It's OK not to Have Money or Power

By Ma Chin-Hu

I have subscribed Overseas Campus Magazine for three or four years. Every time when the new issue arrives, I always read it carefully. I feel that the more I read, the more I feel it's interesting. It touches my heart and my mind.

I was in the profession of Chemistry analysis in China. I had a degree in Chemistry and had a title of "Chemical Engineering Assistant Engineer". I loved literature and writing. Often I had paper published in Newspaper or radio station. In consequence I was quite appreciated by party leader. Therefore I changed to do political propaganda. Since then, my life of writing was active.

But since I immigrated to America in 1991, I could not continue my hobby of writing. It was because there was big difference between Western culture and Chinese culture. I had to work hard for life. I belong to a group of people who cannot read, understand, speak English and drive so we are "dumb". English to me is so strange. Also I cannot even write traditional Chinese characters. So I could do nothing about writing.

In the early spring of 2000, I attended the young believers' correspondence course held by some kind of Christian mission in New York. There are two papers required. We were asked to writing about our reflection on learning in this course. With Holy Spirit's moving, I wrote so quickly and fluent although I had not written for a long time. The paper won good comments from the pastor.

When I held the certificate of the course, I thought about these two "learning reflection" papers: These two papers were written after I became a Christian, why not sharing them with others in publication?

So I had an idea to mail these two articles to Overseas Campus Magazine. But I reconsidered about it: "OCM has a lot of authors and paper. Most of these writers are overseas students, scholars and high tech professionals. But I came to America with no background and money. I don't know the editor of OCM also I am just a cook, who works in a hard, dirty, and tiring environment. How am I qualified to be one of those elites in OCM?" I laughed at myself for dreaming big.

But I pondered on the issue and decided to try it out. These two papers were mailed out without letting any soul know.

Surprisingly within one month, I heard from the editor of OCM. The editor Paul Lu even wrote a short and encouraging comment to me: "Thank you for your paper. Although you are a young believer, your thoughts are deep. Your testimony has very good contents. The Lord, I believe, might use your faith, and experiences of family conflict and sickness. May you live in love and walk in the light!"

Those two articles, after the editor's refining, were published in OCM 44 and 51: "A World Unified" and "Passion and worry" (?). This is a big inspiration and encouragement to me.

With this kind of encouragement from OCM, I later have much motivation and confidence to write. Even when I write for Mainland Chinese newspaper, I try to follow the principles of OCM. I try my best to add some contents of faith into my articles. For instance, in an article I wrote for a popular magazine in Canton China last year- "A reflection in the year of horse", I added a paragraph-In Book of Luke of the Bible, Jesus was described as '...the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to here firstborn, a Son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger.' This baby who opened the history in the first century brought hope and light. He was not born in a gorgeous palace or dirty dump. He was placed in a simple manger. This obviously was God's will. ..." This paper was quickly published in Issue 267, January 2002. This is a happy consequence of the fruit of encouragement from OCM for me to pick up writing again.

I can validate that many good things about writing for OCM: They have fair standards of choosing article for publication. No one can have favoritism. As long as the article is related to faith and has fair writing style, it can be published. I have made up my mind not to be proud or hasty. I would treasure my life to write more articles for OCM as a writing ministry. I also like to encourage the readers to do so.

Author was a China communist party manager in a chemical engineering firm. Now he runs a Chinese restaurant in Baltimore, USA.