Norway is a country of evangelism where I often encounter pastors who used to evangelize Africa and Asia. They walked through muddy roads we would like not to take on, helped marginalized groups we ignore, and established local schools and hospitals. However, we rarely honor them.
In southern Norway, I happened to meet an elderly man in his seventies who worked as a missionary in Taiwan for over five decades. He was cited by the Taiwanese government for helping established hospitals there.
The first word he said to me was how China was like at present. Instead of showing off his achievements, he was concerned about China and Chinese Christians. He asked me to pray for China together.
I also came across a senior couple who did mission work in Taiwan and Hong Kong for fifteen years.
We discussed about the current trend of religious theology, differences between cultures and nationalities, and moreover, God's faithful guidance towards each of us.
Asked why they chose China as the mission country, the wife told me that when she was one month old, her father passed away and her mother was overcome by grief. Then a tenant who was a Chinese missionary looked after her and led her to pray and read the Bible. She was particularly told to pray for China and Chinese Christians. As a result, she has prayed for the country and the Christians there since three years old.
When she grew up, God called her to be a missionary. She applied to be a nurse in Africa, but amazingly got an opportunity to preach the gospel in Taiwan. She met her husband in Taiwan and they founded churches with one heart. They shared about predicaments and difficulties during that time, but showed joy and gratitude.
(The author is a student of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and now works in Norway as a volunteer.)
