A Feast For All Peoples: China

All of the girls in my house, plus one other, meet in a discipleship group once a week. Since we all live together, we have it at our house. This semester our meeting time is right around dinner time, so I decided to get a meal together for them every week. It's turned out to be a great time for us to hang out and connect (which doesn't happen as often as you think with all our different schedules). I think this is quickly becoming one of my favorite times of the week. Particularly because of the recent spin we've added on our house dinner. Each week we're going to feature a different country with a meal to reflect the culture and a time to pray for that specific country (we're using Operation World to help us).

Tonight we started with China... I made Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry (ok, I know this is probably not authentic, but we're going for the spirit of it all - not accuracy...). As we read through the section on China, I realized how little I know about what is going on in other parts of the world. I was personally struck by the brokenness that the government restrictions have caused: high abortion rates, low value of women, highest suicide rates, poverty, low view of and care for the elderly, disease, natural disasters, etc. Around 50% of the country is atheist with only recent progress in allowing religious worship. Bibles are hard to come by, missionaries aren't welcome, and the church is threatened by the government. Oh, for the kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.

I'm looking forward to growing a burden for the world together with my roomies!

The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.  And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations.  He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken.  And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."  -Isaiah 25:6-9