Harbin

Who wants to go visit a place where the temperatures are almost always below zero without a windchill in the middle of the winter?  In this case the answer is me along with 6 other facilitators and s few friends that came along for the ride.  We left for Harbin aboard a 12 hour train ride Sunday night.  We arrived to freezing temperatures and our first experience of freezing eyelashes. 

After settling into our hostel we began to explore the city that is rich with Russian influence.  In fact, the city has belonged to Russia and Japan longer than China has had possession of it and the only thing keeping it from being Siberia is the imaginary line between the countries.  Venturing down the streets was amazing seeing the wonders that are the ice sculptures along with the beauty of creation in the cold that God sent.  I felt at home among all the snow and was refreshed in the environment.

The two big events of the trip were outings to the Harbin Ice Festival and the Siberian Tiger Park.  Both of these were absolutely amazing in their own way.  We bundled up for a night at the ice festival and marveled at what skilled hands and talent can do to turn blocks of ice into huge buildings and sculptures.  The night ended with an amazing fireworks show to commemorate the opening night of the festival.  I watched the fireworks in awe while reflecting on the one who created it all.  The next day we were off to the tiger park where there were over 900 Siberian tigers.  It was amazing to see these huge majestic creatures in this environment. 

The trip ended all too soon, but it was a wonderful time of relaxation, reflection, and community before we start the January session.  Be sure to check out pictures from the trip!  
http://picasaweb.google.com/a.b.twarek/ChristmasBreak