Greetings from China. We are so blessed to be here among these wonderful people
So much is happening in China that it makes us feel insignificant in such a big world. With 1.4 billion people China has plenty of laborers and they are using that great resource to put in swank buildings, parks, and extraordinary public landscaping.
Along most every roadway are flowering scrubs, double rows of closely spaced trees, and artistic monuments. At night all this is lit with imaginative techniques in every color. It is like Disneyland with groves white twinkle lights, glowing blue and green light posts, and the curbs are lit in mile after mile of red neon striping.
We are meeting with lots of underground groups to teach and encourage. As always, we get more than we give.
On Friday we held all day leadership training for the core leaders of several house churches. About 20 attended and it was a great time of helping them prepare for the growth God is giving to this great movement.
In spite of the threat of imprisonment, two-thirds of the Christians in China meet in the underground movement. Estimates are that 200 million or more meet in this growing church. Imagine half the total population of the US with enough commitment to overcome serious obstacles to faith.
When I see all God is doing in Asia, Africa, and South America, it makes me realize that in heaven, we will go out of our way to cross the streets of gold to greet the relatively rare European or North American.
On Saturday we met over dinner with seven seekers; they were interested in Jesus but had not yet made a commitment. We laid out the gospel in compelling terms and answered some good questions. Two agreed to baptism and we are arranging that for next week.
On Sunday we preached at a church new to us. It is growing fast and the apartment was crammed to capacity. With a video projector I told them about the trip through Latin America and how it taught me to live in daily dependence on God. I even slipped in a photo of our three adorable grandsons with an analogy about God’s love, (I know, it was a thinly veiled bragging opportunity).
Several took pains to tell the interpreter of their gratitude for how God spoke to them that day.
Steve and Denise are still away in another province, so Monday Dani and I will board the overnight train for Hung Shaun. We are traveling with a dear sister named Sophie who will act as translator. Purchasing the tickets for the train was an event unto itself and worth recounting in brief.
Wed-Got Steve and Chinese Peter (not his real name) to go with me to the travel agent. Ordered tickets.
Fri- Travel agent said tics ready, come to pay and collect.
Fri afternoon- leave apartment, show taxi driver address written in Chinese to Peter’s office. Peter and I walk to agency. Need 4,800 yuen to pay. Only have 2,000, can they take credit card? Yes, only if you pay more because we go next door to use other business credit machine.
Go next door. Have two machines, one for Chinese cards but other for international cards no broken. Must get cash.
Walk four blocks to bank. Enter 4,000 yuen from checking. Rejected. Enter 3,000. Rejected. Enter 2,000. Rejected with new message: Card declined, contact your provider.
Assuming Bof A has frozen my account once again, we walk half mile to Peter’s office to use Skype Internet phone. Call Bof A in US. “Thank you for calling, please enter account num, etc…” Enter data. “Sorry, our office is closed, goodbye.”
Wait until 11pm so it is 8am in US. Call Bof A. “Card not frozen but Chinese bank trying to withdraw from savings where you only 12 cents.”
Sat- Go to office of apartment and ask directions to better bank. Lady writes out directions to American style restaurant. Go to another employee with better English. He writes bank address in Chinese.
Show taxi driver address. Drive 20 minutes. Stop at restaurant on island in middle of lake. No bank in sight.
Call Peter, “Please tell driver on cell phone how to go to bank.”
Arrive bank, enter 2,500. Rejected. Enter 1,500. Accepted! Make a second withdrawal, enter 1,000. Accepted!
Find new taxi. Show driver Chinese address for Peter’s office near travel agent. Call Peter. Hand phone to driver. Peter explains we really want travel agency, not office. Driver gets to intersection. Speaks rapid Chinese. Use had signals to point way to travel agency. Say goodbye in Chinese.
Arrive travel agent. Greet in Chinese. Now Chinese vocabulary half used up. Give lady 4,800 yuen. Rapid Chinese words and big frown. Much confusion. No one in office know English. I look at number on calculator and see 4,830. Give thirty more. Everybody happy. Say goodbye in Chinese. Now other half of vocabulary used up.
Upcoming
When we return to our base on next Saturday, we will speak at another underground church on Sunday then go off to a retreat center to train 22 pastors for three days. I am sharing the teaching time with a pastor from Korea. Dani is coming also. One should always bring one’s prayer warrior.
In case there are any suspicious eyes, we will all be wearing Chinese name badges that identify us as part of a psychological educator’s seminar. Please pray for those meetings. This is the primary reason we came back to China. All the rest is really yummy frosting on the cake.
Blessings and peace,
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