So many people, so little time...

Lovely friends and family,

As you know we came here for a couple of reasons, but the most important was to reach the people here for whatever period of time we could. One of the biggest realities that has hit me since being here is that there are A LOT of people here. Driving down the road, you pass by one compound after another of gigantic building housing tons of people. It is one of those things that you cannot believe until you see it.

I think the moment this became a reality to me was during Qing Ming (or Tomb Sweeping Day) at the beginning of April. Qing Ming is a way to honor those who have passed away by visiting their graves and redecorating them. It is also a time to celebrate the coming of Spring.

I was running late the day prior to the holiday and decided to take a taxi instead of a bus. When I got about a mile away from where I needed to be, traffic came to a complete stop. After waiting 15 minutes and watching the cost of my ride increase, I decided to get out and walk. There was a cemetery on the street where we were stopped and everyone was trying to get to it. This is what I saw on that walk...

As I was walking in the pedestrian lane, a car honked at me to move because it was driving in that lane. It would have taken possibly another hour to get to work if I had not walked. This is just a tiny illustration of how many people live here.

With that being said, there are so many people here that need to know about Jesus and it seems as though it would be impossible to reach them all. I made a friend named Sherry, who was my co-teacher. In the time that we were working together, she expressed to me that she is a Christian and was very excited that I am too. Since we no longer are working together, she wanted to meet with me because she misses me.

The beautiful Sherry!

I met up with her at the metro station and she decided she wanted to take me to Pizza Hut, because it is a "Western restaurant." On top of that, she had brought me a gift of some items for my home. She is just too sweet! When we arrived at the Pizza Hut, I was ready to order a pizza and some drinks, but she had something different in mind. Pizza Hut in China is like eating at a nice restaurant. You get appetizers, an entree, and dessert. It was slightly bizarre for me, but the company was fantastic. :)

While we were talking, she caught me up on everything that had happened since we last saw each other. Then, we started talking about church and doing volunteer work. She was expressing to me how she felt so bad for the poor in China and how she desperately wanted to help. She also told me that she wishes that people who know about God could teach those in China who do not know about him. She has such a sweet spirit and a sincerity about her that is beyond anything I have experienced.

After having dinner with her, I realized that I am so thankful to have met her. I want to continue my relationship with her and try to connect her with other Christians in China. I am glad that I can impact the life of one person in China who can help impact the millions here!

Please keep Sherry in your prayers when you think about us. I have so much more to share... Hope to get to all of it quickly!

Sincerely,
Blythe