I found Church!

It wasn't a Catholic Church, but the Kunming International Fellowship services. I've been wanting to attend since arriving. The city guide I had at the time was an old edition and the address provided was no longer valid. When I met my New Zealand friend Chris in October, she said that she also wanted to find the current location and check it out. Finally, a few months and a new guide later, we went this morning.

It's held in a hotel - a large conference room for the service, a reception room for coffee, several small breakout rooms for the children's Sunday School, and very nice bathrooms. One needs to show a passport for admittance. Due to government policy, mainland Chinese can only attend if married to a foreigner. (The Chinese do have their own Christian churches, called Self Church. I think foreigners are welcomed.)

First, it was a shock to see so many foreigners in one place! There were about 200. Many young families and a lot of gray hair, too. (There are quite a few missionaries here disguised as "English teachers".) Being the only foreigners on our campus, I'm just not used to seeing Caucasian faces. I did recognize a few people who I've met, seen on the street or at Carrefour. Those leading the services were primarily Dutch. It consisted of bible readings, lots of singing and a couple of talks. Surprisingly, no collection basket was passed or available. Over all, it was a nice service, but a bit too "I love Jesus, praise the Lord, evangelical" for my tastes. But I did learn that Easter is only two weeks away. I had no idea! I'm not sure how often I'll return, but do want to attend Easter Sunday services and bring G., C. and E.