My Top Five

Susan asked for my top three favorite things about my trip and when I typed this out I forgot she said three and did five. Here you go.

5. The Duck Restaurant. What could be better than being given a death certificate for your food? It was really yummy and I was laughing the whole time thinking about the very end of the movie “A Christmas Story”…”Farara ra ra, ra ra ra ra.”

4. “Doing” Business. Traveling is always an amazing experience, particularly abroad. But traveling oversees to “do” business is really different than the typical vacation. I mean, if you think about it, how much interaction do you really get with everyday people when you travel on vacation? Aside from the occasional exchanging of words with a hotel worker or waitress, typically very little. But if you’re traveling for work that means you’re probably going to be in contact with bunches of people, all day long, that are really a part of the country you’re visiting. I think this gave me a much different insight about the Chinese culture and people than I would have otherwise received. You also get to see how life is really lived; it’s not just about visiting tourist traps and seeing historical sights. Pretty amazing experience if you ask me.

3. Watching a Very Important Election Going on at Home from the Eye of Another World. How much do you know about foreign politics? Quick, in your head, name 5 leaders of countries other than the one you live in. I am now convinced that everywhere in the world Obama and McCain are household names. The only channels I was able to watch in English while here were the BBC and CNN. And I can tell you, the world outside of the US is talking about very little other than our election. It’s amazing to me how much the US influences the world when we make up so little of the world’s population in comparison. Amazing and humbling.

I would also like to point out that if the rest of the world would have been able to vote in our election, the margin of Obama’s win over McCain would have been even greater. The rest of the world is in love with this man. I heard the phrase “this is the end of the reign of conservative dogmatic oppression in the US,” so many times I could puke. I really didn’t know that we were being oppressed in the US, did you? Now I’m going to opinion share, for what it’s worth. I believe this man has vexed the magnitudes with words and promises of change he has yet to explain the merit of. I heard over and over again in interviews with Europeans that they were so happy that the US has finally overcome its racism and elected a black president. And undoubtedly this is monumental; but I’m more interested in an answer to the question, “Can this man run this country?” than I am with the color of his skin. I don’t think either man was a good fit for the job, so I guess all I can do is pray that Obama with his dreams of bringing us the audacity of hope will unify our nation and protect the families of the world as much as he has the power to do as we head further into financial “crisis.” But he’s just a man; and at the end of the day I have to remember that I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God; no matter what happens to this country and to me nothing can dissolve my citizenship in that Kingdom except my own free will. I can be homeless living on the street and I always will have the audacity of hope that is found while living in Christ. Soapbox dismounted.

2. The Great Wall of China. There are a few places in the world that I am finding it is just good for the soul to visit. Le Cathedral de Notre Dame in Paris is one of them. I know this might sound counterintuitive to something that would generally come out of my mouth in regards to being inside of a Catholic church, but there was just something about the place that reminded me of the power and reverence of God. It’s hard to explain if you haven’t been there and I know it shouldn’t work this way because it’s just a big old building when it comes down to it, but that Cathedral just has a unique way of striking people to the heart for some reason.

The Wall was that way too. It is such an amazing feat of engineering and served as a reminder to me of the love God has for His creation. A God that allows us to have a hand in creating the world around us; that gives us the ingenuity and intelligence to figure out how to make marvels like The Wall. That’s the God I love to worship and it was overwhelming to see such an amazing piece of architecture sitting in the midst of God’s beautiful mountains and sky. As if the mountains and sky weren’t exquisite enough, it’s as though God said, “Here; create something beautiful in inclusion to what I have already provided you.”

1. Home Again Home Again, Jiggity Jig. I believe that there is some sort of intrinsic, universal truth to the statement made by Dorothy Gale, “There’s no place like home.” I love to travel. It’s why I’ve chosen the career path I’ve chosen. I want to see the world and the more I can see of it on another person’s dime I think the better. But the sad thing about traveling for work is that “home” really wasn’t with me this time. With everything new I saw and experienced in the back of my head I was thinking, “I wish Craig was here to see this with me. I wonder how he’s doing at home.” But the fun thing is, absence really does make the heart grow fonder and I can’t wait to step off that plane tomorrow night, onto American soil, and know that I’m just a small three hour drive from Chicago away from “home.” Seeing your friends and family for the first time after a couple of weeks is always a joyful experience. To know that you’re loved, that you were missed, and that now you can go back to being together to enjoy one another’s presence is wonderful. Not to mention how thankful I will be to be back in the presence of our family at Elmwood once again, to teach my kiddos that I haven’t seen in a month, and to worship and commune together. I am excited!

So, those are my favorite five things. We’re leaving tomorrow from the airport in Shanghai at 2:50 PM China time, that’s 1:50 AM Lafayette/Louisville time. Please be praying for a swift, safe return. I will try to email and update you when I arrive in LA for our layover.