Fourth of July came and went—a fierce reminder of the freedom that our country is founded on and continues to fight hard for. But there I was, in a distant, unfamiliar universe; normal freedoms seeming to slip away into the culture of China. We were in China for four weeks, starting in Tibet and ending up somewhere along the Silk Road before we entered Kyrgyzstan. I’ve found routine in the rapid pace of the backpacker’s lifestyle.
This Race is one of immediate change; we enter into a new town or village, get to a hostel and allow our backpacks to explode if only for two days. We’ve learned to call the most foreign of cultures “Home”. By month 6, this lifestyle became familiar, but China was different.
In our last week in Nepal, my squad and I walked through security and informational meetings in preparation for China. I laughed like usual, thinking that we were being over prepared, maybe even overreacting. Up until that point, the countries preceding had welcomed us well and waited in eager expectation as we shared about the person of Jesus. Had there been a threat of the government? Sure. Similar to the certainty of the sun rising, or our bodies needing sleep was the certainty that people were always watching us. I stopped noticing. And then we got to China.
A beast that, despite our training, I was unprepared for. So much so, that blogging became nearly impossible, and potentially unsafe. All things written, posted, or FaceTimed had to be carefully navigated. Time and again, FaceTime conversations would get cut off at the mention of our Father. Coincidence? I think not. On a team of nine women, you can imagine how much we stuck out; our motives constantly questioned by dozens of security officials. We quickly realized that wherever we moved, we were watched. For the first time, my normal liberties were stripped, under the authority of the Chinese government. Military personnel, SWAT, police officers, and undercover cops probed into our lives and pressed for details that were for our own security. Our new friends made it difficult to create relationships and foster community external to the team. Under the circumstances, we became tourists, getting as involved in the community as we could. Every night, in all major areas, the locals danced in the square, so we joined! We saw movies, we took up some hip hop lessons, we shared dinner with store owners, and hopped around to local fruit markets daily. But we didn’t fail to recognize our goal.
We spent hours collectively as a team sitting in hostels and hotels, huddled in a circle, with music playing so no one could hear the words we were exchanging. We were sure to filter our words, not certain of the ears that were listening. We prayed for our brothers and sisters there residing in China, beginning to understand just how impossible it must be to meet collectively over the Word of God.
In Western China, missionaries were kicked out around 1950, around the time of the Communist Revolution. At the time, there were only about 750,000 believers. No one was let back in until recently– in the 60 year absence, 750,000 believers jumped to around 75 million (maybe even more), without a known missionary presence! Today, Chinese Christians are one of the largest sending forces internationally! So despite the environment we set foot in, the Lord is moving so largely within these areas of China. RAISE AND PRAISE. (Thanks Danny Weiss for the killer stats about this area). China may have kept our mouths shut, but Jesus walked alongside us as we prayed collectively and individually. Lord willing, we broke strongholds in areas where white people have not been in years.
Month six allowed me to experience what it meant to filter my words, not because of fear, but in protection of my fellow believers on the ground. The Lord allowed us a small glimpse of China to help us better understand the freedoms that we so often take for granted, and to teach us to utilize that freedom when we have it.
