Dear Joshua,

It's Sunday morning in your new homeland, but it's already Sunday evening here. Instead of hustling to get ready for the early service at church, you are sound asleep in bed with the hum of riverboats outside your window. I can feel the vibration of them as I type, so I know you feel them too.

This morning, thousands of miles away from our own house of worship, God found us in a folk museum in Guangzhou. As we wandered through alleys and courtyards, we gave thanks for the gifts of feeling well and the slower pace that we've embraced. From inside the museum shop, this temple of the Chens, we heard a familiar melody – Amazing Grace, like streams of water, poured from the Calabash instrument.

“When we've been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun,
we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun.”

Andrew starts fifth grade in the fall, and with it comes a chance to be in the school band. So instruments have taken on a new meaning for him, and he has been fascinated by the folk instruments of China. In broken English, the musician told him, “I will teach you how to play.” And in the next ten minutes, a crowd gathered while Andrew learned to play Amazing Grace on the Calabash one Sabbath day in Guangzhou.

From there, we rode over to Yuexin Park, where we ascended the stony steps to the top, overlooking the tropical gardens and forest. You learned the signs for tree and bird. We watched as a group did Tai Chi in one of the courtyards below.

The heat zaps our appetite, so for lunch we sought out lighter fare – mango passion fruit smoothies at Starbucks. Then, I joined some others for a grocery run to CarreFour, while you napped. Yes, CarreFour, the same super-mart I frequented during my studies in France. Only I could understand the French. Chinese is a different story. It took our little group a good hour to hunt down the five or so items on our list. For me, part of the problem is distraction. Just like at the Super Target in Urbandale. Oh, look, banana-flavored microwave popcorn. We might get a craving sometime, and we'll just never find that in the U.S.! Shrimp flavored pretzels. Flower tea. A Pleasant Goat shopping bag!

Carrefour was a grand adventure – a lot like the Century Mart we visited in Shanghai – four stories (or more) of everything from fish eyes to clothing. A lot like our super stores, I guess. But there are escalator ramps towing people and carts between floors (the carts lock instantly into place to keep reckless drivers like me from rolling to the bottom!).

My outing was fun – and necessary, since we needed diapers and wipes – but I missed out on your grand adventure, Joshua. Your first time in a big swimming pool. Daddy says you cried at first, and you wouldn't let him put you down. But, finally, you felt comfortable enough to float through the cool water in his arms and splash your big brothers and sister. Photos are not allowed, but Grandma managed to sneak a few. She's got gifts, that Grandma.

After your swim, we joined our group for supper back at the Cow and Bridge.

A word about your eating habits, little buddy. For days now, you've been our pickiest eater, opting for plain rice or congee when the rest of us sample everything from sweet and sour pork to pig's neck (your Daddy's brave choice). Well tonight, everything changed. I knew you were hungry – sun and swimming always bring insatiable appetites – but you pushed that congee away with determination. No. Tonight, you wanted what the big kids were eating – chicken on a skewer, garlic broccoli, sweet and sour pork. And no spoon for you. If the rest of us could hold our own with chopsticks, then so could you! You pushed my spoonfuls of congee away, and reached for the chopsticks. And you know . . . you did okay. Just as well as the rest of us, I think. (Though I wasn't looking to see if we had locals shaking their heads.) You even returned to your congee, after you caught your sister eating it.

We strolled through the gardens after supper, the setting sun and evening breezes making temps a bit more tolerable. We watched with wonder as construction workers retired for the day, climbing onto bicycle rickshaws and pedaling across the stones they had laid that day, for a mere 80 cents an hour. Entire courtyards went up yesterday, while our heads were turned the other way. Chinese lanterns light up the trees in the evening, and the river glows with lasers and spotlights. You nestle into my arms, and tears of gratitude well up, forming halos around each little light.

Goodnight, Little Emperor. Sleep tight.

Love,
Mama, Daddy, Andrew, Anna, and Jacob