CHINA (Saturday)

Persimmons cling tightly to the courtyard tree.

Planting lettuce for a very late fall harvest. Usually this is a two crop area.

Breakfast at the same noodle shop – what a crowded place. Pastor Tao joined the two women, Michael and myself – ordering the same dish as yesterday.

We headed to the church to drop off Michael. The people who were there sang a blessing, then Pastor Tao had a prayer to send me off. With lots of “amens” I was ready to go. Pastor Tao said that the people should line the driveway and the road to wish me off. And that they did (made me feel like a rock star), grabbing my hand, wishing me God speed, and saying, “Jesus loves you.” It was a tender moment indeed. And I felt that I had done so little to touch their lives. Some of the people even had tears in their eyes.

I am convinced again that sharing Jesus here in this land far away is important for the Chinese church. It encourages and buoys them up knowing that others stand with them in their sometimes difficult challenges.

Pastor Tao and his two female assistants traveled with me, Tao driving, to the airport. He drove fast, and sometimes I was nervous because other cars were so close. I left people-pedaled taxicab bicycles and merchants, off to Guangzhou.

Drying white radish on the front cement slab.

Otherwise, a pretty boring traveling day. Plane at Hefei at 11. Arrived in Guanzhou at 12:30. Got a bus at 1:40. Missed the right stop and so I had to add two hours to my travel plans.

The lettuce is harvested, bundled, dipped into the water and taken off to market.

Washing has been done this way for hundreds of years.

Safely arrived at the Vandercooks about 6 pm. They’re downtown at a German restaurant.

Will sleep good tonight.