After the Chinese group

It was "Grace" week in Christianity Explored Easy English Edition traduite en français fondamental this week, and the study went well.
We were more people than last week, but fewer than the first week. I always forget to count people. It's a great weakness.
Afterwards we went over to YiHua's flat where the big group eat then have their meeting.

The food is always delicious. The salads, curry, fried and boiled rice were really nice.
The stuffed chilli was perhaps a little too much for my Welsh palate to take, but it gave Sen a laugh.

We talked about his forthcoming marriage. We talked about the jasmine revolution. We talked about all sorts of things.

Then the meeting started. I'd said that I'd stay till they started singing then slip out. I don't think it's good to translate everything into French or English for me and I can only read five words in Chinese - one, two, three, man/person and big.

They started singing. It was "What a friend we have in Jesus", but in Mandarin. The words just sound so foreign. It set me off...

The first Christian workers to arrive in China. Trying to get some kind of foothold on that language. Battling to understand, to speak, to explain. Amazing courage and sheer hard work.

Then I was back in North Uist and a prayer meeting were singing Psalm 23 in Gaelic. It was just as foreign, and yet it was family.

I love what I do. I know that sometimes it drives me nuts. I know that I'll slog and slog away and at the end I'll have nothing to show for it.
But there'll be people in China who'll think back to an evening in Bordeaux when they studied what the Bible says about grace. And that's priceless.

Comments

Annie said…
I miss spending time with you guys! Thanks for putting in the effort for the baptism classes :)
9:11 pm
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