The Chinese man leans against the pier railing, poring over the Bible he just received.
He ignores his wife’s entreaties to hurry. He slowly turns toward the boat, reading and savoring the words as he walks. He’s so engrossed, however, that he misses the departure of his dinner boat cruise.
It’s Chinese New Year and this man is spending his vacation in Southeast Asia with thousands of other Chinese tourists.
The Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, as it’s known in China, is the most important holiday for the Chinese. The New Year is a time to put away and sweep out the old and bring in the new. Chinese New Year is a time for visiting family and ushering in wealth, happiness and prosperity for the New Year.
Most Chinese give “hong bao,” or red envelopes with money inside, during the New Year. The color red in Chinese culture symbolizes good luck and wards off evil spirits. The Chinese character for blessing is usually printed on these envelopes and on door fronts.
What the Chinese man who missed his boat found out today is that “the blessing” has already arrived. Volunteers like Mei Zhou,* who lives in Taipei, Taiwan, came to share the ultimate blessing by giving free Chinese Bibles and red bags containing the JESUS film and tracts to Chinese tourists. Zhou came for a week to help with the Southern Cross Project, a Chinese Bible distribution ministry in Asia.
“It’s a joy for me,” Zhou says about giving out Bibles. “God is love and God wants everyone, mainland Chinese or Taiwanese, to know God cares for everyone.” Zhou is ethnically Chinese but grew up in the Philippines.
“It’s free and in Chinese?” the tourists ask, pausing to flip through the pages to make sure it’s really in the Chinese language.
Bible availability in the last 15 years has increased, however, they are still very difficult to obtain. Chinese are allowed one personal copy of the Bible they obtain while traveling abroad.
“Xie Xie, thank you,” a man says, holding the Bible close to his heart.
“In Taiwan, people take things for granted, their Bibles sit on the shelf,” Zhou says. “They [Taiwanese] don’t treasure it as the mainland Chinese do.”
A Chinese woman from Singapore approaches Zhou explaining that she has a Bible, but her mother needs one. The Southern Cross volunteers hands a Bible and a red bag filled with Christian literature and the JESUS film to the mother and offers another to her husband.
“No, no, don’t waste it, we can share,” the mother says, waving off the extra Bible.
Zhou smiles and quickly replies, “It’s OK, we want you both to have one. Or, you can share it with someone else.”
Southern Cross volunteer Xia Hua Zhang,* from Taipei, Taiwan, said the next step after passing out the Bibles is prayer.
“Pray for them to open their hearts and minds, to come to Jesus,” Zhang says.
Zhang had the opportunity to share the entire Gospel message with a 30-year-old woman on the pier. Her grandmother and 13-year-old daughter also listened to the Gospel presentation.
The woman comes from a Christian family − her grandmother is a believer. The woman wasn’t ready to accept the Gospel that evening, but Zhang hopes the woman will read the Bible her grandmother took.
Zhang and Zhou pray this will be the year of blessing for the Chinese tourists who receive Bibles − the year their old selves will be swept out the door and new life will be ushered in.
*name changed
