Its About Time!

Its hard to believe that I haven't posted anything since Memorial Day, but the proof, as they say, is in the pudding! Can't say I have been too busy, I was unemployed from February through August with only a few speaking appointments during all those months. I did have the opportunity to do some preaching at the church we have been attending in July as well as the privilege to serve as the chapel speaker at Camp Lakeside in Maine. But being unemployed is now a thing of the past.

Beginning September 1st, I joined the ministry staff of the Windsor Locks Congregational Church as the Director of Adult Life Groups. In this capacity I have responsibility for recruiting, training and supporting the leaders of the 21 Life Groups sponsored by the church. It is so exciting for me to be able to work with these wonderful people who sense the importance of Christians being in community for personal spiritual growth and ministry. This is a part time position and I am paid a stipend to spend 10-15 hours a week doing this and a few other things as well.

Just a couple of weeks later I began a second part time job as an Individual Support Instructor working with some autistic men one on one. This has proved a very challenging and rewarding venture and has begun to fill my weeks with responsibilities. I will be spending 20-30 hours a week working with 3 men in this capacity.

As far as our church involvement goes, I am teaching an adult Sunday School class on Bill Hull's book, "Choose the Life", and Barb and I are leading a Life Group in our home and using the Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom book, "Seeking Him" as the our resource book. This group is composed of 8 wonderful people who are together hoping to experience the joy of personal revival. We meet every other week and are forming some wonderful friendships.

Our son Shawn is now a senior at Windsor Locks High School and is playing on the soccer team again this year. He is carrying a very challenging course load and spends hours doing homework every night. He is not working now but did work at Six Flags during the summer where he earned enough money to order the parts and, with the help of his cousin Stephen, to build his own computer. Barb is still working at the hospital where she has worked now for over 5 years.

The other big change since I last posted is that our granddaughter who we went to see in China in April, is now crawling and sitting up on her own. We enjoy seeing her weekly via Skype and marvel at her growth and personality development. Oh yes, we enjoy chatting with her parents too! Here are a couple of more recent pictures of Sarah Grace Dean.

I hope I will be able to do a better job of keeping the blog updated than in recent months, you'll just have to check back to see how I'm doing. Bye for now!

Memorial Day - 2009

Today has been a spectacularly beautiful day! The sun burned off the early clouds and revealed a day of clear blue skies, gentle New England breezes and comfortable temperatures. At about 9:00 AM Barb and I made our way to the Congregational Church in downtown Windsor Locks where we joined a large contingent of willing workers. We had come together to be a blessing to the crowd gathered to honor the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country and its freedoms. The Congregational Church is located along the parade route and not far from the Veteran's Memorial Hall where the Memorial Day parade ends. For several years the church has gathered to bless the crowd who comes out with free coffee, water, lemonade and hot dogs.On this day we would have the privilege of serving, sharing and saluting! We would be able to serve the community in the name of Jesus. We would share the provision of God and His people as we gave away free coffee, water, lemonade and over 1,000 hotdogs! We would salute the many soldiers who died to keep us free. What a joy to watch as members and friends of the Congregational Church worked shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand in the name of Jesus!The morning provided opportunities to make new friends as Barb is doing above as well as to stand in the presence of some of the world's best grillers as Larry demonstrates below!
By the time the parade had ended over 1,000 hot dogs had been grilled, put in buns and given to the crowd of onlookers who passed by the church. It was great fun to serve with others in the body of Christ and share this holiday remembering all those who served our country while enjoying such a wonderful day outdoors. I wonder how you spent your Memorial Day?

Returning Home

We awoke in Beijing after spending the night at the Sino-Swiss Hotel adjacent to the Capital Airport. We had decided to reserve a nice room in this hotel since it had a shuttle to and from the airport (and that would save us cab fare and eliminate trying to communicate with Chinese speaking cabbies) and they accepted credit cards, a real rarity in China. We found the people at the airport very helpful in locating the shuttle and the short trip to the hotel was uneventful.

The room was actually a split-level suite and it was very nice. It featured a fresh fruit welcome tray, international cable television on two television sets (we watched news on the BBC network with English speaking announcers, the first time since arriving in China and the HBO Family channel) two bathrooms, and three twin beds! Here are a few pictures of the room.

We checked out of our room at 8:30 and caught the shuttle back to the airport at 8:45am. We checked in for our flight, checked our luggage, then went to have breakfast at Burger King. The only problem was, all they served at the Burger King was their lunch menu, hamburgers or chicken sandwiches and fries at 9:30am! Shawn had lunch, but Barb and I got coffee and then I went next door to Starbucks for a couple of muffins for us. Shawn tackled his Whopper with gusto! At 10:30 we headed for our gate and awaited our boarding call for the flight to San Francisco. After we boarded at 11:15am, we took off at 12:30 pm for our 12 hour trans-Pacific flight, one which featured some very turbulent travel complete with the captian's instruction on several occasions for the flight attendents to return to their seats and buckle up due to the extreme turbulence! (Our prayer life was in full evidence during this flight!)

When we landed safely in San Francisco (after flying for nearly 12 hours) it was 8:45 am on Wednesday morning, almost 4 hours before we left Beijing!!! We transferred to another flight to Chicago which would take about 4 hours and then in Chicago we got on a plane to Hartford for the 2 and 1/2 hour flight home. We arrived in Windsor Locks at 9:30 pm Wednesday. We had been in the air and in airports for over 21 hours and were home 9 hours after we left Beijing, China, but don't ask me how.

Our neighbor who had taken us to the airport 2 weeks ago when our journey began, was waiting for us when we returned, and we were happy to see him since the last thing we wanted to do was call another cab to take us home!!!

The entire trip was a blessings that we recognize happened solely by the grace of God, and we give him our thanks and praise for a job well done.

Heading Home

It was to be the day we began our journey back to Connecticut, so we wanted to make the most of our last few hours with the kids in Kunming. We decided on a brunch at a restaurant that caters to Westerners, so after our playtime with Sarah, (below is picture of Shawn holding his niece Sarah) and our final packing, we walked to Salvador's Coffee House where we had a brunch of eggs, home fries, waffles, fruit, juice and coffee or hot chocolate.After a nice meal and pleasant visit, we made our way back to the apartment to prepare for our trip to the airport to catch our 3:00pm flight to Beijing. As we walked back to the apartment we again marvelled at the fact that we were actually walking the streets in China, where our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter live!

At about 1:00pm we caught cabs to go to the airport where we said our goodbyes and then went through security to await our flight to Beijing. It was very hard to leave David, Marianne and Sarah behind, since we don't expect to see them again until the summer of 2010. We went to our gate area to await our flight's departure. Shawn still wasn't feeling very well and spent his time at the gate area spread out on the seats trying to recover.

We got to Beijing at about 7:30pm and caught the shuttle to the hotel. We checked into our hotel and enjoyed a good night's rest before beginning the 21 hour flight home to Connecticut at noon the next day.

Rainy Days and Mondays....

This Monday was a nice enough day, just a bummer since it was our last full day with David and Marianne and Sarah in Kunming. In the morning we visited with Sarah, always a joy for us with her shining blue eyes and sweet disposition. She is such a happy baby in the mornings after sleeping 8-10 straight through the night (our boys never did that at 10 weeks!).As David got ready for his language class, Barb and I went with Marianne and Sarah to the local market and that trip is documented in an earlier post. When we returned we learned that Shawn was facing his own attack of Chairman Mao's revenge and that was going to keep him close to the bathroom all day.

After David's language class ended, we walked to a small restaurant run by some Muslims and featuring a variety of noodles dishes and meat and vegetable skewers. Sarah was a big hit with the employees and the food was a big hit with Barb and I, we really enjoyed this twist on Chinese food!
After lunch we returned to the apartment and visited and tried to find something to keep Shawn hydrated and to help him feel better. We put him right on the Imodium AD since it had been so helpful to me earlier.

At about 3:00pm, Barb and I went with David to pick up a turkey which was being prepared for tonight's dinner. Some good friends of David and Marianne in Kunming will be going to other places in the next few months so they had decided to share a Thanksgiving dinner together. While waiting for the turkey to be finished and the gravy to be made, we shopped for some small souvenirs and enjoyed desserts at a western restaurant. Then we carried our turkey, gravy and souvenirs by cab back to the apartment where dinner would be served at 6:00pm.

And what a spread it was!

In the finest tradition of an American Thanksgiving we had mashed potatoes and gravy, corn-corn, deviled eggs, turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese and crescent rolls. Dessert was a very rich and tasty chocolate chip and coconut pie. For all you southerners, there was even iced tea! It was a delight to visit with these friends of David and Marianne, and we sensed their trepidation as they prepare to move in different directions and be involved in different work responsibilities. Our leaving to return to the states is not the only change David and Marianne will be facing in the days to come. While change can be difficult, it also presents new challenges and opportunities. We will be praying for these special friends as they move on to the next stage of their lives.

After dinner and a short visit, we said our goodbyes and headed back to David and Marianne's apartment where again visited with Sarah before starting to pack. Shawn was feeling a little better when we finally went to bed for the night.Unfortunately, this will likely be our last post until we get back to Connecticut since we will not have access to a computer and the internet until then. Hope you have enjoyed following our trip, we have certainly enjoyed taking it. And we have wondered daily how God could have blessed us with this amazing experience!

Forget the Supermarket, Visit your Local Market!

This morning Marianne needed to go to her local market to get some potatoes for dinner tonight, so Barb and I went along for the adventure, and we will never forget it! Here are some wonderful looking vegetables that were on sale.

You can buy all kinds of freshly made noodles.You can have your pick of pigs feet...or brains (we were afraid to ask what kind of brains these were)!You could find fresh fish....and either fresh chicken...
or already processed chicken!You could buy fresh eel...or you might want some fresh pigeon!They had fresh turkey and...sausage and bacon.One of the treats we saw at several places, including the market, was these fresh pineapple on a stick, seriously delicious!

Somehow, visiting the supermarket was never like this!

Let's Just Praise the Lord!

When we awoke today we were greeted by a beautiful day which the Lord had made. And we were excited to be able to return to the Kunming International Fellowship where we would again have the chance to worship the God who saved us and has enabled us to come to China to visit David, Marianne and Sarah and to share their lives for a couple of weeks. Folks got up, took turns showering and having breakfast and readied for the cab rides to the hotel where worship is held. As always, our day began visiting with Sarah, something we will greatly miss when we leave to return to the states.
After a great time of worship and some excellent instruction from the Word, we had the chance to take some pictures in the hotel lobby. Here is David's family with their dear friends Andy and Erin Ashley and children Emma and Jack.
We also had a family picture taken that will provide a reminder of our time spent in China with David, Marianne and Sarah.After our picture taking, we headed by cabs to one of their favorite Sunday lunch destinations!We were amazed at how popular the golden arches were, even with their slightly different menu that included fried chicken and your choice of fries or a cup of corn with your order.After lunch we walked over to a large market area to look at some of the things they sell. They have all kinds of souvenirs and other items people might want. My personal favorite, a bucket of beetles!
While we were visiting this market place, Sarah became fussy and Mr. Gramps got to work his grandfatherly magic, what a joy and privilege that was!We took cabs back to the apartment and then relaxed together by watching a James Bond movie. When the movie was over, we decided to check on the internet and we tried to show Sarah how to log onto Facebook!
At about 6:00 pm, we walked to a nearby restaurant for supper. Here is a typical scene from the street in China taken as we walked to supper.
We enjoyed our Chinese supper together and then did some shopping as we made our way back to the apartment. Once back home we called our son Josh in Alabama and then soon called it an evening and went to bed. Our time here will soon be over but we thank and praise God for every moment we have been able to share with David, Marianne and Sarah. God is truly a God of wonders and deserves all our praise.

Surprises!

Saturday was a day we knew David would be gone for work most all day, so we decided to do some sight-seeing with Marianne as our tour guide. We took a cab and rode out to the northeast of Kunming to visit the Golden Temple. It is tourist attraction which features many worship centers for the Chinese people, who we learned have a great many religions/philosophies/superstitions. The cab ride was another of those "wild rides" we have grown accustomed to here in China. I guess they have some traffic laws here in China, but very few seemed to be followed in Kunming. The roads are shared by cars, trucks, pedestrians, scooters, motorcycles, horse-draw carts and various homemade contraptions. New York City traffic can in no way prepare you for China! Here is our family at the entrance to the Golden Temple.We are amazed at the people who came to pray and worship before graven images and tombs of ancestors at the Golden Temple. The Chinese people practice forms of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, animism, ancestor worship and various superstitions, as well as having a large Christian population. Here is a Buddha that was located at the Golden temple.Just outside the Buddha is a place where people constantly burn incense.
We spent several hours at the park which surrounds the Golden Temple, walked through Gardens, saw various sculptures and plaques of interest. Here is Shawn taking no "bull".
At one point during our walk I sat down near the statue of a famous Chinese poet that was set in a reflecting pond.The Temple is on a hill outside of Kunming and there is a bell tower on the top of the hill. From the top of the tower you can look over Kunming from the northeast and here is the city where our son and his family live in China.
As we descended from the bell tower and the hilltop, we came to a place where Shawn could have ridden a camel or a land toboggan, he chose the toboggan.
After Shawn's ride we walked down to the bottom of the hill and took a cab to nice Thai restaurant located in a very unique setting. It was located inside a luxury gated community where very wealthy Chinese people live and it is actually located on the second floor of a driving range, yes they have golf in China! We enjoyed a lovely Thai meal, here are the first dishes they served us.

Following our meal and a brief shower that moved through, Shawn and I rented some golf clubs and a bucket of balls and took to the driving range.After hitting a bucket of balls, we took a cab back to the apartment and waited for David to return from his work trip. We used the opportunity to purchase our plane tickets from Kunming to Beijing, and were disappointed to discover that the best prices involved us leaving Kunming at 3:00pm on Tuesday, which means we will need to head for the airport by 1:00pm on Tuesday, much earlier than we would have liked.

After David returned home, and our plane tickets were delivered, we walked to an Italian restaurant where the owner, an Italian version of Chef Ramsey, oversaw our meal of pizza, calzones, salads, soup and mozzarella bread. He called his attempt to teach his new staff a "disaster" and while the food was good, it was served one dish at a time all evening.
Following our dinner we walked back to the apartment and spent the rest of the evening trying to console Sarah Grace who was suffering from gas pains.As our trip nears its end we begin to wonder when God will bless us with another opportunity to be with our children and grandchildren, and thank Him for every moment of this trip.