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| Every time we tell someone we're moving to Beijing, they mention the Olympics in 2008. Everyone is excited that we will be there for the Olympics--as are we. On Craigslist Beijing yesterday, all the Housing Wanted postings were from people in the West looking for housing for the Olympics; pages upon pages a full year before the event. But I have been reminded that there is a very dark side too. 
"In a bold move, the Chinese government has executed the largest expulsion of foreign missionaries (100,000) in recent memory. In 1954, the Chinese Communist government expelled all foreign religious workers after taking power in 1949. Since then, China has refused to recognize international missionary status. As a result, many missionaries work in education or corporate sectors to stay in China. Working in Xinjiang, Beijing, Tibet, and Shandong, the operation, code name “Typhoon No. 5″ was an effort to silence mission activities before the Beijing Olympics next year." The lucky foreigners just get expelled, so far. But it's the local Christian community that gets jailed, beaten, tortured, killed. These are not the stories of decades ago---it is happening today. It is a reminder that we have to put on the full armor of God, we are in intense battle all over the world. Christians must get on their knees and fight. We meet with a chinese tutor who we found through Craigslist. I felt from the first meeting over a month ago that she must be a Christian. The second meeting, I saw her wearing a cross. And then I talked about what church we attend here. This past week, we gave her directions for OCM. Her expat manager at her previous international company in China brought her to Christ. And she had been attending a "family" (underground) church back home. Here, she will be able to attend church freely without fear that praising and worshipping our God might mark her as a target. | | |
| My Grandmother Li was a legend in her village. When she was little and the boys in her Guangzhou village started going to school, she asked her mother why she couldn’t go too. Great-grandma said since she was a girl, she had to be the one to stay behind and watch the cow while the boys went to school. My Grandma was not satisfied. She got someone to write a letter for her (she dictated) and sent it off to Suriname where her eldest brother lived to ask him to convince their mom to let her go. (That letter must've taken half a year to get there!) My grand-uncle responded and demanded that Great-grandma let her go—“if it’s because she needs to watch the cow, sell the cow and then she won’t have to watch it” he had written. My father says that he was really a great man. Of course, I never met him but I believe it by this one thing he did for his little sister. So my Grandma got to go to school. She was the first girl in the history of the village to do so. And after her, all the other families in the village started sending their girls to school too! You go Mah-Mah! =) She told me once that she was really grateful she got at least enough education (elementary school) to know how to read the Bible. 
My Mah-Mah (Cantonese for paternal Grandma) passed away about 2 months ago. She was wonderful. There was a big memorial that I missed by a week or two. She left before I could see her during my recent trip to Hong Kong. Everyone in my family wrote something to put in her program; my aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, brother and me. This is my tribute: Dear Mah-Mah, I wish I had many more memories with you. I cherish the photos of my first birthday because you are in them, holding me and laughing. Thank you for traveling so far to come take care of me when I was born. Our relationship was mostly long-distance, but I always held you close to my heart. I remember the times I got to see you when I visited Hong Kong, like that one time many years ago, when I burst into tears the moment I saw you in the airport. I had not seen you in a long time and I was just so happy I cried! I liked the feeling of holding your hand when we sat together and hearing your voice on the other end of the phone when we were apart. You would remind me to study and listen to Mom and Dad, and when I got older, you would give me advice about choosing a good husband (“pick an honest one”)—so I’m glad you got to meet mine. One of my favorite memories with you happened almost 10 years ago, when we had the entire clan of our family (aunts, uncles, cousins) together at dinner. I sat with you and you looked around with a little smile on your face and marveled out loud at how many people you and Ye-Ye made. I marveled with you too because it really was amazing; I saw God’s fingerprints everywhere. Out of two humble people, God gave us a big, vibrant family. I love you and miss you. One day, there will be no more long-distance for us; I will probably burst into happy tears once again when I see you in Heaven! And there, our loving Lord will bind us all together for a joyful eternity. Until then, I will be keeping you in my heart. Your loving granddaughter, Vicky | | |
| Pat seems to think "whore" is a derogatory word. Well, duh. It may not be PC, but it's in the Bible. (King James, the original). If it's good enough for the Bible, it's good enough for my xanga.  But honestly, what's in a word? (I know, I know, Don Imus, Rosie O'Donnell blah blah blah...) I've been called all kinds of nasty names in my life, as an Asian American growing up in ignorant Westchester Miami, and as a woman in general walking around by myself, and frankly, as a daughter of Chinese parents who didn't know better back in the day. Words don't hurt me. If they did, I would be dead. Shake it off. Move on. Reminds me of Beijing. Pimps there (who are women, as opposed to men here in the States), basically ask men walking around busy areas whether they want a "whore" in Chinese ("chicken"). I heard it myself on the streets around WangFuJing a few weeks ago. I remember thinking that was really crude. Wouldn't they want to package that better? Say something like "Would you like company tonight?" But the Chinese don't do advertising very well. | | |
| The weirdest thing just happened. I was reading people's MySpace pages (I had to create one because I'm on the Reunion committee for my high school 10-year and they made me) and suddenly, I realized my right leg was on the table--as in on top of the dining table, spread out like some common whore. I KNOW!! I don't even remember putting my leg there like that! Not lady-like at all... Things like that have been happening more frequently lately. Not the whore thing, but like I would have my earphones in and iPod going and then when I'm almost home, I realized there had been no music since after the first song. My commute is like 25 mins on the subway so that was like 20 mins of no music that I didn't notice. Sometimes, I can't remember if I brushed my teeth at night. Usually my husband puts toothpaste on my toothbrush at night so all I have to do is check my toothbrush. If there's still toothpaste there then I haven't brushed! But he isn't around for the next couple weeks. Eeeks! I wish we can hire stand-in husbands. The light is out above my dining table where I am currently sitting, with my right leg draped on top of the table, and I havent changed it. In my single days, I woulda shlepped up there and figured out . But I think I'll wait. I can call downstairs too. But that would mean talking to The Help and usually my husband does that. No, I'm not a snob. I'm actually kinda shy. (Really, I do have a shy complex) Plus I think they think all Asian women in my building look alike so I always feel like they won't recognize me although I guess they do because they greet me by name every day. Fine, I'm just lazy. But people recognize my husband because he's so good looking. My brother's co-worker almost jumped his bones when she saw him walk into the room one time--my brother had to restrain her and explain who he was. Hehehe. Good times! Anyone see Asians in America on CNN last night? Not very good segment. You disappoint me Paula. I just thought it was interesting too that they called it Asians in America, not Asian Americans or something more...American. Asians will always be foreigners in this country because people here (or the media, at least) will alway see us that way. "You are Asian, in America." Wouldn't it be nice to live somewhere where you don't feel like that? | | |
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