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I want to share an amazing story of God’s unlimited grace in
China.
The first day at English Corner at the Chinese university,
where we met with students to practice English, I met a girl. As I talked to
her, she told me that she needed to go to class and was not supposed to be at
English Corner. I was just going to say goodbye, when I felt a sporadic prompt
to ask if she would like to get lunch the next day. She thought that would be a
good idea and before she left I met another of her friends who decided to come
to lunch with us the next day as well (this is how lunch meetings grow to 15
people).
The next day, I met the girls and after lunch we went to
their dorm room where I met their six other roommates. A small group of us went
to a park off-campus where we played some ping-pong (you should see them play)
and then sat down to talk. The girls asked me lots of questions; one of them,
“What do you think about religion?” and another, “How do people in America respond
to death?” At which point, I shared with them about my belief in Jesus and the
difference He has made in my life. Also, I told them how people who believe in
Jesus have different ways of looking at death, compared to those that do not.
For those who believe in Jesus, death is more of a celebration of life than a
sorrowful lament because we know that the deceased is living in eternity with
Jesus. However, those who do not believe are often very sad and may suffer more
intensely because they have no hope, feeling lonely with the absence of the person.
After that discussion, I spent most of the next two weeks
with these girls getting lunch, going shopping or hanging out in the dorms.
Jesus was never a topic of discussion again, but I kept praying for opportunity
and for the girls to get connected to a Christian in the underground church. I
also kept wondering in the back of my mind if I had created this connection out
of my own power instead of relying on God’s wisdom. Little did I know the
appointments that God had lined up…
First God Appointment
Toward the end of the second week, I was in the dorm with
the girls and they wanted to see some of my pictures from the National Forest
Park we visited on the previous weekend. After I showed them pictures, they
brought out their own pictures. In one of their pictures, I saw the girls
around the university sign with a boy in the middle of the group. Upon looking
closer, I recognized the guy. It was a previous World Racer who spent time at
the university a year ago with these same girls! It was such confirmation that
the Lord had planned for me to spend time with these girls, building upon the
seeds planted by the World Racer who had gone before.
Second God
Appointment
On the last day of English Corner, my girls surprised me by
showing up at the beginning of the time instead of coming at the end. We went
out to the courtyard to spend the last two hours of English Corner together. I
had a feeling that maybe this was a part of God’s plan to bring them closer to
Him. Again, I had no idea…Shortly into our time, a leader in the underground
church approached our group to talk to me and she had her guitar. The girls
were enthralled with her guitar, so she sat down and played some Chinese songs
about Jesus. After she sang, the girls started speaking rapidly in Chinese with
her (one of the girls translated for me periodically). The girls wanted to
learn to play guitar and this leader had a place where they could come to
learn. So, the girls gave her their contact information! I was really excited,
but it did not end there.
Next, the leader talked to them about the Bible. The girls
were also excited about this because their English teacher had told them that
reading the Bible would help them improve their English. Right away, the leader
took out a Chinese Bible and an English Bible, which the girls immediately
began pouring over. The translating girl leaned over at one point and said,
“I’m interested in the Bible, but I not really interested in this Jesus.” I
looked at her, leaned in, and whispered, “He’s interested in you.” She looked
at me in surprise and asked, “He is?” and then promptly shook it off, talking
more about how she couldn’t believe. For a brief moment, I saw realization in
her eyes and the need to be important to someone. It was so encouraging to know
that these girls are completely in God’s hands and He cares so much for each
one of them.
The best part of the entire experience was that I got to
watch the entire meeting and I knew it had absolutely nothing to do with me or
my abilities. It had everything to do with God’s power and grace in allowing me
to be a part of bringing His kingdom to the university in China.
