On Sunday, my Western friends
and I met at my apartment, ostensibly to make Christmas decorations
but really, I think, in search of the true spirit of Christmas
after the parties of the previous two days. We made Danish paper
stars and Norwegian woven paper hearts. We talked, worked, listened
to Chinese Christmas carols, and then closed with prayers for
each other and for the world. While we were together, I could
believe that it was indeed the Christmas season.
The next evening I attended a Christmas party given by the seminary
and the local China Christian Council. The party was held at a
dinner theater, the likes of which I have never seen. The interior
is best described as a cross between a set for Phantom of the
Opera and a medieval hall, rendered the more strange by posters
for old American movies and neon signs for products like Coors
beer. There were miles of buffet tables set up in what would be
the orchestra area of a theater and around the perimeter. After
dinner there was a short performance of Christmas music by the
seminary choir, followed by an instrumental quartet that played
Christmas songs. I was disappointed, for I expected something
more special, more in keeping with the sacred meaning of Christmas.
On December 24, I taught my writing classes and then settled
down to decide how I would make this a special time of celebration
on my own. My friends were going to evening services at Flower
Lane Church, but since I could not go with them, I would be spending
the afternoon and evening alone. Let me explain.
Flower Lane is one of the old churches in the city. Last year
a large department store was built across the lane from the church
and during the process of construction, the foundations of the
church were shaken and the structural integrity of the whole building
compromised. The sanctuary was condemned so the church had to
seek new quarters. It rented a former cinema and remodeled and
painted the facility to serve as a place of worship. This is the
church I attended the first four weeks I was in Fuzhou—until
I realized that, wafting around at concentrations too low to smell,
were fumes that were making me sick every time I went to church.
Consequently, I have not been able to attend church with my friends
since early October. I am still looking for a church home.
With the prospect of Christmas Eve alone stretching before me,
I knew that I needed to take action. I decided to look for a volleyball
game. It was strange to be playing volleyball on Christmas Eve,
but I enjoyed my time with the students. They are getting used
to having me around and are finally starting to relax in the presence
of "the foreign teacher." After playing for an hour
and a half, I returned to my apartment, looking forward to a quiet
evening of Christmas carols, reading the Bible, making stars and
hearts, and placing phone calls to family. It was odd to be completely
alone, but it was a peaceful time of contemplation.
On Christmas Day, I was meeting friends for lunch. Riding the
bus across town, I was surprised to hear Christmas songs in English
over the loudspeaker system. It was as though they were for me
alone because no one else seemed to care or understand what was
being played. I stopped off in the center of town to buy a birthday
present for my Danish friend Kirsten and was surrounded by the
usual everyday crowds of a busy Chinese city. It could not be
Christmas! And yet, there were Christmas trees, Santa Clauses,
and decorations everywhere. As I walked past one of the large
department stores, the strains of "Silent Night" in
English filled the air. It was Christmas Day, but at the same
time, it was not. It was very confusing, and I was glad to reach
Kirsten’s apartment and be among Christian friends.
As we five shared our Christmas meal in a small Chinese restaurant,
I marveled at the bonds that drew us together despite our different
origins and languages. Nobue, from Japan, speaks Japanese and
English. Kirsten speaks Danish and English. Ilse’s native
language is Faeroese and she is fluent in Danish, English, and
Japanese. Her friend spoke only Japanese. I spoke English and
was the only one who knew any Chinese. At the table we had no
single common language, but we were sisters in Christ gathered
to celebrate the birth of our Lord and that transcended all barriers.I
returned home feeling that I had found Christmas in the midst
of all the confusion.
I pray that in the Christmas season you, too, had time to reflect
on the miraculous gift that God gave the world on Christmas Day.
In Christ’s love,
Barbara Penney
The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 180 |
