Truth in the Characters

My time in China was luxurious:  hot showers, a kitchen to cook in, cool weather, and playing with a dog that didn't have flees.  (I'm easy to please.)  I figured out how to make the most of the two woks available.  Who knew pizza, enchiladas, and apple pie are all feasible in a wok?!

Spending some time in China also caused me to appreciate some of my Thai luxuries.  In Thailand, I don't have to wonder...

What can I say?
How should I phrase it?
Who might be listening? 
What Christian words shouldn't I use?
Who might understand?
What trouble might I cause for those here after me?

The reality is, a lot of Christ-followers in China live with these questions everyday.  It's a delicate balancing act of being bold yet wise.

However, Christ is and has for centuries been, making himself known even without spoken words.  Over 100 Chinese characters have biblical connections.  For example, every time someone writes boat he is writing vessel, eight, people.  Remember the big boat God had Noah build?  Yep, there were eight people aboard.

My favorite example is the word to create.  It comes from speak, dust/mud, life, walk.  In four works, that's what God did.  Spoke everything into being, created man from dust, gave us life, and caused us to walk.   

The Chinese language is one of the oldest written languages.  Could the language's original writers have known the great truths that we desire today's Chinese to know?

Praise God for the many ways he is making himself known in this country! 

More pictures!

 Getting out of the city was refreshing.  Look at those mountains! 

 Beautiful trails, streams and waterfalls were just an hour and a half bus ride away.  

My hiking buddies.  

 A Chinese friend, my "little sister," taught me how to make some traditional dishes from Ningbo, China. 

They were delicious!  But the snails (bottom bowl) tasted better if you didn't look at them first.  :)

A day and a half in Shanghai... a lot of people, great subway system, and big buildings.

 Shanghai also has an awesome aquarium.  (Great for rainy days!)

 Taz and I spent a lot of quality time together.  She opened many conversations or at least smiles and "Hello" with people in the apartment complex. 

The river was a great place to walk, pray, and see what life looks like in China.  A lot of fishing and washing goes on in this river that leads to the ocean. 

 Other people spend their days working in vegetable gardens that line the river. 

 A number of temples can be found in the area.  Some people are Buddhist, others, I'm told, just "believe in themselves."

About that statement regarding pizza, enchiladas, and apple pie in a wok...it's all about doing things in steps.  First, I made the tortillas in one wok while the filling was cooking in another.  Then, while I was putting them together, I started cooking the enchilada sauce.  I poured the sauce over the top, sprinkled with cheese, and placed one wok on top of the other (like a lid).  I cooked them on low until everything was melted and bubbly.  Yum!

 On the not rainy days, this old town is a perfect place to visit. 

The town has all sorts of traditional food to try, including stinky tofu...

why people like to eat things that smell bad, I still don't know. 

A great visit got me my new visa and left much more to be explored in this beautiful country.

A Daughter's Faith

The prognosis was grim. The cancer was no longer shrinking, but instead, it had spread to the brain.  Many treatments had been tried, many doctors consulted.  The morphine dip was steady and consciousness was the opposite.

"Pray first and foremost for salvation," was the daughter's request, as she booked tickets to go to Northern Thailand the following day.  All the while, she kept hoping this wouldn't end up being the last visit.

The sun rose Easter morning, but it seemed clouded by a heavy reality.  The reality that the person who brought this brave daughter into this world, was struggling to stay here herself.   The morning was filled with making new visitors feel welcome, translating the Easter message, and fellowshipping over lunch.  A day of celebration, and yet of sorrow.  It was easier to just not think about it, but that wasn't really an option.

As the daughter and her husband prepared to leave, everyone in the small ground-floor shop space, aka church, gathered around them.  While visitors looked on, the Body of Christ stood together in faith, praying for the mother in the hospital, for healing, strength, understanding, openness, safety and most of all, salvation.  Tears were shed, hugs exchanged, words of encouragement spoken.  Then the couple headed out the door to the airport.

A lot of unknowns surfaced on the couple hour flight between Bangkok and the hospital in Northern Thailand.  Was her mother still conscious?  Would she be able to to hear and understand the message of Easter as it was shared once more?  Would sharing this time be any different?  What about relations with other family members?  What about the family business? Pulling up to the hospital, all those worries were momentarily set aside.  The most important part was to see Mom.

Being a surprise, their arrival brought tears of joy to Mom's eyes.  Daughter's eyes teared up just seeing her mother, though weak, alert and happy to see them.  There wasn't time for small talk.  Some important things needed to be shared.  But who was going to talk first? 

As beginning words bumped into each other, Mom finally shared how a Christian friend had come over earlier that day.  She shared the full story of Easter.  This time the message of the hope we have in Christ penetrated the depths of  Mom's heart.  It was no longer just words, it was a relationship she wanted too.  Easter morning, she decided to throw out her idols and become a Christ follower.  This was an answer to years and years of prayer.

The journey of praying for the earthly ones we love the most, to love the heavenly One we love the most is no easy task.  It gets discouraging; it gets frustrating; it can even seem useless.  But God is bigger than the biggest hurdles, stronger than the strongest chains, more persistent than the most stubborn hearts, and more loving than we can ever imagine.  


I share this daughter's story of faith in hopes that you will not loose faith in praying for your loved ones.  While Mom is still in the hospital, still has cancer, still struggling on this earth, she now has the most important thing.  She has hope and confidence that her eternal home is secure.  No one in the family could see this Easter's gift coming, and yet God had the timing planned out all along. 

Relationship Triumphs

In a culture so rich in history, I'm surprised to find such little receptiveness to the historical basis for the Bible.  Or maybe I should be, considering much of Thai history goes back a lot farther than 2000 years ago. 

What does it look like to share the gospel to a group of people who aren't interested in the history behind it, aren't concerned about whether the dates line up or not, and don't care to hear the long list of facts supporting the truth of our Savior?  

My friend Fon got me thinking about this question when she asked, "What do you think is the most important part about the gospel to share with our Thai relationships first? ... Just in your opinion."

"Well," I responded hesitantly, "You're really the one I should be asking that question to, since you're Thai."  She motioned for me to continue, so I did.  "Because Thais usually value relationships and feelings more than logical, fact based arguments, I would start with the fact that God wants a relationship with us.  He is not some far away, unreachable, unapproachable God that requires a certain number of candles, sicks of incense, and bottles of red Fanta.  Jesus wants to be our friend, loves us unconditionally, and wants us to love him with our entire heart."

I'm still learning.  A lot depends on the person.  There's no formula, sure-all plan (in any country.)  It never works that way because God loves us all individually and speaks to us differently.  The part that grabs one person's attention and causes him to listen is going to be different from the part that captures another person's heart.  However, at the root of it all, at the foot of the cross, the amazing story of hope is the same.