Well, the heater flame is coming on, but we still have some adjustments to make to be comfortable taking a shower. The repair experience was very interesting from many perspectives. The first thing was that the repairman showed up exactly on time. He said he would be there at 2P and there was a knock…
Mixed Blessings
When I went into the kitchen on Saturday morning the wind was whistling through the window. It was below freezing outside and the air coming in chilled everything at that end of the kitchen. The blessing was that the wind had blown away all the pollution in the air and the sky was blue again….
Chinese Dough Sticks
Today is Valentine’s Day in China. Grandpa had bought Grandma some of these Chinese Fried Dough Twists early in our visit and she wanted some for a special breakfast treat. It took several searches and some extra effort from my son to make them a reality. A text to our kids’ language helpers returned the…
Variety
One of the adjustments that can be made when visiting another country is to change your diet to match what the locals eat. We haven’t made a big adjustment. For example, Grandma has toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast with a glass of milk. I have oatmeal and scrambled eggs with lots of water. This…
1 Corinthians 11
Big Idea: What we do when we’re together should help people see Jesus. 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 There has been much written on this passage, especially in recent years. It will help us to remember the general concern that Paul is responding to. He is concerned that the behavior of the church, the body of Christ,…
Flexibility
I really needed a haircut and I got one this morning. I was really looking forward to taking a hot shower after it to wash off any remaining bits of hair. The shower didn’t happen. When we turned on the hot water this morning there was none. Instead, the water coming out of the shower…
Snow
To give us all something to do while our movements are limited the families in our apartment complex have come up with some family project. Yesterday’s project was to create a song about the coronavirus. We haven’t listened to them yet but based on what we watched yesterday as our family was recording theirs, they…
Super Bowl
We had a Super Bowl party over breakfast. One of the families in our complex had purchased the NFL Game Pass and had access to the Super Bowl. The official game festivities started at 7:30 AM here, so the families that gathered brought their favorite breakfast items to eat while watching the game. Someone said…
Music and Shopping
The Corona Virus has modified our plans. We are going out less and wearing masks whenever we do. (For an excellent blog on the virus and its impact check out The Culture Blend here.) That doesn’t mean there aren’t fun things to do. This morning Grandma got all the grandkids together for family band practice….
Ghost Town
The one thing that has always been a constant in China has been people, many people. That wasn’t true on our adventure last evening. We traveled across town to a place where you can get a great hamburger. There is a Burger King relatively close by, but no one here would call that a great…