Ambiguously Suspicious

Had some stranger-than-usual drama this week. At our second service on Sunday, a Chinese guy and a Russian guy came into church late. One of our regulars had told me before the service started that he was waiting on a couple Christian friends to show up. After the service, I went back to say hi to them. Chinese guy seems real nice, asks if he can talk to me in private for a minute. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll reach an age where that question doesn’t instantly strike terror and panic into my heart. I still feel like I’m marching into the principal’s office…

So we get back to the kitchen, and he tells me he’s not a spy sent from the government. Normally when people say something that bizarre, I just assume I heard them wrong in Chinese – but then he said it again, “I just want to tell you right away that I’m not a spy.” Cool. Me neither. What are you?

Then he tells me his story – been a Christian for almost ten years – became a Christian at the three-self church. Afterwards got mixed up in some Korean-led cult. When he found out they weren’t into Jesus or the Bible, he wanted to get off that train. Unfortunately, somehow a rumor got started (maybe by the people that he defected from) that he’s a spy from the government. According to him, there’s a whole slew of pastors in the city that all think that. So they’re not real crazy about him participating at their church. I guess he wanted to tell me, in case I got a call from a concerned pastor this week.

Which I didn’t. If he is a spy, he’s a lousy one. Because all the churches he told me about haven’t had any problems. He came to our Bible Institute class last night and brought a friend. He tells me he wants to bring some of his lost friends to our services. But we’re gonna have to add a space on our visitors card for the future: “How did you find out about our church? (check one) Friend invited me ______, I’m a spy from the government _____.” That wouldn’t be so bad. There’s not really enough options on the card, anyway.