Field Report: Day Two in China

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A Life of Deadlines and Dates
Day three morning. It's now 9am and I have just woken up. Didn't really sleep very well last night. Was supposed to accompany two of my trip mates to go take photo of Old Town in the morning, but decided to just sleep in. Anyway, I have said it again and shall say it again :) I am beginning to really love this lifestyle. As I tossed about in bed this morning, I can't help but realise how different this felt as compared to life in Singapore. Life back in Singapore is so hectic I can be going to bed thinking and worrying about tomorrow. Here, when it's time for bed, I just turn in. In fact, with this kind of lifestyle and if I hadn't have my handphone with me, I wouldn't have known which day I was in. Or rather, there wasn't a necessity for me to know it either. Realised how I have been controlled by dates and deadlines back in Singapore. I am now starting to better understand why some backpackers love backpacking so much. Life here indeed is so different. You can sleep in, wake up any time you want, spend some time having breakfast, writing your journal and/or just spending time interacting with the locals who are ever so friendly.

One of the local delicacies... 土豆(Potato) with chilli powder

How Great is our God
Yesterday was really a day I realised how real our God is. We visited an orphanage in Lijiang and I was so surprised by what I saw. I was expecting to visit an old dilapidated orphanage with sad children. But instead, I was greeted by this passionate Singaporean couple who was running the home as missionaries there and by a group of adorable children. The home was just simply wonderful and could even put many homes in Singapore to shame. Not only is the premises well-maintained, I could also see how happy the children were and how much love filled the home. The children were so well-behaved, well-mannered and so wonderfully adorable. The whole home was filled with much joy and the children love the couple so well, calling them "papa" and "mama". One of the scenes that remained etched in my mind is this scene where we were talking and a little boy walked in. As we were talking about his age, "mama" got his age all wrong. The child smiled back with this radiant smile and gently corrected her. "Mama" felt so bad that she hugged the boy tightly and apologised. "Papa", on the other hand, is this stern looking person but you can just sense his love being demonstrated in many other ways e.g. quietly fixing the garden fences while the children play. As we talked to them, we realised how love has brought them to serve here in China and how much love they have for the children and how much love God has blessed the home with. For instance, the couple maintained that the children be given vitamin C everyday to help them stay healthy and despite it being expensive, they do not have to worry about it; God always blessed them people who would in turn bless them with Vitamin C each time they come to visit the home.

Lijiang Old Town in the Day

Now why do I say God is real? Because everything seems to just fall in place just so nicely these couple of days. Remember I mentioned about how God brought two new friends to us to help us with our luggage; the two backpackers from Singapore? Both are outdoor activities instructors and one of them is a Christian while the other is a pre-believer. Well, as we were making the plans for the day, they decided that they would like to join us for the visit to the orphanage. When we were at the home, we were chatting with the Singapore couple when after a while, he suddenly mentioned that he was thinking of doing some teambuilding for his houseparents and asked for our help to keep a lookout for people who can help him in this area. Bingo! My trip leader immediately sat up and pointed in the direction of the two new friends, saying "there, they are just the person you are looking for". Now, how much more coincidental can it get?

Also, just the night before, one of the backpacker friend joined us for devotion and shared how she had been apart from a Christian community and seeking God's will in recent months of her traveling. She also shared how her other friend, who is a pre-believer, wondered why we Christians like to go on trips like that, with an agenda to "convert" people (well, that question also set me thinking a bit). But, today, God has used the missionaries in the home to reach out to them, and it wasn't even intentional because all along, they thought we are all Christians and so we just chatted. Later, the two backpacker friends stayed upstairs to discuss with the home tutor how they can help in the home with teambuilding for the staff and youth, while we went downstairs to play with the children.

The amazing flask that can keep water
piping hot for two days despite the cold weather...

But, at the night debrief, our Christian backpacker friend shared with us, how the brief chat with the debrief was a good one and how it has touched them as the home tutor shared her testimony about how she was called to be a tutor at the home. Apparently, the home tutor first came as a tourist but had to stand in for a friend who was helping in the home, but who have to rush back to her home country because her relative passed away. Being touched by the work of the home, she then decided to give up everything she had at home to be in China to help in the home. Concerned that her friend will be overwhelmed by all the Christian talk throughout the whole day, the Christian backpacker friend checked with her friend later that night if she is OK. Surprisingly, she mentioned that she is not overwhelmed at all and is actually more open to Christianity now. Praise the Lord! By this time, I was so amazed how God has not only sent these two friends to help us with our luggage, to bless us with their outdoor skills, to minister to both the Christian and pre-believing backpacker friends but also to bless the home with their skills n outdoor activities and training. How amazing and awesome is He!

Flower outside the home...

It's Not the Words
As for me, I have also took something back with me. At the home, while the two backpacker friends were upstairs discussing about the teambuilding, I was downstairs with the others playing with the children. I had initially felt uncomfortable because I did not know how to interact with the children. I am an introverted and did not know what to say and how to say it. But later, I began to gradually warm up to the children through activities like plowing the soil at the garden, badminton etc. Aiyoh, I must really be a city kid because I was already panting horribly after playing badminton and just a few minutes of plowing... The kids on the other hand, just went on and on. They seemed to enjoy the simple activities as cycling, badminton and plowing the soil... No xbox, no computer games, no handphone games or psp... but they are just so happy. As we parted, the children sent us off and cycled alongside us as we walked out. I have learnt that sometimes, to connect to others, I need not do it through words but rather, I can connect to others through activities.

God Bless my Leading
Oh yes, I also want to thank God for blessing my leading at devotion yesterday. It wasn't easy especially being the first to start leading devotion for the trip. By the time I was to start the session, I was seriously so lost and did not know how I was going to do it. But it went on relatively fine. And it seemed to have also ministered to my Christian backpacker friend. Although she did not share during devotion yesterday morning, but she did share during debrief yesterday night how God spoke to her through the devotion and the orphanage visit. This really reminds me something that another cell group mate has reminded me about: that our cell group sessions don't have to be a roaring success, as long as it ministered to at least one person, it is a success. Thank God for the lesson.

Took a stroll in Old Town that evening and it was wonderful walking about and observing the local's way of life at night. Remember walking past this "cafe" beside this "drain" (which supposed to be bringing water down from 玉龙雪山) and hearing the local play some of Kenny G's song using his chinese instrument.... interesting sight...

8 April 2007