China drama

[LadyRushia]

So I went to China for two months with a group of five students(including me) and a teacher. It was a great experience and everything, but a few weeks before we came home, the Lord put me through a trial in which a false idol(an anime/fantasy story I had been working on for a year) was taken away and I gained more awareness about some of the things that show up in anime. My soul was completely shattered and like that one verse in the Bible says, my flesh fought entirely against it. I was physically sick for a few days(headaches and stomachaches) and felt very, very broken. I thought I couldn't write anymore; I thought I couldn't like anime anymore.

In the midst of all this, we took a trip to a pagoda in the city(the place is kind of like a local park and there's a pagoda building) and we went to the pagoda building where there were all these places to bow to their gods and buddha. Not really a big deal(except I felt extra uncomfortable around the evil) but then, my really close friend went into one of these little places and bowed to the gods.

If an already shattered heart could shatter even more, that's exactly how I felt.

When she came out, one of our Chinese teachers asked, "What did you ask for?" and she replied, "I just told them that they're cool. ^_^"

I was terrified. She had no idea that she was praising evil.

That one time was bad enough, but then she went and bowed to buddha. I wanted so badly just to reach out and grab her arm and say, "Don't do this! You have no idea what it means!" But of course, I couldn't because she wouldn't understand.

And then I understood God and free will. It hurt me so much to see someone I care about bow before a false idol, yet I couldn't and wouldn't do a thing about because she's free to make her choices. I was just about ready to burst into tears as she was doing it.

I understood how God feels when people who don't know Him worship other gods, how He wants so badly for them to come to Him but doesn't force them because He loves them so much.

Anyway, I didn't let on that there was anything wrong for the rest of the day. We visited other places with these kinds of buildings where people can bow to buddha and my friend did the same thing and I got angry. I didn't do or say anything, except that I begged her to stop under my breath(of course she couldn't here me) and then something strange happened. At the next chance she got to bow to buddha, she didn't; and in every other buddhist place we visited after that, she didn't bow. I was so thankful, but now every time I see a buddha I want to destroy it. I *hate* buddha so much now. I don't care if he's "peaceful"! He's partly responsible for the fact that my friend is so lost and I can't even begin to have a conversation with her about Jesus because she'd only get confused! We visited this place in Beijing that had a 27 meter buddha(it was huge) and I just got so mad. I was like, "God, I wanna be there when You destroy that thing. Praise be the day when Jesus comes and vanquishes this evil!"

Gah! If I had a dollar for every time I heard my friend say, "Well, we don't know what's up there, so we might as well make everybody happy," I'd have a heckuva lot of dollars.

One day we were eating lunch(this was before all this happened) and we somehow got on the topic of gods. I was like, "Yeah, my mom did some research and told me that the Greek gods are real. Isn't that freaky?" And she was like, "WOW! COOL!" and I was like, "Yeah, they're like fallen angels or something like that." And then she was like, "Which god is your favorite?" And I was like, "The God of Love(I *totally* meant the one True God; maybe I should've said that at first)." And she said, "Oh, Aphrodite?"

**smacks forehead(only in my head)** "No, the one True God," I said. "What?" "You know, God with a capital 'G.'" "Ohhhhhhhh." Then I started telling her about how God is in everything in a light-hearted way, which was nice but I don't think it was that effective.

Another incident: The two of us were at one of our Chinese friend's house and they had this dragon sword thing with a pentagle on it and my friend goes, "Wow, cool! Look, it's a pentagle! That's so cool!" I was like, "Eh?" because I hadn't noticed it, and she was like, "Yeah, it's for protection!"

I showed her an episode of Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne because I remembered how Maron/Kaitou Jeanne fights for God and how God is actually *in* the show. We watched the first episode and when we got to the second half of it, the messed up theology came in as did the explanation that she's the reincarnation of Jeanne d' Arc. Well, I hoped she would notice how there's God in it, or something along those lines, but what does she notice? "Oh, that's cool. She's the reincarnation of Jeanne d' Arc."

Anyway, as for the trial, it's over and God's given me two stories that are anime/fantasy that honor Him. As for my friend, well, I'll just have to wait for the next opportunity to talk about God with her.

[ADXC]

Thats cool that you got to take a trip in China. And your already aware that when you go into a different culture there is going to be controversy of some kind. Like when you said about your friend was bowing down to buddha. Remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? That they were tempted to bow down before the idol for fear of the crowds and the fiery furnace. But they didn't bow down before the idol and in the end God saved them. You should never be tempted to bow down before an idol to just please the people as your friend said. No you should just say its not good and you have your reasons for not doing it. Then maybe that may interest your friend in your reason for not doing so. (Which is God.)

And also beware of the pentagram which is also a pentacle. Tell your friend its just not good. Its an evil symbol.

So I hope you can soon help your friend out by making her understand, then she will know and hopefully will not make the same mistakes again. I hope she can learn more about Jesus.

[LadyRushia]

Thanks for your encouragement ^_^

Last night at like three in the morning I was like, "Okay, God, guide me to what you want me to see in your Word," and I came upon the first chapter of 2 Kings where the king wasn't well and he asked his servants to go ask of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, if he was going to get better(something like that) and instead the servants found Elijah and Elijah said, "Is it because there is no God in Isreal that you ask of Baal-zebub, god of Ekron?(and then he said some other things)" But the last part of what Elijah said really stood out to me. "For surely you will die."

Then, God showed me Matthew, where Jesus tells us "let your light shine." And then I understood what God was telling me. He was like, "Your friend will die if she can't see your light. So let that light shine and she'll notice."

I love it when stuff like that happens. Just randomly opening the Bible and running into to something that applies to whatever's going on in your life.

[Gooseberry]

I can certainly understand what you felt for your friend when she was bowing to Buddha. The spirit of God in you knew that what she did wasn't right, even though she doesn't know Him and wasn't aware of it. I've seen people figuratively bowing down to idols, myself included, and it can be almost painful at times. I really hope your friend finds the one true God some day.

Also, I can totally relate to your experience with God giving you answers through the Bible - it even made me tear up I bit! Sometimes I'll be at a loss for answers, I'll pray and open the Bible and the answer is right there, staring me in the face. "Thanks, God!" LOL!

[LadyRushia]

I know, it's great! ^_^ It just kind of cracked open to where He wanted me to read.

But after that incident, it didn't really help that we went to 5794734629457246 more buddha places and that I saw 904859458378536346 more buddhas. Ugh. It just reinforced my hatred for buddha.

And when she said how "cool" the pentacle was because it's for "protection," that just genuinely scared me. I seriously think she might buy one and say how much "protection" it brings.

She's just so interested in other beliefs; I've never met anyone like that. And of course, the one belief she isn't interested in is the only true one. Probably because she's "heard it all before."

What's interesting, though, is that she had so much interest in buddha while we were over there, yet I didn't see her buy a necklace or anything related to buddhism. And while I was all broken and depressed during my trial, she'd always ask if I was okay and things like that. I *wanted* to tell her what was going on, but she wouldn't have been able to understand in the slightest bit. It probably would've been a totally awesome witnessing oportunity, but I wasn't thinking of that at the time.

Anyway, at least I know what to do now, and hopefully everything will fall into place. ^_^

[ADXC]

When it comes to people, you need to come out direct and to the point. Otherwise they will probably shut off whatever you have to say. You need to tell her how all this will effect her and don't hold back either. God never wants us to hold back just look at John Edwards and his message "Sinners in the hands of an angry God." Halfway into the message people were crying out how can could they be saved from the fire of hell. Now yes she wont understand if you just start quoting the some verses to her. You should start out stating the facts to her, then when she asks where did you learn this from(AKA-proof). You bring the Bible into the game.
1.By starting at verse John 3:16,
2.then Romans 3:23,
3.Romans 5:8,
4.Romans 6:23,
5.Romans 10:9,
6. and finaly Romans 10:13. (You can also say other verses to her that might also be helpful if you want.)
Thats also the sinners prayer. So try to bring this up soon to her. But I must say again, get her interested into where you got this from. Don't just start quoting the verses right off the bat, you may have to be a little discreet if need be to get her attention. So I hope she learns the truth in the near future. And lastly don't give up on her if she turns Christianity away, just keep on trying untill something happens. Because I know if I had a friend that was non-christian, I would want them to become one no matter what. But don't nag her, people don't like that. Anyways I'll pray for your confidence and the words you need to say to her to help her understand. Let the Lord be with in your speach.

[LadyRushia]

Thanks, animedude90, I'll keep all of those things in mind ^_^

As a start, I'm gonna try and bring her to my youth group. I also plan on buying Manga Messiah and Shelter of Wings and conveniently reading them around her(any manga she sees me carrying around always merits a "what's that?").

The next time I see her will probably be at school, so I'll have to wait until then.

[ADXC]

Those are good ideas, yeah start there.