Our Garden of Eden

Post submitted by Jonathan:

Friday, October 16, 2009
12:00 pm

Eden is napping and Jordan seems to be doing better. Praise God. She is fussing a good bit about having to stay in bed. She has been able to keep down a couple of crackers and drink some Sprite. Please keep praying for us all.

A funny story follows. My industrious wife did well planning for this trip. Most things one would need traveling across the globe were nicely packed in our bags, prepared to face the toughest of challenges. One of those challenges nearly got the best of us.

While checking our bags in St. Louis we were forced to do some quick adjusting of items from bag to bag to keep things within the required weight limits. Our final bag was only a single pound overweight. Sheila recalled that her trusty jar of peanut butter, weighing exactly one pound, was toward the top end of that final bag. She quickly retrieved the peanut butter and placed it in her carry-on luggage. We made the weight requirement but at a great personal cost. Sadly, the authorities confiscated the peanut butter from us, claiming that it was a liquid and not allowed to pass through security.

Quick Reminder: Sheila was counting on the peanut butter to get her through nearly 3 weeks in China in the event she would struggle eating the local foods. Now, many days into our journey, she has hit a brick wall in the food department and was badly craving peanut butter. So off I went to the local grocery store.

There has been one major bright spot at the local grocery store. There is but one woman who speaks very, very broken English that has been there every time I’ve gone to the store. Together, we’ve been able to find most things that we’ve needed. I prayed before I left for the store that my friend would be there to help me. She wasn’t.

It took me about 45 minutes to locate the small number of items we needed; but still no peanut butter. I began to pray that God would help me find some peanut butter for Sheila somewhere in the store. After nearly giving up a small woman passed me and said hello. I asked if she spoke English. She said yes. However, her English was about 20 levels below the ability of my other friend at the grocery store.

I did everything I could to make signs of spreading something out and then eating it. No luck. My new friend sought the help of others and we all traveled the whole store together looking for what I hoped was peanut butter.

We passed the dried fish aisle. No peanut butter. We passed area where oats and rice is kept. No peanut butter. We made our way to the frozen food section and they handed me a small tube of mayonnaise. Still no peanut butter but we were at least making progress with something that could be spread. I still can’t figure out why single tubes of mayonnaise are in the freezer. I finally found some peanuts and pointed to them and then proceeded again to make my sign for “spread and eat”. Some smiling and nodding ensued. Then, after many more aisles, atop a shelf was a jar of Skippy peanut butter. I was so happy to have found it, and so grateful God helped me. I know it seems like a small matter, but I’m learning to take joy in the minute by minute helps God gives us.

More challenges ensued later while at a local eatery trying to order something for Eden to eat. People are people no matter where you go. While folks have been patient with me as I’ve struggled through communicating with them, it has had its funny moments. I’ve noticed that Chinese people do the same thing Americans do when trying to communicate with someone who does not speak English. They speak much slower and much louder, thinking that somehow I’ll be able to miraculously understand Mandarin if only I could overcome by perceived deafness. It’s been hysterical at many, many points.

I was able to grab a couple of packets of honey from breakfast to have with my tea so Sheila enjoyed a delicious lunch of saltine crackers with peanut butter and honey.

All the girls are napping now. We hope Jordan continues to improve so that we can at least get out a bit tonight and walk around before our early morning trip to the airport as we depart for Guangzhou.

Peace,
JP