The room that church was held in
What is the meaning of church?
- a location?
- a building?
- a service?
- a hierarchy?
The meaning of the word “church” was addressed in the message at the first international church that Denny and I attended in China. This wasn’t what we would have normally experienced in the American church. It was entirely different in presentation, but my soul’s needs were met. There was no fancy band set on a stage, or fancy powerpoint to follow along with. It was just a gathering of a few believers in a borrowed classroom with a projection of a single laptop.
God knew how Denny and I could be loved. We were so excited to go to church that morning that we accidentally showed up an hour early to the location this “church” meets. Fortunately for us there was a small service happening five minutes after we arrived on location. The service was a small gathering of less than 15 people and the sermon was done from a DVD. Afterwards, we were so entirely blessed, because the leaders invited us and everyone in this small service to their place for lunch. At their place we found refuge and rest. Praise the Lord!
The sweet couple that invited us into their home.
Lunch included:
- good conversation
- rice, marinara, parmesan ( a dish I would describe as heavenly in China)
- education on adoption
This is a picture of someone else’s plate. I gobbled my down so quickly because it was delicious. I did rice, marinara and a little sample of the homemade tortilla with homemade garlic butter. Did I mention I love marinara?
I am discovering that foods I wouldn’t normally like in America taste like the best foods on earth in China. McDonalds and Oreo’s are becoming comfort foods to me.
[Note, we had McDonalds when it was the closest place to eat when it was heavily raining because we lacked an umbrella. AND McDonalds has the only lactose free ice cream I can have currently.] What are your comfort foods in a foreign land?
I learned about international adopting for couples under 30 years of age. I was told there are five countries that support these couples in adopting: Ethiopia, South Korea, Cambodia, Marshall Islands, and Russia. The mother I talked to and her husband adopted a girl from the Marshall Islands (because it was the easiest country to adopt from) and are in the process of adopting their second child. [The Marshall Islands are located north of Australia in the Pacific Ocean.]
The woman told me of the children’s circumstances in the Marshall Islands. She said the islands are sinking slowly, and that the living arrangements where she got her baby girl from was a one room home with 18 people living in it. There were several families living under the same roof. She reported that clean water doesn’t exist for the Marshall people except when there is a rainfall and that children are not given the opportunity for an education. All of these facts deeply saddened my heart. I resonate with my friend Leah J., “Did you know that if everyone who professed to follow Christ adopted one child, there would be no more orphanages?” You can follow her blog at http://leahjohansen.theworldrace.org
I pray that one day God will bless us with a child that needs a loving family like that family. Do you have a heart for adoption? Why or why not?
From the service and the events of church that day I was reminded that church is a movement, a congregation, an assembly, a gathering of believers launched around one event: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am the temple of God wherever I go, even in China. The “church” has been a movement on mission since the beginning. It’s not a building.
Readers:
If you’re a believer, how would you describe your first church service in a foreign country?
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