My official report for my mission trip

"感謝主! 感謝主!" The congregation cannot stop exclaiming! This is their first ever service in a church. As our van drive through a narrow alley into an empty open area, we see a lone rundown unattractive building. As we walk into one of the units, we see a group of Sichuanese with smiling faces already gathered. Their days of needing to hold services at people's homes are no more, now they can come here to worship every week! "這一生最美的祝福" was the song we sang in the van as we headed out that day. It is a fitting song for the trip because of its Chinese melody, also the lyrics reflect a very simple faith that is common to many Christians I've met in rural China. Sometimes city people like me get easily entangled by all kinds of unnecessary wants and needs. We often say "感謝主" in our prayers and in our praises, but at the back of our minds sometimes we are not satisfied. As this song points out, life can be so simple. All we need, the one thing that will ever satisfy us and make us happy, is to know Jesus! Such is the simple faith of these people. Though they are insignificant in human terms, they are great in God's Kingdom. As we finished our program for them, they started to sing some of their own songs. They have no song books, they just sing from their memory the songs past down by others from before. I notice the lyrics and melody are incredibly familiar, I realize this is the same song we sang in the bus "這一生最美的祝福"! I cannot believe it! I am overwhelmed! This is not just a sheer coincidence, this is planned by God all along! They sang in a slightly varied village melody. I feel God is saying something to us! Though we have different culture, our circumstances may differ, we are but one Body. That very morning in my personal devotion time, I read John 17:22-23

"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

No matter where we are, which denomination we belong to, we all belong to Jesus as One Body! And as we are united as one, and only then, will the world really know Jesus! And when they know Jesus, they will receive this true blessing, 最美的祝福!

This has been a constant theme in this mission trip for me. Before I tend to romanticize mission trips, going to exotic places, spreading gospel to the unreached. However, in God's eyes, there's no difference in serving there than serving at my own church, because we are all one church! As we obey and submit to God's lead, we see miracles, signs and wonders like these!

God has always been "Just-In-Time". There has been lots of incidents in this trip that show us, though we see obstacles, God's hands are never out of reach. Particularly in our team traveling and my own, we have seen God opening safe passages often in last moments. I was a last minute late comer joining the team, yet God gave me a really cheap flight ticket back HK to confirm it is indeed His will for me to join; though I was stuck in Beijing during transit, I made it in time to meet the team in HK; for the flight to 四川, God has preserved the very last seat of the flight for me; and on our last day when we tried to get to the airport for our flight back HK, though we got stuck in a gridlock traffic jam, God made the flight delay just a little bit so we made it just in time to catch the flight!

Hallelujah! 感謝主!