Sunday Funday!

   The weeks here are full of work and life in the village but on the weekends we get to explore the city of Beijing through both planned and unplanned excursions and adventures. Saturday's are when we usually go into the city for planned trips or sightseeing and Sundays have been our day to embrace our "Westerner" side with church, Western-style lunches, and trips to foreign-imports grocery store!
   The very first Sunday I was in China we got a large bus to take the majority of the foreign volunteers here at New Day into the city for church at Beijing International Christian Fellowship for their special "Unity Sunday" service. The Unity service combined both the Chinese and English services so everything from worship to the message was communicated in both languages. During worship they would sing one verse and chorus in Chinese then the next in English, I absolutely LOVED it! This was my first experience in a multilingual service and it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Getting to worship the same God in multiple languages, with people from all over the world was an experience that I will not soon forget. It was so humbling to be among people from all tribes and tongues and feel like I was getting just the tiniest glimpse into what Eternity will be like.

The message was given in both English and Chinese.

   After the service we spent the day in one of the more "Western" parts of the town and all split up in smaller groups for lunch and some exploring at the mall there. The group I went with decided to go to a nicer brunch restaurant called the Rug which was an interesting experience, they had community style seating (multiple groups at the same big table) and even had an avocado latte on the menu. 

My first "Western" meal while in China; almond crusted chicken and house-made chips (which were delicious!).

    We finished our first Sunday by wandering around the mall next to the restaurants and then shopping for some items that cannot be found in the local village stores at Jenny Lou's, the foreign-import grocery store chain in the city.
    The next two Sundays were very similar to the first with church, lunch, and shopping. We attended BICF's contemporary English service and then would go to a more Western/ upscale part of the city for lunch and some shopping and then finish with grocery shopping at Jenny Lou's. The second Sunday a group of friends and I went to a popular restaurant chain here, Element Fresh and I got the "Big American Breakfast" and my American stomach was one happy camper. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and french toast, it was glorious! China has many delicious meals but breakfast as we think of it in America is not something that is easily found here so finding a traditional breakfast was heavenly. 

My "Big American Breakfast"

   Last Sunday after church we got to explore the 798 Art District here in Beijing and it was so neat! Another volunteer Annie and I broke off from the large group and sat down outside (it was a GORGEOUS day for Beijing so we took advantage of it!) for a nice lunch of delicious burgers and fries! Then we wandered through some galleries, stores, and coffee shops. It almost felt like we had been transported out of China, that is until we realized we still couldn't understand anyone or read the signs... 

Icecream, art billboards, and Polaroids made for a fun-filled day in the Beijing art district. 

   It has been interesting to spend these Sunday's exploring parts of Beijing that are SO different from our small village life here at New Day and getting to experience an international church fellowship unlike anything back I've been to back home. They have been long days but so fun and full of experiences I won't soon forget!