I often talk about China: how beautiful it is, how peaceful it is, how much I walked. However, the most frequently asked question I get is how I even went to Yantai in the first place. I, honestly, didn't even know I was going until the beginning of the month!
I was hanging out at church in the kitchen with a few people I had gotten to know pretty well by then. We laughed and joked but in one of the quiet moments, out of the blue I was asked a random question.
"Would you ever consider going to China?"
I had honestly never thought about it. I sat quietly as Sarah talked about how she had come to live there for 4 years, how many friends she had brought there, how much she enjoyed this peaceful place and wanted others to experience it as well. It sounded amazing and I had never been outside of the country but I have always wanted to travel so this was the first step. She told me I didn't have to answer right away and I said I wanted to but I had to ask my parents because I was still living with them and they were paying my bills. She understood and granted me the time to do so.
Meanwhile, Sarah pulled up photos of previous trips she had taken and showed me what I would eventually be able to do there. She told me funny stories of all those trips and the adventures she had taken before. She pulled up the map and showed me where things were and even looked at tickets that day.
When I went home, I talked with my parents. I told them all of the information and tried to be as detailed as possible. I was concerned that they weren't going to let me go because of 2 things: it was out of the country and they had never even met Sarah. After a couple of questions, they were uneasy about the concerns I had but they agreed that God opened a door and they said yes! I was so excited I almost started packing that day.
We didn't talk about it or make any plans until the week before we left. I was almost concerned that we weren't going to go. It was a whirlwind of activity. We got the tickets, booked the hotel, I had to get a new birth certificate, I got my first passport, and we got our visa all in a week! Sarah picked up my visa and we went a couple days later. It was such a miracle and so many doors opened for this trip. #blessed
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