April 2008

Hello from China!

This weekend in China was a national holiday called Tomb-Sweeping Day, which is a time for people to clean the graves of their ancestors. In addition to making the graves look more orderly, they pray and make offerings to the deceased in order to help them in the afterlife.

Clothes and shoes meant for the dead.

I find it fascinating to walk though the market during this time of year to see all of the possible items which families can burn and thus “send” to their ancestors. The idea behind it is that with these items the deceased will have greater comfort in the afterlife. Miniature paper versions of real life items are available for an unbelievable variety of items, including clothes, shoes, jewelry, houses, cell phones, cars, electric fans, and air conditioners. I guess consumerism is alive and well in the afterlife also. The most popular item is to send is cash, which is available in denominations ranging from 10 RMB ($1.40) all the way to 8 trillion RMB (a lot).

While I find this holiday interesting, it makes me sad. It’s admirable how much value the Chinese put on family, and I think that there is something to be learned from this. Yet the thought of my experience in eternity depending on what items my family “sends” to me—that’s sad.

I find great comfort in John 14, where we are told that Jesus is preparing a room for us in His Father’s house. To get to this place we must trust in Jesus, who is the “way and the truth and the life.” In this place, which Jesus is helping to prepare, there will be no need for earthly possessions even if they are worth “trillions.” Without Christ we will be going to a place where no number of paper electric fans or air conditioners will ease our pain.

Take great comfort in the knowledge that through our Savior we have a place waiting for us in paradise and there is no need to bring our earthly goods or have our families send them to us later.

Kyle at the retreat in South Korea for all Presbyterian mission workers in East Asia.

Since my last letter I attended a retreat for PC(USA) missionaries in East Asia. It was held in South Korea and there were missionaries from China, Philippines, Korea, and Japan. It was great seeing what these people are all doing in their respective countries. Within this group, there were professors, human rights activists, counsellors, and people working in community development. At times, our focus is on our immediate community and we tend to forget the greater picture. At this retreat I was reminded of the greater scope of the church and of the amazing things that are happening around the world.

I am encouraged to see how different countries are able to take the gospel and apply it within their culture. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that missionaries abroad should be working to duplicate the church from which they come. This type of thinking implies that somehow churches in the United States are the way that all churches should look and function. Through the retreat I was able to see how within these different countries the Christians are all able to worship Christ in their own unique way instead of simply mimicking someone else’s style. God is working around the world through His church in many great ways.

Please continue to keep China in your prayers as political unrest here clearly shows the problems some people are facing.

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 99