Group hug.

If this were a party, I'd be a terrible host. A month in Nanchang and I haven't even introduced everyone! Please forgive me. Meet my team:

Caleb

(he decided not to be serious for the pic)

Our devoted team leader.

Servant hearted, humble, fun-loving

Desires for us all to be heard and known in our team times.

We've definitely struck a common chord with sports!

He's adopted Auburn as his second team (behind his state team of Michigan. I'm also now a Detroit Lions fan!)

And he's a fellow guitar player!

This is his 6th year here.

He's a great friend.

Connie

Or better known as "Connie Mom"

Full of life, fervent, compassionate

She hugs EVERYONE. I love it.

She has won awards and made our school famous for its English program.

She continually lifts us up.

She is a great hostess.

She inspires and encourages.

She has great perspective.

She amazes me.

Faith

(but "th" is a problem for the Chinese, so you mostly hear "Face"!)

Loyal, a good listener, selfless

"Oh, I'll do it" she always says.

Her steady spirit adds stability to our team.

These students love her.

Her door is always open to them, and to us.

She's consistent and devoted.

She's patient (especially when I ask the same questions over and over...).

She's great.

Kelly

The only fellow Southerner (Memphis!).

Passionate, intentional, empathetic

She really cares about people.

Like really.

She's not afraid to be open and honest.

She's a great facilitator of communication.

Her blonde moments make me feel at home (love you, Mom and Christy :)!)

She definitely adds flare to the group.

She makes us all feel valued.

We're thankful for Kelly.

So that's my team! In writing this I'm thinking, "it's only been a month?"- I feel like I've known these guys for a while. I already feel so comfortable with them. They are just one more of the countless examples of provision I've experienced from His faithful hand.

Update on the New Semester

I've started 2 of my 7 classes (the rest start on October 10), and they are going really well. I'm still putting my thoughts together on what it's like to stand in front of these eager Chinese faces, but invigorating would be a good place to start. I'm so pumped when I leave class. I feel like they get me and I'm starting to get them. So exciting...

Seeing as how I'm one of 20 or so foreigners on a campus of 30k, I've reached instant celebrity status. This comes with the works: student paparazzi, blatant stares, wide eyes, and giggling. There's never a dull moment, to say the least.

So yeah, I like it. I recognize I could still be in the "honeymoon" phase of culture shock, but I would almost say that I really like it. Ask me in six months though and I think I'll have a better answer...

While you guys are working next week you can think about me basking in the sun on the beautiful coast of Southern China. Next week is China's National Holiday, and what better way to celebrate than to give the country a week off? A great idea. So, I'm headed to Xiamen with some teammates and students. I love my job.

Updates, people! I love to hear them. Thank you for all of your support. I just wish you could see all the fruit it's bearing :)

snails and earthquakes.

Sometimes it takes me awhile to realize my mouth is hanging open.

Stop staring, I tell myself.

I can't help it! This place is fascinating. China is fascinating.

I've always loved puzzles, so the complexity of this place and these beautiful people have left me in a playground.

However, I do apologize- sometimes it takes me a while to snap out of my gaze and let you look through my glasses (albeit still foggy).

I haven't even taken many pictures. That's how bad my figurative staring is!

Admitting it is the first step to recovery I suppose... I'll do better...

On with the title explanation:

Snails

So I told myself my blog would be more substantial than just a photo album of strange foods, but how could I resist Nanchang spicy snails? Plastic glove in one hand, sharp stick in the other...

Earthquakes

On an Auburn site I read that our beloved eagle, in her majestic pre-game flight, flew smack into a press box window. If that wasn't a bad enough omen, we had to evacuate our building 30 minutes before last week's kickoff due to an aftershock from a 4.6 earthquake... Needless to say I was the first one back in the building to watch the game! What a game- take that, omens! My team (this is them, by the way...introductions later!) has been incredibly welcoming to me, but they still haven't figured out my love for college football...

11 day synopsis

Snails and earthquakes are categorial opposites, but I feel like I've seen everything in between so far. Now that my head has stopped spinning a bit, I hope to offer you more consistent nuggets. Pictures and stories I can do, but what I really wish you could see is how joyful and peaceful my heart is. As much as my surroundings have changed, I believe many more things have changed inside me already. I believe renewal is the word. Praise...

Puberty.

Nanchang [non-chong]: noun- "Southern good"

When I asked one particular Nanchang veteran how she would describe the city, she said, "It's in puberty." Hmm...I was expecting "good" or "hot" or "crowded"....

Certainly the word "puberty" conjures up specific memories in our minds- particularly awkwardness, squeaky voices, pimples, and slow dancing. If you're not cringing at the memory of your junior-high self you're just not being honest.

That is Nanchang, at least from what I've seen in my limited time. But who of us can judge where they are? Puberty has to happen right? Nanchang is beginning to swerve from the far-right slow lane to the get-out-of-my-way left lane. This city has always been old school and rural, but China's economic locomotive is demanding rapid urbanization to fuel it's growth. Bottom line: it's Nanchang's turn to carry the load.

What does that mean? Well, for starters, Ford is building a $300-mill plant here. That should go nicely with the designs for brand new skyscrapers to be built soon. Welcome to the show, Nanchang.

Oh yeah, then there's that puberty thing. There certainly are the (figurative, of course) cracking voices and pimples here, but hope seems to be what people see when they look in the mirror. [again, I'm the new guy, so take it with a grain of salt]

There is one thing I'm pretty sure of- I'm in the slow-dance with Nanchang. I'm awkwardly extending my arms and not really knowing where to put my hands. We're kind of cheesily smiling at one another while we try not to make too much eye contact. I'm trying not to step on her feet and wondering if she notices how sweaty my hands are.

She's awkward, but still endearing. I suppose it's the hope. Hope has a way of propping the door open for redemption, and that's the song I believe we're dancing to.

My upward thought: may these people know the meaning of the song before the music ends. Thank you for lifting that up with me.

Goodbye, suitcase.

Tonight, I put my last article of clothing in a drawer and put the suitcases out of sight! Whew. Praise. Thank you for allowing me some time to get settled. Here are a few nuggets from the past few days:

Walmart

That's right, the one and only. In true American fashion, the morning after we landed our team piled in the van and did our part in stimulating the Chinese economy. Included in the small mountain in my buggy was an electric kettle (very useful), cleaner (even more useful...I'll spare you details), and peanut butter (it's the small things, ya know?).

Metro

Yes, I put another store in bold letters, but only because this is where I got my coffee maker (you just try drinking instant coffee for a month). I also got some popcorn and paper towels, in case you're interested.

Basketball

Among my few comfort purchases were some basketball shoes (yes, they had my size!). I've put them to good use already and have met some really cool students in the process. I'm so excited to develop those friendships.

Home

By this I mean the feeling of being settled in your abode. It's certainly a process, but I'm making good progress. Auburn decorations are scattered around (2 days until kickoff...so pumped), so that has helped. Making this place my own is definitely a goal of mine, and it's certainly something you can lift up for me.

Team Time

The best for last. These 4 other folks are awesome. Caleb, Connie, Faith and Kelly have warmly welcomed me and made me feel at home. We've been doing team building stuff this week, and I'm really thankful for the chemistry we've developed. I feel so comfortable around them.

Well, I'll stop there for now. I'm thinking about doing a video tour of the apartment when it's more presentable, so stay tuned. I'm only teaching one class a week until mid-October (most of my students are Freshman who have to go through military training) so hopefully I'll have some more time to clue you in on life.

Thank you all for your overwhelming support and love. I can't tell you how supported I feel. Keep the correspondence coming!

P.S. Just as a teaser for later posts, there is really, really great stuff happening here... I'm definitely supposed to be here :)

Stakes.

Pretend you're Abraham.

Hammer in hand. About to drive the stakes into the ground.

You've just arrived in the "distant land."

You've journeyed. You've dreamed. You've believed.

Far from familiar. Everything is different.

What are you thinking as you drive your tent stakes into the foreign soil?

Those words must be ringing in your ears...His words...His promises...

Are they certain? Is HE certain?

Tomorrow, I hammer stakes into my new home in China.

You can insert whatever metaphor you'd like for that here,

but the bottom line is I trust Him.

His words are ringing in my ears,

and they are certain because He is certain.

I know in Whom I have believed,

and into that soil I'll joyfully hammer my stakes.

Rejoicing!

---------------------

A few notes...

-I'm not sure how long it will take me to set up the internet in my apartment, so there might be a bit of lag in my communication. We arrive tomorrow night, so hopefully I'll get that taken care of on Tuesday!

-Thank you all for lifting me up so consistently. Requests in His name certainly are powerful- I'll testify to that.

-My team is awesome. I just met them yesterday, and I already feel so comfortable with them. I'll definitely have more on them later.

-I love your comments and e-mails. Please keep them coming, along with updates on you!

Tastes like chicken.

Yes, I heard you. You're that person who's been saying,

"He's in a foreign country, but where's the crazy food?!"

Well, this post is for you.

In case you're wondering, snake actually tastes

more like rubber than chicken...yum...

...which is why I Chris and I followed it with fruit topped with

melted sugar. That's better.

[this is why I wouldn't make it on Bizarre Foods]

I could go into more detail about other

[how should I say] foodstuffs [yeah that's it],

but I actually want some of you to come visit me!

[If you must know, you can check it out here.]

To China's credit, this was a tourist trap, and the

real food is amazing. I love it.

Just had to throw that in there.

Greater.

The Great Wall is awesome. Not in normal, everyday use of the word "awesome" either, but truly awe inspiring.

This was my second trip to the wall, and I still had the same head-shaking astonishments. Step after step I kept trying to fathom the vastness of it all. It's difficult to grasp the feasibility of even one section of the wall, hand-laid into the side of a steep mountain, but to think that it stretches on for almost 5,500 miles...yeah, wow. If you're not impressed, either read more about it here, or just go see it for yourself.

But an interesting thing occurred after we ascended the staircase to the Wall. As our group climbed the last step and gazed out at the winding masterpiece inlayed into the distant mountains, our attention was drawn to a nearby tree. We had just said our "oooh's" and "ahhh's" when a loud bug caught our attention, and we turned around just in time to see a preying mantis stalking the poor crying critter. There we were, having paid 50 RMB (around 8$) to climb a seemingly unending staircase to the Great Wall, mesmerized by nature.

A comment was made about this fact and laughter ensued, but then our friend Jeremy said, "but God's creation is so much more amazing than man's."

I love moments like this, where we step back from what man considers great and look to the One who is in an entirely different category of great. To even say that the Great Wall is great, and He is greater doesn't even seem right. You can't just compare thing like that! So although true, please forgive the title of my post.

Don't get me wrong, the Wall is truly great- the greatest structure I've ever seen on this planet. I left with a renewed sense of admiration for the Chinese and their determination.

I know, I read into everything, but I think I needed to that day. I needed my vision to expand. I thought of the Creator. I thought of the One who put the stars in place. I thought of my Father. How great has He been in my mind lately? How much am I believing Him for? What areas of my life do I see as greater than Him? Do I just put Him in a great-sized box? Is He GREATER to me?

Thank you, China, for showing me how small my wall is.

Greater things are yet to come.