Wild turkey chase

Everything worked out great, exactly as the Father planned for us as we went outside. This was a good China day.

We asked each other, "Where should we go?" before we headed out the door and were still undecided when we had to choose between bus or taxi. Starbucks won again! (If you're keeping score, it's now 2 for 2 on dates that include Starbucks since it's opened.)

While we drank our lattes, we saw a familiar couple. We'd seen them on our previous four dates but had never spoken. We saw them first at Metro, then at McDonald's, and now at Starbucks for the second week in a row. We had to find out who our "stalkers" were, it's getting too strange.

We talked to them as we were leaving and found out they're American teachers living an hour outside of Harbin. Each Monday (the same day we go out on our weekly date), they travel into town because they don't have classes. No wonder we'd seen them four consecutive weeks! We chatted longer and M'Lynn gets asked if she's Canadian because of her accent. Too funny!

We almost got into a taxi and headed home, but instead we decided to go shopping a bit longer. Good thing we did, because that's exactly what the Father wanted. While shopping, we're called by our teammate who asked us to hunt down a restaurant that sold roasted turkeys. Our team needed the turkey for our Christmas Eve dinner with national friends.

Brilliant! We were right there and love Amazing Race tasks. Armed with our cell phone map, a telephone number, and directions from our teammate, we set off. We marched past the restaurant's street the first time, and then realized we needed to go through the shopping center to the street on the other side. While in the shopping center we literally happened upon another Starbucks (God is great!).

Once through the shopping center, we easily found the restaurant. After a few phone calls back and forth from us to our teammates asking when we should pick up the turkey and from the restaurant manager to the chef asking when the turkey could be ready, we established the day and time.

With 500 RMB paid, receipt in hand, and free "European" tea cups as a gift we went home feeling accomplished thanking the Father for arranging all these little details.