Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Christmas treasures found




Early Saturday morning few weeks ago, I quickly put on set of clothes prepared beforehand and take didi (Chinese equivalent of über) to Mariott Courtyard hotel in Suzhou. There are some ladies already there making preparations for Christmas treasures event for women. Esther, the mastermind for this event, gives me a warm hug. She is hyper energetic and her face shines in the indirect and also literal sense of the word, as there is glitter all over it. The glitter is everywhere in fact – on handmade name tags, programs of the event, and tables. There are some vendors already selling for charity and good causes. We wait for our guests to arrive. From those I have invited, six ladies will be coming, two of which are my colleagues at the university, three are students and one is friend. They gradually arrive, and the program starts.
Esther who has been trained as opera singer stats off with some Christmas carols together with the worship team. She takes some high notes which surely no one else in the room could and which resonate to the depths of our bodies and souls. Then there is the Christmas tree decoration and explanation of meanings behind each decoration. One of them is the icicle which represents the sharp, hurting and unlovely things in our lives. Those ladies who want that are invited to hang their icicles on the tree at the stage as an act of surrendering these things to God. The icicles will be prayed over at one of our meetings later on. Then there is a drama about a woman calling to the phone number of psychological support, and it turns out that the one answering the phone is Jesus. He is inviting to call again any time. Next, guest speaker tells about the trip of the wise men to worship baby Jesus and about the meanings of the gifts they offered. At some moments, I wonder what my guests think of the program and if I should comment or explain something, but I feel it is best to sit back and let the content speak for itself. A moving part of the program is singing of the “Silent night, holy night” together while standing up and with lighted candles in our hands. A special dance program by a ballet studio about the theme of Maria, mother of Jesus follows.
As souls of ladies are warmed up, they are ready to give back. Good amount is collected in donations for Claire, a Chinese girl who needs many operations. It looks pretty lively at vendor sales too afterwards. We have a nice lunch and talks with our guests then. Students stick around the longest; we take some pictures next to nice Christmas decorations at the hotel and talk some more. These Chinese students feel it was quite impressive event and the first real experience of Christmas celebration in their lives. I agree that it was a quite special day when I believe many of us found some Christmas treasures, either in form of a thought to consider, Christmas atmosphere enjoyed, a handmade souvenire bought, or else. Perhaps most importantly, our spirits were lifted as we were able to share the message of Christmas peace with our friends. I later on heard there were some women who have lost their family members lately and who were moved to tears during the program. One lady later on shared about quite special guidance by God while being seated so that in the end, the gift of the table went to the person who needed it most (there was a sticker at the tablecloth of each table, and the gift inside the box on the table would go to person sitting oppesite to it).
This event was a fruit of work of many ladies at the church, but meant for wider circle of women. Altogether, there were about 140 present at the event.In the days to follow, I often replay the videos taken at the event on my phone as I go about my day, and review the pictures. And just a few days ago, I received a very special Christmas gift from students I invited. It also included a Christmas greeting engraved in wood which was made into shape of our university participants group picture taken at the event, with each person’s profile and face. This memory will surely be cherished.


Monday, December 5, 2016

Bruised but beautiful




Last spring me, my husband and baby daughter were in Shanghai where I attended women’s conference. One evening, we explored a nearby pedestrian street and had dinner there. Afterwards, we still sat down at one place with a terrace. A street seller passed by offering roses for sale. Jian was getting ready to refuse as one casually does to street sellers, but I signaled him that I wouldn’t mind a flower. So he bought me one of those. As we went on, I put the rose in the pocket of baby pram. By the time we reached back home in Suzhou, the rose was badly bruised, because there was no wrapping paper around. Feeling a bit sad for it, I anyways put the rose in the water. Interestingly, rose did open up nicely during coming days and the bruised outer petals were not much visible any more as they gave way to inner ones opening up. It was a beauty to behold. I have seen also that roses in bad condition with head already hanging down can be revived by fully immersing into water in the bathtub for instance, so the whole rose can drink its full.

Life bruises us at times, and some of those bruises are not easily healed even if we have been walking with God for quite a while. At times there are unanswered prayers, or things we long for, but do not have. However, despite all of that, it is possible to go on with the journey of faith. I love the following lyrics of songs – “my feet are bruised, but they will follow You” (King of my heart/Love&The outcome) and “even in the want I’ll follow You” (I will follow/Jon Guerra). When pressing through our disappointments to the presence of God, we have a promise that our hearts will revive (Psalm 69, 32). The hymn “Joyful, joyful we adore Thee” talks about it too - “God of glory, Lord of love; hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.” It is a nice parallel, imagining oneself as a bruised rose that is opening up in God’s presence with the bruised outer petals remaining at the back, not as visible any more, as more and more beauty from the inside is opening up and revealed. At times, it may be so bad that we need a full bath of God’s presence and love to make us well and strong again. If we have hung on through some tough stuff with God, there is something He can brag about us. Offering Him our heart and pressing on despite pain is a pleasing sacrifice that God honors.