October 30th

A great morning. I slept so good last night and am feeling that jet lag is TOTALLY gone. I was really refreshed when I awoke. Breakfast: honey-nut cheerios, yogurt, and a tasty pear. Later had a cup of Nescafe. Spent more than an hour with Matthew as he tried to work on my computer (he, in Pittsburgh, was on my computer in Jiang Men). Ah!.... the digital age of technology. And he performed the magic that I had asked him to do.

Lily and Hilda made my lunch today: eggplant with pork, green beans, and chicken. Wow! And grapes for dessert (maybe I should go downstairs and get a McDonald’s cone). Brogan left the apartment at 9:30 to go and teach his 1^st -3^rd graders at a public school.

We’ll meet up again at a textile factory shortly before 5 pm. Pastor Jimmy meets with people during the dinner hour and Brogan and I will sing.

IMPORTANT WORD:  I need to be careful of what I am writing – I think that maybe I am telling too much of the story. It’s a story I should tell more of when I meet some of you eyeball to eyeball. Indeed I am about my Father’s work, but much of it should remain unshared publicly. That is not only for my own safety, but for the safety of those that I meet while here.

A result of jet lag being past is that I feel comfortable here in my surroundings. I feel safe walking around by myself, I can order food alone, and I just can be a bit more independent.

Later:  The textile factory did not turn out to be a textile factory (China surprise!). Instead, it was a company that makes lamps and light fixtures. We were greeted by “Steve” the manager of operations who was in the cafeteria making preparations for us and for the evening meal.

Steve invited us to eat a meal before the workers came in – and so we did. Food that was not too bad. We learned that there are 60-70 workers who stay in the dormitories and eat three squares at the cafeteria daily. They are from other parts of China and come to earn dollars so that they can send some home to their families.

At 5:30 they began to arrive to eat. The choir from the Jiang Men Church sang for about 15 minutes. They I shared a word, followed by Brogan and I singing one song with the guitar. Auntie Jolly shared a few strong words following, and then we were done.

It was a tough crowd because they ate and talked. They were working overtime tonight, so didn’t stay around very long. It was not a particularly heartening experience.

Rain off and on all day. Hope it’s nicer tomorrow.

An open air market on our way home to Brogan's apartment.

Just note the immensity of the train terminal in Guangzhou! It is an amazing place.