April 27, 2004
BICF


Yesterday I went to the Beijing International Fellowship yesterday. Finding where it was wasn't too much trouble. They have a website and the bus schedule isn't too hard to understand. I walked to the main gate at Beihang University, and looked for what looked like a couple foreigners standing around, and figured that must be the bus. Between the American families and the Cameroonian's standing at the corner you could tell I was in the right place.

The bus ride was rather spirited and fun. I was so tired I didn't make too much a point to talk to too many people. Only laughing with the group, we hollered at the bus driver to wait, as we saw numerous students running to meet the bus.

Arriving there, was a mess of taxis, private cars, and busses, all struggling to enter the 1000+ person center. From what look liked cars with diplomatic plates, to the foreign students coming in on the bus. And yes they keep on reminding me that I should bring my passport to prove foreign citizenship.



The worship team They sang a common praise song of "I cry out for your hand of mercy to heal/Hold me" in both Mandarin and English, it was kind of touching. It was interesting, they made a note to acknowledge both all the visitors, as well as all the people who were leaving, in a way a fitting idea, a way of embracing the essential transience of their congregation. Sure there were a bunch of them, and yes indeed they do come from all over the world, I think the majority of people were from the states, mostly older and mostly families. Yet they endure, if not thrive through it all.

After church went out for dim sum at a really, really nice restaurant. Not only did this restaurant have a private room and a waitress standing in the back all afternoon long, but the room was so big as to have two sofas on the side for sitting, and a private bathroom on the side. Quite popular for a couple that has two kids and didn't want them traipsing around the restaurant. However, you don't get the magic of the cars, but simply a menu, which you check off things.

Since when was Sushi part of Cantonese Dimsum? What impressed me the most, aside from the fact that the salt water tanks holding lobsters and various other delicacies out front, displayed in a manner nice enough, too fool me that it might be a tropical fish tank. The restauraunt had a display of it's wine, including $1000 a first growth Bourdeaux.



Lastly, I met with one of the old Church friends, who I really didn't know until last year, she'd spent two summers in China, then she spent two years in Hohot, Inner Mongolia, and then is now studying language in Beijing. Someone asked what her parents think of this all, "My parents love me very much" was her response. I wonder if she'll ever be back to the United States. Eventually... she says.

Posted by justin at April 27, 2004 05:57 PM
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