Day 8, Coming to a Close

Sunday was our last full day here in Zhanjiang. We spent it by going about an hour away to the finding place of one of the team's children, and we spent the morning there walking the streets. It was fascinating to see small-town life. It was on an island, so the market was full of seafood as well as other tropical fruits and vegetables. The market was crowded, and we didn't exactly blend in, so that was interesting. :o)

After lunch we met our friend, Ruth, who took us to two local churches. The first one was the Catholic church, built by the French in the late 1800's. It's gone through several transformations, including being closed for several decades. The Father willingly opened the church for us, and answered our questions. He told us the Sunday morning attendance is several hundred. They had to install CCTV monitors so everyone could see, because they are packed into the corners.

Next, we visited a little Protestant church built in early 1900's by Baptist missionaries. Again, one of the preachers graciously opened it for us and took our questions. This church is also bursting at the seams for worship, and they open the doors and set up tents outside so everyone can hear the preaching. It was wonderful for us to see the spiritual side of Zhanjiang, and on a Sunday, too.

In the evening we begged Ruth to take us to the Macau restaurant again. We were so hungry for the dumplings and several other selections we'd had a few days earlier. We had a great last dinner together, which is sad considering we've finally become pretty efficient with our chopsticks. :o)

Photos of our experiences from this eigth day are here.

Monday morning we will go to the orphanage for a short visit with the children, then return to the hotel and pack up and say goodbye to our wonderful friends here. It's been a terrific, successful trip, and we thank you for following us here, and for your encouraging comments.

Val, for ZKO

Photos from Day 8

Catholic church, built by the French during occupation, ca. 1800's

In the church courtyard

Beautiful gothic-style architecture

Father Phillip told us the history of the church, including it being closed and also used as a factory for a period of time.

The gathering storm created a stunning backdrop

A five-minute walk away took us to the little church built in the early 1900's. Upon entering, we felt like we were in a little country church, but with distinctive Chinese details. We later found out it was built by Baptist missionaries...mystery solved.

Cupboard of hymnals and Bibles

Fascinating architecture

Our last dinner out--Macau Restaurant, AGAIN!

We turned around while choosing our food, and there were the cooks watching US. So I whipped out my camera....GOTCHA! It cracked us up, on both sides of the glass. What a great restaurant!

Photos from Day 7

Special Lunch and Relaxation on Day 6

Our friend and interpreter, Ruth, took us to a popular lunch place where you could choose what you wanted them to cook. By the time you got back to your table, the first round was already there. We had delicious Yunnan tea along with our meal, of course. This was different, and had chrysanthemums in it. It was likely one of our Top Three places we've eaten...wonderful jiao zi and Hunan-style fried rice.

(see photos of these fun adventures here).

In the evening we met our professor friend, Shang, along with several of his colleagues. It just so happened that Ruth knew him as well, so we had a great evening of talking and laughter. Since our work was now done, it felt great to relax somewhat. We've had a wonderful time learning local customs, local hangouts, and almost feel like we know our way around the city. It's been so great making new, local connections that we can draw on in the future. So many incredible people have come into our path on this trip, and we're confident it was not coincidental.

-Val

More Photos from Day 6