China’s Unholy War: Targeting the “Least of These”
As if harassing and imprisoning innocent Christians was not enough, Communist authorities have decided to begin removing most orphans and foster children from their loving group homes and foster families and return them to the large, state-run orphanages, so they won’t be “influenced” by “Western” ways of thinking (and loving)! We personally know multiple families and individuals who have been directly affected by this new policy, and are devastated at not being able to continue caring for the children they so love.
What the Enemy intends for evil, God can use for good, just as He did for Joseph in Egypt (Gen. 50:20).
Pray for God to intervene and provide loving caretakers for these children wherever they are!
Pastor Wang Yi’s Unjust Sentence
Pastor Wang Yi was arrested December 9, 2018, along with hundreds of others in his church. Most served short sentences and were eventually released, including Wang Yi’s wife (after 6 months in prison). Wang Yi, however, was only officially tried (and convicted) in a secret trial in the days just after Christmas. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison. He did not plead guilty to the trumped up charges and he will not appeal (not that it would do any good). As he begins to serve his official sentence, it would be good to remember his own words written just a short time before his initial arrest:
“Those who lock me up will one day be locked up by angels. Those who interrogate me will finally be questioned and judged by Christ. When I think of this, the Lord fills me with a natural compassion and grief toward those who are attempting to and actively imprisoning me. Pray that the Lord would use me, that he would grant me patience and wisdom, that I might take the gospel to them.”
Special Ops in the Middle Kingdom
Pray for the intrepid teams who continue to spread God’s Word among the unevangelized towns and villages of northwestern China. These (mostly) young people boldly share the truth of the Gospel with many thousands of households, primarily through the written Word. Those who served in October and November of 2019 were able to stay safe and carry the Gospel to dozens of new locations! Now we are gearing up for another passionate team next month, with even more teams confirmed for March and April.
Pray for the intrepid teams who continue to spread God’s Word among the unevangelized towns and villages of northwestern China. These (mostly) young people boldly share the truth of the Gospel with many thousands of households, primarily through the written Word. Those who served in October and November of 2019 were able to stay safe and carry the Gospel to dozens of new locations! Now we are gearing up for another passionate team next month, with even more teams confirmed for March and April.
Please continue to pray for the seeds we plant, “that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored” (2 Thes. 3:1), and don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like information on joining a team in the Fall of 2020.
Blazing a Trail from the Andes to Tibet
Our long-time dream of raising up missionaries adapted to the extreme altitude of the Peruvian Andes to go and serve the unreached peoples in the extreme altitude of the Tibetan Plateau is quickly becoming much more tangible. In a recent missionary training here in the outskirts of Lima, students took part in a simulated outreach very much like what we regularly do in the highlands of northwest China. And multiple students showed an interest in someday going to serve and take part in the “real thing”. Last month I also met a local believer who is an alpine trekking guide, and is willing to go and carry God’s Word to the “almost” inaccessible villages and monasteries in Tibet.
Please join us in praying that God would continue to call Peruvians to join in the harvest, and to provide for all of their needs in His perfect timing!
Christmas in an Andean Prison
The highlight of my Christmas was getting to travel with my wife’s great uncle Fabian to minister for two consecutive days in a high-security prison in the high Andes. With help from some of you (you know who you are), we helped provide a simple Christmas party for hundreds of inmates, including cake, hot chocolate, books, Bibles, and other practical gifts (toothpaste, soap, detergent, etc). And of course we boldly and clearly proclaimed the Gospel and taught from the scriptures! There are already many new believers among the prisoners, hungry to learn more from God’s Word, and many more who are willing to listen. How refreshing it was to freely preach in the prisons of Peru, whereas in Christians in China are sent to prison for preaching the Gospel in public. That particular illustration impacted many of the converted prisoners, who promised to pray for the persecuted believers in communist China!
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