Nicole's Reflection

For me the greatest impact of this trip has been meeting the people of China. For most of the people in China, life is very simple - family, shelter, food, livelihood. On Thursday 10/31/13, we met the father, Mr. He, of one of the sponsored students Jai Hui. She was in school and could not be excused. Our small group travelled  by van to his simple home. A picture of Jesus standing at the door knocking was taped to the wall. Nothing could have prepared us for our visit. Thru tears, he told us he lost his pregnant wife about 1 month earlier. They were unable to afford the medical care she needed. He cried, I cried, Hosanna our intrepreter cried. His grief was so raw. We all sat and listened as he told us about his wife. They had been attending church for 11 years and they had "opened the door" when Jesus knocked. His mother and 5 siblings did not know Jesus,  and in that moment we were his brothers and sisters in Christ. He told us that having people visit made him happy and he was glad we came. We prayed for him and hugged him.

Jesus does not call us to be comfortable, He does call us to offer comfort in difficult situations as the Lord comforts us. (2nd Corinthians 1:3-4)