“So this is life on the frontlines.”

This is what crossed my mind as I sat on Nai Nai’s couch, enjoying a hot cup of eight treasure tea and snacking on delicious bread, waiting for her to finish cooking dinner. Nai Nai is my seventy year-old neighbor who has taken it upon herself to take me in and love on me like only a grandmother can. (Nai Nai is the Chinese word for grandmother.) I met Nai Nai one day while I was outside riding my bike. She approached me, perhaps out of curiosity, and started asking me typical questions about who I am and where I’m from. Conversation moved quickly to her inviting me over to her house to chat and have dinner. This was the start of our relationship: a kind-hearted, curious stranger extending hospitality to the odd young foreigner.

Since that day, Nai Nai and I have continued spending time together. I’ve enjoyed more than a few delicious meals at her house and learned to play Chinese card games with her grandson. She invites herself over on Saturdays to look around my house, read Chinese characters with me, and introduce me to her visiting relatives. Although I try my best to serve her and show her the love I have for her, I more often than not find myself the recipient of her love and service. This is what brought me to my “frontlines” thought on her couch.

I’ve often heard overseas workers referred to as being “on the frontlines” of ministry work. I laughed to myself a little as I thought of that. When I think of the word “frontline,” my mind immediately pictures physical trials and difficulties: bullets flying, swords flinging, dirt everywhere, uncomfortable, miserable, scary. This lies in stark contrast with what I’ve been experiencing. The Hui people I’ve met in my short time in China are incredibly kind and hospitable, and spending time with them is truly a joy. Being at Nai Nai’s house is a comfortable experience. Nai Nai’s husband tells me stories of when he was young, her daughter asks lots of questions about American culture, we all eat together and are entertained by popular Chinese TV shows. From this perspective, work on the frontlines is a piece of cake.

My laughing quickly turned to sorrow, however, as the reality of the situation penetrated my heart. The reality is, this Hui lady I have come to love so much is walking a path that leads to destruction. For seventy years, Nai Nai has devoted herself to the teachings of false teachers and the doing of good works in a hopeless attempt to earn salvation. Every year, she and her family offer sacrifices, even though the perfect sacrifice has already been given to save her from her sin. As each day passes, the lady that I love like a grandmother is drawing one step closer to the judgment, the punishment, the eternal separation from our Creator that awaits every person who does not place their trust in Jesus for the atonement of their sins. This is a harsh reality, a devastating reality, but on the frontlines, this is the reality that must be faced: Without a miraculous, heart-changing experience from God, the people I love dearly are headed to Hell.

Thankfully, our Father in Heaven loves the Hui people more than I can ever imagine. Hope is found in Revelation 7:9, that every nation, tribe, and tongue will gather at the throne of God to worship Him, including the Hui people. For now, as I prepare to go back to Nai Nai’s house, I find that all I can do is be obedient, to proclaim Christ crucified in the times that we have together and trust that He will work in mighty ways.

So this is life on the frontlines, being loved and loving my Hui neighbors, enjoying the time I have with them, pleading for their salvation, being obedient to opportunities I have to proclaim Truth, and trusting that the Father will do great things to bring these people that I love – but whom He loves more – to Himself.