China Smile: Camp.

A lot has happened in the life of Laura recently.

Right now, we will travel back to my last full week of Spring Festival.

CAMP.

That's right. Taiyuan Teens had a winter camp, and since we didn't feel like sitting in our gray apartments for a week, a few of us headed out to the mountains to help out.

Of course, the day we headed out just happened to the day after we got back from Thailand, so I was not terribly alert or ready for...anything.

But it ended up being exactly what I needed.

We got to be English co-teachers to the foreign volunteers who had already flown out from America and Australia just to work at camp that week.

It was really interesting to have gone through several versions of culture shock in Beijing, Chengdu, and Thailand, only to return to a different kind of culture shock coming back to Taiyuan and being with other foreigners for a week. It was wonderful--but that's probably why I was so exhausted the entire time.

Which was nice, because then I got to see the Father work regardless of my ability to fully participate.

We had 20-25 kids come for the week, ranging in age from 9-17. Some had normal names like Donna and John, and some had super names like Bilbo, Legolas, and Dragon Daddy.

Six of the kids came from a local orphanage.

That was really cool.

Throughout the week we sang songs like Lean on Me, played the Cup Game way too much (never teach anyone that game unless you want to play it unceasingly), wore coats and thick socks, learned lessons about American holidays, and watched lives change.

That camp was a really special haven for the kids who got to go there, a place where they didn't feel the pressure to perform perfectly and were loved for who they were.

It was awesome.

And a great way to end all my Spring Festival travels.