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Chinese University Students Sing for Joy
December 2003
 Most university students in China relish each opportunity to practice English with foreigners. So, when Esther* showed up at their campus during a recent trip through China, she had no idea she would find herself standing in front of 30 English majors as the "guest speaker"!
Although the class was full of English students, Esther soon realized that these freshmen knew about as much English as she knew Chinese. About half-way into the class period, God opened the perfect opportunity to share with the students.
After asking if the students had any questions for her, the students asked the typical questions most Chinese people ask foreigners: where was she from and did she like Chinese food? Within 15 minutes the class grew silent, having exhausted their arsenal of English questions. Esther asked once again for questions from the class. This time she got nothing but scrunched up noses of some incredibly confused students.
Finally, one bold student raised his hand and asked her to share something about American culture. With the holidays right around the corner, Esther began to share about Thanksgiving and Christmas in America. When she mentioned singing Christmas songs, one student asked her to sing for them.
Her first though was of her total lack of singing ability. Her second thought caused her to abandon her worries about singing. "I knew if I started singing a typical Christmas carol, they wouldn't understand, nor would they care. But, if I could teach them a song and use the song to teach them about Jesus, they just might understand," said Esther.
Making up some impromptu motions to help them remember the words, Esther began teaching the students to sing "Joy to the World." Hearing the students sing about Jesus brought a smile to her face, and quickly changed her attitude about being there.
"At first, the class had a hard time understanding words that were difficult for them," said Esther. "But I used the song to teach them what joy is, how we can have it, and who we were singing about."
Only one student out of the 30 present had ever heard the name of Jesus. "I knew that most of them didn't understand the words they were singing, or much less understand who Jesus was. But, as I listened to them sing about the savior of the world, I prayed that they would soon be able to understand and truly sing for joy." said Esther.
This class of students is representative of millions of university students all around China have not yet had a chance to hear the gospel. People are needed to play basketball, teach English, take a Chinese class or find another way to form relationships and share hope with these students.
Perhaps God is calling you for a week, a month, a year or a lifetime. "You don't need qualifications, you just need to be willing," says Esther. "He will work through our fears and our lack of ability if we just follow where he leads."
Look at opportunities for you to go to Asia.
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