Last Days in China

A lot has happened since my last blog entry. For our last day in Beijing, we visited the Summer Palace, a huge, beautiful park on the outskirts of the city built hundreds of years ago as a place of respite during the hot summer months for the royal family. In the center lies a lovely lake enclosed by massive and yet elegant water lilies. Running along one side of the lake is a long hall, covered with over 8,000 paintings exhibiting graceful, enchanting classical Chinese art.

That evening we boarded a plane for Chengdu, a large city in central China where a friend of ours is working with an organization called Global Tribes Outreach (GTO). We had packed around 200 pounds of Chinese Bibles in our check in luggage to bring there from the U.S., and since it is illegal to distribute any Christian literature in China except for that approved by the government, we were all nervous that there might be complications at the multiple security checkpoints. The bags passed through each one with no problems, and we all breathed a pray of thanks when we safely reached Chengdu with all the Bibles.

The next three days were filled with catching up with old friends, getting to know the GTO missionaries and observing their work there, and experiencing the unique culture and cuisine of the area. Chinese believe the more exotic the meat, the better it is for you, and I promise I had never before seen so many strange things consumed as food, and food they presumably enjoyed. Long, squiggly octopus tentacles impaled on a shish-kabob and grilled were avidly slurped up, suction cups and all. Pickled chicken feet are the rave, and slimy brown pig snouts, feet and tails (I didn’t realize pigs even had tails long enough to eat) were delicacies at the meat markets. Fortunately our friends knew the restaurants that served sweet and sour chicken and lo mein, and I had some really good meals there. I also was pleased that I ate three entire meals using only chopsticks, though there was a ring of rice strewn for a one foot radius all around my bowl on the table, and I usually ended my meal not because I was full but due to my exceedingly sore fingers.

On Saturday we visited an old market street where various Chinese arts and crafts were made and sold. It was fascinating to see silk being extracted form the silk worms’ cocoons, spun into string and then made into fabric. We watched an artist create exquisite landscapes using tree bark and paint, blending the two so well that though the paintings conveyed a sense of dimension, you could never discern where the bark ended an where the paint began. Hints of beautiful oriental music wafted throughout the street. When I came closer, it was being played on flute type instrument with a gourd affixed to the top to give it increased resonance. I was mesmerized by it, so soulful and sad and yet tinged with a hopeful, almost magical expectation. As we headed back to our hotel, I was impressed by the Chinese’s love of beauty and a desire for the peaceful and perfect. This is evident in the fine details on their teacups, the intricate carvings on their older buildings, the names they give - Gate of Heavenly Purity, House of Peaceful Longevity, Temple of Perfect Equity - even in their names for the mundane (their word for Coca Cola means “delicious happiness”.) Deep within their culture and their hearts is a longing to transcend the ordinary, commonplace existence of man. They searched for it for centuries in their traditional arts and through Taoist and Confucius ideals without discovering it. Most have given up, attempting to find fulfillment in a successful job and urban lifestyle. If only they could realize these yearnings for the transcendent are not empty desires, but God’s image implanted within them, craving to discover its real existence, its true identity in a relationship with a perfect and complete God.

Sunday morning we joined the GTO missionaries’ worship service in one of their homes, and had a wonderful time. This is illegal for Chinese nationals, and everyone present was American. It is illegal to be a Christian in China unless you attend one of the state approved churches. There is only one of these in Chengdu. Around 800 people attend there, but given Chengdu’s enormous population of 10 million, this is a fraction of the city. Also, you are not allowed to attend if you are under 18 years old. The goal is to prevent children from growing up as Christians and inhibit the next generation from embracing Christianity. In addition to this, very little church participation is encouraged or even allowed, which often turns Christianity into something you observe instead of something you live for, and this often makes it difficult for Christians to have active spiritual lives. For these reasons, multitudes of illegal house churches are springing up all over the country. A spiritual explosion is taking place in China right now like nothing before. Millions are discovering their true purpose and life in Jesus Christ, and it is spreading like wildfire in underground churches. Some estimate there are around 100 million Christians in China, and it is still growing. Along with this tremendous growth is a tremendous need for competent pastors and especially for Chinese Bibles. This huge growth is so exciting, but the support for these Christians and the remaining 1.2 billion people in China is still an incredible mission field.

It was interesting to learn how the GTO missionaries evangelize in a country where it is illegal. They have to use a lot of caution, and their main focus is to support the local house churches. It is a very different approach than the type of evangelism I have done in India - distributing thousands of tracts, hiking into villages and doing Creation to Christ presentations, showing the Jesus movie in Hindi. You have to have a “reason” to be in China if you are a foreigner, so most of them are either studying at a college or running a business there. Evangelism is on a much smaller scale, and personal with friends as you begin to gain their trust. I was encouraged and challenged by the commitment necessary to be effective for Christ in such an environment.

Sunday evenings the young people have dinner at another of the missionaries’ homes and play games. We had a lot of fun getting to know them and learn more about their work here. It also reminded me of the great times we have with friends at home, though, and it brought feelings of homesickness. But I was really glad we were able to come to Chengdu, and get a glimpse into the Christian effort in China.

Monday afternoon we flew back to Beijing to pick up Hindi literature we had left locked up in the airport, and then embarked for New Delhi, India - sort of. We almost missed our plane, racing down the long gate terminals and barely passing through the jet door before it was closed behind us. One hour later, however, we were still sitting on the runway. The reason, given over the intercom in the silted, choppy Chinese accent of a flight attendant, was “technical difficulties”. We later found out one of the jets was not operating at full power, and after another hour in the airport we were transfered to a different airplane. We finally arrived in New Delhi around three in the morning, ready to start the next chapter of our adventure.