Friends

We got together today with the same two families we spent the evening with Sunday. We met at an "insect zoo" near the Pearl Tower. It wasn't a place we'll be taking any of you if you come to visit, but it was fun for today, because we were with friends!

Afterwards we went over to the mall for lunch. We were quite a spectacle, especially when we couldn't find anywhere for the fourteen of us to sit after we had bought our lunch. We ended up finding a spot on the floor, but a security guard scolded us and made it clear we weren't allowed to sit there. Marybelle bravely took him to the seating areas and showed him that there were no seats, and then implored him to allow us five minutes to eat where we were seated! The situation had us all laughing.

When it was time to go, all the boys went home with one family, the Allens, and I brought Elise (who is 8) home with us to play with Madelyn and Gwen.

Caleb and the Allens oldest two children are going to a youth group event together this afternoon. The new youth pastor, who has just arrived in Shanghai from Michigan last week, is filming a promotional video for the new school year, to be shown in church this Sunday, and they are going to be a part of that. Then all the kids who participated will go out for ice cream with the new youth pastor. I will take Elise home and meet up with the boys afterwards. Amazing. I am still amazed. We have friends, and things to do with friends. God is good.