Loss of Wisdom

Thin black mat on a marble floor in a drab green room with dirt on the ceiling fan and no toilet paper in the restroom – was my sleeping arrangements last Friday night. If you ever find yourself in that situation, you can probably figure that you are sleeping in an Indian hospital room as well. A good friend of mine was going to have her wisdom teeth removed. Not sure why, but they wanted her to be admitted to the hospital the night before surgery – something about having “blood investigations.” (that’s blood tests for you Americans) 

So, there we were, the three of us chilling in hospital room; which is my favorite place to be Friday nights. It was a private room; well it was private in the fact that there was only one patient in the room, but I think it was anything but private. After we settled into our room at about 7pm, our door became a revolving one. Nurses, doctors, cleaners, food service, more nurses, another doctor continued to come in and do whatever it was they needed to do. Of course it was normal for them to check on a patient, so why need to knock on the door first? After our last ‘guest’ left at about 1045pm, we locked our door. Not the doorknob mind you, cause it had broken off after the 3^rd visitor or so. So, we had to lock the sliding lock. Good thing too, or our first visitor the next morning would have barged in without knocking first. And I’m not usually ready for company at 530am; can’t I at least have a minute or so to wipe the sleep out of my eyes?

One of the oddest visitors was the next day. A guy marched into our room, without knocking, and walked past us without saying a word to the bathroom. We looked at each other and one of us got up to see what he was doing. No worries, he was just cleaning the bathroom for the day. Yep, he put a small, pink ball of something in the sink drain. Maybe to clean the drains when the water dissolved whatever it was? Anyway, it was clean now, so he signed his name on the sheet for that day. Uh, maybe I could send you to an American janitorial school?

Good news is, the surgery went well and we didn’t have to stay another night. My friend is just about as good as new, minus 4 teeth and some wisdom. And we all got the awesome experience of staying in an Indian hospital room. 

Life and Death

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 

Philippians 1:20,21

These verses were part of a passage that was discussed the other night in a small group devotion. The question came up - "how does one magnify Christ with death?"

During our discussion, we agreed that if one is to portray God in their death, they must first magnify Him with their life. How one lives is a reflection of who they are and what they believe in their heart. It is no easy task to glorify the Lord every day, every moment of every day. It takes consecration and dedication. 

But when a faithful servant of the Lord dies - the focus of their life should be directed back to Christ. 

One's dying for Christ has more significance if their life also proclaimed Christ. 

Another thing I just thought of - we talk of dying to self. Putting the flesh in subjection and yielding to the Holy Spirit's direction. Isn't this a way of magnifying Christ through death? It is not a physical death, but death to our wishes, desires and ambitions. Isn't He glorified when we deny ourselves and yield to Him? 

I am reminded of Hebrews 11, when it says that "[Abel] being dead yet speaketh." Though Abel had been dead for thousands of years, his life still speaks to us because of his actions and response to God's commands. I too, want to live in such a way, that Christ is magnified in my life and one day in my death as well. 

Just recently I visited the Great Wall of China. It is the only man-made structure that can be seen from space. Built hundreds of years ago, it still stands as a monument to a people and kingdom from long ago. 

I want my life to be like the Great Wall, in the sense that I want to stand strong for my Saviour. And even years after my death, when people remember my name they don't simply think of my crazy hair or loud laugh, but instead they say I lived for God. 

Just a thought for today. 

Beijing

While in Beijing, I was able to go out with some friends to see some of the sights. Some I had visited 6 years ago, but some I had never see before. Everyone was saying how cold it was getting there, but I thought it was nice weather. :) cool in the mornings and evenings, but nice during the days. 

Being an Alaskan, I love cool weather. Hot weather is a bit harder for me to endure. :) 

Temple of Heaven

my new friend

Tienanmen Square

lots of pollution - but its still awesome!

giant steps at the Great Wall

Mountains and Desert

After a long, stinky sleeper bus ride, it was pleasantly nice to take a personal car for the 7 hour drive up through the mountains to Tashkorgan. The drive was beautiful, as the skies were clear and the rocky mountains jutted up alongside the road. We stopped several times during the drive to get pictures of the mountains. Every time we would stop, the air was cooler and cooler. Coming from the desert, it seemed cold, especially since the wind was also blowing. But oh, the snow frosted mountains were worth it.

We only spent a night and day in Tashkorgan, but it was fun. The main population of the town is Tajik – which is a Turkish people group. Many have lighter brown hair and I saw some with green or blue eyes. They have their own language, but it is unwritten, so they also know Uyghur and/or Mandarin to communicate with others. Thankfully, I did not have to greet any ladies in the culturally acceptable way, since they kiss on the lips when they greet each other. That could have been…. Uh interesting?

in the Pamir Mountains

On the outskirts of town is an old stone fortress, built about 1300 years ago during the Tang Dynasty. It was fun exploring the ruins with Tim & Cara. Especially when we discovered an long -lost mummy. Just kidding. But we had fun pretending and those who were also visiting the site got a kick out of it. We even got asked for our picture. (which happened several times during the trip)

After driving back to Kashgar and spending one more night there, we set off on another  bus to our last stop, Hotan. Located in the desert area, Hotan was much warmer than the other places we visited. Actually it was quite hot there, but the people who live there looked like they wore the same amount of clothing as those who live in the cold mountain regions.

Many interesting things happened and many unique places visited during our short stay in the south desert. One of my favorites was the Carpet Factory. We watched as many ladies sat and handmade beautiful, intricate carpets by hand! Some were as small as one meter square and others stretched about 10 meters in length. The larger ones have as many as six women working on them at a time. All is done by hand: the different color silk threads are knotted into a pattern, cut roughly so they can do the next thread, after a few rows have been weaved, they use large shears to cut the threads to be one length. Several of the ladies have been weaving carpets for 15 years or more. Because they use silk as the threads, the carpets are very soft and smooth to the touch. And yes, I did buy a small one.

We also went to the Atlas Factory to see how their strangely unique material is made from start of finish. They begin with silkworms, which they boil so to loosen the silk threads of their cocoons, then the rough threads are spun into bundles, after it is refined a little, they die their random, rainbowish patterns in huge vats. After the threads are dyed, they are hooked up to a loom manned by a single person. And then there it is – the vibrant, chaotic fabric.

Another stop in Hotan was an ancient Muslim mosque in the Taklimakan Desert. The people there are Islamic, but they have mixed that faith with older folk beliefs. So their religion is lax form of Islam with much superstition. The path leading to this old mosque was strewn with burial plots of fallen warriors from an archaic battle and though Islam teaches not to worship any but Allah, many stop to pray to these dead heroes. Most are not avid follows of Islam; to them being Uyghur is to be Muslim, even if all that means is that they don’t eat pork.

We also visited a Jade Market – which was an experience. All’s well that ends well, but the way to the end can sometimes be unforgettable. Not understanding the language did not hinder me from seeing a near riot begin. For a time, it got quite heated. Thankfully most of those involved were on our side of the argument and we were able to leave with anybody getting hurt. It was kinda cool to see 40+ Uyghur men campaign for us, even to the point of pulling money out of their own pocket to pacify the crazy shopkeeper.

Yep, another unusual day in my life. 

Kashgar

The Silk Road. Largest Mosque in China. 2^nd largest Mao statue in the country. (in)Famous Sunday Bazaar. The Old City. 

Just a few of the things that make Kashgar, Xinjiang a magnificent city. We spent several days exploring and wandering the city. There is so much history contained in one little area of the world. Seeing the largest mosque and second largest statue of Mao is not something that I would say is exactly enjoyable. It is a part of the people’s lives, but a part that to me is sad. I couldn’t help but think of the blindness that surrounded me. Spiritual and political blindness.  Only the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life can open their eyes. Praise Him for the opportunities we had to spread His Word. 

largest mosque in china

My favorite part of Kashgar was wandering the streets of a part of the Old City. It was almost if I had walked back into the past. The streets and walls were all made of brick and mud – narrow, winding streets with ancient, wooden doors opening into a Uyghur home, where one would sit to munch on nuts, dates, fruit, nan and drink tea.

an old street - wonder whats around the corner?

Or a doorway would lead to a part of the house where a man was sitting in the floor maneuvering a pottery wheel, carving out simple, yet beautiful pots. And they used the simplest tools, such as a piece of wire and a broken off piece of wood to carve the designs. Amazing. These men were doing the same work their great-great-great grandfather had done years before. 

potter at work

trying on atlas -
once described as "material a rainbow threw up on"

A charming part of the city, yet many old sections are being torn down to make room for newer developments. Progress and future – is the Chinese way. No matter that one’s family has lived in that house for perhaps 200 years or more. 

I did enjoy a few of the more modern, developed attractions. The ferris wheel in the center of town was fun (and cheap). Also, after the ride above the city, we decided to have a little fun. Heehee Bumper Cars! I’ve always wanted to do it, but was never at a place where they had them. So, for less than $2, we had quite the time! Sorry, no pictures.

in the ferris wheel - overlooking the city

Kashgar was lots of fun…. Yes, even the Sunday Bazaar – which uh, was quite interesting. ;) But we had fun shopping. We bought many scarves, the brighter the color the better (or so they think) and matching skirts. In Uyghur culture, if you are good friends with someone then you wear the same outfits to show the world. Haha, completely different than back in America. 

mosque above the bazaar

Sleeper Buses

One of my most memorable, interesting times in Xinjiang most certainly would have to be riding a Sleeper Bus. Our 10 day trip around the desert and through the mountains included 3 different sleeper buses. Our first experience was the first night of the trip, when we set out from the province capital of Urumqi headed for Korla. We arrived at the bus station after dark – the ride was supposed to be an all-nighter. My first thought when I got thru the door of the bus and looked at the aisle of beds was “dirty.” 

first sleeper bus 

All the beds had sheets and a blanket on them just for your personal use. How nice and considerate of them! But I think they would have done well to wash them every once in a while. But honestly that first bus wasn’t too bad. I had a top bunk, which is a little difficult to get in and out of, especially when you have your backpack with you on an 18inch wide bed. But I managed and got situated. Just as I did, the driver came back and motioned for me to move up a bed. Ugh. So, down I went to move my stuff and do it all over again. Once the ride started, it wasn’t too bad. It sure is nice to lay down for a 10 hour bus ride instead of sitting up the entire time. I know my tailbone was thankful. So, after that first one, we thought “hey, this isn’t too bad, we can do that again.”

not so VIP inside

Then the next sleeper bus…… was a different story. This time was from Akisu to Kashgar, another 9 hour or so ride. This time we all had bottom beds. We all got onboard and started getting comfortable in our beds. Sheets and blankets were about the same…. But the difference was this slightly overwhelming odor. Mmmm…. At first Tim and I made jokes about the BO on the bus. Whew. But after a little bit, we realized it was actually feet smell. 

Do you know what’s worse than someone’s BO? 

10 people’s BO!

Do you know what’s worse than 10 people’s BO? 

The 20 feet that go with it! 

Yep, so the entire ride there was this insufferable stench to fill our nostrils. It wasn’t one of those smells that you get used to after a while and don’t realize. Nope, even with the AC blowing directly in my face for half the ride, the stink was constant. We were extremely grateful to arrive in Kashgar – even if it was at 2am. The walk from the station to the hotel was nice after that stinky bus. We laughed about it, but sure hope I don’t have to do another one of those! 

The 3^rd sleeper bus was a little nicer, which is why they made us pay more. But we all agreed that a little more cost was ok, if it insured that there would be no stinky feet smell. Walked on the bus and ah, no bad scent. So, we settled in for our….. 18 hour ride. That was our longest one. I slept for most of it, cause I was tired and what else do you do while on moving bus, while laying down and its dark outside? But the last couple hours were slightly (uh, very) uncomfortable. We hadn’t had a bathroom break in quite a few hours….. yep, uncomfortable. Actually, we did stop at one point that morning, but I was asleep and one of my wonderful traveling companions didn’t think to wake me! I told them “next time, wake me up!”

So, if any of you are thinking that your life is boring and nothing exciting ever happens to you. I suggest a Sleeper Bus! You never know who you might be sleeping next to or below. And all kinds of things could happen. Everyone should try it at some point in their life. I think it will make you a much more completed person. haha