Today was quite an adventure getting to church. On a normal Sunday, we
leave around 9:40 and take two taxis the 15 minute ride to our fellowship. We
were on skype this morning with our family in South Dakota until around 8:30
am. In the midst of that conversation we got a call from our friends, who have
a minivan, offering us a ride. Snow was covering the streets and we didn’t see
many taxis about, so we were thrilled with their kind offer. Now keep in mind,
their vehicle holds 9 passengers. We have seven in our family, and they have
five. Things would be a little squished, but that was okay with us. As we
drove by the gate where many of our team members catch taxis, our friends
stopped to offer a mom and her two kids a ride too. (Her husband had to return
to the states during Chrsitmas break to be with his father in hospice care).
Now we were really crammed with 15 in the 9 passenger van! But we were nice
and cozy. We made it to church and our friends told us they had lunch plans so
we’d have to get our own ride home. After the service we met up with another
family of five to try and get taxis to lunch. What normally is a short walk
from the church building to the street to catch a taxi felt like forever. The
wind was gusting against our faces and the snow was still pretty deep in the
parking lot. We finally made it to the street, but no taxis were to be found.
When it snows here in the city, the Chinese, who would normally ride a bike or
take a bus, will spend the money for a taxi. So we decided to walk to a nearby
restaurant for lunch. Again the wind whipped through our bodies, sending
chills. After eating we had to face the same problem again…how to get a
taxi. At this point we needed four taxis for all the people in our party.
After no luck we decided to walk, some more, to the nearby bus stop. As we
walked along our party was spread over at least one block. Some in front, some
in the rear. Actually the ones in the rear were the lucky ones…a taxi came
along. Maddie was in that group. The rest of us made it to the bus stop and
caught the next one after about a 5 minute wait. Which doesn’t seem long, but
when it’s 17 degrees outside…one can get a little chilly. We boarded the bus
and began our ride home. Unfortunately the stop nearest our apartment is at
least a 20 minute to walk to our apartment. There we were again in the freezing
cold. All the kids stayed in good spirits. Sean carried Megan. She kept
saying, “I cold daddy.” We spent the remainder of the day in our warm, cozy
apartment.

On Saturday night Michael and Rachel attended their first high school
banquet. Sean was asked as a teacher to chaperon, so he and I go to attend as
well! The event was held at a hotel located near our school. The kids enjoyed
getting dressed up and going out. Each of them had a date with a friend from
school. The evening included a nice buffet, (which had exceptional sushi),
some talent from various high school students, a drawing for door prizes, and we
thought would be ending with a dance. The dance didn’t end up happening, so
many of Michael and Rachel’s friends came to our apartment to hang out, drink
apple cider, and have fun. As we left the hotel, we had a nice
surprise…snow!! Read Jessie’s blog for more about that.