CHINA: The good, the bad and the absolutely INCREDIBLE!

Still tired from 2 nights in Kuala Lumpur airport and missing home after a few days visiting my parents, I arrived in China. I was pleased to get off that Air Asia plane, as the lady next to me was not at all feeling well, if you know what I mean…. We all get through customs and into the Tianjin airport. As a part of the travel arranging team a few of us head out to find the way to the train station, a seemingly easy task until you are confronted with buses that are fully booked already and Chinese people that really cant and sometimes don’t even want to communicate with you. Eventually we make it to a train station, but only to find it is the South Beijing station rather than the west. So off we go again to find a new way. At one point during this, a lady I thought wanted to help offered me a map. So I opened it up- only to find it no help at all because it was Chinese and her starting to demand payment for it. Not having any currency I attempt to fold it up, as she proceeds to yell at me like crazy in Chinese. Quite freaked we walk off.

Sometime later we set foot at the west station and manage to get standing tickets (yes! tickets allowing you to stand on a train for 12 hours!) for the train needed, but not until 2 nights later. Train tickets bought our next mission was to find accommodation for the night. Out we go again, this time encountering men making gross noises, entire families sleeping out waiting for trains, people spitting everywhere and hotels not at all willing to even talk about letting us stay the night. Coming back to the team the decision was made to set out mattresses right there, basically on the street outside the train station with people staring at us. An end to quite possibly the most globally challenged day I have had yet! And that was how China chose to welcome us….

Let’s just say it was not the ideal welcome, but looking back now I could never have expected how incredible China has been. I didn’t know what to expect or even if I wanted to be here and now am not sure if I want to leave just yet.

From Beijing, we headed west by train, the first was 12 hours long and all we could manage to book was standing tickets. But it was probably the most entertaining travel yet, sitting on the floor, sleeping under the chairs and hanging out with a packed out carriage load of people. After another 8 hour train the next night, our team split up into smaller groups and travel out to different smaller cities and towns to eat up with ministry contacts. My team of 4 headed the furthest inland, to a small village where half the population was Buddhist monks and the other half split between Muslims and Tibetans.

There we spent time helping out in cafe. The tourist season was ending so towards the end we didn’t have much work to do, so were able to go out picking mushrooms, strawberries and raspberries. As well as spend most of our down time reading and discussing books of the bible and catching up on journaling. God knew what we needed in having time and space to rest and process thoughts.

The last week we spent some time in a bigger city where God brought us across a Chinese couple who study at university there. They helped us with accommodation and showed us around the campus where we could eat and hang out. It was a huge blessing and also such a privilege to spend about 2 hours the last night we were there sharing the gospel with them and seeing such interest in their questions. SO you can definitely be praying that God would continue to work in their hearts and draw them to him. Here in Beijing we have also been able to spend time at a university; I have missed being in that student lifestyle a bit! I have fallen in love with these Chinese people, in many ways they seem harsh and driven on the outside, but in getting to know them and pushing through the language barrier it is so worth it, I just want to be able to talk to everyone. China is awesome! I think at this point my favourite country!!!

In China God has really challenged me in a number of ways, particularly in the area of relationships and how I deal with conflict in various situations. From this I have learn't that where there is conflict it is really an opportunity to take that relationship to the next level. Whether it is with God or with another person or even just within yourself and your thoughts. Not dealing with it means you will always stay at the same place. But that in the moment, for me at least, confronting it is the last thing I would want to do.  From reading parts of the Old Testament God has showed me that for Israel to truly come back to him, God had to lead them into destruction through exile so that they could be restored. He didn’t want to but loved them so much that his only option was to discipline so that they would know their need to turn back to him. In a way it is the same in relationships we have with each other, sometimes we must do things that are so hard, but in the end will bring restoration. I have understood these things, but walking in them is a whole bigger ball game, so you can continue to pray with me for courage and boldness to do all that God calls me to.

So that is China, somewhat dirty, shocking and confusing but incredible to see Gods hand at work, his creation and really explore more of his word. Bring on India!