My Journey Far West... to the Far East

 

It has occurred to me that I have not done a journal-type blogpost for a while, and as the last two weeks of my life have been somewhat foreign (to myself as much as yourselves), I have taken it upon myself to write out an account of what has transpired over the last 14 days.

 

2 weeks ago from yesterday, I boarded a plane with a few compatriots, and we set out for the Orient. Now a grizzled veteran at this whole “travel to China thing” (which is to say, I’ve been a grand total of twice), I was quite comfortable with the prospect. A flight to Vancouver, then to Beijing, then to Chongqing were in store, and, as I found that I can sleep on a plane, the trip went rather quickly and well.

We arrived at the factory Tuesday morning. We jumped right in, qualifying parts, updating line layouts, and getting re-acquainted with our Chinese colleagues from Chongqing, Taiwan, and Shanghai. It was during this trip that I found that regional accents and dialects can be so different that initially, it was difficult for my colleagues from these different regions to communicate with each other.

This trip, I had one of my most unique cuisine experiences. At first, the proposition of eating grilled lamb seemed tame enough, but little did I know…

After consuming the lamb (which turned out to be goat; apparently, in the Chinese language there is no difference between the two domesticated animals…) over a grill using nothing but our hands (and occasionally a fork), we proceeded to the hot-pot portion of the meal.

Here, the items for our consumption got a little more interesting. All the leftover items from the barbecue were thrown into the stew, and not just the leftover meat: the skull, eyeballs, brains, heart, and intestines all, somehow, found their way into our pot. Due to their limited supply, I did not get an eyeball, but I did find that I can recommend both the heart and intestines of a goat (the brain is too mushy; wouldn’t recommend that bit…) while the flavor was somewhat bland due to the sparse flavoring in the broth, the meal was still one to remember.

The rest of the build transpired well, finishing a half-day early. We had a final closeout dinner, where my limited skill with chopsticks was put on trial and display – I don’t think I did terribly, but you’d have to ask the eight locals that were at my table. After the food we had toasts, karaoke (which wasn’t bad, but could’ve been better; I sang the last few lines of “What a Wonderful World”…), and an introduction to Mahjongg. I am still far from actually knowing how the game works, but I have had my first lesson, and I look forward to learning more.

 

Such has been my two weeks; I’ve learned a few more phrases in Mandarin, a few more foods to enjoy and stay away from, and a few more teammates’ personalities. I am happy to be home, but I look forward to going back as well!

 

The Body

I had a church service today that would, by many, be considered one of the best that could have ever occurred.

I began in a comfortable chair, a latte in my hand, and a high-quality, Bose sound system. When the worship team came on, the congregation knew they were in for a treat: we had appearances by Philips Craig & Dean, the Irish Tenors, and 4Him. They played some of my favorite songs, including How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, and The Promise. Even in the midst of China, thousands of miles away from home, my spirit was definitely lifted.

When the pastor walked on-stage, there was almost an audible gasp as John Piper began to discuss the text. One of the giants of the Faith in our age, all knew that His preaching would be Scriptural, sound, and profound. His trademark passion was not long in surfacing as he relayed the Word of God to us.

And then, the service got even better as Pastor John turned to one of my most favorite passages, 1 Timothy 3. After having completed a Bible Study a few years ago about the qualities of Elders, it has been a wonderful self-examination passage about how I, as a Christian man, ought to act. Pastor John delved into the roles of elders in the context of the Church, taking a new perspective that, while definitely Biblical, I had not considered.

The closeout songs were Psalm 67 by the Sons of Korah, and New Jerusalem by Michael Card. As the last notes of their songs faded, I breathed a great sigh of contentment.

And yet, something was missing. The worship? Fantastically reviewed the greatness of God. The teaching? Eloquently presented with passion and joy. The doctrine? Biblically founded and consistent with the Word of God Himself. What could possibly be missing?

When we sang, there was no real “we”, just myself, no companions with whom I could corporately be in awe of God, and the worship service was nothing more than a Windows Media playlist. When Pastor John came on to speak, I knew there would be no chance to clarify and continue his sermon, because he was gone when the sermon countdown timeline hit 0:00. After the service, there were no friends to share the lesson with; nobody who could present an anecdote about how they saw God’s hand in relation to the sermon; nobody that could perhaps challenge me further, to continue to pursue God in the context of the sermon we’d heard, because I was sitting by myself in a hotel lounge. Despite the seemingly perfect service, I was incomplete.

“But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you”. – 1 Corinthians 12:20-12

I don’t think this verse is strictly talking about capability. There are plenty of one-man-shows and lone wolves out there who, especially empowered by Christ, can do anything; sometimes, we are called to this. However, it is not our “social animal” nature that makes Christians this way. We were created to be part of a body. Sustained by God’s power, an eyeball could survive on its own, but that’s not what it was created for. In the same way, a believer may survive on his own (and God), but this is not what He was created to do.

“Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25

I look forward to coming home, but not because of home-sickness, dislike of the weather, or the food not agreeing with me. I am eager to return to my Body; I thank God for it, and am blessed by it.

I’ll see you soon.