what an Angelic day. he he he

Today was a great day by my definition. Great, because I got a lot accomplished and am very happy with the work I am getting done. Ya see, today the translator I hired came over for the first time. Her name is Angel. Here is a picture of her.

Yup, this is Angel. She did an excellent job translating for me, I am very pleased with her work, she is very sociable and the Chinese patients seem very comfortable around her, even when I ask personal questions. SO, this is very good. This was an interesting situation I found myself in earlier today. All I wanted was to get a drink out of this pop/water machine. SO, I put in my 3.50 RMB and pressed the button. I heard the bottled water fall, and when I reached into the collector that it should have fallen into....There was nothing there! Puzzled, I started attempting to reach up and into the machine. This was fruitless, and soon these three saw my attempts. They came over to me, and motioned that I needed to put the money in. I explained that I put the money in, and pressed the button, Then nothing came out. SO, the girl in the black gets on her cell phone and calls a number on the pop machine right away, and they both tell me to wait. SO, i stand by. Waiting patiently. They walk down stairs and come back with some money, So I guess the phone call had some success. She put the money in, and pressed the same flavored water that I pressed, and again, you could hear it fall, but nothing came out. This time, they understood what i was trying to communicate to them. They immediately started laughing, and started kicking the pop machine. BAM, two flavored waters came out, and everyone was happy. It was just an example of people helping people. It was great.

SO, after I got my water, I waited outside of the hospital for Angel. When she got there, we walked up to my hospital room, and I introduced her around. We looked at what the hospital offers, and I introduced her to some of the Chinese patients I have made friends with. Then, we went to our first interview. It went really well, and I will be posting the interview on my Blogg, once i edit it, and am happy with the format and everything.

2 people got interviewed today.

Yuan Bing was the first Chinese patient to be interviewed, I was very happy with the interview also. It went really well, and he has nothing but the best things to say about the hospital. I promise, as soon as i have edited the interview, I will post it on HERE.

The second interview was with my girl, LYNN! It couldn't have gone any better.

The interview with Lynn went so well for many reasons. Her mother was there, so I got input from Lynn and her mom. I also learned a lot about Lynn. The best part of the interview is that I got a chance to tell Lynn that I am praying for her every day, and so are a lot of my friends and family. SO, I know that God is getting a chance to touch her heart. Angel, the translator is a Christian, so that only helps the situation. It was awesome, I asked Lynn if i could pray for her, and Angel asked her, then Lynn told Angel that she would like her to translate for me while I held her hand and prayed for her. It was so powerful, I was struggling not to cry, but I stayed strong, and toughed it out. It is amazing how God sets these things up. I keep learning through the devotional on Peter I am doing, that I need to keep stepping out of my comfort zone, and God will take care of the rest. I believe with all my heart that God was definitely in control of the patient interviews today. Hip Hip Hooray!!

NEW CAMERA and what not.

I am kinda reporting with mixed feelings about the new camera I got. Well, I got the same camera pretty much. The camera I got here seems to be a little bit nicer, it's the Canon Power Shot A550 AiAF 7.1 MP. It looks pretty much like the one you see below.It looks a little something like this. I mean it is a really nice camera, and i'm sure if I would have bought it back in the U.S. it would have cost me probably over $200.00, plus I got the 1gb of memory to go with it. SO, I am really happy with my purchase, I am just not happy that I had to pretty much buy the same camera twice. But, these things happen.....even if you are pretty sure it's the cleaning lady because she doesn't make eye contact with you because her guilt won't allow her to look into the eyes of the American man who has been so nice to her....you get it.

Lets go back to this morning first. This morning, me and Sid helped drop off Frank and Dr. Biggs. They are both doctors, but everyone called Frank, Frank. and everyone called Eric, Dr. Biggs. SO, thats just kind of what stuck with them.

This is Dr. Biggs, he is a great guy. I learned from this guy. Great personality, great sense of humor, great person to be around, to have a conversation with about ANYTHING, or just to sit with and watch a movie. I really enjoyed being with him, and getting to know him. Very thankful for being able to become friends with this man.

Frank, if you couldn't tell is the only black man in Shenyang. He is the styling dude sporting the fanny back. Frank has a lot of charisma and is just extremely upbeat. He has this magic to him that makes everyone around him happy and positive also. I REALLY enjoyed Frank. I learned some things about myself through Frank also. Some of the things I learned are kind of personal, and some of the things I learned about myself are normal deal with every day things. Lets just say these two men brought a lot to the table. I am very thankful I was brought to China and to this hospital to meet them. Just in case you couldn't tell, these 3 pictures that I just loaded are kind of low quality. The reason is I had to take them with my phone. Then upload them onto my computer, and on to the BLOG. SO, from now on the picture quality will be back up to par. Good quality just like it has been from the beginning of the trip. ALSO, one other thing I would like to mention is that they keep telling us that the internet will be shut off. Apparently, some "military secret" got leaked. And because of this, all the military hospitals will be losing their internet capabilities. I think this is all just a bunch of bull crap, but whatever. It won't stop me, I will just find an internet Cafe and make the best of it.

Today, I spoke on the phone with a Chinese woman named Angel. Angel has agreed to help me translate while I interview some of the Chinese patients about their stem cell experiences. I am excited to meet her tomorrow, and at 5:30 we will get started, interviewing the first Chinese patient. I am totally stoked to do this, and I think it is going to go really well.

See how much better the picture quality is with the new camera. I mean it is just TONS AND TONS better. I am going to stop writing now though, I think I am going to go and meet the new patient. He is from Florida also, and he is completely paralyzed, like the only thing he can move is his neck. I think his name is Danny. He is here with his father, and they are both Christians, and I am excited to meet them. SO, thats whats up. LATER!

well, not so good turned into pretty good.

I had a lot of really good pictures from this morning. Ya see, I went to the Airport this morning to drop off some of the Americans who went home today. Ben & brother Scott. Ben was in the wheel chair because of a spinal cord injury caused by a car accident. Two great guys, really loved them and everyone at the hospital are really going to miss them a lot. Funny, caring, and just really good guys. The sad thing about those pictures is that they were on my digital camera.

MY DIGITAL CAMERA GOT STOLEN OUT OF THE COMPUTER ROOM IN THE HOSPITAL!!!!!! I was so angry, but it was totally my fault. I spaced out and forgot I left it on the window ledge....could have happened anywhere. I just did it at the hospital. SO, I lost some pictures, but The rest of the day I got on my phone's camera. UGHHHHH I am so pissed that I lost it!!!!!

This is a picture of yours truly after I bravely walked down to a barber shop and trusted them with my facial hair. It was getting kind of out of control and the dude there bravely cut my hair perfectly. They don't get to cut too much facial hair. He did a really good job though. quite happy with the results.

Later that day we were invited over for dinner by an American couple that has been living in Shenyang for 7 years. It was really great, and they cooked us an amazingly good meal. Such a relief not to see any eyes staring back at you while you ate. Super nice couple with a really cute baby. Also, they found me a translator for the work I would like to do at the hospital. SO HAPPY WITH THE EVENING!!! all I have to say is Thank you Jennifer Boen, you are the ultimate Hook UP!

This is the beautiful Sandy who did the cooking for my mother and I. She also gave us all the must visit places in Shenyang, and She found me a translator for the work I want to do, and she was just fantastic. Also, she gave birth to this beautiful child of God, who is just the best behaved baby I have seen in quite some time.

This is little Bailey, my mom and I actually got to be at the church while this little one was being dedicated. It was so neat. She is so beautiful and quiet. WOW, so quiet. She has two great parents too. Ryan and Sandy. Great people doing great things, and made me and my mom feel super welcome and appreciated. The night was great, even though I did get my digital camera ripped off. Worse things could have happened.

This picture doesn't really do anything justice, but on the Taxi drive on the way home, I was noticing how lit up this city is at night. I mean seriously, some of it feels like you are driving through Vegas. There is so much florescent lights everywhere, and even on normal buildings like apartment buildings and warehouses. It is quite beautiful.

As far as treatment goes, I got acupuncture this morning, which was very relaxing today, I feel into a deep sleep actually. I love it when I can sleep through acupuncture.

I need to say something that has been on my mind a lot lately. Probably cuz I talked to her on the phone which might have been a mistake, because it makes me miss her even more than I already did....But Chelsy...I miss Chelsy like a fat kid misses sweets. Everything about her........awwwwww darn you China, you are so far away from everything I know. But I am here for a reason, and That is THAT!!

Good night!

some pictures...stem cells....the usual

If my count is correct, today is Day 17 in China. It is a beautiful evening as I sit in the computer room and write my blog. The windown is open, the city is lit up, and it is fairly clear out. You can see building tops and streets for miles. The usual sound at night here goes like this. Honk Honk, Bgrrhhhhh(rattly engine noise) Wheeee yoooooooo Wheeeee yooooooo(occasional siren), screeeeech(Brakes rubbing from a near by city bus) and sometimes, just sometimes, crack crack boom boom(fireworks being shot off, usually for a wedding or special occasion). Thats what it sounds like here. I know this, because I just stuck my head out the window and listened. SO, today I went out because I wanted to find some presents for some friends, which I did. And I also wanted to find a Digital Photo Developing shop. They definately have those here, and you can get your digital pictures turned into regular photographs for very cheap. I got 5 pictures developed, and it cost me less than an American dollar. This is a picture of the girl working on the pictures for me at the photo shop. I was getting some pictures developed of me with Lynn and her family. Her mom's face lit up when she saw what I did. Totally worth my while.

When I got back to the hospital, I was informed that I was going to get some stem cells today. Thankfully I didn't have to get them via spinal cord. I got the injections by I.V. This came as a a bit of a relief to me, mostly because I don't think I will have the troubles with the Head Aches that I have been having. So, this is how it went down.

First things first. Lets get the tools, and get that I.V. in place.

Here is the stem cells. A little bit of a yellowish tint. SO, it sure is a lot easier than getting another hole in the back. :-)

And then I am left with this. I have been interrupted so many times while writing this BLOG. I don't have normal access to the Computer room while the Americans and Chinese are moved inbetween different rooms. Once the old Americans get sent home things will calm down and everything will go back to normal. DONE!

Night ya'all.........or good morning.

today is BLOG 201!

Yep, it's official, I have blogged 201 times. Wow, this feels amazing. Most people don't even know what a blog is.....BUT the fact remains, I have done it 201 times! Today was great. I woke up and decided it was time for me to feel better. SO, I did. I got up, took a shower, and felt better. The morning started off by most of the American's going to the Sheraton. It was really fancy, but to be perfectly honest. The amount of money we spent for breakfast in that 5 star hotel, we could have eaten regular Chinese breakfast for a week!The Sheraton did have really good food. I am just saying that I don't care about food enough to pay American prices while I am here in China. Yep, so thats my thought on that.

After I got back from breakfast I decided to travel to the far side of the park. I wanted to see what it had to offer. It had a lot to offer, and I had soooo much fun.

I found another activity that involves no communication what so ever. PING PONG. Rules are the same as in the states, and it is twice as fun when you are playing with someone else who doesn't care about score or winning. Once I started sweating like a piggie out in the sun. The lady noticed and told me I could take off my shirt. Well, as if I didn't stand out enough, now I was really attracting everyone over. Seriously, crouds of people were drawn to this site. LOL. it was classic.

The lady in the blue was the one playing Ping Pong with me, and her grand daughter and her husband. He got a kick out of me. This little Chinese girl just wanted to practice her English and get her picture taken with the tall funny looking American who plays Ping Pong with no shirt on.

After the park experience, my mom and I went to the Shenyang International Church. It is for Passport and Green card holders only. It was great. I learned a valuable lesson about worship time with God also.

The picture quality is bad because the lighting was not so hott. But the lesson is still as valuable as ever. These three people worshiped God with hearts of praise. They exhaulted him in broken English and If they sang one Key correctly I would be amazed. But it doesn't matter. Any praise or worship music sung to our creator is beautiful music regardless. I learned not to let stupid things like how music sounds get in the way of praising the King of the Earth. I can think of several times where I left Church back at home saying...."man, worship time wasn't too hot today." WOW, that will never happen again. I had a connection at this church with God. Singing the most simple worship songs, with people who just wanted to praise the creator. Very powerful stuff.

I think it's a sign.

Well, today was extremely laid back. After yesterday's close call with what I think could be the start of some flu like symptoms. I decided to take today off. So, this morning I woke up and kept on laying right in bed. No acupuncture, no activity, just laying, movies, and nodding off and on. I was hot, then cold, then comfortable for maybe 15 minutes, then hot again. It went on like this for a long time. Finally around 3:00pm I decided it would be a good idea for me to get up and take a shower. I felt a little bit better after the shower. I am just experiencing like cold sweats, and just general uncomfort. I seemed to be really physically drained too though. It all worked out for the better though in my opinion. Ya see, a lot of the Americans that I have become close with are leaving the first of the week. SO, tonight is their farewell night. They are planning on partying it up and well, I am relieved that I have an excuse not to join them.

SO, about 8:00 rolls around. After my mom made some amazing food for me and the neighbors. After I had rested and what not. There is a knock knock at the door. I was in the bathroom at the time, but my mom answered it, and then I hear in broken English...."Is Mikey to here?"

Some friends I had met the night before brought their friends, and decided to come and "chill" with them. I was very happy to see them. We talked, laughed, and tried our best to understand each other. They are extremely nice, and one thing I managed to accomplish was to ask their permission if I could do individual interviews with the ones who are receiving stem cell treatment. They both agreed, I even asked if I could publish my interviews with them on my Blog, and they both agreed. I think they were even a little interested/excited to do so. Placing our hands on top of each other is a sign of friendship. Both men in wheel chairs were both in car accidents. They both suffered spinal cord injuries. The man to the left was a policeman, and has a little less disability then the man in the yellow shirt. They are both very fun, and really neat individuals. I can't wait until I have a translator so I can learn a little more about their specific situations. This was all for today.

Here is a little something I wrote a couple of nights ago. I wrote it after my mom and I had a chance to talk about whats going on in my life and just talk talk. It was later in the evening, and the Internet connection from my bed was not strong enough for me to add it to that days blog. SO, we will call it the late addition, addition.

~Late Addition, Addition~

I was just lying in bed here in the hospital room. And, well I had a tugging on my heart to write a little bit more. SO, this is my late addition. My mom and I were just talking about my life. Ya know, in just the 20 years I have been on this green earth. I have experienced a lot. I have had a lot of people influence me. Some in good ways, some in not so good. But through it all, one thing stayed tried and true. GOD’S GRACE. I think that is why the BLOG title is so fitting. Surrounded By Grace. I always have been. And I think it is starting to become clear why. Just like Mom and Dad have always said. “Mikey, God is going to make something great out of you.” Take my situation right now for instance. God brought me to China for this treatment. He provided the money, and he provided the strength in me to carry through with everything. He gave me an amazing mother to keep me accountable, and he gave me a support system to keep me focused. Wow I am blessed. And I will not take that for granted anymore. He gave me Lynn. I have learned something very powerful from Lynn. NEVER GIVE UP! It doesn’t matter what your circumstance is. You could have been in a car accident, sports accident, you could have been physically or emotionally beaten, you could have alcoholic parents, the most horrible things could have happened to you. BUT, you can’t give up. If you do, what good does that do for anyone? I think just being strong like Lynn; Moves Mountains. Lynn and I wear matching necklaces. Every time I feel it rub against my chest, I say a prayer for her. God, be with Lynn. Let a miracle take place in her body. Maker her legs come back to life Lord. He will too. He is that good. ….. And my eyes start watering

That’s all I have to say.

relaxed today.....then I started not feeling so hott.

I took it easy today. Took it easy on Children's Day. From what I understand, many, many countries around the world celebrate Children's Day.....many except the U.S.A. of course. You probably can't make any money off it....Did I just say that out loud?This picture is classic. Okay, I was standing in the far back of the elevator. It is one of the elevators in the Hospital. I love this picture, because this is how it works every time many Chinese people want to go up or down. If the Elevator "seems full" you can always fit in 6 more. I think that is the common thinking shared among all Chinese people. I just stand in there and laugh as they keep cramming more and more people in. Sure I get some funny looks, but they won't be thinking I'm so odd when we are all free falling from the 10th floor because the cable broke. AHHHHH!!!!
These 2 joksters are great. The man to the right was in a bad accident. From what I can understand, he was in a head on collision with another car. It was a very bad accident. You can see in his throat where a breathing tube had to be placed. The reason I know is because there is a big scar from where they had to cut a hole. Paralyzed from the middle chest down. Still has a great sense of humor though. I hope to be able to do a one on one interview with him in the near future. We listen to each others music on our phones, and look at pictures the both of us have collected over time. A universal communication tool.....LIFE.
I don't have too many pictures to share for the day. But, the ones I do have, hold a lot of emotion and all carry great stories. This bracelet was given to me by my buddy Lynn. I love it, Love everything about it. I love the fact that Lynn gave it to me even more than I love it as a gift.

After she gave it to me, I invited her and the nurse, Naomi to watch Jurrassic Park. We watched the 3rd one, but Lynn really wanted to watch the first one. So, I searched for it and found it. Next thing I knew...we were watching it. Lynn is so gullible too. She gets really tense during scarry parts. LOL. SOOO, I of course have to grab her suddenly and scare the heck out of her and Naomi. Gets um every time.

During this movie, probably 20 minutes from it about to be over. I start getting the sniffles really bad. Then I started sweating, then the head ache came. It all happened so fast, It kind of suprised me. We will see how this works out.

Ta Ta