This past weekend Titus, Michael and I made the half-day train and bus trip to Pingtan village, our future home. Moving date is set for July 10th -- about one month! Drew couldn't make it because, well, he's doing business in several cities of Saudi Arabia for about two weeks. Earlier we had planned to meet our landlord and sign the rental housing contract this weekend. Rather than delaying, we decided that I would go without Drew and handle the matter.
Done.
This was no small feat.
Here we are in our landlord, Wu Zhe's empty home -- our future home -- where he and his enormous extended family had gathered to prepare an impressive dinner. They went through serious pains to offer hospitality, not to mention having recently renovated the kitchen and bathrooms in anticipation of our moving in.
This is the day I had to be a man, in Drew's place. All the ladies and children were seated at a side table, all the men relatives at the main table, and me in the place of honor next to Wu Zhe, where Drew would have been. In God's grace I had a blast keeping up with man-toasting and joking and political village talk in this immensely significant meal that outweighs any signature on a contract.
Then we did sign, but only because we had said all the right things and clanked our glasses together fifty times prior.
Wu Zhe, his wife Ou Rong and child Q-Mei were all at the lunch, and saw us of at the bus station the next day too.
HEY.
Wanna see a few sneak peaks of our house?
That wasn't very satisfying was it? I know. I'll get more next time. When we move in!
The house is a traditional wooden Dong structure with three levels. The first level is a concrete basement, a place for animals, farm implements, mud and firewood. Level two is the living space, kitchen, bathroom and what will be our homeschool room. The upstairs has three bedrooms and a landing space. The walls and floors are single planks of wood, and very beautiful. Electrical is run in casings outside the walls. There is no heating or cooling, or insulation, but I think it's probably not really necessary. Turn on a fan in the summer, layer up in the winter.
Positionally, the house is crunched in between relatives' homes on all four sides. We won't have much breeze or sun exposure, but that's ok because who would want to do her living indoors when she is in a gorgeous green mountain river valley? Neighbors' walls are just a foot from our own, and sounds travel well through those pretty wood planks, but I see an advantage here too: Our sounds, our lives are transparent, exposed, and immersed right in the midst of our neighbors'.
Plus. Get this y'all. I timed the walk to school -- behind the chicken coop, around the rice paddy, past the altar to local spirits and BAM! Titus & Mike are at the school gate in only 43 seconds. We are also just a skip from the river, mountain trails, and the main road which has general stores, a post office and a somewhat-hourly bus into town.
I suppose since photos of our home were few, at least I could show you a little more of the village! Every five days there is a market.
There is so much more to show you, but let's pause here, ok? I hope you're beginning to dream about coming to visit. Or even... coming to live here. It's a beautiful environment, home to hard-working, warm, trustworthy folks. There is much redemptive work aching to be carried out, and whispers of a redemptive message waiting to be articulated.
counting the graces
thank you Father for
recently a deeper understanding of the boundless grace that you have extended to me personally, and connecting this to Romans 6-7
N&N's empowerment
that liberated moment walking around the village at dusk on the first night thinking, I'm home
seeing for miles and green miles across the misty mountains early in the morning
smooth, tight connections, quiet and clean travel with two helpful companions, Titus & Mike
purple little wildflowers growing at Titus schoolyard here in Changsha
staying up late around the fire pit, and playing guitars with N&N
dreaming of decorating our new house, cleaning up the junk yard out front, making use of the adjacent empty chicken coop
dreaming of sharing this beautiful village home with my visiting parents, and someday other siblings too
