Red Sky #1

Contradictions abound when discussing China. We are back now, and because of China's government controls, I was blocked from updating my blog until I returned. After spending the last three days recovering from jet lag, I am finally ready to update. I will try to give a few stories about China and my experiences over the next couple of weeks.

The last weekend, and 14 days into the trip, I am meeting the future in-laws. We were meeting for lunch after spending the night before with a nice dinner and a rousing late night of drinking and singing at the KTV (Karoke Bar) to celebrate Chenlu's birthday. We are heading for my favorite type of Chinese food...Hunan Food. With spicy peppers and seasoning, Hunan cuisine is a cross between the best of Mexican food and the wholeness of Japanese. It's excellent. We walked a few blocks from our bus stop and Chenlu pointed to a three story building that was light in color with the usual Chinese lettering. The Hunan Restaurant occupied on the first two floors, and a familiar site was on the third floor. A Chinese Christian Church was above the restaurant. Realize, that I am in a very urban, industrial area, where the heart of Shenzhen is one hour away along with cultural western influence. It was a good sign.

The lunch was right in the middle of three days of warming up to her parents and someday to prepare entry into the family. Things had been going well, and this lunch was no different. Like dinner the night before, Chenlu's father and I ordered some cold beer to toast the meal and the potential future. The meal went well, we shared company and I tipped the bottle to fill up my small glass for a final toast with her father. I paused, and thought, these early moments with her family are so important for the future and hoped it was going well. I silently thought to myself, "I am glad Jesus is looking over me." I clinked my small glass with him, and we drained our beers. Amen.