Thursday, February 03, 2011

Mission in Harbin

Harbin is the capital city of the Heilongjiang Province which is the most north-eastern part of China and borders Russia. During the long cold winter months the temperature can drop down to as low as -22°F (-30°C). Snow carvings, ice lanterns, fireworks display and snow recreations make Harbin one of China’s most popular winter destinations.
The Harbin International Ice Festival is one of world’s four largest international ice festivals, along with Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada’s Quebec Winter Carnival, and Norway’s Ski Festival. It starts annually on January 5 and lasts for over one month, weather permitting. During this period, people throughout the world take part in the various artist, cultural, athletic and tourist events. The 27th Harbin Ice and Snow Festival started on January 5, 2011.

Taking advantage of the Chinese Lunar New Year vacations two lay missionaries, both of them nurses by profession, left their responsibilities in Hong Kong and Macau for the Mission in one of the Northern Provinces of China.

Their destination: a group of Catholics, many of them young college students, in the Province of Harbin, anxious to listen to the message of the Gospel.

Their mission: To share with their listeners a simple idea: “God does not abandon us, instead always takes care of us”.

But God had reserved a surprise to them… This is what had happened to them: They arrive at the airport of Harbin about 4 in the afternoon. Braving the icy winter, with sheer eagerness to reach their destination, they take the first taxi they find and for the hour-long ride to the city, to their destination. At the Hotel, as they prepare to check-in, one of them realizes to her alarm that she left her valet in the Taxi. The taxi had left already. The valet had almost everything important: passport, airplane ticket, credit cards, quite good amount of money, cell phone, diary… all that the women take in their purses!

A visitor sits atop a snow sculpture at the 12th Harbin Ice and Snow World display, during the official opening of the Harbin International Ice and Snow festival

The desperation spreads… but it is time for them to begin the first session with the group that was waiting. Hiding the nervousness and the tears our missionary speaks to the group of how God does not abandon those who love Him… without mentioning what had happened to them. Those who knew what had happened could not hide their nervousness. About 10 o’clock in the night, when the function had finished, they decide to return to the airport, some 60 kilometers away from the Hotel to look for in the lost documents, at the same time preparing to accept the worst.

Workmen put the finishing touches to an ice sculpture of a castle at the 12th Harbin Ice and Snow World display

As they are already on their way, they receive a call that asks them to go to a place in the city to claim their lost valet. With much joy but also with caution they arrive at the place indicated by the caller. A gentleman directs them to come out of the car and they enter an old building. The temperature outside was of 30 degrees below zero. They could not believe their own eyes…they were greeted by the conductor of the taxi with a friend, very happy because they had managed to make a call with the cellular found in the valet to contact one of the organizers of the event.

Workmen put the finishing touches to a large snow sculpture at the 12th Harbin Ice and Snow World display

Consider this:

• The taxi driver, extremely in cheers as he gave back the complete valet to them. Everything was there. It did not lack anything.

• The taxi driver in fact had another passenger on his way back after dropping the missionaries. He noticed the man trying to pick the “ladies’ bag” from the seat and so he asked him if that bag “of woman” was his. It was only then, he realized that the bag belonged to the women and began to look for the way to give it back.

• Good Samaritan `communist' did not want to receive `absolutely nothing except gracias'. Miracle…? In the cold city of Harbin, on that frozen night, God kept them smiling!

Spectators watch fireworks explode over ice sculptures at the 12th Harbin Ice and Snow World display, during the official opening of the Harbin International Ice and Snow festival

On return to Macau they tell us that the people of Harbin are thirsty for the Word of God. The missionaries explained to the youngsters and the priests how to make use of the Lectio Divino individually and in groups. This is how they observed the Church in the city of Harbin: “The priests were very friendly, they help and work together; they are open to new ideas. Once per week they meet to celebrate the Eucharist together… and their sermons are well spoken. They are very friendly and close to people.” Meanwhile, our missionaries went to evangelize and they left evangelized!

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