In March, 2007, we went to China with a team of 12 other people to build a church in this huge country. Thank you for your prayers and financial gifts to make a difference in the lives of people in China. Almost everyday seemed to bring us an experience only God could have orchestrated. From meeting new Christians to seeing the life of our tour guide changed on the last day of the trip.
Our main goal for this project involved building a new church in China where no other Christian church exists. We were in a remote village named Ba Xian (about 14,000 people) that was inaccessible by motorized vehicles until 2005. We were the first “round eyes” or foreigners ever seen by the people of the area. On our arrival, some of the kids stared at us, almost not believing their eyes.
We were able to accomplish a lot on the church building but were hindered by several days of rain. It is very difficult to lay block effectively in the rain. As soon as it started sprinkling, people came out to hold umbrellas over our heads and invite us inside to drink more hot green tea. The people in the church and some local builders finished the project within a few weeks after we left.
We had a lot of great meals. It is amazing how fast you can learn to eat with chop sticks when that is your only method of getting food into your body. Each morning we went to the job site, we picked up the cook. He was busy preparing lunch all morning while we worked on the building. We had some of the best chicken fried rice ever during lunch at the job site.
One Sunday, we got to go to a couple of churches. One church is in a village where 30,000 residents are all in the same family tree. It is hard to imagine being in an area where so many people trace their ancestry to the same set of great-great-great-great-grandparents.
We have the opportunity to return to China in the future with more teams of people. Helping people in China is a once in a lifetime experience you should have. Consider joining us on a future trip to this incredible country. Trips to China last 12 to 15 days so we can work in a few extra days of sight-seeing on the other side of the world.
