Great Wall

The Great Wall of China is massive. I don’t if all of you knew that but it’s huge. It winds and winds and seemingly never stops. It was one of the few tourist sites in China that I really anticipated visiting. I was unsure of what

it would be like to see the fabled wall. I’m sure that you could Google Great Wall jokes and find about a million one liners mocking the Chinese for building a wall to protect a country. I’m sure you could also Google image search the Great Wall and find a few breathtaking photos. These two distinctly different views were in my mind as I eagerly anticipated viewing t

he wall.

Well a few weeks ago I was privileged to go and view the Great Wall. I was privileged because I was able to go and view the wall in an unorthodox manner. Micah and I recently made friends with a Chinese man named Larry. We met Larry while playing basketball. We ate dinner with Larry once. The next day Micah and I were being driven Larry’s Mom

’s Car. She had no idea her son was taking two Americans to the Great Wall. Larry had told her that the car would not leave Beijing. The Great Wall is 90 minutes from Beijing. Larry had known Micah and me for two days!

Larry brought his friend Ted and we all went and saw the Great Wall. The Great Wall is a tribute to man power. It is a legitimate source of national pride. Many people died to create the Wall, but today it stands as a magnificent testament to the man power that only China can muster.

My journey to the Great Wall is a testament to the friendliness of the Chinese people. Two young men took their entire day to take two Americans that they hardly knew to the Great Wall. They drove us there. They took us to an amazing restaurant. They answered all of our questions. They took pictures with us. They helped us barter for t-shirt

s. There hospitality is something that I will never forget.

China.

Dear Friends,

I would like to welcome you to my blog. As many of you know I have spent the last three weeks in Beijing, China. I will be spending the next 10 months here, and while I'm here I would like to keep you all posted with the many things that have been going on in my life.

The last three weeks have been a blur, but here's the breakdown. I make it to China safe and sound. On the flight to Newark, my eardrum nearly exploded, but other than that everything went smoothly. The flight from Newark to Beijing was probably the most difficult part of the whole trip, simply because it was when reality finally set it. I was in a row of strangers on a plain full of Asians with a TV screen loaded with movies and a hot dog in a plastic wrap.When you have a hot dog in a plastic wrap, you can't sleep, and all the tension from leaving your friends and family behind hits what can you do but pr*y.

I love the food in China, I love the people, and I love my job. Currently my teaching job is rather cushy. I teach a total of ten periods a week! All the same lesson! Not only that Micah and I co-teach. Supposedly things will change. Micah and I are suppose to have our own classes and we are suppose to each teach 2o periods a week., but who knows if this will ever happen.

Friday was Teacher's Day. Teacher's Day in China is serious business. Every teacher receives a multitude of gifts. I received a crazy pen, a few journals, some awesome cards, a wooden key chain, a fake flower, and a feminine clover leaf necklace. What made it so much fun was not expecting all of these things.

My other full time job is always slowly gaining speed. Teaching from the Word is incredible. So far I have experience one study and taught one CSI class. Micah and I co-teach catechism. This is incredible. Our students are on fire for the Word. The fellowship warms your heart and makes you excited to be a Christian. The passion that my brothers and sister have is phenomenal many of them spend at least 3 hours at various studies throughout the week. Next week I think that I will be attending at least 5 studies and teaching 3.

I spend a lot of my other time trying to place myself in uncomfortable situations. I think that this has been an effective way to fledge into Chine culture. I have a few good stories from the last few weeks involving this third pastime. They include trips to the Great Wall, Wal-Mart, the Bird's Nest, the Watercube, the Beijing Zoo, and the basketball courts.

This is the reason that the background image for my blog is a basketball court. I've played basketball at least five times and these experience are just awesome. Basketball has been my primary means for meeting people. My experiences have shown me that sport is the international bond between males.

Ms. Ella Bella, I miss playing with you. Make sure that Dolly doesn't get out of hand and if she does you should probably put her time-out.

I pray that all of you are experiencing the riches of God's grace, and that God continues to challenge all of you in order that you place all of your trust in him.

Matthew James Werner