Red Team Update - 27 March 2008
To put our first week's experiences in China into words is kind of impossible! Let's try anyway! Mondaymorning we were stopped at the borderpost while trying to get over the border from Macau. Hector were one of the two lucky one's who got to get over and sat eating KFC in China while we were surviving on duty-free sweets in no-man's-land! Eight hours and a complete baggage search later, we were allowed to grab our stuff and run over, as our bus was about to leave in a few minutes! Few hours later everyone was settled on the train for our 2 and a half days journey up north.
Arriving in the city, we red team got into the car with our host, while the rest of the team got aboard a bus. As the Tibetan uprisings in China were near the area we wanted to go, the police made a quick stop to our plans. We had to turn back, but eventually the red team got into the area via another town, over steep, HUGE mountain passes, and worst of all ... having Reynard drive us over the ferry in the left-hand steering car! Driving into town, we were in a light accident (knowing the Chinese way of driving, you won't be surprised!). After a cold night (Elizma saw her first snow!), we had a lovely day in the city and an even more amazing meal - rice, potato, chicken, noodles and lots of sauce - while meeting some new friends as well. Our city outing did have some consequences thought, as the police came to pay us a visit later that evening! No explanations from anyone could keep us in that town for one more night, and at about 21:00 we were escorted by the police back to the original city. At 00:30 the foreign affairs police just had to check in "to see whether we were comfortable" - like Elbe told them, "we're comfortable and very tired, thank you!!" But after a comfortable night in our hotel, and some KFC (3rd for Hector in 2 days), we decided to face the next day. Of course no checking out at the hotel before the police came to say hi again! Luckily this time we scored a lift to the bus stop in his police car!
What a priviledge to join our big group again, who have been together and praying for us the whole time. Though even in that town the police was following our every move, we weren't too worried, as we were content in sharing Easter Friday evening and communion with our body. Hope sank a little as Sulene announced that Elizma and Elbe will be returning with her to the city (for the 4th time!) the next day. But after this time of prayer and encouragement with our team, we were ready to submit to the will of our Heavenly Father and go serve wherever we were asked to.
Since then the two girls have been staying with the host family, to help with their little kids, and the guys went on a trip even further up north, where they will be serving and interceding wherever their feet touches.
Till next time!
Red Team