Our very own Daniel Yang went on a trip this summer to Sichuan, China to help some of those affected by the earthquake.
Click on the comments to read some of his thoughts from the trip. There are also pictures from his trip posted on the right sidebar.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
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My mom decided to go to Sichuan, China to counsel people who were affected by the earthquake, and she asked me to come with her. We stayed with a company called ---, which makes semiconductors. The company provides apartments for its workers, and we stayed in one apartment. Fortunately, the CEO of --- is Christian, so the workers have greater freedom to meet and worship God in the apartments.
We worked with a woman named ---. She and her husband held relatively high positions in ---, and they moved from America several years ago to evangelize in China. In addition to her job, she supervised much of the Christian ministry going on in the apartments. She was so nice, often looking after my mom and me and making our stay more comfortable. I really admire missionaries like her who give up much of their time and energy for God’s kingdom.
Most of the workers were really young—I’d say around my age. I constantly had to remind myself that this was a company, not a college, when I saw many young adults my age walking around together.
Hearing the stories of these workers reminded me to be thankful of the extremely blessed and fortunate life I have. For many workers, college was not an option for them. Their families needed them to go into the workforce right away. There were many workers who never even completed high school. This really reminded me of how lucky I am to have the educational opportunities I have. I may get tired of homework and studying, but it truly is SUCH A JOY to live the student life...not worrying about much more than my studies, talking to such a wide variety of people from all sorts of backgrounds, learning. I feel so fortunate that I have been able to continue my education for so long.
Also, some of these workers just had to grow up too fast. We got to know ---, a 21-year-old who was already married. When she was 12, her parents made her become a mother figure for her younger siblings. She only completed an elementary school education. When she was 16, she moved in with an American family living in China to be a housekeeper. Luckily, these Americans were Christian and were nice to her. She is married to ---, a 25-year-old who I believe never finished high school. Even though he is only 25, he has already been a minister for 3 years. This couple reminded me of how lucky I am to have such few worries. I have been able enjoy a long, relaxed childhood...and in many ways I am still "enjoying my childhood." I can only imagine the pain of being forced to grow up too quickly.
I sat through some of their bible studies. Each apartment building had its own bible study. Groups of 15-20 crammed together in rooms. They began with some worship, and then someone gave a talk about a bible passage. They ended with snacks/ fellowship. It was pretty cool seeing new people come to the meetings...people who weren't Christian, people who never really heard the gospel, people who had other ideas about creation. They have an awesome opportunity to reach out to their fellow workers, since they all live together!
We visited the homes of some workers. One girl lived on a farm. It was pretty interesting...I have never seen such large rice fields and expansive vegetable patches before. But being there made me appreciate the conveniences of our civilization more (bathrooms with clean toilets and actual sinks). The farm housess were relatively unharmed. But we visited another girl's house, and her house was destroyed. Her family set up some poles and draped tarp over it. They were living under this tarp...which hardly protected against wind and rain. I could only begin to imagine how difficult life must have been for them. But they were amazingly positive. Instead of complaining, they chatted amiably with us. The mother of that girl said, "I would not want to keep living if it weren't for my daughter." I could not believe that they continued to live in those seemingly hopeless conditions; it really encouraged me to stick through life in the midst of my relatively small problems. May they come to know the hope of the gospel one day.
My mom counseled workers affected by the earthquake. Some still could not believe that the earthquake happened. The worst case my mom heard was a girl who saw her high school friend, digging with his family through the rubble of a school, trying to uncover the dead body of his little sister. The family had no tools…they were using their bare hands. Eventually, they did uncover the body.
My mom told the workers that I could teach some English. So one day, a group gathered and I gave them lessons! I made them do several conversation exercises. They were so eager to learn and very supportive of whatever I had to teach them. I felt bad for ---, who only had an elementary school education. She couldn't really read letters, so she was having such a hard time and was trying very hard to keep up. But I taught them some songs too, which they seemed to enjoy more. I bet they will remember the songs much better than the conversations. I also gave some of them English names based on their Chinese names. Their eagerness to learn once again made me appreciate my educational opportunities.
It was a great experience, this trip. I must remember to continually pray for China. I am thankful for the people I was able to meet and the ways in which I was able to serve. I hope that I won't forget what I saw there, and that I would never take the many things I have here for granted.
Oops, I didn't think to not include the names...good thinking mike!
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