Life in the Middle Kingdom
From our trip this winter to the Great Wall. So beautiful!
Though we had planned to work overseas before we were even married, when my husband suggested moving to China, my first reaction was not a pretty one. “If I die and never step foot on the entire Asian continent, I will be more than happy” were pretty much the first words out of my mouth after his suggestion. Whoa…where did that reaction come from? Even I was shocked at how caustic my reply was. In fact, I was so shocked that I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and after a lot of kneeling on my part, I realized that we were indeed being called to China for a time. So, in 2007, we headed off for what was supposed to be a 2-year adventure in the Middle Kingdom.
Our first year is mostly a blur to me now. We felt the deep needs all around us, so we wore ourselves out trying to meet those needs, whether they were physical, mental, or spiritual. It was our first year as workers in a foreign land, and we hadn’t yet learned that you can’t do it all by yourself! We learned soon enough We formed lots of great relationships that year, and we watched Him work in ways that still amaze us to this day. It was the 2nd year that turned out to be the hardest one. As soon as we returned from a short trip home, we started getting sick. If my husband wasn’t sick, I was, and it wore us out quickly. I started to experience strange headaches with dizziness and confusion quite frequently, and to this day, we have no idea what caused it. The amazing part is that though it lasted for more than three months, the sickness ended almost exactly a week before I got pregnant! I will never stop being thankful for this miracle and the fact that my little lady is so healthy. Being pregnant in China was interesting. I was told to eat pig’s paw for the health of the baby, never to drink anything cold (isn’t ice cream supposed to be a staple during pregnancy? ), and to wear protective clothing when using a computer or any type of electronics. I also frequently heard, “Mrs. Rosenhahn, you are getting so fat!” It was so hard not to laugh every time! It’s perfectly acceptable to call someone fat in China, or so they say
Me and a student at my Chinese baby shower. All the pregnant women in China wear overalls most of the time to give the baby more room. I got these sweet ones for my birthday
Something happened to me that second year that hasn’t quite healed yet, and we are headed back to America on June 21st because I’ve made the choice to go home to figure some things out. I do not say this without heavy-heartedness and a great deal of shame, but I guess I thought I was more ready to sacrifice my life than I really was. I always sang songs about giving it all to Him and kneeled asking Him to use me, and I thought I meant it. Then I came here. I realized that giving it all sometimes means living day to day away from everyone you love in a culture that you don’t understand – and sometimes don’t like. It sometimes means watching bad things and good things happen to friends and family and not being able to really be a part of their lives. It sometimes means really having to trust Him when I’m sick in ways that I never had to trust Him in America because I can’t just go to the doctor to be fixed. It sometimes means feeling like you are living a half-life because you never really feel at home again, no matter where you are. I posted a quote from Hudson Taylor on my site a few weeks ago, and it still challenges me. I don’t want to look back over my life and know that I had MY life…that I made MY safe choices. But I realize now, for the first time in my life, that I do want those things at the same time. As Paul says in the Good Book, “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate”.
So why am I sharing this? To encourage you to lift up and support those you know who are working in another country. Whether they tell you or not, every day presents new challenges and they need you! Even if you love everything about where you are and what He is using you to do, you still ache with missing loved ones. You still miss the comfort of understanding the things around you and feeling understood. I have no idea whether or not we’ll be back here someday, but I do know that these two years have forever changed the way that I will view…and hopefully support…foreign workers when I am in America. I realize now that they are making a greater sacrifice than I ever realized, and I want to be behind them, cheering them on and making the rough road just a little bit smoother.
“Go, send, or disobey.” — John Piper
Two dear friends helping me bake cookies in our tiny kitchen. There aren’t many sweets in China, so it was often hilarious to watch student faces when we offered cookies….some were not big fans
Our tiny evil dog. Seriously, she was a little bit evil, but we loved her anyway. She now lives with a family in another city who treats her like a princess. We were not able to keep her since biting and babies don’t mix well!
Yes, a chicken foot. Don’t worry, he didn’t really eat it
Yes, scorpions. I regret to inform you that we DID eat these. They aren’t so bad, but I had to spit out the locust…disgusting. Other delicacies at this particular dinner: sea worm, sea cucumber, and sea urchin. Yummy
After the Sichuan earthquake, these shirts became a common way one could show one’s support of China. We were happy to wear one to show our love for our students!
Thanks for being so transparent! May God be glorified in and through you (and your time in China)! ♥ Michelle
Hi,
Thank you for your post. That is such a cool picture of your family on the wall!
I pray that you get the answers you are seeking.
Blessings
Honey
May God bless you for the work and sacrifices that you made. I pray that you find the answers you are needing while here in America!
I am so thankful that God helped and guided you through your journey to China. It sounds like an amazing experience! I have had a couple of times where I said I would "Never do such and such", well God made me stick my foot in my mouth, but I'm so glad I did.
Have a blessed day!
Sherry
Thank you for the reminder to pray for others serving the Lord in other countries. Though you are leaving China now, I think it is great that you listened to Him and went in the first place. It must have been hard to leave everything you knew to go to a different country.