Missionary (in China) is a movie directed and produced by Ps Yuan Zhiming, published by China Soul for Christ Foundation. Our church invited us for the Sydney premier of the movie and also set ‘homework’ for us to write a short assignment about this.
Have to say, I never thought about the missionaries in China, I know they are around and met some of them, still there are many today in Taiwan and in China. I do thank them for bringing the Christianity message, church/ orphanage/ nursing homes but never though about their personal sacrificed or as a big contributor shaping history of China. I am truely shocked seeing face after face of men and women in the movie intros, spreading around everywhere in China even the most remote area possessed most danger and difficulty. They being everywhere, places I never though it is possible for people to get there or live there. Further hear the discovery that average life of missionaries were only 10 years in China but then they still come in hundreds thousand even with families.
What kind of force driving they to this unloveable land and be with this unlovable race of people? Like Ps Yuan sharing after the movie, Chinese at the time were small, greedy, dirty, despicable, unlovable but yet thousand of missionaries love them devoted their whole life to help them understand love with no reservation for themselves. Why do they even care? We are so far away, we don’t look a like, we are so different in many way that it is a huge effort to communicate. They can easily look the other away and let the things take its course, our life do not MATTER to them.
What kind of power form this kind of LOVE?! What kind of power is great enough to drive a man with so much to live in a beautify civilised hopeful London to sacrifice everything and come to a barbaric foreign land, to love the unloveable strangers. I am still in shock to be honest, I thought I already know what love is, from God, from people around us, from church. But seeing this, there are still Love that I don’t understand and wishing I can experience.
Morrison the first man translated bible in Chinese, came to Guangzhou at 25 of age, best time of his life, he put his head down learning a new language in danger, putting his life on hold, endure the hunger, the loneliness and mocking from locals, why he choice to do this?!?
Many missionaries were helping China when signing treaties when China lost toe war to 8 powerful countries, they prevented China from its ignorance, falling into a slavering countries such as Africa countries and India – even when Chinese killed almost all their friends and families. Why they keep pushing on, to love these unlovable people? I am sure without a fair treaty they can get allocated of 2 personal slavers per person and don’t have to lift a figure to do anything, living a labour free life. They don’t need to do anything, they already has the blessing of God. Why they were fought so hard, losing everything so someone else, their enemy can be better off?
IT IS God kind of LOVE in its true form, it is not airy-fairy, it is not invisible, it is not just a feeling, a wish, it is not something soft and woshi-mashi, it do not change. LOVE is true actions with true power, it is STRONG and tougher than anything, it MATTERS, it effects millions of people, it changes lives, and it has the POWER to change the world. Power we all have!!