For those of you who have been missing me, I’m officially back in internet land!
I would first like to thank those of you that have been praying for my team this past month as we have been venturing across the great country of China! We have truly had so much of the Lord’s favor resting upon us. I must say that it was not quite what I had expected, and I’ve been astounded at the doors that were opened to us. God is so good!
Our biggest aim here was simply to begin building relationships and see where that would lead us. Much of our time was spent on college campuses, which was largely due to the fact that the students are very eager to practice their English skills. It really wasn’t hard to make friends as we seemed to stand out just a bit. (Okay, I’m kidding. Imagine yourself in the midst of a sea of Asians. It pretty much makes you feel as though you’ve grown at least a foot and are suddenly a movie star!) We didn’t have a whole lot of “scheduled activities,” so it allowed us to have the freedom to move where doors had been opened.
Speaking of movie stars, I have a funny story to share concerning that!
Probably one of the craziest experiences I had this month occurred at one of the universities we spent just a day at. Bekah, Steph, John and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we stepped onto this particular campus, but it sure made for some good laughs! As mentioned earlier, it’s really easy to make friends when you are literally the only white person around for miles and quite possibly the first one that has ever been seen face-to-face.
With just a few new friends in hand, we made our way to the football/track field where hundreds (if not more) of students were watching and participating in a track meet of sorts. They convinced us to make our way from the top of the cement bleachers onto the field, and as we reached the bottom we soon realized everyone was looking at us and clapping. I really don’t understand a lick of Chinese, but I had a strange feeling that the speaker was announcing our arrival.
Here’s the best part: Chinese people love to take pictures. What seemed like a small request at the time soon began to escalate from one person asking to take our picture to five hundred. Okay, that MIGHT be an exaggeration; however, I’m 100% positive that at least 500 pictures of us were taken that day. Cameras started popping out from all sorts of places, and people would walk up to us, take our picture, and leave. Our cheeks literally hurt after smiling for so long. I can now most assuredly tell you that I in no way envy the lifestyle of the rich and famous! It was absolute insanity! I’m also almost 100% positive that my profile can now be seen in hundreds of college campuses across China!
It’s a different world in China. I woke up every morning to the beautiful sounds of HAWKING LUGIES! Apparently the Chinese believe it promotes a healthy lifestyle to get all the junk out of their system, so it’s a daily practice. And no, it’s not just in the morning; it’s all day long. No, it’s not just done in the restroom; it’s done wherever and whenever. Forget trash cans when you can just spit on the street! No kidding.
One of the funnier moments occurred as Allison and I were out on a jog one morning in a park near our hotel. There were literally hundreds of people in the park that day doing their exercise and who knows what else! One thing that’s great about the Chinese people is that they are very into fitness, and even 80-year-old women can be seen doing their morning exercises. They form little groups and doing stretching exercises with swords and other objects while typically wearing red silk pajamas. It’s an amazing site to see! Anyway, this one particular morning we not only saw the morning exercisers but we also saw little herds of what looked to be preschool children with their teachers. We kept commenting on how adorable the kids were, and then we saw it. Right in a center spot in the park were twenty or so children lined up with their pants down! Yes; they were doing their duty right there on the cement in typical Chinese style!
Needless to say, we had a really great time in China. The people we met were so wonderful, and it was just a blessing to get to learn about their culture and see their hearts. There is a real hunger for truth in China, and God is moving in big, big ways. Our team also grew in many ways as we learned more about ourselves as individuals and as a team. Community life is challenging at times, but this is the kind of living we were meant to live!
Please pray for China! The harvest is ripe, but the laborers are so few compared to the billions left to be reached!
