Nanchang, China: Week one

Finally, my first 2008 post from China! So much has happened already, and so much that we had anticipated has changed. I can’t detail it all here, but hopefully I will have more time to blog later. The local authorities have clamped down on us out of simple suspicion (dozens of Americans and Australians in the rural hills invites all kinds of attention), and there are only three Internet connections in the whole hotel. That's why it's taken this long for me to post an update.

After 32 hours of traveling, we arrived on Sunday evening in Nanchang—actually, in the mountains outside of Nanchang. The setting looks like this:

There are forests of bamboo on the hills—huge bamboo with leaves and six-inch-thick trunks. I’ve never seen anything like it. Then, surrounding the road to downtown Nanchang are dozens of terraced farms like you see in the movies. My translator told me while walking to lunch on Tuesday that this area is one of the oldest in China, with thousands of years of history. As we drive through the countryside, I wonder which abandoned buildings are modern and which are ancient; which terraces were in use last year and which were abandoned before cars and printing presses were invented. It’s certainly a rich place, and much more interesting than last year’s setting.

The hotel we are staying in has four floors of rooms, with the first three overlooking a large plaza where we hold assemblies and play games with the orphans.

It’s oppressively hot outside, and the 10-minute walks to the restaurant where we eat lunch and dinner are among the hottest I’ve experienced. The room that Dori and I are sharing has ice-cold air conditioning, though, so we have a convenient haven when the heat gets the best of us.

Both of us have been healthy and safe since we left California. So far, I haven’t had any problems except a small headache Tuesday morning. Dori had a headache and upset stomach that same day, but after spending the morning in the AC, she was feeling better and downstairs that afternoon, helping our two orphans with their crafts.

This week, we were assigned one translator and two girls as a couple, so the five of us get to go everywhere and do everything together. It’s nice being in the same “family” as Dori, although she can relate to the girls better than I can. I hope to have a couple of boys next week to roughhouse with and toss around in the pool.

Which brings me to the final item I’ll describe in this post: the huge public pool in the center of Nanchang where we’ll be spending a portion of almost every day with the kids. It’s an Olympic-sized lap pool only half filled with water to accommodate children, and the orphans love it. I was fascinated the first time we went there because it’s surrounded by 10-story buildings on every side.

A few things for our supporters to keep in your “Thoughts”:

1) Quite a few things have changed this year from what we originally expecting. Bring Me Hope’s Beijing camp had to move elsewhere for reasons I can’t get into, and it definitely affects what I was supposed to be working on and our travel plans. Family members, we’ll update you by phone on when and where we’ll be going, but none of the big stuff has changed…

2) “What I was supposed to be working on.” Things are a lot tighter than last year, and moving around the country could get interesting. With Beijing out of the question, I’ll be relying on my Father to help me seize the right opportunities and meet the right people. Please keep this foremost in your Thoughts.

3) The leaders of Bring Me Hope. They’re having to adjust and be creative in the face of changes and challenges flying in from all directions, and at a dizzying pace. The Bolts preparing for camp in a city most of us have never heard of, less than a week after they were going full-bore with plans to set up shop in Beijing. With the Olympics in town, things can change at a moment’s notice.

4) Even with all of the difficulties I’ve described, there have already been some blessed, inspiring moments, and we rejoice in the simple relationships that are forming between us and the various orphans who are our entire purpose for being here.

Thank you all for your Thoughts and support. We will try to keep you all as updated as possible through this blog and our e-mail loop at tom.and.dori@gmail.com

We love you; stay in touch.

Two more random photos. This is downtown Nanchang:

And this is one of the little orphans at camp this year. I don't know his name, but he's malnourished and eats more than anyone else--even myself and the other men--at each meal. He weighs around 40 pounds, I'd estimate, and he could sure use your "Thoughts."