CHINA (Wednesday)

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6

A wonderful restful sleep…thank you, God. Up at six again to prepare for the day and to connect with family via Skype. Was glad that I was able to visit with Karol again – she’s on the move:  Pittsburgh,  Rosholt, Milwaukee, Green Bay, etc.

My sharing was based on both the story of Zacchaeus and 1 John 4:19 – “We love, because He first loved us.” We tried singing that song in English, and it was interesting – everyone was gracious in their attempts. In my halting Chinese, I said, “Wo ai ni,” which means “I love you.” Then I also said “Shanti ai ni.” (God loves you). And people applauded.

The setting for the workshop on evangelism.

Such love being expressed by God’s people here in Tongcheng. Each day we’ve had about 125 for the sessions. Most are from this congregation. Some come from neighboring congregations and others even farther away. 

One of the customary activities of the church, really all through the Christian church in China, is that of prayer for one another. People will ask the traveling evangelist for prayer – sometimes lining up three or four in a row. This morning at breakfast, one woman came to talk to Jason about her difficulties. It looked to me like she has rheumatoid arthritis. Some of her knuckles are knobby, and she complained of pain in her knees and elbows. She wanted prayer, so Jason asked if I would pray for her. I did pray asking God especially to give her joy and a strong faith. She did have a wonderful personality and a smile that went a mile. Another woman came up and she wanted to give me money. I refused and Jason made sure that no money would be given. Later, he said that he always makes it very clear that he never accepts any money.

Other people who have come for prayer are little six year old Paul (last night), men and women who have aches and pains from accidents or falls, a woman who indicated that a demon was in her mind, and others. There is powerful prayer during the meetings. One hears lots of “amen” and “alleluia” responses as prayers are being spoken. Hands are lifted in prayer and also in praise during singing time. I suppose some would call this charismatic, but I hear no speaking in tongues. There is also a specific prayer time for individuals during the general prayer time. People usually pray out loud (not silently as we may do in the States).

 Building a structure in this manner takes a whole lot of manpower.

This morning, as far as I can tell, Jason is leading a cheerleading session, encouraging people to be Christians on the move with their faith. The pastor has a nine year plan. The first three were to establish the basics at the local church (including the building of a sanctuary, etc.); the second three years, now beginning, are faith sharing in the local area; the third section is to share the Good News all over China. My hunch is, after the next six years are completed, there will be plans set in place to reach the ends of the earth. Already there is a “Back to Jerusalem” movement in China with a plan to take the Good News through Islamic lands back to Jerusalem. That’s a big vision.

The participants awaiting lunch.

A big disappointment for me is that I have no speaking ability in Mandarin. I would love to be able to visit with people here, hear their stories, and listen to the way they came to faith. All of my previous time in Asia has been to work in English, primarily with teachers; now I’d love to be able to speak the language in order to communicate with “family members” living here.

At the end of the workshop, it was announced that there would be a time for personal prayer. I, along with five others, were the designated prayers. I do believe that EVERYONE at the workshop came forward for prayer. My knees were sore and my voice was hoarse. And, even later on, more people asked for prayer. That's another story for another time.

Dinner and then upstairs for a 1.5 hr. evaluation time (all in Mandarin, so a sleeper for me). Jason stayed on to visit with the pastor and his wife, and Evangelist Hu took me back to the hotel. Before leaving, they gave each of us two bags; a dried bean that you boil and eat and a similar treat. I doubt that I can take those into the States. When we got to the car, there was a woman at the gate. She had brought me some chocolate.

Just goofing around.

There’s a story there. The other day, I went with Jason to the store to get a bar of chocolate, but, after quite a walk, we discovered that the store did not have chocolate. Michael mentioned that story to the pastor. The pastor’s wife promised to bring me some Russian chocolate. That was nice. Then while at the church this morning, a woman brought a little box of Dove bars and another woman gave me a Snickers bar. Later while I was giving a blessing during the blessing time, someone pushed something into my right front pocket. When I later checked, it was three Dove bars. The woman at the gate was just the cream of the crop. Pastor Wang had mentioned that story to the people. Moral of the story:  Don’t let people know what you can’t get – they’ll provide it for you (at least in China).