Our beautiful and short time in Xi'an

When you think of China, what comes to your mind? Is it Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong? Have you heard of Xi'an? It is a big city where you encounter traffic jam of motor cycles, cars, and automobiles. You can see many skyscrapers in the middle of the city as well. In China, Xi'an is known as the City of History. Not only is it a big busy city, it has beautiful cites to visit such as the City Wall and the Terra-cotta Soldiers. Xi'an is the ancient capital of China, and it has the history of more than 2700 years. 

This city is home to tens of thousands of minority group people resides.  The two people groups that we encountered are the Hui people and the Uiguhr people. Hui people are relatively similar to the look of the Han Chinese people, and they are fluent in Mandarin. On the other hand, the Uiguhr people are similar to the look of Central Asian people who have both Asian and Caucasian features, they have their own language which is very close to other Central Asian languages. It was very neat that some of us were able to see one of our team mate, Jesse, communicating with them. The common fact between them is that almost all of them are Muslim. In Xi'an, there are numbers of mosque for the Muslim Xi'an locals.

Thank you for praying for us! Please pray for our friends in Xi'an and to the Hui people who have left their faith to follow our Lord that they will gain support from other brothers and sisters. Please also pray for our team's health and safety so that we can work for and glorify God more! 

submitted by Heidi Anderson, October 31, 2016

Laundry and other fun

Submitted by Bev:  October 25, 2016

As I opened the door to a student’s room to deliver a message this is the sight that greeted me.   (He tells me that his parents will know immediately who he is so we’ll see who claims this creative soul.)  Creativity is needed when dealing with laundry and so many other things we take for granted.

For example, there’s the crush of people waiting to get on the subway and your fear that if you don’t get on with everyone else you’ll never see them again.  One worker here said that she often plays a game trying to decide how many people are touching her at once – it’s that crowded.  The subway system in Beijing is very clean and extensive which is why everyone in the city seems to be on it at once. 

Then there is the walk to get to the subway.  Oh my!  A 10-minute walk may seem easy except the sidewalks are busy with street vendors, bikes, scooters, people etc.  Those electric scooters have scared me many times because you can’t hear them coming. Sometimes you have to forget politeness and just plow through to keep sight of the group.   

We are mastering the art of eating with chopsticks but occasionally I’ll just use them to shovel some delicious food on to my plate.   Every meal is served family style and the dishes keep on coming as they are ready from the kitchen.  You hope that the waiter will place the best dish in front of you so you get to try some before it travels around the table for 10. 

We love being in this country.  Everywhere we go we are greeted with smiles. Perhaps that’s because there are no blondes here or just because they are a hospitable people. 

Today we begin exploring Xi’an.    

Friday post

It’s hard to believe it’s Friday night already.  Where has the time gone?  Well a lot of action has been crammed into this week.  We’ve met with several groups of students eager to practice their English and sat in on some classes.  It’s been rewarding as a leader to watch our Northwestern students build bridges and foster friendships. Members of our team worked with young students; helping them learn to manage conflict through delightful skits. Fun with ‘like-minded’ people included an Amazing Race scavenger hunt.    There have been hours spent on the subways and buses and many miles walked in between.  We’ve discovered that boarding a subway can be a very harrowing experience; so many people trying to occupy so little space with lots of pushing and shoving involved. We’ve also played the role of tourist.  Today we visited the Temple of Heaven and bartered at the Pearl Market.  Prices were incredible but the vendors were extremely aggressive. We’ve been trying lots of new foods; most are wonderful.  One highlight was sharing in the college age service last night.  We sang three songs (this director was pleased!) and Jesse shared a short challenge.  The rest of the service was in Chinese but the Spirit was evident in their heart-felt worship. Tomorrow we head for the Great Wall.  Sei will probably try to jump it but we’ll curb his enthusiasm – or the guards will! 

Bev, for the team

Greetings from China!

This past week has been a whirlwind of new experiences! 

Tuesday was our first day of being hosted by ELIC teachers in their various classrooms. We were mostly there to observe, but we helped the students practice their conversational English in the last 30 minutes of class. Next, we were divided into groups and each of the UNW students took a few Chinese students out to lunch near the university. This was a great time of getting to know Chinese students our age and making a connection with them. Some of us were able to share our beliefs with them very clearly and others were able to spread the love of Christ through encouragement and our interactions. That evening we met up with some more Chinese students to do a photo scavenger hunt, which was also very fun!

On Wednesday we took a long subway ride to the LiangXiang university campus located a little outside of Beijing. We went to “Office Hours”/ English Corner and were able to once again have simple conversations with the students about their life, goals, and passions. In these short conversations we are hoping to impact them by displaying the love and kindness of Christ. Our host also challenged us to be “lifting up” these students, as we might be the only person to bring that person before the Lord by name. We have been learning to pray without ceasing and pray in all circumstances, constantly turning to the Lord for strength and wisdom.

Thursday was a crazy day full of laughs and cultural experiences. For half of the group the day started at 7:30 AM to visit a like-minded training center. It was a wonderful experience as we were able to be more open about our faith and encourage the students and staff there. We performed short skits, shared about biblical character values, and sang fun and interactive songs with the students. (The smaller group went to another English Corner during this time.) After lunch we met up as a large group at a public Chinese high school. They brought us into a conference room and presented us with thoughtful, traditional gifts after a brief session of self- introductions. Then they brought us out to meet the students and we were officially welcomed with a film, dance, and song. We spent the remainder of our time there chatting with the high school students. Later that evening we joined a Christian College Fellowship and sang a few songs for them. 

On Friday we did some sightseeing: Temple of Heaven and Pearl Market. The temple was beautiful and the team enjoyed taking pictures and exploring the attraction. Many of us became overwhelmed by the multitude of items for sale and the vendors at the market, and were very excited to return to our hotel for an afternoon of rest! The late evening was spent in Jordan and Sei’s room digging into the word as ICS-team students. We looked at Philippians 3 and John 15, talking a lot about abiding, love, joy, and obedience. We able to walk away encouraged and strengthened, knowing that He is the vine and we are the branches and that our citizenship is found in Heaven. Once we seek to abide in Him every moment, our joy is fully found in Him and we are better able to discern and follow His leading. We spent time in prayer asking that our team emulate the love, patience, peace, and fruit of Christ in our every day interactions, and that we would be fully used by Him to reach those around us. 

The weekend: For many of us Saturday was a dream come true as we visited the Great Wall of China! After a 1.5 hrs bus ride we rode cable cars up to the top, where we spent a few hours walking and marveling at the beauty of God’s creation, and of course the ancient wall. Around noon we (the students and Dr.E’s brother Paul) took the alpine slide down! That was a memory we will never forget. Dinner was on our own, and a group of us went out for HotPot.  Sunday morning we visited a Buddhist temple and a traditional Chinese church service. Lunch was eaten at a tasty restaurant, and our host ordered a variety of foods for us to try (yummy rice, lamb, vegetables, bread, traditional yoghurt, and much more)! Tonight the group will be splitting in half to attend two English Corners at two different universities. We are excited to see how the Lord uses us tonight, and how He guides our conversation. 

Thanks for your continued prayers as we experience both fun and challenging things. We are having a great time and are eager to continue to do God’s work in the coming weeks. The team is seeking to rest and be refreshed in Him and His Word daily. We are excited to see the people God brings into our lives during our time in China. 

May our interactions and conversations always point back to the King, and may we remember to continuously be lifting up these students to the Father who loves them all so deeply!    

Submitted by Rebecca Schoell on Monday, October 24.

Photos from Rebekka S.

Post from Jordan Barnes

你好! Hello! We have arrived safely! And we're so excited to be here😊 Our first day was full of fun and exciting events. Today we visited a Chinese Christian church called Beijing Haidian Church. This church, unlike many house churches in China which are autonomous, is a Three-Self Church, meaning, among other things, that it is under control of the State. It was an edifying service in which the pastor spoke on praying in all circumstances. It was a good reminder for our team that prayer is to be our first reaction and priority no matter the situation we find ourselves in each day. It was also refreshing to see believers in China worship our amazing Triune God in a contemporary Chinese Christian manner. We met with fellow believers, and at the end of the service, the congregation sang to us visitors a blessing for God's grace and peace to be upon us in our journey. Later that day, we rendezvoused with a young couple who are part of ELIC, a non-profit organization aimed at teaching English  in this country. We also went out to eat and experienced Peking duck, a Chinese local cuisine. Even though, we've been here for a short time, we are bonding strongly as a team and learning about our strengths and weaknesses and encouraging one another in Christ, whose love is radiantly alive in this city!  

Jordan Barnes

Arrival in China

Nothing prepares one for the crush of people, the amount of traffic or the sights and smells of China but it was a delightful surprise to begin our time here in a mega church –worshipping with hundreds of likeminded people.  This was an English service so we were able to joyfully enter into the entire experience – complete with a helpful sermon on James 5

Monday was spent in training by the English Language Institute of China.  ELIC is our official host and we’ve been impressed by the passion of our host couple and their desire to ‘carefully’ spread the good news – even to the inclusion of code words. 

There are 1.3 billion people in this country.  Can you imagine the need? 

We had some fun in the afternoon – taking in an acrobat show. . . complete with a final act that involved 5 motorcycles in a cage. We feasted again and found ourselves ready for an early night.  Jet leg left many looking a little haunted.  Pray as we enter English classrooms today that we will represent Christ well.

Bev

Post was added Stateside due to limited internet availability.

The longest day

We've made it to Seattle and most of us are bored, eating and or trying to sleep.  None of us are looking forward to the next flight BUT we can't wait to land in China and experience all God has in store.  (Zoe is off to Thailand instead.)   Here are a couple of team pictures taken last Sunday at Illumination Church.  I can't wait to spend time with each one of these great people.
Bev

Here's the Team!

Almost Ready!

Hi!

My name is Beverly Solberg and I'm privileged to serve as the co-leader for the 2016 ICS trip.  Most of us are scrambling to finish preparations for our departure early Friday morning October 14th.  Dr. John Easterling has done an amazing job of coordinating ALL the details that go into a two month trip of this nature. We've been commissioned in a wonderful church service at Illumination Church and are finishing up classes and finals.

I'll be sharing posting duties with various team members but we wanted to send a test blog to family members to ensure that all info is correct AND that I can figure out how to blog.  So I'll include a photo of my favorite role:  Nana!

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