When they told us we wouldn’t be having internet access all month, I was a little bummed, well, actually a lot bummed. It was the last month and I had kept in contact with many people in Cambodia, and it was going to be my birthday and I was bummed! BUT it turned out so much better than I thought. It was actually nice and very freeing to not be checking my email many times a day or spending my time blogging. I even missed blogging. I wasn’t sure how I felt about blogging at the beginning of the year. Anyways, now I have 29 days worth of blogging to catch you up on.
So…
Train ride fun, it can get pretty boring sometimes!
We took an 18 hour sleeper train to another part of China to participate in a cultural exchange program at a local university. Since China is a closed communist country and does not allow Christianity to be practicised we couldn’t be openly Christian. We entered the university as students wanting to learn about Chinese culture. It was an amazing time! Every morning we had class from 9-11am. We learned about Chinese culture, history, and philosophy. We got to try our hand at papercutting and calligraphy. We took field trips to a tea house, museum, local embroidery factory/store, and a traditional Chinese medicine Hospital. When we went to the tea house, we got to participate in tea ceremonies. I never knew in my life how many aspects, stages, and things for tea. I somehow got chosen to make tea. I didn’t get the best look when I used TWO hands to hold the tea kettle.
In return for our classes, we participated in “English Corners” from 4-6pm. English Corners consisted of us sitting in a classroom at the university while all the English majors could come talk to us for two hours. It was much easier than expected. All the students are very eager, sometimes even scared, to talk to foreigners. We answered every question they had and they definitely had LOTS of questions! From the English Corners, we made friendships and were able to set up other meetings with our new friends. I made friends with 3 freshman girls. They were very giddy and at first, obnoxious. Within the first 10 minutes of our conversing, they asked me to play badminton with them the next day. I didn’t have any plans so I agreed. After the badminton game (which I was pathetically sore the next day from) they introduced me to their friends. The questions continued until one caught my attention. They asked, “What do you believe?” Knowing that I needed to be careful with what I shared, I asked, “What do you mean?” They typed into their translator thing a word and a then showed me, “Christian.” I said, “Yes, I am a Christian.”
They said, “Do you know the Bible?”
“Y”Yes.”
“D”Do you read the Bible?”
“Y”Yes.”
“C”Can you tell us a story from the Bible?” I thought to myself, “Seriously God? Can it be this easy?”
“Y”Yes, I can tell you one of my favorite stories!”
I got to share the gospel with the group of girls. They were listening intently on my every word. They had heard of God before, but not Jesus. Their faces lit up when I told them they were created and loved by God. Their faces saddened when I talked about Jesus’ death and then I said, “You know what the best part is?”
“W”What?!?”
“Three days later he rose from the dead.”
“W”What?!? Alive?!? Where does he live now?…”
This was followed by many other questions. None of the girls ended up accepting Christ at this point. Many of them came from Buddhist families and it is hard for them to pull away from those cultural and family beliefs! I am so thankful that God chose to use me in that time because their childlike response to the gospel refreshed me. I was reminded of the real sacrifice and so thankful for the eternal life I have in Christ. I hope that the next time someone comes along to tell them about Christ, they can remember the words and know that they heard this story before. We saw other people harvest in our group with people they have never met before. I am thankful to be part of the cultivating process
