Prayers on a Bus

Dear Family,

I love this place.

Monday I taught a woman how to pray on a siu ba (little bus). It was so amazing--especially since she had the thickest accent I have heard yet. She was from the mainland but she didn't speak Mandarin, either--her Cantonese was so garbled. She kept asking me if I sic ting'd (understood) and I'd put my best fake-it face on and nod enthusiastically.

I'm thinking, "Really lady, it's not like if I say NO, your explaining it again is going to help. No Way. "

I'm going completely on the Spirit now--you know, when Luke decides to use the force in the ... I'm going to go with-- the 1st Star Wars movie to destroy the death star? Yup, Just like that.

I'm taking my hands of the steering wheel, and letting the spirit drive because this lady's Chinese is indecipherable. I did understand that she thought that Sister Baahk and I were actually SISTERS, which totally makes sense since we have the same sing (last name). That was pretty much impossible to explain, but I think I handled it (or thought I'd handled it,) until she asked later, "So how many other sisters do you have?"

Daaaah. Face-palm smack.

Anyway, I eventually got up the courage/faith to bring up religion. She had "no time" for church--of course she didn't, no one does here, (But oh my goodness, I don't know if I'd have the faith that so many people have here to take out time. There are Philippinos working 24/7 for their kids back at home. Anyway...) but she believed in God. It was really sweet to tell her that I knew God loved her, and that He knew her name, (her sing was Jahng--we think. Again with the accent.) and cared about her--and wanted to communicate with her in prayer. I asked if she knew how to pray (No?) then I taught her, right there in the very last two seats of a crowded siu ba in Hong Kong, rocking back and forth as the siu ba turned corners, how to pray to God in Cantonese. It was one of the most amazing moments in my life.