Is it July already?

I’m not sure when the last time was that I heard nothing but silence. As I sit alone in my parent’s small apartment on the 18th floor, I hear a constant murmur from the crowds below. Every evening families gather in the neighborhood center with their children and neighbors. There is also the constant honking from the traffic and then there are neighbors above, below and next door - who aren’t loud, but you can hear them. I don’t mind it, this is more like the environment that I was raised in. I don’t really notice it either except for times like this when the apartment is silent and all I hear is the noise from outside. My dad and I were having a discussion the other day on the importance of having times of silence. Having been in places where peaceful silence is attainable I can appreciate that, but for someone who has always lived in this environment it must be incredibly uncomfortable, as my dad had observed in some of his Chinese friends. I have seen it too in our busy, technology-driven environment --and even felt it myself-- where silence is uncomfortable and it is hard to sit still. But how valuable it is to sit in silence before the Lord, with nothing else pulling at your attention. That is always more of a challenge for me in times like this when I don’t have a routine.

I have been here for just over a week now. This is my 6th trip to China, so from the minute I got here, I felt pretty much at home with the sites, sounds and going everywhere by bike... except for one small factor. Every time I come to China, I regret not knowing Chinese. I can understand a little and say a few phrases; with these small skills I kid myself into thinking I know more than I do, but just when I start to feel proud of myself someone asks me a question and, “uhh...” I smile and shake my head, “...ting bu dong [I don’t understand]” I say shyly and I’m sure incorrectly. I’ve blown my cover! It is humbling, and maybe one of these days I will actually take the time to learn something. I am proud of my parents though, Dad is practically fluent and Mom continues to impress me. This week was the first time I have heard her pray in Chinese, which for those of you who are praying people, know that is a very personal thing and a hard thing to do in another language. I know many fluent speakers of English who still pray in their native language even if no one around understands.

As far as my work is going, I think I’ve done alright for one week. I gave two lectures/sample classes on foreign accent reduction and I felt that it went pretty well. One lecture lasted about and hour plus Q&A for a group of about 25 Motorola employees. Afterwards, the head of the Women’s Business Counsel said she would be interested in helping me advance my career in Beijing if I were staying longer. I was honored, and glad to know I always have that option if I’m ever in need of a job. At this point I only have one client signed up and we had our first session this week, but I expect a few more from the lectures. The research is going a little slower. I am continuing to make contact with orphanages and organizations and have some promising leads. The group that my parents work with go every Friday to an orphanage to play with the kids. Right now they have four children with cleft palate, one girl who is hearing impaired and one girl who hasn’t been diagnosed, but seems to have some developmental issues. They have several others, and not all of their children are special needs, but those are the ones who were brought to my attention last week. I enjoyed working with the cleft palate kids last week. I showed one of the older teenage girls there a few things she could continue to do with the kids throughout the week. They are all 3 or 4 years old and need to have the palate repair surgery, but funding and resources are limited. It is hard to help them with their speech when they have a hole in the roof of their mouth, but I will do what I can. We are going again tomorrow, and I have been in contact with some SLP’s from the States who have much more experience and have shared some great ideas with me for things I can do. I hope that I can actually make a difference for these kids as this is a visit I will be making almost every week.

On Saturday we are leaving for Chengdu in Sichuan province to put on a little camp for 9 kids and their families who were hit hard by the earthquake in 2008 and who the family here supports and encourages. I am looking forward to our 25 hour train ride and to being pushed out of my comfort zone as somehow I got put in charge of crafts and part of the daily English class...at least I will stay busy : ) One week has gone and I already feel like my time here might not be long enough for all that I was hoping to accomplish. Pray for me to use my time and resources effectively.