“Welcome to China!” This seems to be the universal theme over here when incidents occur unexpectedly, or when foreign smells lurk into our nasal cavities. All in all, it’s great to be in Beijing! It’s been a little over two weeks now, but it seems like I’ve been here for a longer time. There’s a lot of different areas I would like to get myself plugged into in terms of ministry, but quite frustrating since I don’t know how to travel (by bus, nor by taxi) around by myself yet. I have been meeting up with some English Corner students who I have met accompanied by someone on the team. Hopefully, God will give me more opportunities to share and make some friends out here.
I also started teaching this week at the Academy. Along with the English Corner outings and teaching young children at the Academy, things are starting to pick up for me, of which I am very thankful. I do foresee my schedule slowly starting to become more and more hectic, but I embrace the hustle and bustle of a busy lifestyle, which overall suits my task oriented character.
Please continue to lift up my family back at home as well as for my brother in Korea; and that God would grant me more opportunities to share my faith while being out here. Thank you guys!
Hello everyone back at home! It’s been a while since we last updated you. But from what all of us are hearing, it seems like you guys are busy with the work at home. Keep on laboring guys and know that you guys are in our thoughts as well!
An update on our friend Jonathan: some sad news to report. About a month ago, Jonathan received his test scores from his law school entrance exam and he did not pass. It was also during that time that his girlfriend came over from a different province. To put a long story short, it wasn’t a good combination, considering she was not a Christian nor interested in the gospel. In the end, his desire to study with me became less and less frequent all the way until communication between me and Jonathan ceased. After the May Labor Holiday, I sent him a text message to see if he can meet up and he replied back that he was with his girlfriend, in a completely different province. He continued on saying he will be staying there for a year. It was quite discouraging, but I know that God has a purpose in all of this. Please continue to pray for another opportunity to meet with him, whether it means traveling to that province or for him to come to Beijing.
While in Urumqi, I was able to meet and talk to a friend named Anson. We got to talk about the Bible and from the questions he was asking, he appears to be interested. I wasn’t able to answer his question, but I was able to leave him a letter describing the gospel in full-detail with a few select parts from the Bible. By God’s grace, he is coming to a nearby city next to Beijing on a business trip for about a month. Please pray for an opportunity to meet up with him and to continue in our discussion.
In addition, the Urumqi trip was not only a time of much catching up but also a time of serious reflection. When our team received the news that another member of Berean was going to station themselves here for a year, we were all ecstatic. We were all praying at some point that no one was going to come out and to follow up on the friends that we made, and yet God proved again that he is faithful when we are not. As this decision was revealed, it got me praying to a prior desire in me to stay out for another year. Just seeing how my only initial hurdle was the fact that I will be alone for another year, I totally saw this as God opening the door for me to stay here for another year. And couple that with the trip to Ur, I saw it as an opportunity to really search the Bible for direction. The issue wasn’t whether I will go home in August, but rather how long I should stay in China after August. But as I went to Urumqi and as I sought after God’s will through the Bible, I decided not to stay a year, which I originally thought. There was something that was not settling and peaceful in my heart if I decided to stay for a year, a tugging on my heart that could only indicate that another full year is not what God wants. In the end, after reading and praying and searching my own heart and motive, the decision to stay until mid- December brought much more peace and conviction upon my heart. If you want reasons for the decision, I will be more than happy to e-mail you and talk to you guys about it.
God has proven himself to be faithful once again. I’m utterly amazed and flabbergasted when I pray about how good he is. So last week, four of us went to Urumqi to visit some of the students and encourage them one last time. I was fortunate enough to meet with the various students that I have built friendships with over the past two, even three years. I had great opportunities to share with most of them, one of which has become a dear friend of mine, Cindy. She has been very curious to learn about the Bible since the first camp and is good friends with a couple of our sisters. So from what she’s heard and seen, her curiosity has been growing steadily. She was the most eager to learn when we visited a few months ago. This time, I was able to spend more personal time with her, especially to study through the OT/NT material that Pastor Aaron had brought in Feb for the mini-camp. It was a very thick packet, loaded with a lot of info, but she was so eager to learn that we finished going over the material within two days. She soaked it all up like a very “thirsty” sponge. Prior to the study, she had so many questions that she didn’t know where to begin. But afterwards, she had very few questions left. The study helped her understand how everything in the Bible fit together. She genuinely appeared so happy that things made more sense and that she even had the chance to study. In her words, she said this was a huge step forward towards God. PTL!
I was extremely happy for the opportunity to visit Urumqi again and to see the many great things that he is continuing to do there. But the most exciting part happened when we arrived back in Beijing. You see, the night before we left for our trip, Rita called to wish us a good trip and also told me that she had good news. Well, when I heard the words “good news,” my ears perked up because I had heard the words “good news” and “bad news” from her before. Before, the good news had been related to work, which was always good to hear. But I had always waited in anticipation for the good news to be great news about her decision to join the family. So when she said these words to me again this time, I felt deep in my heart that it was different this time. I felt like this was the real deal. But she didn’t want to tell me over the phone, she wanted to say it face-to-face when we got back. So with reluctance, I agreed. Naturally throughout the week, I was pondering her words and praying that this was it. Interestingly, I had written in my journal on the plane ride there this thought, “My highest desire is for this trip would be to see one of them accept Jesus Christ. There would be no greater joy than to see this kind of miracle by the grace of G.od” I had written this thought with the hope of seeing someone in Urumqi accept, but who would have thought… the miracle happened back in Beijing. Rita made a resolute, more than 100% positively affirmed decision to follow him. Wow!!! Amazing. From the first time one of our brothers shared with her two years ago to today, God has been actively working in her life. She is a completely different person. She truly is living, walking evidence that miracles do happen. She has written an 8-page account of her story that I hope many people will be able to read and be encouraged by. I am so thankful that God has saved Rita because I feel that he will use her in great and mighty ways. Already she has been sharing the Bible with her friends, roommate, and coworkers, and she hopes to devote the rest of her life to doing this. Please keep her in your thoughts.
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” (Mt 18:12-13)
John: We have been meeting up consistently every week to go over FOF and Philippians. He has been reading on a consistent basis and he is getting more familiar with the Bible. So far, he has read through the four gospels, Romans, and Philippians, and currently going through Acts. He has shared with me that he sincerely enjoys reading the Bible. He has shared the gospel with his family members as well as with his friends over various ways of communications (in person, e-mail, etc.). It’s encouraging for me to see him grow in his understanding and his conviction about the Bible. From what I see in him, I see a healthy appetite for the Bible. As of now, he’s just at a point where he is deciding what he wants to do with his life from now on. I told him that whatever job he does, he should just live it and share about the gospel. He definitely has a heart for sharing the gospel, but he feels he needs to know more about it before he can share with more confidence and actually disciple them if they are interested. Please pray for guidance for his future job decisions and continual growth through reading of the Bible.
Tony: He has been hard to meet up with due to his work. I have been trying to meet up with him for two weeks now. Of the two, I worry about him the most since he still seems a bit shaky. Please pray for him that he would read and pray consistently and that there would be more opportunities for us to meet. Last time we met, he just realized that it would be easier for him to pray in Chinese and not in English (then I explained to him God knows all the languages). That incident just made me realize that I really need to start with the very basics for him. Please pray for him that he would learn what it means to be a Christian and he would grow in his commitment. Also, for work, he has put in a request so that he can have weekends free. I am really hoping that that proposal would go through so he will time to meet up and also have time to go out to the house every weekend.
Me: Realizing that I have only 2 months left, I have been getting ready to transition out. My concerns and goals for the past weeks were to get the two new Christians (John and Tony) well-informed with the basics of the gospel and also get them hooked up with reliable/permanent workers here. Pray for me that I may be diligent and faithful to the end. I really want to show and if possible transfer to them my excitement and love for God and His Bible through my meetings with them. I dare not fake it, for I know that what one sows will be what one will reap. Pray that through my life (my heart, my actions, my speech, etc), He will show the two as well as others, my willing submission to Jesus Christ and my delight in Him and His Bible. If I am able to be used by Him in such a manner, I will very happy. 
Hello family! 
Long time, no type! I feel like it’s been a century since I’ve been able to update you all on what’s been going on. In any case, I hope our update is a refreshing “distraction” to your week!
I wanted to personally take this opportunity to thank those who were my prayer warriors during the time I was away (and especially for those who have been throughout this entire year). My time inside North Korea was amazing to say the least – but in all sincerity, I find myself at a loss of words to describe what it was like to witness everything inside. It was like 2 weeks of information overload and there is so much to say about so many different things inside. I wish I could gush about what I saw, but for obviously reasons regarding safety and sensitivity, it will have to wait until I come home and am able to tell you all in person. Good thing I journalized throughout my trip.
As for my dear friend Rebecca, (from JM University) we’ve been meeting weekly for the past several months and will now begin to meet twice a week to get better acquainted and begin studying FOF together. Her interest in knowing more about Christianity is continuing to grow and she is eager to learn about what the Bible has to say regarding our faith. She actually is a member of the Communist party, but very open to knowing more than what others tell her she should hold to. In the beginning, it seemed her motivation to learn was to gain more knowledge about this religion, but her questions have been growing increasingly deeper and I am hoping that our time together will begin to provoke greater curiosity leading ultimately to her salvation. Please pray that her heart, mind, and soul would be softened to the gospel and that God would guide my time and teaching with her; that I would speak accurately and with clarity.
Things seem to be getting busier as summer is approaching – I have begun meeting with my small group guys on a 1-on-1 basis but due to their/my schedule, a consistent weekly meeting has been difficult to maintain. They (3 guys) have all been very open to listen and study what the Bible teaches about the job – but each still has their reasons for not making the decision. My hope is to make weekly meetings a regular thing, especially with the 3 as they have all heard the complete message, and seem open to continue meeting with me to discuss questions as well as hear me out. My other 1-on-1 contact is becoming harder and harder to see, as his new job is taking up a lot of his time, and our schedules are always in conflict – although he has not been very eager to talk about things, his new job has brought to him a realization of the emptiness this world has to offer — so I am hoping that his schedule begins to free up more, and that God will use his new job, to show him that their is more to life than work, money, success, etc…..other than that – work is coming to an end in a months time and I am quite excited for the extra time that will free up to continue pursuing other opportunities
Hi, family! Since our last update, many eventful things have happened . . .
Our new sister Rita is continuing to grow with leaps and bounds . . . it’s exciting to see His glow in her. As we continue to meet, my goal is to continue to build her up and encourage her in all areas. One thing to keep in mind is that she’s really looking for a church that is close to her home — not because she’s not willing to commute, but because she wants it to be like our church at home — she wants it to be more than just Sundays, and is looking for true fellowship during the week as well. Until she finds that, she’ll be attending a church recommended by Lynna and Jeni’s friends. I’ve been able to go with her and screen the content (PTL that I can actually understand almost all of it!). It’s not like home, but there was some very good teaching (I think better than we get at our international meetings … too bad it’s all in the mother tongue). Personally, it has been really encouraging to go to these meetings and to see/hear what people are up to here. It’s pretty eye-opening.
Our other new sis Esther is also continuing to grow, although I don’t spend 1 to 1 time with her on a regular basis. As I said before, she already has several Christian friends and attends a church. Since our time here is winding down, I want to make sure she has a strong foundation, so I hope to do the same OT/NT survey with her (Pastor Aaron, thanks again — it’s really effective and concise material!) along with some other basics. Also, as our group ends this upcoming week, our hope is that the others will either want to study more with us 1 to 1, or make the choice to go with Him.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been able to spend some time with various friends (thanks for your thoughts — I’ve been able to meet 1 to 1 or in smaller groups with many people now!). There are some definite prospects — some may only be superficially interested, but I know that He can transform that into a genuine interest. As they hear, may the great news have an impact that is powerful and life-changing.
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A few years ago, I came across a passage in Luke that got me shaking in my boots:
