The Rain, The Mountain, and The Sewing Man

I am constantly impressed with the passage of time.  I feel like I am grasping at wisps of life as they scatter past me, trying desperately not to let the important memories escape my capture.  We are so blessed to live!


Last night there was a torrential rain; all of Beijing climbed inside shelters and waited for the beautiful morning that would surely come.  But you all know me!  I put on my shoes and rain coat, grabbed Ian (my room-mate) and headed out into the rain.  There is, of course, that super cliché saying, "you only live once," but for me I think Steve Jobs expressed this thought more exactly:

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

So we went out in the rain...and it was so fun! A Chinese girl curled up under an umbrella stopped briefly to say in her broken English, "you are so cool!"  I hope you like the pictures; I thoroughly enjoyed the rain.

We decided to go play in the rain

We decided to go play in the rain2

the beautiful lights in the rain

The overflowing sewer

This is a major street... in the rain

Chinese Characters

Ian in the storm

a main street next to campus

Ian sliding in the rain

me playing in the storm

me running and sliding in the storm

minivan driving down the flooded streets 

playing in the rain

river or road? 

running down a flooded street

I climbed another mountain.  There have been a few of those over the last months--you should see my quads!!  Today was the perfect day to go because the sky was a deep blue allowing the entire city of Beijing to unfold below us.  Its a huge city--and I will miss it.

While climbing the mountain today (it was called the "Fragrant Hills" west of Beijing) I was struck with the idea of the "Mountain of the Lord," which, as you know, plays a key roll in our understanding of God and His house.  The Chinese are almost obsessed with mountains and the idea that a person's journey to the top is important to his life experience.  Thats why they have all those stairs.  I started wondering today about my personal mountain---the Lord's Mountain--and where I am in my journey.  I'm on the China stair case now, and glad for climb.  "I do not know what lies ahead of you," Elder Maxwell said in his last General Conference address, "...but my advice would be to fasten your seat belts and hold on firmly to your principles!"  The view from the top was fantastic.

Tibet is closed, and I am sad about it.  It doesn't make sense to people like us, born and raised in a land of liberty.  "Tibet is closed." That's like saying, "Sorry folks, Montana is closed for now.  No visiting until next year."  Except Tibet is more like the size of Texas and has the tallest mountain range in the world running it.  This is China though, and the political turmoil in the region has prompted the government to close the gates; even the Chinese are prohibited from entering.  So we are going to Yunnan!

"Yunnan" you say, "where is that?"  I'll tell you:  I don't know.  At least I didn't know until I looked it up on a big map of China.  Yunnan is just to the east and south of Tibet and nearly the southern most region of the country.  The south part is semi-tropical and there are monkeys; the north part has a plateau that is over 9,000 ft above sea level with mountain peaks that have yet to be summited.  6 Japanese climbers tried one last year: they were found dead the next spring.  Supposedly we are going to "Shangri La,"--a sort of Garden of Eden in China.  We are also headed to the Tiger Leaping Gorge--a canyon housing the Yangtze river that is so thin (according to legend) that a tiger can leap across it.  So am I excited?  I am completely thrilled.  I'm sorry to Elizabeth's boys though.  I will not be able to bring a rock back from Everest.  I will, however, bring a rock back from the Garden of Eden in China!

Finally, I took a walk a few days back down a Chinese market street.  My backpack was tearing along one of the seams and I wanted to find someone to fix it for me.  I found a man on a short three legged stool sitting in the street with a hand operated sewing machine.  He looked up and me and I mumbled something off in Chinese that he understood clearly, but he still corrected my grammar!  Then, for about 75 American cents he sewed up my backpack with one hand and turned the wheel with the other.  He wished me to "go slowly on my journey"--as the Chinese always do, and I and thanked him the best way I know how.  非常感谢您啊！ I think America could do with a few more people like the sewing man.

From the China's rain, to the Fragrant Hills, to the man on the stool--If there is anything I want to say here, it is to please remember how merciful the Lord has been.  He truly has been merciful to me.

Love to all.