Preview for an Adventure

I'm sure you've heard where I'm headed for the Chinese New Year holiday, but I thought I'd refresh your memory. I've included some more info. and pictures about each place, so you can imagine you are going with me. :)

Chiang Mai, Thailand (Jan. 23rd-Feb. 7th)

Jodi and I are flying all day Saturday to northern Thailand for our organization's annual conference. We will have a few days to hang out before and after the conference. I'm looking forward to the warm weather, wonderful Thai food, and the beautiful sunshine! Hopefully we'll go on a couple biking and/or jungle adventures.

I suppose I'm also looking forward to the week-long conference, where we'll continue to learn more about how to be effective teachers and lights for Him. It should be restful, although there will be about 600 other people there. That can be a little overwhelming, but blessed to be surrounded by so many energetic people on fire for Him.



Urumqi, Xinjiang province, China (Feb. 8th-Feb.10th)

After spending a couple weeks in a politically open and hot, tropical climate, I will head to one of the most politically closed and coldest, most remote places. My friend Kelsey and I will commence our long journey back to China's far northwestern province, Xinjiang. This is one of China's most diverse and amazing places. It is home to a variety of different ethnicities, who aren't even close to being Han (China's main ethnicity). Many of them are Uygur Muslims, who have lived in Xinjiang for hundreds of years and are quite distinct from the Han in appearance, culture, identity and language.

A few decades ago China decided that this vast, resource-rich part of Asia bordering China was Chinese. It obviously wasn't, but what are a few million people going to say to a billion people who want to incorporate them into their country? So millions of Han people have been moving to Xinjiang in the past 60 years, becoming the majority in Xinjiang. The Uygur culture has been diluted, and their rich culture and language are slowly being erased.

Tensions boiled over last July, when many Uygurs rioted in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi (which is where we are going first). Around 200 people died, thousands of Uygurs were arrested or put to death, and there has been a clampdown by the Chinese government in the region ever since.

Most Internet access is still banned, and most communication with the outside world has also been cut off. So if you don't hear much from me during those days, that's why...



Altay, Xinjiang province, China (Feb. 10th-Feb.16th)

After a couple days in the freezing cold capital, we will head all the way north by bus to my friend's hometown, Altay. Her family is Han Chinese. Her grandparents moved to Xinjiang several decades ago to develop this "backwards" place. That is the story of most of the Han who have settled in this huge province.

And this particular town is only about 60 miles from the Kazakh, Russian, and Mongolian borders. It's about as remote as you can get, and has the nickname of being China's "little slice of Siberia." Now that I think about it, I really don't know why we are going to such a place in the dead of winter. But it should be an eye-opening experience, and I can tell stories to my grandchildren someday about "China's last frontier."







Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, China (Feb. 16th- Feb. 21st)

Our last stop will be central China's Sichuan province. It is a place full of green, misty mountains and extremely spicy food. It is also a very unique place in China. Apparently you haven't seen China if you haven't seen Sichuan.

Kelsey and I will be staying with another friend from our organization who teacher at schools ravaged by the May 2008 earthquake, which killed 90,000 people. I don't really know what to expect, but again I'm looking forward to experiencing yet another side of China.



Thanks as always for your thoughts, especially as we travel to many slightly crazy places. I'm not sure how often I will be able to update my blog in the next month, but know that I'm thinking of you!

A Chinese Sermon

Some days the tragedies and stories of my Chinese friends can leave me feeling disbelief and sorrow. For example, I was sitting by the lake the other day with one of my best Chinese friends. We can usually talk about everything with each other. She told me about her parents who love her a lot, but don't know how to show it.

Her sister, who is four years older than she is, was born first in her family. Two years after her sister was born, her parents were going to have a baby boy--her Mom was quite far along. However, due to China's family planning policy, her mother was forced to have an abortion. This happens in China every day... Sometimes the rich can keep their children, because they have enough money to pay fines or bribes or whatever. My friend's parents and the majority of Chinese don't fall in that category.

Then two years after her brother was to be born, my friend was born. I have no idea how they let her family have her--maybe there was enough distance in age between her and her sister. My friend wishes her brother had been born, but she realizes that she wouldn't be alive if he was... She told me sometimes she thinks about those circumstances, and that's when she knows that she is indeed here for a purpose. She is a new believer who has been passionately telling all her friends and classmates about Him.

Another eye-opening experience was on Sunday night when Jodi, another student, and I went downtown to one of only two "official" (legal) Chinese fellowships in this city of 4 million. (Foreigners are allowed to go to these fellowships if they don't make a scene or anything. But I don't think foreigners ever go.)

The very simple building was nestled in between tall apartments, and there was a policeman with a red armband keeping a watch on everybody. The only flashy part of the church was a glowing red cross at the front of the room. The service started at 7:30 p.m. We arrived at 7:20 p.m., but people were already heartily singing away from their tattered hymnals. There were a few hundred people there already, so we had to sit at the very front.

We sat on rock hard benches for about two hours. As I gazed around, I saw lots of men and women, young and old, rich and poor. Everyone was scrunched together on the benches. I was wedged in between my student and a really sweet woman (see the picture of us with her outside). Before I sat down she wiped the bench off, and another woman behind us handed me a Chinese hymnal.

I got chills listening to them singing the same song over and over again (for nearly 20 minutes!) It was a song about us being tiny raindrops and a family or something. Someone pounded away at a very out-of-tune piano, and every sang loudly and also very out-of-tune. It was so simple and not very beautiful to outsiders, but I'm sure the Father was smiling.

Then a man walked up to a podium and quickly read some verses from the Word for about two minutes. He went so fast that nobody could find the right page, and this was the only time any one read from the Word for the whole two hours. It was pretty sad.

After the Scripture reading, some very enthusiastic and also out-of-tune choir members filed onto the stage. (See the picture). They wore robes made from very plain material. While they were singing, many of them kept sneaking glances at me.

Finally, "Teacher Zao" or somebody, came up to give the message in a purple quilted jacket and jeans. About half of the congregation was asleep before she finished. She talked for about an hour, never once looking at the Word. My student wrote notes about it for me, since I could only understand a little. It was a very watered down message about a million different things such as:

-The Father helps relieve stress, especially for university students.
-Obama tells us to be confident.
-All men are created equal.
-To be a successful person, you need dedication.
-We should take care of our behavior and love others.
-A thousand days is like one day for the Father.
-Don't complain too much.
-If someone looks down on you, you should still treat them kindly.
-The Father can lead us to the bright road. We can have a bright future.
-Having a warm heart is very important.
-We love China.

I was trying not to be critical, but there's a reason that most of our Chinese brothers and sisters don't go to these official fellowships. People are dying to hear truth, and they usually only receive a watery self-help class, mixed in with some patriotism. People were so eager to hear truth, yet I'm afraid they were disappointed and will continue to look elsewhere.

Plus many of the leaders of the fellowships have little, if no training in the Word. The woman next to me asked if my parents were believers. I said yes. She said that I must be a believer, too, because my parents are. I told her that having parents as believers doesn't automatically make their children believers. She didn't seem to understand that.

After the service, everyone practically ran out of there, except for a few curious people who came to talk with me.

Overall, it was a fascinating experience, although a bit disheartening. The revivals and solid teachings occurring around China certainly aren't happening in places like that... They are happening in the house fellowships.