Prayer Requests for Current Trip

I would like to share with you a couple of praise reports and prayer requests from the last few weeks, as well as a some urgent requests for these next few days…

1) After more than 1 year back in China, I was finally issued my Residence Permit this past week as a part-time English teacher. We had been living on just tourist visas until now, so this is a huge blessing and answer to prayer! 

2) We are connecting more and more with the local Chinese believers in our city, and hoping to encourage them to reach out more faithfully to their Muslim neighbors. We are also hearing about a variety of needs and needy people within this community. Last month I mentioned a lady (Sister Wang) who was the only believer in her family and had suffered for her faith. This month we got to meet Sister Wei (who led Sister Wang to the Lord), and discovered that she is the only believer in her family as well. Another Christian neighbor who helped us find Sister Wei is also the only believer in his family. Finally, we are hoping to visit Brother Bai very soon in his village. He and his wife are mildly handicapped (his wife more so) and their caretaker daughter has recently become violent, injuring him. So please pray for all of these isolated and suffering Christians, that God would save both their families and those unreached people groups around them!

3) I am right in the middle of a 5 day trip to a remote region of the Tibetan Plateau, most of which I have never visited before. Today was an exhausting (yet beautiful) day of driving and exploring. We discovered two very unique monasteries and were able to distribute a few hundred scripture booklets total in each one as well as in many surrounding small towns and villages. Please pray for our continued safety and for divine appointments as we continue on this week's journey!

4) The need in this region is overwhelming. Just as an example, we spoke with the Chinese owners of the restaurant where we had lunch today and asked them if they knew of any Christians among even the few hundred Chinese people in that majority-Tibetan town. The answer was negative: NOT ONE Christian even in the Chinese community there (among whom revival has been witnessed in many other parts of China). 

So how are the Chinese Christians going to reach the Muslims and Tibetans in their midst if there are NO Chinese Christians in these regions? That's a bit of an overstatement: there are some, just not many, and not enough. So please join us in praying for more laborers, both from within China and abroad, to preach the Gospel and plant churches among China's least-reached peoples!