It was mighty cold when we arrived in Beijing. As we walked the street looking for a place for supper we came across some exotic meats and seafood that you order to be fried on a skewer.

Read the names below!

Later we witnessed a Bhuddist wedding, drazons and all! Right on the street corner.

Steamed dumplings are a popular breakfast. Somehow our stomach wasn't used to hot spicy food that early in the a.m. And no coffee to boot!

Tienanmen Square was closed because they were having meetings of the national congress. We felt pretty safe with so many policemen and soldiers around. Here are some of the people as we encoutered them.

China is not homogeneous. Although the great majority are Han, there are 55 minority groups and thirty provinces. In the National Museum we met some lovely tribal people. We couldn't communicate except through smiles and sign language.

Entrance into the Forbidden City. For years only the Royal family and courtesans could enter. Now people flood in from all over China as if to say "China belongs to us!" But always under strict guard and the watchful eye of Mao.

Foilk dancing in the national park.

We came across several signs like this one:"No naked flames." And at other places guards were collecting cigarette lighters. I can only imagine there is a fear of people protesting by setting themselves on fire.

Friends who live in Beijing met us with a Chinese driver and took us to the Great Wall which is about an hour 1/2 away. It was a beautiful day and great exercise climbing the wall. It was built after the conquest of Ghengis Khan but never had to repell and attack. It reminds us how ancient, proud and protective Chinese culture is. But no wall can keep the gospel out.

These are hutongs -the traditional neighborhoods that go back centuries. Most still don't have running water so they have free public bathrooms in every district.

Modern cars alongside a wall build before the USA was formed.

So far this might seem like a travelogue, but when we arrived in Chengdu our time was filled with appointments with Chinese church planters in homes, and eating places. We can't post pictures of the people we met on the web. Most were between 25 and 35 and came to Christ as university students. There was a terrible earthquake in Chengdu in 2008. The witness of other Chinese and aid workers led to many coming to Christ and the formation of home groups led by students and recent graduates with no theological training and few models and mentors. They read the Scriptures and prayed that the Holy Spirit would guide them. Some are "hidden Christians" today but others have found their way into existing churches or formed their own churches. This is called the "third wave." The first two being the 3-self registered churches and the house church movements that resisted registraton and underwent severe persecution between 1976 and 1989. The 3rd wave is comprised primarily of young urban professionals and students. They are seeking further training. They are pushing the limits of what the government will allow them and courageously sharing their faith. They feel that Christ is the only hope for the Chinese people and they think that many more will turn to Him. I visited one of the underground seminaries were some of the pastors and leaders were being training by Chinese in the Chinese language. I can post this picture because you can't see any faces. Students met in an apartment. They had a webinar on Hermeneutics (interpreting Scripture), went over their exercises and discussed the lesson. They were very serious about their studies and very discreet as well.

 

We learned so much but we know so little about the church in China. We could tell though that it is a beautiful church, not in prestige, buildings and degrees, but in its simplicity, devotion, and zeal to reach their nation. God reminded me of the fervor of my first love. We hope some of these church planters will be able to join other Asians this fall in Chang Mai Thailand for a Church Planting Institute. What a privilege to here their stories.