Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)

This year I was able to be in China for the Chinese New Year. It's the biggest event of the year for Chinese people. It comes on the Lunar Calender (we use the Solar one) so it changes each year. (Yeah, I didn't know there was 2 calenders either.) This year it was on Jan 22 (Our calender). Rather than me talking a lot, I'm just going to walk you through the day via pictures with quick captions.

Two days before Spring Festival hits you have to go and make sure you have your fireworks. Yes, fireworks are a big deal - a BIG deal as you can see.

We also had to get other supplies for his mom to prepare to cook. As we passed a cart I saw what looked like hoofs of an animal. After being confused it made more sense when I looked next to the cart. This donkey is fresh and there's no question about it that you're getting donkey meat. Mmmm.

The day before it's decoration time. Everything red, which is lucky, goes up. They hang up different says of good luck and fortune up over the door, on the door panels, over doorways, on the door to the garage (where their farming equipment is kept). (Funny thing: the glue they use is made out of a mixture of peanut shells.) (They also burn peanut shells to heat the radiators twice a day. - Their whole village harvests and runs off of peanuts and everything you can get out of them.)

Happy Spring Festival Day!
It's 5:30 am and the neighbors are already setting off fireworks!
Unfortunately, I was up at 2:34 am and in the bathroom with something not sitting right.
I am ready for the New Year though as I have my new red socks on. This is the year of the dragon so the red socks have dragon on them.

8:00 am. Unfortunately, my stomach wasn't very good and I missed out on breakfast and ended up taking a nap instead. When I woke up this is what I saw...

11:00 am. Grammar was in the kitchen helping his mom cook the big lunchtime meal. His specialty (and first time attempt) Coca-Cola chicken wings. Not too shabby.

12:30 pm. His mom on the other hand cooked the other 13 dishes. 14 Dishes for 4 people. My stomach was still no good. I sat down at the table and his mom thought I didnt' like her food because I wasn't eating. A trip to the bathroom gave me time to think of my Chinese. "Sorry. All food look good, but my stomach no good. " I laid down and within two minutes was puking. It actually made me feel better so his mom knew it wasn't her cooking. (Although I missed out on this meal, we had the same food for breakfast, lunch, and supper for the next 4 days until I left.)

2:30 pm. After another nap, I woke up to Grammar and a few of his high school classmates playing MaJiang, a famous Chinese game. Imagine mixing dominoes with rummy and poker. I felt a little better so about 3-4 we went to a nearby friends house to hang out and play some cards. I just sat and watched.

5:00pm. We sat down as a family and made dumplings together. An annual tradition they do each year.


8:00pm The Spring Festival Gala comes on TV
(which apparently everyone in China watches).
Below is the link to the opening performance (it's on Chinese Youtube - so it'll be in Chinese but it will still play fine.) Pretty Interesting.

Opening Ceremony of the Spring Festival Gala

Another performance from the Gala.
Great Wall Comes to Life

9:15pm I wake up from my impromptu nap while watching the show and join in the family face washing. Each year they wash their face so that they can "face the year year with a clean start." I thought that was pretty cool.

10:00pm It's time to go outside and set of our own fireworks. They've been going off all day, but 10-11pm is the time everyone in the village will do it together.

10:20pm. As the fireworks of the neighbors continue, Grammar's Dad puts a bundle of fake money on the fire to burn to give to their ancestors in the after life. I asked if they really believe that. Grammar's response was uncertain. "It's kind of just a tradition that we do. I don't think everyone really believes it...but yet, everyone's kind of afraid not to do it just in case."


11:00pm. We go back inside and eat the dumplings we made earlier in the night. At this point in the day I have thrown up twice and been in the bathroom too many times to count. Thanks to the Father and pr I was able to drink a whole bottle of water and eat an apple.


12:10am. I officially made it through the day - which I found out was Spring Festival Eve. Spring Festival was really the next day, but they always celebrate the Eve. I crawled into the bed they gave me dehydrated, exhausted, and cold but very very thankful that I was able to see what I have seen.

The next day we went to visit relatives nearby and my stomach and insides were doing much better. The red layer of left over firecrackers covered sidewalks and streets and danced as the wind blew through. For the next few days everything in down would be shut down and many people would have a nice red film beneath their feet.

Happy Spring Festival!

Airport Rush

As I pull up to the airport and pay the taxi driver, I feel pretty good about the ordeal. I get into the airport and start the process of rearranging luggage, getting tickets, going through security finding my gate and a sense of “oh no, I’m late” comes on me. I start rushing and freaking out. I can only go as fast as the line in front of me, but I still feel this inner urge to hurry faster. Going through the airport I rush to make it to our gate on time (as I’m meeting others from our organization to take the same flight). I get onto a moving walkway and want to rush ahead so I’m not late. I have that impending fear that I’m late. I’m always late, I’m always behind, I’m always afraid of missing out or being left behind. I get onto the walkway and find 25-30 people in my way. My pull-behind luggage is more than half the runway wide so cutting through the people is not an easy task. I push past a few people, then try to lift up and carry my luggage and “slide through” in between people. It’s not working. I’m sweating, very tired, full of fear of missing the flight, and physically exhausted to the point where I just can’t go on much further without wanting to collapse. This overwhelming fear of being late, being behind, and being left out is driving me more and more and more. What if people have to wait on me? What if they don’t wait on me? What if they get tired of waiting on me? What if everyone else gets to bond together and have a good time and I come in late and don’t know anyone? What if I get left out of everything because I wasn’t there on time?

I have to rest a second. As I put down my overly large suitcase, I look to the sides of the runway and see others from my organization eating at a restaurant, I see others using the bathroom, and others casually perusing the little airport shops. Two thoughts run through my head: “Oh, I got time. Relax, they’re on the same flight you are and they’ve got time, so you do too” and “Pssh, they don’t know. They’re all going to be late too. You’ve got to get there! Hurry!”

As I pick up my suitcase again with strained arms, I pass another person (successfully making it now 5 people) before I have to put it down again. I notice the man beside me is a pilot. I ask if he knows how much further it is to Gate 34, “I’m afraid I’ll be late.” I explain. “Don’t worry,” he responds, “That’s my flight. I’m piloting it. You’ve got time. I always get there long before everyone else to get everything ready. You’ve got time. Just rest and enjoy the ride.”

Part of me relaxes, but there’s something inside that still feels the need to rush ahead and get there now…just in case. He’s the pilot! I argue within my head. I’m pretty sure he knows when he should be there and knows more than you do, Abram. Past stories of hearing about others missing out or being late rush through my head along with all of the advice of people saying “make sure you get there early” and the compliments of “we’re so proud of the way you’re on top of things and have a good handle of them.” While meant to be encouraging, now they’re used against me to get there faster. Thoughts rush and collide in my head. I finally catch a glimpse of what terminal I’m in… Exhale. Oh, I’m in the right one. Exhale deeper. Maybe…Maybe I am ok time wise and I am on the right schedule…

This is not about a flight. It’s the story of my spiritual life. But the pilot responds:
Be still and know that I am G. I am the author and perfecter, the tour guide and pilot of your life’s journey and faith. Don’t you remember that I know the path and plan you’re on. I know the times where you are supposed to be. I don’t send you to make it to that next point on time, I just ask you to walk with me and I will always be on time. I’m never late. Enjoy this life I’ve given you and that path you’re on. You’re with me. I’m the ultimate planner and tour guide. I’ll show you everything when the time is right. Don’t rush ahead and miss out on now. Be ok with where you are, walk with me, and trust me that you’re not missing out or being left out.

Please Ask and join me in enjoying the life we have, not rushing ahead to the next step, next revelation, next outpouring, or next movement; instead, let us enjoy where we are. Thanks to J work on the cross, if we have accepted it, we are already where we want to be, we just need the complete reality of that to fully become tangible. We are like a wrestler who’s already made weight and now is just getting stronger, like eyes that can already see in a dark room but waiting to fully adjust and see everything, like a prisoner having his chains broken and walking away free as his shackles continue to fall off, like the time when the war is over and we’re waiting for all the battles to get the news and finish. We’re already living in the Kingdom with J but waiting for our bodies and minds to adjust to that reality. Ask that we all might understand this, enjoy the Finished Work at the cross, have peace in the process, and walk in that not just in China but in West Virginia, California, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, Russia, England, India, Australia, Africa, etc.

with Love not my own and a growing freedom I already have,

Abram

I will do more than restore...

It's been an amazing month and a half and I am heartbroken, boggled, amazed, and just stunned by what I have seen and gotten to experience. I'm compiling pictures and stories but I had to share this one before I forgot it. It's the culmination of the semesters and these two results both were told me to me in the last 24 hours.

This last semester has been rough and often seemingly like my pr's had no power or effect. That when I called... He would answer other people but me... not always. I see otherwise now.

1) A teacher friend of mine was having a rough semester. Aside from living in China and being the first semester (which always has issues) there was just more funk and attack on top of it. Our hearts broke as we heard story after story of things fading and falling. At our annual conference in Thailand I got to catch up with her and 90% of what I heard was negative. There was bitterness, anger, frustration, and almost hatred of the place. (I understand, I have been there. I don't say it out of condemnation to her - I say it out of understanding.) The more the conversation would go about her city or school it would end up going back to the negative. When talking about going back this next semester, there was fear, frustration, and an extreme resistance to do it. (I had it last year too.) It's like almost begging the Father not to send me back again, don't make me do it. Please send me somewhere else, maybe home, just... I really don't want to go back there again.

A week and half later (yesterday), I skyped with her expecting to hear more frustrations, some lessons learned, and things to be lifting up. Instead, she shared with me she loved her city. (She's got a rough city to love too.) "The Father has just given me a love for this place. It's like I'm falling in love with China all over again. It's completely His love because I have nothing and desperately didn't want to be here." When asked if she was still going home next year to work part time and try to restablish what was going on (which she shared with a broken heart and almost out of fear at our conference) she responded, "I'm actually coming back to China for the next two years." My heart jumped with excitement and confusion as if this was real. The Father had literally done a 180 with her heart taking it and filling it with passionate love for an awful city and an extremely hard time. She's coming back for two more years to the same city she hated two weeks ago. The Father is so good to take what we hate (and there are many things I hate) and not just make us ok with it, but instead give an abounding love for it.

2) (I'll make this one quicker.) I had a good friend and student call me last semester and say, "Can you do me a favor?" "Um, I'll try, what's up?" "Can you just kill me? I'm asking you to do it so you won't get in trouble. You can just help get it ready so you won't do anything." He was in a deep depression that had been going on for months. His world on the outside was semi-stable, but his cry was "why can't I just experience His love? Why can't I feel it? I'm not sure He loves me." He was ready to give up. He was leaving for his senior internship this semester and hated that idea too - working with greedy, backstabbing people who use dirty practices and make him do things he doesn't want to do, going to a place he has no connections or idea where to live, using a language he didn't want to use (he studied German and English and wanted to use German). So we pr, and when it was pretty much hopeless tried to speak out words of hope that the Father would do and provide.

Last night he called me and filled me in. A 50 min conversation (long for Chinese/American dialog via phone) about his new job. He had been there 3 weeks. His job was decent, his housing that was provided was a little less than decent, but the people he worked with were very very nice. They were very warm and welcoming. He found a Fellowship near his work that he could go to and was connected by our local fellowship here to another one. He traveled 2.5 hours to go find them and 2.5 hours to come back and said it was worth it. He might go visit them each week. (5 hours to go to Fellowship? woah.) He loves the city (which he didn't think he would) and it has lots of good places to check out.

The awesome thing about both of these conversations was that I heard J-man Joy coming out of both of them. Where there was anger, frustration, hopelessness, and a sincere cry of "please, not any more." there is now joy in each word. He has not only restored them back to normal but instead blessed them above. I am overfilled with joy and in that I wrote this this morning. I'll leave you with it and write more stories later but for now...enjoy.

"Look at those who were brokenhearted that you have prayed and wept for – see how I have restored them. So will I continue. What you weep and pray over, I will restore and bless. Continue to weep with those who weep, morn with those who morn, and pray that I will restore. For I will always restore and in abundance. I am good and just. I long to restore. I long to forgive. I wait patiently for you to come to me so that I can make you fully new. Cause I want you to know, how much I love you. Come to me, come to me, come to me and don’t be afraid to have nothing to give. Don’t be afraid that I won’t come through. Don’t be afraid that I won’t be good. Come to me all who are broken and heavy, who are weary from life and this battle. Come to me and I will draw near. I will restore. I will fix. I will bless. I will be more than just reestablishing – I will be overly abundant. I want to be and will be extravagant. I’m not bringing you back on level, I’m taking you above to a new level. For are mine. I love you. I gladly paid for you with my sons own life and I still love you. My love did not waver, dip, change, alter when I gave up my son. In fact, my sacrifice was just out of the overflow of my love for you. Come to me and ask me to restore. Come to me with tears and a broken heart. Come to me with the tears and broken heart of another. I long to restore. I will restore. I will always take care of you. My promises are true and I will come through always. Always."