“Lao wai! Lao wai! ” yelled about twenty taxi drivers who were hooting and hollering at my room-mate and I. Our faces were turning red as I understood the group of men using the slang word for foreigner. How embarrassing! After a little bit of bartering, Sonata and I were climbing onto the back of not a normal taxi-cab, but a motorcycle taxi (imagine a normal motorcycle with just a little bit longer seat). So there I was on the back of this motorcycle taxi with Sonata and the taxi driver, holding on for dear life as we whizzed down the street. We seemed to make every illegal turn imaginable, and even drove up on the sidewalk. In Asia, there are no rules to the road. We finally arrived safely to our destination, looking disheveled but with no injuries! Hallelujah!
I have officially been in Asia for over a week and just when I think I have experienced it all, I climb on a motorcycle taxi and go for a ride. This week has been absolutely crazy and full of unexpected twists and turns. Our week started out with our very first “family party” in Asia. This was such an encouraging time for the whole group as we were able to share what God has been doing in each of our lives the past couple of days. I walked away feeling very refreshed and excited to see what God was doing.
It was very exciting for me to finally get to meet two friends, Kellie and Fancy. Kellie and Fancy have been in the family since last year and were very excited to meet the new team. They are such sweet girls and immediately decided that they liked me. By the end of the night they were holding my hand and asking when we could hang out next. Keep talking to God about these two girls, and ask that He continues to reveal who He is to them.
After over a week of hunting, and 23 apartments later…. We are officially moving into our apartment tomorrow! It really has been such a blessing to see the Father’s provision in this whole journey. It was first out of our price range; he then came down 500 kuai, putting it exactly in our yearly budget. Apartments in Asia are very different then those in America, and are a lot smaller. Our kitchen and bathroom are as big as a medium sized closet, and my bed folds out from the wall. But He is gracious to provide all of our needs and I am so thankful that we finally have a place to call home for the next 10 months.
Firsts:
- Asian Karaoke (it’s a big deal here!)
- Motorcycle Taxi
- Had Milk Tea
- Ordered a meal all by myself in the right language!