The Time is Now

Cherrie Wong

Evangelism has never been placed in a high priority in my life.  Not that I do not think that it is important, nor does it clash with my personality.  I enjoy talking to strangers or people I know.  I can chat on and on about different topics.  Well, all but a few.  Religion is one of them.  When it comes to sharing about my faith, I always tune into PC mode, as in "politically correct".  It took me a very long time to find the root cause of this behavior - an intrinsic fear triggered by the lack of biblical knowledge and the risk of losing relationships.  My family knows that I am actively involved in church ministries and follow the Ten Commandments.  Yet I never have the courage to ask for their standpoint on Christianity, or any of my non-believing friends.  Somehow I am fearful that this action may backfire from my very own, unconvincing life testimony.  Ever since becoming a Christian in 1999, aside from my decision to follow Jesus, and I seem to be living my spiritual life in a church.  Frankly, I feel like a kid with unbalanced spiritual development - scores well at home, but tumbles in the outside world.

God's Timing

Once in a while, a thought of going on short-term mission trip would cross my mind.  But year after year, this resolution remains unchecked on my "to-do" list.  Until last year, I attended the World Christian Conference in mid-February and that had made a lasting impact on my life.  The two keynote speakers, Jackie Pullinger and George Verwer, were both called by God to serve full-time overseas at a very young age.  It seemed daunting to step out of their environments when they could barely make a living.  But when they align their life plans with God's, the blessings and providence received from above is beyond imagination.  God not only reveals much of His glory and loving-kindness to the people they serve, but has also strengthen their beliefs everyday.  At that time, I was so captivated by their testimonies that I made a promise to God: I am determined to go on the next mission trip opportunity that is sent towards my way.  Our heavenly Father even threw in a serendipitous treat to support my decision, by granting me a boyfriend-and-soon-after, fiancé (Jeff Lau) who shares the same vision, and allowing us to serve in the Short Term Missions-Guatemala (STM-G) team together.  His timing is so good.

Cherrie and Anna participated in the children & teen's bonfire during the Easter Retreat

My first impression of Guatemala City is a typical North American city dated 30 years back.  They have the same kinds of necessities that we have here, houses, automobiles, fancy restaurants, fast food chains, relaxing coffee shops & upscale shopping malls.  Luxury items like cell phones, laptops, fancy sports car, etc, is not uncommon.  However, the gap between the poor and the wealthy is even more significant, as seen when driving from the nicely paved, well-off districts (or "zones") to the sketchy, run-down, and sanitary-challenged downtown.  Armed security guards were seen safeguarding Chinese restaurants, malls, parking lots, residential areas and of course tourist attractions.  Later, we were told that Guatemala has one of the highest rates of foreign crime in the world.  In a society where education is a privilege and not a right, people base their moral values on things that they lack, for example, money and power.  If government documents (i.e. driver's license) can be purchased and officials can be bribed to avoid legal ramifications, this tells you how much this country values social justice.  This not only puts personal safety on the line, but people continue to fear theft, kidnapping, assassination everyday.

God's People

The Chinese people in Guatemala City are considered "rich foreigners".  Some immigrated from China or Hong Kong with their lifelong savings at hand, while others are sponsored by relatives to manage family business.  Almost all of them are business owners - restaurants, variety stores, clothing stores and saloons.  They outsmart the locals by their wit and wealth, but employ the locals to interface with customers.  The parents spend most of their awaking hours at work and have very little time family time.  During holiday season, children are sent back to China to stay with grandparents and "learn some Chinese".  Others help parents out in their family business, and remain local for further education.  Parents' expectations are to equip children to speak fluent Spanish & English, and then send them to US or Canada for college education.

The STM-G team served in/with the only Chinese church in the country, Iglesia China Alianza Cristiana y Misionera de Guatemala.  We had the opportunity to know the local brothers and sisters in Christ better through the Easter retreat camp, home visitations, worship workshops, even a day trip to visit Antigua Guatemala!  At the church retreat, we served in the Children's Ministry and taught them arts & crafts through a translator.  We also hosted a movie program and songs sharing for the adults during their free time.  I had the following observations: to some families, the church is their spiritual home, and everybody takes part in serving in His ministry.  God is the head of household.  It is truly blessed to see parents serving as church leaders and their children embracing the Word of God and practicing spiritual truths at a young age.  On the other hand, there are also families with non-believing parents, siblings or children.  Attending church is not a family event, but more rather a solemn topic of discussion or even a source of argument for married couples, families running multiple businesses. Some of these people became our visitation candidates on this trip.

God's Transformation Power

At first, I thought that evangelizing with strangers would help me overcome the fear of sharing the gospel.  Instead, it brought up my weakness to the surface, and caused me to go into panic mode.  I still remembered glancing at my watch at 2:30pm, on April 15, 2009.  The clock was ticking its way pass the busy lunch hour.  When the business slowed down, the restaurant owner sat down with us and began chatting about her challenges in life.  As my team members each began to share their personal testimony, I shunned because I do not have a groundbreaking testimony to share.  My Chinese is not exactly fluent either.  I found myself at a loss of words and of scriptures when it was my turn to speak.  Whatever happened to all the memory verses I have previously recited?  Guess that I did not know them well enough to recall any under tense conditions.

I believed that God did not bring me all the way to Guatemala to watch me bail on this evangelizing effort.  So I bowed and prayed for His deliverance towards the lady, who looked like a street-smart, worldly restaurant owner.  I prayed for strength to do what I was supposed to, and humility to do the right thing, whether it to be the one who speaks or prays behind the scene.  It came to my realization that the road leading to salvation is like a wrestling match between God and the Evil.  Prayers are much needed to sustain the wisdom of the missionary and heart of the listener.  After listening to our sharing and Pastor's wife Helen's invitation to turn to Jesus, she accepted Christ as her personal savior.  Praise the Lord and the Holy Spirit for bringing her into the family with poise and determination.  No sweat, no tears but a crystal clear two-word answer - I believe.

When asked how she feels after making such decision, she said that she feels more at ease and peaceful at heart.  Praise God for He truly has a plan for her salvation.  I became even more at awe afterwards when we visited her younger sister at a nearby mall.  She could not believe her ears that her older sister, known as a tough cookie, accepted Christ.  She is known to the entire church for having a "clever as a snake" personality, where she would skillfully switch topics whenever Christianity was brought up.  The brothers & sisters have been praying for her salvation for over 12 years.  Yet years of sowing seeds are finally rewarded with a joyful time harvest.  This decision becomes the turning point in her walk with Jesus, but also establish a different level of relationship with her children and her sister, who are regular church attendees.

This is just one of the many fascinating stories that happened during our trip.  Praise the Lord for allowing our team to witness someone turn to Christ and participate in the seeds sowing process.  It once again reminded us that many people out there need the LORD.

Our team visited local Chinese business owners at a food court in a mall (left), or at their clothing store downtown (right).  The latter is heavily guarded and its entrance is tucked behind the street vendor.

God's Lesson to Me

Sharing the gospel is a dynamic yet adaptive process.  During one of our visitations, we were told that the restaurant owner is illiterate.  We were not being mindful of that until we arrive at the potential harvesting stage.  We ended up foregoing our original tool and employed the Evangelistic Bridge illustration instead.  While discussing how God forgives past sins, a mother of two suddenly broke down in tears.  The Holy Spirit has touched her heart, and the entire team responded with a group prayer.  She reconciled with God soon after.  This once again demonstrated that the importance of prayers during the progress because at that very moment we could only count on God for assurance and deliverance.

We all play a role in The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).  While some are called to the frontline as missionaries, the backbone support network is equally as critical.  Much prayers & support are needed to sustain them spiritually and financially.  In this trip, we got a taste of what it is like to be a full time overseas missionary.  Pastor Joseph & Helen Lee are two very different individuals with opposite personalities, teamed up by God to serve the people in Guatemala.  While Pastor Lee focuses on teaching and church leadership, Helen directs the worship team and children ministries.  We listened a multitude of stories of how God guided them every step of their way from Peru all the way to Guatemala.  It is amazing to see them having tremendous faith in God because ultimately, they have no one else to depend on.

Cherrie & the STM-G Team conducted 2 worship trainings for worship team members.

Most importantly, this experience has taught me to be more serious towards my faith.  This includes equipping myself daily with God's Word and to be in constant dialogues with Him.  Only then can I complement an "always ready-to-go" attitude to make full use of each opportunity to share my belief.

Brothers & sisters, never cease to reach out to those who are close to you, no matter you think how near or far they are from accepting Christ.  Continue to believe in the power of prayers, and take action when He calls on you to act.  God is faithful; He will make everything right in His time.

On a personal note, my first action item from hereon is to share this amazing experience and the gospel with my family members.  After all, serving God full time does not have to occur overseas; it basically means that you are at His service at whatever time of the day.