One Hope – Jen
Rainbows hold a special place in my heart. To me, they are a reminder of God’s everlasting promise that He will never break his covenant with His people. God has used rainbows many times in my life to remind me of His promise. In 2017 God used a very memorable rainbow to reassure me that He was in control would be with me no matter what.
When I first found out that we might be leaving the US (where I’d lived my entire life) and moving to Asia, I was resistant. My life in Boston was good. I had recently started an exciting new job at a start-up company; I was comfortably involved in leading several ministries at church; and I had a solid group of friends and family around me.
Leaving the comforts of familiar surroundings, my own culture and language, and the only world I’ve ever known . . . is hard. Why Lord? Why uproot after all these years? God reassured me in a number of ways that He had a bigger plan in all of this. He was calling us to Asia because there was work for us to do there. Trust and obey.
A stunning rainbow in Norway one rainy summer day reassured me that God had not forsaken me. It’s going to be OK. Trust me. He would be with me in this scary, unknown step I was about to take.
Three years later I am here in Hong Kong. A lot has undoubtedly happened. The world is all shaken up, and Hong Kong itself has gone through many significant struggles and changes. In the midst of all this, the Vine rolled out its heart and vision for reaching out to Mandarin speakers in HK. God was working in HK, and I couldn’t wait to get involved.
The Mandarin Community (“MC”) is still getting off its feet, but it’s been a blessing so far. We are a mix of native Mandarin speakers, local HKers, and foreigners (like myself!) who come from all different types of backgrounds. Despite the fact that we are all very different, I’ve come to appreciate and love how MC really embodies God’s heart for unity as described in Ephesians 4. We are one body, working together as servants of God, humbly bearing with one another in love to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.
Recently, I felt moved to share a song I wrote with MC. I wrote this song with a friend close to 20 years ago because we were studying Ephesians at the time. The words in this Bible passage (also the lyrics of the song) so beautifully encapsulate God’s intention for us as (1) a body of believers and (2) how we are to live out our calling to love God and our neighbors.
The song also has special meaning for a number of reasons.
First, I really feel that Ephesians 4 reflects the core of what MC embodies - we are one body, despite being different, working together as servants of God who humbly bear with one another in love to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.
Especially during a time like this when it feels like our families, our city, our country, and even the entire world is so divided (whether physically or ideologically), we take comfort in knowing that God is a God of unity, love, healing, and restoration.
At MC, I find it especially beautiful to see Mandarin, Cantonese, and English speakers from different cultural backgrounds reaching across cultural lines and loving one another - despite differences - because of Christ. We are united as different but equally important, valuable, and cherished parts of the body of Christ.
After I shared the song to MC at a recent “Afternoon Tea” get-together, one of our visitors accepted Christ right before my eyes. It was my first time ever witnessing such a beautiful moment first-hand. My heart nearly burst in joyful praise to God. Soon afterwards, another member (a native Mandarin speaker) offered to help translate the song into Mandarin. A couple weeks later, a few Cantonese-speaking members offered to translate the song into Cantonese. I’ve recently written some string parts, and now we are going to try to put it all together for a future Vine News video. This is wildly beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I have felt immensely blessed by the love and encouragement of fellow MC members during this entire process. It has been a joy collaborating over this song, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.
God’s work here in MC, Hong Kong, and beyond is just starting, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
