China!

Urumqi, China

I left Bethyl at the airport for her flight to LAX and a few hours later arrived here in Urumqi from Bishkek after about a 90 minute flight that crossed two time zones. I am now 15 hrs different than California. I got a taxi to the hotel after much ado about where it was, how to get money from an exchange, and so on. The hotel was amazing; better than any I’ve stayed in. Feels decadent. I left quickly, got a taxi again, and made my way to a coffee house about 20 minutes away along a busy street. After awhile I was led to the owner. I asked her about any God work in the town where I might join in worship. Mentioned my friend CW in Bishkek who had referred me here.

The owner smiled, said she knew CW, and led me outside. In a soft voice she said it was very tough to lead me to specific groups in this situation. She said that in this region the “crack-down” on non-registered groups was very tough, as it was in Tibet. Everyone was being very careful. Many had been imprisoned. She said this all out of the restaurant in the midst of heavy traffic sounds and then smiled and asked me to pray—that it was not possible for me to meet with such groups given the situation.

I went back inside. An English practice group of five young adults and one older English gentleman was talking in a corner of the restaurant with an older gentleman leading the discussion. He was asking if they believed the Beijing Olympics would bring peace and harmony in the country. Everyone could offer an opinion and practice speaking English. Then he led the mixed review to what else might work to bring peace. I said I thought that peace might come from inside a person and then spread to the outside, not the other way around. He nodded and asked what others thought. The talk was animated.

I said I was a foreigner and that Jesus had made a difference in bringing peace to my life. I was very happy in ways that money or politics could not bring to a person. The Englishman smiled and asked what others thought. We went around quite a bit, enjoyable talk, with most thinking that money would make people happy. I smiled, nodded, and didn’t proselytize or otherwise twist arms. I just kept playing my Jesus tune that worked for me. Eventually the scheduled “English talk hour” was up and we each went our way. It was a blessed time. I caught another cab back to my hotel, feeling a bit wiser and more blessed.

6/23/08

I’m airborne at about 1130 meters between Urumqi and Guangzhou, crossing the entire country in a four hour flight. The China Southern jet is somewhere over the middle of the southern, jagged, snow peaked Tianshan mountain range, about 1700 km long, complete with the largest glaciers in China. Perhaps over Tomur Peak, the highest of that range at 7435 meters. Magnificent, eye-popping works of God’s fingers.

I’m so blessed. Thank you, Father of mine, for allowing me to draw breath in this country, at this time, with these shy and fierce people whom you have graced with such natural beauty. Just in Xinjiang Province where I have visited, there exist over 47 ethnic nationalities. This area is furthest from any ocean of any place on the planet. It’s a historical melting pot of Chinese, Indian, Greek, and Roman cultures. It’s where Buddhist and Islam cultures fuse along the Silk Road. And less than 1% of this area knows anything about Jesus’ own life breathing indwelling.

Father of mine, Spirit of mine, Brother Yeshua of mine, give me grace to smile on these people and witness with my face and offered grace. I don’t know their language but I know they need You. Work here, Lord, in ways mysterious, to cause them to know you. Let your gospel ripple through these people and language groups, infusing, impelling, rescuing them from superstition, shame, and fear. This I pray in the life giving name of Yeshua. Amen.