--From June 25th--
Here are a few thoughts, I've been meaning to share with you, about our 2 hour plane trip in China on Friday, that turned into more like 6. It can best be summed up in 3 words: TARMAC, TRANSLATION, TRANSITION.
TARMAC- We started out Friday morning fairly normal and got to the airport with time to spare. Then at about noon when we were supposed to board everything came to a halt. We were delayed i...n boarding and when we got on the plane we just sat there on the tarmac and they served us airplane food for lunch. Not a good sign. All in all we sat there for over 3 hours. Ugh! A voice came over the intercom telling us that the air traffic controllers were denying the plane access to fly. Turned out there was thunderstorms.
TRANSLATION- The week leading up to the flight I had been thoroughly frustrated by the language barrier I had expereince in China already. I guess I shouldn't be surprised most people speak Chinese here and not English, but I guess I'm just spoiled. The best way I found to communicate was the point, flail and wave money method. However, on the plane at the end of the flight I had an English conversation with a Chinese man who was translating questions from a female Chinese passenger. He asked about the girls and their ages and then asked about my son as well. He ended our conversation by stating simply, "you have happy family."
TARMAC- We started out Friday morning fairly normal and got to the airport with time to spare. Then at about noon when we were supposed to board everything came to a halt. We were delayed i...n boarding and when we got on the plane we just sat there on the tarmac and they served us airplane food for lunch. Not a good sign. All in all we sat there for over 3 hours. Ugh! A voice came over the intercom telling us that the air traffic controllers were denying the plane access to fly. Turned out there was thunderstorms.
TRANSLATION- The week leading up to the flight I had been thoroughly frustrated by the language barrier I had expereince in China already. I guess I shouldn't be surprised most people speak Chinese here and not English, but I guess I'm just spoiled. The best way I found to communicate was the point, flail and wave money method. However, on the plane at the end of the flight I had an English conversation with a Chinese man who was translating questions from a female Chinese passenger. He asked about the girls and their ages and then asked about my son as well. He ended our conversation by stating simply, "you have happy family."
TRANSITION- This whole trip has been about making a transition, but Friday seemed to sum it up so well. Hurry up to get somewhere and then wait on a plane while we heard some British narrator tell us about endangered white rhinos in some remote part of Africa on the inflight tv. Somewhere during that frustrating trip we were all learning a little patience. Not to mention how to expand as a family. Then there is Lia, who you can please pray will learn to embrace us as her family. The poor girl has lost everything she has ever known for 8 and 1/2 years and now has a brand new adventure ahead of her. But, as my neighbor Kass told me "God hasn't brought you this far to let you down now." So, I guess we just stay buckled in, enjoy the flight and wait for a safe landing.
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