Laughter makes everything better. The weather is getting much colder here. It’s probably in the fifties. One week away and everything goes cold. This cannot deter me from doing what I am here to do. We must press on to reach those who have not heard.

The other night I ate a meal that is famous. It is called hot pot. It’s a “social meal.” You are expected to talk for a while and spend at least two hours there. Basically, you take a big pot, fill it with water and put it on a stove in the middle of the table. After the water starts to boil, you add spices and other things for flavoring. Finally, you throw in your food. I had the opportunity to eat cow throat, cow stomach, duck feet, duck intestines, and cow skin. I would not advise eating any of those but if you had to pick one, cow throat tasted the best.

Just before I left for my week-long trip, I made a friend, Harland, on the track. This guy is fast. I can stay with him for a lap or two but then he kicks it up and blows me away. I will probably start running with him on a more consistent basis. Hopefully, he will join the family. I share with him whenever I can.

There have been a few funny things that have happened this week. One thing is that many, almost all, of my Asian friends will ask if I want an Asian girlfriend. I say a firm NO every single time but some of them still try to set my roommate and I up. For example, we went out to dinner with this one guy and he brought a girl. The whole night he was talking this girl up. “She’s got such good English, right?” or “She’s so cute.” All you can do is laugh and try not to address those statements. My roommate and I always try to bring one of our American friends, a girl, with us so she can talk to the girl.

Another funny thing that has happened is it can be very difficult to remember where you met an Asian person. They might message you and you have no idea who they are, when or where you met them. My roommate and I try to write things down as much as possible but sometimes I forget. One guy messaged me and I had no idea who it was. We just scheduled a meal for this weekend. It’s kind of like going on a blind date, but your intention is not to date the person but to share the Gospel with them.