Eyes opened, heart touched...

*LISTENING TO:*
Song: Open Up Your Eyes
Artist: Jeremy Camp
Album: Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia
Quote: "...and the time has come to realize and see the plan you've been designed for. So face the fear of all unknown and see the heart inside. So open up your eyes, so open up your eyes..."
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Wow, back from China and it just seems like such a different world here on the other side. Though the stay was short (just two weeks), I came out of it humbled, enlightened, and educated about my heritage and chinese culture. I also left China having learned much from the kids we taught there and with eyes opened to how underprivileged people live on the other side of the world. I hope to apply everything I've learned to my life and make it count because upon my return to urban living here in comfy Kanata, I fully realize just how blessed I am and how fortunate I am. So many things we take for granted, like running water, reliable electricity, and clean air, not to mention security, freedom, sustenance, and the ability to get education and employment. My experience there has truly humbled me. We were living in a poor county in Shanxi, meeting the people there, seeing how they live, and it really is a totally different world they live in.

This year has had a common theme throughout: God's will... being aware of it, listening to it, and following it no matter where it leads or how far it strays from my own. My decision to go on the missions trip to Shanxi, China, was simply following God's will and His calling for me to go on missions this summer, adding fuel to a spark for youth ministry and missions that God has placed in my heart. I followed blindly, walking by faith, unsure if I was equipped or capable of performing my duties on this trip or if I was even ready for such a leap of faith... And yet, throughout the trip, God showed his direction, faithfulness, protection, and forethought. Amazingly, God took me away from my "ministry comfort zone" of worship leading and struck me with something totally new and in a totally unfamiliar environment. It was really cool to see God use me in a totally different ministry and reveal to me how he's been equipping me for this missions trip all along. From sparking that passion for youth ministry about a month ago to learning that a major need with the Evergreen organization in China was in Marketing (the degree I just graduated from), it's all been according to His plan, which is so reassuring. God also protected all of us from sickness and jetlag... which we were so thankful for. Oh, and for all of you who know me as a late-riser and a night-owl, oddly enough, perhaps from jetlag, I got up every morning (willingly!) quite early, consistenly at around 5:30-6:00am... weird eh?!

As for the kids, although we still had some major language barriers, I believe we were still successful in connecting with our bunch of awesome kids. I hope we made at least a little positive impact in their lives, 'cause I know that both Bonnie and I felt we learned so much from them, perhaps much more than we taught them. It's amazing that in their culture, their sense of comradery and brotherhood/sisterhood is so strong, as bonds made between them seems to go beyond just friendship, and it's easily visible and noticeable. I also admired how even though they don't have much, they can still find such happiness, with bright smiles on their face and much laughter. Their kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, discipline, and sense of respect for their elders are also so admirable, in my eyes, as we witnessed such qualities first-hand day-in-day-out while living with the kids. It's so touching to be the recipient of such respect, warmth, and generosity... from kids who don't have much to begin with, and are yet offering so much, with big smiles on their faces. Their kindness is so pure and simple. Yes, we were their English teachers, but they treated us like lifelong friends or big brothers/sisters. The kids there truly touched my heart, especially the oldest and the tallest of the boys, who seemed to really look up to me and clung to me. I was so moved that he took the time, during the final night when everyone was asleep, to write a speech to thank us during the final presentation to the parents, in their home village. My heart cries out to those kids because it pains me to realize that many of them may never leave their village, realize their dreams, or have a future brighter than working on their family farms/fields. We can only hope that, by equipping them with better English, they can head to high school and make a name for themselves. I now wish I was there longer... if anything, to try to help and teach them, and hopefully, to connect even deeper. One week of camp just seemed too short.

The missions trip to China was also a big eye-opener for me in terms of learning about Chinese culture, my heritage, and the environment my parents grew up in. It was neat to find the roots of many of the "chinese stereotypes" that I've come to know and joke about. Sampling the local food was also quite interesting...and tasty! Oh, and entering a chinese supermarket in Taiyuan was soooo exciting and entertaining for the whole team! Heheh. Traffic was absolutely insane though, I must say, congested with cars, trucks, bikes, and pedestrians, all thinking they have the right of way! Never heard so much horn-honking in my life... and there were certainly some close calls... let's not even mention the train that almost sideswiped us because of a stupid kid on a bike that wouldn't move. :P Oh, and fireworks/firecrackers would go off randomly anytime in the day! Apparently, people set them off to celebrate anything and everything... so it's not uncommon to hear random cannonshot-like bangs in the middle of the day or middle of the night. Heheh, if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em right? The missions team and Evergreen staff we were with kindly threw me a birthday party during my last night there (the 16th)... and David bought a long string of chinese firecrackers (like 1000 of 'em) for us to light up in the middle of the night. Twas so cool and definitely a birthday I will not soon forget! Haha.

God also used the opportunity to allow me to solidify or grow my existing friendships. Since I flew down with Karen and spent so much time on the plane and airport with her, it was nice to get to know her better and share a bit between ourselves about what's going on in our lives and what we're struggling with and such. Some good one-on-one time for sure that I really appreciated, especially since she'll be leaving for Waterloo come September to pursue her education in optometry. Likewise, working together with Bonnie and being around each other day and night for a whole couple of weeks allowed us to really bond, get to know each other, and develop a good friendship, I thought, which I'm also really thankful for.

So yeah, overall, I'm so glad I got the opportunity to go on this missions trip to China and I learned so much. The trip really opened my eyes in many ways and God really blessed me throughout the trip. I can only hope to apply what I've learned to my life and I head into a full-on job search. My prayers will always include the kids and Evergreen staff we met. God's at work in China, with Sunday's baptism in Taiyuan of ~500 people (praise God!) being witness to that, and I can't wait to see how God's work and love will blossom there. I am also eager to see where God is leading me in terms of youth ministry or missions and what He has in store.