Every country has a story.. and this is my more recent experience of China.
China is a nation that is both large.. and productive. The streets are swarming with people (although I was actually expecting more) and new buildings are going up everywhere.. it is a MACHINE!
China is a nation in which the government has most of the say over the lives of the citizens.. being a communist country, the Chinese people have a lot of decisions made for them.. and they work very hard at what they do. However, it seems to be more difficult for them to branch out and leadership skills tend to be weak.
China is a nation where arts and culture are embraced. You can walk through local parks, (which to the Chinese are like their backyards) and find groups of people singing, individuals dancing to music, working out, dressing up for a "casual stroll", feeding the coy fish (by hand or bottle), amusement parks and the like...
China is a nation that while it may be predominantly Buddhist.. from what I experienced.. the younger generation especially.. is open and seeking. Those that I talked to had a vague understanding of who Jesus is... and Jesus is mostly associated with western holidays such as Easter or Christmas. In China, there are a handful of public/ government approved churches, however the bible is altered.. and the full gospel is not allowed to be shared.
It is interesting to note however.. that China was not as 'closed' as I thought it would be.
Once again.. yes.. it is a reality that large gatherings of believers are being shut down.. but overall, people are still meeting in homes. And it is OK for people to follow Jesus, just as long as it is not a threat to the government. And for foreigners.. it is OK to have a bible, and to say you're a Christian. All exercised with wisdom.. and God's direction OF COURSE!
On the train, I was able to be real with people about who I was and my love for Jesus and His love for them.. to the extent that I was able to communicate it of course... hehe.. "Yesu ai ni". But even then.. being such a foreign thing.. it was difficult to know if they could understand.
I was so thankful to have been able to jam (thanks Joe for the travel guitar!) with a handful of people people on the train, including some of the attendants and once again watched as music and worship broke down language barriers. Lifting up the name of Jesus is always effective! Even though verbally you may not be able to communicate, God inhabits the praises of His people!
According to friends in the country,
the primary need in China is for discipleship. Coming alongside of local believers and raising them up.. as they are natives to the culture and language.
The need in China is for unity amongst those who do know Jesus (especially foreigners).. and for people to know Jesus by our love for one another.
The need for China is for people to experience the amazing love of God which you cannot work to attain.
On another note,
Maybe some of you have heard over the years about the need for the adoption of little girls in China.
While yes, to a small degree that is still an issue.. what the primary need is.. the adoption of children with disabilities.
In China, (unfortunately as with the US) abortion is a common practice. Children can even be aborted at up to 9 months. Doctors regularly tell women, " I can take care of this for you if you'd like".
During an "off year" or a bad year according to superstitions, it is even more so encouraged for couples to abort their children. I was told by a friend, if couples have more than one child and the government finds out, oftentimes they will loose their jobs.
This topic is sooo controversial in China.. and many people don't see it as being much of an issue because of the already overcrowded state of the nation.
Another issue that is a byproduct of all of this is the trafficking of little children. I was told that because of the one child law, and the preference of having a male rather than a female child, parents in primarily in poorer regions really need to keep an eye on their boys, because they can be kidnapped and handed over to more affluent couples.
Other times, parents are tricked into thinking that their child is being offered an education outside of China and that they will actually see them again. Well, what usually happens is that the child is sold to an orphanage, where they are adopted out to the United States or abroad, and never see their parents again. The adopters have no idea that the child was not actually orphaned, but rather trafficked.
This is soooo wrong.. and honestly made me sick to my stomach. The government apparently has addressed this issue and has more closely
monitored the flow of the children coming in and out of public orphanages which is wonderful... but the saddest thing is.. that the trafficking of little children is not unique to China.. but happens all over the world.
I currently am in Thailand... and will update you soon on the aftermath (years later) of the tsunami that hit this nation as well as other things that I have learned and been informed of along the way. More stories.. and powerful ones at that.. stay tuned!
China is a nation that is both large.. and productive. The streets are swarming with people (although I was actually expecting more) and new buildings are going up everywhere.. it is a MACHINE!
China is a nation in which the government has most of the say over the lives of the citizens.. being a communist country, the Chinese people have a lot of decisions made for them.. and they work very hard at what they do. However, it seems to be more difficult for them to branch out and leadership skills tend to be weak.
China is a nation where arts and culture are embraced. You can walk through local parks, (which to the Chinese are like their backyards) and find groups of people singing, individuals dancing to music, working out, dressing up for a "casual stroll", feeding the coy fish (by hand or bottle), amusement parks and the like...
China is a nation that while it may be predominantly Buddhist.. from what I experienced.. the younger generation especially.. is open and seeking. Those that I talked to had a vague understanding of who Jesus is... and Jesus is mostly associated with western holidays such as Easter or Christmas. In China, there are a handful of public/ government approved churches, however the bible is altered.. and the full gospel is not allowed to be shared. It is interesting to note however.. that China was not as 'closed' as I thought it would be.
Once again.. yes.. it is a reality that large gatherings of believers are being shut down.. but overall, people are still meeting in homes. And it is OK for people to follow Jesus, just as long as it is not a threat to the government. And for foreigners.. it is OK to have a bible, and to say you're a Christian. All exercised with wisdom.. and God's direction OF COURSE! 
On the train, I was able to be real with people about who I was and my love for Jesus and His love for them.. to the extent that I was able to communicate it of course... hehe.. "Yesu ai ni". But even then.. being such a foreign thing.. it was difficult to know if they could understand. 
I was so thankful to have been able to jam (thanks Joe for the travel guitar!) with a handful of people people on the train, including some of the attendants and once again watched as music and worship broke down language barriers. Lifting up the name of Jesus is always effective! Even though verbally you may not be able to communicate, God inhabits the praises of His people! According to friends in the country,
the primary need in China is for discipleship. Coming alongside of local believers and raising them up.. as they are natives to the culture and language.
The need in China is for unity amongst those who do know Jesus (especially foreigners).. and for people to know Jesus by our love for one another.
The need for China is for people to experience the amazing love of God which you cannot work to attain.
On another note,
Maybe some of you have heard over the years about the need for the adoption of little girls in China.While yes, to a small degree that is still an issue.. what the primary need is.. the adoption of children with disabilities.
In China, (unfortunately as with the US) abortion is a common practice. Children can even be aborted at up to 9 months. Doctors regularly tell women, " I can take care of this for you if you'd like".During an "off year" or a bad year according to superstitions, it is even more so encouraged for couples to abort their children. I was told by a friend, if couples have more than one child and the government finds out, oftentimes they will loose their jobs.
This topic is sooo controversial in China.. and many people don't see it as being much of an issue because of the already overcrowded state of the nation.
Another issue that is a byproduct of all of this is the trafficking of little children. I was told that because of the one child law, and the preference of having a male rather than a female child, parents in primarily in poorer regions really need to keep an eye on their boys, because they can be kidnapped and handed over to more affluent couples.Other times, parents are tricked into thinking that their child is being offered an education outside of China and that they will actually see them again. Well, what usually happens is that the child is sold to an orphanage, where they are adopted out to the United States or abroad, and never see their parents again. The adopters have no idea that the child was not actually orphaned, but rather trafficked.
This is soooo wrong.. and honestly made me sick to my stomach. The government apparently has addressed this issue and has more closely
monitored the flow of the children coming in and out of public orphanages which is wonderful... but the saddest thing is.. that the trafficking of little children is not unique to China.. but happens all over the world.
I currently am in Thailand... and will update you soon on the aftermath (years later) of the tsunami that hit this nation as well as other things that I have learned and been informed of along the way. More stories.. and powerful ones at that.. stay tuned!
Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.
Rescue the poor and the helpless;
deliver them from the grasp of evil people.
Psalm 82:3-4
Rescue the poor and the helpless;
deliver them from the grasp of evil people.
Psalm 82:3-4
