Shanghai and Elder Oaks

Conference room where we go to church in Shanghai

Famous Shanghai landmark

"Mom, I think these would fit Shrek."

Shopping for Crocs in Shanghai

Gracie really wanted this shirt, she put the hood up to try it out. She looked so cute I had to take a picture and buy it too.

Last weekend we went to Shanghai for District Conference and to listen to Elder Oaks speak. (For my non-Mormon friends, we believe Elder Oaks in an apostle, just like in the Bible.) We were to leave on Friday and return Sunday.

Friday afternoon was busy because it was also the day we had to go to pick up our permanent resident visas here in Ningbo. One of the places we had to go was only open from 2-5 on Tuesdays and Fridays, so we didn't have a lot of room for error because we needed the permit so our shipment could be processed in the Shanghai port, and you need your original passport for that, but Bill was going to the U.S., and this permit took a week and if we didn't get it right then Bill couldn't go to his meeting, and almost all our worldly goods would sit in Shanghai piling up import fees, but he also needed temporary documentation because he had to travel to Beijing and they had our original passports. Got all that? Point is, we really needed the paperwork, and we needed it right then. After traveling to two different places, waiting in lines, taking pictures, filling out paperwork, signing our lives in blood, three hours passing, everything was done. Actually, it wasn't that bad because Bill's assistant did all the talking, paying, navigating, etc, while we chased William around. He only broke one window shade during this process, not bad considering his activity level. However, the enormous scoreboard like screen flashing red Chinese characters and the ear deafening announcements, all directing human traffic, did get on my nerves.

The most challenging event at one of the bureaus, was trying to help Gracie go potty in a Chinese toilet.

Mom: "We are going to Shanghai now and if you have to go, you better go now."
Gracie: "Mom, I just can't do it."
Mom: "Well, can you hold it for three hours?"
Gracie: "I have to go now!"
Mom: "I'll help you."
Gracie: "I'm too scared! It stinks!"
Mom: "Let's go in together."

We then performed an amateur version of the Chinese acrobatic show trying to keep Gracie's pants dry while relieving the pressure in her bladder. We were relatively successful. I'd give us an A-, deducting points for a few sprinkles on her jeans, but earning extra credit for foul odor endurance.

So, we got underway with a few snacks and all excited to get to the hotel. The trip to Shanghai lasted longer than expected. After 3.5, and at least another .5 hours from the hotel, nerves started to get raw. The driver was suppose to drop us off at IKEA to eat, leave me there and then take the rest of the happy family on to the hotel to swim. However, the freeway was shut down, our driver got lost, we couldn't communicate with each other, and the tension between Bill and I started to increase. The kids were starving, to the point they believed if they didn't eat in the next 5 minutes they would shrivel and die: snacks already devoured, horns blaring, stuck in traffic, no one knowing our coordinates, and Bill and I actively debating if we should feed the kids at the first place we saw or just get to the hotel, check-in, and then get food. We spotted a McDonald's, told the driver to stop (he was almost in tears at this point) we quickly ate and all agreed to scrap IKEA. We finally got to the hotel, put the kids in bed and called it a night.

By morning, tensions were gone and we had a great time in Shanghai. We shopped, ate good food, went swimming, etc. The highlight was of course listening to Elder Oaks. The church doesn't have any buildings in China. The Shanghai branch meets in a nice conference room above a large BMW dealership. (William loved looking at the "fast" cars as we went into church.) We had an adult session on Saturday night which was great and then a Sunday morning session. I took extensive notes and will share just one of the points he taught us.

He talked about the concept of "becoming" and the parable of working in the vineyard from the Bible. The phrase we often hear, "it doesn't matter where you serve, it just matters how you serve." This is true because God cares about us becoming like Him, not what positions we have held. If we are suppose to learn to be patient, you can learn that serving in the nursery or serving in a stake presidency. God cares about us becoming patient. Some people need to work harder at being patient (enter in the vineyard earlier and work longer) others have an easier time being patient (enter later, yet are still given the same reward of becoming patient). This translates to every area, so we work in the vineyard longer on some issues, and on others we enter in on the eleventh hour. I don't know if this makes any sense, but I found it quite profound. He stated, "What we become, that is what is important." Reread the parable with this in mind. I felt the Spirit very strongly while he was speaking. I do know he is an apostle of the Lord!

Because we were a relatively small group, after the sessions he came down, shook our hands, and spoke with us. On Sunday we waited around with the kids so they could also say hello. During the session, William didn't really pay attention to what was going on. He was more interested in his cars, he colored, walked back and forth on the row, teased the girls, ate snacks, typical two year-old stuff. Bill was holding William when we were talking to Elder Oaks, even when we were standing there, William was looking around, not paying attention. Elder Oaks is not that tall so William was taller than him in Bill's arms. Suddenly, William notices Elder Oaks standing there, looks right at him, thrusts his pointer finger in a downward motion a couple inches from his face and loudly exclaims, "Hey! I saw you on [com]puter!" We started laughing, everyone around us started laughing, Elder Oaks started laughing. He then said, "Well, that's a first. I've never heard that before." I never thought our little William payed attention to us reading the Ensign and listening to Conference talks on the computer. Well, he noticed.