There is literally SO MANY POSTS I could dedicate to my trip to China. (really, it could go on for years). However, it really isn't plausible to even begin to do that... SO I thought I'd just give a list of some things that really impacted me.
1. The people. are. amazing. for. real. They are so hospitable, gracious, genuine, and they truly show the love of Jesus
2. GLOBAL. This meaning of this word became evident throughout our time in China. I saw how my Father was at work, even in those who did not know him. It was quite amazing. Also, seeing how He was using the believers absolutely stunned me and literally left me breathless at some points. One of the most amazing moments was hearing a believer as a question about a passage... I had asked the EXACT question earlier that day.
3. My sin. I realized just how sinful I am, and how important it is that I see my sin, repent of it, and grow closer to God through it.
4. I was encouraged to see my team members follow the heart of our Father and to see them grow in doing so
5. Seeing the passion of the faithful workers already positioned in China was more than encouraging! It is a humbling and trying experience to serve in China, and I was encouraged by those who have chosen to do so permanently.
There are so many other things, but I would consider these my top 5. There are some major culture differences to that I thought I should touch on. :)
1. Food. It was no secret that Chinese food would be different. I enjoyed the taste of most the foods, but they often made me feel sluggish. I am sure it dealt mostly with my choices! Some of my favorite foods were dumplings, chin chao tu do sin (TOTAL WRONG SPELLING, chicken and peanuts, a soup with cilantro and quail eggs, and a cucumber dish that I will not attempt to spell. :)
2. Personal space. China is part of Asia, after all. The idea of personal space is much different than in the US. Cities there are on the go and full of PEOPLE. Having someone touching you on the Subway was a normal occurrence.
3. Cleanliness. The Chinese people ARE NOT DIRTY, they just have a different standard of cleanliness. They believe washing a counter top down with water means it is clean, and sleeping on the same sheets for a month isn't a problem! Honestly, it really boils down to the individual. BUT, the majority of Chinese people aren't as interested in cleanliness as the average American.
4. Bathrooms. China mainly practices the use of "squatty potties". Honestly, they sound worse than they actually are (most of them). There were times we used very dirty squatties, but who has never used a dirty toilet in the states? Oh, one main difference is toilet paper. China is a BYOTP culture (bring your own toilet paper). There isn't any toilet paper furnished in most bathrooms so everyone carries around these little Kleenex
types of tissues. :) DON"T GET CAUGHT WITHOUT THEM!
5. Family structure. Most families have only one child. Children are usually spoiled absolutely rotten and many of them go to college without ever having to prepare a meal for themselves. Also, it isn't rare for a student to say their parents are "their God"
Well, that is a shortened version of everything! If anyone would like to get together to look at more pictures please let me know!
Also, for those of you who did not know, Trevor proposed to me the last weekend we were in Nanjing. It was absolutely perfect in every way and we are SO VERY EXCITED about all the adventures ahead of us!
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