Never, in my wildest imagination, did I believe that I would feel a longing to be back in Florida. I've come home... and it feels right. Let me back up a few weeks...

We left for China on a dark, humid Florida morning, leaving campus around 5:30 Tuesday, May 9. After many hours, countless and sundry movies, beginnings of random tv programs, half-listened to songs, and plates upon plates of airplane food, we touched down in Shanghai, China. A few tense moments later, the captain announced that the local health authorities were boarding the plane to check temperatures and make sure no one was running a fever. We all started really praying at that point. Being in the back of the plane, there were hundreds of people to go through before the little men in the white hazmat suits would even reach our team. Needless to say, we got through the check and deplaned to get our luggage, re-check our baggage, and run to the last plane - the plane that would take us back to my personal Bethel, Beijing.

After arriving in Beijing about 32 hours after we left Clearwater, we were bushed and ready for a good night's sleep. I took off my shoes, climbed into the (rather hard) Chinese bed, and started my first dream being back in my second homeland of China.

What followed was three days of Great Wall, Forbidden City, Olympic villages, pearls, Starbucks, and American food. The team easily acclimated to Chinese time (exactly twelve hours ahead of Florida time) and was ready to get into the work that we flew across the world to do. After our quick Beijing trip, we boarded a plane for Kunming, then took a 4 (well, it turned into 6) hour bus ride to the University we would work in for the next two weeks. It was a beautiful drive through the countryside, up around the mountains, and down through the stunning valleys of South Central China.

Once we arrived on campus, we were literally stunned at our living arrangements. They were pristine! No squatty potties for us! We were pleasantly surprised and overwhelmingly grateful at how our Father had prepared this way for us. We checked into our rooms, met our host family, and had our first real Chinese meal. It was delicious.

We quickly settled into life on campus; with English lessons in the mornings, trips to town in the afternoon, and studies at night, we had little time to do much else. Our penpals were overjoyed to meet us, after corresponding with team members for almost 4 months, we were all ready to spend some quality time together.

A trip to the Rice Paddies of Yuan Yuang was a highlight of our time in Southern China. We got to walk on the rice fields, contemplate the awesome power of our Creator, and see a part of remote China seldom photographed by foreigners. Our overnight trip to the fields opened my eyes, not only to the need of China, but also to the reality of a field 'ready to harvest.' We had a short study that first night on Love and what it means to us. It was a huge blessing to lead a study that was literally cross-cultural, as our five Chinese girl friends joined us.

Alas, I will leave you here. This can only be part one of an amazing saga of Chinese wonderment... I shall update more soon...