(The first of 3 blogs catching up on ministry in China)
I’ve read books and heard of people who go to the park and sit with the homeless, the beggars, the needy and spend hours in deep conversation with them. The city’s neglected share life lessons that the average Joe never learns. They have more interesting stories than anything you find on the average sitcom. I’ve always wanted to be the kind of person who not only gives money but their time. I don’t know that I’ve ever thought in depth about this desire, just a surface acknowledgement of its existence. The problem is that sitting next to a perfect stranger and striking up a conversation doesn’t always come easily. It can be really uncomfortable, filled with awkward silences where my mind goes blank and I don’t know what to say. I hate that feeling and so, even when my heart wants to communicate, I just give a feeble smile and walk on by.
Elizabeth and I were somewhat lost and roaming the streets of a large city in China looking for a hostel. We were there with no prior contacts or ministry set up and therefore had to find our own place to stay. We were in that city doing what AIM calls ATLing (Ask the Lord). It’s basically prayer walking and asking the Lord where he wants you to go and what he wants you to do. It’s asking him to lead us to people who have needs that we can meet.
We had found a hostel online the night before and were in charge of checking it out in person. The cab dropped us off in the general area but far from the hostel’s door so we started wandering. As we did, we asked the Lord to help us find the hostel. Then we kind of threw on the end of that prayer that if he had any relationships we needed to make along the way, to let us be open to that. Several minutes later we determined we needed to be on the other side of the street and started walking down the stairs of the underground pass. As we walked by the landing between flights of stairs a woman with a burned, disfigured face was silently holding out her cup. When she saw Elizabeth and I she got excited and started speaking in heavily accented English phrases. “Hello! How are you? I am fine!” We stopped along the wall on the other side of the stairs and she continued speaking. “Do you like hamburgers? I don’t like hamburgers.” Eventually we crossed the stairs and stood next to her. She asked questions and we answered. It was basic conversation, but she knew more English than most of the Chinese people we had asked for directions earlier. Several minutes later she pulled out a Chinese-English phrase book and we sat there for the next hour, learning about her life, helping her with her English pronunciation and even learning bits of Chinese. At one point she pulled out a Christian track, pointed to us, and said “Yesu! Yesu!” (Jesus! Jesus!) and then pointed at herself, said Yesu again, and made the sign of a cross. She’s our sister in Christ!
As we walked away that day, she called after us, “Goodbye! See you tomorrow! Safe landing!” (all phrases in her book) and I realized that I just sat on the steps with a beggar, a perfect stranger an hour ago and now a friend. The Lord showed me that it’s not as difficult or awkward as I always thought it was. When it’s a divine appointment, He gives the courage and conversation needed.
