Here are some pictures of the portion of the Youth Rally we attended at the Church in Dangtu
These first three pictures are of the Sunday morning, the day before the Rally began
Front of sanctuary
Sunday morning: Making costumes for the Youth Event
Sunday morning, children's choir practicing for their part at the Rally
The next couple of pictures gives you a flavour of the song and dance at this amazing event. The church was packed.
There was a lot of excitement as each of the groups lined up for their part in the program. And the torrential downpour and thunder claps added to the drama.
Liturgical Dance, Jesus is Lord of all
Dance of the Prodigal Child
A Dance that included hand dance. So meaningful, so elegant
Singing Songs of Faith
Youth and children of all ages took part. The music and movement combined were emotionally moving. God’s presence was celebrated. We were privileged to be able to be witnesses at least for a portion of the day.
The final days in Dangtu went by quickly, far too quickly. There were final evaluations, certificates to award, classes to plan and final celebrations to put together.
We were joined for the last days by a group of four teachers from Hong Kong, who were there to work with primary and secondary school English teachers for a couple of days. They had been brought in through a teachers organization in co-ordination with a branch of the government to do with foreign relationships. These women were able to join us for meals. We had lively conversations with them about the area and enjoyed sharing our experiences. We also introduced them to the coffee shop in Dangtu.
It was hard to say good bye to the teachers who had been our students. They had become friends and although some will be in touch by email, it is unrealistic to expect that we will ever meet again. The good byes continued with our host and interpreter and then the hotel staff who had been such a large part of our lives in Dangtu. They appreciated the maple sugar candies and Canada flag pins from half a world away. They also gave us reminders of China, mostly preserved food from the region, that is unavailable other places. Such kind and generous gifts! The gifts made packing difficult, but with some rearranging we were ready when the van came to take us to the Nanjing train station. Travelling at speeds of up to 328 km/hr we were in Shanghai in just over an hour.
Our 48 fellow Amity team members trickled in from the 12 placement sites throughout the day. We had the evening to spend in Shanghai, so a group of us headed off to the Expo site, to share the evening with over half a million other people. It was hot and crowded. The grounds were quite amazing but line ups were too long to get into most pavilions and those we entered were crowded. Just being on the grounds was exciting, the different light displays as it grew dark kept us enthralled. But it was good to get back on the Metro and head to the hotel.
Wall in the African Pavilion
Walkway and Communications Pavilion
Pavilion at Expo
Nepal pavilion on left and China Pavilion on Right
Sunday the group gathered for breakfast at 7 and then headed to church at Grace Church Shanghai. There we spent 2 hours in worship that included communion. We were provided with English translation during the service and enjoyed it very much.
Back at the hotel we spent the rest of the day sharing our stories, the good, the amazing and the challenging. Together we shared our ideas for this program in future years and provided the Amity staff with feedback that will allow them to enhance the program. After a full day, we headed to bed, many of us preparing to head back home the next day.
As I write this I am in Ontario, spending a couple of days on the shores of Lake Huron before heading back to Calgary on the weekend.
I hope to update this blog over the next couple of weeks with reflections on my trip and some ideas of how to be involved in similar opportunities. Thanks for joining with me on this journey.
