Last Sunday we looked forward to celebrating with the Filipino congregation in Beijing, China. It would also be our monthly Birthday Bash and one of the few remaining services with our Pastors (and friends) who will soon leave for the US. One of the themes of our lively group is “It’s more fun in the Filipino congregation!” Most of the members are working-class people that are in China to make a living or to support their families. For many, this service is a break from their hard life and a chance to enjoy a little taste of home with their friends. We always seem to have food and a lot of fun at these gatherings.
The day was going as expected, the service had ended; gifts were handed out; and a Birthday cake was presented with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday to You” to the smiling honorees. We were in the middle of enjoying some great Filipino food, when a tall Chinese man pushed his way into our fellowship, raised his ID and in a loud voice said, “We are the Police and have been told there are people here with expired Visas. Show us your documents.” He was accompanied by others who were capturing everything on video. There were several men outside the door, as if to catch anyone who might try to escape. None were in uniform, but they had come out in force.
The mood changed from joy and happiness to fear and anger. After all, this is communist China, where they have no rights. They were caught up in a political struggle between China and the Philippines and they were on China’s home turf. Besides, they needed to stay here to work.
Our Pastor was upset and tried to get someone from the fellowship office to come and stop this intrusion. He had been promised, after the last raid, this wouldn’t happen again. His wife was surprised at his reaction. I could tell she was worried, and I tried to distract her by mentioning she never put her purse down, even after the police left. They were concerned for their friends and for this ministry. They wanted to make things right.
Susan was also upset and spoke up several times. I have seen her get mad and tried to keep her quiet, so as not to make matters worse. We were protected by diplomatic immunity, but the police could retaliate against the others. We couldn’t get involved and had no power to help. I tried to calm people down and be a peacemaker, but anger and fear had a strong hold on everyone. I also complained loudly about the way they acted and one woman with a camera said, “We showed you we have the certificate” as if that made everything alright. I replied, “You didn’t have to do it this way and disturb the service.” I told her, “You have no manners and are rude.” In the end, the police found one person with an expired visa and took her away. That seemed to satisfy them, and they said “sorry” as they left the room. Our Pastor prayed for the lady who was taken away and his wife told us to “pass the word” for everyone to keep their documents in order.
As I remembered that uncomfortable event and our reaction, I think we could have handled it a little differently. We all have received more love from GOD than we deserve, and we are supposed to show more love to those who spitefully use us than they deserve. Maybe it is because I was safe from their actions, but anger won’t stop the Chinese government from bullying the Filipinos. Our reaction might have an impact on the lives of their people. What if we had invited the police to share our food and offered to pray for them and their families? Maybe we could have shared a song or a brief message while they were there? They were recording everything, and so others would have seen it. Whatever we said will probably end up in a report and be read many times. It would have been nice if those words were filled with love. I know this goes against human nature, but we are supposed to be different. Perhaps the people we would have impacted would have been the members of our congregation that needed to see GOD’s love in action. Who knows, we might have given the LORD some room to work a miracle, in our hearts, in the Police or in the life of the lady who was arrested.
Wayne Lance (2015) – That’s Good News to Share!