#28 - Chris.tmas

Merry Chris.tmas from us to you!

p.s. We miss you Dan S.

#27 - The Power of Water and the Word

We had a special day a few weeks ago. We had a washing of a new friend. It was the first washing that I was able to give, so it was really special to me.

a picture made by a friend for the washing

We got a cake for the new birth that day. Birthday cakes in China have really large candles.

#26 - The Work of His Hands

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of G.o.d;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

(compilation of pics of the Lunar Eclipse taken by friend Jon Bare in Beijing)

Doesn't matter your language, culture, or location, this is amazing and beautiful stuff to see. I almost missed the whole thing, but a series of events kept me out a little while longer and then sent me on a trip to meet a few new friends. While on this mission out in the fridge cold I was told to look heaven-ward to watch the amazing view. One of the coldest nights of the year did not keep me and some old friends and many new friends from watching the amazing work of His hands.

Here are a few pics I was able to capture.

#25- 火鸡 Update - The Tale of Pocahontas

A reenactment

She wasn't alone in her deliciousness!

Thanks to everyone who made Thanksgiving great! Very thankful.

#24 - 火鸡 (revised)

That is pronounced Huǒ jī - "fire chicken" or Turkey

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for Pocahontas ...

(photo and Turkey care thanks to Adam Erickson)

... and her last day... today.

#23 - Me and my significant other

I have a Skype meeting every now and then with about 5 others. Eveyone else in the meeting has a picture with their significant other or family as their profile picture. This is my profile picture on Skype. Been the same since 2006.

Me and a friendly from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

#21 - Meeting together with friends

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." - Heb 10:25

Last weekend we were able to gather together with several people not only for a marathon and the paparazzi as seen in the previous post, but also some gathering and singing. It was great to see everyone together and to share the LS together.

We love visitors in Hangzhou, so come visit! And I think you will love Hangzhou and all the great things that happen here. More on that to follow. Just wait for Turkey Day! Hard to believe that's only 8 days away. Its going to be 80 degrees one day this week!

#20 - The Paparazzi

Being foreign can make you stand out in China. Being tall and white and American can make you even more of a rarity. We had many friends in town from other cities for the Hangzhou Marathon this weekend. Here is a little bit of the scene after the race.

#19 - 11.1.11

It is a special day. It’s such a special date. Yes, 11.1.11 is a pretty cool date to look at. But what really makes the day special is that it is the day after Reformation Day. Many Chr-stians around the world commemorate the day Martin Luther posted the 95 Thesis. It's not a day that focuses on Luther. Instead, on that day they thank G0d for keeping His Word pure in the midst of persecution and struggles throughout history.

11.1.11. - 10.31.17 - About 500 years after a re awaking started, people are still standing and fighting for what G0d and His Word really means for us. I am so thankful that G0d gave us faithful men and gave them the faith and courage to understand and explain the truths that are found in the B1ble. That J-sus died for you. That this gift is free. That it is by G0d’s grace. That heav-n is gained by fa1th alone. This is found in Scr-pture alone. Those reformers did many things to change the world. They put the Book into the writing of the people, so they could read it themselves. And they took a stand and wrote down their beliefs and shared them, so that this belief and understanding could be passed down to their children and their children’s children. And in turn so I can have those same beliefs.

Luther and those after him took a stand and wrote down what B1ble said even though it was against what many people believed. In the last few weeks we’ve had a unique opportunity to talk about Truth, specifically Chr-stian Truth. The truth that is taught in the world is very different. This world questions if there could even be truth. Today’s world says one of the worst evils is to say that someone else is wrong. Even if what is thought of as “standard truth” goes completely against G0d and what the B1ble teaches. The theory of evolution and questions about morality are just a few examples.

A few of us were able to ask questions that many people here had maybe never heard before, or at least in the manner that we asked them. We talked about our consciences and morality and nature, and ask if they might make us ask, “Is there a G0d?” We even had the chance to talk about who G0d really is, because He shows who he is from the B-ble and who he is through J-sus. I was extremely thankful for the opportunity and thankful to be given the words to share.

During the discussion after the presentation I was talking to a few st-dents. They asked me how long I had been reading the B-ble. I said since I was a child. They told me they had been learning and studying evolution since they were children. It certainly made me stop a little and think. It certainly made me thankful for the parents and education I have had. While in the US we study evolution in schools, we also hear the other side of things. People over here may have never heard about creation and the Creator. Sometimes they just need to hear the Word.

After all of this we were talking to a st-dent who the week before brought many questions and objections about the idea of a G0d. He was very certain that God was just another name for what we think perfection might be. We discussed this idea and the topics the presenter had put forth about truth. I told him to think about a few things and we’d discuss more next week. After our second presentation he thanked us for our time and our words. And then, after a little pause, he said, “And I really think I am starting to believe there may be a G0d. I really want to look into this B1ble some more.” It is a special day.

#18 - Chicken Feet

So I personally don't love chicken feet. They're a little boney and chewy and feety. But I love the fact that you can find them... everywhere. You can find them at the store. You can find them on the street. You can find them in your soup. This was at one of our friendly neighborhood noodle shops. Chicken feet actually have a lot of flavor, but not much to chew on or eat.

Nate enjoying his chicken feet.

#17 - The E-Bike Cargo Splits

# 16 - Top Stories in the Netherlands

I've gotten to know a lot of new friends from different countries around the world. One of my classmates and good friends is Dutch. While studying today, he took a break and checked the headlines for today from his home country. 3rd biggest new story of the day was, "Snails are having a bad year." Just thought you might enjoy hearing that. Click here to see the Dutch news homepage.

UPDATE: Here's the link http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/2648556/slecht-jaar-slakken.html It's a great read. Thanks Djoeri!

# 15 - Artists at work

A few weeks ago we made a journey out to the night market in Hangzhou. One of the new teachers here this year, Stephanie is a very talented artist. You can check out her work here www.stephaniebarenz.com. One of our friends a few years ago became good friends with one of the artists down at the night market. We stopped to look at his work. In China, in just about every city, you can buy copies of a few famous works. The price depends on who authentic the work you buy is. If it is a copy or actually painted by someone. This artists helps show he actually paints his work by giving you a unique piece of work after you make a person. Stephanie told him she was an artist. So he thought he would teach her how to do some Chinese work. The video is a great piece. Both because of how well Stephanie paints and also to see the Chinese master at work. His teaching style and reactions are priceless.

You can hear some good commentary from other teachers and some background noise from other sellers trying to sell things like shoes. Also notice the large crowd of people that formed to see the foreigner trying to paint.

#13 - A day at the furniture market

In the previous post I said the picture described success in 15 different ways.

I will now proceed to list the 15 different ways.

1. Nate mastering how to drive a cargo bike.

2. Fixing up my bike the night before for 20 kuai (3 bucks) so I could make the hour trek on a bike that was smooth as butter. My gears were shifting on me constantly because a part by the gears had broken (or been shattered) and caused my chain to be wobble back and forth.

3. Learning of all the fun things the furniture market has to share. (In china there are markets for everything. You can find them everywhere, multiple buildings with sellers and stores of the same type of things. Furniture. Lights. Toilets. Sinks.)

4. Enjoying some comfy mattresses (a rarity in China).

5. Seeing our cargo bike being used for one its main purpose, a chair for random people.

6. Explaining to people that we don't need the use of a cargo bike. There are probably no less than 100 cargo bike operators running around the market like this one seen below. While walking around they ask if you will need the use of one. As hard as we can we try to explain that we have a cargo bike and are not in need of their services. Finally to one man I said "Ta shi san lun ren" "他是三轮车人" pointing to Nate. This means, in bad chinese, he is a "3 wheel cart man," or "a cargo bike man." The man proceeded to shout "bu shi," which means, "No he isn't." He wasn't very happy with us, I think because we were stealing his work. That or he was still really confused and didn't understand what I was saying. I don't think many people believe its possible for a foreigner to A) ride a cargo bike B) own a cargo bike.

7. Dreaming up successful side jobs. Since we have a cargo bike we thought we could make a little money, or actually save our friends some money. The drinking water we use comes from giant containers, like the Culligan water containers back home. I have ways of getting that water for very cheap (don't worry this will be explained in a later post). So on the way home we decided we would load up the cargo bike with cheap water and deliver it to our friends around town (this has not happened yet, and most likely will never happen.)


8. Nate somehow unexplainably being able to understand the slurring salesman.

9. Buying some lovely stools for 25 kuai each form the slurring salesman. We went to the same people that sold the same stools to Nate for 25 a week ago. They refused to sell them to us for 25 at first. They said 35 and no lower. They said they could no longer get them at the same price. We started to walk away. A few steps later, a few shouts for us to return, and a few phone calls. and they sold them to us for 25 kuai.

10. Buying chairs for 52 kuai each. A quick lesson on how to bargain. Think of your price you would really like to pay (50) even though that may not be reasonable. Start way lower than that for one chair. Say like 30. Bargain the price down for one chair (60). Bargain more to get it a little lower (58). Ask for a lower price if you purchase more (55). Keep asking for a lower price, around 40. Finally move to a reasonable price (50). When they still refuse to budge, play with the total amount. The cost should be 275. Tell them you will pay them 250. Agree when they tell you 260 for all 5 chairs is ok. The result, chairs for 52 kuai each. Got it?

11. Buy a chair that is a hand.

12. Buy a chair that is a hand for a good price! Find a friendly sales lady and follow the rules above. But since you only want one. You will have to do much more lingering. A lot more smiling. You may have to walk away maybe 3 times. And whatever price Nate wants to pay, go about 25 kuai cheaper.

13. Fit everything into your cargo bike.

14. Fit everything in your cargo bike to the amusement of all the other "cargo bike men" and the friendly sales lady who sold you the hand chair (not to be mistaken with an arm chair).

15. Get everything home without anything falling off or breaking. Enjoy all the stares and double takes from everyone as they don't believe their eyes seeing a foreigner driving a cargo bike. Especially a filled cargo bike that includes and awesome hand chair. All home in my apartment in time to start a new class a few days later for eager you minds, and s0uls that need to know He cares for them (see post #14).

15 different ways of success. 1 more love in China.

#14 - Sharing that He cares

This last Sunday morning I got to talk about how the mind of G0d and his mercy differs from how we deal with people and how our thoughts and ways are much different than His. Many of you may have heard something similar. One lesson was about a vineyard and the wages the owner gives out to the workers. I had the privilege to talk about one worker from the harvest field, J0nah, who ran away from Him by boarding a ship only to be thrown over board and then swallowed by a large fish. Later in the last chapter of his book, He teaches this man another lesson, with the aid of a vine, about why and how He cares for people. The Father cares for all his people. He has made them. He wants them to know Him. To know His ways. To follow his ways. And most of all to know His love.

By nature people are selfish. We care only about other people and other things when and if they affect us. Like J0nah did with that vine, even though he had not cared for it or made it. At times we may break that norm and reach out to others or help in desperate times.

Many of you may have heard about the tragic incident that happened in Southern Ch1na this week. Several people passed by a 2 year old who had been hit by a van. Each did nothing to help her, some even saw her and walked the other way to avoid the situation. After a few minutes another van ran her over. About about a dozen more people passed by, a "scrap peddler" dropped her day's work to picked her up and moved her out of the way. I've heard, even when she was asking the businesses around who the mother was, people told her to mind her own business. The video is shocking. Surreal. I will not post the video here.

There are some reasons for people's not wanting to help. Here (a news story from about a month ago) you can read a story about how people are getting sued for being Good Samaritans. This is mainly with elderly people. However the circumstances were much different. Especially knowing from the video that many of the first people to walk by and do nothing were witnesses of the accident. Later to walk by could see how bad the situation was, but choose to ignore her.

(On a side note people in Ch1na much like in the United States are still very concerned about animals) Link here.

A question that came from the incident was whether or not a belief in G0d would make more good people. (If you follow this link you can also find a video from a psychiatrist on CNN who explains "bystander apathy" and that this shouldn't be that shocking, especially because you might do the same thing. He gives many reasons for this, including the fact that the situation just doesn't seem right so your brain doesn't register what is going on.) You can see the article here. In the article, the writer cites studies done that a belief in an angry G0d or a belief in hell does the most in changing peoples moral choices. A belief in heaven is sometimes seen as helpful, but not nearly as habit changing as the angry G0d and hell. (His suggestion is the belief in the CCTV that is always watching will have the most effect.)

What is the more important thing that people can bring? A G0d of anger or a G0d of love? Its related to a question that deals with G0d and His Word. What changes hearts? What motivates people? Law or G0spel? This is one of the questions the has plagued people for centuries. C. F. W. Walther lists as his 3rd Thesis in The Proper Distinction of Law and G0spel"- "Properly distinguishing the Law and the G0spel is the highest and most difficult art of Chr1st1ans in general and of the0l0gians in particular. It is taught only by the H0ly Sp1r1t in the school of experience."

What will really changes us? What makes us do good things? What empowers us to love the Father and to love His children (each other)? In essence, is it the Law or the G0spel that changes people. What causes us to really be concerned about other people?

The Father loved us by sending His Son for us. The Son loved us by giving Himself for us. The Father loves us because he made us all, and wants no one to perish. He wants all to come to the knowledge of the truth. Knowing that the Father cares for each of His children because He loves them, and wants them to know this, changes how we interact with people. It changes how we value a soul. It changes how we view people we are "different" from. It changes how we act towards people we "don't like."

In the introduction to my talk on Sunday, I mentioned how it is easy to ask if anyone cares. It is especially easy to ask this question in Ch1na a country of 1.3 billion people, a country that is trying to decrease its population numbers. When biking or walking on the street it seems like people are only worried about themselves. People don't seem to be looking for other people, and that includes drivers. And this was before this tragic incident made the news.

People may ask if a belief in a G0d will change them for the better? I can tell you hearing, believing and understanding the G0spel changes people. It changes how people see G0d, not as a G0d of anger, but one of love. It especially changes how people see and deal with others. People with the G0spel value each s0ul. They value that person's health and safety. They want to share the message of the G0spel with that s0ul, to share that He cares for them, even if others don't.

#12 - Success

How do you define success?



In China, this is success in about 15 different ways. More on this tomorrow.

#11 - Brewers Fans

This isn't really from China but on one of the biggest days in recent history for Brewers fans, I should really give some love to my grandma who turned 92 about a week ago. Robin Yount called her on her birthday to wish her a happy birthday. You can read an article about it here or click on the photo.

#10 - Shouting in the Outdoors

The title says it all. If you go out away from the city into the forest in China you will not hear much wildlife. I've heard stories why there aren't many birds in China. Apart from birds there aren't much of anything else out there crawling around making noises except bugs. That doesn't mean you won't hear anything. What you will hear though are shouts of joy and exuberance. Why, you may ask. Not exactly sure. Maybe it has something to do with the pressures at school and work people have. Maybe its because of all the honking that you hear in the city that you can't hear yourself think. Nevertheless, the countryside is filled with shouts. And people like to return those shouts. Without further ado, here are H and N responding to some shouts in the forest.

#9 - Tandem Rascals

Traffic was crazy during the Holiday. There were tons of tourists in Hangzhou to see the beautiful West Lake. I found a few tourists who had the best way to get around Hangzhou and see West Lake.

I wanted to follow them and get a picture of them by West Lake, so we could do a Chinese version of this (click to see the video - one of my favorite infomercials of all time!).

#8 - 8 am Class on Saturday Morning

Last week was a holiday. National week. (See the video from the previous post if you want to see what that's all about.) In China, if there is a holiday, you usually have to "make up" days. But you can't make up all of them. We were out of school for a week. So what do we do? We have class on Saturday and Sunday!!!!! Saturday is Monday and Sunday is Friday. Then Monday will be Monday even though it will feel like Wednesday. Wednesday will be Wednesday even though it should be Friday. And Friday... I don't even want to think about what Friday will feel like. All I know is it will be lucky day number 7 of school in a row.

So we had class today, on Saturday morning at 8 am. What do I love more than class at 8 am on Saturday morning? Yup you got it! A quiz on Saturday morning at 8 am. Yes my Speaking Class teacher gave us a quiz, to the half of class that was actually there. Yes... she decided to be that type of teacher. After a week long vacation, after only 3 weeks of actual class "let's have a quiz at 8 am on Saturday morning." Brilliant! (A little shout out to Wisconsin in that link there too. Go Brewers! I'm currently wearing a Brewers shirt. Oh and Booooo Yankees! Thanks Tigers!)

Needless to say, today was rough. Tomorrow should be better, even though its just as weird going to class on Sunday morning. I taught every other Saturday and Sunday when I was an English teacher a few years ago. Yet there's nothing quite as fun as 8 am class on Saturday morning after a week of vacay!

#7 - National Day

National Day is the Chinese "4th of July." Celebrations include a "week long" holiday and.... lots of fireworks.

A few people came out to watch. I tried to capture a little bit of what the immense crowd looked like. Below are some pictures and a 3 minute video I took of the finale. If you can't tell things are getting good from the fireworks the excessive clapping by the little girl on her dad's shoulders should give it. You can also click the following link for a video of the whole 23 minute fireworks show. Impressive... The first 30 seconds and the last minute are worth checking out (especially the last second pan over to Bruce Lee).

#6 - Bizzaro World

It is great meeting and being in Hong Kong. Nothing greater than being with the brothers to talk about work and to see all that is being done.

It is also fun to be in Hong Kong because it is a sort of Twilight Zone, alter reality, Bizzaro World to China. It looks like China, in a lot of ways. But the history is so different. The people are so different. The city is so different. They use "dollars" but the "dollars" are almost the same value as the "yuan." Its just CRAZY!

When I first get to Hong Kong I always want to try and speak Mandarin. And then I remember that they mainly speak Cantonese. But then its even more bizzaro world than that. Not only do people speak Cantonese, but most of them speak Mandarin and English. You go thinking you can't communicate with most people, but then quickly realize you can talk to just about everyone. The number of English "excuse me" s on the subway seems astounding at first, until you remember the many years of British influence. You can say that makes total sense, but trust me, its bizarre.

Things in Hong Kong aren't all that surprising (like this line of people waiting for the double decker bus), but in contrast to what you're used to or expecting they can make you feel like you're in a Bizzaro World.

#5 - Typhoon Holidays

I'm at the airport...delayed... might be loading... now. More on this later.

Sorry for the long delay. I had the joy and delight to travel down to the unique and beautiful city of Hong Kong. Below you can see a nice picture of a Typhoon that hit Hong Kong Thursday morning. This is at about 8 am.

8 am is the time that my flight was supposed to take off for me to fly to Shenzhen (Its also the time I'd normally be starting class). It was about this time that I got up to check things out, but the screen for flights had a different destination on it. I was slightly confused but then found the red letters that were switching back and forth from Chinese to English saying "Delayed." There were tons of people up by the counter. I decided to take it easy and just wait to see what happened.

About 30 minutes later I saw people carrying food. I figured they were just getting snacks during the wait, but then everyone had the same thing. So I looked for the crowd. (Note: If you don't know what is going on in China, search for the mass of people. They will tell you when something important is going on.)

Not only did they give you food, but they gave you water for free too! It wasn't anything huge, just a small thing of fried rice and some water. But still. How awesome is that! I've never heard of an American airline/airport giving people anything during a delay.

My fellow Shezhen bound friends enjoying their free food and drinks.

Finally we loaded about 2 hours late and arrived in Shenzhen. You might be asking why I'm flying to this place Shenzhen when I'm going to Hong Kong. Shenzhen is a Chinese city just north of Hong Kong in mainland China. If you are flying from someplace in China it is much cheaper to fly to Shenzhen and then make the border crossing by bus/train/walking and now... Subway!!!! It's about 2 1/2 hours of subway riding, with a switch to go through immigration in the middle, but then you can get anywhere you want to in Hong Kong by subway straight from the airport in Shenzhen. Pretty slick.

When we arrived in Hong Kong we found out it was a "Typhoon Holiday." Which is like a "snow day" in the United States. People have off of work (and maybe schools), banks and business are closed. Makes things quite inconvenient. Typhoon Holidays occur when the warning rating is at a level 8. This depends on how long sustained winds are and how close the eye of the storm is to Hong Kong. For precautions to take look here at the website for Precautionary Measures when Tropical Cyclone Warning Signals are in force

When we arrived in Hong Kong it was sprinkling and a little windy. You could see a little bit of wind damage. Most noticeable was that there were a lot less people out and about. That is until later when everyone was taking advantage of the nice weather on the Typhoon Holiday. We checked into our hotel and had some issues with the reservations. We told the desk worker to call the person who made the reservations to help fix it. His response, "I'll call tomorrow. It's a Typhoon Holiday."

While I joke about the Typhoon Holiday, the winds were pretty serious for flights. Many flights were delayed (like mine) and others canceled. Landing was a little exciting for all flights coming in. One interesting story was the flight that came from Japan, tried to land twice and then decided to return to Japan and wait to try again 7 hours later.

They didn't miss much though, because it was a Typhoon Holiday.

#4 - Tails

This is shock. This is I don't believe what I'm seeing. This is... get me out of here.

So my friend Tia, doesn't believe I caught the moment of discovery, but I don't believe her. This is shock and awe. I saw Tia's face, the girl in the front of the picture. I saw her expression, and I looked where she was looking.

There... in the kitchen of Therea's (a quaint little dinner down the road from the university) was a tail. A tail that moved... just like a snake. Like a snake under the hypnosis of a snake charmer. And then, I saw it. The furry body leap from the counter.

Yes, it was a large furry rat, sitting on the sink. On the nice "clean" dishes. No one else saw it. Just me and Tia. But we couldn't hold it in. You hear stories. You see rats in movies, but rarely, rarely do you see a large rat just chilling in a kitchen of a restaurant. We didn't stay inside the restaurant. Nor could we really tell our friends what we saw until after we left.

So yes. I love rats in China. It is great because this restaurant harassed me to no end when I went in a few day earlier. They were trying to force me to order a drink or food when it was 10:40 at night. It just helped me say good riddance to a place that was too expensive.

But the moral of the story is... as long as you don't see it.... you don't care. But as soon as you see it then its a no go. Theresa's is crossed off the list. Yes, rats are probably in every kitchen in China, but you don't know it until you actually see it.

#3 - My Morning Coffee

It doesn't come everyday. It isn't needed everyday, but is meet with sleepy eyes and open arms when it is . It comes in different flavors, shapes and sizes. Some are expensive others are very cheap. Like this one.

Here is my 3 kuai (3 Chinese dollar = about 50 cents) iced coffee in a can. Its delicious. Filled with caffeine and sugar to give me a jolt, especially during my first hour and a half class of Chinese. An lovely, very educational class, which is followed by another hour and a half class of Chinese. This can is especially useful for making loud "ting"ing noises while people are up in the front of class speaking dialogues.

Your Chinese lesson for the day: Chinese is a fun language because even though it is complicated and crazy and filled with thousands of pictures, it makes sense. The "measure word" (if I want to say 1, 2, or 3 etc of something - you have to use a measure word. The most common is "ge" like for one person it is "yi ge ren" "yi" being 1 and person being "ren." "ge" is the measure word.)

For a can, like that lovely iced coffee can, or a can of Sprite, the measure word is "ting." Like "wo you yi ting kafei" "I have 1 can of coffee." "Ting," just like the sound it makes when you flick it with your finger or set it down in the middle of class when everyone is quiet.

A teaser for tomorrow: Other people buying coffee during the break, but ohhhh there's soooo much more that this picture has to share. Of course... the #4 thing I love about China.