Visiting Yunnan's Yi hill tribe

Towards the end of March this year, we were in Yunnan, China climbing up the mountains to visit the Yi hill tribe. God gave us many new and wonderful experiences. I share some of these below.

God gave us a vision of white cloth hanging high up on the ceiling of the Kunming International Airport. He also cut into half the normal 4-hour uphill journey on a winding and narrow road. A new bridge was constructed just in time for our little van to instead travel along a broad highway. Hallelujah! Praise The Lord! The mountains of Yunnan have had little rainfall for the past four years. We fervently prayed together against this dry spell. By the time we were ready to board the plane to return home, the rain poured down heavily. All glory to God!

This was the first time we met with the Yi tribe. There were many students coming from different villages to be trained as missionaries. Some had come from as far as the borders of Myanmar and they were full of ambition and determination. They would get up at 5:30 in the morning and sit and wait patiently in the sanctuary for the Morning Prayer meeting to start. When they sang praises their voices were loud and strong as if to compete with the crowing roosters. They would eat lunch at 11am and would have dinner at 5pm. Their lessons would start at 9am and would go all day until 9pm. They would go to bed at 10pm. In between classes there would be games, small group discussions and intercession.

The teachers came from different churches and they conducted their classes through lectures, plays and games. Contents of the teaching included stories of great men and women of faith and missionaries as well a Bible stories. During their spare time the students would practice their guitar, piano, drums and saxophone.

The Yi students were serious in class, attentive to teaching and actively involved in class activities. Although they took notes they were rather shy and not in the habit of asking questions when they did not understand. A miracle happened on the last night. A brother who had learned of the 140 year old history of the hatred between their tribe (the Yi) and ours (the Han), knelt before the students and asked for their forgiveness. That period of history involved the Han killing the Yi and robbing them of their fertile land and driving them up the mountains to poorer regions with little rainfall. The Yi students responded emotionally and in tears embraced that brother. They prayed with that brother at the top of their voices. At that moment the animosity between the Yi and the Han crumbled down! The reconciliation made our trip a truly worthwhile undertaking!

Somewhere near the place where we assembled, a new school was under construction with classrooms on the ground floor and bedrooms on the first floor. Praise the Lord! This building has now been finished and is being used.

>> Click here for more detail concerning our works amongst the ethnic minority groups in China.