“We are really blessed because we got soft seats on the train to Xi’an! It will be a very comfortable ride.” These were the encouraging words of Sam, the Xi’an camp director, as our team prepared to head to the train station on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, just moments after we arrived we realized this was not going to be the easy ride we were expecting. We stood in front of the train, surrounded by Chinese people, being pushed and shoved as they tried to get in front of us. The first whistle blew. A Chinese officer started screaming at all the Chinese people around us and they reluctantly stopped shoving. We began to move our way onto the train, each person carrying at least two suitcases and a backpack (not to mention the boxes of camp supplies the boys were carrying), but the Chinese with standing tickets were literally standing shoulder to shoulder in the isle. The second whistle blew. With only one more whistle to go, Jon and Chris were still standing on the platform with multiple suitcases, duffle bags, and their personal backpacks. They rushed to jump on the train and managed to board within thirty seconds of our train’s departure! The team let out a cheer, giving the Chinese another reason to think Americans are weird. We were all so glad to be on the train, but we still had quite a few Chinese between us and our seats, and we still were trying to figure out where we were going to put our 30+ bags. It took us about fifteen minutes to reach our seats and to begin piling up the luggage wherever it would fit.
I was lucky enough to be pushing Maggie (Sam and Julie’s Chinese foster daughter) in her pram, so I got to play with her and try to answer all the Chinese passengers’ question, “How you get Chinese baby?” After they pushed and shoved the luggage into every possible space they could find, Sam and Kait (the only ones who had been able to get close enough to the seats to be piling the luggage), we all realized that there was almost no place to sit. The majority of the luggage had to be stacked on top of the seats and filled even where we were suppose to put our legs. With much huffing and puffing, Sam, Julie, their kids, Patti, Val, and Kait all managed to heave themselves on top of the luggage. The rest of us: Jon, Chris, and I, were left standing. Jon turned to me and said, “This is going to be a very interesting train ride!” And he was right… it looked like we were going to have a very uncomfortable six hours. But, God was watching out for us, and through a chain of events we managed to clear two seats making it possible for Jon and Chris to sit down and I found a suitcase that turned out to be pretty comfy. The rest of the train ride was pretty uneventful, and we all had fun playing cards, listening to each other’s ipods, playing with the kids, and taking turns using the three neck pillows we had brought for naps. We eventually arrived in Xi’an (eight hours after we departed… not six) and were met by Michelle, Sam and Julie’s Chinese helper.
As we all wearily trudged off the train carrying our luggage, a man saw Thomas and James (Sam and Julie’s sons) carrying heavy suitcases. He came over and offered to help us get to our destination. We were all so blessed by this angel of mercy, as it made it so that we didn’t have to get taxis! God continually blesses each of His children with situations like these that remind us that He is always watching out for us. When we finally reached Xi’an, we were all shocked at the awesome hotel we will be holding camp at and totally blessed by the joy of the Lord. My friend, Patti, pointed out, “Sometimes we minimize the power of the Holy Spirit and are afraid of experiential faith, and though, as Christians, we cannot base our whole theology and belief systems on our experiences, I think that often we deny the power of God by doubting that He is truly working in our lives.” Though the train ride was an interesting experience, it was another lesson to me of how God is constantly working in my life! His fingerprints are everywhere, and to see them all I have to do is look.
Now it is Wednesday, and the “X-team” has spent the past three days preparing for the camps to start. We are all so excited to get started, and were given our official camp job assignments this morning. I had already been given the job of Translator Coordinator before I reached China, but now I will also be Match Coordinator with Patti. Basically my jobs will be to do anything that involves translators (registration, meetings, translator party, encouragement when they are down, etc.), as well as match the translators with the right orphan buddy and American volunteer. As we count down the days to the first week of camp, the X-team has been faced with many obstacles to overcome and a number of problems to work through, but we serve an awesome God and we will continue to strive to bring Him glory!
PRAYER REQUESTS
That as many orphans as possible will be able to come. A number of orphanages have re-closed their doors to outside activities, and our prayer is that they few that are still open will stay that way and that the ones that are currently closed will open.
That the members of the X-team (Sam, Julie, Patti, Valerie, Kait, Chris, Jeff, Jon, and I) will continue to show Christ-like love to one another and to always remember to rely on God both in the mundane moments and the stressful situations.
There have been riots in Urumuqi which is in the Xin Jiang province. We are not close to this location, but it still has an effect on all of China (We are unable to email pictures, access Facebook, etc.) Please be praying that peace is restored, for the souls of all people involved, and that the families of those who have died in the riots.
It was so refreshing to walk along the coast and just breathe in the fresh air!
