Posted: 8/8/03
Acteens tour the world through
Global Village created for them
By Michael Foust
Baptist Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Thanks to a bit of ingenuity, thousands of Acteens were able to tour the world in just two hours.
The National Acteens Convention opened a Global Village, a series of virtual encounters with missionaries and cultures from throughout the world, July 30-31. Spread across a number of rooms in the Nashville Convention Center, it allowed the teenage girls to learn how God is working in both America and other nations.
| Acteens find a place for their prayers in a simuation of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall in the Global Village. (Theresa Barnett/WMU Photo) |
With the help of missionaries, Woman's Missionary Union staff, local volunteers and props, the Acteens, among other things, experienced a house church service in China, wrote prayer requests and placed them in the Jerusalem Wailing Wall and even scribbled graffiti on brick walls in New York City.
More than 10 cultures were represented. Outside each room, a television played the “Jesus” film in the respective culture's language.
In the Japanese room, the Acteens witnessed an official Japanese tea ceremony. “It's been packed every single time,” said Ron Capps, a missionary to Japan. “They're coming for missions. That's what it's all about.”
But the girls did more than just meet missionaries face to face. Thanks to the Internet Cafe room, they also sent messages of encouragement–as well as some questions–to missionaries thousands of miles away.
In the Chinese room, the girls attended a simulated illegal “house church.” They sat on wooden benches, looked at Chinese Bible verses and learned to say “Jesus, I love you” in Chinese. Then they sang a song–although they were told not to sing too loudly, so the government authorities would not hear. They also heard from a former worker in China.
“Christianity is alive and well in China,” said the woman, whose name is withheld because of her intentions to return.
Trudy Johnson, who along with Becky Yates served as Global Village co-chairs, said the goal was to create “the next best thing to being there.”
In addition to WMU, the village included participation from the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board and North American Mission Board, the Baptist Nursing Fellowship, the “Jesus” Film Project and Prison Fellowship.
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