Easter 2015

The cool wind arrived like clockwork... and the rain.  Without fail Easter Sunday morning is always marked with a chill.  The new dresses were laid out, Pete and Noah both had ties.  Noah a bow tie and Pete a superhero necktie.  They all looked spiffy.  I am too fat to fit into anything, but low and behold the wrap dress I bought at Goodwill caught my eye this morning, so I put in on in lieu of my uniform (jeans and a long sleeve T).  I even put on makeup.  We took pictures and I finished up the chicken pot pie, cut up the okra and made sure all the materials were together for our activities.  The kids kept leaving the room to raid their basket of goodies.  Grace & Lola had already moved theirs out of sight by the time I made it to the living room.

Our friends arrived with food in hand.   I like potluck.  Meme decided to join us today for worship via FaceTime.  That was neat.  Hearing her sing was fun.  The guys really got into doing the backup parts of the traditional He Is Risen and He Lives.  We enjoyed the Lord's Supper and read through the Easter story.  It really is amazing that Jesus would go through all that for us.  I mean the dishonor, the battering, the desertion of friends, the weight of the sin on his perfect soul, the pain and horror of the cross.  I am so undeserving of his mercy and love.  His forgiveness.  It was good to be in His presence this morning.  I am so glad he is ALIVE!

We had invited a family over after lunch.  Its Gracie's best friend here. She is rarely free to play except for Sundays and her family always wants to go out.  So they invite us but want to leave before we are finished with worship and so we never go... but we had made plans to do something with them and then I found out it was Easter, so we invited them over.  I told them plainly that it was Easter and I wanted them to join us for some activities and that this was just us and them, not a big outreach or party.  So I was surprised when only the girl and her mom showed up around 2:30.  She said Dad was sleeping.

We started with a little craft to remind us of who J is and the things he did here on Earth.  The little pictures were put together to form a cross.  As we reviewed each story I would translate.  Mom said I could just speak English.  Arg.  I still translated the important parts... just couldn't help myself.  Once the activity was finished she asked if we were through.  I told her we wanted to do some other things.  I actually did the least fun thing first, but wanted to get some foundation down for discussion while we were coloring eggs and painting rocks and talking about the hope we have in Christ.  They've heard it before, THE story.  Mom got a phone call, chatted for a moment then announced that she'd go first and come back for the daughter later.  She said she was going to play Majong.  Great!  Herein lies the problem I have with most relationships with unbelievers in this city.  They want to have fun, they may tolerate discussion about my King, but if it includes children's activities then they are usually out!  That's why most of my close friends are much younger than me, once students that were recruited at one time or another to help with something and the friendship stuck.  I am thankful for the brothers and sisters we have here.  They are precious and I count many of them as dear ones, but trying to reach out, make relationship, and share with others is a challenge with four kids.  I'm looking forward to having more time with children next week.  We'll celebrate again with a larger crew.  They like activities!

On a brighter note I met a man at the market yesterday that we lovingly call Uncle Zhang.  He was the driver for our Chinese parents for many years.  He told me about five years ago that his son and daughter in law believed and they were gathering with others on Sunday.  I have been sharing with our "folks" for a long time and since he was often with us if we were going someplace I often shared with him too.  Yesterday he told me that now he believes too!  That made my day!  I also got to share with 3 vegetable venders.  A sister heard me sharing and chatted me up on my way out.  So, there in the market were two, plus me.  Where two or more are gathered.... may His Kingdom come to Wave City!

This my last Easter in my hometown.  Next Easter I foresee another huge egg hunt with people gathered in groups to hear the story and make bracelets and other crafts to reinforce hope shared.  But it will be new.  New place, new people.  That is exciting but also sad.   I have poured myself out to so many here.  Oh how deaf are their ears, how blind are their eyes.  But I pray the seeds planted will sprout, be watered and cultivated into trees full of fruit.

The wind is blowing and the windows rattle.  All 4 kids are asleep in my room.   Matt is on a train.  Car horns honk.  Clocks tick.  But I can feel that hum of the stillness in my home.  I like that.  Thank you Lord for some quiet.  Thank you for a day to remember the miracle of your resurrection!  Thank you for the pure joy we have in sharing your story even when others may not want to hear it.  Jesus is alive!!! Praise God.

Another Day in Zhong Guo - Year of the Goat

I had rice for breakfast this morning.  It seemed fitting on this hazy Chinese New Year Day.  Its the year of the Goat.  Ha!  I'm going to make that my little reminder that I am to be one of the sheep.  We enjoyed the eve of Chinese New Year for maybe the very first time, that is until about 9pm when everyone was trying to sleep.  Ten thousand little fires lit the sidewalk at any given moment reminding all those within ear shot that New Year Day was approaching.  Of course firecrackers are a daily thing in China, so they have to ramp it up a bit on this special day.

The Chinese invented gunpowder and there is no shortage of it here.  Evidence is that that the firecrackers and fireworks began at 5pm and still have not ceased.  It is 7:45 am.  The kids, Pete and Lola that is, and I had great fun running from room to room to try and get the best view of the beautiful displays of light in the sky last night.  We sat in my bedroom for a while and looked out our enormous window that overlooks a courtyard where people often send their money up into the sky.  Time after time we watched a spark fly high and turn into an array of red, yellow and green.  Gorgeous flowers of fire in the sky.  Then we'd here another set of explosions and we'd run to the bathroom to look and if nothing could be seen we'd run to the Lola's room and watch the show.
The kids were giddy and I was soaking it all in because in ten years of living in China we've probably only spent three Chinese New Years in country.   It's not a restful event.  If there is no fun in it then it quickly turns to misery.  I can attest to this fact after many tears in years past.  That is why we often do our best to spend Chinese New Year in Thailand.  We had planned to do just that this year as well, but things came up and we had to cancel our trip.

How many times did we wake up last night?  I have no idea.  Gracie, Pete, and Noah slept in our bed. Lola thankfully stayed in her's.  Once Grace came crying and said a firework had exploded right outside her window.  She was terrified.  It must be similar to a war zone.  When Gracie was still the only child we watched tv after she went to bed.  One night we were watching a war movie and after a succession of gunfire she cried out, "Fi-er cwackers Mommy."  Back then it seems that firecrackers were even more common.  Poor Gracie endured so much her first three years of life.  It is no wonder that she has a sensitivity to noise.

I took Choco out for a walk this morning.  Bless those folks who clean up our neighborhood.  They have their work cut out for them.  The stone walkway is gray from all the little explosions it endured over the night.  Of course they are busily sweeping mounds of red paper, but it is an effort in futility because the red paper covers each little firecracker and the thousands of thousands of little bound rolls of gunpowder just litter the ground.  They'll be sweeping for days.

Anyway.  Chun Jie Kuai Le - Happy Spring Festival!  It was a good night even though restless.  I am thankful this morning.  But I think I'm hungry again, the Rice Krispies don't last.  Maybe I'll have some grits.