Fragrance spreads thousands of miles, life is always fragrant
The overseas Chinese catering industry is the most basic means for Chinese people to make a living while traveling around the world. "Wherever there is land, there are Chinese; wherever there are Chinese, there are Chinese restaurants." This sentence is not an exaggeration at all. In Chinatowns in major overseas cities, there are only one big restaurant in three steps and one small takeout in five steps. , even in the most remote mountainous areas or remote countryside, traces of Chinese restaurants can be found everywhere. According to the latest statistics, there are about 40,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States, which means at least 500,000 Chinese are engaged in the catering industry.
Who knows what’s on my mind
Chinese food in North America is good and cheap, and the reason behind it is that a group of people in the catering industry have worked hard overseas, sweating and tearing. Many people in the restaurant industry have gone through untold hardships to come to North America from China. They work at least twelve hours a day just to realize the invisible American dream.
The restaurant industry is one of the most difficult industries among all service industries. The reason is that the working hours are extremely long. Standing to greet guests all day long consumes a lot of physical energy. When the weather is hot, you still work by standing by a high-temperature fire. Sometimes, if you encounter Even if you encounter rude and unreasonable guests, you should still greet them with a smile and not offend them. It is really hard to tell.
Chinese restaurants are springing up like mushrooms after rain, and competition is becoming more and more fierce. Whether you are a waiter or a boss, it is not easy to survive. It would be even worse for those who illegally immigrate to the United States. They will be burdened with debts from the beginning and have to work no matter how hard they are. They thought that the United States was full of gold, but unexpectedly it turned out to be even more miserable than back home. People in the restaurant industry can only sigh to themselves, "Who are you worrying about?" People know it”!
“The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life to serve many.” (Luke 19:10) The ransom.” (Mark 10:45) The Lord Jesus came into the world to save all people and not to perish. Lord Jesus knows the thoughts of people in the catering industry. We should respect their dedication and dedication, and their lives are worthy of your and my love.
Find direction in life
There is a large buffet restaurant in southern New Jersey that can accommodate 350 people and has a restaurant area of 9,000 square feet. Since its opening four years ago, the business has been booming and it has been praised by Chinese and foreign people. The owner of the store, Mr. Lin, is from Fuzhou. When he immigrated to the United States, there was a Chinese restaurant in Long Island, New York, that was managed by his wife. "My greatest satisfaction is when my customers enjoy their meal and come back often to support me!" Mr. Lin always receives guests with a smile on his face.
Although he already has two prosperous restaurants, Mr. Lin is still looking for a suitable location to open a third one. "I know nothing. I have been in this business for so many years and I only know this business. I can't do anything without opening a restaurant." what?"
Mr. Lin spends a lot of time in the restaurant, especially the important task of purchasing. He never fails to do the purchasing task of picking up fresh ingredients from Chinatown in New York and transporting them to New Jersey every day. Sometimes he returns to Long Island from southern New Jersey exhausted in the middle of the night. In the dead of night, he can't help but ask himself, "What is the meaning of life?" Mr. Lin, who wholeheartedly strives for customer satisfaction and always tries his best to keep customers coming back, Behind the boom in business, there is still a sense of dissatisfaction and uneasiness in my heart.
"Among my customers, many of them preach to me, including pastors, teachers, wives, and brothers and sisters. Is the gospel really a treasure? I really don't have time to go to church..." Mr. Lin said with a smile.
In fact, the vast majority of catering operators say the same thing, "There is no time, business is important." This is the first dilemma they will encounter when promoting the gospel. They rarely have the opportunity to come into contact with the gospel, and they will not reject it once someone preaches the gospel to them. However, Sunday is the busiest and most profitable time for restaurants. It is a real difficulty for them to put down their work and go to church to worship. .
"Food is the most important thing for the people" is an unbreakable traditional concept of the Chinese people. When we don't know God, we will naturally regard the issue of diet as more important than anything else. "If eating is a problem, how can we talk about believing in God?" In New York Xiao Liu, who works in a Chinese takeaway restaurant, has always had this idea.
In recent years, there have been more and more Chinese restaurants run by Fuzhou people. The Fuzhou folks’ tradition of “fellow folks helping fellow folks” introduced him and his fellow folks to work in this restaurant.
▲The "Meal Blessing Mission" purchased a "Love Minibus" to transport people in the catering industry to participate in gospel fellowships in various places.
There are hundreds of thousands of grassroots workers like Xiao Liu in North America. They are far away from their hometowns, their lives are stressful, they are lonely, and they are extremely poor both materially and spiritually. Their hearts are hungry and they desperately need the care of the community and the guidance of the truth.
"I don't have time to go to church, because working is important. I'll believe in the Lord after I earn enough money!", "I like gambling, so I'm not qualified to be baptized!" The problem for Xiao Liu and his group of Fuzhou Gang friends is still going around in circles. .
"Man does not live by bread alone." (Luke 4:4) When we truly know God, obey His commandments, and obey His ways, God will lead us into the good land. In a person's life, work is only one of the stages. When you look back on the past in old age, whether your life has produced good fruits is closely related to whether you have the right beliefs.
Boss Lin and Xiao Liu, who work almost 365 days a year, represent the epitome of the 500,000 hard-working people in the catering industry in North America. I hope that in addition to working hard, they will not neglect to find those who provide direction in life. Strength and a life of faith.
▲Preacher Liu Lin Huizhong (second from right) and co-workers of the "Meal and Blessing Mission" drive a "love minibus" to deliver "The Horn Monthly", "CITIC" and care to restaurants in New York City.
Jiaosheng Food Blessing Love Minibus
In November 2002, the Christian Jiao Sheng Missionary Group established the "Jiao Sheng Restaurant Evangelistic Mission" (referred to as the "Meal Blessing Mission") and decided to combine the gospel with community service and send it to every restaurant, so that many People in the catering industry have a healthy and delicious life.
In order to engage in community services, the "Meal Blessing Mission" purchased a "Love Minibus" to transport people in the catering industry to participate in the "Catering Industry Evangelical Fellowship" held in various places, allowing people in the catering industry to socialize and relieve stress at the same time. By knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ, you can enter the realm of "delicious life".
In addition, the "Love Minibus" also provides holistic care services to people in the catering industry in various places in the form of mobile services, including recruiting medical staff, social workers, professional accountants, lawyers, etc. during evangelism to go to restaurants in various places to serve meals for free. Professionals provide various services.
The "Love Minibus" has been launched in the Western United States, carrying God's full blessings and grace into restaurants and kitchens. The launch of the "Love Minibus" has aroused the attention of more churches to people in the catering industry. While building friendships with people in the catering industry with practical love, we also help them build their faith.
▲Pastor Wu Zhanpeng encouraged highly educated professionals to adjust their mentality and take the initiative to care for the staff.
Two major challenges of restaurant gospel
Pastor Wu Zhanpeng, who has been touring Europe and pastoring churches in London, has 31 years of experience in promoting grassroots gospel ministries. Pastor Wu said that Europe is a vast territory and Chinese people are scattered in different places. About 80% of the Chinese in Europe work in the catering industry or as grassroots workers, working in work camps all day long. Most Chinese still maintain traditional Chinese ideas. Coupled with language barriers, they cannot integrate into local life. Therefore, they have little contact with local Europeans and live in a small circle. There is a shortage of missionary manpower in Europe, and missionaries have to travel long distances across many countries.
Pastor Wu encouraged that in the past, Chinese churches in North America mainly focused on promoting evangelism for overseas students and leading contemporary intellectuals to believe in the Lord through fellowship and Bible study. However, there has not yet been a great revival in the grassroots meal blessing ministry. We really need to work quickly while the crops are turning white.
Pastor Wu pointed out the two major challenges facing the current meal blessing ministry in North America:
1. Difficulties within the church itself:Compared with Europe, the demographic structure of Chinese churches in North America is dominated by highly educated professionals, making it more difficult to promote meal blessings. People who are in the middle or upper class, who are well-educated and have a stable life often feel powerless when they preach the gospel to restaurant people who live in the basic class. If class concepts exist, conflicts will inevitably occur. The church and its co-workers must break the old stereotyped perceptions and mentality in order to effectively accept and support the meal ministry.
2. The plight of people in the catering industry:"Lack of time" is the common aspiration and practical dilemma of most people in the catering industry. It is also the psychological preparation that must be made when promoting meal blessing ministry. Regarding this point, Pastor Wu said that we are not looking for them to come to church, but we must take the initiative to go to their workplaces to care for them, because this is the Great Commission. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and I am with you always until the end of the world The end.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
"Lift up your eyes to the fields and see that the crops are ripe for harvest. The reapers receive their wages and are gathering the grain for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together." (John 4:35-36)
Over the past two thousand years, God’s children have responded to the Lord’s Great Commission call and spread the gospel to all countries and places, and thousands of people have been saved.
God so loves the world that He wants all people to be saved and does not want anyone to perish.
The harvest field of the catering industry in North America is so huge. May the Lord grant grace and touch more suitable workers. May the Lord enable pastors and catering co-workers to experience God’s great love through their visits, care, sharing, testimony and evangelism. and great power, believe in the Lord as soon as possible. I hope that the gospel will enter every Chinese restaurant, so that people in the catering industry can share a life of lasting fragrance and joy.