Home sweet home

The more times I go away from Siping, the more I realize how much it has become home. Sure, it doesn't have the impressive lights and skyline of Shanghai. You can forget the flora and warmth of Thailand. Also nowhere to be found is the seashore and the rolling hills of Rizhao. There's nothing to be compared to the culinary delights of Krow's nest in Beijing. It's small, it's dirty, and it's a frozen tundra where life seems to grow only a few short weeks out of the year. KFC is the extent of "western food". There are hardly any famous sights, unless one calls rows upon rows of cement buildings scenic. As my parents put it, "It's obvious the Father opened your heart to this place, because there's not much to love here." And yet, as I traveled through beaches, walked along famous streets, enjoyed the company of friends, and dined on oft longed for delicacies, I found myself yearning to return. I was itching to get back home. This simple fact is testimony to the truth that the most barren of lands can be the best of lands when He has called you there. I have found that there is no greater delight than following my Father in obedience--wherever that may be.

I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched grounds into springs...
So that the people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Father has done this.

I'm slowly getting the rest of my pictures up from my travels. Flickr has been acting funny lately, so sorry if some of the pictures don't come through. Right now I'm in the process of putting up some shots from Shanghai, where I got to visit one of my best friends and first language tutors in Changchun. Soon to come will also be pictures from my visit at Lana's in Rizhao. It's great to be home, but I'm also incredibly thankful for the past six weeks and some of the new lessons I'm learning and processing. The break was refreshing in many different ways, and I'm eager to get the semester started. Classes (which we don't have a schedule for yet) will begin next Monday, so it will be off to the races before I know it.