Maranatha Outreach - China

The summer of 2005 was quite an exciting time for Ellen Eubanks as she traveled to East Asia with a sports ministry organization. This organization uses sports as a means of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in countries where it might not otherwise get shared. Eubanks served as the assistant coach to this team that traveled to China to participate in a sports exchange consisting of softball competition between American and Chinese athletes. The American team was made up of collegiate-aged athletes from schools all across the United States. After spending a week together at Van Guard University in Southern California, the team traveled to East Asia for three weeks of touring and softball.

The team made stops in Beijing, Tianjin, Xian and Lanzhou, playing the provincial teams from each area. When they weren’t playing ball, they were visiting the famous places such as Tienamen Square, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, the zoo, and the Terra Cotta Warriors. They also got to experience the Chinese culture first hand by taking an overnight train ride, eating in the local restaurants and spending time with the athletes at their sports facilities. The Chinese Sports Federation provided a bus and translators for the group of twenty. The Federation also planned the schedule of activities which consisted of practices, playing games, conducting clinics and sight seeing. When asked about her impressions of the trip Eubanks remarked, “I couldn’t get over the masses of people. Everywhere we went there were people—sitting on the streets, standing on the curbs, riding bicycles in the midst of the cars and buses, walking down the sidewalks—just people everywhere!” Education in China is not the same as it is here in America. It is highly competitive with only the smartest students allowed to continue beyond the high school years. Others are given a vocation. For the athletes, their sport is their job. The Chinese softball players live together in a sports facility where playing ball is all they do. They are provided housing and a small salary. They practice softball six days a week, morning and afternoon. One student Eubanks remembers was a 15 year old girl who had just been living at the facility for about a month.

“We asked her how often she got to go home and she told us about once a month. Our last day at their place, some of them got to go out to eat and sightsee with us. This young lady bought all of us small gifts, and when we had to say goodbye, she just cried and cried. It was so sad.” Sharing the gospel was quite a challenge as China does not permit evangelism in their country. Once the team established relationships with the players, however, many were able to share personal testimonies and pamphlets explaining the plan of salvation. “Language was definitely a barrier,” recalls Eubanks. “Plus there were about 20 of us and only one or sometimes two interpreters. We just prayed that God would use us to plant the seeds and then send someone else to cultivate and harvest.” China lies in the area of latitude/longitude called the “10-40 window.” That simply means all countries in the area are basically closed to the gospel. They do not allow missionaries into their countries. China does allow its people to attend church. However, the churches cannot talk about the resurrection or the second coming of Jesus Christ. Also, the country is heavily populated with Buddhism and Muslims. But Eubanks says, “Not to worry. God is alive and well in China! He is not at all deterred by this! As evidenced by our visit we saw many people and heard many more stories about how the gospel of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed to the nation.”

It is estimated that anywhere from 10-25 thousand people A DAY are coming to Jesus in East Asia! That’s awesome! However, at that rate, it will take 200 years to reach the whole population. Pray for the people of China and East Asia that God will continue to send His word into their lands and that He will continue to open the eyes of the people to the truth of Jesus Christ. “Everybody should take part in a mission trip,” says Eubanks. “If it’s in our country or another, it’s an experience you’ll never forget and you’ll forever be changed by it.”