Sitting in this old church in China
led me to contemplate
about the lives of men and their spouses
who lived decades ago,
when they traveled to this distant land
in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Many of these Christian ministers and laymen
left their comfortable churches,
even cathedrals to preach their ideology to foreigners.
They established small chapels
where people could join in Christian fellowship
and where some Chinese people
accepted conversion to a new faith.
They came to a land
where the predominate faith was Buddhism.
Even though their words were eloquent
the message at times
must have seemed formidable and gloomy.
Even the foreigners'clothing styles
would have appeared queer.
During this colonial time period
missionaries emigrated to all areas of China,
visiting small villages, distributing Bibles,
offering divine salvation
and preaching the word of God.
A unanimous decision was made
by many faiths to attempt
to enrich the lives of others
and to present the eloquent message of Christianity.
Some missionaries worked in the medical field
as doctors, surgeons, nurses and dentists.
Agriculture specialists helped the farmers
elevate their crop performance
to provide better nutrition for the people.
Finally there were teachers
who ran the mission schools.
All had to be very versatile at their work.
These people proved to be an inspiration
for others to follow in their footsteps.
Earnings from all these areas
would go back into further mission work
to fulfill their mandate.
In retrospect, my fascination with this historical era
may have been kindled in childhood.
While visiting my grandparent's home
every Thanksgiving, I was allowed to examine
the fascinating ornaments from the Orient.
There were delicate elephant sculptures
carved from ivory, lacy sandalwood fans
and an imposing brass Buddha.
Best of all, I was allowed
to don an exquisite silk embroidered jacket
and play with a blue and tan parasol
which was adorned with
sprays of plum blossoms and tiny buds.
It was then I was introduced
to an exotic new world.
Maybe this too,
is partly what lured me to this country.
Under a new regime in China,
government statesmen questioned
what justification these foreign ministers
had in their country.
Subsequently, the morality of the instruction was questioned.
The pendulum swung the other way
and church people would no longer be welcome
to impart their message.
A plea to reconsider the decision was unsuccessful.
Diplomats also would be required to leave the country.
It would be a long time
before visas would be issued to foreign people,
to again live in China.
And so here I am!
The clearance for my visitor's visa
had been administered swiftly.
My surroundings aroused in me a sense of heritage.
Today, sitting here pondering,
allowed me to be a participant
rather than just a spectator
in a new chapter of China's history.
