The Journey

Last week was quite the adventure in getting to and from church.  Me, Bridget, Steph and Emily got up really early Sunday morning to try to catch the 6:00 bus headed to Nanjing.  We ended up leaving a little late so we knew we were just going to have to take the 6:30 bus, but since our town is so small, we found ourselves with no taxi's driving the streets so bright and early.  We ended up having to walk to the bus station, but it was about a 45 minute walk.  We barely made it in time for the 7:00 bus.

When we arrived in Nanjing we got on the subway we realized how close we were cutting it to making it on time.  On any normal Sunday we would have been fine, but I was scheduled to speak!  So as we got off the subway we saw it was 5 minutes to 10:00 (church starts at 10).  It is usually about a 15 minute walk from the subway, so to save a little time we decided to take a taxi. We told the taxi driver the name of the hotel, not realizing that there are at least 10 Jinling Hotels in the city.  We get dropped off at the wrong one, on a different part of town and scramble to get another taxi. By the time we finally arrive at church it is about 10:35 and the speakers have already started.  The branch president gets up and announces that the final speaker is a brother in our ward.  He then passes me a note that says "Are you sister Smith? If so, I am sorry we didn't think you would make it, so you will be our first speaker next week."  This was totally fine with me, I just felt ad for the inconvenience for them. Anyways, we finished church and it was great.

After church a group from our program were going to a free museum about the Chinese Massacre.  We decided we had plenty of time until the last bus left to our city, so decided to go with everyone.  When we got to the museum, the line was a 45 minute wait, so we decided to just walk the outside so we didn't push it on time. It was very interesting to see the monuments of such a tragic time for the Chinese.  The four of us girls decide we should probably head back to the bus station.  We take the subway and end up at the wrong station, but it wasn't much of a problem.  We just hopped on one of the cheap inner city buses that takes you to the other station.

When we arrive, we wait in line and are talking about how sometimes it is so hard to communicate our city to the ticket people.  A young man behind us overheard our conversation and spoke English.  He started talking to us and telling us how he wants help with his English because he will be moving to Florida at the end of the month to go study.  He then told us that he could help us get our tickets to make sure we don't have any problems.  This was so nice of him, so we let him help us.  Now there is something you should all know about China... a lot of their cities sound the same!  We live in a tiny city named Yangzhong, and there is a city not too far called Yangzhou which is a fairly big city.  We explained very carefully that we live is YANZHONG, but to many that would not makae since, there should be 4 american girls in the big city, not the smaller.  Also another side note, our bus tickets are always in full chinese characters, so we don't know how to read them.

I'm sure you can see where I am going with this story right?  Yes.  we all get on this bus that this kind man got us tickets for and decide we are all exhausted so all take a nap.  We awake only to find we have stopped in a city 3 times the size of ours at a bus station filled with 5 times the amount of buses our city has.  W run off the bus in a panic, but in slight relief to see Americans!  We run and the explain to us we are in Yangzhou, not Yangzhong.  They help us go check to see if there are anymore buses to our city that night, but the next bus was not leaving until 7:30 in the morning. The Americans then point us to a nice hostel that the recommend staying at. We call our schools and let them know the situation and that we will not be able to make our morning classes.  We then proceed to check out the hostel and it is very nice!  We are ready to purchase it when they ask to see our passports.  Me and Bridget pull ours out, when the two other girls pause and realize they don't have theirs.  The lady then kicks us out and tells us that it would be against the law to let  us stay there.

So here we are on the streets not sure what to do.  We contact Spencer, our amazing instructor and he said he will try to figure things out and call us back.  We decided is time to say a group prayer.  We step off to this little ally and not even 10 seconds into the prayer, Spencer calls letting us know that a couple in our branch lives in Yangzhou, and are on their way to pick us up and let us stay with them for the night.  We are so relieved.  When the husband comes to pick us up, we are so grateful.  He then tells us that he is going to drive us all the way home!  Seriously the nicest man.  He then says these great words, "I've never been to your city, so this should be an adventure." And an adventure it was.

The journey should have take about an hour and a half, it took 6. :)  We started down this road where we asked for directions and a kind Chinese man told us to drive to the end of the road and on the left there would be a gravel road, and "if our car fits, we can go".  Yes, it was a bike path, but we went down it anyways, into the woods :).  We then came to a giant pile of rubble where another man told us to go down this other road, which led us to the majority of our travel, the 3 hour Chinese maze.  It was literally a maze that we got stuck in forever, but don't worry we eventually escaped and after many more hours arrived home at about 2 in the morning.

This man was so generous and patient with us.  I am so grateful for him and for our safe arrival home.  Surprisingly, with all of the craziness happening, we never once were really frightened or mad.  We all just felt peace and a protection over us the whole journey.  I believe it was the Lord blessing us after out dedication and sacrifice in making the trek to church each week.  It is a long journey, and a lot of money to get there each week, but it is so worth it.  It is what I need and I would be so lost each week if I didn't have the opportunity to go.  It isn't easy getting there, but I wouldn't trade going for anything.  I love the people and I love the Lord. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to meet here, because it wasn't always available.  It's so important to take advantage of the blessing we are given being able to meet each week.  We still aren't sure why we had this crazy experience, but I know that it makes me appreciate the "easy access" we have to going to church each week in the states.  I have had it so easy, where the farthest I have ever had to travel to church was about 10 minutes each week.  We are more blessed then we realized in America.

Church and China

Email #3:
So it's been a couple days but the internet was not working.... but here's what we did on Saturday.  We went to the summer palace which was pretty, but alot like the forbidden city.  

Then we went to the pearl and silk markets for shopping.  Its the place where you yell and try to bargain with the chinese people for good deals.... it is so much fun, but also stressful because you know me... Im a pushover.  But im pretty proud I did a fairly good job and got some awesome deals that Im pretty happy about.  We also went to the Olympic Arena!

Sunday we went to church pretty far away where we traveled on subway but let me just tell you... I think it was one of the most awesome church experiences I have ever had.  The spirit here in China is incredible, which you would never think... but I am inlove with the members here.  So you know how there is no proseliting here at all, like we cant even say that we are mormon.  We are allowed to say we are christan and then immediately must change the subject.  They explained this to us and I just felt so heart broken but then they pointed to these two young men who were just baptized here in china just a month ago.  They are not chinese citizens but are living here, therefore have permission to be baptized.  They bore there testimonies and I bawled.  It is amazing.  There IS missionary work here in this land.  The gospel is being spread.  The Lord is finding a way for the people living here to be influenced, and I believe I am here to be an influence.  I know that i may not be able to verbally bear my testimony to these people, but I will, without a doubt, bare my testimony through my actions.  

I was reading in my patriarchal blessing  that night and it talks alot about me being a missionary and how I will share my testimony with those who have not had the opportunity to hear of the gospel.  I know I am here for a reason. This is where I need to be and the people of China will be influenced so that down the road when the missionaries are able to come here or they may travel to another country and run into the missionaries, I want them to remember me and remember all of us out here and see how happy we are and remember that they want that too.  I cant wait for these people to have the opportunity that we are so blessd to have.  I take it for granted all of the time that we are able to so freely share our testimony and knowledge and I never do, or never realize it.  And here, where it is so forbidden, all I want to do is shout it from the rooftops.  My heart breaks for these people, but I know that one day they will be so blessed and recieve the opportunity,and so many of them will just line up to be baptized.  I cant wait for that day.  

I was talking to this man from france that is over here going to a university and he said when he first moved here he was so alone and just feltlike i would be so hard to remain faithful, but he said it didnt matter that he was alone, he knew what he was doing and what he believd.  He followed the commandments and he knew that he could not faulter.  He COULD NOT!  I know that if we follow the commandments the Lord will bless us ten fold.  This is the true gospel and I am so gratuful to be apart of it and have the knowledge that I do.  

Day 2 in Beijing

Email #2:
China is awesome.  Last night we went to this huge dinner and the food here is delicious by the way.  I love everything I have tasted so far.  Then we went to a Kung Fu show which was pretty amazing.  It was like beautiful dancing and fighting.  It was like so you think you can dance plus fighting!   :) 

So this morning I did one of the coolest things ever.  I HIKED THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA.  Yeah.  It was like the stair master times 2000.  We climbed and climbed and climbed and then climbed some more.  And on my ankle it was a little tough, but definitely worth it.   It was so beautiful and unlike anything i have ever done... then you hike down a little to this place where you TOBBAGEN down the whole mountain. 

Uhm it was the coolest thing I have ever done.  The guy that was working was like uhm no you cant go with your foot it is too dangerous, I was like uhm no! he made me get out of the cart and walk back to the ticket thing but then yelled my name and was like come back i was kidding! then he was like kiss for me? I was just laughing and then he pushed me and i started down the mountain! sooooo cool!!! :) 

Then we went to lunch then a jade factory and the ming tombs which was cool.  Now we have the night to ourselves so I'm finally going to shower.  Yeah I have no hygene here.  Its pretty gross. We have some time to just relax and get some food.  Its awesome here.  I am so grateful to be here and having these experiences.

Back to the Beginning

So I am trying to catch up on my adventure in China, so first I want to go back to my arrival tour in beijing.  This is my first e-mail home to my family after my first day in China:

I am in China :)  It is so amazing and beautiful here.  I guess i should tell you about the adventure of  getting here first.  Well I met the people in the group and they are so nice!  We all get along and I love them already.  We flew from Salt Lake to LA to Korea to Beijing.  Along the way I was fortunate enough to be the only one on crutches and the only one to get their baggage transfered to the wrong plane. yay! haha  Yeah, so I guess when we landed in Korea the airport people transfered my luggage to the wrong plane and my stuff ended up in some random city in Korea.  When we got to Beijing and my stuff was not there I got a little freaked out so I talked to the people at the airport but they spoke like 2 words of English but luckily we figured it out.  During this our instructor guy was saying he was going to wait for us and all that... but he forogt after it took so long, so me and Bridget roamed nervously around the airport with people who did not speak English but luckily I was smart enough to have one the instructors numbers written down before the events occurred.  So even though it cost bridget like 5 dollars, we used her phone and were able to get to the buses.  Luckily I had packed about everything I needed in my backpack to get by for a day besides pjs and clothes but i just borrowed Bridget's pjs and a shirt for today.  

When we got back to the hostel today after lunch during free time I checked the front desk and my luggage had been delivered!!!! :) oh happy day!  So all is well.  I am getting around perfectly without my crutches.  My feet are sore, but we did sooooo much walking this morning.  

Now on to the good stuff! It is beautiful here!  Our hostel is down some awesome chinese ally that looks like what you would see in movies.  It is unreal.  There are all these little shops and chinese people everywhere staring at you and laughing.  It's great.  The rooms are nice and me and Bridget have one all to ourselves and some girls that we have become really good friends with are like 2 doors down.  They are also in the city right next to us so we should see them a lot.  

So this morning we met and left for Tianamen Square which is so cool; there are all these classic Chinese architecture buildings and we were just able to walk around and explore.  Then we all met up and went to the Chinese museum.  After that we went to the Forbidden City, which is as cool as it sounds.  It is the most beautiful scenery and architecture.  A perfect picture everywhere.  We got to just explore and then head back to the hotel whenever as long as we were with a few people and felt comfortable enough to navigate around ourselves. So a group of us felt really comfortable that we could get back so we left after a while and got back with no problem or doubt ever.  We ate lunch together at this cute little whole in the wall resturaunt next to our hostel.  It was delicious.  it was some type of noodles and beef in a broth with steamed asparagus.  We had to order in Chinese (also known as just point).  The whole meal that honestly could have fed 3 of us plus a water was only about 3 American dollars.  Its great.  Right now we just have free time for another hour and then we are heading to group inner and a Kung fu show!  I am so excited!  Its a blast and so beautiful.  I can't wait for these four months.

Thank goodness for scriptures

In life we have trials.  So yes this is not easy.  Usually children love me.  Usually adults love me and think I am so great.  Here I am in China where neither is true.  Well I am not saying they hate me but the adults that I work with seem frustrated by my every move and the children here do not understand a word I say.  This is making my job as a teacher not just hard, but impossible.  In frustration me and my roommate went back to our rooms after being kicked out of her first class of teaching by a Chinese teacher who took over because the class was uncontrollable by us.  My roommate was far more frustrated than me, which is understandable seeing as it was her class and I have yet to teach.  I decided to give her some space so we could both have some alone time. 

When I got to my room my scriptures were sitting right by my desk and I couldn’t think of anything that would be greater to do than read. I sat down and opened up to where I left off (I started over when I came to China).  I left off in 1 Nephi chapter 15. Verse three really choked me up, it reads “For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts; therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought.”

So many times in our lives we go through things and we are not sure why they happen, but we must inquire of the Lord and the reasons will be made clear to us eventually.  I know we may not know the reasons things happen to us immediately, but the Lord has a plan and as long as we are doing what we need to be doing, we cannot fail.  Heavenly Father is here for us and I put my full faith in him.  I know he has a plan for me and that I am supposed to be here in China with these amazing children that will teach me so much.  I am here to influence these people,  and to stop worrying and always thinking of me, and start serving and loving others.  In order to receive what I want and desire, I must put in the effort and put my full faith in God.  Life can be hard, but a positive attitude can make all the difference.  “we tend to seek happiness, when happiness is actually a choice.”  I choose to be happy and enjoy this wonderful opportunity I have been given to be here in China.