Wednesday @ 7:30p.m.

Well it looks like we are going to see all the major sights in Beijing in two days. Today we departed the hotel after a big buffet breakfast. Very nice tour bus took us to a Jade factory where we saw jade being cut for shipment to all parts of the world. Just one example of international trade that we saw. After tour of jade plant we went directly to the Great Wall. All team members agree that it deserves being one of the Wonders of the worl. Beautiful clear day, but cold, and we could see miles of the Wall. We then toured the Ming Tombs and later stopped at a Government Run Tea Cafe where we samplede many types of tea.

Tomorrow we will visit Tinnanimen Square, Forbidden City prior to boarding our flight home. We have had a great time and your kids have been wonderful. They did great work and I am very proud of them and you should be also.

This will be my last blog as we are leaving tomorrow. I hope that the blog has been some help to you and some assurance that everyone is ok......in spite of misspelled words and poor sentence stucture. Team members will be excited to tell you more specifically about our work here....as you know I could not be too specific about our work.

We have worked hard and played hard and now we are excited to return to our families whom we love. See you soon.

RT

Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

Our trip from hotel to Bus station was very interesting to say the least. It seems that we are leaving with more luggage than we came with. It took two taxies and a van to get us to the bus station and then we were on the bus over one hour to airport. Some of team members had to buy additional luggage. Regardless we made our flight with minutes to spare. Flying time to Beijing was 2.5 hours and we arrived in Beijing at 3:30 p.m. Our host was waiting for us with large bus. We just finished dinner in the hotel and some of the team went for walk with guide around Beijing. Others (me included) are going to bed early. We must be ready to board tour bus for Great Wall tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. We will visit Forbidden City and Tinanninen Square on Thursday. Our plane leaves Beijing at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.

OK....that's all for now. I will post tomorrow night after our day at the Great Wall.

RT

Monday 8:40 p.m.

Our last day in Guangzhou ended with another great meal. ( Really we have done other things than eat, but I don't think any of us has lost any weight.) Regardless, our evaluation and debriefing meeting was held in a very nice restaurant where we were served a "Latin Barbque Feast"....all you can eat style. After a huge build your own salad, Latin servers continually come by the table with all kinds of meat on skewers and cut the portions we wanted. Chicken, beaf, lamb, etc. I suspect camel was the most exotic food that we were served today.....now that we are "experienced" China epicureans!!

Everyone has gone "out on the town" for one last time with friends they have made. Some goodbyes were said this afternoon and tears were shed. Team members have developed some special relationships in a very short period of time.

We depart Guangzou at Noon tomorrow (Tuesday) and arrive in Beijing at 3:05 p.m. I talked with our "contact" in Beijing this morning and all is prepared for our arrival and tour. We will be leaving a high of 70 degrees in Guangzhou and will be greeted in Beijing with a high of 32 degrees. However, don't despair.....most of us brought warms clothes anticipating the cold weather. Other bought gloves and hats today.

I don't know if we will have internet connections in our Beijing hotel....if so, I will post another update tomorrow night......if not, I will try to find an "internet cafe". Please know that I will try my best to post update.......I know that many family and friends are keeping up with us. I hope we will have internet connection with faster speed which will allow me to post some pictures. Some of you were expecting more emails from the team, however, slow connections and no connections, and a very busy schedule have kept emails from us to a minimum....Sorry!!

We are looking forward to our tour of Beijing and I hope to update you tomorrow night.

RT

Sunday 9:35 p.m.

We are home (hotel home in Guangzhou) from the Migrant Labor camp. The camp was a three hour van ride west of Guanzhou. We passed through beautiful countryside and small cities that time seemed to have forgotten. Upon arrival we were greated by the Father John who is the Director of the facility known as Marco Polo. Father John has invested most of 73 years caring for the homeless, neglected and in most cases forgotten children of Asia. Marco Polo provides some services for children in the poorest part of the area we visited. You can learn more of Marco Polo and view some pictures posted yesterday by Father John. The website is www.china8.org. The pictures were taken at a "Trash Dump" that is home to several families. We spent the night and attended church service at a 3 Self Church which is the Government authorized church in China. Except for being in Chinese, the order service was similar to traditional service in U.S. The hymns were easily recognizable such as Amazing Grace, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, Etc.

Following the service we had another traditional Chinese meal and departed for hotel. Team members rested (slept) on the 3 hour return trip. Fortunately that gave them enough energy to call some Chinese friends and immediately left for shopping, eating again, and just "hanging out".....oh to be 19 or 20 again!!!

Tomorow (Monday) we will have a debriefing with local staff in the morning and we will have the afternoon free. The team members will again "hang out" with their new friends. We will pack tomorrow night and be ready to depart to the Guangzhou airport for our two hour flight to Beijing on Tuesday. Arrangements have been made with local tour agency to pick us up at airport and take to hotel for a few hours rest before we tour Tiannimen Square, and Forbiden City. We will tour Great Wall on Wednesday.

Ok...enough for now. All is good, I'm tired too..... and I'm going to Bed.....Good Night!!!!!!

RT

Saturday 6:30 a.m.

Good Morning to All. Another very busy day yesterday. The team again divided into two groups and went to 4 Universities in the City and to an English Corner in the Evening at University City. University City is on the outskirts of Quangzhou. University City is a modern and very beautiful campus of 10 separate universities in one location and has 200,000 students in this one location. I don't have time to give much detail but be sure to ask team members upon there return. We had a great time....so great that we almost missed the last subway train before sub closed for the night at 11;00 p.m. However, we made it with minutes (2) to spare...way to close!!!!

We are departing the hotel at 8:30 a.m. this morning for an overnight stay at a migrant labor work camp approximately 3 hours from Guangzhou. We are looking forward to working with orphans and other "neglected and unwanted" people at this camp. We will return to Guangzhous tomorrow (Sunday). There will not be internet access tonight at the camp so I will not be able to post a blog until we return to Guangzhou.

Please know that everyone is well, no one has been sick or injured and all are having great life changing experiences that they will not soon forget!!!!! Parents, you have some really great "kids" here and I am blessed to be with them. Thanks for your encouragement and continue your pr'ers.

RT

Friday Evening @ 11:00 p.m.

We just returned to our rooms after a very long day. We left the hotel at 6:30 a.m. this morning and returned at 11:00 p.m. We taught in 3 seperate schools and attended an English Corner after a very nice dinner. The Dean of one of the University had a very nice and elaborate meal for us. However, it was a traditional Chinese meal with some foods we were not sure about. Regardless, our host was gracious and we smiled and at least gave the appearance of really enjoying the food. Common consensus at this point after a week of Chinese Food. It will be nice to be home and actually know what we are ordering and eating. Bottom line, all team members are healthy and no one has gotten sick. Keep praying.

Ok...now 11:15p.m.....I'm tired and going to bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Wednesday @ 1:00 p.m.

Sorry I did not post yesterday. The SC's took us to a retreat in the mountains approximately 2 hours outside of the Guangzhou. The SC's arranged to have a barbeque with traditional Chinese food, some of which many Westeners would not eat!!!! We were able to see a great deal of the countryside and associated ways of life outside the city. We went through some 3rd world sections of China and saw poverty and poor living conditions common throughout this amazing country.

Currently it is 1:00 pm on Wednesday. We just returned to the hotel from teaching two morning classes at two locations. Please remember for security reasons, I cannot tell you in detail what the Lrd. is doing in the lives of the Chinese students through our team. Just know that the Lrd. is active and our team is being blessed by being here......they will tell you upon their return.

Tomorrow we return to the same Universities in the morning. Tomorrow afernoon we will send a team to a local elementary to work with younger kids. The other team will go to another University to teach.

Gotta go for now but keep pra...ing for us!!

RT

Monday 8:15 p.m.

Anoher busy day, however we did have the afternoon free to do some shopping, resting, and just doing nothing. The SC's and local Chinese students took us to some local shops and mall to shop. We are about to leave for a New Year's Eve party being hosted by two Univeresity Teachers and SC's. Tomorrow is a holiday for Chinese as well as Americans (us) and we are going to party again at a Barbecue hosted by local belivers.

All the students are healthy and none have gotten sick....so keep praying.

RT

Monday Morning 6:30 a,m.

Another great day yesterday. Last night we attended an undergr. ch. and was blessed by worshi. with other believers and having lrds. Suppr. (By the way please remember for security reasons, I must abbreviate some words so Officials "are not able to connect the dots."....so you may have difficulty in understanding some of my messages.....However, I think you can make sense of most of them.

We are going to an Chr. elementary school this morning to help them with their English pronunciation. Tonight one of our hosts is having a New Year's eve party for us so it will be another long day.

Our students are doing great, always on time, and not much whinning. I love them all and they are having opportunities and experiences that they will remember and use forever. Thanks for giving them the opportunity to come and keep pra.ing for us.

RT

Sunday Afternoon

We just returned to our Hotel after Ch. Great service at an authorized, registered ch. for foreigners living in China. However gov't does not allow Chinese to attend this registered ch. There are cameras installed throughout the facility to insure that Chinese do not attend. We had lunch at Papa Ron's (go figure) and we are relaxing til we have another meeting tonight. Weather is great...the locals call it sub tropical....today's temp is 62.

More later................RT

email address

PS....If you want to send emails ....send to rtaylor@sewanee.edu and I make sure team member gets it. I attempt to check my emails daily ........RT

Sunday Morning

It is 8:45 a.m Sunday morning and all is well. All team members are healthy and had a great time meeting with teachers and students yesterday during orientation. We spent about two hours teaching in the classroom after a huge Chinese lunch.....sitting at a huge round table with a lazy susan and food just kept coming if front of us......great time of fellowship and eating. We are meeting in 15 minutes to go to Chinese ch. service. All the kids are excited. More later...gotta go..RT

Arrived in Guangzhou

We are all ok It is 7:45 a.m. on Saturday. We are waiting to go to the University for our first class. Everyone is ok. Only casualty was that Daryl's guitar got broke. He is a is a bit sad but will be ok. We will have an orientation sessin this morning, lunch with University staff and teach this afternoon. We will have an English Corner tonight. Gotta go...more later.....RT

Newark Arrival

The team that departed Nashville, made it to Newark on schedule as did the planes from Birmingham and Tampa. It is 10:30 a.m. and all team members are eating a bite before departing Newark at 11:30 local time.

Notes from team members:
1.Daryl said his feet hurt.
2. Michael says ibs is in-check,
3. Kim did great for her plane ride.
4. Blair loves his family.
5. RT loves his family.
6. Kim gave Daryl half her sandwich and Daryl is happy....and we are happy because he can't talk while he is eating.
7. Kyle is doing his in-flight exercises so that he does not get a blood clot that travels to his heart and kills him.
8. Harrison says he has not grown any taller.

Bye for now....I will try to make another entry after we go through immigration and customs in Beijing. ...some 13 hours from now. However, do't be alarmed if not able to send update.

More later..........RT

We're Ready to Go!!!

We had our final orientation meeting on Sunday and we are ready to go. Team members departing from Nasville will meet at the Nashville airport at 4:00 a.m. on Thursday for our 6:30 a.m. departure to Newark where we will meet up with Diana from Birmingham and Jaime from Tampa. We depart Newark at 12:15 and will arrive in Beijing 13 hours and 45 minutes later at 3:00 pm. Beijing time on Friday. We depart Beijing at 7:15 p.m. and arrive in Guangzhou at 10:05 p.m. We will be a Team of tired travelers!!! I will update as often as I can. (Please remember for security reasons, I will not be able to be too specific on some of our work)

GoneToChina-rt

To family and friends back home:

I will try to update this blog often...however, please know there will be days when internet access is not available.

RT