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| Hello! This is Mary's sister Amy in Atlanta (again). Since Mary's
back in China, she's asked me to mention here that she's got a site
that works from inside the Great Firewall of China: www.mliu47.blogspot.com/. You can look there now for her updates. Thanks. | | |
| I'm now back in the Tokyo airport, bumming the free wireless signal from the VIP lounge and taking advantage of the fact that this may be my last Xanga entry in a long time.
I was able to get emergency row seating on the trans-Pacific leg of my journey, so that was a huge relief. The on-demand video game and movies again helped the time to pass by quickly. Now I have to wait about 1-1/2 hours before I hop on the plane for the final leg (3-hours long) of my journey. In the meantime, I will browse the duty free shops. Yeah!
But anyway, as I head back to China, I'm feeling all over again the emotions I had when I first moved there. When I first got back to the States, I had both feelings of returning home and visiting, so I was wandering around feeling strange, but the longer I stayed, the more I felt comfortable, as if I had returned home and maybe never even left! I remember a friend saying that one shouldn't stay longer than 1 week for each visit, because it just makes one not want to return to China, and it makes one depressed. I totally know what he means. Not that my life in China is bad, but there definitely are things in the CA (and CA lifestyle) that I miss (not in any particular order): driving, wide open space, blue sky, stores that carry the items I'm used to, low humidity, cheap cheese, cheap avocado, understanding all the signs I see, uncrowdedness (if there's such a word) of public places, civility, and more. So anyway, I was contemplating what it means for me to headback to China. Why am I going back? How long will I be staying? There's no compelling reason I can clearly articulate as to why I must be on a particular side of the Pacific Ocean. But right beforeleaving, I attended a Saturday evening worship service at Abundant Life Christian Fellowship (ALCF) in Mountain View, and I think the Big Guy was speaking to me. Let me back up: Some of you know that I started on my world Chr*stain journey strongly in part dueto attending WCC, and I attended that conference, in turn, due to listening toa sermon series on tape by a preacher called Zach Punin (sp?). So at ALCF, who was speaking, none other than Punin's son! I had hoped to catch a message from Pastor Paul, the head pastor, since he's such a gifted speaker,but perhaps the Big Guy was showing me "the next step" by having the Punin's son preach instead. The message was about not letting one's love grow cold, not becoming apathetic as one grows too attached to the world. That's something I've been thinking about alot lately too: I've not felt a great burden for some of the ministries I'vebeen helping out with and attending. I don't know if my feeling is a result of those not being where I should be or if there's something wrong with my heart, like perhaps I've been getting too caught up with furnishing my condos and living the good life (endless buffets, weekly massages, tailor-made clothes, etc.) So I was challenged by the message to reach out for Him, the one that truly matters. So as the speaker prayed at the end of his message, he started throwing out some random names, saying things like "G, please take holdof Jimmy," etc., but then he said my name too! Granted "Mary" is a common name, but still, maybe that was for me!
And to top it all off, I have to mention that in the opening prayer for service a verse on my prayer card was quoted (Isaiah 55:11): "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." So all in all, I felt like Someone was speaking to through the service at ALCF. As I return to China, I curiously await to seewhat G will unfold as I try to discover what it is He wants me to do. I have to mention in closing that I may have the opportunity to work with someone to disciple a group of 12 young believers. While that's very daunting, I know that if I discover what it is He wants me to do, He will indeed enable me. | | |
| Those of you who know me well know that I like to pack light. I did likewise for this trip back to the States. Unfortunately, I've decided to take lots of stuff back to China with me, including thick towels for my new bathrooms (they only sell thin towels in China), flannel bedding (oddly enough, I haven't been able to find these, though they do sell flannel PJs), and lots of breakfast cereal, so things will be really tight. (The cereal was from a care package that GCCC had sent me. It somehow couldn't get delivered and came all the way back here, so now I'm just taking the stuff -- or what I can, at least -- back with me.) I'm going to be taking an additional suitcase back with me to accomodate all the stuff! This is pretty hilarious. I'll be back in China in a few days. Yikes! How time flies, seriously flies. It seems like just yesterday that I was back here, but that was a year ago!
By the way, the official reason I'm here is to attend a conference. Some of the talks were good. I got some useful information at some talks, got information from some vendors, and made some connections that should prove useful later on.
Okie dokie, more later! | | |
| So I'm back in NorCal now! It's strange to be back, with things being different and yet same at the same time. Anyway, hope to catch up with a bunch of GCCC people tomorrow at service! Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen indeed!
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| I just agreed to being a wedding coordinator for a friend of mine in China. The wedding is set for May 12. It should be fairly low-key (so I hope). There's just a finger food reception at the church afterwards, so I think my main duties would be just to make sure:
1.) church gets decorated
2.) programs are made and distributed
3.) gift/money table gets set up -- and we have a way of taking it all back and securing the cash
4.) food is set out nicely
5.) party favors get handed out
6.) may need to check about a sound system for the reception room for music and announcements
7.) everything that needs to be there is indeed there (flowers, programs, photo album, sign-in books, box for cash, pretty table cloth, party favors, food, sound equipment, CDs, etc.)
8.) drivers bringing the family members aren't lost
I think that's it. If you can think of things I'm forgetting, do let me know! There will be two bridesmaids, and I think they should have the bride-related issues covered: change of clothes, spare panty hose, oil-blotting paper, touch-up make-up, water bottle with straw, ring (!), etc.).
Shoot! But I jus realized: I get back to China on 4/16. The first weekend, I have nothing planned. Phew! Then the weekend after that, I may be going to Nanjing (for fun). Then the weekend after, I'll be going to Xian (for fun and also hopefully to visit two students from my teaching trips out West who have moved there). And after that is the wedding. Yikes! When am I going to find time to do anything for the wedding (and my home)? Well, at least May 1-3 are national holidays, and I don't plan to do anything then!
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