It’s not easy, but it’s worth it
07/01/2008 11:10 am
John was waiting for a knock on the door. He just knew he was in trouble. A family member had possibly said too much during a recent phone call and John was concerned that the government was listening.
Thankfully, the knock never came. But it is one example of the hard transition that John, his wife Paula and their two children had to make after they arrived in China and began to learn the language, share their beliefs and pursue their professional career. John also had concerns about China’s healthcare system. What if there was a medical emergency? Fear was a major battle in those early days.
Eventually the fears subsided and, after three or so years in China, ‘things began to feel more like home’. Best of all, John and Paula have seen the changes the gospel can make in people’s lives.
In their first year, John had the opportunity to lead a Bible study for a small number of new believers. Later, the family were able to disciple their house helper, who became a Christian the first Christmas they were in China. The woman’s family and some of her fellow villagers now follow Christ as well.
‘The thing we like most about life here is that we’ve never once knocked on a door, handed out a tract or tried to get someone to listen,’ says John. ‘People just come to us because they want to know what we believe.’
The joy they have in working in China more than makes up for the difficulties initially encountered: parents who didn’t understand why John and Paula wanted to go to the other side of the world to serve Jesus; limited opportunities for Christian fellowship; having to get used to living in a small apartment; needing to adjust from an ordinary nine-to-five job in the West to a far more flexible, unpredictable schedule in China.
‘So, yes, at first we were lonely,’ says John. ‘We missed our friends and family, as well as life in Britain. Everything was new and different, which meant we often experienced culture shock. Fortunately, being part of a small cluster of fellow Christians helped.’
Breaking out of a Western mindset was also quite hard. ‘If Westerners have too great an expectation of what life will be like,’ says one Chinese believer, ‘they will probably be disappointed. They should realise that most people here have never heard about God. They aren’t Christian and don’t act that way. So everything a new worker experiences – relationships, culture, behaviour, language – will be different from back home.’
‘Picking up Chinese,’ says John ‘is like climbing a mountain. You look down and see how far you’ve come, but then you look at the summit and it’s in the clouds… but it’s vital for long-term, effective ministry.’
Mary agrees, ‘When I watch the workers who have made particular progress in learning the language, I realise that they’re the ones who are really effective.’
But is it worth the trials and tribulations of separation from family and friends, language learning, culture shock, loneliness and the need to adapt and be flexible? ‘Yes,’ say John and Paula.
‘When we first arrived in China we saw all the negatives, but the longer we’re here, the more we see all the positives. We know this is God’s will for us, so there’s nowhere we’d rather be.’
Names changed to protect identities
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