Debbie and Wayne Brinkley thought they had a plan – they
would eat in as many Chinese “chifas” (diners) as they could to learn
where the Chinese living in Lima, Peru, gather.
Also, when they were not eating in chifas, they would drive
around Lima, marking locations on a map.
Debbie and Wayne Brinkley thought they had a plan – they
would eat in as many Chinese “chifas” (diners) as they could to learn
where the Chinese living in Lima, Peru, gather.
Also, when they were not eating in chifas, they would drive
around Lima, marking locations on a map.
They ate and marked – and marked some more. They noted
more than 100 chifas on a single street alone. Little did they know they had
embarked on an impossible mission. There are almost 6,000 chifas in Lima.
The Brinkleys are Southern Baptist missionaries who recently
changed from working with Spanish speakers to focusing on the more than 400,000
Chinese living in Lima. Nearly 100 percent have no relationship with Jesus Christ.
“We were praying about how to reach the Chinese with the
gospel,” Wayne Brinkley says. “And we had the thought, What
if there was a church in every chifa?”
His wife answers the question. “We could reach everybody.
All of the Chinese could have access to the gospel wherever they were in the
city.”
Chifas are the center of Chinese life in Lima, regardless of
socio-economic level. Most chifas are family owned and operated. Living in an
environment that is at the opposite end of the cultural spectrum from their
own, Chinese are drawn to the familiarity, solidarity and sense of safety that
chifas offer.
Chifas also represent an intricate network of associates closed
to outsiders. “The benefit is that it is a ready network through which
the gospel can get out,” Wayne Brinkley says. “The difficult part
is getting into the network.”
The flow of Chinese arriving in Peru had been constant for
more than 100 years until last years presidential election. Peru had been
a transit point for Chinese wanting to immigrate to Canada and the United States.
However, the current president has made obtaining Peruvian documents more difficult.
Still, the Chinese are deeply rooted in Peruvian culture and represent almost
half of the 1 million Chinese living in Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and
Peru.
That is why the chifas are such a significant ingredient in
a church-planting movement. Family is important in Chinese culture – and
the chifas represent family units. Meals are important in maintaining family
connectedness – and chifas allow for families and not-yet-trusted outsiders
to come together in a setting where the Chinese are comfortable.
The Brinkleys now are building cultural bridges, finding ways
to enter the network. They also are helping a few Chinese Christians develop
as leaders.
From such humble beginnings, their expectation is that thousands
of Chinese churches will be scattered across the five area countries. They insist
their confidence comes from what God has already done.
“It has been so obvious that God was working before we
accepted the assignment,” Wayne Brinkley says. “Weve had so
many people and organizations contact us and say that theyve been praying
for the Chinese in South America and that they feel like God is calling them
to be involved.
“Thats why now we dont see our role as starting
at ground zero but as helping to connect all these people God has already called
to the task of reaching the Chinese here with the gospel,” he explains.
With Peruvian documents more difficult to obtain and a steadily-declining
economy across South America, many Chinese are returning to China, where there
is considerably less freedom to share the gospel. The Brinkleys suggest the
Chinese living in Western South America could return as “missionaries”
to China.
“South America is a window to China,” Debbie Brinkley
says. “If the Chinese here understand Gods desire for reaching China,
they will be able to go places that North American missionaries cant.
They are already going back; the problem is that we havent reached them
with the gospel yet.”
The Brinkleys say they are convinced the chifas are the key.
More Chinese will accept Christ as chifa owners understand Gods vision
for redeeming the Chinese.
Until they do understand, the Brinkleys plan to hang on to
their map and spend a lot of time building relationships.
After all, there is another Chinese chifa right down the road.