I lifted my chopsticks and skeptically picked up the cube of coagulated chicken’s blood from my bowl. I was having hot pot, which is a glorified DIY soup you can get at restaurants here. They provide the pot, fire and water, and you put in the veggies and meat and wait for it to cook. My Asian friend, Ellen, had scooped the jiggly cube it out of the pot and put it in my bowl of dipping sauce, saying, “Have a try!” There was no way of getting out of it – I had to eat it. So I dipped it in my sauce and put it in my mouth. I was relieved to find that coagulated chicken’s blood has no discernible taste, and was able to eat it easily, but didn’t volunteer to eat any more. So far, I’ve also eaten bamboo, cow stomach, and probably cow tongue, and I’m sure the list of questionable food will continue to grow longer!
Thank you so much for keeping me in your thoughts! To keep you updated, I have been distracted lately, specifically wondering what God wants me to do next year. I need to keep my thoughts and concerns here because this is where God has me this year. Also, Duke and I are continuing to work on our partnership, and God has been blessing our efforts, little by little. So if you could pray about those for me, that would be great!
I have really been growing in many different ways since I got here. I’m more used to the culture, less worrisome than I used to be, better at trusting Dad, and quicker to lean on His strength instead of my own. It’s been really cool, and there are still eight months left for Him to mold me here! I’m making good friends like Ellen here, too. I’m really excited to see how God’s going to grow me more and what He’s going to have me do this year!
I wish you all fantastic weeks!
~Cozy!
P.S. I’ve got pictures up, so you should go check those out! I’m taking requests, so let me know what you want to see!