Eric's Beijing Diary

Last night I woke abruptly to the sound of someone prowling around in my pantry, which is really just an entryway between the outside and my bedroom. The light was on and a lady appeared to be looking for something. I jumped out of bed and blurted out, in English, "What are you doing in here?" I was greeted with a sight that was as absurd as it was comical. My landlady was standing on the balcony looking in the window. A slender woman who turned out to be one of my neighbors, had been recruited by my landlady to squeeze herself through the porch window. My landlady told me that there was water coming through the ceiling down below, and they were convinced it was coming from my apartment. I quickly pulled my pants on and let her in so she could check my toilet.

I was talking with a young lady this evening who thought she was too thin. She was trying to get some advice on how to deal with the problem.

"How do you gain weight?"

"Well, I don't really work on gaining weight."

"But see the achievement you've made!"

I assured her it was effortless.

Had lunch with Rose and Titus today. I wanted to share with them my thoughts about the mission I am contemplating to Afghanistan. But while I am concerned about the two million children in Afghanistan who have no education, I am also concerned about the situation in China that makes it difficult for Chinese young people to get involved in mission activities. In America, there are many non-profit mission agencies that facilitated the involvement of young people in addressing both spiritual and practical needs in some part or other of the world. In China, organizations like this just don't exist. There are some non-profits. But relatively few, and none that I know of that are set up to help church groups to get involved in international missions.

I had thought about the possibility of visiting some family churches in the countryside to get a feel for what interest there might be on the part of young people in family churches. But Rose and Titus told me I was not likely to find young people with the kinds of skills I am looking for in the countryside. I guess they are probably right. After some thought about it, I may not need to go to the countryside anyway. Everybody talks about how the countryside is littered with family churches, but I have heard estimates that there may be as many as 3000 family churches right here in Beijing.