Three simple words

Judy ran up to us and gave us each a huge hug and a smile.  Her eyes shone with excitement as we stepped nervously into her house, leaving our shoes at the doorway.  Judy’s mom graciously motioned for us to have a seat, as drinks and snacks appeared swiftly before us.  Comfortably sitting in the living room, Alysha, Judy, Judy’s mom and I entered into the beginning of what was to be a three-hour conversation…

“Judy makes people around her happy.”  As we began telling Judy’s mom about her daughter, she seemed surprised, yet delighted.  Judy’s mom had never heard Judy’s teachers say any positive things about her daughter.  Apparently, Judy’s previous teachers only pointed out Judy’s temper problems, and Judy’s mom herself dwells on the negatives, often comparing Judy to her older siblings.

As we asked questions about the family, somehow, the conversation navigated towards religion.   Judy’s mom was eager to tell us about her beliefs.  She told us that she grew up without a religion but experienced Matsu’s help and now regularly serves at the temple down the street.  The temple down the street marks the core of Judy’s dad’s childhood.  Judy’s dad grew up in the temple, devoutly participating in the temple activities.  Judy’s mom told us more about their religion and walked us over to the next room, eagerly displaying their idol shelf.  Excited, Judy retrieved a stick of incense and holding the incense between her hands, bowed before the idols, and then turned back to us, pleased and proud to demonstrate to us how to worship the idols.  My heart hurt.

As we sat back down, Judy’s mom asked us more about why we were teaching at the elementary school.  “Because of Jesus,” we said.  Alysha and I had the opportunity to share a bit about our faith, and we learned that Judy’s mom had heard about Christianity in her earlier days.  Judy’s mom explained to us that converting people to Christianity in Wanhua, especially the adults, is an impossible task.  She said, though, that the younger generation is the way to go.  She does not force Judy into in any religion, which gave Alysha and me a glimpse of hope.

Alysha read a note that she had written to Judy, telling her that the same God who created the heavens and the earth also created Judy, unique and special.  As I translated the English to Chinese, Judy and her mom listened intently and smiled.

Two weeks before, Judy had been in my small group during the English Camp held at the Dali Elementary School.  Our group discussions centered on friendship, which was the theme of the camp.  Judy mentioned several times that her classmates call her fat, but claimed that she didn’t care.  On the last day of the camp, Judy broke down crying after her turn in the relay race.  She had run her little heart out, but her friend had kept telling her to run faster.  “I ran as fast as I could!” Judy yelled in between her sobs.  She went on to say that she really dislikes that friend, and that her friend even calls her fat.  Attempting to calm her down, we told Judy that sometimes, friends may say things that hurt.  Looking me in the eye, Judy asked, “But what if your own mom, your own family, always calls you fat?”  As the tears streaked down her face, the hurt she carried revealed itself in a spew of words. We put our arms around Judy and the crying subsided.  Later, Alysha, unable to speak or understand Chinese, though she had no clue why Judy was crying, said just three simple words in English as Judy was leaving:  “you are beautiful.”  And these three words made all the difference.

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