It may just be the greatest botched opportunity in all church history. In the 1260s, the Polos, an Italian merchant family, journeyed to China and were well received at the court of the great Kublai Khan. Before they returned to Italy in 1269, Kublai Khan requested them to ask the Pope to send 100 teachers of science and religion to instruct the Chinese in the learning and faith of Europe.
The Pope only managed to send two Dominican friars with the Polos in November, 1271; but a war frightened the two friars, and even they turned back. The Polos, including young Marco, continued their journey to the Chinese emperor without the requested religious teachers. How might the history of Christianity in Asia been different had this incomparable opportunity been seized!
That opportunity may be gone, but today there is an excitement in the air as people all around us in America are crying out for something real. I’ve got it and want to pass it on!
Tags: China, history, missions, mistakes, opportunity
Winston Lord, American diplomat, served as US Ambassador to the Republic of China from 1985-1989, and told about the time he and his wife, Bette, were driving outside Beijing. “We came to a Buddhist temple, and the head monk came out and greeted us. His eyes lit up when he heard that I was the ambassador and that my wife was a famous author. The monk said, ‘Would you do this temple a great honor and favor for our future visitors, to guide and instruct them? Would you write something in English’?”
Winston felt honored to be asked to do such a thing. “He then handed me two wooden plaques and said, ‘Would you write in English on this plaque the word Ladies and on this plaque the word Gentlemen‘?”
Sometimes it pays to stay humble. Could it be that what you think is an honor is not really what you think?
Tags: China, humility, humor, Winston Lord