Well we were told that our visit to China would be like nothing we had ever previously experienced in all our travels and those words of preparation were proven true on a recent trip my wife Caroline and I made to Shanghai. I had said in my previous blogpost before departing that I had a sense of "ambivalent anticipation"...a mixture of not knowing what to expect and of looking forward to the totally new cross-cultural engagement that China offers. Well my ambivalence quickly melted away into a deep sense of wonder and awe as my anticipation became reality. From the moment we arrived at the large Shanghai Pudong Airport (the newest of Shanghai's airports) on the southeastern outskirts of Shanghai to our departure nearly two weeks later we found ourselves time and again saying "wow", "fabulous", "incredible". New York City, Los Angeles, London, Paris, etc all are dwarfed by this city of 20 million+ people. We found the people to be extremely hospitable and gracious on the streets, in their homes, in the restaurants and in the church. The food was exquisite, although we really did appreciate our local Starbucks near our hotel. Yes, we ate eel, jellyfish, fish and seafood of all kinds, and various other meats, vegetables (I actually really like bachoi!), dumplings, etc. We tried everything our hosts offered! We so valued the way in which the Chinese eat meals as they often last 2-3 hours. The mixture of contemporary and ancient was evidenced many times often within blocks of each other. Our regret, often spoken too each other, was how much the language barrier effected our time there, although we were very fortunate to always have someone with us who could speak/translate for us. We also found that the younger generations, especially under 25, were far more likely to speak English with you. At any time walking on the street or standing in an elevator or riding the subway, you could hear a voice 2-3 feet below you with a smile on their face say "Hello..." Furthermore, the language barrier did not stop people from asking us "Take picture?" which we assumed meant for us to take their picture, but it turned out that they wanted to take a picture with you! We also struggled with TV as there was only one English language channel and it was the Chinese equivalent of CNN/Headline News, which also gave us a very unique perspective on the world, especially as we were visiting during one of the most significant Chinese holidays National Independence Day which lasts for a week. We did however hear alot of Western music, but as we were told, most people like the sound but cannot understand the words!
The wedding, which was our primary purpose for going in the first place, was a grand mixture of ancient Chinese customs, Christian tradition and a western-eastern mix, particularly the reception. It was truly and honor to joyfully celebrate with William and Amy, along with William's mother Mao Mao and other family and friends.
The sight-seeing allowed us to see every place one would want to visit in Shanghai...The Old Town, The Bund, Pudong, The French Concession, the museums, the restaurants, the shopping malls, the street markets, the gardens and parks, the "canal towns", the Buddhist Temples, the Christian Churches, the subways, the wild taxi drivers and even wilder rides(We thought New York City cabbies were wild...). Caroline and Mao Mao went on to Beijing after I left Shanghai and they loved the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
On Sunday we attended an incredible church called SHANGHAI COMMUNITY CHURCH (see the picture at the top of this blog and the church's excellent website [more than a few churches in the USA could take a lesson here] at http://shanghaifellowship.org/). We went to the morning Chinese language service at 10am and listened to the sermon through a translator while everything else we were allowed to sing, pray and read Scripture in English while everyone else did so in Chinese. By the way, the church pews and every space inside and outside was filled 30 minutes before the service began and the service lasted 1 1/2 hours...a fact which is true for all 4 of their services. The senior pastor is currently preaching a series on 1 Corinthians 13 on the nature of Christian love and he preached for about 50-55 minutes. I had a great and lengthy conversation with him afterwards and I came away very encouraged by the passion for Christ in their worship, their hospitality in welcoming the stranger, and the great variety of their ministry and mission locally and globally (Notice the church website's front page which shouts "The World is Our Congregation" and the words of Matthew 28 and Jesus' Great Commission as their ministry/mission statement). How I wish, hope and pray that the church of Jesus Christ here in the USA would recover a vision that says that! May I also recommend a GREAT book on Christianity in China just recently published and very favorably reviewed (written , entitled GOD IS RED: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in China by Liao Yiwu)
So the visit to China was an incredible one to say the least. I am reminded once more as to why global travel is so important to me as a human being and as a follower of Jesus Christ, namely my world becomes so much larger when you visit and engage other peoples and cultures...my world looks so small but is enlarged every time I leave my world here in Seattle and enter the world in China, Africa, Europe, South America, etc. The question I always ask after I return is this "How has going to China (in this case) transformed the way I will live?" If I can't answer that question, I think I have missed out on the greatest gift that God wants to give in these opportunities to travel. The one thing I know to begin with is that I have a far deeper respect for China, its people, its culture than I did before and several misconceptions about China have been rightly corrected. For now, I am so grateful. Full stop.
My wife and I are leaving for mainland China soon. It is our first visit and the primary purpose is to perform a wedding for a very close family friend whose family and fiance's family live in Shanghai. We go with great anticipation and wonder at what we will see and experience while there. We have traveled alot through the years and have been on every continent except Asia. It has been interesting to have people tell us what it will be like...We have many Chinese (1st, 2nd and 3rd generations) offer their insights and recommendations, as well as others we have known who have visited or even worked there for a while. In preparing to go, I first had a similar sense that I had preparing to go to Africa my first time in 1996 (which was and continues to be an incredible continent to visit and minister), but the closer I have come to departure, I have a very different sense...I call it an "ambivalent anticipation"...a mixture of not knowing what to expect and of looking forward to the totally new cross-cultural engagement that China offers. The overwhelming words we have heard from all the people we have spoken to is that "Shanghai will be unlike any place you have ever been." We will be spending time in ancient, old, modern and contemporary Shanghai and beyond, SO we are ready to commence the journey. I have found several books to be very insightful in preparing:
The Celebration of Independence Day is this Monday in the USA...otherwise known as the 4th of July...an interesting juxtaposition for those who are Christians and Americans. I find it a bit odd that some churches altered their "normal" worship and church events last year when the 4th fell on a Sunday...even those churches still committed (for one reason or another) to Sunday night services, canceled them for that week...but why should we be surprised when we do the same thing for the Super Bowl and even when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday...Sorry I digress...
When Karl Barth, the great Swiss theologian (1896-1968), visited the USA in 1962 he reflected on freedom and liberty with such insight that I wish to share it here.
I do not usually spend alot of time reflecting around my birthday(s). Tomorrow, February 6th, I turn 52 years old. As I came home from teaching at Regent College in Vancouver, BC Canada (
In one of the greatest sermons ever preached ("The Weight of Glory") CS Lewis begins by stating that AGAPE LOVE, not selflessness, is the greatest virtue of the Christian faith and that God's desire for us is to be filled with JOY rather than seeking our own desires and pursuing our own agendas, pleasures and enjoyment. He further challenges us to reflect upon the fact that for most of us "it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who want to go on making mud pies in a slum because (s)he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea." Lewis concludes that we as Christians and human beings are "far too easily pleased." 