General Perceptions
Logistically, the area we went to is 13 hours ahead in time than Tennessee. So we left on Friday morning, and after a short flight to NY, took at 15 hour flight to Hong Kong and got there Saturday night. That flight was good, three meals and every seat had its own video screen and they had almost 200 movies to select from and TV shows (Jerry watched Kung Fu Pandas 2, and some other movies, I watched Midnight in Paris and Rio). On the way back, we were due to leave Hong Kong at 11:45 a.m. on a Sunday and arrive in Chicago at 1:30 p.m. that same Sunday, after over 14 hours in the air! The plane we were on (which left late), was an older plane. Still three meals, but they had one main video screen and you watched the movies that were already selected to be on that flight (Kung Fu Panda 2 and Midnight in Paris - oh well!). About the time we got over jet lag in China, we had two days before we went back had to deal with it again!
The food was wonderful! Jerry even ate green beans (a first for him) and had seconds of them! He said the way they were cooked was really good and flavorful. Our group determined that while in China, we would not eat American food - no McDonald's, KFC or Pizza Hut for us! The food was very inexpensive, one of the breakfast places was a small dumplings and won-ton kind of place next to the hotel, seven of us ate for $3.50 (total, not each!). We ate at a variety of restaurants and from street vendors. Our translators could give us some idea of what we were having. Except for some tofu that I really didn't like, everything was delicious.
The people were so friendly! We did not come across anyone who was rude, even the couple times that Jerry and I were in a small market picking up snacks or small items by ourselves (and the only Chinese I knew was "hello"). We had quite a few curious looks, but everyone would smile at us and nod. And speaking of stores, we didn't have a lot of time to shop, the one morning we went to the market before the afternoon university class and then evening seminars, was a different experience. The stores were small, only a couple of aisles each, and each side-by-side store seem to cater to one type of industry or item. There was a store that sold aquariums and supplies; one that had nothing but bags (yes, I bought some bags, plastic bags with flowers, gift bags, Jerry thought I was crazy); a store with school supplies; one that sold tea. Even on the way to and from the university there was a kind of "contractor's row" of shops - ones with only draperies; one with bathroom fixtures; one that had doors; one with tile and granite. We did go into one larger grocery store that also sold some housewares and baby clothes. And the reason you buy plastic bags is that some (most?) stores do not give you bags for your items, you just know to carry a couple along with you.
It is not considered good to have a tan. They have "sun-brellas" made of reflective material, and most would carry those during the day. Our hotel had a wonderful pool (our room overlooked it from high up) and as we came and went I never saw anyone swimming. I asked at the front desk when it was open, and the pool didn't open until 5:00 p.m. I got lots of compliments on my fair skin. Of course that's probably healthier for them. I heard on the news last night that California is passing a law where as of January 1, 2012, it will be illegal for anyone under 18 to go to a tanning salon.
The driving was crazy. We went on multiple forms of transportation - high speed train, motorcycle taxis, covered scooter taxis, bike taxis, scooters, and mostly taxis. The first time we went from our hotel to our friends' apartment, we saw a car going the wrong way at the "Y" intersection area where we were turning right off a main road. We laughed about "look at that guy going the wrong way!" When we left the apartment to go back to the hotel, our cab driver just pulled into the same "Y" area, the wrong way as two lanes of traffic are exiting, so he could kind of make a U turn. They seem to think of the dashed lines for lanes of traffic as suggestions, we would commonly see people riding the middle of the painted lines, making a 3-lane road into 4 lanes. Amazingly, we only came up on two minor "fender bender" type of accidents during the time we were there. They all seem to know that everyone drives that way and it's taken into account.
The weather was very tropical, they are on the same latitude as the Caribbean, the first couple days were really humid, but we got a breeze and a little cloud cover by Tuesday, so it got better. Contrary to some of the information we had received, the cities we were at were clean, I felt very safe, and we encountered no problems. The biggest thing that we realized was the complete disconnect they have with any knowledge of Christianity. I suppose I realize that in a lot of "western" cultures people have probably heard a basis of what Christianity beliefs are, and have the ability to make a decision to accept or reject being a Christ-follower. A lot of the people I encountered and talked with had no concept of even the basics, and we really had to hone down the responses we made and give some background explanation. They did want to hear, they asked a lot of questions, and we encountered some who had done reading and studying and wanted to hear more (and some that had become Christ-followers and were now telling others). Both Jerry and I have such a heart and feeling for the people of China, and we are planning on going back (and learning some of the language before we go - definitely pray for us on that one, it's kind of difficult and foreign!). To us, it's not "China" but it's Emma, Yolanda, Amber, Randie, Molly and Tom (and even Elvis, Bingo and Smile). The people have touched us in a way we didn't expect.
Monday, December 12, 2011
East Asia - September 2011 - Prayer Walking
Prayer Walking
I've never prayer-walked a city before. On Thursday we took a high-speed train (120 mph) to a smaller city (only about 500,000 people). Jerry and I went with one of the friends we had met up with who works with college students, and we walked down the streets, praying out loud, conversationally, as we would pass by businesses. We were gathering information about the city, and we were able to find a place that sold maps which were written in both Chinese and English (which we had been praying to find, it was great to thank God for answering that prayer!). The friend we were with said she had never seen so many mahjong gambling parlors, there were several on many of the streets we walked. Another group that was with us told us about passing by a brothel, the heartache at seeing the young women being offered and the abortion clinic across the street from it. As in any large city anywhere (and even in smaller ones), there can be lost and lonely people, looking for some way to provide a living or some happiness or enjoyment.
There was also, though, great friendliness and hope within the city we walked. Jerry and I were at an elementary school as it was letting out for lunch (their lunch break is 2 1/2 hours, though they go to school from about 7:30 until 5:00, and once they reach high school, they go later in the evenings with study classes, go to school 7 days a week and only getting one day off a month). The children would come up to us in small groups and say "Hello" to practice their English. We would say "Hello, how are you?" and their response would be "Fine, thank you, and you?" and we would say we're fine. They would giggle and run off to tell others that they spoke English to some Americans. We also came up to a secondary school during the lunch break, and a "motorcycle taxi" (basically a guy on a motorcycle who would negotiate a price and drive you to where you needed to be), was able to show us on the map where there was university in town (another answer to a prayer!). During the conversation, two other motorcycle cabs pulled up and the three of us each got on the back of one and had them take us to the University to check it out. And yes, I was riding without a helmet, but it was through the city as pretty safe speeds.... Another small group of ours was walking down an alley of homes, and someone leaned out from upstairs, said hello, and invited them to have lunch with their family.
I've never prayer-walked a city before. On Thursday we took a high-speed train (120 mph) to a smaller city (only about 500,000 people). Jerry and I went with one of the friends we had met up with who works with college students, and we walked down the streets, praying out loud, conversationally, as we would pass by businesses. We were gathering information about the city, and we were able to find a place that sold maps which were written in both Chinese and English (which we had been praying to find, it was great to thank God for answering that prayer!). The friend we were with said she had never seen so many mahjong gambling parlors, there were several on many of the streets we walked. Another group that was with us told us about passing by a brothel, the heartache at seeing the young women being offered and the abortion clinic across the street from it. As in any large city anywhere (and even in smaller ones), there can be lost and lonely people, looking for some way to provide a living or some happiness or enjoyment.
There was also, though, great friendliness and hope within the city we walked. Jerry and I were at an elementary school as it was letting out for lunch (their lunch break is 2 1/2 hours, though they go to school from about 7:30 until 5:00, and once they reach high school, they go later in the evenings with study classes, go to school 7 days a week and only getting one day off a month). The children would come up to us in small groups and say "Hello" to practice their English. We would say "Hello, how are you?" and their response would be "Fine, thank you, and you?" and we would say we're fine. They would giggle and run off to tell others that they spoke English to some Americans. We also came up to a secondary school during the lunch break, and a "motorcycle taxi" (basically a guy on a motorcycle who would negotiate a price and drive you to where you needed to be), was able to show us on the map where there was university in town (another answer to a prayer!). During the conversation, two other motorcycle cabs pulled up and the three of us each got on the back of one and had them take us to the University to check it out. And yes, I was riding without a helmet, but it was through the city as pretty safe speeds.... Another small group of ours was walking down an alley of homes, and someone leaned out from upstairs, said hello, and invited them to have lunch with their family.
East Asia - September 2011 - Cultural Exchange Seminars
Cultural Exchange Seminars!
Some of the things that were very odd to the students about our customs were the following:
Holidays: We could not really explain Groundhog Day very well to them. It was mentioned in passing, but got a lot of questions and discussion (then again, I really don't get it at times either!).
Weddings: The biggest thing about the wedding topic that really was unusual to them was the fact that we throw rice (or now birdseed or bubbles) at the couple as they leave. The translator asked twice "You throw rice?" and I said yes, uncooked rice, and she asked again to make sure she had it right that we threw rice at the couple....
Funerals: The photo of the casket had a few saying "It looks like a bed!" They asked questions as to why we could be happy at a funeral. It gave a good intro into explaining that we are sad that the loved one is no longer with us here, but if they were a Christian, we would see them again.
American Religious Traditions: The person who gave this talk did great explaining that America was founded for freedom, and freedom of religion was an important aspect of that (our three "biggest" holidays---Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving---have a religious background). I think the perception and questions we had that evening dealt with explaining that God is the God of the world, not an American or western God. Again, that night we had some great discussions going.
East Asia - September 2011 - University
What a trip! Trying to describe what the time in China was like, it is probably easier to break it down by what we did, and general perceptions, rather than a day-by-day rundown of our time activities. I've listed below a link that will take you to the 140-something photos with descriptions of the time we spent there - so make cup of tea or coffee and enjoy!
University students!
We had the opportunity to participate in classes at a university where the students are learning English (they learn from an early age, but these students now have concentrated studies as they are planning on bilingual careers). Our group would introduce ourselves to a class, and then break up into groups and each of us would spend about 15 minutes talking to a small group (4-6 students) so they could practice their English and ask us questions about America. Then we would switch to another group until the class was over. Some/most of the students had not met any Americans (except for their teacher). A lot of their exposure to Americans were from TV shows they have seen on the internet. Some of the shows they mentioned viewing were Desperate Housewives, Big Bang Theory, Friends, Sex in the City..... Quite a collection of "real" American life!
They had a lot of questions about the freedom and independence that American teenagers have. They wondered what our everyday life was like (and we explained it was a routine, probably much like theirs or their parents). They were wonderful, curious, and open. Even though they were hesitant about their ability to speak English, they were very proficient. Most would not imagine dating before college-age, and they don't get driver's licenses until they are 18. None that we spoke to had a car (they were 2nd year students, so most were probably 20). The city was quite large, and getting around by walking, bus or taxi was probably the norm. At the school, the first day, we went to take the elevator up to the 3rd floor, and it went past 3 to the 5th floor. A couple students told the teacher (who was with us) that it doesn't stop on the first few floors. I assume they figure, with the number of students and only two small elevators, if you needed to go up just a couple flights, you take the stairs!
New York - the tourist time
Phyllis and Jerry---NY Tourists
The “tourist” side of the trip was fantastic. We had a week’s subway pass, and used the system with ease. I only had one time that I went “downtown” instead of “uptown” and it was some several stops, and about 15 minutes before I realized “Hey, we’re going the wrong way!” (That was on the first day, about the 4th or 5th time we were on the subways, so it was to be expected..) Jerry was a good sport about that, just when I realized we were going the wrong way (they said something about Canal Street, which I then realized was in Little Italy, which was way south in Manhanttan), the doors shut, and the next stop was some distance over the river between Manhattan and Brooklyn. It was one of the crossings, though, that is above ground rather than under the water, so Jerry said “Well, we get to see the Brooklyn Bridge and we’ll know where to go tomorrow!” as we were going to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge the next day. He’s a good guy, always seeing the silver lining!
We spent Saturday going to Times Square, Mood Fabric (home of Project Runway, one of my favorite shows, which started up their new season last week!), Central Park, Macy’s, and just acclimating to New York in general.
Sunday our group worshiped at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. It was a great service, and the message was about God’s plan for your life (it’s like they would have known our group was there, but obviously they didn’t, I guess God knew we would be there and the message would be so pertinent!). That afternoon Jerry and went to Brooklyn, walked across the Brooklyn bridge (and you are walking in the middle, above traffic—really different!), and then went to southern Manhattan, to Battery Park where we saw the Statue of Liberty. We didn’t go to Ground Zero, as it is being reconstructed and at present is a construction site with a large fence surrounding it.
During the other “off” times in New York we went to Times Square at night. What a crush of people! I couldn’t believe the number of people there at 11:30 on a Wednesday night—and the stores that were open until midnight or 2 a.m. But I guess since we were there shopping, I’m sure everyone else was doing the same. We went by the Port Authority, which has the statue of Jackie Gleason as Ralph from the Honeymooners (I always find the odd things to look at in cities!). We went by Madison Square Gardens. One day I would love to see the Westminster Dog Show live, at least now I know where it will be! Since our free time was limited and we wanted to get as much an overview of the city itself, we didn’t take the time to go into any museums. There were so many that I would love to see the next time we are in New York. And yes, both Jerry and I would love to have a “next time.”
Part of our group who were still in town after the missions event went to a daytime Yankees game on Thursday (they played the Brewers and won). The stadium was really nice - high-end kind of place, not the ballparks I remember going to A’s and Giant’s games (though those have probably changed a bunch as well).
We spent Saturday going to Times Square, Mood Fabric (home of Project Runway, one of my favorite shows, which started up their new season last week!), Central Park, Macy’s, and just acclimating to New York in general.
Sunday our group worshiped at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. It was a great service, and the message was about God’s plan for your life (it’s like they would have known our group was there, but obviously they didn’t, I guess God knew we would be there and the message would be so pertinent!). That afternoon Jerry and went to Brooklyn, walked across the Brooklyn bridge (and you are walking in the middle, above traffic—really different!), and then went to southern Manhattan, to Battery Park where we saw the Statue of Liberty. We didn’t go to Ground Zero, as it is being reconstructed and at present is a construction site with a large fence surrounding it.
During the other “off” times in New York we went to Times Square at night. What a crush of people! I couldn’t believe the number of people there at 11:30 on a Wednesday night—and the stores that were open until midnight or 2 a.m. But I guess since we were there shopping, I’m sure everyone else was doing the same. We went by the Port Authority, which has the statue of Jackie Gleason as Ralph from the Honeymooners (I always find the odd things to look at in cities!). We went by Madison Square Gardens. One day I would love to see the Westminster Dog Show live, at least now I know where it will be! Since our free time was limited and we wanted to get as much an overview of the city itself, we didn’t take the time to go into any museums. There were so many that I would love to see the next time we are in New York. And yes, both Jerry and I would love to have a “next time.”
Part of our group who were still in town after the missions event went to a daytime Yankees game on Thursday (they played the Brewers and won). The stadium was really nice - high-end kind of place, not the ballparks I remember going to A’s and Giant’s games (though those have probably changed a bunch as well).
The last morning we were there, we went to Kleinfelds (the store for "Say Yes to the Dress" which Jerry describes as a bunch of women trying on clothes). I was surprised by the fact that it was small (we didn't go inside as it wasn't open yet), they only have two shop windows on the block where it is located. We walked around the Chelsea area and went to Grand Central Station. Now every time we see it on a TV show both Jerry and I say "We Were There!" out loud (Jeter, our cat, gives us a look like "you both are crazy" when we do that).
All in all, we loved New York, we want to go back. We both thought the people were much more friendly and nice than we anticipated, and the city was a lot cleaner and felt safer than we had thought it would be (especially the subway system). Except for the fact that you have to walk a whole bunch, especially up and down stairs (Jerry logged 60 miles on his pedometer the week we were there), I could almost see myself living there well into my old age.....
New York Missions - Day 3 - June 30
We started with some training and information on HIV. Our team had had dinner with the guy who gave the training, one of the members of Gallery Church who is HIV positive, has been diagnosed for about 10 years. Teams were being sent to three areas of the city, where the Gallery Church was partnering with clinics for free HIV testing. We went to Spanish Harlem to pass our cards for free HIV testing. The clinic we were near was where Greg, the church member, works. We went through the facility to get an idea of the work they do, the services they provide. The cards were black on one side with the red ribbon and had "Know Your Status" printed on it, with the addresses of the three clinics that we were partnered with one the back. Our team of about 20-25 people were stationed on various corners around the Harlem clinic. These cards were harder to pass out, in that people were not as open to taking them as the free gum. I think the phrases "Free Packs of Gum!" and "Free Test Today!" will stick in my mind for weeks to come.
I had one longer conversation with a gentleman who was 56, was not HIV positive, but shared that he was gay and had not had a partner for 4 years because he was being careful. I was able to tell him that we were friends of the Gallery Church, partnering with the clinics because we know that God loves people, and we want to show His love to the city by caring about them. I had three people specifically ask where the clinic was (Jerry and I had a corner about half a block down, and kitty-corner from the clinic). We had 200 cards each, and when I was down to about 50 cards, they told us to stop handing out cards because the number of people who had come by the clinic for tests was now overwhelming them! I praise God that we had that kind of impact on the community, . One statistic we were given was that if one HIV positive person finds out their status and practices safe habits, it can result in 2000 people NOT being infected with the virus.
That evening was the art show, and it was incredible. They had a one space with various photos of the persons who had answered the "two question" papers, with their papers hanging next to them, a video screen of all the photos was playing, and one wall covered with the responses, separated by boroughs, other states and international responses. Beyond the visual of it, was the amazing variety of answers. Some just broke my heart to see what people would do, if there were no tomorrow.
There was a second art area in the gallery/church area of the building of art by the Alabama State Prisoners. Their pieces were so thought-provoking and the art itself was AMAZING.
Overall, this trip went way beyond "Phyllis" and was God working through me. Jerry has said that he was stunned by how flexible I was, how I had a good attitude no matter what happened, and was able to just do or carry on whatever was needed. I'm glad to hear that, because we've been told that on our mission trip to China (September 16-25) that we need to be "even more than flexible, we need to be fluid!" and I really wasn't sure if I had that in my. It may not be "in" me, but God certainly can bring that out!
I had one longer conversation with a gentleman who was 56, was not HIV positive, but shared that he was gay and had not had a partner for 4 years because he was being careful. I was able to tell him that we were friends of the Gallery Church, partnering with the clinics because we know that God loves people, and we want to show His love to the city by caring about them. I had three people specifically ask where the clinic was (Jerry and I had a corner about half a block down, and kitty-corner from the clinic). We had 200 cards each, and when I was down to about 50 cards, they told us to stop handing out cards because the number of people who had come by the clinic for tests was now overwhelming them! I praise God that we had that kind of impact on the community, . One statistic we were given was that if one HIV positive person finds out their status and practices safe habits, it can result in 2000 people NOT being infected with the virus.
That evening was the art show, and it was incredible. They had a one space with various photos of the persons who had answered the "two question" papers, with their papers hanging next to them, a video screen of all the photos was playing, and one wall covered with the responses, separated by boroughs, other states and international responses. Beyond the visual of it, was the amazing variety of answers. Some just broke my heart to see what people would do, if there were no tomorrow.
There was a second art area in the gallery/church area of the building of art by the Alabama State Prisoners. Their pieces were so thought-provoking and the art itself was AMAZING.
Overall, this trip went way beyond "Phyllis" and was God working through me. Jerry has said that he was stunned by how flexible I was, how I had a good attitude no matter what happened, and was able to just do or carry on whatever was needed. I'm glad to hear that, because we've been told that on our mission trip to China (September 16-25) that we need to be "even more than flexible, we need to be fluid!" and I really wasn't sure if I had that in my. It may not be "in" me, but God certainly can bring that out!
New York Missions - Day 2 - June 29
Today we (that's the collective of probably 60 of us) pack small plastic bags with a card about the church and two packs of Chicklet gum. The bags had a pull off strip so the adhesive would fold and close the bag. We did about 40,000 bags (yes, you read that number right) and then went out on corners of the city and handed out free packs of gum. Jerry kept up with about how many we did, and the number that just he and I handed out makes me realize the number of people in this city who are needing to hear from God.
Before we went out, Freddie T, the pastor of the Gallery Church, said that over 7 million people arrived on the island of Manhattan to go to work today, along with the over 1 million that already live on this island. Just mind boggling. He is so encouraged, though, that the number of Christians in NY has been growing since 2001, at a time when other areas are on the decline of church attendance/involvement.
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