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May 20 - Shengzen

 

We left the hotel at 8 a.m. and took the tour bus to the train station.  The modern train, very much like the San Francisco BART, took us into Shengzen.  We had to wait in line and get through two customs, Hong Kong and China.  Hong Kong is officially part of China but is categorized as a SAR, special region.  Other than our Hong Kong tour guide John, a local tour guide and photographer lady came to accompany us.  I feel we were experiencing the 'population power.' 

 

A City Museum with Active Sale Promotion

 

We went to a museum.  It showed how Shengzen has developed from a little village into a modern city in the past 20 years.  Local people have just begun to study English in schools.  Skyscrapers and high-rise apartments are all over the places.  We also saw sculptured jade screens in different sizes.  They were mostly lady, bird and flower scenes done with various naturally colored jade pieces.

 

This museum also has a store, filled with jewelries and handcraft items, and a tea room.  Each table has a sales person promoting the 'Beauty Tea,' capable of making ladies beautiful and gentlemen handsome.  Also, the Monkey Tea, not to make you a monkey but because the tea leaves were picked by trained monkeys.  There were other kinds of teas. 

 

Had lunch in a Chinese restaurant: noisy, not appearing to be so neat and clean, and with a large people force to serve .  Most of the team members weren't quite used to it.  Seeing some cages of snake laying around outside of the restaurant, someone joked about the soup we had had was a snake soup.  Words spread and got some of us jumpy.  Maybe most of the Christian are allergic to snakes, I suspected.

 

Windows of the World

 

Visited the Windows of the World in the early afternoon.  It was a huge park with miniature famous landmarks from different parts of the world; such as the Sphinx, Pyramids, Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Eiffel Tower, etc.  It was a hot and humid day.  The whole team voted to take the tram.  We screamed when seeing the American landmarks.  In deed, we were homesick.   The final stop was at the Eiffel Tower.  Betty, Donna, Rosie, Tara and I climbed the stairs.  We prayed at the top stage and shot pictures.  Betty shared what the Lord had revealed to her. 

 

A Research Center of Surprises

 

Then, our guide truly 'surprised' us by taking us to an herbal and animal research center.  A lady Chinese doctor introduced to us what research work have been done there and the results.  We were invited to taste the solidified bear gull juice, which produces great blood cleaning effect.  Also, the chopped back ants, who live on the Ging-Sang plant.  She also gave us herbal formulas to treat baldness, lady specific health issues, etc.  Some of the team have become suspicious.  We all prayed fervently in our hearts.  Then, a Chi-Kung master came and demonstrated the Chi-Kung power.  With all of us holding hands, the font of the line connecting to the wire and then the master, we all felt the electrical current tingling through our palms. 

 

Tara responded to the call of getting an electrical massage.  Vil and I volunteered to get our pulse checked in a separate room.  Dr. Huang discussed with Vil in detail about his fatty lymphatic glands and the herbal treatment to remove them and prevent them coming back.  Vil was quite satisfied at the diagnosis and talked with his wife about it.  After checking my pulse and looking at my tongue, doctor declared Yvonne was lean and mean.  Thank God for He has worked on me in the past eight years since I had accepted Jesus as my Savior in October 1993.  He completely turned my life around from a health and emotional bankruptcy.

 

At the same time Vil and I were talking to Dr. Huang, Tara fainted while getting the electrical massage.  All the team members in the big room prayed over her.  The lady Chinese doctor diagnosed to be a low blood sugar issue and was confirmed by Tara after she came to consciousness.  Still, we held our breadth and continued praying for God's protection over her and the rest of us.

 

I felt the Chinese government intends to use the eastern medicinal research to compliment the western medical science.  Also, to attract tourists and use the money to fund the research.  The research center, however, have not quite figured out how to present and market themselves.  On the contrary, in the United States, herbal product company like Sunrider, founded by Chinese, has done tremendous research and been in existence since early 1980's.  People over 30 countries have benefited from foods made from herbs.

 

The Last Stop and Midnight Dinner

 

The last visit was to a souvenir shop.  Then, we took the bus back to the train station.  Passing through the two customs were an exhaustive wait.  The lines were long and the passport checks were slow.  Finally, we hopped on the train and went back to Kowloon.  John took us to the McDonald.  This brought us elation.  Tara patiently took everyone's order and money, sorted the orders out and went to do business while most of others waited in the bus.  It was about 11 p.m. when Tara and few helpers hand delivered the burgers and drinks.

 

May 21 - Hong Kong Island

 

Toured briefly in the Hong Kong island in the morning.  We took the water taxi, passed by the famous floating restaurant Jumbo in traditional Chinese facade, and went into the harbor and saw tanka (the boat people).  Hong Kong was originally a fishing town over 50 year ago.  Many people lived on boats then.  The government has subsidized their living and kept them on boats in order to attract tourists.  The subsidy is said to be cut in 2002.  Tanka may all disappear in the near future.

 

We prayed at the scenery point on the Victoria mountain facing the Victoria Harbor.  On the bus, I asked Betty more questions on spiritual warfare.

 

Going Home 

 

As our bus left the Panda Hotel for the airport, the rain poured down.  The group luggage check-in was lengthy as usual.  As you may guess, we shopped and acquired voluminous treasures along the way.  Some member had to buy more luggage to carry the stuff.

 

The plane took off at 11:50 p.m. on 5/21.  We transited in Taipei, Taiwan, and changed plane.  It was about 9 p.m. on 5/21 when we flew in Los Angeles International Airport.    I felt "mission accomplished."  We all cheered and praised God as the plane touched ground on our home land.