On the bus ...

OK, I know I said I was going off line for a while. But I completely forgot about my cell phone's capacity to send e-mail.
So, no pictures or video here. But I can send this text as we rumble down the highway to Dalian City.

Our arrival in Dalian will mark the half-way point in our travels outside the U.S. It seems like it was much more than a week ago that we got on board a plane to Beijing.

Right now, Futing is sound asleep on Kim's lap. We are getting along well with our youngest child. We think he may have called Kim, "Mommy" this morning. We're not sure but, if he did, that is great progress.

I need to describe the bus we are on now. It is very much like the coaches my Dad would drive when he worked for Trailways years ago. It is different in that it has TV screens mounted in the front and middle of the bus, but otherwise it is the same deal.

I immediately thought of my Dad when the driver got on the PA system and said a few words to the passengers. My Dad would do the same thing. Only my Dad did this while sitting in the drivers seat. In this culture it apparently is more appropriate for the driver to stand, face the passengers as he speaks, and conclude his address with a slight bow. The driver also has an assistant of sorts (kind of like a stewardess.) She checks on the passengers, hands out bottled water and dramamine tablets if you want them. It seems that there is an unusual amount of people who suffer from car sickness around here. I have no idea why.

The thing that really inspired me to write this was the short video they showed at the beginning of our trip. It featured an anime-style cartoon stewardess who gave instructions about not eating or smoking or walking around while the bus was moving.

She gave some unexpected instructions as well. We were instructed to not sit in the center aisle. We were told how to use the fire extinguisher (how comforting!) We were told how to break the bus windows in case of an accident using the small hammer-like devices located around the bus. Then, we were also told not to STEAL the hammers.

This all seemed so funny to me. I had to work hard not to laugh out loud.

That's about it for now. I am going to click "send" and hope I have a signal.

Thank you to all who have been keeping us in prayer. It is so very much appreciated!