“Well, hello there, my fine, furry friends from Finland! ‘Tis just me again. My, oh my, where do I start?! Sooo much has happened this week and it’s been awesome! I am still in China enjoying the squatty potties! =P

“We had lots of crazy bus rides! =D There are people that smoke everywhere you go and also drink. =( There are lots of people that stare, and, yes, I’m grinning as I typed those items. =)

“One day, my group was on our way to find a lake and some kids our age stopped and asked where we were going. They wanted to take us there on their bikes. =D Not pedal bikes, more like little motor/dirt bike type things. So we each hopped on the back of a bike and away we went.  I am pretty sure I grinned like a peacock the whole way there! It was AWESOME! Needless to say, I probably weighed the same amount as the girl and the guy together that I was on the bike with. =) They are so skinny and small, they make us all look big! Most of the time there was only two to a bike, but later on we had up to four on a bike.  Imagine that! (Grin). We decided maybe we should bring the bike trend over to the states (LOL). Can’t you just see Sara, Brandon, and me hauling around Plain City on bikes? He,he!=D

“So the rest of the day, we chilled and hung out with those kids. They took us to one of their houses for supper. It was amazing just hanging out with friendly kids who we could barely talk to, but we still managed to communicate here and there with motions and a little phrase book. Some of them had very interesting hair colors/hairdos with tattoos and piercings. But you know what? In His eyes that doesn’t make a difference. We are here to MAKE a difference in their lives! We left the main girl a ‘gift’ that will hopefully impact her life, as well as all her friends’ lives.

“I keep ‘yarping’ for all those kids and trusting Him that He can turn their lives to Him. So, yeah, that day was definitely a highlight of the week!

“We ‘yarp’ walked to many villages this week and each day I felt like we had accomplished a lot and covered a lot of ground. Even though, we can’t see change, we can still trust.

“Another highlight of the week was sleeping in a Muslim home for the night.  We were ‘yarp’ walking and they invited us in for drinks and then made us supper. They then invited us to sleep there and so we showered and started playing ‘do-dee-ju’ with them (a card game that Andrew taught us and they know how to play, so that definitely helped with the language barrier!).

“It was a very interesting night!! Sara and I got um, welllll, ummmm…’back rubs’…if you could call it that. (LOL) Mother, I wasn’t going to tell you until we got home where I could just show you pictures without saying anything, because you would have a heart attack. If this says anything, then you can still see the effects of their ‘special kind of back rub’ all over our backs. It looks like we got a beating. =/ It actualy felt good, for the most part! But then, towards the end, it was a little much. It was a grand experience in itself. =)

“Anyway, I’m amazed and will always be amazed at the hospitality of the people here.  Everywhere we go, we get invited in for tea or food. It is something that people back home could benefit by aquiring the habit. =) They give us everything, when they have nothing. Our way of living is so different.

“Last night, we slept in a hotel that wasn’t the most fit and it didn’t smell very good. As Sara put it, ‘we slept on a rock for a pillow.’ =) But He is good and, hey, we’re not out on the street sleeping! It makes me thankful for what I have!

“We’ve been having fun eating with chopsticks, playing do-dee-ju, laughing our heads off, ‘yarp’ walking, passing out candy and balloons to village children, and giving ‘gifts’ to our hosts and others.  It feels so good to be doing something worthwhile. =) You all are missing out! =)

“Tonight we go on a sleeper bus overnight and join up with the other group tomorrow.  I can’t wait to see them again. It’s going to be a grand reunion! (Grin). Anyway, this is forever long and once I get started I don’t stop. =P I hope I didn’t bore you guys into falling asleep. Have a good one!   —Just Jill”

Jill is on a mission trip to China and several other Asian countries through Global Tribes Outreach. She will be gone the entire month of September and will return to the United States with her friends, Brandon and Sara, on September 30. In October, you can ask her all about her travels when she returns to Plain City Druggist. Please keep Jill and her friends in your prayers as they ‘yarp’ (pray) walk throughout the countries they visit. You can read all of Jill’s adventurous emails by going under “PCD Staff” in the “Categories” box on the left side of the blog.  You can also email Jill at juzjilly@gmail.com