Mountain-top villagers overjoyed
to receive Bibles

MAN PO, Yunnan Province, China — Miao Christians in this tiny mountain village in southwest China were overjoyed to receive free Bibles during a visit by UBS representatives in December.

Members of the Big Flowery Miao people welcome the UBS’ representatives to their village. Man Po, Yunnan Province, China. Photo: Asia-Pacific Regional Service Center/David Thorne (PRC03DJ-7)

The villagers, who are members of the Big Flowery Miao people group – one of the 490 different ethno-linguistic groups in mainland China – find it difficult to obtain Bibles, according to Kua Wee Seng, UBS Asia Opportunity Coordinator.

Live off the land

“Most Miao Christians are from the Big Flowery Miao people group, and they live off the land,” he explained. “Many of them do not have the money to buy Scriptures, so they were very grateful for the free gift of Bibles.”

The remote location of the village also makes the transportation of Bibles there difficult.

“The journey to Man Po village from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, took us three hours by minibus, and for the last part of our journey we travelled along a narrow, winding dirt track,” said Mr Kua. “The village is perched right on top of a mountain, and there are no other villages in sight – all you can see are hills, valleys, trees and bushes.”

UBS General Secretary Neil Crosbie described the warm welcome the UBS visitors received as they arrived in the village.

“As we approached the village we saw all these people gathered, many of them dressed in their traditional costumes, waiting to greet us,” he said. “They sang as we walked into the church. It was a really moving experience.”

Invited

Miao children in Man Po village watch the UBS’ representatives arrive in their village. Yunnan Province, China. Photo: Asia-Pacific Regional Service Center / David Thorne (PRC03DJ-8)

After a thanksgiving service, during which the boxes of Bibles were presented, the visitors were invited into the village for a meal.

“The villagers were so hospitable and welcoming,” Mr Crosbie commented. “It was also very interesting to experience the contrast between rural and city life in China. Just hours before we had been in the bustling, modern city of Kunming, and now we were seeing the basic conditions in which these villagers live.” (WR 375/5 - 3.03)