China is a closed country to Christianity. That means you can be a Christian here but you cannot proselytize to others. Communism has a hold on the people here and many people are single minded in their religious beliefs. A majority of the population is Muslim or Buddhist. There are temples and mosques all over the place. Many people outwardly show their religious beliefs by what they wear, Muslim men wear a tagiyah which is a white knitted cap and there are many Buddhist monks wearing saffron robes every day. Their religion is part of their lifestyle; I have seen Buddhists with their strand of beads counting them as penance trying to earn their way to heaven by gaining enough good favor with their gods to cancel out some of their sin. The prayers and the rituals that are required in these faiths are seemingly impossible to uphold. There is so much that one has to DO in order to be good enough.
It has been interesting observing so many people with these different beliefs and my heart hurts for them because I know they are believing a lie. Many of them are afraid because they do not think they are good enough. At the temples that I have visited I have seen people praying to Buddha, offering gifts to him or burning incense. The temples are beautifully ornate with many colors and carvings meant to honor the gods that are worshiped there. While I have enjoyed visiting these places because they are very beautiful I know that the people coming to worship here are chasing the wind and will never find the satisfaction they are looking for because they are looking in the wrong place.
Being in China with the intention to reach people for Jesus is risky; everyone that is here needs an alternative reason to be here as well so the government will allow them in. This means that you don’t go door to door telling people about Jesus, you can’t walk up to someone on the street and give them a Bible, and you need to form relationships with the people you are trying to reach. This makes doing missions more of a lifestyle than a “job.” This has made me think a lot about telling people about Jesus at home. It’s not really natural to reach people for Jesus by chasing people down on the street or preaching in a microphone at a park. In China, people really have to listen to the Holy Spirit and his guidance to know when and where is the right time to share their faith. I believe that in America we also need to be in tune with the Spirit and listen for the right time to talk to someone about our faith.
To me, this makes doing missions work seem less intimidating. There is not that pressure to “win souls” every day by going out and telling a bunch of people about Jesus. All you have to do is live your normal life in a Christ like way and then when the Holy Spirit prompts you, tell someone about it. Most of mission work is building relationships and I know that is something that is easily done for people right at home.
I have really enjoyed the work that my team and I did in China this past month, we went to English corners, helped teach kindergarten, helped local families, and showed God’s love to prostitutes. While we could not always talk about Jesus every day, we could still show his love through our actions and when the opportunities presented themselves we could tell people about Gods’ love as well. I believe that freedom will come to this country, and one day Christians will not have to hide their faith but they will be free to share it with everyone. I know that God hears the prayers that are lifted up for this country every day and He is working on the hearts of the people in leadership in this country and one day China will be free from the rule of Communism.
