Getting Involved in China

'L', Central China. Posted on 17 August 2010.

Life in England was busy. Between working as an Occupational Therapist, seeing friends and being involved in a number of ministries in the church, I never seemed to have a spare minute. Life was full and with all of the different roles I was participating in, each day ended with a good sense of achievement.

However, when I first came to China, suddenly all of those roles were stripped away and I was just a little foreign girl who couldn't speak a word of the language! I asked the Lord, "How can I possibly find my place here and be of use to You, Jesus? I don't even know how to buy a loaf of bread or ask directions, much less make an impact in this great nation for You!"

I resolved that if the Lord had called me here, all I would have to do is keep close to Him, lean on Him and keep my eyes and ears open for the opportunities He might send my way. You know, it really is that simple! Having been in China for nearly two years now, I have realised that these opportunities spring up all over the place, and if I'm willing just to step out of my comfort zone a little, I find myself in amazing places.

These opportunities did not take long to come. As I began learning Chinese, I felt that a good place to practice and make friends would be downtown in the Muslim quarter. There are lots of bustling markets there and because many tourists pass through, a lot of the stall keepers can speak some English (which was good considering my limited Chinese at the time!). Some of the folks there have now become close friends, which is such a blessing. As my Chinese language has improved, we have had many conversations about the Good News and true salvation. It is such a privilege to be able to sow into the lives of these precious people and be salt and light in a place where it is so desperately needed.

As I started to get to know some of the other foreigners in our local fellowship, I was asked if I could come and meet two Chinese Christians. This couple had a heart to serve elderly folks in the city who don't have any family to support them. Due to my background in Occupational Therapy, they thought I might be able to help them get this ministry off the ground. Together, we drew up a proposal for a day centre, initially once a week. Now this has developed into a small residential home and a homecare service to keep folks independent in their own homes. This is such a joy to be a part of as we see lives changed. This week, one of our homecare ladies stood up on her own two feet for the first time in three years!

A more recent opportunity that came up was for me to get involved with the music scene in our city. Through the grapevine, I heard that some local believers were setting up a music evening in one of the restaurants in town as an outreach project. People could turn up with a guitar and play some songs with a Christian message. This sounded like fun, so I turned up one evening with my guitar and joined in. I met a lot of people there and through this have had many other opportunities to play music, including supporting a well known Christian band from America at one of the big universities in the city. There was a crowd of nearly 4,000 students! This has also led to opportunities to teach local house church leaders about worship and how we should approach it biblically.

It's so great how God uses what little we have to offer for the glory of His Name. As His ambassadors we spread the fragrance of Christ wherever we go, and by just being involved in the community and making ourselves available to the Lord, the possibilities are endless! I have dressed as a Chinese warrior in a parade, played one of the wise men in a nativity play, shared the Good News with a dinner table full of businessmen and city officials, introduced the Chinese to shepherds' pie, and played Chinese board games until four in the morning! Life here is never dull!

Through my time here in China, I have realised that nothing of my previous experience has been wasted, and I have been able to draw on those experiences in many different circumstances. He truly is a God of the details and orchestrates circumstances perfectly to allow us to grow and produce fruit for His praise and glory. As I recall my first days here in China and the fear of not being of any use to our Lord, I smile to myself with great anticipation because I know that the best is yet to come. He has placed us here for such a time as this; the harvest is ripe and we're just getting started!