After breakfast, we boarded a van, provided by the Fuzhou Agape Medical Center, and were taken on a tour of the city. We visited a couple of churches at the start of our trip and were well-received by everyone we came in contact with. We also stopped by a park with a large statue of a bull, to take some pics and relax. Next door was a Sam's Club. There is a big Walmart Supercenter here in Fuzhou, which got L. very excited.
One memorable visit was to a 3-self church on the banks of the river. A big red cross on top of it could be seen for miles. Another red cross on another church sat not too far away. The old pastor of the church had lived through the Cultural Revolution and had been imprisoned during that time. When asked if they are allowed to preach on the Resurrection, he replied emphatically, "Of course! Anything in the Bible is allowed to be preached." That answered some questions held by some of us about this issue. It was an honor to meet a man who'd endured so much for his faith. The same was true for the other elderly Christians who were with us.
We stopped off at the Agape Medical Center. They'd moved since my previous visit in 2001. We met the friendly medical staff, all retired nurses, mostly women, all volunteer. We toured the facility, which was located by a busier highway than before.
We visited another church that was started by a group of peasant, illiterate women. The woman who catalyzed the building of the church said about 10 years ago, her son was cured of an illness after she'd abandoned hope of him being well, but decided to take him to a church to be prayed for. She felt strongly after that God wanted her to have a church built in this area of Fuzhou that didn't have a church nearby. They invited us in to look around and to have lunch. The lunch was generous and sumptuous. Again, it was neat to meet these people whose faith journeys were certainly different from our own.
However, with all the running around in that heat, the kids were getting tired and some were wondering when we'd be heading home. But, we plowed on to visit the orphanage. It was well-worth it for everyone, it turns out. It's actually a foster home for 62 boys and girls ages 8-20 whose parents are incarcerated. The kids would be returned back to their family once their parents were released. A woman named P. (whom I met in the 2001 trip) showed us around. They added a few more buildings since our last visit. A couple of boys, both mentally challenged, came to greet and hug us. Our stay was rather short, but not before we took many pictures with the children. One 7- or 8-year-old little girl looked a lot like our niece, P. with the cute smile. The kids warmed up quickly and took a liking to the nieces. Most of them waved as the van pulled away taking us home.
After dinner, Goo-goo, Goo-fu, and our cousins came by our hotel room. We spent time relating our memories of Gong-gong, who passed away a year ago today. Everyone in the family shared. Mom translated. Dad and Mom encouraged all of us to consider Christ in light of Gong-gong's faith.
After they left, we surprised mom with a cake and celebrated her b'day...although the added sugar that late at night definitely showed on the kids. It's off to Guangzhou tomorrow...
(PS: Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad (L's))
