Our Visit to China

I've just returned from a two week visit to Beijing and Hong Kong, and this trip was significant for me for two reasons:

1. It was an important time away with Elena - part of the celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary, which fell on December 7 (but due to hospital tests, we couldn't get away at the time).

2. My trip was a challenge of faith, since even a week before I was to go, my health status was still not up to par.

In the Prayer Firewall, I've shared about the turnaround in my health (see "Return to Australia"), but in this post I want to share about the trip itself.

On April 16 (my birthday), Elena and I flew into Beijing. I took it pretty easy the first couple of days, but then we began our tours. The first major thing we did was to visit the Great Wall of China (see the photo "The Great Wall of China" in my Family Photo Album). Elena and I were really moved by this visit. It was much more than just a tourist attraction for us, for it represents something deeply moving to the Chinese people. Many Chinese names are carved into the stones, and they represent generations of Chinese visitors. There is a saying in Chinese to the effect that "unless we reach the Great Wall, we are no heroes." The word "hero" used in this saying also means "a good Chinese" - and so for Elena and I, we became "heroes" or "good Chinese" on that day.

We also visited the Forbidden City and the Emperor's Summer Palace, together with Tiananmen Square, and each of these has very powerful historical meaning for Elena and me (as for Chinese in general). Keep your eye on my Family Photo Album, because I'll soon be putting up an online album of photos from the trip (I took about 2 GB worth of photos in total, so I'll have to be selective).

Our time in Hong Kong was also special, particularly the opportunity to spend time with Elena's family. Last Wednesday night, on my last night before returning to Australia, Bethany (Elena's youngest sister) and her husband, Kwoon, organised a family worship time. We sang a Chinese song from Psalm 121, and it had special meaning for me. The psalm says:

Verse 1 - I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?
Verse 2 - My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Verse 3 - He will not let your foot slip; he who watches over you will not slumber;
Verse 4 - indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Verse 5 - The LORD watches over you; the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
Verse 6 - the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
Verse 7 - The LORD will keep you from all harm; he will watch over your life;
Verse 8 - the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Well, that really has been my experience over the last couple of weeks. The Lord has indeed been watching over my coming and going, and has been my help.

This trip to China has been a watershed experience for me, a marker that creates a clear "before" and "after" in my walk with the Lord, particularly as regards my healing. What a wonderful God He is! I'm looking forward to seeing what he has in store - the next chapter in the exciting installment of faith!