday morning group know that I’m doing well, and that Father has proven to be so good to me and my team the entire time we’ve been here thus far.
Hank Hill - Thanks for making me laugh so much when I’m in the states.
Alright, I think that’s all the shout-outs for now, I’ll proceed to give you lifting requests for the upcoming week, most of them are going to be the same as previous weeks, but they’re still important. Here we go!!
- first, tell Pappy how great He is for whatever He’s doing in yo’ life. And thank him for what He’s doing in mine
- protection, both spiritual and physical, from whatever the enemy decides to throw our way
- that security stuff will not be an issue we need to worry about, and that we indeed won’t be worried
- sensitivity in hearing Father’s voice (for his sheep will know His voice!)
- healing for my knee*
- that Father would keep providing us with people to talk to, to get done what we need to get done
I think that’s it. At least that’s the big stuff, now for the asterisk:
* so yesterday I was going down a river on a little floaty, enjoying the freezing cold water on a very mild and cloudy day (I was colder than I’ve been in a long time). At one point, a good ways down the river, I started going over some rapids/ rocks. Don’t be fooled, these aren’t big rapids, nothing to write home about, even though that’s exactly what I’m doing. As I entered the rapids, I hit my butt on some rock(s) and ultimately fell off my floaty. No big deal, the water isn’t deep, it wasn’t like I was going to die (Warning: Ending Spoiler: I didn’t die). As I fell, I went to grab my floaty, which I immediately realized had popped, and was no longer holding air, but water. Anyway, I got to the shore with my level 6 swimming school skills, and came out with only mere abrasions on my lower back. Sometime later that afternoon, however, my knee started bothering me, and by that night it was hurting pretty bad when I bent it. Think about it, you bend your knee a lot throuhout a given day. So now, it’s kinda swollen, a little bruised, nothing terrible, but I am a wiener, and we head out for another week on the trail soon, and I don’t want to be holding the group back. So that’s that.
Alright, that’s it. No drawn out good-byes here. Especially since I’ll probably post another one this afternoon after reading my comments. Lata!!
this, that, and the other
I’ve realized that I come to this internet place - which is pretty funny, and probably nothing like you imagine it -simply for the sake of going, and not necessarily because I have stuff to write. So don’t blame me for bad posts, I warned you.
I just found out that my backspace key on this wonderful computer I was assigned to does not work, so when you get to the end of this post and see all the random letters and things, know that it isn’t Chinese or secondary cussing, but it’s the various typing mistakes I made while compiling this post. That said, I decided I liked the setup of my previous post (update/story, shout-outs, PR’s) and I think I’ll stay the course this time around. Oh, also note that this post was written before I could go to the fancy computer which allows me to view my comments that people send me, so if the shout-outs leave someone out, wait a day or two, and you’ll get the credit due you.
This week consisted of a lot more traveling via boat and vehicle (bus, well, bus only really), than it did foot travel. Ergo, my socks didn’t smell nearly as bad at the end of the week, so they required less washing. I did decide today, however, that the washing machine will be a good thing for all my clothes, especially socks, when I return to the states next month. So far I’ve only been using my sink and/or bathtub at hotels for washing clothes. I kinda like that way better, but I digress. The boat rides we took were really cool this week, they allowed us to see China from a slightly new perspective: the River’s. This place really is beautiful. Let me take this moment to brag on Father for how amazing He is, and was this past week. First of all, the beauty we get to see in Creation, both nature and humans, is grounds alone for bragging on Him. As far as things specific to this week, He did all of the following (and more): provided 3 meals and a place to stay one night for free, kept us from trying to sleep in a town where foreigners aren’t allowed to stay (the same town we were planning on crashing in), hooked us up with people to guide us to our next destinations, hooked us up even more with people (2) with whom we got to share stories from the Good Book and planted some seeds!, He gave Peep’s (our guide/ the J-man here (if you don’t know what J-man means, just know that he’s here way longer than I’ll be)) the words to the stories that planted said seeds, and He kept the security safe for the week dispite the cops in one town stopping us and asking to see our passports. He is so good, and He hears the stuff you talk to Him about, and does it! Pappy is all about answering our requests, and I’m pretty sure we ask for small things compared to what He wants to give us. Oh, I left out that He kept bugs from biting me one night when bugs clearly could and should have had their way with me.
Story: One of our few walks (hikes really) this week was a 3 to 4 hour hike along this road, and seriously, it was all uphill. We were on our way to a town in which we planned on doing the business we do in towns, then sleeping and moving on in the morning. About 30 minutes from the town we came across a road that led to a village, and more important to the story, a man who lived in this village. We had some small talk, and then he said we could come in the village and look around, and to follow him. He took us to his house where he insisted that we sit down and rest (as every Chinese person has done to us, whether in their house or shop, and regardless of whether we’d just walked 5 miles uphill or simply from next door). After sitting and talking for about 2 minutes, bro goes into another room and comes out with his “badge” of sorts, the kind that the rent-a-cops here wear. Rent-a-cop is the best I can compare them with something from the states. He showed us this, and told us about how he was a cop, and then after that conversation he went and put on his camo fatigues (complete with badge, which is really just an armband of sorts) because he had to go to work at 8:00 that night. He insisted, however, that we eat dinner at his house before he took us to town on his way to work. He tried to tell him that wasn’t necessary, but he wouldn’t have it. Chinese are hospitable and persistant, especially (but not exclusively) in the countryside. We ate dinner there, which was prepared by his 17 year old daughter alone, while everyone else was talking and playing. *(not part of the story, but I just found out this place is about to close, to the rest of this story may not get told in the detail I would like)* After dinner the man told us it was too dark to walk to town that night, that we should instead stay the night at his house, and go in the morning when we were rested and the sun was up. He made us wash our feet and faces, and then we all went upstairs to sleep in what i think was the daughters room. In the morning we went downstairs to leave, but bro insisted that we eat before we departed. We proceeded to eat the same meal we had the night before, and then we finally were escorted to town. About 5 minutes outside of the town, bro stops (still wearing his uniform), and points and tells us the rest of the way. After it was all said and done, we’d had a place to stay, two meals, and bro never went to work, nor did he even go into town with his camo on, which we concluded meant that he wasn’t even a cop, or a rent-a-cop at all, he was just trying to impress us. Either way, I was impressed. Jon made a great conclusion this week: Ch’s in America should treat everyone the way that Chinese treat Americans.
Ok, this place is closing, and I’ll have to continue later. Stay tuned. Now, here are all my typing errors from the night:
ori was rsolefg euslap Hlyaod sheirti’llhglt epcetivec e tn neerfnotiro dsf=
last one for a while…
well, for like a week. We were in the internet part of town, so we thought we’d go ahead and stop by for one last update to the humans back in the motherland. I remembered one pretty big p.r. that I forgot, so that’s the main reason for this update. But if between now and the time I type that request, I think of a story, I’ll certainly share it. We’re heading out tomorrow for week two of backpacking. Last week was so beautiful, and I really hope that I don’t start getting desensitized to the beauty of the creation that I’m so blessed to be right in the middle of. I’ve taken about 200 pics already, and desktop backgrounds for about a year or two to come. Mom and Dad, you will probably reap the benefit of that as well.
While I’m here, I’ll go ahead and give you (some of) the list Jon and I have compiled of things that the Chinese people love:
- the color blue
- dress clothes (men)
- cell phones
- cell phones in a case on their oversized belt (men)
- cell phones on a necklace (women)
- saying “hallo” to us foreigners and laughing and running away when we say “hello” back (kids)
- yelling
- honking horns
- things that are loud and spicy
- beer and smoking and weed (Father break the strongholds!)
- getting foreigners drunk
- pointy shoes (men)
- staring at foreigners
- conserving electricity
- hot drinks every day of the year, regardless of the weather
That’s just a portion of the list we’re making. We’ll probably go ahead and get it published when we return to the States, and I imagine it’ll be a best seller.
On a totally different note, I was sitting in my bed yesterday thinking of some of the food items I’m excited about eating when I return to the states, and some of the are: Wendy’s, Taco Bueno (which I didn’t even eat before I left… stupid), Mom’s spaghetti (or anything really), Heather’s “Cinnamon Toast Crunch”, and I’ll go ahead and throw in Wendy’s again (the first one was the one in Arlington because of the 99 cent Texas double cheeseburger, the second for the one in CS on SW Parkway because of the staff and the free food that awaits me).
Alright, as far as lifting requests go, keep lifting up the ones I’ve already mentioned this weekend, and a big new one is this:
- protection in the area of security, both when we’re out in the countryside and especially when we’re in town
see, there are a couple of other Americans who are here for a while, and I met one the other day and we need to just keep asking Pappy to not let them link us with the University group, because the school doesn’t know the backpackers exists (until now), and even still they think we met the University team here in China.
Thank you guys so much for lifting this stuff up, many of my bros who wrote some letters and books for the Good Book, and even JC himself, had many good things to say about talking to Father and the good stuff that comes with/ and from it. You guys are so amazing. You need to make yourselves buttons that say “D.O. thinks I’m amazing” and wear them to work/ school/ the park. That’s it for a while.
triple peace in the far east.