Sharing the Good News of Christ’s love with the Hui is undoubtedly a privilege. Most times they have never heard the full Gospel story. Like Paul, we get the opportunity to “preach the Gospel not where Christ has already been named,” but to “those who have never been told of Him…and those who have never heard” (Rom 15:20-21).
One of the easiest ways to meet people here is to simply walk down the street. There are many street vendors, many of whom are Hui, who sell just about anything you can think of, from dishware to goldfish, trashcan bread (which is delicious, by the way) to hair bows – You can find it all here, and at pretty decent prices.
The Bonan (or Bao’an) people are one of the smallest groups of unreached peoples in China. In fact, at 12-17 thousand people, they are one of the smallest people groups in China in general. The Bonan are believed to be descended from Mongol soldiers that were left after Genghis Khan’s troops swept through China.
China is under construction. I don’t mean that in some abstract sense. What I mean is that when I look out from our main apartment window, I can count at least ten tall buildings with construction cranes on top. I can look immediately to my right and see an unfinished neighborhood with five or so 30+ story apartment buildings.
As we sat in the restaurant sipping tea, it quickly became clear that our young friend, a recent college graduate, was not your average “big-city Hui.” He had just begun describing his upbringing and the nature of his work when he abruptly excused himself.
