In July, WorldServe organized its first ever missions trip to China to help build a bathroom for the workers at the Orchard, the site of WorldServe’s new Sichuan Hope Centre.
The small group of 11 participants, including five adults and six teenagers, came from all over North America, including Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and North Carolina.
Although the project started off with a bang, the team ran into a few hiccups and were unable to complete the project. Despite that setback, they accomplished a lot during their short week in China, including digging the septic tank, laying ground work and laying pipe. In addition, all the supplies and materials are now available at the site for the next team to continue the work.
The team, ranging in age from 16 to 53, quickly realized that God works according to His own agenda and things would work out according to His own time table. One thing the team didn’t anticipate was the incredible impact the people of China had on them.
“Their willingness to help each other really stood out to me,” said team member Nicole Bradley. “People working at the Hope Center are committed to developing relationships with the community, establishing long term connections and rebuilding lives alongside people who lost everything in last year’s earthquake.”
The team from North America also impacted the community in China, encouraging the underground church with their presence and efforts. All they could say was, “Praise God for the encouragement from the West.”
[Source: World Serve]
