September 2006

Psalm 104:24 “O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom, You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.” I have certainly found this to be true in the past few weeks. I returned to Lanzhou on the 24th of August, mentally preparing myself for the same schedule as last year: three or four days to settle in before beginning the fall term. Imagine my surprise and joy when I was informed that I would have another two weeks of vacation instead before classes began on the eleventh! I immediately thanked God for the additional days to relax and recharge, but still not quite prepared for the additional surprises that were in store for me.

One of the first activities I planned for myself was climbing the small mountain in Wu Chuan Shan Park. It was invigorating to experience the solitude and fresh, cool air as I climbed. Once I reached the top of trail, however, I realized that the road there might offer a more interesting route down. I headed off in what I presumed was the downward direction … only to spot more stairs off to the side. I made the decision to explore them, (since with my sense of direction, who knows when I would stumble upon them again) and in the process discovered another small park, surrounded by homes at the top. Since it was the middle of the day, only two other people were there. The loudest sound was the wind in the trees, and as I came to the edge of the park, I was able to see the other hills beyond the one where I now stood, dotted with farms and roads. It was magnificently peaceful, and a gentle reminder that even after living in China a year, there is still an infinite amount more to explore.

There is also much to learn still from the people around me, as I rediscovered on Teacher’s Day. Gunnel and I went to a banquet that the school sponsored for the occasion, and after languishing for a bit at a table with Mrs. Sun, we were joined by a few more elder teachers. One who I recognized was a retired teacher who lived on our campus. I had never learned his name, but I had seen him many times out by the back gate, speaking with the gatemen or walking with his granddaughter, and he seemed like a very gentle soul. Assuming that he only spoke Chinese, we had never said much more than “Ni Hao” in greeting, so I was once again surprised when, in the middle of the meal, he started gesturing to the different dishes on the table with his chopsticks and announcing their names in English! Gunnel asked him how he had learned English, and he replied that he had studied it in Henan before the Communist Party came to power. He eventually became a physics professor, and apparently a good one, which unfortunately led to him being forced to work in the countryside for more than ten years during the Cultural Revolution. In spite of this, he did not seem bitter or angry, but instead conveyed a wonderful sense of humor and remarkable energy. I had a further conversation with him after the banquet, and my respect for him only deepened. It was another wonderful, blessed surprise from God’s hand – a newfound friend in a 73-year-old retired Chinese physics professor.

God’s works and blessings have a been a joy to behold and receive during these past few weeks, and even more so because they have come in ways I never would have expected. I can hardly wait for the future surprises that are in store for this upcoming academic year. There is a prayer by Molly Fumia that I believe accurately conveys this sense of joyful expectation:

“O Great Spirit of Surprise, dazzle us with a day full of amazing embraces, capricious, uncalculated caring, great hearts, kind souls, and doers of good deeds.” May the Lord continue to work in loving and joyfully surprising ways in your lives, wherever you might happen to be.

Rachel