A Place Called China

It was the Spring of the year 2007 when I received a phone call from a very close friend asking me if I was willing to go to China with a group of 21 leaders from Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Florida. My response to her at the moment was "But I don't even pray for the Chinese people." After 13 years ministering in Latin America and in Latino congregations in the United States about missions, the idea of a Latino ministering in China was something very abstract. But God was about to change that. This was the moment for me to fully understand there is a paradigm shift in the way we do missions. Hence, with an understanding this was a Kairos moment in my life, I accepted the challenge of join this group of wonderful people from a variety of professions from teachers, business people, community leaders, to "coaches."

I remember when we arrived to Beijing on the second week of June I fall in love with the beauty of the city and the humbleness of its inhabitants. We had a walk into the Tienanmen Square and the first Chinese person that came close to me asked me "Are you an American?" I told him, "Yes I am an American from Puerto Rico." His reaction almost chocked me. He told me in perfect Spanish; "Luís Muñoz Marín fue el primer governador de Puerto Rico" (Luís Muñoz Marín was the first governor of Puerto Rico). I could not believe that in China anyone would know a little bit about my island's history. It was at this very moment the Holy Spirit told me the time has come for the Latino church to get involved in the harvest beyond Latin America.

After concluding my walk and time of conversation with my Father about China, the team leader ( I cannot say his name for obvious reasons) told me, "Come on José, I'm taking you to an orphanage." In my mind I said; "yea, yea, another orphanage." But the reality was nothing had prepared me to see what I was about to capture with my eyes. We got into this place and they had a group of 37 children, all of them with neurological deceases. Then, after I heard the stories of these children, and watched the volunteers and staff taking care of them with such dignity and passion, a stream of tears rolled through my eyes. See, our beautiful daughter Michelle who was born normal and had a beautiful life until the summer of the year 2005 was bite by a mosquito. As a consequence, she develop within hours a viral encephalitis that destroyed over 80% of her brain. The final result of all of this was a child in a vegetative state with a epileptic condition that had made further damage to her brain. Thus, watching these children in Beijing I came to the realization we have to do something on behalf of special needs children and their families.

The results of this first visit to China has been incredible. Because of that trip to the land of dragons my wife and I have planted the Abundant Life Community Church, which is a Christian community affiliated to the Free Methodist Church for families with special needs children in the Brevard County, Florida area. Furthermore, we have taken medical teams to China with the purpose to provide relief work in orphanages in Beijing and the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan. Additionally, the birth of Global Connections International, On the Journey to the Ends of the Earth, Inc. is the product of that memorable experience in China. As I travel time and time again to China and observe their ancient culture, their wonderful people, their vast territory, their courage and patriotism, I also add to all of those adjectives the fact the birthplace of this ministry is the Peoples Republic of China. That land is in my mind, heart, bones, and soul. I talked about this nation every day, dream about that land, and listen their Canaan Hymns. As I get closer to once again have another journey, it is my prayer, the ministry of Global Connections International would expand its operations to Zimbabwe, Kenya, Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, Costa Rica, and Argentina. We do not have the financial resources yet to get there. But I believe in the God of the impossible. Join us in this quest and be blessed!!!