Woah
This country is not one I was particularly stoked about going to and honestly dreaded it. I was nervous about entering a “closed” country.
How strict is the government? What would ministry look like? Will we end up behind bars for spreading the gospel? Would we be doing prison ministry, from the inside?
These were honestly questions that crossed my mind.
Boyyy was I wrong. China is full of people who are just like us. These people are searching. They are searching for love, for hope and for a sense of belonging. These people need to know JESUS.
Ministry in China has looked a lot different than last month. This month is what we call Ask The Lord (ATL). We pray in the morning for what each day will look like. This type of ministry is something we are new at but is pretty realistic to how life back at home would be. One of my favorite speakers at TC, Karen Dilbeck always says “ministry is life, life is ministry.” I try and keep that in mind often.
Getting to China was crazy. Crossing the border took hours and after a long sleeper bus and a taxi ride later we had arrived at our AirBnB around 3am. Our host insisted on making us tea and dumplings. I am constantly blown away by the hospitality people are willing to give to complete strangers.
Some highlights of ministry so far this month have been praying for a man on The Great Wall – how cool is that?! In the city of Xi’an where we spent a good chunk of time we created a friendship with a man who is working at the hostel. He saw our bibles the first morning and starting asking questions. He wanted to know more and we invited him into a morning bible study we were starting this week. He even downloaded a Bible App on his phone. Keep our friend in your prayers! Pray for him to understand, comprehend and to see the heart of Jesus through his reading even after we leave this city.
One morning I brought some watercolors down to the canal for some quiet time. I was minding my own business – far away from the sidewalk and people when I was approached by a man. He tried so hard to communicate with me but each time the translator came out in Chinese. After a little bit of frustration with his technology I pulled out my English to Chinese translator. This works really well for “yes” or “no” responses but not much more than that. I typed out “Do you know Jesus?” He quickly responded with a head nod to imply that he did. I was so excited. I proceeded to ask if I could pray for him. I went on to pray for him and felt so full from doing so. Full of life and full of joy. It really made me think that with Jesus there is no translator needed for love. We can show our love through Jesus.
This country & its people continue to prove me and all my preconceived notions wrong and I’m not even mad about it.
