what china taught me

Blood is not thicker than water.
Sure, there is a lot to be said for the blessing of a biological family, of which I believe I have one of the best. However, the old saying is just that. A saying. Because no blood ties me to my sons, and yet no bond aside from that I have with Jase, is stronger than that with my babies. My love for them, for all four of our children, is of course intense. But my love for my sons is different. Not greater. Just different. And yet miraculously the same. Blood is definitely not thicker than water.

All people have an innate desire to be free.
I listened to our Zhengzhou guide explain to us how hard it is to live in a communist country. No freedom of religion. No freedom of the press. No freedom to grow your family in the way you would like. He has never known the liberty that I enjoy and yet, he knows he wants to. Any government that promises provision and care at the expense of it's citizens' freedom, is an oppressive one. And people here know this.

I can rock a squatty potty when push comes to shove. 
{I'll give you a minute to process that.}
You got it. A hole in the floor. No other option. And no toilet paper either for that matter. But given the circumstances, squatty it had to be. It would have been nice if on the day I had to first navigate the squatty, I had worn one of the six little {convenient for squatty} dresses I brought to China. Instead, I chose bermuda shorts that morning. Not a good choice when a squatty is your fate. I will leave you to ponder this...but sufficed to say, bermudas are too long to pull down far "enough" to stay off of the disgusting floor AND stay dry from your own output while you are hovering over a hole to do your business. It'd also be really nice if other women would shut the door when they are using the squatty for themselves instead of leaving it open for me to walk by. Nuff said.

My husband is a rock star when it comes to international travel.
This is not news to me. But it's a lesson I continue to learn. He keeps me safe. Is my eyes and ears when we're crossing a busy intersection or walking through a sketchy part of town. He can carry twice as much luggage as I can, can calm a fussy baby and bring us lunch all at once. He doesn't rattle easily and brings peace to my anxiety. I adore Jase  and wouldn't want to go anywhere in the world without him.

Love for Jesus and the gratitude His people have because of their salvation transcends culture, country and color. 
I blogged about this to a degree a few days ago after having attended a worship service in China. But it's still fresh on my mind. How good the Lord is. How patient and gracious to graft us into Him. And to give us the blessing of being able to worship together with others who are so different than we are. That worship is sweet and rich. I'm sure it was a pleasant offering to Him Sunday. It was for me. He was there. In a country He created but one where He is mostly not welcomed. How humbling to meet Him here and to do so with like minded believers.

There's no place like home.
No ellaboration neccessary.