I found something in China I did not expect. I found friendship, I found adventure, and I found God moving and working here in the lives of the people I have had the privilege to meet.
Last night our new friend Calvin wanted to cook us dinner so we ventured to the other side of the city to a rented apartment where Calvin cooked us a feast. A variety of smells filled the apartment as we laughed and enjoyed the company of new friends. As I enjoyed spicy vegetables and sweet soups, I remembered my friends back home, how we love cooking dinner together and how it builds community.
After dinner Calvin wanted to ride the new subway home. We walked for about twenty minutes through the cool night air of the city to the sparkling subway station. We might have been the first Americans to ride this new subway and it was such a fun adventure. I almost got stuck in the subway station because I could not get my ticket to work at the gate to get out. After trying several times, Calvin ran to get help and I finally got through the gate doubled over in laughter at the ridiculousness of it all.
These are the moments I love most about life. When you don’t know where you are going and the unexpected happens. When you buy cool blue bracelets from the hot clothing market. When your new friends bless you beyond what you would ever think to do for someone you just met. The small moments that seem so insignificant are often the moments that make the greatest impact on my life. Like meeting John, a Chinese believer who wants to bring the Gospel to Pakistan. John said he first heard the call of God to go to Pakistan while praying and walking on the Great Wall of China.
Moments like talking with Andy, a student who is training to be a pastor in the next two years and plant a church. He is the same age as me, 23. All of these small moments are what I will remember most about China. God is moving and working here despite the fact that China is considered a country closed to the Gospel.
I have discovered it is the people that make a place great. The friendships that are formed over shared experiences. When I think of China I will think of the crowded streets, the smells of street food cooking, the honking of cars and buses as they speed through the streets. But I will also think of my friends, those who are believers serving the Lord here in Harbin and making disciples. The new friends we met who were unfamiliar with the Bible, that they would continue to seek out truth. The church we visited, that it would continue to be a place of refuge for those looking to know more about God. I will also remember the things I have learned this month. That nothing, no day, no moment is too small to be used by God. I will remember to look for the extraordinary God led moments in every day.
*read more about John’s Story in Vallory’s blog here!*
