90% Of This County Are Christians!

Finally, after years of reading of Nujiang's Lisu tribe, their church growth and hearing their choir sing at an anniversary celebration last year, we managed to visit them. Nujiang is the border region of Yunnan and Myanmar and Tibet. At the end of this road is the end of Yunnan bordering Tibet.

Lisu choirs are known to be the best in Yunnan. One Lisu leader said in a choir of 10 ladies and 80 men, you will still hear the loud piercing singing of the ladies over the men. They have no formal training though the choir has practices every week. Even in the church services, they are known to seat in sections according to the part they sing. But surprisingly when it comes to answering questions and talking with me, we can't believe they are so soft-spoken and shy. Nujiang Lisu region has altogether about 730 churches dotted along the banks of Nujiang River and mountains around it. At Fuqong County, some villages have as high as 80% of the people being Christians. The total Lisu population at Nujiang is about 200,000 and 90,000 are Christians and there are no underground church activities here. We know of underground church activists from the Eastern China and supported by western mission organization, making special trips here and trying to persuade the leaders to join the underground organization. How naïve and unneccessary!

The trip does require some mental preparation, as the long journey is tiring and testing. Our team is small, 1 brother from Baptist church, myself and another sister from Presbyterian church and Pastor lim. In total, it took an hour flight and 33 hours on bus from Kunming and return via Dali. At some sectors the journey was almost unbearable as passengers in front, behind, at the sides of us on the bus were smoking continuously. Then on one sector where there was this massive road works for the new highway, the jam on the opposite direction was frightening, it looks like they are not going to get out of it for another half a day. The dirt and dust was just as irritating. But praise God, all the way, our Savior led us and protected us. In fact on two sectors, the Lord provided a Christian Lisu taxi driver through the local leadership. He drove us on his bread-van and we got to stop freely at many of the scenic spots and sights along the Nujiang River. Our furthest destination in Nujiang was Gongshan; the final town of Northwestern Yunnan. After a few more kilometers from here, the road ends and the region of Tibet begin.

The sights was just therapeutic, serene mountains with gentle clouds floating around, swift flowing river rushing into the landscapes of rocks and boulders, the clusters of villages and colorful tiles of rice fields and farms on the mountain slopes. We was especially glad to be able to see how some villagers cross the river. There are 2 cables tied about 8 to 10 storeys high across the river, one for each way. Each villager owns and carries a pulley with hooks and rope gadget that they use to glide across the river. It is thrilling. Every one in the village across the river, young and old knows how to do it and crosses the river this way. Many even have to carry their chickens, goats, rice and groceries. Of course at some sections of the river there are suspension bridges.

Over the trip, I visited 4 Bible Training Centers and 3 Churches. Being able to fellowship with the Christians, preaching and teaching in the churches and centers was our greatest joy. Both the leadership and Christians were very eager and excited about hearing the teaching of God's Word. They were keener to get Pastor Lim to the podium to speak than our feeding our growling stomach. Anyway, we were glad to be at all the meetings. The people were really attentive and were taking notes, we can gladly say that not one "dozed off or left early out of boredom". Pastor has a preaching style that works. H edidn't shout or try to be mystical, in fact, nowadays we think he forgot how to shout plus the fact that he has to speak in Mandarin makes it even harder for him to try. We were always given the maximum time or told to take as long as we need to at the meetings. We were surprised that Pastor Lim can speak so long with my rusty Mandarin. Of course we know occassionally, he forgot the word and have to ask the team members for help! Our main focus was to encourage the students and churches to vigorously reach out to their fellow ethnic friends.

We was very joyful to learn that the Lisu Christians as ethnic missionaries have been reaching the Dulong and Nu tribes. And thus far about 800 of the Dulong people and about 100 of the Nu tribe had become Christians! Indeed these Lisu Christians are the ethnic missionaries that are preaching, teaching and reaching the other ethnic groups.

The "Gospel according to the Shoe Shine Cloth"; 2 Singapore sisters presented the strategy of preaching the "Gospel according to the Shoe Shine Cloth"! What is that? Well, the story is that we packed old clothes to be given to the people and accidentally put some of the "wordless books" which is made of cloth into the bag. In a hurry to give the people the old clothes, we forgot to take out the "wordless books". Few students at the first Bible Training Centers thought it was good for shining shoes decided to keep it for use. When we discovered the loss of it later, we told them that the cloth is the tool we can use to present the Gospel according to the colors. The students were very amused and excited by the presentation. They practiced sharing the "Gospel according to the Shoe Shine Cloth" to each other using the tool.

At few of meetings, we specially ask to hear some of the salvation testimonies of Christians from the Lisu, Dai, Dulong, Bai, Nu tribe and even a Tibetan Christian who is also a full-time teacher and choir director of the Gongshan Bible Training Center. Their testimonies were indicative that God was in the midst and reaching souls through the local Christians. Please pray for these ethnic churches, leaders, Christians and missionaries as they fan out to reach the western part of China for Christ by themselves with the influence or interference of foreign missionaries.

Do continue to pray for these ethnic missionaries and support them financially. Let them be your missionaries at the frontiers. As you support them, you will be reaching the thousands behind them. Believe in the ethnic missionaries as they can preach the Kingdom of God to fellow ethnic people more effectively than western and foreign missionaries. Support the harvesting and you will share in the harvest! The Lord will give you the inheritance of the heathens.

Ong BC