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The gift of deep relationships
I don't know why I always go to Anren when the pomelos are ripe. I don’t realize it until I get there, and the citrus scent floats on the fall air from the valley behind town. I see mounds of big, bright, yellow pomelos at every door and then I know: I’ll be lugging a substantial bag of them back to Nanchong with me. No one leaves Shi Chufen's house with their pockets empty. She, or one of the sisters who always seem to be around her home, finds some fresh peanuts or a bag of pomelos or a head of cabbage to thrust into the hands of every departing guest. As I dragged my 56-pound bag of pomelos through the train station in Nanchong later that night, I remembered the love with which this giving is done. There is always enough to share True relationships Simply giving does not constitute relationship. Our worlds need to overlap. So I receive gifts — many gifts, both physical and spiritual — from Chinese brothers and sisters as our lives become part of the worldwide body of Christ. Let me describe some of these gifts: "So how did the roof get built before we came to give you the money to help you build it?" The question seemed reasonable, as the congregation was stretched to the limit by the renovations done to their church. The cost of the roof was way beyond their means, and we had promised to cover the cost. When we arrived, though, the roof was finished. What changed? "Well, we conducted a prayer meeting about the roof. We prayed, and then we gave, and then there was enough." Enough, even if it means borrowing money to give to the church. Enough, even though your own home has walls of mud. Enough, because everything we have belongs to God. The church is messy This doesn't seem to surprise my Chinese friends in the church as much as it does me. Maybe they have a better realization that it doesn't depend on them. God works; the world and the church are messy; that's how it is. I want more control. I want us all to sit and be quiet to hear God's word. I want the church leaders to be above reproach and for there to be unity in the church before there is massive growth. It seems paradoxical to me that people are attracted in huge numbers to such a troubled institution. Chinese Christians do not negate the problems plaguing their congregations, but they don't see problems and blessings as mutually exclusive. I, on the other hand, don't embrace paradoxes like, "In weakness, there is strength," as easily as do my Chinese brothers and sisters. God works within paradoxes. What we can do We need to plan budgets for international ministry based on the advice of international partners, not a North American church or special interest group. We need to support theological training. We need to study theology from perspectives other than our own. Too often, Chinese Christians have been told, directly by their own society and indirectly by the strength of Western church structures, that their voices don't count. We need to be saying to Chinese Christians and to Christians around the world that without their voices, our understanding — our salvation — is incomplete. Jeanette Hanson is a worker with Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite Church Canada Witness. In this issue: Features Highlights Viewpoints |
