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Fiona Sherwin: WEC TREK

Fiona Sherwin, a youth leader from Forest Hill Presbyterian, went to the Sichuan province in China with five other NZers on a short term mission trip called ‘WEC TREK’ in September.

I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into to be honest, but I knew that God had some awesome things for me to experience. We started in Chengdu , a smog-filled city, and traveled on some very “interesting” roads! We spent our 5 days in Ganzi (4000m above sea level) praying up on the hill where the monastery lies and hanging out with the locals - on the street, visiting friends, or at the local hospital. Playing badminton with some locals and street kids was an awesome and tiring 4 hours, despite the fact that no one could communicate in each others language.

The best time for me was visiting a school that my Church has been involved with raising funds for; the kids there are so awesome! Being so high up, it’s pretty hard to play for long, but we had fun! I also met the boy the Sunday School supports.

What I learnt from the trip is that even when there is so much that people need, there is hope through Jesus that people may be set free from the bondage they are living under. I learnt to adapt to the situation (like coping with a different diet). I learnt patience in frustrating situations (like language barriers). I had to learn to cope with seeing poverty all the time – and challenged about how I could respond in a way that would be actually helpful. I learnt that we need to be encouraging, listening and praying for our friends who are willing to go to the margins to be Jesus for others in need.