Airline travel. We had so many Abi questions. Would she cry the entire way? What if her ears don’t pop going up and down? Would she adjust to the time-zone shift? Thankfully, Abi did much better than we expected. She was happy most of the time and adjusted quickly. During our long hours on the plane, she enjoyed talking about the flyer safety card, chewing on the magazines, and banging on the little video screens. Most of the YMI students either read, slept, watched movies, or played with Abi. With 6 different flights, we only had one delay that pushed our arrival time to Kansas City back 2 hours on the way home. We didn’t lose any luggage which was a first for Jonathan when he has traveled overseas in a group.
Our Destination. As we shaped the overseas portion of YMI months before, we were looking for an opportunity where students would totally emerse themselves in the culture and build relatively deep friendships with local people who do not know Jesus. A local university is where we ended up. The university campus was perfect for several reasons. First, we could have a plausible reason for being there, namely to study the language as students. Second, there is a tremendously high concentration of english speaking people on a college campus. This meant we would actually be able to communicate. Third, these students are highly accessible because they all live in buildings near our students. This would make it much easier to meet and spend time with people.
Lodging. Fitting with our purpose, we thought it would be best if the students lived in the dorms. They were placed in the international dorms, so Ally lived with someone who spoke very little English. Since the administration wouldn’t let our small family live in the dorms, Amanda, Abi and I lived in a sixth floor apartment on campus that was only three buildings down from the others (no elevator, of course). Accommodations for students were actually pretty good. Ours were a little meager. (come to our open house and we’ll show you some pictures J ).
Weather. Cold and dry! Hats, gloves, and coats every day! The girls joined the local trend and added scarves (even Abi). Amanda had fun introducing the team to hot hands and toasty toes (inserts that go in your shoes and gloves that act like little heaters)!
Making Friends. Building relationships was probably the most important part of this overseas experience. We had built that expectation in before we arrived, so our YMI students jumped in with both feet. Within a few days they were hanging out at the basketball courts, walking around campus, catching taxis, and eating strange food. We were so proud of them. During our trip Jeff, the really tall one, was frequently the reason people introduced themselves to us. They all wanted a picture with a “tall American.” Nearly all of our closest friendships began when Jeff was present. It’s funny the way a team works.
The nationals were extremely friendly and many wanted to practice their English with us. Most could read and write a lot better than they could speak, so our conversations involved writing words on paper or using special translation programs on their cell phones.
Our time with the locals also included a lot of meals at different restaurants in the area. David actually had a little allergic reaction from something he tried (thank the Lord we had an available doctor in the States).
College students in the area loved to stay out late at karaoke bars and internet cafes. If you’re not familiar with karaoke. It is where a song is played without words, and a volunteer singer from the group sings to words on a TV screen. Yale spent a lot of time with a friend whom we named Noah. On one particular night, when it was time for Yale to head to the dorms, Noah told him that he couldn’t go back to the dorms because they would be locked (they were locked from 11pm to 7am). So Yale spent the the whole night with Noah at an internet cafe down the street.
As the entire team got to know the nationals, it was exciting to see them branch out of their comfort zones and befriend people with totally different personalities and social norms from whom they would normally spend time. As they saw their friends worshipping things besides God (like entertainment, financial success, education, or even Buddhist statues), they longed for them to know and love a living Savior, Jesus. Several times these experiences led to wonderful God-oriented conversations.
Language and Culture Class. Our visas stated we were traveling as students to our country. Everyone but Amanda and Abi spent a few hours each morning learning the language. We learned over 400 phrases. By the end of our time there, we could order food, introduce our family and friends, bargian with the local merchants, and pick out words in the conversations we heard around us. We also learned a lot about the culture and its music, traditions, and stories.
Holidays. While we were there, Amanda celebrated a birthday and Thanksgiving occurred. Amanda’s birthday was quite the adventure. She made spaghetti for the entire team (yes, she did use a wok), and we had a cake made at a local bakery. Let’s just say the cake tasted nothing like an American cake, but we loved it anyway.
Thanksgiving was probably one of our biggest highlights. Many of us were missing our family and good home-cooked food. We missed all the smells, sights, and sounds that Thanksgiving brought. If you have ever missed a holiday with your family, I’m sure you know what I mean. So, we decided to celebrate the holiday here, with our YMI family. We found the most home-like food we could find…. Pizza Hut and ate Thanksgiving pizza and Coca-cola, instead of turkey and dressing.
Then, we participated in a Philgreen family tradition. Amanda pulled out a bag of Skittles (normally it would be candy corn) and passed out five to each person. Each person was told that, for each skittle, they must share something for which they are thankful this year. We went around the circle five times, just like home. It was wonderful to hear what the students were most thankful this year. The biggest blessing was to hear what YMI had meant to them, and how the Father had changed them forever because of what they had experienced.
Getting around. Our main mode of transportation was walking, but we also rode bikes and caught taxis on a regular basis. Our contacts, had given us a map and a bi-lingual list of restaurants and important locations, which enabled us to communicate with the driver. Towards the end of our time we figured out some of the routes and began to take the bus (cost: approximately 14 cents to ride).
Meeting with YMI students. One of my (Jonathan) favorite times during each day followed our language class in the morning, when I had the opportunity to meet personally with each of our students (a different person each day). Normally, the student and I would eat lunch together, spend some time processing their personal experiences from the week, and then go for a prayer walk around campus. I loved watching the Holy Spirit work in them. I have no doubt I saw heart level change that will literally alter the direction of their lives forever.
Team Times. As a team we met three times during the week (other than our daily language class). The first was on Sunday morning, where we celebrated the Resurrection together (or had a brief church service). Since their rooms were most likely bugged (like most international students), we usually met in our apartment. We usually sat and sang some worship songs together, and I gave a brief devotional thought from the book of Acts. On Monday night, we continued a Bible study which we had begun at the beginning of YMI together. On Thursday, we usually went on a prayer walk through the city. Our contacts had given us some wonderfully helpful booklets for praying for our city. So, we used those most of the time.
Beijing. After five and half weeks, it was time to go home. However, on our way out of East Asia, we took a three day stop in Beijing, China. We enjoyed seeing some of the most famous places in the world together like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Bird’s nest, and Tiananmen Square. It was a great time to recover and get ready to go home.
A Concluding Thought. This trip was life-changing! It was life changing for a few nationals, for all of our YMI students, and for us as a family. The best part is that most of the fruit is still yet to come. Many of our national friends have been introduced to long-term workers in their city, and will be continuing their relationships. For YMI and our family, experiences like this are usually processed for years and years because their impacts are much deeper than you we realize. We look forward to the coming fruit.
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