All my days are kind of running together right now but one thing I know for sure. This is the day we come home!
I am always so thrilled when Father calls me to go but I am equally happy to come home. And that's because I have such a wonderful wife and three awesome boys that I love spending time with more than anyone on the planet. And speaking of my wife I want to take this opportunity to say that for 28 years now she has been faithfully supporting me in anything Father calls me to do. I was already doing these overseas ventures starting in 1992 and continued to do so even when my boys were very small. She has carried the load without complaint and never asked me not to take on anything I felt I should do. She has been the quiet hero of my ministry. Thanks Trinetta, I love you.
LAST NIGHT HERE ENDS WITH A SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT THE RESTAURANT!
After a very long travel day yesterday we finally arrived in the big city and got checked into our hotel. Then it was a very short trip to the market to pick up things for family and back to the hotel for dinner.
This would be the first time that the entire group would be going to dinner without our translator. Since he lives close to the market, he took a bus on home and instructed our drive to drop us at the hotel. This was not really a problem because our Chinese language prodigy TW has been able to navigate pretty well. But, it has been so nice to have someone fluent to help us avoid the extra hot and spicy food that can be laced with powerful peppers. So as some of the team were gathering in the lobby for dinner they met a Chinese man who asked if they had eaten dinner yet...and he asked in very good English! They told him they hadn't and he informed them that he was the manager of the hotel restaurant and would be honored if we would eat there. The rest of us arrived and we went to the second floor dining room where he proceeded to order for us.
The meal was wonderful with beef and vegetables, sweet and sour pork and dumplin' soup. After we had eaten he came and sat down beside me and we began to hear his story. He learned some English here in China but went to study international business in India and that is where he became so well acquainted with the language.
As we talked we discovered that we both love guitar and he asked me if I could sing some music from the West. I said yes, and he asked me if I would be willing to sing in the restaurant for all the guests. I agreed and went to my room after the guitar. I don't know when I have had more fun than that evening. I knew from previous trips that they like old songs, John Denver songs, really anything in English. So, we went from Country Roads to Amazing Grace and everyone had a wonderful time. It all ended with our entire team being photographed with the manager, the staff, and most of the people in the restaurant who just started jumping in and handing their cell phones off to get in on the fun.
Please talk to Father about this, I am trying to set up lunch with him today to share the reason behind the joy in our lives and in our music.
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