date with dad in beijing

Today was daddy and daughter day. We made our way to the subway where we were once again pushed and shoved and squeezed into and through crowds of Chinese people. You just have to find humor in the whole situation – there’s no point stressing about the realities of life in a big city in Asia with such a large population, especially during a holiday weekend. I introduced my dad to the egg crepe thing that Jenny so loved, and then we headed down towards church. We left a bit earlier so that we could wander around a bit, and also to have breakfast or coffee together. My dad was craving Chinese “you tiao”– fried dough cruellers eaten with soymilk, so we looked all over the area for that. Finally we found one in the basement of Carrefour, of all places. Not on a random street corner or small shop but in a large foreign owned department store.

pops thought this bldg was cool. can
you see us in the bottom left corner?

close up of us in the bldg.

We then wandered our way over to Church. When I was studying in China back in the day, I attended an international megachurch, accessible only by those of us with foreign passports. This Church that we visited today is “above the ground”, a legitimate government recognized house of worship, allowing Chinese and international people to come and worship together. It was such a wonderful experience and so moving to be able to be among so many Chinese localers, so on fire for Him.

Haidian Church

line waiting to go in to service

We then had a wonderful lunch with Jenn and Jonathan, talked for hours, and then pops and I headed to downtown Wangfujing area to wander the shops and check out the street market. Good times chatting up, wandering the streets, exploring… then we headed back onto the subway to meet back up with my dad’s friend / the uncle and family. They offered to have Peking duck for dinner – we (for the record, heavily influenced by dad) opted for pizza, which was a delicious choice. Went to a cool restaurant called Tube Station. Upon entering, the smell of a American food infiltrated my senses and made me feel at home right away… deliciousness. I am such an American.