Beautiful British Columbia

Our son Matthew says Vancouver, British Columbia is the most beautiful city in the world, and we think he may be right. This month we had the unexpected opportunity to travel to Vancouver to speak at the Campus Staff training of Campus Crusade for Christ of Canada. We were there for only 8 days. It's a long way to travel for a short visit, but who could resist an all-expense-paid trip to the most beautiful city in the world?

James gave devotionals from the Gospel of John each morning for all of the staff. I spoke to the young moms, about Delighting in God, and Dealing with Pain and Suffering (topics from my Spiritual Growth class).

James was especially happy to spend time with the Canadian CCC staff. Some of them were his good friends in university 30 years ago. For both of us the real highlight was being with our son Matthew. He is beginning his third year at University of British Columbia.

We're grateful to God for that special treat, and now we're home again.

Shopping in Old Manila

I spent seven hours shopping yesterday with my good friend Michelle in a part of the old city of Manila called Divisoria! It was a wonderful day, mostly because we just enjoy spending time together. Divisoria is such an amazing place. I think you could buy ANYTHING there, from auto parts to fresh fish to wedding dresses.

And no trip to Divisoria is complete without buying a giant shopping bag to bring home your purchases. We didn't buy these fancy ones with Winnie the Pooh, though. We settled for the plain ten peso kind.

We bought fabric, beads, clothes, jewelry, house decor, Chinese medicine, batteries, buttons, gifts, and several other things I can't remember. Oh, yes, fresh lychees!

A Giant Bowl of Ice Cold Soup

We were invited out for dinner the other night by some of our students from Korea. There are hundreds of Korean restaurants in Manila, but this couple loves us dearly and wanted to treat us to the best. So we went to an outstanding restaurant specializing in grilled beef. It was wonderful . . . although I found myself laughing inside at the whole issue of "cultural adjustment" which has followed us daily for the last 28 years. The beef was cooked at the table on a grill. Then you pick up a few slices with your chopsticks, dip them in sauce, wrap them in a big lettuce leaf and pop it all in your mouth. The first time around, I put half of the beef in my mouth. Our friends admonished me that the proper thing to do was not to bite it in half, but to put ALL of it in my mouth. So the next time around, I did it correctly, and as I struggled to find a way to chew it, they smiled approvingly. The thought went through my mind, "My mother would be horrified if she saw me eating like this!" I guess that is what culture shock is all about -- doing things your mother taught you that you should never do. After all, the real storehouse of culture is not found in museums . . . it's taught by moms and dads (mostly moms) who tell their kids, "This is the way to do it, this is how it should be, stop doing that, what were you thinking?!"

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After we were totally stuffed with the beef, the waitress brought giant bowls of ice cold noodle soup. And the only way to really get those noodles into your mouth was to slurp them. Sorry, Mom. I had to.

And after that we went to Starbucks for coffee. Our unique lives at IGSL are a blend of many cultures, so it seemed perfectly normal to follow the ice cold noodles with a steaming hot cappucino. We sat and talked for a long time, and had a very precious time of fellowship. We felt so loved . . . and perfectly cared for.