Pastor A

Today is Thursday and was a very long day indeed. We met at 6:00 a.m. for breakfast… only breakfast did not begin until 6:30 a.m. We compared notes among the five of us. After eating breakfast, our guide and driver were waiting in the lobby.

Off we headed to the Mutian yu section of the Great Wall of China. When we arrived the mountain was shrouded in fog. We had to walk uphill for about 200 yards. Once there, we boarded the cable car to the top of the mountain. It was certainly a spectacular  sight, even in the thickest of fog. We hiked for around two hours and had a great time enjoying this amazing wonder of the world.

Once finished hiking the GW, we drove over to the Sacred Way at the Ming Tombs. It was incredibly peaceful and serene today. The lushness of the grass and trees is remarkable. It is hard to comprehend that this was build in 1409 and it is still in this kind of shape.

From the Ming Tombs we headed to lunch. It was not spectacular, but it was food. Our tour guide ate with us and we did enjoy asking him questions. After lunch we headed back to the hotel to take a shower before going to supper and the Acrobatics Show. None of us were hungry so we ended up going to Starbucks for a cold drink. The Acrobatics Show was very enjoyable.

We took our van ride back to the hotel where we are now. I’m sure everyone is sound asleep by now.

Tidbits: Keith is having a great time with K2. Jo Ann is amazed by everything and takes pictures of everything. Jo Ann refused to use the restroom today because she was formally introduced to the “stoop potty”. Jenna loves being here in China.

Now that the team has been back for a little over 24 hours, the jet lag and time 15 hour time difference has caught up with everyone in a big way!

The trip back to the US was interesting to say the least. After eating breakfast Wednesday morning at the hotel, we loaded the bus and went to the Birdsnest and Water Cube to have pictures taken of our group. From the Birdsnest we then traveled to the PEK airport. We were 30 minutes too early so we stood in line until the counter opened. It took several minutes to check in our group of 24. We then had to take our 22 trunks to a different location to drop off. They wanted to inspect our trunks so different trunks had to be opened. For whatever reason, the trunk with the cereal gave them great difficulty. This process took far too long; however, we finally were finished with our checked luggage and could proceed to the customs/immigration counter.

Our group walked through the new Terminal 3 at the PEK airport. It is really a beautiful airport and was completed just in time for the 2008 Olympics. We had to take a subway to the International departure gate. Once we arrived at this location, we then had to turn in our temporary residence card and have our passport stamped. We walked to our gate and several decided to get a snack before we boarded.

Once we boarded our plane, I crashed. My head was bobbing like a yo-yo! I was asleep before the plane was even loaded. This was some of the best rest that I had had since we left two weeks prior. Once we took off they fed us a meal of beef and rice (imagine that). It was actually very good! After arriving in Seoul, S Korea, we had to go through security again. I treated everyone to a Starbucks drink and then it was time to board our plane bound for LAX. For some reason we left late from ICN and then taxied for over 25 minutes until we took off. This was not good for we had a narrow window to clear immigration and customs at the LAX airport to catch our flight for PHX.

The flight was uneventful and many slept, journaled, and watched movies. We landed at the LAX airport late. We had less than two hours to catch our next flight and there was no way humanly speaking that this could happen. The odds were seriously stacked against us.  The Asiana Airlines terminal is off site at the LAX airport. Once you land, you have to take a 10-15 minute bus ride to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. We were sitting toward the back of the plane which meant that we would not be on the first bus but would have to take the second bus.

We took the second bus and it seemed like forever until we arrived at the terminal. The first “break” that we caught was that an Asiana Airline employee gave our group an “Express Connection” pass. This meant that we bypassed the immigration line to a special line. There were hundreds of people in line to clear immigration. We were so fortunate to have this pass to skirt all of those other people. We still had to clear immigration one by one, but it was so much faster than the other way.

Once you clear immigration, you must then retrieve your checked luggage so that you can clear customs. As “chance” would have it. Our luggage was so slow that I told our group there was no way that we would make it in time. My mind is now racing on how to get our group back to TUS with missing our LAX flight. We finally have all 47 pieces of luggage and now must get in the customs line that seems like a mile long. We work together to clear customs and they do not check any of our luggage. This is a major victory for us.

We then have to push our luggage in carts to the “connecting flights” luggage counter. The man refuses to take our luggage! I then go to the Asiana counter to have sweet words with the agent. The bottom line is that it is not our fault in any manner that the plane was late. He then talks to the man who refused to take our luggage. They take our luggage. Once we have dropped off all 47 pieces of luggage, we must now “sprint” from the international terminal to terminal one. This means that we have to run past terminal three and two before we get to the US Airways counter.

Half of us do not have boarding passes, another great obstacle. We now have less than 30 minutes and we have to get to terminal one and get a boarding pass before we can go through security again. The half that had boarding passes went on ahead of us. The other half went to the US Airways counter. The first words out to the agent’s mouth, “You are too late!” Those are not good words. I said she had to give us our boarding passes to allow us to at least try to get to the gate and that she already had our luggage. She begrudgingly started printing our boarding passes.

Another miracle of sorts, the security line was not busy. This just does not happen at the LAX airport. We all clear the security line except for Shelli. She had to have a pat down and a search of her luggage because something triggered the gunpowder alert. They ended up taking her tube of toothpaste. She “runs” (walks fast) to gate 10 from the security line and is the last person to board the plane. Now if our luggage will just make it…

By divine intervention, we make it. There is no other way to look at this… many in our group began to pray as soon as they realized we were in trouble. So we take off and land on time at the PHX airport. Although it took ONE HOUR to get our luggage at the PHX airport, there can be no complaints from any in our group. The alternatives could have been so much worse.

Mr. Bee was patiently waiting for us. We load the bus and head for In n Out Burger. WOW – it was so good and so needed. We then took off for our final two hours to TBT.

We arrived at TBT around 11:00 p.m. Wednesday night. Many family and friends were awaiting our arrival and the reunions were sweet. Once we unloaded the bus and loaded our vehicles it was time to head for home. Home, sweet home! Those are good words after a long two week mission trip.

We went home and as it typical, we unloaded everything into the house and then had to unpack our suitcases. We started laundry and unwrapped our souvenirs and were still wound up from our return trip. Shelli, Jonathan, and Jennifer head for bed. I was not tired because I received another notice from the beloved IRS about my ongoing 8th audit. Just love those guys! So my adrenaline was way up! I did laundry and wrote reviews for our trip on Tripadvisor.com. At 6:00 a.m. I decided to go ahead and go into TBT to see all that I needed to get caught up on.

I finally crashed at 4:00 p.m. I slept hard until 7:00 p.m. Thursday night. I got up ate a bite of food. I went back to bed at 10:00 p.m.; I woke up at 3:00 a.m. And here I am, getting caught up on all my blogging. I’ve heard from many in our group that they are having sleeping problems, eating problems, and time change problems. This is so much fun!

Finally, I look forward to the testimony service on Sunday night, August 7! At 6:00 p.m. we will listen to the testimonies of our team members. I have already heard many of their testimonies in our own team service in China. You are in for a real treat as they share all that God did in their hearts and lives. It will be an awesome service – don’t miss it!

And we are off to America! A very long journey with several layovers begins in eleven minutes… Here we come TBT!

It is now midnight as I finally have the opportunity to stop and prepare an update for today. And my laptop is still working wonderfully – certainly a technological miracle of sorts. Most of our group are in bed and preparing for our journey home. We love China and her people; but we also love our families and are ready to see them again. Today was our last full day and tomorrow will seem like two days in one. But for now, a recap of today…

Our morning began at 8:30 a.m. with a group breakfast that was enjoyed by almost all. We still have some who are feeling puny and decided to eat lightly this morning. There are many food items on the buffet at the hotel so everyone has a choice that pleases their palate. They fix yogurt that is made to drink with a straw and does not use any sugar in preparation… honey is used instead. Many in our group have enjoyed this China specialty.

Once our breakfast was completed, we left the hotel at 9:30 a.m. to drive to a place called the Silk Market. There are hundreds of “shops” that sell anything that you can think of, generally speaking. We allowed the group some four hours to shop for their family and friends. I can say this, by the looks of the bags that were carried to the bus, many of you are going to have some rather spectacular Christmas presents. Many in our group walked to McDonalds for lunch. After eating so much delicious and healthy Chinese food, McDonalds was not as good as I thought it might be. I have really enjoyed the Chinese food! I’ve lost weight and feel great. One of our team members has lost at least eight pounds; I shall allow him/her to reveal the results of their weight-loss plan.

I was able to find a pretty neat gift for the young men of our church. I look forward to seeing all of the children and teenagers on Sunday evening following the testimony service. It is a thrill to find some unique gift to give to them after returning from a mission trip.

Once the shopping was completed, we reboarded the bus for a short trip back to the Pearl Market as several had an item or two to return or exchange. Many stopped by Lisa Tan’s Pearl Shop. She did not charge anyone in our group anything above the wholesale price that she paid. I can tell you that several made out very, very well. There will be some beautiful jewelry worn on Sunday. On the bus there was a buzz with everyone talking about their “deals.” You see, nothing has a price on it. Everything you buy is negotiated. The key to success is to find that bottom line when you believe you are making a good deal. For example, Daniel purchased a reversible silk robe (that he modeled for all of us on the bus) for 100 RMB. He was very proud of his deal, as he should have been. However, Jonathan purchased from a different store the same reversible robe for 75 RMB. Everyone had a great time and there was so much laughter in the bus.

All shopping is now complete! After boarding the bus at the Pearl Market, we drove to a Chinese restaurant for a Peking duck dinner. The food was good (not the best Chinese meal we have eaten) and the duck was delicious. However, Lauren R gave us all quite a fright. She choked on a piece of bread and could not catch her breath. She was choking… I jumped to my feet and was putting my arms around her to pull her to her feet when her hand shot up in the air to stop. She took a couple more gasps of air and the bread went on down! She lost her appetite and I broke out into a body sweat. Pastor Woody and Daniel were sitting across from her and were preparing to duck if the Heimlich maneuver was used =)

Once supper was completed we drove on our bus to the Beijing Chaoyang Theater to watch the Chinese acrobatics show. Folks, it was spectacular and everyone in our group laughed, cheered, winced, and clapped at the awesome display of acrobatics. I shall allow the team members to tell their family and friends about this incredible show.

Once the show was completed around 8:35 p.m., we boarded our bus for the final time of the day and returned to our hotel. Everyone began working on packing their suitcases and trunks for the return trip in just a few hours.

Our schedule is to eat breakfast as a group one final time in the morning. Once breakfast is completed we will bring our luggage and trunks to the lobby to be weighed and then we will load the bus. Once the bus is loaded, we will drive to the Birdsnest and Water Cube to have a group picture. We will then begin the long journey home. We will arrive at the PEK airport around 12:30 p.m. We are scheduled to depart on Asiana Airlines at 3:30 p.m. on flight #336. We will arrive in Seoul, South Korea at 6:30 p.m. We will then depart from the ICN airport on Asiana Airlines, flight #204, at 8:20 p.m. and fly 11 hours and 30 minutes until we arrive at the LAX airport at 11:30 a.m. – ALL STILL IN THE SAME DAY!

The group is saddened to leave China for we love these people; however, there is no shortage of excitement about the group returning to see spouses, children, grandchildren, and friends! This will be my last update until I return to TBT and prepare my final thoughts of this trip. Until then, pray for our safe return and for those who are still a little “under the weather.”

After lunch we only had a short distance to the parking lot at the base of the mountain where we would ascend to the top via walking and the use of a much needed cable car. We had to purchase cable car tickets to ascend to the top. 65 RMB is the cost but worth all of it for otherwise one would not make it to the top.

This is my 10th time to the top of the Great Wall of China. I am always amazed and humbled when I stand on top of the Great Wall. There are few words to describe it… it is immense, it is long, it is steep, it is stunning, it is hard to believe that one million people worked on this wall at the same time. If one died, there was no time for funerals… they were just buried in the wall. It was built before the United States was even discovered. We were walking on “top of the world” it seems.

I love to watch the reaction of those who experience this for the first time. It was as if we had children who saw and tasted candy for the first time. There was so much enjoyment in watching our team. Today the crowd was not great so we could take many pictures without having lots of strangers in them. Many in our group attempted to walk to the highest section permitted by the Chinese authorities. Lauren Rajchel is having tremendous hip difficulties; yet, she even walked on the wall. I must say, I admire her tenacity as she is pained with every step she takes.

Our group picture turned out well; although, we are sweating and wet from the immense heat and humidity. Everyone was given two hours to walk up and down the wall – a strenuous effort for one even if they are “in shape.” The group comes down off the wall and returns to the bus. The ride is just 1:10 from this section of the wall to our hotel. Once we arrive, everyone is given 45 minutes to shower and be back in the lobby for supper.

As soon as I return to the hotel, everyone is looking for me. “Mr. Armstrong” is back in the hotel and everyone knows about what happened last night, even the bell boys. This is a HUGE hotel with 25 floors. There are hundreds of people here. We get ready and meet in the lobby to eat at the Red Orange restaurant. The Executive Chef of the hotel is waiting. “Mr. Armstrong, we are so sorry to hear of what happened last evening. If you need anything, please let me know.”  They have prepared one long table that seats 26 people. I was getting ready to sit down when one of the servers pulls my chair out and then places my napkin in my lap. Even Shelli gets into the act, “my lord, what can I do for you…”

Anna, the GM of the hotel, comes to our table to profusely apologize for what had taken place last night. She is going to pay for our meal (the entire team) tonight. SWEET! She is also going to comp my room for last night. All I want to know is if I can have one of the robes in the bathroom =)  By the end of the supper, I had been made to feel like I had won the lottery. For some reason, Shelli refuses to put my napkin in my lap. We will have to talk about this later.

Seriously now, I had to excuse myself from the end of supper to meet a Christian businessman. One of  the English families that we support ate supper with us tonight. He joined me and we had a good discussion in the lobby of the hotel.

We then met as a team for evening testimonies and devotions. We met on the 20th floor where a number of couches are arranged. Folks, I am not going to over simplify this… we had a spiritually sweet and uplifting time. The testimonies were amazing. At least 20 of the 24 shed many tears as we listened to all that God has accomplished among our team. Great victories have been won AND great changes have been made in several team members’ lives. I cannot wait until YOU hear their testimonies on Sunday night, August 7 at 6:00 p.m. Lauren Rajchel and John Buntin gave testimonies that reduced most of us to just weeping. We even stopped in the middle of the testimonies to pray over a specific request that had been brought up. We had a church service right in the middle of the hotel.

We finished around 10:00 p.m. and several came to Shelli and my room. Health Update: Marta, Janet, Jonathan, Jenna, Shelli, and Bethany are all sick. Lauren R. has a hip that keeps popping out of socket – ouch! Other than this… we are plowing ahead!

It is a privilege to serve among such great, great people! It is now approaching 01:00 a.m. Tuesday so I am going to prepare for a short night of rest. Good night all and we will update you tomorrow evening.

It is 23:45 Monday night as I write this update. In my last update, I mentioned in my next to last paragraph that this trip has gone smoothly without any major flaws. Well, that all changed around 01:00 this morning. I went to bed around midnight and was out! I was really, really tired. Shelli woke me up at 01:00 and said, “Brent, come in here!” with great urgency in her voice. The sprinkler head popped for some unknown reason and water was coming down on the desk below.

On that desk was my preaching Bible, my new laptop computer, all of the receipts from the trip, and numerous other papers necessary to this trip. I grabbed my Bible; Shelli grabbed my laptop; I called the front desk… all in about 2 1/2 seconds. The front desk clerk said to my frantic call that the roof was leaking and it was all over my things, “Ok, I will have someone bring you a key for a new room.” Say what! I said, “No, you don’t understand! We have a flood in my room.” “Ok, I send someone up your room soon.” “Better send someone right now.” “Ok, attendant come now.”

In about five minutes there were multiple people in our room. One man was on the phone with the front desk; another man was on his cell phone to someone. Another man was up in the ceiling – all the while, water kept coming down in our room. We were grabbing towels and trying to dry off my Bible, the laptop, the papers. It really was a comical sight at some point for I was using a hairdryer to dry my Bible and the manager was using a hairdryer to dry my computer. I am certain that my laptop is dead and of no use. You see, the laptop was open and the water was coming right down on top of the keyboard and the laptop was completely soaked and sitting in a significant pool of water.

One hour later it was still leaking water!

A miracle has taken place for I am typing my update on this laptop. There is absolutely no way that this laptop should be working other than God did a miraculous work. It was completely soaked from the top and from the bottom. I am still in disbelief; although, much prayer was offered on behalf of this laptop. My Bible will never be the same again but at least it will always have a story to tell. The papers will dry and some of the receipts are now not legible but this is not a major loss. We can work through this little inconvenience.

Well, the manager said let’s get you into a new room. They were still working to try to get the leak fixed and drying out my computer. It was after 02:00 and Shelli and I are tired but now wound up. Just as a side note, I never became angry or upset. There is too much to lose so I just placed all of this in the Lord’s hands. They moved us to room 2031 and we try to sleep in a new room without any of our belongings. It was kinda weird. We got up in just a couple hours and headed back to our room where our suitcases, trunks, and other things were being stored. There was a garbage can under the sprinkler head and my computer was on the coffee table.

We got ready and met the team at 07:00 a.m. for a day of adventure for today we went to the Great Wall of China (Mutian yu section). Breakfast was fabulous and there was great enthusiasm and excitement among the team members. We boarded our bus at 08:00 and headed out to the first of our stops – the jade factory. The jade factory was very interesting as Lisa gave us a very detailed history of jade and its significance in China’s history. She showed us how to differentiate between real and fake. Then it was time to shop – well, sort of, you see jade is very, very expensive. Our group just looked and there were only a handful of purchases.

Next we drove to the Sacred Way at the Ming Tombs. This walk in 90 degrees and 90+% humidity was uncomfortable but wonderful. The tranquility of this walk was very noticeable. There were fewer people which is a first for us on this trip. We could actually see the amazing life-size animals and take pictures with them.

Once we were finished at the Sacred Way, we had an hour’s drive to the Cloisonne factory for lunch and another tour. Such an interesting bus trip… we ran two red lights in a row. We passed people that were driving slow and were passed because we were driving too slow. We were passed on both sides of us. We watched other cars run red lights. Just as we were discussing the crazy driving and that all of the signs were merely suggestions, another bus was coming toward us, in the lane to the RIGHT of us. You want to talk about waking everyone up in a hurry… so much fun and laughter and chatter could be heard throughout the bus.

We finally arrived at the factory for lunch. It was delicious! I cannot tell you what we had for virtually none of it would be on a table in Tucson. It was just good. As soon as lunch was finished we went on a tour through the factory to see how the Cloisonne vases and other items are constructed. The working conditions were amazingly pathetic! It was so sad to see how these folks work.

Several purchased gifts for coworkers, family members and friends. If you are family, I am sure you will enjoy some of the items purchased today. Next we had 15 km to the parking lot at the Great Wall of China…

The team met for breakfast today at 8:00 a.m. It was awesome and one of the best meals that we have had since we left on July 20… WOW, that seems like so long ago. We are down to two full days and then our departure day on Wednesday, August 3. We will arrive at the PHX airport around 19:30 and then plan to arrive at TBT around 22:30 if all goes well with luggage.

Now back to today… I invited one of the “English speaking families” that TBT supports to speak for our group this morning. He preached a very convicting and challenging message from II Timothy 1. I am not to be ashamed of the Gospel or those who are being persecuted because they are standing for the Gospel. He gave several examples of that which takes place here in China. He had the privilege to see “Anna” saved in 2004. Immediately her family began to ridicule and persecute her for her new faith. She was a part-owner in a company and told her partner that they would no longer lie or do things wrong… she lost her company.

She persevered and for six years has suffered verbal abuse and isolation from her family. However, her mother in 2010 told her daughter that she wanted what she had and she has been gloriously saved. She now owns her own company and the Lord is blessing in spite of all that her unsaved friends might do or say about her.

Two men in this man’s church just lost their jobs in the last two weeks because they refused to work on Sunday. They are counting it as joy, not sacrifice. This family started this church three years ago and now  has 60 people. In the fall they are going to split their church three ways. They have members who travel two hours to attend church and they live in Beijing. This is a monstrous city!

This family then took 20 minutes to answer great questions from our group. We learned that this family can buy a case of 24 Bibles. They take these Bibles out to the villages on the weekends as their outreach ministry. If you will remember, we are in the process of distributing the funds from our KJV 400th celebration. We are giving our missionaries who promise to buy Bibles $400 to do so. We gave this family $400 following the service. At $1.35 each, we will have a part in distributing God’s Word right here in China.

Following our service, we changed clothes and then boarded our bus to go visit the Aquarium and Zoo. We saw many different creatures in the aquarium and then we saw elephants, tigers, lions, zebras, giraffes, monkeys, several animals that we don’t have in the US, many different kinds of reptiles, and finished with the infamous Panda Bears! It was fun and several even purchased Panda Bear hats. They will be coming to you very soon!

We then traveled to Pizza Hut and ate together as a group… it was delicious, some of the best pizza we have ever had. After supper, we returned to our hotel for this group is TIRED. Off to bed they have gone and hopefully will be refreshed in the morning.

Several are feeling puny: Janet has a full-blown cold and cough, Jonathan is congested, Shelby had a migraine today, Lauren R has been renamed Lawrence for she has a deep, deep voice, Jenna is having some stomach issues, and Bethany has the makings of a cough and cold. Everyone else is doing fine for the moment but most are just flat worn out.

God is good though; we had a terrific day in which all 24 team members had a personal time with the Lord today in which they read and prayed. It was spiritually refreshing and the camaraderie is great among our team. God knew who to have on this team and there have been very, very few problems. All in all this has been a flawless trip.

We are headed to bed; so, in the morning we will get up and meet for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. to begin our day of rigorous activities. Tomorrow is a super long day! We love all of you and miss you but are still praising Him for that which He accomplished this last week in our live and the life of the ministry team!

It is now the end of Saturday (01:00 a.m. Sunday morning) and time to retire for the evening. We allowed everyone to “sleep in” today. There were no responsibilities until 11:00 a.m. I got up early, completed my morning responsibilities, went to the bank to exchange money at 9:00 a.m., went to the 4th floor to eat breakfast (many team members were also eating), and then took a taxi with Jonathan to our new hotel to get the group checked in. We then took a taxi from the new hotel back to the old hotel. As I arrived, the team already had our luggage at the street and were awaiting the arrival of our bus.

I went inside to pay our bill (hate doing this but it is a necessary evil) and completed our “check out” process. The manager and staff thanked us repeatedly for our stay. The reason that we are moving hotels is that the old hotel was located in the north part of Beijing and not very close to anything except the Day Camp location. The new hotel centralizes our location and will reduce the amount of time it takes to travel to the various planned activities over the next few days. The traffic is so horrific in this city that anything we can do to minimize sitting in a bus is a good thing.

Once we arrived at our new hotel, everyone was given 30 minutes to drop off their luggage in their new room and return to the bus. We then drove to the Pearl Market for the team to experience an event that is extremely difficult to describe. Suffice it to say that I’m sure many of you will hear all about this little adventure. Our group had the opportunity to purchase souvenirs, Christmas gifts, and gifts for family and friends. By the looks of the bags carried out, many of you are going to be blessed immensely.

As always, I looked for something special for the children of the church. In my two years at TBT I’ve given the children of the church coins, carved animals, necklaces, candy, gum, hand carved wooden spoons, etc. I was able to find a very, very nice gift for the children. As usual, I shall invite the children of the church to my office on Sunday evening, August 7 following the China testimony service. Parents, you want to have your children present in the service… it will be awesome.

We stayed until the market closed at 6:00 p.m. and then took the bus ride back to the hotel. There was loud, noisy, laughter, and so many people “bragging” about the deals they were able to make. Again, I say that many of you will be blessed by the good “deals” your family and friends bartered for today.

Back at the hotel we ate supper together at the hotel and then everyone was given the rest of the evening off. We will meet at 8:00 a.m. in the morning with our Sunday dress and prepare for our service. I have invited a man, that our church supports, to speak to our group here at the hotel. It is impossible for us to go to a “house” church as the attention we would draw would not be favorable for this family. Therefore, we have a family, that we support, coming to speak to us. I pray that the Lord will use this service in a mighty way in the morning.

Good night to all and thank you for praying for our team!

In my last update I discussed the Day Camp team members; this update will discuss the Teen Camp team members:

• Pastor Woody - Although young and inexperienced as far as mission trips are concerned, Pastor Woody has done a remarkable job leading the teen camp. The campers fell in love with him. He maintained order. He loved on the teens. He preached using an interpreter for the first time. He adjusted the schedule as needed. He really was a blessing to have on this trip.
• Daniel Taylor - His responsibilities were primarily in the area of games and skits. Daniel’s preparation and understanding of the games prior to our arrival was evident as the gametime and skits ran flawlessly. Daniel has been an invaluable asset to this team.
• Shelli Armstrong - Prejudicially speaking, Shelli had one of the most difficult responsibilities and burdens on this trip… feed 50 people three times a day in an inferior environment while ensuring that no one was sickened by the food or unsanitary conditions. Mission accomplished! Shelli and her team did the unbelievable, unthinkable, and successfully conquered an impossible mission.
• Emily Morrison - Emily was one of the other kitchen ladies and she was a spectacular help to Shelli. She created desserts that would have been difficult in good conditions. She seemed to never tire and always had a smile on her face.
• Kimberly Jones - Kimberly completed the third part of the kitchen crew and she excelled. She washed dishes, helped serve, created Rice Krispy treats, and even had time to participate in the special music program. She was not with the Chinese teenagers as much as everyone else; yet, she was able to forge friendships in spite of her time constraints.
• John Buntin - John was a counselor with several boys in his room. He was always helping rearrange the dining room or helping with a game. John was instrumental in helping lead a teenage boy to the Lord which he shall never forget. John earns the award for the ability to be the fastest to soak a shirt with sweat in the humid conditions we endured… 3 seconds flat!
• Sandra Buntin – Sandra was a room counselor and endured really difficult conditions with not enough sleeping space and a ceiling that leaked. She was responsible for the crafts that turned out to be a smashing success! The campers loved creating their photo albums and backpacks and bracelets. Awesome crafts and many happy campers. Sandra also served as the camp nurse but praise the Lord we did not have any injuries of significance.
• Martha Castro – Martha helped with the snack shop, serving meals, and served as a room counselor. Martha had a five foot square of her ceiling cave in and go “splat” all over the floor. It was a huge mess. However, Pastor Woody, John Buntin, and I jumped in to help clean up this mess… the ceiling still leaked most of the week. Martha had a birthday and after breakfast, Pastor Woody called Dan and he listened in as we sang H Bday to Martha. She cried. Then, Pastor Woody said there was someone else that wanted to sing her H Bday… so both boys from Tucson sang to Martha… she really cried… it even choked me up. She misses her boys so badly.
• Analis Castro - Analis was a room counselor with Bethany Jones. Analis helped forge friendships with the girls in her room. She has been smiling and ever so pleasant to have on this trip.
• Bethany Jones - Bethany was a counterpart to Analis in a room with Chinese teenagers. Bethany always smiles and has a sweet, sweet disposition. She is a blessing just to watch from a distance. Bethany really worked with the girls in her room as she had a tremendous burden for their spiritual condition. Bethany also participated in the special music program each day.
• Lauren Cutright - Lauren was a room leader who also had mold and a roof collapse. We had to move her Chinese girls and Lauren and Carissa to the craft room to sleep at night. She maintained a positive attitude with bouncing back and forth from sleeping to getting ready each day. Lauren has had a couple of serious headaches; yet, she has tried to work through them and still maintain a sweet smile.
• Shelby Jones – Shelby was a room leader with several Chinese teenagers… her roof did not collapse. Shelby really worked diligently to develop a relationship with the girls in her room. By weeks’ end, she had accomplished her mission. She has maintained a great attitude without complaining once. Shelby really pushed her girls at gametime and verse memorization. Shelby blessed us with the special music program each evening.
• Carissa Frisinger – Carissa was also in Lauren’s room and served as a room counselor. Carissa was willing to help whenever she was asked and frequently was seen helping without being asked. Carissa also had to bounce back and forth from the craft room to her other room without ever complaining, just smiling.
• Keith Bee – This is Keith’s first time to ever do something like this and he has adapted well. He was a room counselor which pushed him way out of his comfort zone; however, he did a marvelous job. He has taken lots of pictures for us to use at a later date. It has been a blessing to have such a fine young man on our trip. Even the Chinese girls like him… I even have a pic of Keith running away from one that was chasing him.
• Jonathan Armstrong – Jonathan was a room counselor with three other Chinese boys. He also taught the morning devotion time using an interpreter. Jonathan helped in numerous ways and has been a huge blessing to have on this trip. Although he has been to China numerous times, it was great to see him serve others.

There you have it, two teams that have impacted so many from TBT right here in China. Each person has contributed in some way. Praise the Lord for allowing us to accomplish our mission.

Could not sleep so I thought I would update all of you on the team members:

In our Day Camp we had -

• Joe Jones - Amazing leader and work ethic. Although at times outside his comfort zone, Joe came through in a big way. Praise the Lord for his heart, tenderness, and fabulous work ethic. I could not have done what I needed to do at the Teen Camp without Joe’s leadership at Day Camp.
• Janet Jones - I feel bad that she is so sick. She probably received her illness from one of the day campers who was sick and used her chopsticks by giving food to Janet. Janet is so neat, organized, and tenacious. She is a hard worker!
• Diane Rognlien - Diane is an unsung hero on this trip for she never actually worked at the Day Camp but taught English classes all week so as to allow the family we are working with  to attend the two camps. Diane experienced something unique – teaching and tutoring Chinese students who were not part of the two camps. In this, Diane was able to have her own mission field.
• Jenna Grantham - Jenna worked with the music program and the games. Jenna was unable to bring her guitar due to group luggage restrictions. She never complained but asked if we could find one for her in China. We did and a string broke on it while practicing. Still no complaints. The strings were replaced and all worked well in the end.
• Candice Hornung - Candice has been a child in a candy shop. She has laughed, had her heart touched, and experienced a life changing trip. The smells have been difficult for Candice. We just laugh at her. She has worked with crafts and loved the children in a special way.
• Lauren Rajchel - Lauren cried all day Friday. She will never be the same! She is a real trooper. Her hip has given her fits this entire trip but she has NEVER complained even one time. She has walked for miles, often grimacing with each step. I have a new appreciation for her tenacity.
• Marta Spears – Marta, Marta, Marta – what can I say? Come on, think of something… Marta is short!
• Debbie Wilbur - Debbie has been way outside her comfort zone. She has taken lots of pictures and helped out wherever needed. I do think that Debbie will never be the same with her involvement back at TBT. This has been a life-changing trip for her. I’ve seen her heart touched!
• Marta Spears – Marta has been absolutely wonderful to have on this trip. It is a joy to tease Marta for she truly loves her pastor! She has been delightful in her teaching lessons. The children have listened well and if they didn’t, she called them on it. Marta never slowed down and worked with crafts, music, story time, etc. She was always serving. She knew that the Lord would save children and teenagers and was not content just to walk away. Marta is tenacious and I love her for it! It has been a JOY to have her on this trip.

Ok, I am now tired so I am going to crawl back into bed… it is 2:00 a.m. I will update all of you on the Teen Camp staff sometime tomorrow. Until then… Good Night Again.

Today is Friday and I am wide awake at 4:00 a.m. I went to bed at 1:00 a.m. The next time someone asks me if I want coffee – no way – even at the risk of offending them. The caffeine has me wide awake. Oh well, best get up and get started. This camp is so dark, damp, humid, and dirt. Sorry I couldn’t think of a “d” word for humidity. Today is going to be another incredible opportunity.

It is the fifth day of camp and even though everyone is supposed to be up at 6:30 a.m., the camp is still  eerily quiet at 6:30 a.m. There are many tired bodies. Everyone is dragging a little as we start a few minutes late today. The kitchen ladies fix pancakes and bagels for breakfast. They had to make another batch of pancakes as there is nothing wrong with the appetites of the Chinese teenagers.

We might as well have thrown out the schedule for today. It was one adjustment after another… the owner wanted us to “check out” sooner than we had planned. It was raining “cats and dogs.” This meant that everything was wet, damp, smelly, and heavy. Jonathan feels awful and sounds awful; yet, he did another great job with the morning devotions. This has been a great opportunity for him at 17 to speak and experience the thrill of influencing others with the Word of God. God and I time went well. Due to the pouring rain, we cancel the first activity and use this time to check out of our rooms (in the American mind this sounds like it is a hotel – only if you could really see what we are talking about) and move our luggage to a holding area.

I have the great privilege to speak once again around 10:00 a.m. Daniel has a game after our morning session and the kitchen ladies are ready to eat lunch at 11:30 a.m. We eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, delicious watermelon, cheese, raisins, quesadillas, dessert, etc. As soon as lunch is over we have craft time and it was enjoyed by all. They designed backpacks and the creativity was phenomenal.  Following craft time there was an hour of free time and a final snack shop time. The Chinese students and Americans spent a little over 1600 RMB in our store.

Then it was time for our final session. I was able to speak one final time and the Lord gave incredible freedom to speak for 45 minutes. Although an invitation was not given, we did learn through our closing process that there were three teenage girls that were not Christians. This was difficult to know that Pastor Woody and I have preached our hearts out, the counselors have loved these girls, and everyone has interacted with them for a full week.

Following the message we have our group sing one last time and then enter into a testimony time. The testimonies were sweet and tearful. Each one was difficult for the Chinese students as this is not something normal. They were brave and frankly, it was one of the most awesome times we have had on this trip. Allow me to share one testimony exchange… Josh testified first and his testimony was simple… I’ve prayed for Kevin since we were in the 4th grade and I am happy that Kevin is now a Christian. One of the most poignant moments of this camp came when Kevin somewhat awkwardly stands before all of us and thanks us for coming to China. And then he did something that I will never forget, he walks over to Josh, extends his hand and thanks him for sharing the Gospel with him. WOW! Here is a teenage young man that trusted Christ and publicly testifies about it and then thanks the young man who did not give up on him since they were in school all the way back in the 4th grade.

Pastor Woody gives a moving testimony. I close out in prayer with one final plea to the three young ladies to see the wife of the family we support if they would like to ask any questions. We then dismiss everyone to the courtyard to play a game as we wait on the bus. Low and behold, about 20 minutes later, the wife of the family we support and one of the three lost young ladies emerge from the hotel with tears flowing. You see, the first family this TBT supported family met 17 years ago was this girl’s parents. They met the very first week they arrived in China 17 years ago. She finally trusted Christ and there were many, many tears. The wife wept and wept some more. 17 years to persevere and then witness the seed finally sprout and come to fruition.

A sad note: One of the three girls was asked what was preventing her from making a decision. She said that she had been taught her whole life that there is no God in school and she just could not go against that teaching. Sad, sad, sad! She goes to bed tonight lost but has heard the truth. She could wake up in hell because she knowingly and willfully rejected Christ.

We boarded our two buses and headed back toward Beijing. We stopped at KFC for a quick bite to eat. We rejoined the Day Camp team to hear that 21, yes, TWENTY-ONE had trusted Christ at Day Camp TODAY! one of those 21 is a 14 year old young man who has a serious heart condition and does not have much time to live. Everyone was tearful with this young man’s decision. More to come on the Day Camp as we debrief them.

It is now after 10:00 p.m. Friday and we have given all team members Saturday morning off. They are tired, weary, sick, and in need of hot showers and a long night’s rest. We will meet at 11:00 a.m. Saturday to begin our next day of activity. Thank you for praying for us. We love and miss all of you. Good Night!

Several team members were so excited to share with me that four teenagers had trusted Christ. Our counselors had the privilege of leading these Chinese teenagers to the decision point of trusting Christ. We decided at the beginning of camp that we would not give a public invitation to the teenagers if they needed to make a decision; however, we would strongly encourage them to ask their counselors questions about becoming a Christian. Several did just this! Four had trusted Christ, including Kevin who had been brought to camp by his best friend, Josh, who has been trying to witness to Kevin since the fourth grade.

Suffice it to say that it was a glorious atmosphere and the excitement was most noticeable among the team. The dam had been broken and the Holy Spirit was really working. Praise the Lord for the sensitivity of the team members. One reading this blog must understand that it is very difficult for one in China to accept Jesus as the answer to life’s problems and as the answer for all of eternity. It is drilled into these students heads from birth that there is no life after death and there is no such thing as a relationship with God. It takes a long time to break down the walls of the government’s teachings and their need of a Savior.  This was a miraculous event to have four students enter into this new relationship.

Pastor Woody and I completely missed lunch as we were discussing a couple of camp issues that had developed while I was away overnight. As we were talking, there was a rush of excitement, tears, and enthusiasm. Another teenager had trusted Christ. She had struggled with these questions: Who is God? I cannot see God? Why do I need God? Why is there a hell? Yet, through the working of the Holy Spirit, the scales of unbelief fell from this beautiful teenager’s eyes. Although she was sobbing, she was so incredibly relieved that now she was a Christian.

The rest of the day was like floating on air. The game time went well. The kitchen ladies (Shelli, Emily, Kimberly) fixed another unbelievable meal of chicken, mashed potatoes, cucumber salad, and a “to die for” dessert. These Chinese teenagers can really eat. The service along with the special music was so sweet. I completely messed up the schedule as the Lord allowed great freedom to preach for 1:40 minutes without taking a break. Oh to be able to do this in America!!! These students took incredible notes. We did not even use the Chinese interpreter. God really allowed us to enjoy a piece of heaven on earth in this service. That is a long time to speak – but you don’t interrupt the Holy Spirit when He allows such an opportunity.

There is a buzz or air of expectancy or air of anticipation… the skit time, singing, mind teasers, free time, snack shop time is going terrific. Yet, just about the time to go to bed, yes, another great victory is won as another Chinese student asked to speak with her counselor and follows the same steps as others over the past 24 hours and trusts Christ! Woo hoo! This is AWESOME! They all want to be baptized too! They are ready to take this step of obedience. We have now witnessed the Holy Spirit convicting and convincing SIX precious souls that they needed Jesus in their life and they obeyed!

Finally, lights out; however, it is hard to sleep for all that God has accomplished in this day will not soon be forgotten…

The Day Camp team and I met at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday to walk to a Pizza Hut for supper. The 3/4 mile hike turned in to two miles. Marta was not very happy with me! She survived the walk though… one-way. We enjoyed a great meal at Pizza Hut, then the group walked next door to a Cold Stone Creamery. Most had a small dish of ice cream. This was a real treat considering the meals that this group has been eating.

Marta, Debbie, Lauren, Jenna, and the husband, of the family that TBT supports, took a taxi back to the hotel for a whopping 10 RMB. We decided to save the RMB and walk the two miles back to our hotel. Along the way we stopped at a Walmart to buy bread for the Teen Camp. This was quite an experience… the seafood section was unlike most have ever seen – squid, octopus, and every kind of sea creature imaginable. The smell was not the most pleasant and Candice had to cover her nose in this section… quite humorous. After buying 10 loaves of bread, we continued our walk to the hotel. About half way on our return trip, we walked beside a park where the older folks were dancing and exercising to Chinese music. It was immensely entertaining and we watched them as they waltzed through three songs. We were even invited to join but decided none of us were quite old enough.

Upon returning to the hotel (10:10 p.m.) I repacked my suitcase, checked for any new emails, and then prepared for an early morning departure for Teen Camp with my ten loaves of bread for Friday lunch. It was wonderful to see Joe, Janet, Candice, Diane, Marta, Jenna, Lauren, and Debbie. They are doing a marvelous job at Day Camp. Janet is quite sick but still has a huge smile on her face. I truly feel bad for her knowing that she is working so hard, yet, feels so awful with her head and chest cold.

It is now Thursday morning and it is time for me to head back to the Teen Camp in the mountains outside of Beijing. I am scheduled to speak at 11:00 a.m. so I need to arrive no later than 10:45 a.m. I am to meet the taxi driver at 9:00 a.m. outside my hotel. This is plenty of time to make the 1:15 minute ride; especially since we are going against the flow of traffic in Beijing. I arrive before the taxi driver and wait, wait, wait, and wait. It is now 9:37 a.m. when he shows up but I think that we are still just fine on the time.

I must interject a side story at this point. I love the smell of coffee BUT hate the taste of coffee. It is just nasty, defiled, and bitter (yes I know that you can put sugar in it). When the taxi driver arrives, he has a large cup of black coffee from Burger King. OK, what do I do in this situation? I do not want to offend this man; especially since the husband of the family that TBT supports is trying to win him to the Lord. So, I bravely wait until the coffee is cool enough to taste my first sip – YUCK, YUCK, and YUCK! This is nasty stuff and I understand again why it has been years since I’ve participated in this nastiness. Oh well, this “sludge” that was blacker than black and stronger than anything I’ve ever tried to drink was successfully downed over the course of this trip back to Teen Camp. In fact, it was so strong that I’ve not slept since drinking it! (jk)

OK, back to the story. I suspected that we might be in trouble when I jumped into the taxi only to find that there was this woman in the back seat. Hmmm, this is a strange thing! I’ve never had another passenger in a taxi ride before. Oh well, I’m in China and maybe the taxi driver didn’t want to make the long ride back to Beijing alone. I knew for sure I was in trouble when just ten minutes into our trip the driver stopped to ask for directions. To spare you the details, the long story short is this, we stopped a total of NINE times to ask for directions. We drove through the mountains (even though there is a four-lane road almost to the camp), crossed the dam, recrossed the dam, did a u-turn, did another u-turn, listened to laughter between the driver and his female passenger, stopped for her to go to the toilet, and finally arrived at an intersection that I recognized, just ten minutes from camp. Oh, by the way, this joyful taxi ride cost me 300 RMB. OUTRAGEOUS! Oh well, I did get a large cup of coffee out of it that I did not have to pay for…

Now by this time, I have already been texting Pastor Woody back-and-forth advising him of what was going on. Suffice it to say that I was not only late; I was seriously late and completely missed my speaking slot. Pastor Woody had to teach his Friday section on Thursday.

We finally arrived to deliver the bread to the kitchen ladies and to hear the conclusion of Pastor Woody’s lesson. There was such excitement when he finished because everyone wanted to tell me what had happened while I was gone the night before….

Following our hike we returned to the camp with a mandate for everyone to shower before supper. Supper was served at 6:00 p.m. Just how the ladies keep pulling off these miracles amazes the entire group. Tonight we had roast (fork tender), mashed potatoes (delightfully delicious), corn, Rice Krispy treats (handmade by Kimberly), and bread. It was a fabulous meal.

Once supper was completed, we rearranged our schedule so that I could speak 1 1/2 hours earlier than normal. The service was great with Shelby and Bethany singing before I taught/preached. Everyone listened intently and the hour and five minutes literally flew by. The son of the family that TBT supports continues to do a marvelous job interpreting for Pastor Woody and me.

Once the service was over, I caught a ride back to Beijing to see the Day Camp crew. I arrived back at the Holiday Inn Express around 9:30 p.m. I had a great meeting with Joe and Janet and then headed to my room to get caught up on my updates.

It is now Wednesday and the crew met at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast on the 4th floor. It was refreshing to see this part of the team and to hear of their stories. It was rather obvious that all eight have been dramatically impacted as each one had a story to tell. We loaded up around 8:15 a.m. to head to the Day Camp location. Folks, this is a rough, rough set up. This team is working without the benefit of air conditioning, on dirt floors (BTW, they sweep the dirt floors), and restrooms with no running water. This has not deterred this group one iota. They were off and running as soon as we arrived with all team members knowing what their responsibilities were and within a matter of minutes had everything organized and ready for the children.

These children are so incredibly lovable that you want to adopt and take them back to America. They LOVE the attention that the Americans give to them. Today I observed the story times, craft times, lunch time, teaching time, singing, etc. My oh my how they can sing. These children sing from their toe nails! There is no doubt that an impact has been made in the lives of over 50 children.

I was able to help cut up lotus root and tomatoes for lunch. The entire building uses one faucet for water. They wash hands, bodies, feet, and use this faucet for cooking. However, the meal that they cooked looked to be quite appetizing.

I watched with astonishment as Joe helped the older boys use tools and sandpaper for their craft time. Each boy is attempting to make a small bookcase. It has to be 110 or more in the little room that they are using. No one complains and no one wants to leave the room. Joe has made a tremendous impact on these young men.

Of course, behind the scenes, Janet is keeping everything running very smoothly. Although extremely challenging conditions, this team has adapted well and is actually flourishing despite the heat, dirt, and lack of water. I was able to attend the craft time with the smaller children and build a birdhouse. It was fun to help the children around me put together their birdhouse. The sweet little girl that was next to me followed what I was doing with my birdhouse. As I was painting my birdhouse, she would take her brush and take the paint off my birdhouse and put the paint on her birdhouse. She was adorable and even got paint on my pants and shirt! So thankful that God has blessed me beyond measure.

Hard to believe, today marks the half-way point of our trip. I am going to eat supper with the Day Camp crew and then head back out of town to rejoin the Teen Camp crew in the morning. Final interesting tidbit, today the police was looking for me… seems that they are watching us extremely closely and since I was not at the Teen Camp last night, they wanted to know where I was. This is kind of scary if you think about it. Big brother is truly watching here in China!

After the service on Monday evening, everyone had one hour of free time. It is thrilling to hear the Chinese students laugh, play ping pong, and interact with their American counterparts. At 10:00 p.m. it was time for everyone to go to bed. Just as everyone was getting comfortable for bed, the electricity goes out AGAIN. Well, everyone gets out their flashlights and you could hear everyone having a blast laughing and hollering – just like teenagers in America. Finally, everyone is settled down and we can go to sleep. Have you ever tried to sleep when everything is soaking wet. Here is what you do… put your sheets, pillow, and clothing in your bathroom and then turn on your shower for 10-15 minutes on the hottest water. As all of the steam is then absorbed by these items, take them out of the bathroom and lay down on them. This is what it feels like when you try to sleep. Everything is damp and your skin is really sticky. At some point I slipped off to sleep on Monday evening, only to wake up every hour. 5:30 a.m. finally arrives!

It is now Tuesday morning and I head for one of those rooms, that has a collapsed ceiling, to shower. Now you must know how different it is to shower here at the Teen Camp. When you walk into the bathroom there is a toilet, sink, mirror, etc. In this respect it is just like America. However, the hot water tank is just above the shower head. It looks like you have about two to two and one-half gallons of hot water. BUT, there is no tub or shower curtain. The drain is right in the middle of the bathroom. When you shower, everything gets wet. Yes, the water goes on top of the toilet, sink, mirror, etc. The floor is soaking wet. It is quite an interesting experience and I’m sure those within our group will talk about this unusual event.

John Buntin walked into his room to check on one of his guys… he was in the bathroom with the door wide open and there was his boy just taking care of his “business”, relieving himself in the drain in the middle of the floor. John had a meeting with his room to tell the boys that they needed to use the toilet for their “business.” I don’t think they understood why or what the big deal was with urinating on the floor.

By 6:45 a.m. there is a noticeable difference in the noise level throughout the building. At 7:00 a.m. everyone is in the dining room area and ready to eat cereal and watermelon for breakfast. They wiped out an immense volume of apple jacks, cheerios, corn pops. There may have been a fourth cereal but my brain is foggy as I write this update. We then transition from breakfast to our morning devotions.

Jonathan is in charge of the morning devotions and we are using the Striving Together resource, First Steps for New Believers. Jonathan is scheduled to cover two lessons but due to the language barrier, interpreting, and time to fill in all of the blanks, he is only able to complete one lesson. There is an excellent spirit among the group and it appears that all are excited about the days activities.

From morning devos there is God and I time (personal devotions), Scripture memory, and time with the counselors. Then we go into our morning session in which Pastor Woody speaks. He does a wonderful job talking about the authority that is in our lives. God is our authority and he really explains well the significance of God being a part of our lives, our obedience to our parents, and the other authorities in our lives. After the morning session, it is then time for team competition. Daniel Taylor is the game leader and is very organized and doing a remarkable job. The game just before lunch was incredibly intense and there were lots of bumps, bruises, cuts, and sweating. The Chinese students said the American students are too intense when playing competitions like this… in fact, we had one round where we only had our Americans and the Chinese students were shocked at the aggressiveness of Beth, Jonathan, Lauren and Analis against Shelby, Carissa, the son of the family that we support, and Keith Bee.

For lunch we have macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, fruit (watermelon, melon, apples), and cucumbers with lots of garlic. Again, they wipe out the food. There was only one Chinese student that had ever had mac & cheese. This is an American staple… they loved it and came back for 2nds, 3rds, and some 4ths until it was gone. Even one of the Chinese adults had 2nds and 3rds. She loved the mac & cheese. So far the ladies are our heroes. After lunch it is counselor time where the morning devotions and the morning sessions are revisited by the counselors.

After lunch, the group loads up on a bus (1,200 RMB) for a twenty minute ride up the side of the mountain to enjoy an afternoon of hiking…