China 2008

China is an amazing country. The scenery is gorgeous, the culture is fascinating, and the people are exceptionally kind. Our team worked on building a church in a small village about an hour outside of WuHan, in the Hubei province.
When we arrived at the jobsite, the ladies had prepared a feast for us for lunch. They made about 18 different dishes for us to eat. Each day we were on the jobsite, we were blessed with the delicious food. Can you imagine cooking 18 different dishes each day for about 30 people on two little Coleman burners? They are true servants.

We laid brick for the walls of the church. We made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. The government officials were there watching us the entire time. Although we went to China to lay brick for a building, the real focus and purpose of the trip was to build the church – the people.

On the last day, we had a dedication service. We arrived late because we attended a wedding that morning. When we got there, it was raining but there were a couple hundred people standing outside waiting for us. The ladies had prepared another feast for us and they insisted that we eat first. So, while we ate, the people stood outside and waited in the rain. No one rushed us and no one left. After we ate, we gave some small gifts to all the children – marker, coloring book, small toys, candy, and balloons. Then, we began the dedication service. Still all this time people waited. The team purchased a keyboard for the church, which we were able to present to them at the dedication service. The church had about 12 people in it, but there were over 250 people at the dedication service! Even with the communist officials there, we were able to pray with almost all of the people!

Jimmy and another team member spent a morning teaching a theology class on the Holy Spirit at the seminary. DeAnna and two other team members taught in two English classes at the WuHan University. We were able to share about ourselves, our family, and our culture. I talked about Jimmy playing the guitar and me singing; next thing I know Teacher Xu is asking me to sing a song. So, I sang Amazing Grace in a class at a communist university. We explained why that song is special to our culture. Then I sang Silent Night and was able to share about why we celebrate Christmas.