Come Away to Sunday School

I realize that some of you haven't heard what church is like for me yet, so I am going to tell you :)

(Note: This is the second time I've written this blog post. The ever-unreliable firewall by-passer decided to not post when I wanted to and all of my work went unsaved. I'm working on patience this week so I'm sucking it up and writing it again. Just know it was awesome before and there are no guarantees for the second time around)

But first some background info. The church is not authorized to legally proselyte in China. In fact you get in serious trouble for it if you get caught. But China has given the church permission to form two districts for foreigners living in China to worship. The first is the Shanghai district for Shanghai and its surrounding cities and the second is the everything-besides-Beijing district (I forget the real name ;) ). In the districts there are branches and the one in Shenzhen is closest to us. The members meet in a boxy little house in a weird neighborhood that communists built for their families in the 70s but now it's used by foreigners and their families. Someone used to live there permanently but now it's used solely for church--outfitted with a sound system and hymnal marker thing in the living room, bright colored decorations in the Primary room, pictures of Christ all over and folding chairs as far as the eye can see. It's pretty great :)

That's the branch we should be attending weekly but we're incredibly lucky to have priesthood holders in our group. My head teacher Tiffany's husband Shaw is set apart as the group leader for our group and is authorized to hold church here on Sunday. It's really cool--it's exactly in line with China's requirements of how foreigners can worship here (there can only be a certain number of branches/places to gather so Shaw doesn't have all the keys of a bishop even though he's practically that) and it's also in perfect harmony with how authority works in the church and holding the keys needed to perform the ordinances. It's only with special permission from the church that we can do this, it's neat :)

So the Sundays we are home in Zhongshan here’s how the afternoon goes, as dictated by the branch presidency in Shenzhen. Church starts at 12:30 so we head over to the other ILP group’s apartment up the street about 12:15. We wind through pathways lined with beautiful trees, ponds, pavilions and flowers to their building. (The above picture was from an especially sunny Sunday). Unlike our apartment theirs has a living room where about 25 of us sit on various couches, chairs, a big windowsill and a random bed for Sacrament meeting. We listen to prelude hymns played through speakers from an iPod and wait for the meeting to start with an a cappella hymn and a prayer. From there we go straight into the Sacrament, where distinctly Chinese-tasting bread and bottled water are used, then a closing song and prayer. We separate into two classes for Sunday school (which doubles as Relief Society and Priesthood) for hour-long lessons and that’s it! The shortest church meetings I’m ever gonna have in my life! Of course I miss the dynamics of a real ward and the extra blessings of three-hour meetings but it’s been an amazing experience just concentrating on the meat of the meeting that has been simplified. Everything is so simple, it’s not even funny! I even have a calling in this little group: I’m the Sunday school coordinator of sorts. I make sure I know who is giving the lesson in each of the Sunday school classes, which is decided “popcorn reading” style (you know, from second grade? Where one kid reads and chooses the next kid by saying “popcorn..Jimmy!” and then Jimmy reads and chooses someone else? Yep that’s how our teachers are chosen every week, it’s very effective even with young adults and teaching assignments). With our vacations church has been pretty irregular so my “calling” hasn’t really required any effort on my part. Literally. One of the oddest callings I’ll probably ever have! Church is nice to be able to talk to the other groups that we don't see very often. After church I sometimes stay at the other girl’s building complex and write in my journal at a stone table by the ponds. Then it’s off to blogging, lesson plans, writing letters, Preach My Gospel, dinner at the cafeteria, etc. and bedtime to start another week!

Every time I stop and think that I get the chance to attend a normal (haha did I just say normal?) Sacrament meeting so close to home every week I am honestly amazed. In this country where it’s not even legal to tell our Chinese friends about the gospel, I can partake of the blessings of the Atonement—right here. It’s a miracle! To sing hymns and pray with a group of saints sharing the light of Christ by example in China is pretty darn incredible. It’s hard sometimes to realize the happiness in life that can come from a knowledge of the Savior, the people I pass everyday can’t even know about, but the first counselor in the branch presidency told us (not as doctrine :p) that he thinks of the saints in China now as Ammon when he went to the Lamanites. At first he was a humble servant to King Lamoni and established the friendship that would eventually open up the opportunity, when the time was right, to introduce the gospel to him. Even though we are not allowed to legally preach we are still examples here, and perhaps it will be the way by which church members adhere by the government’s laws concerning foreigners worshipping here that will open the door to let missionaries into China. Who knows! But hopefully we are sowing the seeds now, that by our examples, when the truth does come it will be recognized as the source of the light within us. Maybe simple things like our modesty, CTR rings, Book of Mormons, teaching the kids “Popcorn Popping”, or our church clothes on Sundays will spark some lasting curiosity that will eventually point someone to the gospel when it arrives.

So that’s how my Sundays go! I’m not sure what I would do without church in China, and although we would be going to the Shenzhen branch if we didn’t have priesthood holders it has still been a once in a lifetime opportunity and blessing to take part in these church meetings. I feel like a pioneer :)