There is Always Hope

  Chengdu and Changchun aren't next door neighbors.  When we have taken a train from Chengdu to Changchun, it took about 30 hours to Shenyang and then another two hours to Changchun.  Flying there is much quicker, about three or four hours, but you need to search for cheap flights.  They best why for Todd and I to get to Changchun is via Beijing.  My meaning is that whenever we have work or a trip to Beijing, we make the six hour bullet train or overnight direct train to Changchun.  Why?  The Father has us in Chengdu for a reason and the opportunities are overwhelming at times.  Still, our call to stay connected to folks in Changchun hasn't diminished over time or distance.
  Last week, I traveled with Hillary and Haley back to Beijing.  It was great to have them back over Christmas vacation, but it was time for them to head back to school.  Most of the kids I teach in Chengdu were preparing for end of the semester exams and had canceled English classes.  I decided this would be a great time to take one of the overnight trains up to Changchun.  As usual the time in Changchun was full of opportunities and great conversations, but the time I will never forget was my time with Xiaohua.
  The picture above is of Xiaohua and me about a year and a half ago.  As I mentioned a few posts ago, Xiaohua was hit by a car November 14th and has been in a coma ever since.
  Soon after I got of the train I made my way to the hospital where Xiaohua was. Once again I saw my friend who was just a shadow of the spunky women I had known.  Her color looked better, she had fewer monitors, but she wasn't conscious.  I left the hospital that day sad and discouraged.
  Two days later I was able to return to the hospital only to discover Xiaohua with her eyes open and arms moving. Was she conscious?  I wasn't sure.  Was 
her movement purposefully?  It wasn't clear.  What was very clear was that as I sat down by her be she turned her eyes toward me.  The nurse encouraged me to hold her hand.  In the past her hands were always rough and her nails dirty from selling fruit and roasting sweet potatoes.  In the hospital her hands were 
clean and smooth.  I grabbed her hand and began to speak to her. As I spoke to her,  her eyes moved towards me and she squeezed my hand.  When I spoke to others in the room, her eyes moved upward and she didn't squeeze my hand.  Was it my imagination?  It happened again and again.  Was she conscious?  The nurse then mentioned that Todd and I had lifted her in thought in the past and that maybe that helped.  I agreed with her and asked if I could do it again.  The nurse seemed to think it was silly question and said,  "Why are you asking 
me to do a good thing!"  I had to chuckle.
 I wish I could visit her next month, next week, tomorrow, but it's too expensive and too far.
Please lift  Xiaohua and her family!