Life is good in China ... this week has been filled with lots of time as a family -- music practicing, speeding toward the finish line of the school year, and preparing for the soccer camp. In the next 10 days, we have 4 musical performances. Haidian church is busily preparing for the concert this coming Friday evening, May 27. They are expecting 1200-1500 people at the event. Our family's music certainly would not be that big of a draw at home, but with the addition of Ali's violin professor, the event has become a pretty big production for the church. We are praying that we can be ourselves, play the music well, and bring glory to God. This is one of the few opportunities we have to impact the Chinese-speaking community here in our area, since instrumental music needs no translation. Our hope is that people will attend the concert and return to the church to build a relationship with Jesus and other Chinese Christians.
We also had the privilege of taking a day off this past Monday, and we spent it with one of our Chinese friends at Happy Valley, Beijing's amusement park. As we all know, China is famous for copying things, sometimes with interesting (and funny) results. This theme park is definitely no joke - they have taken the best of Disneyland & Six Flags and put a Chinese spin on them - all for about a fourth of the cost! Roller coasters, water rides, kid stuff - we were there all day and couldn't see everything. Our friend Lulu had only heard of this place but never had the time to go there ... frankly, she is representative of many Chinese adults. Their daily lives are completely filled with pressure from intense school and work schedules - there is little time in their world for fun or leisure. Her reactions to the attractions at Happy Valley reminded me of the first time we took our kids to a theme park. Looking at the dozens of photos she posted on Chinese social media, I think it was a thrilling day for her (and us, too!)
In between the events and practicing, we also enjoyed some of the most meaningful hours of the week while serving on this mission - simple conversations over a meal or coffee with young men and women who are trying to follow God in a culture that pushes back strongly against their faith. Their challenges look a little different here than they do in the US, but we get to encourage people to put their trust in Jesus for their futures, just as we trust Him for daily provision in our family. Kim got to talk with an incredibly gifted lady (she studied a year at MIT and found the classes easy) who is struggling with staying single longer than she intended. I met with a young man who is working through a broken family background and wants to honor God in the way he treats women. There are more people to have conversations with than there is time, and we are continually amazed at the warm hearts and openness we experience here. Our Chinese brothers and sisters are hungry to have friends who will listen as they share what is in their hearts and lives. The pace of life in Beijing is crazy fast, and the moments where we get to stop and have real conversations about real life are some of the best.
Since the photos always seem to be the favorite part of the updates, I'll let them tell the rest of the week's story ...
Hot pot ... if we had to pick a favorite food in Beijing, this would probably be it. This restaurant is a 5 minute walk from our apartment, and the entire feast of vegetables, meat, and your own personal pot of broth to cook in costs a little less than $7.
Speaking of food, we saw this little friend on a menu this week. Roast pigeon! (nope ... didn't try it, or the snake head soup which was beside it on the menu)
Haidian church is busy recruiting kids for the soccer camp, now just 2 1/2 weeks away. Unlike our soccer outreach camp in Beaverton, the church is not free to go into the schools or community to promote a faith-based event. We are inviting people from the congregation and encouraging them to invite their friends & neighbors - please join us in praying God will bring kids to join us on the soccer field June 9-11.
Summer arrives early here - our day at Happy Valley was nearly 90 degrees.
It's the "Special Tea Cup" and "Happy World" rides ... look familiar?
This Six Flags style water ride was built around a Greek village ... don't let the stylish ponchos fool you - they did NOT keep anyone dry.
This "Crystal Wing" ride was legit - it suspends you in a flying position the whole time.
Not quite everything was a copy of American theme parks.
Ali and I finished the week with a "Dad-daughter date" to beautiful Houhai lake.
We miss you -- Have a great week ahead!
Brent, Kim, Ali, Olivia, and Jake
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