The Shining

I've been blessed to meet some incredible Christians over the years through mission groups I've worked with. The following, from May 31, 2009, is about one of them.

I met Sherry Thursday afternoon at Hobby Airport. Sherry is from China and works with the mission group I accompanied to Asia last summer. She lives in the US now and discovered last week her passport was about to expire. As the city where she lives has no Chinese consulate, she flew to Houston for the renewal procedure. She e-mailed me and asked for help. The process takes a month and she wondered if I could pick up her new passport in July and mail it to her. I was more than happy to be of service. We met so she could give me the receipt and instructions for the passport pick up...and so she would not have to fly back to Houston again. As we waited for her plane, we talked. I asked how she became involved with the group. Sherry told me she worked for a government hotel in China. Ron, the head of the organization, always reserved space for the team in her hotel. She became interested in why foreigners would come to China and help the poor and asked questions. To condense the story, Sherry became involved in the work and became a Christian. Ron needed help in the States with the Chinese families whose children came for medical care sponsored by the organization, specifically burns and heart surgeries, that could not be performed in China. These families spoke no English and American hospitals are English-oriented. Sherry relocated to the States and took the role of living with these families during their stay in America. As time passed, Sherry moved into the administrative side of the mission as several other young ladies from China filled her vacancy.

As we spoke, she told me something I thought was fascinating... and incredibly uplifting. She told me that every adult family member who came with these children to our country was baptized into Jesus Christ. The cynical would say it was just a sense of obligation for the medical care. But Sherry believes it came from their wonder of the unconditional love shown by these Christians, strangers in both nationality and language. Without being there, I agree with Sherry. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that we should let our lights shine so that God will be praised. As humans- and as Christians- we sin and make mistakes that the world is quick to jump on and sometimes, rightfully so. But the light of the believer's life cannot be blocked out and will draw others to us, and thus to the Savior, even if we don't speak the same language. The families of those hurting children spoke no English but that does not mean there was a lack of understanding. Unconditional love never requires a translator.

Applicable quote of the day:
“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.”
Dwight L. Moody

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at shawley@westburychristian.org