We hardly ever think about little simple things having a lasting impact on someone. We never recognize what a difference a simple conversation can make on someone’s life.
It’s the hellos, how are yous, a wave of the hand, a warm smile, a sweet thank you, etc that can open doors to a whole new world. It’s the start of conversations that say that we care, that we are here, and shows God’s love into one’s life.
Being in a foreign country means there are a lot of language barriers that are hard to get passed. Google translate has been our best friend when it comes to communicating with the locals here in China. Otherwise, it is a hello, thank you, and a lot of hand gestures. If someone knows some English, then we can have a little more of a conversation without a translator, but it is usually in simple words and hand gestures.
However, even with these language barriers, my team has been able to see the Lord move in so many ways.
Sarah was able to talk to a homeless man riding the metro with us, and, as he was leaving, she gave him a warm touch on the arm. This man was highly impacted by this that as he was leaving, he gave great bows of respect to each and every one of us. That little gesture, impacted that man. Maybe no one has ever treated him like that and maybe God was doing a work on his heart even if we were unable to truly speak.
At the train station, I waved to many people who passed by and were looking over at us. Americans stand out very well here, especially with my blonde hair. Many who passed would wave back and have this huge smile upon their face. There was a girl at the train station that Eric started a conversation using Google Translate and Sarah soon took over the conversation too. There were no words being spoken aloud, but laughter and nods of the head were visible as their conversation continued through their phone. I sat their watching their conversation explode into a beautiful God moment. We gave this lovely girl one of our Chinese bibles we brought and were able to have a beautiful conversation about our Lord and savior. I pray that she will be able to grow in the Lord and share with others what He is doing.
On our 15 hour train ride, our group was a bit mixed around in the seats, however Elijah and I had seats next to each other. We sat with this business man that spoke a little bit of English. We were able to have a sweet conversation with him about his life and family. Another man who spoke no English was also sitting across from us, we tried having some conversations with him, but our translator wasn’t working on the train. All we could do was give sweet smiles and nods of the head. Both of these men were very sweet in which they bought us some bottled tea to drink on our long journey. We were able to bless them with our simple conversations and they blessed us with a gift.
As we arrived in Zhengzhou, we didn’t know quite where we were going or really where we were staying. At one point, we thought our Airbnb might have been a scam. However, as we journeyed toward our destination, God was at work. We stopped our taxi at the Cherry Valley Info Center because the driver was a bit lost and we were close enough that we could probably walk. We went inside to ask for directions, and the family there was so hospitable. They were doing everything within their power to help us find our place. They called many people to help, gave us tea (hot water) to drink, and tried communicating with us as we waited for the rest of our team to find us. They brought a friend in who could speak pretty fluent English. He offered his hotel to us for a few nights in order to figure out where to go from that point. However, the family that had the Airbnb came and took us to their house. No air conditioning, one wooden bed, and a beautiful view. We didn’t realize that we were staying within their house with them, however it has been such a beautiful encounter with the family. They have been generous to us in cooking us meals and taking us to see the culture of their village. This is an experience that many foreigners do not get to experience in China because the government doesn’t want us staying with locals in their homes. We can stay in hostiles if they are around, otherwise staying here could not have happened without the help of the Lord.
ALL these encounters were all God. He placed these people in our lives, gave us courage to speak, and sparked a light in every heart. These were only just a few of the many encounters that have happened thus far. These are only just a few God moments we have experienced. We are only a week into our journey and we can already see God moving and touching lives and many of them started with simple words. How incredible is that!?
Pray for the people we have encountered that the Lord will continue doing his work in them, lighting a flame for this world to see. Pray for the family we are staying with, that God will be doing extravagant things within their while we are here. Pray for God’s light and love to shine through us.
God bless,
Laura Leigh Armstrong
