"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.  I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.....the poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst.  But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them." - God

So he took me away from my bondage again.. from the drag that i let this first class world put on my soul...

he drew me aside and said to me, "Look at me.  Just look.  I've been here the whole time.  I haven't forgotten you.  So don't forget me."

i was talking to my dad the other day... and amongst many things.. including some rather awkward topics i really would never like to discuss with my father ever again, he asked me if I wanted to go live in China.  When I said yeah, he was like why?  why would you want to live in such a scary place?  Everywhere you go it's crowded and you have to shove your way to survival.  And i said, well, this is quite true, it is dirty and crowded and i've had to shove quite a few people (and accidentally stepped on some...sorry!), and pee quickly in an open field on a mountain before a cow meandered by, but God's presence is so there.  His heart breaks for the crowds-those pushing shoving crowds, for the millions who live on the streets and don't even have the slightest idea of what justice means.  There's no room to be a fake Christian there.  You either love God and run the race 120%, or you don't.  it's real.  freakishly real.  Really.. I got a little freaked by how real it was.  we don't go to be the great big american to save the poor little china soul.  we want to see them as they come to know God and encourage them as they develop because these earth quakers are gonna finish telling the rest of the world what they're missing out on. 

I did miss American food, though.

and we saw the Wans!  Priscilla, Joseph and Johnny + parents and grandparents