Someone else's agenda

One of the things I am enjoying immensely about this trip is that now that I am in China, I am completely dependent on others and completely abandoned to their agendas. I am rather helpless. I don't speak the language, I don't know my way around. I have no responsibilities, no deadlines, no calls to return, no timetable.

This morning as I walked up and down the street pushing Kai in the stroller, waiting for Michelle to finish her business in the bank, I felt the freedom of being available to her and completely surrendered to her plans for the day.

I go where she tells me to go, get in the taxi and know that she will instruct the driver, get out when she tells me, follow her through the market, wait when she needs to buy something, carry a bag when she needs her hands.

I was thinking as we made our way to store, market, school and back home this morning, that my attitude toward God should be the same - completely abandoned to His plans for the day. Willing to go where he tells me to go, to do what he says, to move when he says, to stand still and wait when he says wait, to bear a burden, follow where he leads.

What sweet freedom in being abandoned to His agenda.

Retreat

Ten years ago, God brought a young woman into our family. She was a college freshman, far from her parents who lived in Taiwan. The "reason" she was introduced to us was that she was an amazing cellist and our son, Andrew, 8 at the time, was learning to play the cello. The real reason she was introduced to us by a perceptive professor friend was that she was in need of family and a bit of loving shelter, a place to think of as home and friends to nurture her. She came to visit from time to time, shared meals with us, played the cello, and became a part of our family.

This past weekend Jenn and I had a retreat together. She has lived in Beijing for seven years now and flew here to Xiamen to spend a very precious few days together. We headed to a hotel near the beach and enjoyed....

early morning quiet time at the beach,
swimming laps in the pool, in the early morning and after dark,
sitting under an umbrella poolside, reading and talking for hours,
eating grilled seafood and Chinese food under the stars a stone's throw from sea,
walking along the boardwalk at night,
taking a ferry around Gulangyu Island,
walking the old, winding streets of Gulangyu to visit the pearl shop,
eating noodles,
praying together on a covered bench above crashing waves on a boulder strewn beach.
watching kiteboarders.
talking about marriage, the Bible, faith, trials, answered prayer, God's goodness,
worshiping with believers from the US, Australia, France, Nigeria, Uganda, Tonga, the Philippines and more,
eating Indian food,
getting a Chinese massage,
just being together...

Our times together are few and far between but the distance between us and the length of time between visits seem to have no bearing at all on how quickly we pick right up, dive right in, and dig down deep into the stuff of our lives. This past weekend, we had many great conversations, a lot of laughter, a few tears, times of rejoicing and dreaming, and a whole lot of fun.

She kept saying, "I can't believe you're in China."

I couldn't believe it either.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A Day in the Life of....

Vera and Kai and a glimpse into where they live.

Many of you know that I was planning to help Matt and Michelle with the kids while they had meetings for their adoption home study. Well, the home study was yesterday and today so Vera, Kai and I have spent a lot of time together the last couple of days. It's been fun to play with them, get to know their daily routines, and become familiar with their surroundings - the sights, sounds, and smells of their daily life.

The following slideshow has pictures of playing - in the apartment courtyard, living room, and Vera's balcony "playroom," shots of the kitchen for you foodies who'd like to see where the cooking gets done in a Chinese apartment, and views from the apartment balconies of the surroundings. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Xiamen Diary

I made it! I'm in China. After 30 plus hours of travel, I arrived in Xiamen at 12:45 Sunday afternoon, China time.

The trip was relatively uneventful. Flights were on time, connections easy, no luggage lost. The only "glitch" was the hour long wait on the plane when we landed in Shanghai. Government health inspectors boarded the plane and took our temperatures. One woman a few rows ahead of me had a fever and the unhappy passengers two rows ahead of and behind her had their passports taken and were not allowed to deplane. We were told they would probably be taken to a hospital and held in quarantine for seven days. How thankful I was to be in row 34 and not a few rows ahead!

Finally off the plane - after 16 hours - I made it easily through immigration and customs and found the airport shuttle. I got on the first bus out of the morning and made the hour long trip between airports. I was the only non-Chinese person on the bus.

Welcome to Shanghai- from the highway, anyway. The motto of the upcoming 2010 World Expo, "Better city, Better life" was splashed on billboards everywhere. It is...very big, very modern, lots of flowers along the roadways, lots of bicycles and motorscooters, tall apartment buildings...that's about all I could see from the bus.

Another wait in the airport and one more flight.

And finally...I arrived in Xiamen on the edge of a tropical storm. (glad I didn't know that when we took off from Shanghai) Lots of rain and wind. We had a bit of turbulence and the landing was a little bumpy but stepping out into the blustery, humid, misty Xiamen air felt great! And then what a welcome sound - Michelle's voice calling my name as I came out of baggage claim. Matt and the kids were waiting in the van and we headed back to their neighborhood for a late lunch at one of their favorite restaurants.

For all of you who prayed for my travels - thank you! It all went so well and I felt so calm, knowing that you were praying.

The rest of the yesterday was a bit of a blur but this morning, after a good night's sleep, I was eager to take Michelle up on the offer of going to visit the Xiamen fabric market. We took a taxi to the market and spent a couple of hours strolling around the stalls and shops. I am very impressed with Michelle's language skills and ease and comfort getting around the city. Then home to pick Vera up from preschool, lunch, naps, and an afternoon walking around the neighborhood to the photo place, the grocery store, and just seeing the surroundings, dinner out, and home again to relax and make cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast.

Tomorrow is a big day. M and M have their homestudy for their upcoming adoption and I will enjoy time with Vera and Kai while they meet with their social worker.

Now enjoy a few pictures from today...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Out the door

I'm all packed. I've said most of my farewells and I head to the airport in a half hour. I am very grateful to you, dear readers, for your prayers, your kind and encouraging words, and all of your goodness to me through all the preparations for this trip. Though I am traveling solo on this leg of the trip, I do not go alone. I take you in my heart.

May God be glorified.

Next time - from China!

Soundtrack for packing

I'm still at it. This is the soundtrack for packing. Thanks, Albert, for sharing it with me.

A few prayer requests

The bags are almost packed. I'm checking and re-checking my lists. I have butterflies in my stomach. I tend to not want to eat before a long trip but to motivate myself, I made pesto with basil from the garden. I ate. That's good.

Now, I share a few requests with you and thank those of you who have prayed for this trip. I have felt the undergirding support of your faithful prayers and so appreciate your support and encouragement.

Please continue to pray for:

-safe travel and timely connections - I fly to NY, then on to Shanghai, then to the city where the Sneads live - about 27 hours of travel time total.

-easy transit through Shanghai - please pray that I won't have a fever or anything to cause the health authorities in Shanghai to think I might have been exposed to the H1N1 virus thus requiring quarantine; also pray that I will find the shuttle and make the connection between airports. I have six hours in Shanghai so that should be plenty of time. Our friends, Mike and Lily have helped me with directions printed in English and Chinese, Chinese currency, and a Chinese cell phone! How great is our God to provide such help right here in our midst.

-fruitful time with the Sneads. Michelle and I will spend time talking about how to be a godly wife and mother. I earnestly desire to be a Titus 2 woman in Michelle's life. She has asked me to prepare some quiet time readings for her for the time we are together and I still have some work to do on that. But I very much look forward to our conversations. My prayer is Colossians 4:6 - that our conversation would be full of grace and that Michelle would be greatly encouraged and built up in the Lord and in the power of his word.

-the opportunity to visit the orphanage. At this point, the government has closed the orphanage to all foreign visitors because of H1N1, but our God is able to override that restriction if He so wills. We also hope to visit some of the foster families so please pray that that would work out.

-time with the Snead kids. Can't wait to play with Kai, read books with Vera, and whatever else they want to do!

That's all for tonight. I hope to post one more time tomorrow before I leave.

How a haircut forestalled my packing...

On my to-do list yesterday: get a haircut. Easy, right. Then back home to start putting items in my pack.

Oh, no. Not so fast.

I went to the hairdresser at 2:30 - a new one for me, thanks to sweet C's excellent recommendation. When I parked and went to remove the key, it wouldn't come out. Which meant I had to lock the car with the key in it so no one would drive off with it while I was getting my hair cut which meant Coty had to come over to the hairdresser and bring the extra key which when he arrived at the hairdresser, he didn't have, which meant I had to go home with him but then we realized that Andrew was at home and could come and bring the key since we were going out for coffee anyway which meant Coty dropped me at Sonic where I drank a cherry limeade and waited for 20 minutes for Andrew, who when he arrived at Sonic realized that he also FORGOT TO BRING THE KEY!!!!!! (It was getting totally ridiculous at this point).

At this point Andrew and I drove back home to find the key which Coty was searching for but couldn't find which meant we had to call AAA which meant we had to drive back to Concord Mills and meet the AAA man who opened the car in 2 seconds but still we couldn't get the key out which meant that Andrew and I sat outside at McAlisters so we could see the car and make sure no one drove away in it since the key was stuck in the ignition and we couldn't lock the car and then we ate key lime pie (me), soup (him) and talked for two hours and then it was time to come back home and pick up Coty (who had since found the extra key which he had dropped in a pile of papers in his office) and go to Bible study and then come home and FALL INTO BED!

And that is why I didn't pack yesterday. And why I laughed when I saw this post.

Yesterday did use up quite a bit of today, but by tomorrow I will be all packed. Promise!

Hair - no not mine

Last summer....

This summer...

What d'ya think? I think he looks older. Duh! He is older, but you know what I mean. Older than just a year would make him look.

I can't decide which I like best - running my fingers through the long locks or rubbing my hands on the fuzzy top.

One thing I do know. I sure am going to miss this smiling face for a month. Oh dear, lump in the throat already.

Just what I was thinking

From Rebecca Sower

Yes, it is. I do.

With a little trepidation and much need of prayer as I consider changing planes, changing airports, changing money, changing time zones, changing languages (at least what is heard!), changing continents for a month....

Packing

K's packing posts are immensely helpful and fun to read. Here, here, and here

I am also quite capable of coming up with lots of ways to procrastinate but I'm getting down to the wire and things are going in the pack soon, very soon!

I'm still doing a bit of gathering and organizing and of course, making lists.

3 more days!!!

Playing around with...

...the new camera.

I love it when what you are looking for can be found close by and on sale, too! And when someone else who is very good at researching what to buy does it for me and even goes to the store and makes the purchase. Thanks, Coty, for setting me up with this sweet little camera.

I will leave the fancy pants cameras to the amazing photographers that will be on this trip. I will be shooting with a little, and I do mean little, Olympus Stylus 1010. The image quality is very good. It has a few - but not too many - bells and whistles, a super macro function which I love, a hypercrystal LCD screen that shows up in the bright sunshine, and I can almost read the print on the screen without reading glasses! Yeah, this is the camera for me.








Can you tell I like to play around in the garden?

We once...

...crossed the US in a Chevy Chevette, hiked the backcountry in Yellowstone, came face to face with an elk, played in streams warmed by hot springs, swam in glacial tarns, watched the sunset over the Pacific from a mountaintop perch, walked through redwood forests, cross-country skiied in Yosemite, hiked out of the Grand Canyon in a snowstorm, picked apricots, watched a rodeo, explored rocky beaches...

...flew to London and looked for an obscure travel agent to get the cheapest flight on to Kenya; flew via Cairo days after Anwar Sadat's assasination and encountered angry guards with machine guns who took our passports; made it safely to Nairobi and settled into a life that included daily bus rides to a slum to work (me) and daily walks to a government ministry to introduce computers to a crazy third-world country budget system (him); took long cramped overnight bus trips and more comfortable sleeper train rides to visit friends in upcountry rural villages; camped in Masai Mara and got a flat tire yards away from a resting pack of lions; listened to hyenas laugh in the distance and petted baby elephants and rhinos; walked along an Indian ocean beach; climbed Mt. Kenya in the snow; listened to the sounds of gunfire early on an August Sunday morning and realized we were living in a beseiged city in the midst of a violent coup attempt; drank tea and played Scrabble on a verandah overlooking the tea fields; ate sukuma and ugali and paneer saagwalla...

...gave birth in Kenya to our first little one and began the adventure of parenting; camped, hiked, backpacked with small children; drove all night (more than once) with sleeping children in a 15 passenger van to visit far-away relatives, spent the night on the side of the road on the way to the Atlanta Olympics with a flat tire in said 15 passenger van because the lug wrench was too small for the oversized lug nuts; held one child with a seizure, rushed others to the ER, prayed during surgeries in hospital waiting rooms; watched races, plays, dance recitals, piano recitals, cello recitals, horse shows, chorus concerts; waded in mountain streams, threw rocks in lakes, paddled canoes, sledded down the golf course hill; read countless books aloud, and more...

...left a secure job and a comfortable life in a lovely New England town to take a family of 8 to live in an African town for a year; ate grasshoppers; rode horses in breathtakingly beautiful places; walked to where our coffee was grown, roasted over the fire, and ground; listened to the death wail from the clinic and cried over AIDS deaths of people we knew; held newborn babies; watched jujus terrorize the town; heard of terror in America over the BBC and felt the surreal sense of being on another planet when life where we were went on as normal with roosters crowing, children carrying water, women stirring fufu over cooking fires while life in America seemed to stop in fear; were comforted by our Moslem shopkeeper friend; bought baskets from lepers with gnarled fingers; met our future son-in-law; kept baby birds and chickens; watched the sunset reflected on the fog in our valley...

...moved back to NC, the state where we met; smelled blackberries on a hot summer day; planted a church; planted a garden; rejoiced, worked, held more newborns, counseled hurting people and couples in love, sang, studied, played, were broken, wept, pressed on; hiked in mountains we remembered from college days and walked old, familiar brick walkways under even older oak trees; watched soccer games and football games; rejoiced at the first child's wedding; sent sons off to China, Burkina Faso, England, Spain, Indonesia, Philippines, camp and college; listened to owls at night in the trees out front and wrens in the morning in the garage; ate peaches and fried green tomatoes...

All these things and more, I have done with the love of my life. It's been seven years since we've traveled abroad together and I am very, very happy that my traveling companion in India this summer is the traveling companion of my life, the one with whom I've covered countless miles and shared countless adventures, the one with whom I'd go around the block or around the world.

Traveling companion

And now, I have another traveling companion in India. Guess who???!!!

China-India bound...counting the days

Eleven days from now, I shoulder my backpack and hop on a plane for China. It doesn't seem real. It feels like this should be happening for someone else - like one of my children - or Coty. They are usually the travelers. I go to the airport, stand beside them in the ticket line, walk to the last possible spot to hug them before they walk through security and stand, watching, a lump in my throat, eyes pooling.

But this summer, it's my turn. They will stand by the "No Passengers Beyond This Point" sign and wave. I will probably still have a lump in my throat as I turn around for a wave good-bye.

Here's the trip itinerary for any of you who are interested:

June 19 - fly via NY and Shanghai to Xiamen
and spend time with the Sneads and Jenn. That flight to Shanghai is LONG! I've been on long flights before but never 15 hours. I can't wait to see the Sneads in their home, to play with Vera and Kai, to see their classroom in the orphanage, to talk long with Michelle. And then, to spend a little "retreat" time with Jenn. More talking long and late, I expect.

June 30 - fly via Hong Kong and Mumbai to Hyderabad
where I will meet up with Jonathan and Kandyce, her mom, our friend Grace and a couple of other folks. This is the trickiest part of the travel since I have so many connections and arrive in Hyderabad at 3 AM and J and K arrive there by train at 2 AM. They'll come and meet me at the airport...as long as their train gets in on time! Praying for smooth connections all over the place.

July 2 (I think??) - 6 hour train ride to Bapatla
to spend time at the orphanage. What can I say about this? For a year, J and K have shared pictures and shared their hearts for this place. I feel so deeply privileged to get to spend almost two weeks here with them and with the precious children that stole, broke, warmed, and shaped their hearts. How could I not be thrilled about this time, given words like these:

j and i can't wait to introduce you to these kids who already love you so much, to this country which has stolen our hearts, to these kids who have turned my own tiny, myopic definitions of love completely on end and who bring me so much unhindered joy!

When I think about this part of the trip the image of a pebble tossed into a pool comes to mind. What will the ripple effects of time at Bapatla be? How will God use this time? How work in and through me? How change me?

Because when you go someplace like this you are never the same.




July 15 - return home from Hyderabad via Mumbai, Frankfurt, and NY

That's the itinerary.

Tomorrow, since I never got to it on Saturday, it's back to cooking and filling the freezer for the ones I leave behind!

At the piano

Matthew spends hours at the piano each week. The other day Coty asked if he'd like to play in church.


Last night, anticipating this morning, he said it had been a secret desire of his...to play the piano in church. I asked why he'd kept it a secret.

This morning Matthew played a medley of songs as a prelude. It was very beautiful. I was thanking God.

In the freeer so far...

Lentil lemon soup
Lentil curry
Cauliflower - chickpea curry
Pizza crusts
Sweet potato casserole

All of those recipes were doubled so there is enough for two meal's worth.

I also made a chocolate pound cake...but that's for our women's gathering tonight. I'll have to make another one for the freezer for the boys.

On tap for tomorrow:
Turkey enchiladas
Cheese enchiladas
Tilapia in coconut milk
Stuffed baked potatoes
Golden harvest muffins.

The freezer's filling up. And I'm beat. I'm glad there's a little time to put my feet up for a bit before I head out the door to spend an evening with the wonderful women from church.

This batch cooking is great. I need to do this more often - even when I'm not planning to be away for a month!

Batch cooking tomorrow

The rain is falling steadily now. What a peaceful sound. Good sleeping weather. I need a good night's sleep because tomorrow, which promises to be a rainy and cool perfect for cooking day, I start batch cooking.

The boys helped me do a big shopping this evening. We pick up a few more items in the morning and then the cooking will begin in earnest. I want my guys to have a freezer full of meals for the month I am away this summer.

For a little inspiration for my day in the kitchen tomorrow, I picked up Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution at the library this evening. Reading a good book about food and cooking always inspires me for a day in the kitchen. And so now, dear readers, I am headed upstairs to open my window, crawl in the bed, listen to the rain, and read a little Alice Waters.

If any of you have great ideas for meals to put away in the freezer - healthy, easy, delicious meals that my guys would like - send them my way. I'm open to suggestions.

For Sharon...

...and anyone else who is interested in the cinnamon roll recipe I use, hop on over to Good Food. And let me know if you bake these. Or if you have any questions about the recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Happy Birthday to....

My #1 son. Far away in Egypt but gmail video chat brought him a little closer this morning.

I look each day at a picture of him with his sweetheart and a smiling Indian boy named Adams, a wonderful picture taken last summer in India that is on the wall above my desk. It reminds me of God's faithfulness in bringing him through hardships to a place of sweetness and purpose. Through tears to delight. Through loneliness to joy in a very special person. Her tribute melts my heart and makes me glad.

I can't wait for big hugs with both of them in the wee hours of the morning in the airport in Hyderabad on July 1st.

Tilapia two ways

Kathie asked how I prepare tilapia so I thought I'd share a few ideas with you. Head over to Good Food for the lowdown...

Guest Blogger

Daryl is really cool.

by guest blogger, Daryl*


Beth here now ...

On my return from NY, I was welcomed by my crew plus my niece, Amber, and two nephews, Daryl and Gray. (ages 19-22) They arrived last Thursday while I was away at Erin's. Since I hadn't been here to feed them, I promised them yummy food today. They felt I came through for them with homemade cinnamon rolls this morning, two tilapia dishes for dinner (one with pesto and one with coconut milk) rice, Asian slaw, and green beans for dinner followed by peach-berry cobbler and vanilla ice cream. They all said they are glad I'm home ; )

Me, too. Though I miss my sweet girl and her wonderful husband and the peacefulness of their country home.

Sometimes it's very hard to have far-flung family and I want to be in at least two, no three, no four places at once...

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* Daryl found my computer open and penned the comment above. Funny guy.