Going upstream against the current and being raised up by 100 meters

The title almost speaks it all but I don't know if you understand it. Last month in September 2015, I and Jason traveled with several school principals and their families and friends to China. We covered the Zhang Jie Jie ( location of Avatar 1 ) and also the Tianmen Mountain ( location of Avatar 2)

Catching our breath and taking a breather before
we continue down the rest of the 999 steps.

Datin Esther at the bottom of the 999 steps

There are 999 steps down from the cave to where we took our group photos. There are also 99 winding turns on the long and winding road downhill. Do you see the 99 turns on the road behind Jason as he descends the 999 steps?.

Jason descending the 999 steps with the 99 turns of
the long and winding road behind him.

5 Russian planes flew through the Tianmen Mountain cave.

Five  Russian planes flew through that hole in the mountain. Up there are lovely, seemingly frightening walks against rugged mountains cliffs.

Walkways hitched against rugged mountain sides.

But more awesome than these two beautiful places was the unexpected upstream cruise on The Yangtze Kiang River from Yichang to ChongQing along the world famous Three Gorges Dams.

We board our river cruise liner at Yichang and disembarked at ChongQing.

I didn't know it earlier but soon we realized we were going to go through 5 water locks which would raise our ship liner and us passengers by about 100+ meters which is like going up about 25 storeys. Try mulling on that thought.....You on your ship can be raised up by 100 meters on China 2nd longest river.

The 5  water locks that will raise our ship and us by 100+ meters.

The picture above courtesy Xinhua is taken from the bottom of the 5 water locks. It shows 2 gateways - one for ships to travel downstream and one for the ship to travel upstream. What on earth  is a water lock? Your ship together with several other ships get locked in between 2 massive gates which will close and lock your ship and the water in. Then the water level goes up on the upstream one and your ship gets raised up by about 20 meters. Unbelievable? Once you achieved the same level as the water on the next lock, your gate open and your ship cruises into the next lock.

The ship is tied to a metal frame that moves up as the water level is raised. The metal frames pulls the ship up until it reaches the water mark shown up there -. go up by about 20 meters.

I will show a video to help you understand. However nothing can capture that sense of going upstream and being raised by 100 meters. the link is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qilqHdBumgA

What was even more awesome was that the timing of the date and time when we were raised was on a very special date. We entered that first lock about 5.30 pm and was raised up 20 meters by 6.15 pm which marked the beginning of a special day. That had to be God's orchestration.

I understand in my spirit we have been raised up to 5 levels higher on a special date and time. The real implications of this in the natural I am yet to grasp and to fully comprehend. But I await  what God will orchestrate for us after this event with great expectations.

You raised me up so I can stand on mountains.
You raised me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raised me up to more than I can be.

Stay in the light.

Rosie Wee bought hyacinth and narcissus for me when we first shifted to Summerglades, Cyberjaya in February 2015. They came covered up in pretty papers that kept them in darkness.Soon after cutting open the pretty covers, the light began shining in on the shoots. The light dispersed the darkness. They blossomed in time for Chinese New Year.

Fragrant hyacinths bloom
on my kitchen top.

Pretty cheerful narcissus bloom
in my toilet..

My all time favourite bloom in Summerglades comes from our eco pond. The pretty small white flowers open in the bright sunlight and close up by 5.30 pm if the light is not intense bright. What is it about the light that makes flowers bloom?

Pretty small white flowers bloom
in the bright sunlight

The clear waters of the eco pond
reflect the flowers.

Ken Jon and Francesca enjoy the bright light and the pond. They sat straightaway on the deck and dipped their feet in the waters. Probably after flying in from the dreary winter in Cleveland, they appreciate the bright Malaysian sun while most Malaysians would shy away from the intense bright light.

Most Malaysian will not dip
their feet into a pond.

Beneath the wooden deck, ultra violet (uv)  lights are installed where it is darkest. The water is treated by the uv light  to  control   the algae growth in the pond. That makes it ecologically balanced. What is it about the light that balances up systems?

The pink lilies of Summerglades
wetlands pond bloom only in the morning

In Summerglades, the lilies open and bloom in the morning. When I walk over to the pond in the evening, the blooms all close up. I learned it brings more pleasure to walk there in the morning when the lilies bloom. What is it about the light that causes flowers to blossom?

In hospitals, doctors use uv and ir to treat sensitive wounds.The heat from the infra red (ir) dry up the wounds and helps them heal faster. The uv light kills the pathogens and speed up healing. Wounds left in damp darkness will not heal well. 

Hurting people are often in denial over their emotional pains. They have a tendency to keep their skeletons and deep secrets in the closet of darkness. There is a good  possibility that if they were to give up their denial and open up their hearts to the light, their wounds will heal quicker. Light brings  true healing.

So folks, just like flowers, we bloom best when there is bright light.

Stay in the light!