A MEIGU STORY

When I think about the years I worked in Meigu, so many stories come to mind. Of course, they always include teammates with oodles of creativity, tenacity and love, as well as all the Han and Nosu nationals who came alongside to help facilitate activities and summer camps. So, which story to tell? Hum…

At first, we could fit in my living room. Just adding a few stools and squeezing slender bodies together on the couch made room for the village school-assistance students. With a little creativity, we could play games, tell stories, enjoy snacks and encourage them to “hang in there” even when things at school were difficult. But soon, even the large, combined, dining-living room space in my teammate’s apartment was too small. We had to find another place where we could hold our regular monthly activities.

The private kindergarten near the market let us use their outdoor space, but unpredictable weather, as well as folks from the neighborhood peering through the gate, made us feel like we were in a zoo. We tried renting the lobby area of a nearby hotel. That sheltered us from sun and rain, but did little to guard us from the stares of the curious. What else could we try? Not exactly hopeful, I decided to ask Director Zhao for a suggestion. To my surprise, he knew of a place.

Just up the road from the Foreign Aided Project Management Office was the Health Bureau Office compound. Since they seldom worked on Sundays, Director Zhao was pretty sure we could use their large meeting room. Then, besides arranging everything, he even gave me the key for easy access when he was out of town.

So, month after month, under the red Party flags spread across the stage area, we gathered in that spacious room. How convenient! Not only nearby, it was also already set up with tables, chairs and electrical outlets. Tucked away in the corner of an enclosed building with a courtyard, it was perfect for active games outdoors and reflective sharing times inside.

Sometimes, when the students were singing a praise song, listening to a story or working on a poster to show their ideas, I stood back in wonder. What blessings our team had been given—a welcome by the Meigu government, space to work in the Foreign Aided Project Management Office, a man of peace to open opportunities, local colleagues to help us, and now a meeting room to hold student activities. God’s provision was so much more that we could have ever imagined or thought!