So in case you haven’t noticed, I have kinda been off the grid this last month due to our location of ministry in a closed country. To protect our contact and his ministry, I cannot give true names, even of the city we were in, in case they got in trouble with the local authorities and their ministry shut down. What I can tell you is this: my team was incredibly blessed this month.
We had the opportunity to live with brother Sam (not his actual name), his wife and his 3 beautiful children, serving them with babysitting and helping homeschool their kids. We also got to know the beautiful city that we lived in, wandering around Atlantis (again, not it’s actual name), praying and meeting people when we got the chance. Atlantis has a huge huai (Chinese-Muslim) population, with many different sects of the religion having their mosque in the city. Whenever we heard the call to prayer, we would respond with prayer and praise of our own, raising our voices to praise the one true God above the rhythmic chanting that rang over the city. We also were able to bless a ministry that was trying to get back on its feet, a coffee shop that was in desperate need of cleaning, both physical and spiritual. So while we scrubbed smokey walls (everybody in China smokes) and cleaned under cabinets and couches (nobody moves furniture when they clean) we prayed for a renewal of the ministry and a fresh direction for the coffee shop.
I loved walking around the city, which was just big enough to be interesting and yet not large enough to be overwhelming. I loved the people: children barely brave enough to practice the few English words they know: “Hello! What is your name?” before running off in giggles, the young mothers who pushed their frightened babies to say hello, the old grandpas who just nodded and smiled those wide toothless grins, and the groups of cheeky muslim youths, who enjoyed mocking my laughter (ok, that one actually really frustrated me). Though Mandarin is by far the most difficult language I have ever encountered, I was able to learn just enough to barter at the Tibetan shops, which hung with shimmering scarves and colorful purses. My limited vocabulary was also able to order lunch for the team from various small muslim restaurants scattered around the city, so we ate noodles or egg fried rice alot for very cheap.
Sidenote: IT SNOWED!!! Everybody on my team is from northern or mountainous states in U.S., so snow is not a big deal, maybe even a little annoying to them, but for a So-Cal girl that has only been in the snow a handful of times, it was pretty awesome. My teammates took pictures and laughed in general treated me like a little kid experiencing their first snow. It was very fun.
But my favorite days were the ones when we went up to the bluff overlooking Atlantis and prayed over the city. Singing, drawing, praying, reading scripture, it was some amazing time spent with the Lord interceding for the city. The Lord loves that city, and He desires that none should be lost. He is seeking after those people, opening their eyes everyday to the truth. God loves that city, and so do I.
