China Pictures 3

Some more...

- Allison and Brian at The Great Wall...yep we climbed it!
- Tian'anmen Square and the entrance to The Forbidden City at night.
- Steven, Daly, and Jimmy watching the Hygiene Trainees teach local villagers what they have learned.
- Men playing Mah Jong in a plaza in Wenshan.

China Pictures 2

Here are more!

- A man and his cart move through the fields in the "lake" village outside Wenshan.
- Todd poses with a bunch of kids in the Wenshan market.
- Big Bear/Temecula team with the hygiene trainees after they taught their newly learned skills to local villagers.
- A young Chinese boy in the village outside Wenshan.
More soon...

China Pictures

Finally, I'm able to post some pictures from home. These are just a few.

This picture is of the school in Wenshan where the English Team worked for two days. The students are doing their morning exercises in the yard.

Here is the Hygiene Team teaching villagers from outside Wenshan strategies to reduce the threat of disease in their villages.

Here is Team Big Bear/Temecula. Our basketball team played against the High School Team at the school in Wenshan. They lost 56-50, but at one point the score was tied 44-44 when Art hit a jump shot!

Here are Scott and Fred (from LifeWater) in the "lake" village where we surveyed the area for solutions to their water program.

More later...

July 5, 2006

Last day in China. Slept in a bit then breakfast. We did "English Corner" again this morning. Visited the factory and foster home again for pictures. A team from Brazil arrived today. They play soccer and do Brazilian dance. It was pretty odd to meet up with people from Brazil in the middle a small village outside of Beijing, China!

After lunch we settled up our account for our stay and met with Daniel for about an hour. We were able to talk with him about what they have going on here at the compound and how we might be involved later with them. Realy cool stuff. Again, we can tell you more later.

We had a chance to say good bye to the student and staff while they were all working together in the dining hall.

Our driver picked us up at 4:00 PM and took us to the airport, about an hour away. We had lunch there and spent down our Chinese money by buying MMs!

Check in went smoothly. The AC on the plane didn't work for a while, but finally came on after about an hour. Phew! The thought of 12 hours with warm stagnant air wasn't too fun. But all is well.

We arrived at LAX a few minutes early, breezed through customs and met Walter, Maryon, and Andrea at the exit. Josh and Andrea left and Shane and I drove home with Shane's parents. We stopped in Covina area for In-and-Out. Yum, Yum, Yum. Got home to Big Bear about 9:30. Talked with Helen and Spencer until about 2:00 AM. The to MY bed.

July 4, 2006

Hey, Happy belated Fourth!!

I'm sending this from Big Bear, updating our last days in Beijing. By now you have seen many of us in town. I'll see most of you at church on Sunday where we will do a short report. We are planning a longer presetation for later.

Today, while here at the compound we helped out with "English Corner" for the students a couple of times, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. We took a trip with Shane's friend Dave around and through the countryside. We picked up some supplies Dave needed for some ropes games he was playing with the students later that afternoon.

For dinner we had a 4th of July BBQ with the compound staff and families. Hamburgers, hotdogs, pasta salads, chips, soda. No pickles or cheese for the burgers though. Lots of fun. Volleyball, croquet, repelling off the school building. Then when it got darker, they set of a bunch of fireworks. Rockets into the sky, but only about 50 feet above our heads. Pretty exciting!

That evening a bunch of staff and family and the Musketeers played a bunch of goofy games at our house, we'll teach the to you sometime!

Tomorrow is the last day in China!

Blog Response Note

For some reason, yet to be determined, I have no problem posting, but I can't read the blog as you see it. I just figured out how to receive other people's postings as emails.

So, if you have sent responses to the blog, I apologize for not posting another response. BUT, now, if you post a response, I receive it as an email.

So...respond away.

Brian

July 3, 2006

Happy Birthday from China, Dad!!!!

Today we left the hotel and went around the city. We went to the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. At the Temple of Heaven we saw not only the beautiful buildings and gardens, but there were a bunch of people using the park for many different activities. There were groups doing Tai Chi, there were musicians, dancers, singers. We stopped and listened to a group of singers (not an organized group, but just people singing traditional songs). Some had books of music. I stood next to a man singing with a book. He showed me how to read the Chinese music notation, I learned how to read it by "translating" the symbols (numbers, etc.) into western notation. I bought one of the books of music. Get ready for some translation, Walter!

We then went to the Summer Palace. It is where the emperors and emperesses stayed during the summer months. It is by a lake. There are dozens of pavillions and buildings. There are boats out on the lake. It was beautiful, but VERY smoggy and humid.

We then picked up Shane's handmade shirts and drove out to the compound. More details about that when we get home. It is a pretty amazing place. Shane was here for a few months about two years ago. We are staying in the guest housing and spending time with Shane's friends and the students here for Summer Classes.

Tomorrow we will spend the day here at the compound helping out with the students and having a Fourth of July BBQ in the afternoon.

Can hardly wait to get back to home to see you all and share in detail about the trip.

Love you all.

Brian and the other two musketeers.

July 2, 2006

We got up and went back to Tiananmen Square with the intention of seeing Mao Tse Dong's body in his HUGE mausoleum, but the queue (line) was too long. Back on the subway to go to a club service only for international people. It was huge, about 1200 people. All internationals, no Chinese nationals allowed. There was a "w" team, a "p" who talked about feeding people. Then we had a "juice and bread ceremony." We met up with friends of Shane and went to lunch at TGIFridays. We will see them tomorrow when we go out to the compound where they work.

Josh and I went to the Silk Market after lunch. It's a place that carries all sorts of stuff (clothes, jewelery, electronics, gifts) at great prices. Did you see the word "jewelry," Helen?! I finished up my shopping. Afterward, Josh and I went to Pizza Hut! It tasted exactly the same as in the US! Mmmm...good.

The Musketeers spent time at the end of the evening with Kim, her husband Duane, and Grace. It would be the last time we see them for a while. They are great people. Kim was on the Hygiene Group for our team.

Tomorrow we move to the place where Shane spent a few months a couple of years ago.

July 1, 2006

The entire team met for a debrief session this morning. It lasted four and a half hours. Very good time. The Musketeers (Shane, Josh, and I) and the rest of the team packed up quickly to check out by 2:00 PM.

The team wasn't leaving until around 5:00, but the Musketeers went with Kim to check-in to the hotel where she and her husband are staying as they visit her foreign exchange student Grace. The hotel was great. Grace's Chinese family has connetions and she got us a great rate.

We stayed and rested at the hotel for a few hours after having McDonald's with Kim, Duane, and Grace. We got some snacks at the local grocery. (They have bean curd flavored Pringles, yum!)

We then took the subway back to Tiananmen Square that night. It is all light up and beautiful. Filled with people. We met a man who is a free-lance photographer traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway. He started in St. Petersburg, Russia went across Russia, through Mongolia, Beijing, and he's on his way to Shanghai. He is photographing the whole trip and hopes to publish a coffee table book.

We took some great pictures and sat and talked. A really nice evening.

Back to the hotel and rest.