“What brings you joy?” was the question posed to me.  In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, what brings me joy?  Besides my family and friends, I thought of the children, parents, and RM co-laborers for Christ in China whom I miss dearly.  They bring me joy. 

 

I joined the Rainbow Missions (RM) Board in late 2020 after volunteering as a short team service team (STST) member several times since 2017 and taking on a few volunteer projects.   I was extremely disappointed we weren’t able to return to China in 2020 due to the pandemic.  I had grown more and more in love with the people of China – especially the children and their parents at the autism center in CC and the orphanage/rehab center in CZ.  When I think of them, I see sweet young innocent faces and loving parents, teachers and physical therapists who would jump at any opportunity to help them.  We were able to help a paralyzed woman, now in her early 60s.  Through RM’s intervention and generous donors, the woman who had run into traffic in despair decades earlier was able to receive a new hospital-quality bed, mattress, and sheets.  I also think about many blind college students who shared how God, through RM’s support, gave them an opportunity to become respected professionals in their communities.  We shared their joys and their heartaches.   

 

RM not only ministers to many in China – it also touched my life.  RM expanded my outlook and proved over and over again God is faithful and can use people like me who previously gave little thought to my cultural homeland and thought I had little to offer.  When we present ourselves to God for His service, we can be shaped like clay in the Potter’s hand (Isaiah 64:8 “Yet You, LORD, are our Father.  We are clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”).  I offered my hands and my feet; God filled my heart with love and a sense of mission.  Now I read or listen to recorded books about China’s rich history, listen to music of classic Chinese instruments, scour maps of China, and try to learn elementary Mandarin.   

 

Lord willing, I hope to return to China when the pandemic is over with the next short term service team to see teenager Lucy, who presented a drawing of me as a princess during my second visit and was baptized in 2019, and see ZZ, who, with the help of a PT friend consulted for advice, is walking with much better balance and speed.  I want to see little Jabez and his baby brother who will soon overtake him in growth, and two co-laborers living in China who have become very close friends. 

 

As a new Board member, I want to absorb what I can and contribute as much as possible after seeking God’s guidance through prayer.  Please pray for us and contact me or any of the other Board members or RM staff if you’d like to offer recommendations and/or would like to know how you, too, can help children, teens, and college students with disabilities and the paralyzed woman in China experience a more hopeful and meaningful life as we share and live out the Gospel and hope to reach more people for Christ.