Spring Arbor University has an exchange program with a university in China. This spring two young women came to teach and do translation work. Because of my upbringing in Taiwan I felt a strong connection to them and wanted to get to know them better. So I invited them to our house for dinner. It might seem odd, but I was afraid to tell them about my Chinese connections. First of all, I’m ashamed that I’ve forgotten all my Chinese, and second, I know that China and Taiwan do not get along very well. Also, since they were not believers, how would they feel when I told them my parents were Christian missionaries?
Over the meal we began to share our stories. In spite of my fear of offending, I began to disclose my family history. They loved it when I told them that my father was fluent in Mandarin. They were amazed that I was the only one in my family who had never been to China. When I mentioned that I’d been born in Taiwan to missionary parents, they went right on eating quietly as if that were no earth-shattering revelation. (Whew!) We had a lovely evening together.
The next day one of them sent me an e-mail. “You’ll never know how excited I was when you told me you were from Taiwan. My favorite Chinese author is from Taiwan and she’s had a huge influence in my life. Also, I loved it that your parents were missionaries. My mentor from China was raised in a missionary school.”
I couldn’t believe it. The things that I thought would separate us were the things that God used to connect us! Just another reminder that “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so His ways are higher than my ways, and His thoughts higher than mine.” (Is 55:9)
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