Sitting in this old church in China

led me to contemplate

about the lives of men and their spouses

who lived decades ago,

when they traveled to this distant land

in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Many of these Christian ministers and laymen

left their comfortable churches,

even cathedrals to preach their ideology to foreigners.

They established small chapels

where people could join in Christian fellowship

and where some Chinese people

accepted conversion to a new faith.

They came to a land

where the predominate faith was Buddhism.

Even though their words were eloquent

the message at times

must have seemed formidable and gloomy.

Even the foreigners'clothing styles

would have appeared queer.

During this colonial time period

missionaries emigrated to all areas of China,

visiting small villages, distributing Bibles,

offering divine salvation

and preaching the word of God.

A unanimous decision was made

by many faiths to attempt

to enrich the lives of others

and to present the eloquent message of Christianity.

Some missionaries worked in the medical field

as doctors, surgeons, nurses and dentists.

Agriculture specialists helped the farmers

elevate their crop performance

to provide better nutrition for the people.

Finally there were teachers

who ran the mission schools.

All had to be very versatile at their work.

These people proved to be an inspiration

for others to follow in their footsteps.

Earnings from all these areas

would go back into further mission work

to fulfill their mandate.

In retrospect, my fascination with this historical era

may have been kindled in childhood.

While visiting my grandparent's home

every Thanksgiving, I was allowed to examine

the fascinating ornaments from the Orient.

There were delicate elephant sculptures

carved from ivory, lacy sandalwood fans

and an imposing brass Buddha.

Best of all, I was allowed

to don an exquisite silk embroidered jacket

and play with a blue and tan parasol

which was adorned with

sprays of plum blossoms and tiny buds.

It was then I was introduced

to an exotic new world.

Maybe this too,

is partly what lured me to this country.

Under a new regime in China,

government statesmen questioned

what justification these foreign ministers

had in their country.

Subsequently, the morality of the instruction was questioned.

The pendulum swung the other way

and church people would no longer be welcome

to impart their message.

A plea to reconsider the decision was unsuccessful.

Diplomats also would be required to leave the country.

It would be a long time

before visas would be issued to foreign people,

to again live in China.

And so here I am!

The clearance  for my visitor's visa

had been administered swiftly.

My surroundings aroused in me a sense of heritage.

Today, sitting here pondering,

allowed me to be a participant

rather than just a spectator

in a new chapter of China's history.