American Friend Joel in the Second Home

xidai

American Friend Joel in the Second Home  

Oct 29, 2013

Our American friend Joel came to visit the Second Home on Oct 16,2013 and he planned to stay and experience the community life for three weeks. After spending a few days in the 1st and 3rd branch respectively, Joel arrived at the 4th branch two days ago.

Joel is a taxi driver coming from Miami, and spent most of his life in North America. He knew Lifechanyuan six months ago and almost visited this website every day to study Lifechanyuan values and communicate with Chanyuan celestials; he is one of the most active members of this website and has become more and more resonating with Lifechanyuan values. Before he visited us, Joel started to help us edit some English articles. He is meticulous and a good helper.

Joel is sincere, honest, and easy to get along. He was longing for a collective life when he was a child, but has been living a normal mainstream life when he grew up. Lifechanyuan values awakened his dream of living with like-minded people in harmony. Joel has not religious belief, but has been very resonating with Lifechanyuan values since he read them.

This is the first time Joel came to China, he said he must be the first foreign traveller who visited China not for Beijing, the Great Wall and all other famous tourist attractions, but just simply visit for a community he likes. Compared to the conveniences and material comfort in U.S, Joel was not quite used to the conditions in the community at the beginning, for example, wet weather and slow internet. But he was able to adapt to it very quickly. He said to me a few times that if he had to choose one between creature comfort and nice people, he would definitely choose the latter. He likes the people in our community very much. No matter which branch he went, the warm hugs from our brothers and sisters made him feel at home.

On the bus from the 3rd branch tothe 4th branch, Joel said that if it was one year ago, he would feel miserable for something he had experienced in China, while now, he was so grateful that he had come. I saw tears coming out of his eyes when he was talking to me. I was very touched by his sincerity. What a pure soul!

Joel also told me that in Miami, almost every day he gets upset by something, but he was only upset once since he came, that was because of the slow internet in the 3rd branch; other time, he feels quite happy living in the community.

Joel is very willing to experience the labour work in the community, which he rarely does in U.S. He has helped in thegarden and kitchen. Guess what, he lost some weight since he came, which is an extra bonus to this visit!

      

Please enjoy some working pictures of Joel in the 1st and 3rd branch.

Making Compost

Peeling the skin of carrots

Listen to Lifechanyuan Presentation

Dancing with people in the first branch

Learn to make Chinese dumpling

Get kernals off corns in the 3rd branch