Trip to China March 13th

We had a busy week getting ready to go to China but we made the flight to Seattle without a problem. We spent one night there and caught a night flight the next day to Beijing. We arrived in Beijing about 11:00 p.m. I thought everything was well until I started taking my bag up the ramp from the plane. It hit me all at once that I felt very sick. Ron had gone ahead and was waiting for me in the terminal.

What started as a sinus infection almost seven days prior to this turned into bronchial asthma. I felt fine in Seattle and while on the plane to Beijing. Pulling my luggage up the ramp felt like I was climbing a mountain with a very heavy load. I was out of breath and exhausted in the short distance to where Ron was waiting. I told him I needed to rest a minute. We stood there a few minutes until my heart beat got back to normal. We walked slower than usual through the airport terminal, through immigration and out to the airport exit. Ron began looking for the hotel buses. Since they built a new airport three years ago for the Olympics, everything had changed. He left me with the luggage and went looking for the bus. I literally sat down in the floor beside the bags and did not care that many people stared at me. Ron soon returned saying we might as well take a taxi. We had to stand in line outside for about 30 minutes as people were lined up for taxis. The air was invigorating and I could breathe deeply without a problem. When we got to the hotel, I quickly got in bed but the rasping in my chest was such I could not sleep. I don’t remember ever feeling so tired. Ron asked what we should do. I told him to wait until morning and see if I was better. He rested a few hours and awoke to see about me. I told him I could not sleep and would need a doctor but I had hoped we could reach Dr. Joshua (where we were going the next day) because I trusted him. Ron agreed and said we needed to get ready and get to the airport early so he could get a wheelchair for me. He thought we could get there quicker than I could be admitted and treated in a hospital. Since we arrived at the airport early, and although it took an hour for them to find a wheelchair for me, we still had plenty of time. They rolled me through fast security so that helped a lot. The young man that pushed the wheelchair took us to the gate and waited until the plane took off. We had a two hour flight to Zhengzhou. When we arrived, someone was waiting at the plane entrance with a wheelchair so they rolled me to the passenger waiting area when we met Joshua. I explained briefly how I felt and he got a taxi. On the way, he made a reservation at a hotel near his apartment. He said he lived on the 5th floor with elevators so he didn’t think I could make it there. His wife met us at the hotel with his medical kit. He first checked my oxygen level and although it was a little low, he said it did not appear that I had a lack of oxygen. He said if my oxygen had been less he would have taken me to the hospital for an X-ray but he did not think it was pneumonia. He heard the rasping in my upper chest and immediately asked if I had ever had asthma. I’ve had two episodes of something like this, but not to this extent. Once, while we lived in Montreal, Quebec, I was diagnosed with bronchial asthma. I was also sick with bronchitis while we lived in Beijing. Joshua called in a prescription for me that time. His wife went to the pharmacy and I began my round of medication. He said I definitely could not take the train that night that would have gotten us into Changsha after midnight so they returned the train tickets. He made us a flight for the next morning and said if I was not able to go, I could stay with them three days and he would put me on a flight straight to Nanning, where our son, Ronald, lives. I slept all afternoon and all night. He told me the medicine would help me sleep because I had lost two full nights of sleep with the flight over and the night in Beijing. Joshua is as fine a doctor as you will find anywhere and I trust him with my life. He and his wife are wonderful people. Ron met with Joshua to discuss plans to build a small hospital and clinic to serve the poor. We have funds from several individuals already so construction will start soon.

I was remarkably better the next morning after sleeping more than 12 hours. I showered and still felt strong enough to dress, go down for breakfast and catch the airport bus. I was able to walk through the terminal but we took it slow. I still had fatigue but not compared with the day before. Our plane was two hours late leaving so when we got to Changsha, they told us the bus from there to Pingxiang had left and we’d have to take a bus to the South bus station to get the 4:30 bus. We got to Pingxiang at 7 p.m. and were met by Abraham, the director of the Refuge of Grace Christian Care Center. We went to the hotel in Luxi and stayed in for the night. We went to bed very early. I was very tired and the rasping was still in my chest so I slept on several pillows to help me breathe better but I also had a headache for two days. I showered and went to the buffet breakfast (if you could call it that) and then back to the room. The breakfast consisted of rice soup (congee) that is terribly bland, balsam (steamed bread with a little meat filling inside) and boiled eggs. That’s all there was – nothing to drink. I went back to bed and rested until the group arrived to have church service in our room. There were two directors from other care centers that came there to meet with Ron. We had five men and Hope, our English worker and translator. After our worship and class, the two directors from the other care centers stayed to talk with Ron about their situations and ideas for what needs to be done at their care centers. At 11:30, we all went to Refuge of Grace to have lunch. The children were so precious waiting for us to arrive. After about 30 minutes of greeting them and having them all around us, we went inside for lunch. We got in line and ate with the children at their tables. One little girl about 3 or 4 years old at my table stopped eating and pouted when I sat down across from her. I could tell she was shy and maybe even scared so I ignored her. She finally began to eat as I was finishing my lunch. They had cooked cabbage, cooked winter melon, rice and a meat dish that I did not try. It was obviously hot because of the red pepper that occupied a major portion of the dish and I had no idea what kind of meat it was. I do not eat meat in China without knowing what it is.

At 2:30, a busload of university students arrived to put on a show for the children. The college kids nearly drove Ron and me crazy, asking questions constantly, wanting to practice their English. They put little stools out for the children to sit on and used the front entrance of the building for their stage. They had musical instruments and amplifiers that were loud and ear-piercing. They sang some songs, a boy did a magic show with coins and cards, and a group of girls did a hip-hop dance. A group of our little girls got up and danced around holding hands. It was very unorganized but because the children were very small, it was cute. About this time, two more buses arrived with well-dressed young families. We found out later they were from the city and had come to see the children. But also in the group were some of their little boys that performed a karate act. The children really enjoyed it. These people brought in loads of gifts for the children. Hope told me their office was piled up with many gifts of food and clothing. They brought clothing their children had outgrown. They were so well-dressed that there is no doubt the clothing they brought was nice.

It was sprinkling rain all day and the temperature was in the 40’s. I was a little concerned about being out in it but I had dressed in layers and did not feel cold. Ron did not bring warm clothing like I did so he was chilled and taking a cold already. I was more concerned about him. He has a bad infection now that is worse than just an ordinary cold. We went back to the hotel about 4 p.m. and both went to bed at 6 p.m. It was 5 a.m. when we awoke. Abraham came at 7:45 a.m. to take us to a meeting with the government official. It was about an hour long meeting and then we went to the bus terminal to catch a 10:30 a.m. bus back to Changsha.

We had rain and fog in Beijing which delayed our flight out of there and every flight we took thereafter. We saw a little sun in Zhengzhou the day we arrived but have not had any more. We have traveled a very long way from Beijing to Nanning and still there’s a heavy cloud cover mixed with smog and fog. Every flight is delayed and the airports are a real mess.

When our flight was finally called from Changsha to Nanning, we boarded and waited and waited. They brought everyone a dessert snack (cookies, cake and a few other things). By the time they picked the garbage back up, the plane was still sitting on the runway. They had us all go back to the airport waiting room, taking our luggage back off as well. In about an hour, they started giving out the dinner meal to people in the waiting area. Before anyone could finish eating, however, they started boarding again. We got to Nanning about 7:30 p.m. We had been in the airport since noon when the bus arrived from Pingxiang to Changsha.

I told Ron if we had not had bad luck on this entire trip, we would have had no luck at all. We still have problems. Our flights from Nanning to Hong Kong next week have been cancelled twice. We now have reservations to go into Shenzhen (I think) which is right across from Hong Kong. We will have to take the subway from this airport into Hong Kong. We are hoping it will not be cancelled.

Ronald and his assistant met us at the airport when we arrived in Nanning. We took a bus to a terminal not too far from Ronald’s apartment and then took a taxi to the building. We are staying with him but I worry that he will get sick before we leave. He has a small bed in the room with his office so he took that room and gave us the king-size bed. He has a very nice apartment but the humidity is so high, mold is on everything and nothing will dry. He has a washer and a drying room but with the moisture, nothing dries for days and days. They bought a dehumidifier this afternoon. He has some plants (which are healthy) but water is literally dropping off of the leaves. Two days ago he showed us a wood picture frame that he had cleaned two days earlier and mold was all over it l/4” thick. I have never seen anything like this. It is mild outside and comfortable inside but you can feel the stickiness of the high humidity.

Yesterday morning, we walked quite a long way to the police station to register. Foreigners are normally registered with the police through the hotel where they are staying but since we are at Ronald’s apartment, we had to register within 24 hours of our arrival. The walk was through muddy alleyways, markets, and shopping areas before we reached the police station. I was feeling really tired but able to walk. They had put newspapers on the tile floor of the police station because of the muddy shoes that constantly tracked in water and mud. It was still horrible. Of course, they spoke no English even though they are registering foreigners. Ronald had to get Max, his translator, on the phone to talk to the girl for a few minutes to explain that we were staying with him. He had papers to prove his address and resident permit. The girl looked at all the VISAs in our passports (even those expired) and all the stamps in the passports collected from entering and leaving China through the years. She apparently did a complete police check on us also. It took a long time. Banking is the same way. You cannot do any transaction quickly.

When we returned to the apartment, I went back to bed to rest. Ronald and Ron went to the grocery store. Ronald and I have fixed some good stir-fry meals and we are enjoying being with him. He’s in his office on the computer all day and Ron’s on this computer. I only have it now because they are gone. I have rested, read, and crocheted. It’s been a good time for me to gain back my strength. I have almost completed the medication and I only have a small amount of congestion in my bronchi with a little coughing. But, the fatigue has been difficult. I have an autoimmune disease called Sjogren ’s syndrome. I was diagnosed in 1990 right before we moved from St. Barth’s (in the Caribbean) to Montreal, Quebec. This disease is related to and similar to Lupus in that the immune system has turned against itself and destroyed the moisture glands. I have no saliva or tears. I have learned to have something to drink when I eat to keep from choking and eye drops to keep my eyes moist. Along with these two major symptoms, there are many others, including fatigue. Whenever I get sick, it takes me two or three times longer than anyone else to get over it. My immune system is overactive (which resulted in the destruction of the moisture glands) so I can’t do much to improve it. For severe symptoms, prednisone or other NSAIDS are given to reduce inflammation in the body but I have never been given these drugs. I avoid taking anything because the side-effects are sometimes worse than the problem. There is no cure for Sjogren ’s syndrome. It’s just a matter of controlling it and enduring it. It just takes time to get over an illness and gain back my normal level of energy.

We are waiting for the government in Tiendeng (John Connor Brown Care Center) to give us an appointment before going there. They are causing some trouble for our director and we expect they do not want to meet with Ron and will not find time for us while we are here. Ron will just have to give them fair warning in a letter that we will not continue to tolerate their troublemaking. There are new workers now from the ones we dealt with in the past and our director says they just want a bribe, which they will never get. We planned to visit Wesley’s House Christian Care Center in Pingguo tomorrow. We will take a train early in the morning and return by bus in the afternoon. It’s just an hour or so away. Many shipments of blankets came to Ronald’s apartment so we have packed them in suitcases to take to Wesley’s House tomorrow.

We leave Nanning on the 30th and will be in Hong Kong until April 3rd. Ron will speak at the congregation in Hong Kong on April lst. Ronald will go with us to Hong Kong because his wife, Gigi, and her parents are coming there for a couple of days. It will be our first time to meet them. Gigi was only able to get a VISA for a single entry for one month so she will return to Nanning with Ronald on April 3rd. She has met him in Hong Kong twice but it’s the first time she’s been able to get a VISA for China. Ronald and Gigi wanted all of their parents to meet because we never know if there will be another opportunity. They wanted to treat Gigi’s parents and us to a tour in Hong Kong. It will be a little sad with everyone going different directions on the 3rd, but I will be very happy that Gigi is coming back for a month in China. We hope this is a start to get her to China full-time but we have to work it out for that to happen.

This has been a difficult trip. I think it’s hard enough when we feel well. While I was so very sick, Ron carried his luggage and mine. I know that was very hard for him. I will take much less from now on but 3+ weeks with a few clothes is difficult unless you have time somewhere along the way to wash out a few things. With this humidity, nothing dries, so it was not possible on this trip. I realize that nothing goes as planned on most trips, but every time we turned around, there was another delay or problem this time.

We shipped a box of blankets by FedEx and put a few miscellaneous things in for Ronald so we didn’t have to carry them on the plane. Wouldn’t you know it, the bill inside the box with the list of contents was lost and we’ve been fighting a battle with FedEx locally. They wanted to know every item inside, brand name, cost and weight. Of course, I had to just guess at all of that and then remembered a few things later that I did not mention. They are going to charge us tax or duty on the items. It’s still held by the FedEx office so I don’t know when they will release it. If they are unreasonable, it will cost more than what I paid for the items. I won’t try that again. It is the way of everything in China – difficult.

I know my writing has been rambling and poorly written. I have to share the computer with Ron so I didn’t have time to write things down as they happened. I didn’t feel like it anyway. I hope that the rest of our trip goes better than the first half. We hope to leave Hong Kong on April 3rd, spend one night in Seattle on our way back. We are supposed to arrive in Dallas on April 5th.

Thanks for your interest in us, our work and for your prayers.