China
May 13th, 2008My wife (Norilynn) and I were sad and extremely worried to hear about the earthquake in China. The epicentre of this earthquake happened to be about 25 km from the town, Ya’an, where we lived and taught in the mid 1980’s.
Our thoughts and prayers immediately went to the people from that area. I was part of the MCC team that visited Iran right after their earthquake in 1990, and remember all too well the razed cities and stories of families torn apart by the tragedy. We know others are joining us in our prayers for the people of Sichuan, China at this time.
I am planning on leading a tour to China October 8-21 and we are visiting Sichuan province. I know that some might wonder if this is a good idea. The areas we are visiting are not affected directly by this earthquake. More importantly, however, is that when such things happen to a country, the ongoing economy is vital to recovery. The worst thing that can happen is that people stop coming. The tourism industry, so vital to China, needs people to come. The very fact of a group coming and spurring that economy is part of the recovery of the province. We will also be visiting Amity Foundation, a Chinese Christian Development Agency, who will be active in bringing relief and recovery to these areas. I am hoping that we as a tour group can make contributions to their efforts at bringing hope and recovery to these areas. We could deliver this when we meet with Amity. This would certainly fulfill TourMagination’s mission of building bridges among Mennonites among other Christians and faiths around the world.
~ Ed Epp
