To China and Back

My younger sister, Sarah, just arrived home from a 17-day trip to China. She traveled half way around the world with 43 other delegates as part of the People to People Student Ambassador Organization.

I missed her. A lot. After her plane landed this afternoon, she spent the rest of the day showing us pictures and telling us stories of her China adventure.

It really is different there. Sarah said that Americans are treated like celebrities, and the people loved her "pale" skin and long eyelashes. She ate the same meal three times a day and rarely got a good night's rest because the beds were hard as rock.

One fun memory was when they visited the Great Wall. She and her friends came up with a contest to see who could rub the most people's bellies. (I guess it's a cultural thing, where you give someone a compliment by randomly walking up to them and rubbing their belly. Doesn't make any sense to me, but "when in China..." you know the rest.)

Of course, my competitive, stubborn sister crushed everyone else and boldly claimed 13 tummies as her victory.

She went on to share other stories: working with disabled students, spending time in an orphanage, watching Kung Fu artists, going into different shops, drinking tea, taking boat rides, riding trains, and much much more.

I'm so proud of her for going there with an open mind and anxious heart. It humbles me to hear her talk about how much more she appreciates living in America. We have it so good here. I can already tell, she is a different person. I traveled with People to People in 2006 to France, Italy and Greece. It was such a life-changing experience, so I know the incredible influence this trip had in my sister's life. She said earlier that China and the Chinese people will always have a special place in her heart.

God may not be "allowed" in that culture, so to speak, but China has a place in His heart, too. The Chinese are just as much His children as we Americans are. It blesses me to know that Christianity is slowly but surely finding its way into the Chinese culture. I'm so thankful for the brave missionaries who make the sacrifice to spread the gospel to a nation that so badly needs to hear the Good News. I sing with a lady on my church praise team whose son and daughter-in-law are missionaries to China. They are living in the States now but will be returning there in a few months, so please keep them in your prayers. They have a fairly-newborn daughter, so also pray that they remain in good health.

For Sarah and for other missionaries out there, I consider Genesis 28:15 to be a guiding verse of Scripture: "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land."

Isn't it awesome to know that, no matter where we are, God is with us! When I wrap my mind around that, "home" doesn't feel too far.

I'm not gonna lie, sending your best friend thousands of miles away is a bit nerve racking. My prayer was that God keep her safe, show her what she needs to see, and teach her what she needs to learn. He did!!

This world is a big place, but it sure is hard to feel small when the God of the Universe-- The Creator of All Things-- lives inside me.

-雷切爾