Concluding Thoughts - Homeward Bound

As we conclude our amazing journey we thought we would share some highlights of our trip as a final post from the Beijing Airport. Here they are:

Being together,

Visiting the Kunming infant orphanage that SCF is supporting and spending time with the babies,

Tea with a Monk at the Zhongdian Lamasery,

Visiting the school project at Tsing Yi - buying desks with money from sister Jennie and mom - Max and Jake teaching a boy about football - the first of the Wartburg Orange balls as a way to make friends and bring smiles to faces,

Hiking in the Himalayan foothills,

The beautiful mountain drives,

The "road" trip to the REMOTE village where we worshiped in a church and ate AUTHENTIC food in a village that had never seen young or female foreigners,

Spending time with the dentist and doctor at the Ren Li Clinic; delivering more dental equipment to them; and have them so proud to be using the equipment we have previously delivered and purchased for them,

Climbing to over 14,900 at the Snow Mountain Glacier,

The amazing and sometimes strange meals and food - yak, squid, grasshoppers, shark lip, fish fin, chicken tongue, quail eggs, and soft pig bone just to mention a few,

The boys becoming master bargainers in Zhongdian and Old Town LiJiang,

Walking the food markets and seeing a completely different culture of buying food and supplies - including live animals,

Learning of the success of the SCF scholarship initiatives including Orphan J who is blind,

Visiting the Education Center that SCF has helped develop,

Visiting a place of worship on Sunday,

Meeting with the "bottle man's family" to learn of their continued efforts to impact the lives of others,

Dinner with Dr. Ruth (who SCF supported through medical school) and her husband, Gao Ming, to learn of her life saving medical career to date and her vision to have her own clinic in a remote area,

The Great Wall where we indulged Scott on photo ops, had Martha's famous cookies, a Coke (and Beer), the Doctor, tossing the football, and riding the sled down the mountain,

A walk through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and most importantly,

Coming Home to those we love and who love us!

The Great Wall

Today everyone was ready to call it a day after a three hour plane ride, but the group continued on to the Great Wall.

After an hour long bus ride out to the Wall we became surrounded by people attempting to sell us stuff. Ice cold water, t-shirts, and all kinds of things we didn't need. After going through the tourist trap we arrived at the gondola and arrived at the Great Wall.

We researched and found that the wall is 13,000 miles long. The group only covered about 100 yards of the wall, and Steve found the one spot with a breeze and shade.

The group was obviously getting on edge with Scott as he had many different photos he wanted to take with many different things. These included Drake Cheer shirts, the Doctor, and Martha's famous cookies. They will hopefully all be appreciated.

Be Orange.

Go Drake Cheer!

A Coke toast for Mr. Tyler.

Martha's famous cookies at the Wall.

The Doctor makes it to the Walk for a toast.

Drake Women's Basketball gets a shout out.

Jake and Max were possibly the first people to throw a football on the Great Wall. After multiple throws the ball bounced off the wall and landed in the bushes "on the good side."

Jake and Scott used their bartering skills to trade two Wartburg balls for an ice cold beer. Even though the women was decked in communist clothes, the deal was nothing but good ole' capitalism.

The descent down was one full of energy as we went down a toboggan ride. David, our interpreter, was doubtful as the first sign said "toboggan is simple" followed by "toboggan is dangerous." The ride was eventful and everyone made it down safely with safety advisors telling the boys to slow down the entire time.

After caving in to the tourist trap and buying some t-shirts the gang loaded up the van and headed for the hotel. Deciding to get room service and plenty of rest as we have a long journey ahead of us - after we go to Tiananman Square and the Forbidden Palace.

Everyone is ready to be home. Max and Jake's reflections on the Great Wall.

Relationships are Key to Changing the World

Our work in China through SCF and related projects with Rotary Club of Des Moines AM, and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, are based in trusting relationships with caring people.

On Sunday we had a full day of relationship building and site visits with numerous projects we are involved with in the LiJiang area.

We visited the new Education Center that grew from the successful homeschooling of two children to 26 current students from K-12 (US equivalent). The upper grade students will fly to Hong Kong to take their SAT and ACT tests from entrance to US colleges and universities.

We spent significant time with a friend who is helping us facilitate scholarship funding for a blind girl we met at the LiJiang Ethnic Orphanage school many years ago. She is now 16 and in a special school in Kunming and working to be self sufficient.

We met with one of the doctors we put through medical school who has some amazing experiences in life saving medical treatment. She has a dream to build a clinic in a remote area and serve those most in need.

We also went to the market where EVERYTHING you can imagine is sold - and some things you can't imagine.

It was a full day that again brought home the significance of trusting relationships necessary to have a positive impact in the world.

Pictures will follow.

Greetings from 4680 Meters

Scott Raecker sent you this message that was typed with one finger on a small touchpad

A trip to the dentist in Ren Li

Today we journeyed to the Ren Li Medical / Dental Clinic.

We delivered toothbrushes donated by Delta Dental through Jeff Russell, and dental equipment from Dr. Dan Bartlett, the Dr. Hall Fisher family, and the last hand pieces from the Dr. James A. Raecker family.

It was a joy to be recognized by the dentist and doctor who remember us from our prior visits and delivery of equipment.

We were so thrilled to see dad's photo displayed and the knowledge that his equipment is being used and is making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Jake is in the process of applying to dental college and just finished a dental internship in Denver - so we thought it was a good time to take a look at what the future holds (in a dental chair purchased by the Rotary Club of Des Moines AM).

Off the Beaten Path there is a Church in the Wild

Today we awoke in northwest Yunnan Province.

This is one of those days that has been in the making for nearly a decade as we planned to travel to a remote village where SCF and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church have partnered on a significant project.  Also, on these trips we learn as much about ourselves as we do the people we encounter, and today was just that kind of day. 

We started the journey in two taxi vans for a trip we anticipated to take about an hour.  In about 20 minutes we had arrived at the road that would take us to this remote village.

As you can see from the pictures in the previous posts, "road" is a generous term for what was more of a rock pathway.  We decided this was an exceptional path for a donkey or horse.  Unfortunately we were in small minivans.

After the first of what were more than 50 switchbacks, it was clearly evident we were not going to get to the village in the minivans so we started to walk up the path as the vans made progress without us.

As we walked, we encountered many friendly Lisu villagers who were working hard to repair, or in places, build the road.  After about an hour the vans started shuttling a few at a time up the rest of the mountain as the path became more firm. 

Steve, Jake, Max and Scott had worked their way ahead (slow and steady wins the race was the encouragement that Steve provided several times) so they were the last to get a ride up.  In fact, Steve and Jake walked the furthest today, and after some fairly loud and demonstrative "international communication" between Scott and the driver – Steve and Jake were picked up to ride the remainder of the way in the same van. 

Shall we just say it was a ride we will never forget!   We did arrive safe and actually created history as Cindy, Max and Jake, were the first foreigners of their age (Jake and Max) or gender (Cindy) to ever visit these friendly people – in the history of humankind.

Our first stop was their new church for a quick visit before making the hike to their village home complex which includes all aspects of living including their livestock.

We entered the complex to them flushing out their pig-pen which it appeared had not been done in some time.  Timing is everything.

They treated us like royalty  fixing a very large meal. So much food that our leftovers fed the rest of this multi-generational family of many members.  We had eggs, pork, bamboo, chicken, pickled something (we think beans), and fish (Scott ate the very large eye, all on his own, and was just able to keep it down).

After the meal we went back to the church where he villagers (who were not repairing the road) joined us for worship and praise.  The Lisu sang to us – Stand Up, Stand Up, for Jesus; and we sang Amazing Grace, and together we sang Jesus Loves Me.  There was then a series of prayers, and we Raecker boys offered up our traditional family prayer.

Following prayers we presented infant quilts made by the Gloria Dei Quilters and infant hats made by Cheryl Gilg.  Of course the Wartburg Orange balls came out to make the children happy as well as Iowa pins for the elders.  We also distributed red wrist bands that say, "Keep the Faith" that have been a rallying prayer for our SCF founder and board member, Brad Peyton, who is standing strong and keeping the faith as he experiences the healing power of prayer in his battle against cancer.

We then received beautiful Lisu bags as gifts and parted our ways after a closing prayer and a receiving line of all members to bid us goodbye.

We had an uneventful minivan ride down the path in less than 30 minutes and made our way to the road for the 6 hour, or more, bus ride to LiJiang.  Which is where we are now, high in the mountains, where it is raining and our driver is doing an exceptional job.

Closing today with our family prayer that we offered at the village church and to those of you following us:

"Heavenly Father, hear or prayer. Keep us always in thy care.  Help us always to be good, and to do the things we should. Loving those who love us so, and kind to everyone we know. And bless those who are near and dear to us, wherever they may be. Amen.

More on the Road #3

Check out the wrists on our new brothers and sisters.