What Dreams May Come?

For the past couple of nights I awoke from sleep with some pretty wild dreams.  Recently, 2x it is has been about winning the lottery (I wish that was real).  Admittedly, I do purchase the occasional ticket, however, the lucky one in the family is Spencer.  Even in China they had lottery games and while we were there we purchased a couple-just to say we did.  With not a thought about taxes and such but we had decided that if we won we would just donate it all to Spencer's orphanage.  While we were in his hometown we went to the corner store daily.  Each time Spencer would point to the scratch offs and we decided to buy one and we actually won the equivalent to 5 USD.  So Spencer got a ton of goodies..  Honestly, I really don't know if we won or if the store owner wanted to do something good for an orphan kid who will be leaving his hometown and wanted him to have a good memory.   Fast forward to Spencer's first trip to BJ's when we are home.  This is a kid with no English except "NO".  Also he was experiencing the normal grieving process of the adoption.  Yet when he saw the scratch off machine in BJ's he got all happy and excited and took me by the hand and pointed.  I, not a big fan of scratch offs, but a big fan of seeing this kid happy splurged and allowed him to pick out the ticket he wanted.  It was a winning ticket of  $50.00!  Since then, when he has had a desire to play he has won all but 2x.  Little amounts of either the price of the ticket or 10.00.  Nothing huge. Still enough to encourage a habit.  My hubby gets upset with me when I encourage this by buying whenever Spencer wants one.  So I don't do it anymore, as much.

Yet these dreams of the past couple of days got me thinking-if we won an obscene amount of money, how would we be stewards of it?  Pretty much how we spend our current rates of pay.

Tithe-I don't know if our church would accept money won from a lottery-but 10% gets used for God's purpose.  I do know that God has lead myself to donate and put the tithe towards His works that are not just a church-so if that is an issue I know that God would lead where he wants it.

Pay off bills, house, purchase cars that are not on their last legs (but not new-I will never buy a new car considering the price depreciation as soon as it goes off the lot).  Update the house, maybe purchase a new one or land to build a "family compound" on.

Then build a savings/trust accounts.  One for each of the kids, then an account that the interest alone would be the "income" for the monthly expenses.

Orphan/adoption support and care that is another big dream.  Help families with adoption costs and after the adoptions support and education.  Now with the bs that the Russian government is doing in terms of using orphans as pawns I would do something.  What?  Don't know.  But Something. Maybe hire those Amish Mafia guys (joking-that show is a new obsession of mine).

Anything left over?  That's when the real fun would begin.  Travel-back to China.  I don't know why but I fell in love with that country.  It is not really peaceful-I mean the cities are crowded, noisy and polluted.  The water smells-even out of the tap.  The locals don't drink the water without boiling it.  The government is corrupt, there are human rights violations, and, well I could go on and on.  Yet I am drawn back to that land.  I actually would like label it as being more homesick for it.  If I believed in past lives, I would venture to say that would have been one of mine.  I adore the history, and the architecture-I mean seeing pictures of the Great Wall, and actually climbing up to it (not for the faint of heart) and coming to the realization that it was built by human hands.  Hearing that the Chinese call it the Wall of Tears because of how many died. All young men were obligate to serve time building it (I think depending on the time any where from 1-5 years).  Many died before their time was up.
Seeing the Forbidden City and approaching it by way of Ti-amen gate/square and being in the very spot where the college student stood down a tank.  As we were crossing that street I stopped and said to our guide "this is the spot!"  As I went on to say about this is where that guy stood in front of those tanks(yep I stood in the middle of a street in Beijing again not for the faint of heart). Our guide gently took my arm and said "we do not discuss that" and quickly pointed to the military presence there in the square.  18 years later the goernment still wanted it know that they are in control.  The feeling I had at that moment did, and still brings me to tears. 


China is in the midst of great change.  The people are becoming educated and empowered and the government knows  and fears it.  They arrest Christians and ask them why they believe in a book of fairy tales (Bible) yet if that is what they truly believe wouldn't Cinderella be limited on how many copies you can own?  I was told when I was there not to carry our Bibles in public. Even if you go to a government sanctioned church. Really?  What I took away from that is what I share when I teach Sunday school.  Bring you Bibles-if for no other reason because you can.  Take that moment of silence in school to pray-if for no other reason because you can.  I get like this each Sunday.  I spend some time praying for my sisters and brothers in China that I had the blessing to worship with. 

I just came to a realization-if I didn't have kids I would probably be a human rights activist.  Probably jailed somewhere.  I recently posted on FB about the documentary about Ai Weiwei.  It is on Netflix
http://aiweiweineversorry.com/ is the website.  The chant from China is "Don't Retreat-Retweet!" My problem is I don't read Chinese and I don't use Twitter.  This man has inspired me to start looking into it and seeing  if there is a translate button.  I don't really like the finger art he does but I do appreciate the meaning behind it. 
Funny thing is I know that posting this will now red flag me for when I apply for a visa or probably with hosting any of the Chinese students.  Am I paranoid?  Probably, but there is a theory that all paranoia has its roots in truth.  I seen things that I thought were just stories.  Injustices that were so impossible to believe yet there it was right in front of me.  It is not just China-I speak from that because I was there and saw it really happening.  What amazed me-is how many people still came to myself and others knowing that they were going to be targets long after we left and still came to us, hosted us and was proud to be seen with us.  I asked one person why they put so much at risk-their answer-"it is not a question of if we are caught, but when.  There is a point that you decide that the risk is remaining quiet and passive and not living, not believing not standing.  God's power and protection and eternal life is so much more than what the government can do."  I kept that with me 
Here in America we are giving up our rights-just handing them over to the government because we want to feel protected.  Big brother is watching and doing nothing.  Crimes are on video yet where is the protection to prevent it?  Now there is talk about gun control-when the only people who have guns are the government what is that? Protection or fear induced control of the people?

Boy, today's writing went in a direction I didn't plan on going. However, that is why I titled my blog as I did.  Tomorrow I will list an outline plan for at least one of my resolutions.  Until then I will conclude with a quote from Ai Weiwei.  BTW if you decide to watch the film listed above I will qualify that there is foul language and Ai Weiwei  lives a life style that I do not endorse.  I suggest watching it before allowing children watch.  With that being said-his documentary is the truest to being in China that I have seen represented on film.

“The world is not changing if you don’t shoulder the burden of responsibility.”

— Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Twitter, December 2, 2009