My teammate Sonny started doing this on his blog, and I thought it was a good idea for those interested in news from China. ZGBriefs is a site that consolidates various news stories from different sources each week highlighting things happening in China and then sends out a weekly email. Here are a few from these past few weeks:
Quake Leaves 18,000 Homeless in Xinjiang (July 23, 2007, Xinhua)
About 18,000 people have been left homeless after the earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale, which struck a remote county in northwest China last week. The quake, which struck Tekes County, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at 6:06 PM on Friday, destroyed 4,600 houses and damaged 7,800 others, affecting 27,000 people, the prefectural government said. No casualties have been reported, but more than 470 livestock sheds collapsed in the quake, killing about 400 livestock, it said. The quake has caused direct losses of 63.75 million yuan (US$8.3 million). Disaster relief materials such as tents and flour have been transported to the area. The relocated residents are being accommodated with relatives or in tents provided by the government.
China Sees Activists as Olympic Threat (July 23, 2007, AP)
China's intelligence services are gearing up for next year's Beijing Olympics, gathering information on foreigners who might mount protests and spoil the nation's moment in the spotlight. Government spy agencies and think tanks are compiling lists of potentially troublesome foreign organizations, looking beyond the human rights groups long critical of Beijing, security experts and a consultant familiar with the effort said. They include evangelical Christians eager to end China's religious restrictions, activists wanting Beijing to use its oil-buying leverage with Sudan to end the strife in Darfur and environmental campaigners angry about global warming. The effort is among the broadest intelligence-collection drives Beijing has taken against foreign activist groups, often known as non-governmental organizations, or NGOs. It aims to head off protests and other political acts during an Olympics the communist leadership hopes will boost its popularity at home and China's image abroad. "Demonstrations of all kinds are a concern, including anti-American demonstrations," said the consultant, who works for Beijing's Olympic organizers and asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The government, he said, is "trying to find out what kinds of NGOs will come. ... What are their plans?" While foreign governments often monitor potentially disruptive groups ahead of big events, Beijing this time is ranging farther afield, targeting groups whose activities would be considered legal in most countries. Officials in China's overseas diplomatic missions are also being tasked to gather information on groups, the consultant said. When The Associated Press reported in May on plans by U.S. and other Christian groups to proselytize at the Olympics, the press officer at China's U.N. mission contacted the AP seeking more information.
In Changing Times, Many Chinese Find Wisdom in Confucius (July 10, 2007, The Christian Science Monitor, by Peter Ford)
Come back, Confucius, all is forgiven. For nearly a century the ancient sage was confined to the intellectual doghouse in the land of his birth. Today he is fast supplanting communism as Chinese rulers, businessmen, and ordinary citizens turn back 2-1/2 millenniums to his teachings to help them cope with the economic and social changes racking their country. "The economy is developing very fast, but people feel the need for wisdom and morality," says Gu Qing, who publishes books on traditional Chinese culture. "Now we've solved the problem of filling people's stomachs, they are looking for something to fill their minds."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070710/wl_csm/oconfucius_1
------------------------------------
and a story I was VERY happy to hear about...
Starbucks Shuts Controversial Forbidden City Shop (July 14, 2007, AP)
Starbucks has closed a coffeehouse in China's former imperial palace, the company said Saturday, ending a presence that sparked protests by Chinese critics who said it damaged a key historical site. The controversy over Starbucks at Beijing's 587-year-old Forbidden City has highlighted Chinese sensitivity about cultural symbols and unease over an influx of foreign pop culture. Starbucks closed the 200-square-foot outlet Friday after Forbidden City managers decided they wanted all shops on its grounds to operate under the palace's brand name, said Eden Woon, Starbucks' vice president for Greater China. "It was a very congenial decision. We respect what they are doing," Woon said. The Starbucks opened in 2000 at the invitation of palace managers, who needed to raise money to maintain the 178-acre complex of villas and gardens. But critics said it was inappropriate. An anchor for Chinese state television led an online protest, saying the coffeehouse diminished Chinese culture.
If you want the weekly emails, go to www.zgbriefs.com
Friday, July 27, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Finished at last!
I am finished!!!! It's kind of a long story how it all started and how it all ended, but I now have my Master's degree in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College Graduate School! Diploma is in the mail! My organization offers 4 graduate programs (from 3 different schools) tuition-free during our tenure teaching English in Asia. We take classes in one-month or two-week periods in the winter in Thailand, and then in the summer at the Wheaton College campus. During the semesters we do all of the reading and paper writing. I started in the winter of 2003, but soon saw that my heart was not in it and did not think I was doing it for the right reasons, so I dropped out. About two years later my new teammates (two guys) were in the program and I was already reading their books and saw that my own passions had changed. If I'm reading the books anyway, why don't I just take the classes again? So, that's what I did.
Finally came an opportunity for me to go to northwest China, and while I knew I was being called in that direction I also knew I needed to finish my degree first. It would have taken me another two years or so, so instead of doing it the normal way I fast-tracked it by spending a semester on Wheaton's campus as part of my "home leave"(which is an exception they made for me--it never hurts to ask :)). I didn't have a place to live, so this family I grew up with in Indonesia called people in their fellowship and this nice couple with two grown daughters off at college invited me to live with them- for free! My semester with the Brown family and with the Wheaton folks was amazing! I was even able to be part of a Chinese fellowship and volunteer once a week in Chicago's Chinatown tutoring English. I really began to sincerely appreciate this precious gift I had been given. While my place in the northwest was then put on hold indefinitely I know Dad used that as a way to lead me where He needed me for that semester. A lot of healing and rest and family time was able to happen! (and to think I originally went reluctantly! :) )
After that time I had one last paper to write as part of an independent study that would take the next six months. The paper only needed to be 25 pages, but it was about a subject I deeply cared about, so I put my whole heart into it and in the end (and 2400 pages of reading later) the paper was over 60 pages long! A mini book, my parents always tell me. :) And now I am finished. Woohoo!
The graduate programs my organization offers are an amazing opportunity because it is so applicable to where we are at. Thank you to the folks in the organization for giving me this opportunity and for allowing me to extend my knowledge base so that I can be better at what I am doing now! It is humbling. May it be that I use my education for the Father's glory! :)
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Dancing and Swimming in the Park
Following a spontaneous dinner with a close Chinese friend (Barbara) the other night, we decided to go to the local park to join in the dancing. One of the most beautiful things about China is their sense of community, and every night in the park groups of people, mostly women, will join together and dance together. It's kind of like the Chinese version of line dancing, except it's traditional Chinese music and not country music, and the steps are completely different. Okay, it's not like line dancing at all :) :) You just pick a spot and desperately try to follow along. I'm not much of a dancer, but nobody cares. To me the steps seem complicated until you get used to the pattern and the traditional dancing continues. I worked up quite a sweat to what looks on the outside like such a simple thing. And that was only after one dance! These ladies will dress up in their very best dresses and go away at it. Young and old together. It is what gives them enjoyment from an otherwise tedious day. It was an absolute delight!
A few days later this same friend invited me to go swimming with her and some others at the local park. The average Chinese person doesn't know how to swim, so they find it surprising that I learned when I was a four-year old in Indonesia (I remember those days as clear as anything). However, more and more people are learning, so these students asked me to teach them on this particular afternoon. Teaching my Chinese friends how to swim was an awesome time! After giving them a pep talk about "how you cannot be afraid of the water, the water is our friend, and that if you go under you'll still be okay"...they began to enjoy the experience. I was trying to teach them to swim backwards (I'm not a swimmer, I don't know the technical words for these things) but it was a struggle for them because they were fighting the water, afraid of going under. But, once they relaxed, they did quite well. Swimming seems like such an easy thing, don't you think? Just a little kicking and moving your arms, right? Then I began to teach it and realized to an adult who has been told you can get STDs from a swimming pool (yeah, that's what I said) and have received hyped up stories of drowning all their lives and are afraid of the water, not such an easy task. What happened to the childlike faith of a four year old? (and how applicable is that in our own LIFE walk? Point to ponder). Needless to say, it was one of the most enjoyable times for me in my whole China experience! By the end of the time, I had been out of the water for awhile, but they didn't want to leave. I thought they were going to turn into fish. Then we played in the kiddie pool and pretended to be kids again :)
The sun was so hot that I got a slight sunburn (that for me always turns into a tan), which I was very proud of and showing off to everybody. But, for the Chinese, the idea is that the whiter you are the better, so when I told them that people in America spend a long time (and sometimes a lot of money) trying to be darker they thought this very strange indeed! :)
A few days later this same friend invited me to go swimming with her and some others at the local park. The average Chinese person doesn't know how to swim, so they find it surprising that I learned when I was a four-year old in Indonesia (I remember those days as clear as anything). However, more and more people are learning, so these students asked me to teach them on this particular afternoon. Teaching my Chinese friends how to swim was an awesome time! After giving them a pep talk about "how you cannot be afraid of the water, the water is our friend, and that if you go under you'll still be okay"...they began to enjoy the experience. I was trying to teach them to swim backwards (I'm not a swimmer, I don't know the technical words for these things) but it was a struggle for them because they were fighting the water, afraid of going under. But, once they relaxed, they did quite well. Swimming seems like such an easy thing, don't you think? Just a little kicking and moving your arms, right? Then I began to teach it and realized to an adult who has been told you can get STDs from a swimming pool (yeah, that's what I said) and have received hyped up stories of drowning all their lives and are afraid of the water, not such an easy task. What happened to the childlike faith of a four year old? (and how applicable is that in our own LIFE walk? Point to ponder). Needless to say, it was one of the most enjoyable times for me in my whole China experience! By the end of the time, I had been out of the water for awhile, but they didn't want to leave. I thought they were going to turn into fish. Then we played in the kiddie pool and pretended to be kids again :)
The sun was so hot that I got a slight sunburn (that for me always turns into a tan), which I was very proud of and showing off to everybody. But, for the Chinese, the idea is that the whiter you are the better, so when I told them that people in America spend a long time (and sometimes a lot of money) trying to be darker they thought this very strange indeed! :)
Monday, July 16, 2007
Highlight of the Summer
(note: I posted this on my Facebook page and will probably include it in an upcoming newsletter for those of you who follow either of them, so you don't have to read it three times-- just thought it was a story worth sharing :) :) )
I have been in this China land for four and a half years and I am still taking it in, some moments as if it were for the first time all over again. I am overjoyed by the beauty of the people here. Even with each passing week, it never becomes dull (and when it does, I know I need to change my attitude). Each day is a new day to experience- to laugh, to cry, to get angry, to feel peace, to be misunderstood, to communicate, to love, to share, to proclaim, to LIVE. My goal (although I often come up short, thanking Him for His grace) has always been to show what it means "to have life, and to have it abundantly". To lose everything in order to gain it all. To be pushed down in order to be lifted up. To empty ourselves in order to be filled again. Instead, many of these students and members of the community strive to live out what the world has taught them, going through each day trying to be successful, to make their parents proud, to study harder, to be "happy", and to live out their life motto: "I believe in myself." They fill their lives with all these things that cannot bring satisfaction, true peace, and true joy. They are held captive to hollow philosophy. Life to them is only about the here and now. Their goal is to "make life more beautiful" for THIS world, without any wonder in what the NEXT one can behold. They dance around trying to make their way in this world only to be gone from it without having experienced LIFE as One meant it to be lived. The burden for these people becomes almost too much to bear sometimes, but I rest each night because there is Someone who loves them more than I ever could. I have a story to share and I am eager for anybody willing to take the time to listen. And yet, I know that even if they don't, I'm still sharing it anyway. Because occassionally one person really is listening even though I don't always know it.
This weekend I had the chance to visit a close Chinese friend- someone who did listen. Someone who did hear the Story. Someone who did embrace LIFE. Every June 1st she celebrates her REAL birthday. She lives out her simple faith day by day. At first I acted as kind of a mentor to her, but in the end it was she that taught me so much.
After I moved up north, I wasn't able to see her for over a year. It didn't seem to matter because I knew our paths would cross again in a different time, in a different place. But, this weekend I made an effort to visit her hometown of Guangzhou, a vibrant city historically known as Canton, close to Hong Kong. She has since graduated from university and is making her way in the world. It's a tough world out there sometimes, especially for China. The only thing I can do is intercede for her. Yet we often forget how powerful this intercession is. Knowing that the same Someone she embraced several years ago is holding her together still.
About a month ago my team in the north embarked for America to spend the summer months. I decided for my own reasons to stay behind ("holding down the fort" so to speak :) ). I have sincerely enjoyed travelling from the north to visit old friends in my old stomping grounds of south-central China. I enjoy interacting with such precious people in my life. I love surprising the fruit ladies and the gatekeepers with my presence, able to communicate with them in Chinese much better than I could a year ago. :) :). It is my joy to chase the kids around the neighborhood and swap stories with old teacher colleagues. But in the midst of all this busyness and reunion, I longed for fellowship with brothers and sisters. I had run into two sisters at the local fellowship last Sunday, but time with them was all too brief. I longed for that Community that only this family knows. When I went to visit my Chinese sister I found the fellowship I had been asking for. It turned out to be the highlight of my summer.
We visited her home and favorite places, we took long walks (sneaking into air-conditioned places from time to time simply to escape the heat), we ate dim sum and southern cuisine, and we talked deep into the night (I felt like I was 12 years old again having slumber parties) :). I was able to meet her Community- a band of faithful people who meet together bi-weekly for encouragement, reading, and intercession (it's all legit, don't worry). I met with them two times, the first of which was more casual, and the second with the whole group on Sunday. During the first group time, they spontaneously asked me to lead the group in my thoughts on passages (I didn't see this coming and had it been in a formal venue I wouldn't have been able to- it was humbling watching these young people lean over taking in anything I had to offer, they are starving for understanding and strive to go deeper. Humbling, indeed!). This is one of the most open places in China I've been to. Sunday's fellowship was amazing- people were lifting up their hands in exaltation and singing the choruses with loud exclamation. I couldn't help the tears, nor did I want to stop them. The choir sang a song taken from Ps. 139- my life verses being parts 9 and 10 (my friend, knowing this, leaned over to me and whispered that this was great, as if they knew I was coming :) ). In CHINA! It was such a delight! Recently I've been studying heavily on reading the Chinese language. Reading Chinese characters can be challenging (that's the understatement of the year) and I feel like I'm losing some of my eyesight :), but I tell you, when you start reading the Good Book in Chinese and are able to finally sing with them from their old songbooks, it makes all those hours worth it and more. I was reading with them in their own language (and partly in mine)! Two worlds were coming together to unite as one family before One Person. I listened to some of their stories. I listened to their heart's burden and desire for their families. I listened as they spoke how the blessings of Him in Matthew 5 applied to their lives. I felt like I had come home.
While at my friend's grandmother's house (where her grandmother made a simple meal of beef and spinach, thankfully) this sister told me her grandmother's story. When her grandmother was younger her family was pretty rich. Even with 14 brothers and sisters, they never had a need. That is, until her father died. The mother couldn't raise everyone on her own, so she kept the boys and sold all the girls. Sold. For a price. Luckily, my friend's grandmother was 17 at the time and was at an age to get married. She basically found the first man she could find who would agree to her and got married. She never saw her sisters again. The man she married was an honest man who treated her well and respected her, raising two boys, though my friend didn't know if they ever found love. They were poor and she has lived in this simple wooden house ever since. I don't think my friend's grandmother ever harbored bitterness against her mother for that because that was simply the life of the times. It was hard and while it doesn't make it right, I don't think it is our place to judge. My own mother could tell you stories about this as this has become her life's passion (to research the plight of women around the world who are victim to the world system of our times and then implore people to intercede for them). This is only to say that the legacy from which my friend came was a really hard one. THIS is the story from which she came from. Her grandmother keeps a shrine in her house to which she offers incense regularly. My friend has made it clear that she will no longer offer incense, a bold step for her but one she has been respected for. The incense burning is more of a cultural thing than a religious thing, my friend says, and her grandmother does it to pay respect to her ancestors. I can't help wondering if she is thinking of her sisters as well.
My friend has shared with her family. A little more than a year after she embraced Life, she was in the hospital facing surgery to remove a stomach tumor a year and a half ago (Christmas Day), my team and I visited her every day. I think she was encouraged by our visits, but she requested that someone bring her her most treasured Book. It was really tough watching her tears and trying to answer the hard questions she faced. It broke my heart when she asked if she was being punished. It was through the Book and the reassurance of His love found in those pages that she found her peace. Over the next months she became even stronger- even when the tumor returned six months later. (today it is completely gone- Praise Him!) During those long hours at the bedside in the hospital, she was able to share with her father. And he listened. Her parents allow her to go to fellowship weekly, even asking her questions about it from time to time. We only ask that their hearts will soften and that they will experience real LIFE, too.
On the way to Guangzhou (a six hour train ride from where I'm staying for the month), I didn't have a seat. Knowing that ahead of time, I brought a little stool with me and claimed a small space between train cars (I wish I had a picture of this). I opened my book and read. Ravi Zacharias is one of my favorite speakers of all time. I went to college with his son Nathan (though, I did not know Nathan personally). He spoke at a leadership conference I attended my senior year. I was reading his autobiography entitled "Walking from East to West" (subtitled "God in the Shadows"). I did not know his story, so I did not know what to expect from such a memoir. In the middle of that train, sitting on a hard little stool next to the smokers and squatty potties (adding chickens to the scene would have made the picture complete, don't ya think?) :), I don't remember the last time I had so much joy. :) Reading Ravi's words about how our Father touched his life, taking him from a small village in south India to speaking before the United Nations assembly and other great world leaders, deeply touched my heart. Tears did not hesitate to fall. In one chapter he mentioned an extended trip to Vietnam and spoke of a dear older single lady named Helen Evans to whom he sent a Mother's Day card every year, a woman who referred to him as her son. I was amazed for this lady has played a huge role in my own life- from the time I was a three-year old in Indonesia, to supporting me (taking from her meager Social Security checks) here in China now! Testimony after testimony filled the pages, intervention of the Spirit after intervention. I realized (not for the first time) that our Dad is amazing! That word (amazing) cannot even begin to describe it. There are not enough words in any language to describe the greatness of our Father. It can only be expressed through the language of the most pure heart (the verse for sunday's fellowship in Guangzhou was "blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.").
On the way back from Guangzhou (this time in a nice seat :) ) I was reading the last few chapters of Ravi Zacharias' book when a man interrupted my thoughts. I looked up (expecting a small Chinese man) and was so startled to see a large Pakistani man with a big beard dressed in his Pakistani clothing. He nearly scared me to death with his large presence :) :). He was smiling and friendly, so I invited him to engage in conversation. In his heavy Pakistani accent he started asking me questions in which I thought at first would turn out to be a casual small talk (where all the questions are the same, and I already knew my exact answers). Instead, I was completely surprised. He asked me questions in this exact order: "Are you Englishman?" No, American. "Are you a Christian?" I paused, smiled, and said, beaming, "yes, yes I am." I never get that question from the Chinese, but this man seemed to know where we get our true identity. He was from Urumqi (the capital of Xinjiang province in far northwest China, the place I have felt a calling toward for the past year and a half-- and here we were in the far southeast, both of us far from "home"). I began to think that this was all a Godsend. :) What's really amazing is that this encounter came right after I finished reading these words in the Ravi's book where he quoted David Livingstone as saying "Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever any ties but the ties that bind me to your service and to your heart."
I only pray that this may be so. For me. For my friend in Guangzhou. For my Chinese brothers and sisters who take time to listen to the Story- those family members that are not yet, but someday. We share of which there is no greater Hope.
I have been in this China land for four and a half years and I am still taking it in, some moments as if it were for the first time all over again. I am overjoyed by the beauty of the people here. Even with each passing week, it never becomes dull (and when it does, I know I need to change my attitude). Each day is a new day to experience- to laugh, to cry, to get angry, to feel peace, to be misunderstood, to communicate, to love, to share, to proclaim, to LIVE. My goal (although I often come up short, thanking Him for His grace) has always been to show what it means "to have life, and to have it abundantly". To lose everything in order to gain it all. To be pushed down in order to be lifted up. To empty ourselves in order to be filled again. Instead, many of these students and members of the community strive to live out what the world has taught them, going through each day trying to be successful, to make their parents proud, to study harder, to be "happy", and to live out their life motto: "I believe in myself." They fill their lives with all these things that cannot bring satisfaction, true peace, and true joy. They are held captive to hollow philosophy. Life to them is only about the here and now. Their goal is to "make life more beautiful" for THIS world, without any wonder in what the NEXT one can behold. They dance around trying to make their way in this world only to be gone from it without having experienced LIFE as One meant it to be lived. The burden for these people becomes almost too much to bear sometimes, but I rest each night because there is Someone who loves them more than I ever could. I have a story to share and I am eager for anybody willing to take the time to listen. And yet, I know that even if they don't, I'm still sharing it anyway. Because occassionally one person really is listening even though I don't always know it.
This weekend I had the chance to visit a close Chinese friend- someone who did listen. Someone who did hear the Story. Someone who did embrace LIFE. Every June 1st she celebrates her REAL birthday. She lives out her simple faith day by day. At first I acted as kind of a mentor to her, but in the end it was she that taught me so much.
After I moved up north, I wasn't able to see her for over a year. It didn't seem to matter because I knew our paths would cross again in a different time, in a different place. But, this weekend I made an effort to visit her hometown of Guangzhou, a vibrant city historically known as Canton, close to Hong Kong. She has since graduated from university and is making her way in the world. It's a tough world out there sometimes, especially for China. The only thing I can do is intercede for her. Yet we often forget how powerful this intercession is. Knowing that the same Someone she embraced several years ago is holding her together still.
About a month ago my team in the north embarked for America to spend the summer months. I decided for my own reasons to stay behind ("holding down the fort" so to speak :) ). I have sincerely enjoyed travelling from the north to visit old friends in my old stomping grounds of south-central China. I enjoy interacting with such precious people in my life. I love surprising the fruit ladies and the gatekeepers with my presence, able to communicate with them in Chinese much better than I could a year ago. :) :). It is my joy to chase the kids around the neighborhood and swap stories with old teacher colleagues. But in the midst of all this busyness and reunion, I longed for fellowship with brothers and sisters. I had run into two sisters at the local fellowship last Sunday, but time with them was all too brief. I longed for that Community that only this family knows. When I went to visit my Chinese sister I found the fellowship I had been asking for. It turned out to be the highlight of my summer.
We visited her home and favorite places, we took long walks (sneaking into air-conditioned places from time to time simply to escape the heat), we ate dim sum and southern cuisine, and we talked deep into the night (I felt like I was 12 years old again having slumber parties) :). I was able to meet her Community- a band of faithful people who meet together bi-weekly for encouragement, reading, and intercession (it's all legit, don't worry). I met with them two times, the first of which was more casual, and the second with the whole group on Sunday. During the first group time, they spontaneously asked me to lead the group in my thoughts on passages (I didn't see this coming and had it been in a formal venue I wouldn't have been able to- it was humbling watching these young people lean over taking in anything I had to offer, they are starving for understanding and strive to go deeper. Humbling, indeed!). This is one of the most open places in China I've been to. Sunday's fellowship was amazing- people were lifting up their hands in exaltation and singing the choruses with loud exclamation. I couldn't help the tears, nor did I want to stop them. The choir sang a song taken from Ps. 139- my life verses being parts 9 and 10 (my friend, knowing this, leaned over to me and whispered that this was great, as if they knew I was coming :) ). In CHINA! It was such a delight! Recently I've been studying heavily on reading the Chinese language. Reading Chinese characters can be challenging (that's the understatement of the year) and I feel like I'm losing some of my eyesight :), but I tell you, when you start reading the Good Book in Chinese and are able to finally sing with them from their old songbooks, it makes all those hours worth it and more. I was reading with them in their own language (and partly in mine)! Two worlds were coming together to unite as one family before One Person. I listened to some of their stories. I listened to their heart's burden and desire for their families. I listened as they spoke how the blessings of Him in Matthew 5 applied to their lives. I felt like I had come home.
While at my friend's grandmother's house (where her grandmother made a simple meal of beef and spinach, thankfully) this sister told me her grandmother's story. When her grandmother was younger her family was pretty rich. Even with 14 brothers and sisters, they never had a need. That is, until her father died. The mother couldn't raise everyone on her own, so she kept the boys and sold all the girls. Sold. For a price. Luckily, my friend's grandmother was 17 at the time and was at an age to get married. She basically found the first man she could find who would agree to her and got married. She never saw her sisters again. The man she married was an honest man who treated her well and respected her, raising two boys, though my friend didn't know if they ever found love. They were poor and she has lived in this simple wooden house ever since. I don't think my friend's grandmother ever harbored bitterness against her mother for that because that was simply the life of the times. It was hard and while it doesn't make it right, I don't think it is our place to judge. My own mother could tell you stories about this as this has become her life's passion (to research the plight of women around the world who are victim to the world system of our times and then implore people to intercede for them). This is only to say that the legacy from which my friend came was a really hard one. THIS is the story from which she came from. Her grandmother keeps a shrine in her house to which she offers incense regularly. My friend has made it clear that she will no longer offer incense, a bold step for her but one she has been respected for. The incense burning is more of a cultural thing than a religious thing, my friend says, and her grandmother does it to pay respect to her ancestors. I can't help wondering if she is thinking of her sisters as well.
My friend has shared with her family. A little more than a year after she embraced Life, she was in the hospital facing surgery to remove a stomach tumor a year and a half ago (Christmas Day), my team and I visited her every day. I think she was encouraged by our visits, but she requested that someone bring her her most treasured Book. It was really tough watching her tears and trying to answer the hard questions she faced. It broke my heart when she asked if she was being punished. It was through the Book and the reassurance of His love found in those pages that she found her peace. Over the next months she became even stronger- even when the tumor returned six months later. (today it is completely gone- Praise Him!) During those long hours at the bedside in the hospital, she was able to share with her father. And he listened. Her parents allow her to go to fellowship weekly, even asking her questions about it from time to time. We only ask that their hearts will soften and that they will experience real LIFE, too.
On the way to Guangzhou (a six hour train ride from where I'm staying for the month), I didn't have a seat. Knowing that ahead of time, I brought a little stool with me and claimed a small space between train cars (I wish I had a picture of this). I opened my book and read. Ravi Zacharias is one of my favorite speakers of all time. I went to college with his son Nathan (though, I did not know Nathan personally). He spoke at a leadership conference I attended my senior year. I was reading his autobiography entitled "Walking from East to West" (subtitled "God in the Shadows"). I did not know his story, so I did not know what to expect from such a memoir. In the middle of that train, sitting on a hard little stool next to the smokers and squatty potties (adding chickens to the scene would have made the picture complete, don't ya think?) :), I don't remember the last time I had so much joy. :) Reading Ravi's words about how our Father touched his life, taking him from a small village in south India to speaking before the United Nations assembly and other great world leaders, deeply touched my heart. Tears did not hesitate to fall. In one chapter he mentioned an extended trip to Vietnam and spoke of a dear older single lady named Helen Evans to whom he sent a Mother's Day card every year, a woman who referred to him as her son. I was amazed for this lady has played a huge role in my own life- from the time I was a three-year old in Indonesia, to supporting me (taking from her meager Social Security checks) here in China now! Testimony after testimony filled the pages, intervention of the Spirit after intervention. I realized (not for the first time) that our Dad is amazing! That word (amazing) cannot even begin to describe it. There are not enough words in any language to describe the greatness of our Father. It can only be expressed through the language of the most pure heart (the verse for sunday's fellowship in Guangzhou was "blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.").
On the way back from Guangzhou (this time in a nice seat :) ) I was reading the last few chapters of Ravi Zacharias' book when a man interrupted my thoughts. I looked up (expecting a small Chinese man) and was so startled to see a large Pakistani man with a big beard dressed in his Pakistani clothing. He nearly scared me to death with his large presence :) :). He was smiling and friendly, so I invited him to engage in conversation. In his heavy Pakistani accent he started asking me questions in which I thought at first would turn out to be a casual small talk (where all the questions are the same, and I already knew my exact answers). Instead, I was completely surprised. He asked me questions in this exact order: "Are you Englishman?" No, American. "Are you a Christian?" I paused, smiled, and said, beaming, "yes, yes I am." I never get that question from the Chinese, but this man seemed to know where we get our true identity. He was from Urumqi (the capital of Xinjiang province in far northwest China, the place I have felt a calling toward for the past year and a half-- and here we were in the far southeast, both of us far from "home"). I began to think that this was all a Godsend. :) What's really amazing is that this encounter came right after I finished reading these words in the Ravi's book where he quoted David Livingstone as saying "Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever any ties but the ties that bind me to your service and to your heart."
I only pray that this may be so. For me. For my friend in Guangzhou. For my Chinese brothers and sisters who take time to listen to the Story- those family members that are not yet, but someday. We share of which there is no greater Hope.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
In Memory of Grandma Mary
My great grandmother died last night. She was 94 years old. She outlived her husband (my great-grandfather) by 14 years and her son (my grandfather) by two. We were beginning to think she would outlive an entire generation. :) She lived through two World Wars, had three sons, six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren (the oldest being me at 27!). I wish I had taken more time to sit down with her and ask her to tell her stories. These are the kind of stories we need to pass on. Grandma Mary was an excellent cook with a great southern heritage. I remember as a child growing up to the smell of hotcakes and molasses in Grandma's kitchen. Peppermint candy never ran out. :) She was content to stay in her little house in the small town of Rockingham, North Carolina for decades. She was the anchor for our family for, well as long as she has created this family. They think she died simply of old age, which is a trait I hope to inherit from her. :). Maybe after looking back at her life that evening she sighed and said to herself, "I'm tired, I think I'll go to sleep now" and quietly slipped into the arms of her Lord who welcomed her by saying, "well done, good and faithful one, welcome home!". At least that's the way I like to think about her passing from this world into the next. :)
Amazing woman, really. :) Her husband was an alcoholic, not an easy life, and it became a common occurrence to haul him out of jail on Saturday nights. And then on Sunday mornings she made sure she had her three young boys at church. (please realize that I loved my great-grandfather dearly- I cried buckets of tears at his funeral when I was 11 years old- Great Grandpa embraced Forgiveness and the Faith in his later years and found real joy and peace and is probably dancing with Grandma on the golden streets today-- which is further evidence of a magnificent God). She raised her family with a clear sense of morality that is often lost on this generation. But in the end, well, to her, family was family. Not always what we would choose, but we've all we've got :). She will be remembered as one who loved her family and loved her God.
We are sad to lose such a wonderful matriarch, but are grateful that she lived such a long life and left a legacy. We are happy to know that she now has a new brand new body dancing with her Jesus in heaven. I only hope I can live up to be an ounce of the woman that she was. We love you Grandma Mary!
Amazing woman, really. :) Her husband was an alcoholic, not an easy life, and it became a common occurrence to haul him out of jail on Saturday nights. And then on Sunday mornings she made sure she had her three young boys at church. (please realize that I loved my great-grandfather dearly- I cried buckets of tears at his funeral when I was 11 years old- Great Grandpa embraced Forgiveness and the Faith in his later years and found real joy and peace and is probably dancing with Grandma on the golden streets today-- which is further evidence of a magnificent God). She raised her family with a clear sense of morality that is often lost on this generation. But in the end, well, to her, family was family. Not always what we would choose, but we've all we've got :). She will be remembered as one who loved her family and loved her God.
We are sad to lose such a wonderful matriarch, but are grateful that she lived such a long life and left a legacy. We are happy to know that she now has a new brand new body dancing with her Jesus in heaven. I only hope I can live up to be an ounce of the woman that she was. We love you Grandma Mary!
Monday, July 9, 2007
It's Amazing the People You Meet Along the Way
It's amazing the people you meet along the way.
As you know, I am spending the month of July in my old city of Hengyang and am loving meeting with old friends and students. It has been my joy! Perhaps the greatest moments are those that are not planned, but somehow orchestrated by Dad. :)
For example, there have been many people I have run into by complete chance, people from the past that I have grown to love and respect greatly. My very first year in China there were two American roommates in my building: Jay and James. They were from a different organization, but they were also like-minded and doing similar work as my team was doing at that particular medical school. Back in the day, Jay was a good friend in helping me through the complexities of being in China for the first time. James, a fellow history major, and I became good friends later, and we made an effort to hang out regularly especially when I moved across town to a different school the next year. I have lost contact with both of them, but that's okay. It's just what happens sometimes. I'm grateful for the role these guys played in my life. Jay and James both moved back to the States about 3 or 4 years ago.
On my second day in Hengyang I heard that both Jay and James were in town! They were both leaving the next day, so a day more or less and we would have missed each other. Funny thing was that none of us told the other that we would be in town. It just sort of happened that way! How fun! Jay has since gotten married and brought along his wife (and I LOVE her!) and we were able to catch up over chicken wings and Coke, in the middle of a back alley in Hengyang, a small town in south-central China. How cool is that!?!
Another example is when I ran into two ladies at the local fellowship on Sunday morning. These two ladies have been actively involved in the family life in this area. Last winter I had to do one of my last projects for my Wheaton masters work, and our group highlighted the history and current happenings of the family in the Hengyang area. I used these ladies' stories as a backdrop. Again, I had lost touch with them, especially the one lady who was from a different city and has since moved farther south to Shenzhen, which is close to Hong Kong. I wasn't feeling well that morning and didn't want to face the heat and go to the fellowship, but I felt like something (or Someone) was urging me, so I went. Imagine my surprise when at the end of the service I ran into these precious sisters! The one lady just happened to be in town that day visiting from Shenzhen (again, a day more or less and we would have missed each other) and it was like seeing an old friend, a kind of Chinese mentor. When you think of the family in China, these ladies fit the picture. :) I was able to tell these ladies about our research and how I was inspired by their stories. That brought so much encouragement I think! We were delighted to share with each other again!
With that said, sometimes the best things in life aren't planned- but orchestrated by Dad in such a way that brings us real joy and a reminder that His hand is in all things :). It's pretty awesome, actually :)
As you know, I am spending the month of July in my old city of Hengyang and am loving meeting with old friends and students. It has been my joy! Perhaps the greatest moments are those that are not planned, but somehow orchestrated by Dad. :)
For example, there have been many people I have run into by complete chance, people from the past that I have grown to love and respect greatly. My very first year in China there were two American roommates in my building: Jay and James. They were from a different organization, but they were also like-minded and doing similar work as my team was doing at that particular medical school. Back in the day, Jay was a good friend in helping me through the complexities of being in China for the first time. James, a fellow history major, and I became good friends later, and we made an effort to hang out regularly especially when I moved across town to a different school the next year. I have lost contact with both of them, but that's okay. It's just what happens sometimes. I'm grateful for the role these guys played in my life. Jay and James both moved back to the States about 3 or 4 years ago.
On my second day in Hengyang I heard that both Jay and James were in town! They were both leaving the next day, so a day more or less and we would have missed each other. Funny thing was that none of us told the other that we would be in town. It just sort of happened that way! How fun! Jay has since gotten married and brought along his wife (and I LOVE her!) and we were able to catch up over chicken wings and Coke, in the middle of a back alley in Hengyang, a small town in south-central China. How cool is that!?!
Another example is when I ran into two ladies at the local fellowship on Sunday morning. These two ladies have been actively involved in the family life in this area. Last winter I had to do one of my last projects for my Wheaton masters work, and our group highlighted the history and current happenings of the family in the Hengyang area. I used these ladies' stories as a backdrop. Again, I had lost touch with them, especially the one lady who was from a different city and has since moved farther south to Shenzhen, which is close to Hong Kong. I wasn't feeling well that morning and didn't want to face the heat and go to the fellowship, but I felt like something (or Someone) was urging me, so I went. Imagine my surprise when at the end of the service I ran into these precious sisters! The one lady just happened to be in town that day visiting from Shenzhen (again, a day more or less and we would have missed each other) and it was like seeing an old friend, a kind of Chinese mentor. When you think of the family in China, these ladies fit the picture. :) I was able to tell these ladies about our research and how I was inspired by their stories. That brought so much encouragement I think! We were delighted to share with each other again!
With that said, sometimes the best things in life aren't planned- but orchestrated by Dad in such a way that brings us real joy and a reminder that His hand is in all things :). It's pretty awesome, actually :)
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Old people and fans
I wish I could capture on film what I saw the other day at the local Xiang Jiang grocery store. It was packed with people as it usually is and I was going along getting my receipt stamped (a security thing) and I saw a delightful sight. Now, in Hengyang it is in the upper 90's with a whole lot of humidity (I'm not a weatherman, so I can't tell you exactly how much humidity, just know that it is HOT). You walk outside and start sweating in the space of ten steps. I have noticed that Chinese people do not sweat as much as us laowai (foreigners), but even these people were sweating. People were packed into KFC simply by virtue that there was air conditioning in there :). So, I walked out the security section of the grocery store (still inside) and to my right were these fans. There were probably fifty fans turned on in order to get people to buy them. There was a long bench and there were all of these old people (maybe 80 years old and up) sitting on the bench- lined up, in their pajamas, in the middle of a grocery store, basking in the air of the fans. And they were just gabbering away as if they were lounging in a park. It wasn't like they were waiting for people, they were just sitting there taking advantage of the cool air. In their pajamas! (I had to stress that one more time). It was delightful!
If I get enough courage, I'll go back and take a picture of them :).
If I get enough courage, I'll go back and take a picture of them :).
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
4th of July Party in China! (updated)
I'm throwing a 4th of July party for my Chinese friends tomorrow night (cuz, technically it's still 4th of July in America). We're going to have games (a red, white, and blue costume contest to name one) and history trivia (there's the history major in me) and let off fireworks (I'll just ask the four year old down the street to help as he has probably more experience than me with fireworks as that is a common site around these here parts), teach all the patriotic songs I know and maybe I can get them do a little parade around the block (you think that might get me kicked out of the country?)...right here in China. Maybe even red and blue Koolaid! We'll even invite the Brits! :)
The big trick will be trying to put all this together without mentioning one iota of politics or the motivation behind the Declaration of Independence. Hmm...
Yeah, the more I plan this, the more I realize that I might be stepping on toes...
but, teaching American culture, why not?
Sweet! :)
Update: okay, so they weren't as excited as I was :), but they learned something! The winner of the trivia contest got a free meal at McDonalds. I even managed to sing the "Star Spangled Banner." Francis Scott Key sure wrote a hard one! :) :) They loved learning to sing "Yankee Doodle" (ask any American and I bet nobody knows the meaning of the song...so I looked it up on the internet- apparently, it was a song written by the British to make fun of the Colonial soldiers, but when America won the war they took the song and made it their own :)). Happy 4th of July everyone! :)
The big trick will be trying to put all this together without mentioning one iota of politics or the motivation behind the Declaration of Independence. Hmm...
Yeah, the more I plan this, the more I realize that I might be stepping on toes...
but, teaching American culture, why not?
Sweet! :)
Update: okay, so they weren't as excited as I was :), but they learned something! The winner of the trivia contest got a free meal at McDonalds. I even managed to sing the "Star Spangled Banner." Francis Scott Key sure wrote a hard one! :) :) They loved learning to sing "Yankee Doodle" (ask any American and I bet nobody knows the meaning of the song...so I looked it up on the internet- apparently, it was a song written by the British to make fun of the Colonial soldiers, but when America won the war they took the song and made it their own :)). Happy 4th of July everyone! :)
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