Stories

Observations on East Asia

Posted by mediatechteam on February 26, 2011

You know you’re in East Asia when…

- Talking with your mouth full, slurping loudly, eating off the same dishes as everyone else at the table, and spitting bones on the table are considered good manners.

- You can eat a whole meal, plus some ice cream for dessert, for less than a dollar.

- You are somewhat of a celebrity – everyone stares at you and takes pictures of you on their phones.

- It takes you 30 minutes to figure out how to mail a letter at the post office.

- You feel like you’re illiterate.

- You can’t tell if the person in the store window is alive or a mannequin.

….Those are just a few observations about everyday life in East Asia. But, when it comes down to it, these things — learning the language, exploring the city, getting to know the culture, etc — were more minor parts of my Summer Project experience. The whole time we were there, our larger purpose was to be a part of God’s story for our campus, for the country, and for the world. Never before had I woken up each day with the intent of meeting as many new people as possible that day and sharing the Gospel with each of them. Never before had I realized how completely inadequate I am, but how perfectly and abundantly more-than-adequate God is when I am depending on Him to make His strength perfect in my weakness. The amazing team He put together for our campus, the students he allowed us to meet, the things I needed to go halfway across the world to really grasp, the opportunities He gave us to talk about Him, and of course, the many interesting things we learned about East Asian culture — all of it made for a truly incredible six weeks.

Ying’s First Bible

Posted by mediatechteam on February 3, 2011

My friend “Ying” from China sat across from me at the table, totally ignoring her lunch that was growing cold.  We had gotten so immersed in our conversation about this morning’s sermon that we forgot about eating.  These past few weeks Ying had been coming to church with me–her first time in church in her life, since she grew up in atheistic China–and she was like a sponge.  She loved talking about Jesus.  I was so amazed at what God had done in our friendship.  A few weeks earlier pretty much all our conversation had consisted of was

talking about Lost and cooking.  Nothing deep or spiritual, really.  I wanted to bring up Christ with her, but didn’t know how.  So I prayed.  And amazingly, God answered.  That very night I prayed was the night that Ying had asked me what going to church was like.  And a few weeks later, here we were, going to church together and talking for hours about Jesus.

“Hold on a minute,” I told Ying.  I ran into my room and scanned the bookshelf in the corner, my eyes sweeping over the 4 or 5 different Bibles tucked in the stacks.  I found the particular Bible I was looking for, a brand new study bible I had been given a couple years ago but never used.  I grabbed it and held it out to Ying as I walked back into the kitchen.  ”I want you to have this,” I said as I handed it to her.  She looked at it and flipped through its pages.  I sat down with her and explained the difference between the Old and New Testament, told her to start with the gospels, and showed a couple of my favorite Psalms.  I showed her the different articles about the character of God in it, and how to use the concordance in the back.

Ying let her fingers gently run across the pages, and then she closed the Bible and hugged it to her chest, smiling wide.  ”Thank you so much for this.  This is exactly what I need.  This will help me understand the words of Jesus.  My family and I will treasure this forever.”  Wow.  I was speechless.  Just moments before this book had just been collecting dust in my room, and now it was being cradled in the arms of my soul-thirsty friend like… treasure.  ”The law of your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. (Ps 119:72)”

How many Bibles do I own?  Half a dozen probably.  How often do I forgo time in the Word for an extra half hour of sleep, or another TV re-run?  Too often.  I thought about this later one day when I had met with Ying.  In a few weeks, she devoured the gospel of Mark ,the gospel of Luke, and started into Acts.  This Book was life to her.  She had lived 25 years without it, but now that she had it, she treated it like a treasure.  Do you realize that our campus is full of people like Ying?  Full of other international students who have grown up in atheistic countries where they never even knew about the Bible. Or from places where Bibles have to be smuggled in.  Or maybe they aren’t an international student, but a guy born and bred in NC but who has never been shown the difference between the Bible and Aesop’s fables.  I think that if we opened our eyes, we would realize that we are surrounded by people who are so thirsty for the Word of life, but they just haven’t been offered a drink yet.  And how many of them, if they were offered that living water that Jesus wants to give them, would take it, clutch it to their chest like Ying, and thank us for giving them this treasure?

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Cor 5:20)”

Summer Project: Santa Cruz, CA ’08

Posted by dsmith on February 19, 2010

I spent my summer in Santa Cruz with 50 college students seeking to see Christ clearly while making a difference in this city.  It has been about a year and a half since then and it continues to be an experience that affects me today.  When I think of Santa Cruz, my mind fills with memories of running along the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean, bible studies downtown at Jamba Juice, “rad” California surfers, and especially The Boardwalk, the world’s best seaside amusement park.  The purpose of this project was to grow in our understanding of Christ and Christian community while maintaining a ministry with our coworkers (at an amusement park!).

Two things that have really stuck out to me from the project were the Christian community and accountability I had there and the relationships I had with my coworkers.  As the summer went on, I began to see my imperfections in light of how beautiful Christ was.  I began to realize that God has created us to not only need Him, but to need fellow believers to continue to be more like Him.  Through the community on Santa Cruz, I was able to appreciate the necessity of Christian fellowship and accountability and see how God calls us to that.  By living with 6 guys in one room all seeking to know Christ and to glorify Christ, I was able to be encouraged and grow out of the strengths and weaknesses of each person.  It provided me a view of how Christian community could and should be.

Also, sharing Christ with others went from an awkward, nerve-racking, once a month (or year) experience to an exciting, purpose driven lifestyle over the span of the project.  Before I went to Santa Cruz, evangelism was something I rarely, if ever did.  Summer project provided me with evangelical training to help me share my faith with confidence and purpose.  As God continued to give me a love for the lost, telling people about what Jesus has done for them became a desire rather than a duty.  I’m not saying that I jump on every opportunity to share the Gospel to everyone now.  I’m just saying that summer project can help you desire that as you start the process of seeing God clearly and people clearly.  So overall, Santa Cruz summer project left me desiring and experiencing intimacy with God more than I ever had before.  I began to understand the importance of Christian community and spreading the Gospel.  I was able to work at a seaside amusement park with a diverse group of Californians.  I was able to see the beauty of God’s creation on the coast of California a block from where I lived.  Sign up for summer project, it will most likely be the best decision you made in 7 years.

Jin Lee
lwjin@email.unc.edu

http://gosummerproject.com/

Summer Project: Sweden ’09

Posted by dsmith on February 12, 2010

The first thing that hit me about Sweden was how beautiful everything was. The country has rolling hills, a bright blue sky where the sun rises at 3a.m. then falls at 11p.m., clean cities with both history and modernity, and people that are attractive in body and spirit. Never have I lived somewhere where everything seemed so picturesque but was so truly distorted.

For all the perfection of Sweden, the more I honestly looked at the Swedes the more I realized how dead everyone was. The Swedes live in a state they call “lagom”, which in Swedish means “not too much, not too little, but just right.” Everyone lived a comfortable life with many luxuries, but did not give into extravagance. Essentially, they wanted for nothing. Therefore, Swedes felt no need for religion or God. For many of them, religion is a personal choice to help cope with the world, but not an absolute truth, which makes them very tolerant of religion without ever having to develop beliefs of their own. There is nothing so hard as trying to help someone who has everything they could ever need realize that they truly have nothing without Christ.

Our team’s first mission in Sweden was making friends. The most effective method for me was going out onto the Uppsala University campus for lunch, which we all did most days, and try to get Swedes to eat with us. We would eat at on of the thirteen “Nations,” houses that served like coed fraternities that every student was required to join. My forte was playing the “dumb American who can’t read” card to get people to talk with me in line. From there, I’d try to eat lunch with my new friends and hopefully get their phones numbers and agreements to hang out later from Swedes by the end of lunch. Usually for our second date we’d go to “fika”, which is a Swedish lifestyle of taking about two hours of the afternoon off to get coffee and desserts with another friend. It’s the best idea EVER! Plus, there is no better time to really get to know a Swede and have deep conversation.

Swedes live in a constant state of comfort and security, but in all the wrong ways. The government and the culture tell them that spiritual matters are a waste of time. They never question the general teachings. Just to know that some of my friends were obviously challenged and considering God’s words is enough to make me cry. I know the Spirit was turning something in their hearts.

This is how Sweden Summer Project is different than any of summer project. The Spirit is working on beautiful hearts of stone in a culture of complete apathy. It is the hardest summer I’ve ever experienced and the most rewarding. In a country where God is the furthest thing from their thoughts, I learned the desperate need to keep Him the center of my life. I went on project expecting to personally save the Swedes and it turns out Christ saved me. He showed me how to trust Him again. His Spirit is working amazing things in Sweden, even if we cannot fully realize or appreciate it. A hundred years ago, Sweden sent out more missionaries than any other nation, but it has forgotten the greatness of God. As ambassadors for the Lord we are called to spread His glory and be His vessels.

Lydia
lkwalker@email.unc.edu

http://gosummerproject.com/

Summer Project: East Asia ’09

Posted by dsmith on January 26, 2010

I was standing in front of the cafeteria waiting to meet my friend Liu Wang when an unfamiliar face approached and asked me to follow him.  “I’m waiting for my friend”, I replied.  “I think maybe your friend will not come”, he countered, completely unfazed. “Why don’t you talk with me instead? Do you know about the God?”  Shocked by his forwardness, I decided to go with my new friend Ivan, as it was already 15 minutes past the time when I was supposed to meet Liu Wang.  45 minutes later Ivan made a decision to follow Christ after hearing the gospel presented to him for the very first time.

This was one of many amazing experiences I had while in East Asia the summer after my freshman year.  While Ivan’s desire to know God was certainly not shared by all the people I met, he was not alone.  God is moving in East Asia and he’s using students to do His work.  The people of East Asia are hungry to know the living God, but have never seen or heard about Him.  They are friendly, humble, and very welcoming to Americans.  And what an amazing place to spend a summer! The cities are bustling with food, sights, sounds, and smells unlike anything you’ve experienced before.  There is so much rich (and quirky) culture everywhere you look, and there is constant activity. Whether it’s playing basketball with other college students, bargaining at the market for a fake north face, or going to a karaoke club at night, there’s always something to do.  Most of all, there will always be someone to minister to, and I promise you that that will be a rewarding experience.  Carrying the word of God to people who have never heard it before and watching it take life in them is humbling and exhilarating.  I left summer project with a new understanding of God’s power and His heart for the world, and some pretty formidable ping pong skills.

Justin
byjustin@email.unc.edu

http://gosummerproject.com/

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