Christmas was HARD. But as I was crying on the phone talking to my family Christmas Eve, I reminded myself and we reminded each other that God has a bigger purpose and plan. Even more we reminded each other that God is bigger and more important than us. I love my family and the fact that they Trust in the same Mighty God as I. Christmas taught me the importance of my family and really revealed my love for them on a whole new level! More than that, God proved yet again His love for me! Ben, Nathan, Colette, and I went and had a traditional AMERICAN Christmas meal at the Hagan's home. It was a great day of fellowship, the best food ever, and most of all gave me the comfort I needed. Special thanks to the Hagan Clan. :)
Before Christmas Cindy Yin, from the church I attend, invited me, Ben, and Eva to go on a trip to Mainland China. So After Christmas on Monday morning the 29th, Ben, Eva, and I headed out to Binzhou, China. I was especially proud of myself considering that my bag weighed less than Bens! We met up with an amazing group from Tucson, Arizona in the Hong Kong Airport, and headed out. Binzhou was FREEZING, but it reminded me of winter time in Hereford, TX, which made it all worth it! Binzhou is NOTHING like Hong Kong. There is a lot of space, less people and it was a true community atmosphere. We walked practically everywhere we went, which was great, and the city had very little sky scraping buildings. I was able to see the starts for the first time in 5 months, that's how great this place was! The group from Arizona did several performances throughout the city by playing music and singing songs. We first played at a blind school in Binzhou. Along with our group performing, many students were on stage playing instruments, singing and dancing. I couldn’t help but cry as I watched the blind students on stage. It was humbling, but I gained such respect for the principle and the staff at the school who dedicated so much time to the students. We met up with a fellow American young man named Jon Patton. Jon works at the University in Binzhou teaching English and Aviation English. He has an obvious calling to the city and every Friday gets together with University students to study the Bible more. Due to his connection, we had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the University Students. I immediately connected with a 21 year old girl named Xiao Na aka Sara. She is beautiful and is full of love and joy. The first questioned she asked me is if I was a Christian. :) She wasn’t a believer, but by the end of the week, the Lord had worked on her heart and she now believes. She changed her name to Sarah Grace after. I felt so honored to be a part of her life during those ten days and to witness her transformation. We met a lot of other students and spent time with them as well. Between spending time with Sarah and going from concert to concert, I found a mom in Beverly Spitler. She brought joy to my life every day, and I know the Lord brought her to me. Ben and I both feel so blessed to have met her, and can't wait to get back to the states and visit her in Charleston. I also met an amazing American Blonde by the name of Melissa Jackson. Throughout the trip, she encouraged me by the way she lives. She is so humble and has so much wisdom for her age. She also is a fun girl to sit down and chat about life with too. Before we knew it we were on the plane back to Hong Kong, reflecting on our travels.
Ben and I both plan to go back to Binzhou for spring break.
The New Year technically was two weeks ago, but not for China! We are gearing up for Chinese New Year, the year of the ox. I'm super excited to see the city during this time and celebrate with the people. Chinese New Year is the biggest celebration in China, and happens at different times every year according to the Lunar Calendar.
More updates soon, a new video, as well as a bit on fresh revelations! Much Love!!
Mon
Me and Beverly!
Melisa, Sarah Grace, and Me
Thomas, Me, Caroline, Cindy, and Ben
0 comments:
Post a Comment