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Christmas in China:
January 8, 2007
Like most Americans during the holiday season, a group of college students from across the nation participated in parties, caroling and nativity skits.
However, on Christmas day they did not gather in the living room with their families and open gifts. They were in East Asia sharing the true meaning of Christmas.
"We did Christmas parties with students who had never heard the Christmas story," one team shared. "We were amazed to watch students stand over the Bible, asking if they could hold it."
The teams shared the message in a variety of ways. Most of them taught the Christmas story in English classes and met friends who would take them shopping or play sports around campus. Outside of the classroom students could share more about their personal relationship with God.
On his first trip overseas, one student had the experience of leading several people to Christ. While playing basketball, he met a high school boy and invited him to come watch the Jesus Film on Christmas day. After watching the movie and asking many questions, the boy decided to follow Christ a few days later at an English corner.
At the same English corner a girl asked, "What happens when you die?" The American student began to explain about heaven, and his new brother helped answer her questions. Within 30 minutes there were two new believers. "The girl's appearance changed, and her face was radiant," the student said.
One team was able to share about Christmas by hosting an ice cream party for high school students. "We were afraid that no one would come and eat ice cream in 20-degree weather," said one student. "We were surprised when the room stayed full for two hours and the students skipped straight to questions about the Christmas story."
One group did outdoor performances and a television appearance for thousands of spectators. Through their presentation of the Christmas story, dozens of people decided to follow Christ. On a three-hour bus trip, the students noticed at tollbooths the driver got angry and yelled. During a pit stop, a local believer challenged the students to share the gospel with at least one person. The bus driver decided to follow Christ, and as a result began sharing the gospel at tollbooths instead of yelling.
Not only did the people of East Asia hear the gospel, but the students also found out more about the region, themselves and God during the trip.
"I had heard about the persecution of believers here," one group leader said. "But I did not expect to see so many people coming to know Christ despite that. It was like watching glass break into a spider web because there were so many people hearing and believing for the first time."
"It dawned on me that God doesn't need us," one student said. "He is the one who opens hearts, and it's amazing that he allows us to be a part of it all. It seems to me that in America it takes so much for people to believe. Here people want to believe and are quick to respond."
As another semester begins, college students in America will be sharing amazing stories about their trip. Students in East Asia will be sharing the greatest story of how they came to know Jesus during Christmas.
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