George Martzen "georgos"

During our recent trip to Yunnan we were invited to visit one of the largest Protestant churches in Kunming, Trinity Church, which has a membership in the thousands, including many from the nearby university. The church has its roots in the missionary work of Hudson Taylor. It is part of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. I shared with the choir on Saturday morning regarding using the psalms in worship. Yunnan borders Sichuan, which had a terrible earthquake in May. Chin Cheak translated for me. As we read the psalms of lament and sang related songs, they acknowledge their grief at the loss of lives, including relatives and friends. Chin Cheak preached on Sunday morning to a congregation of about 4,000, after which we were taken by van to the mountains were we visited a local tribal church, which sang some of the most beautiful music I had heard on our trip. Again, we were asked to share with them God's Word. One of the things that struck us is how people came early for wor...

We just returned early this morning from a 12-day trip to Yunnan province, China. It was partly a tour and partly a chance to visit some Christian churches in and around Kunming, the provincial capital. Several students at Trinity Theological College are from Kunming, so my wife and I were invited to visit and share with them. Yunnan is a beautiful region, both in terms of the breath-taking landscapes and the many tribal cultures of the region. Of the over 50 cultures in China, most are present in Yunnan, including Tibetan, Yi and Naxi. There are some very interesting societal patterns, including the matriarchal, communal society of Mugu lake. It is also a place of many diverse religious traditions, from Tibetan Buddhism to animism and, of course, ancestor veneration. It is common in the middle of rich agricultural fields to see prominent ancestor graves. I understand that also assured continued ownership of the land. I will say more about Yunnan in coming days. --georgos

I've always had this strange affinity for bugs. I remember as a 9th grader both the excitement and angst of doing my biology insect collection. I loved learning about these critters, catching them, but sticking those big beautiful butterflies and fascinating grasshoppers into a bottle of cyanide ... Oh well, such is research. Singapore has lots of bugs, the difference between Singapore bugs and California bugs is that the former are bigger, more prolific and more aggressive. At any one time I can find at least three or four different species of ants crawling around the house. Moths and butterflies are always finding their way in at night time, attracted by the lights. So also an assortment of wasps; but they always seem to come inside to die. Very different from central California wasp in the summer time - very bad tempers. They'll sting you as much as look at you. Usually when larger insects wander inside I try and help them back outside. I won't say that for the ants - so...