Children's Shows in China - A Norfolk, Virginia ventriloquist, Bob Walsh, and his wooden sidekick "Matthew" performed over twenty character education shows for children, Pre-K to Sixth grade, in the Yew Chung and Yew Wah International Schools, the Government School in Canton Province, and for the legal Beijing International Mandarin Church. Their traveling shows in November 2007 teamed up with longtime friend, Lee Wing Hon, a teacher, puppeteer and life long resident of Hong Kong. The ventriloquism and puppet programs continued from southern China at Shun De to the north in Yantai, and concluded in Beijing.

Topics included manners, kindness, happy children handle conflict without violence, and initiative. Over a thousand children benefitted from hearing positive and uplifting messages to help them in their life transformation to adulthood. Most of the children were well versed in the English language because the International schools are committed to global education with one mission: to educate generations of students who will be fully integrated, functioning, contributing and responsible world citizens in the global community of the 21st century. For the students needing an interpreter, Mr. Hon interpreted in Cantonese and Mandarin. The children interacted well during the shows and in questions that followed afterward. Of course, they enjoyed shaking hands with Matthew and posing for pictures. Each school was given a photograph as a souvenir of the visits. Dr. Frank Moody, Assistant Principal, presented Bob "Deputy Bob" of the International Schools, a flag of China.

While the visiting performers instructed their audiences in character lessons, their Chinese counterparts gave Bob and Matthew an education as well in the Chinese way of life. For example: The Chinese have a saying that to become a man you should climb the Great Wall of China or you are not a man. In other words, you are not brave enough. Bob's ventriloquist figure, Matthew, left the United States a boy but returned a man. He climbed the Great Wall of China.

Bob and Matthew received a warm reception everywhere they performed. One principal, Madame Luk, was gracious and kind in treating Walsh and his Chinese friend to meals throughout their stay, providing amiable interaction with her staff and providing their transportation needs. Upon their departure, she said, "Some people have no connection from above even when they live close by, they will never be friends. We are friends even though we're far away. Someday friendship will bring us together again no matter how far away."

I learned an appreciation for history from World Civilization and American history classes in school. It was fascinating studying and viewing the pictorial histories around the world. I remember being particularly interested in the history of Greece and other places. The next best thing to reading about Greece was visiting it in person with my ventriloquist figure, Jeremiah. My big fascination with this place was not in Greek mythology but with the fact that Ancient Athens was the birthplace of democracy. It was the era of Athenian democracy that the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Propylaea of the Acropolis were built. The Apostle Paul preached on nearby Mars Hill to persuade people to turn from idol worship to a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In mountainous Greece, most ancient towns were backed up by an acropolis. This provided an easily defensible upper town (which is what acropolis means).

The steps of the Acropolis are built entirely of white marble. Totally awesome! That's where I am standing with my puppet, Jeremiah. The Bible tells us in Acts 17:16-31 while Paul was in Athens; his spirit was being provoked within him as he was beholding the city full of idols. He stood in the midst of the Athenian Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD," What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things: and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, "For we also are His offspring." Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.

(At the Parthenon on the summit of the Acropolis): Bob makes a point to his puppet Jeremiah about the importance of reading the Bible to learn how to live right in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

(Cholaargos Orphanage in Athens, Greece). My puppet, Jeremiah, and I coordinated an orphanage visit with our friends to sing songs and do a ventriloquist program for disabled children. You can see from the picture that all children love that puppet Jeremiah.

The Canal of Corinth connects the Ionian and Aegean Sea. What a breathtaking sight to behold. I stood on the skinny bridge overlooking it and looked down with amazement. It is 6,939 yards long but only 75 feet wide. So long, not so high, but very narrow!

(Old Corinth, Greece). In AD 51, the Apostle Paul preached against the immorality of the Corinthians, caused a riot, and was brought before the Bema (judgment) seat of the Roman proconsul Gallio. The case was dismissed. The Apostle Paul had much to say to the Corinthians about making healthy choices in life. Read the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the Bible. When I visited ancient Corinth it was in ruins as you see. When the Apostle Paul preached in Corinth in AD51, the population was 500,000. The Romans had conquered the land of Greece but adopted the Greek false gods except they changed the names. Corinth in the days of St. Paul was an altogether different city than Athens was. It was not a Greek provincial town but the capitol of a Roman province. Corinth was a worldly metropolis that flourished as a commercial center because of its advantageous geographical location by the sea.

(Israel: Sea of Galilee). Sheep graze on the hillsides. People make their living as fisherman. The Sea of Galilee is not a sea but a fresh water lake. It is also known as Lake Tiberias. This entire area was absolutely gorgeous with numerous green valleys. I can see why the Lord Jesus Christ spent most of His ministry years here in the quiet countryside over 2,000 years ago. The Sea of Galilee is 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. That's a big lake, huh? Oh, think of the miraculous history of this place where Jesus calmed the storm (Matthew 8, Mark 4, and Luke 8), multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed thousands of people (Luke 5 and John 21), preached from a boat to the crowds and walked on the water (Matthew 14 and Mark 6). In Galilee, the Lord Jesus Christ preached in many of the shore towns and in the neighboring mountains which offered a quiet place for multitudes of people to assemble.

(The Western Wall: Wailing Wall). This was part of the remaining wall of King Solomon's Temple built around 20BC and was the largest section of the temple to survive the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. It is called the Wailing Wall because Jews mourn the destruction of the First Temple and the rebuilt Second Temple. Worshipers at the wall stick written prayer notes into the crevices of the wall. I went to this wall, touched it and prayed for Israel to have "peace and truth with God's help."

(Ramban Children's Hospital, Haifa, Israel). Jeremiah took me to visit children in the cancer ward at Ramban Children's Hospital. We brought some friends along to sing songs and of course we did a ventriloquism presentation for the kids. It was nice to see the children smile!

(Victoria Peak, Hong Kong). At Hong Kong harbor, I took a cable car with my puppet, Joe, to Victoria Peak to view the harbor. It was a pretty view as you can see.

The people in Hong Kong are friendly. There are many places to shop and eat. You can reach your destination by bus, taxi, underwater subway, or rickshaw ride. Puppet Joe opted for the rickshaw ride.

(Sasebo, Japan). Puppet Jeremiah visited World Mission Fellowship at the Garden of Blessing home. The children and adults enjoyed an educational and entertaining time.

(Mombasa, Kenya: East Africa). Ventriloquist Bob Walsh and Joe did some shows in Africa. One show was done with the assistance of a Swahili interpreter. The audience was grateful for the visit and enjoyed the program.