China and Wifi...

Hello my long lost bloggy friends :)

So, I'm supposed to be in China and Taiwan, updating you all on my journey... Well I am in China (actually I just arrived in Taiwan a couple days ago) but I had very, very little access to wifi while I was in China, almost none of the hotels had it and when they did we were usually gone for the whole day, came back and slept, then moved on to the next town and hotel the next morning so there hasn't been a lot of blogging opportunities. 

In Taiwan though there has been great wifi service so hopeful I'll be able to keep you all a bit more in the loop. I will do a whole summery of my trip when I get home but for now I will just briefly go over my thoughts thus far and what I am doing right now in Taiwan. 

My sister and I saying goodbye at the airport (right now she is also abroad in Italy for music but I will touch on that another day).

Thus far it's been so awesome! I have learned more about my Father, how He loves His children and how sovereign and good He is. I have also had life changing experiences and made new lifelong friends. 

 

I absolutely love China! I love the food, the culture, the people...etc

Now there will always be things I don't like or even agree with but as a whole I love this country and so look forward to the day (Lord willing) when I will get to live here and be in China everyday! 

We spent a lot of time in Guangxi, Southern China, and I loved it! We went to some large cities but also got to spend  a lot of time in the countryside. I will be in the rural countryside in north eastern China someday so it was really cool for me to see and experience what the countryside in the south was like :) 

Right now I'm at a University in Yilan (about an hour from Taipei) which is located very deep in the mountains. I can also see the Pacific Ocean from here though! Maybe if I look far enough I can see my home in Cali ;) 

 

I am working as a student leader and have six students that I am leading and guiding through the camp and all the topics, and so on. I was really blessed with my group! Most of them are actually around my age so sometimes it can be kind of awkward for me leading them and being their teacher but they are so great and just go with it! They are creative and most of them are not afraid to speak up and add their opinions and add to the conversations (a lot of the students are very quite and timid). 

 

I am also having a great time with the volunteer staff! They are all so fun to be around. The past couple of nights we have walked up from the dorms to the gym (this place is so big, it takes thirty minutes to get from the dorms to the gym!) and watched some of the men play basketball and is girls would play volleyball or just did around and talk. I also had my first ride on a motor bicycle (here they are like in between a motorcycle and a moped)! Because the gym is so far away some of the volunteers would give us rides up or down :) 

(This one is actually the outside court)

One girl who is here as one of the volunteers in particular has become dear to me. 

Her name is Kiwi. She is like an older sister to me, always watching over and taking care of me yet at the same time treating me as an equal. She is so kind and sweet! She reminds me a lot of my big sisters at home. It makes me miss them...

Well the countdown to me going home has begun. Only four days left! I have very mixed feeling about leaving. I'm ready to be home, see my family, and get back into helping in any way I can to bring Sevi home (we are so close!) but at the same time I love it here and wi miss everyone I have met so, so much! Hopefully it won't be too long before I come back.

 

Gabby