Please pray for the local Chinese in these areas
1. God to raise up seminary trained people to go and teach the Chinese pastors so they will be able to teach sound doctrine.
2. Protect the church there from false teachers and false doctrine
3. Comfort those imprisoned for their faith and provide for their families
4. Strengthen Chinese believers to study and start Bible studies of their own
5. Bless those who stand for Jesus to see much fruit that lasts for eternity
In 2002, I went to Nanjing,China as a member of a 5 person team assigned to a college campus. I taught English and the others enrolled as students of Chinese. I taught about 500 students and gave lectures to about 2500 students in the course of the 3 years I was on that campus. I set up meetings between the Campus crusade kids and the Chinese students for lunch or outings. We did relationship evangelism with parties through out the seasons and playing the Jesus Film . The lectures I gave were on “American” culture and through those opportunities I shared the gospel using Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter. The Lord give me many ideas for evangelism such as teaching Psalms as part of the most widely sold book in the world…the Bible. We held “english corners” or study groups in apartments or our dorm rooms where we helped the students practice their English and expand their vocabularies by reading the Bible. Those students whom Jesus called became part of Bible studies to learn and grow in their faith. We gave them Bibles written in Chinese and English. These students were fervent and faithful in study and prayer. It was not easy for them because there could be serious consequences for professing their faith to family and friends. I am not sure how many accepted Jesus call to come to him in the three years but there are many I know and still have contact with and at least 3500 who heard the gospel. What an amazing God we serve!
In 2005, God moved me to Shanghai where I was no longer affiliated with CCC but just on my own with Jesus. I was the head of an ESL department at a private company school founded by a Taiwanese-American Christian man. God had given him a vision to start a computer company in China; staffing it as much as possible with Taiwanese Christian supervisors to evangelize employees. The school was founded to educate the children of the english speaking staff and curriculum was available in Chinese and English. Most of the teachers for grades K-12 were Christians in the beginning. As it grew, more local Chinese sent their children and we hired unbelievers when there were no applicants that could fill the job for teaching. So, my mission field grew from the employees at the company to students and then teachers and teaching assistants. These were in addition to neighbors, shop owners and local restaurant employees.
China was wide open and hungry for the Good News. Many had never even heard the name of Jesus. There were always safety and security concerns for the Chinese when we met or handed out bibles. Police did show up from time to time saying they were checking on “our safety”. Once they made us disband our 40 member “English corner” meeting because there is a law that states no more than 15 people may congregate in any place at a time. Yet, God has enabled churches to be open for foreigners and there are huge crowds in the state sponsored Three Self Churches. They frequently have 5 to 10 meetings in a weekend because of all the locals wanting to attend.
Now I am back in Texas and missing my friends and life in China. It was an amazing time of growth and joy and love. I did not even know any Chinese people before I went. Now my heart is full of God’s love for these people . One thing that became very clear to me . One thing of which I am absolutely certain… God is in control…He is in control of everything or nothing. Since it is everything; we never need to fear or doubt His love. No matter who you are, how insignificant and unequipped you feel….God can use you and give you true purpose for your life.
I am nobody special. I was raised in a Presbyterian church family and when I went to college … I rebelled. I became anti God and mocked believers on campus and embraced the ways of the world. At the age of 26, I simply had the feeling I needed to find a church to take my children to. A friend shared the gospel with me and Jesus opened my eyes that day to His saving grace. I found a good Bible teaching church and began to grow in knowledge of Him and not just about Him.
I knew that Jesus gave me the gifts of teaching and evangelism. I boldly shared the gospel freely and frequently with any one He brought in my path. I taught Sunday school for children. I had Good News Clubs in my home. I lead Bible studies and VBS. Over a 2 year period, our family was a foster home for 27 new born babies from a private adoption agency.
I felt we had a blessed life until my husband left and I was suddenly a single mom to my son. The only reason I include this is for encouragement to others. This was a dark time and I could see no joy or good that could come from this.
About 10 years later, God called me to China. What an audacious and ridiculous idea that my God would choose me! By this time I was a 55 yr old, divorced grandmother. I was raising three of my granddaughters . I had never been out of the country. I did not have a passport and had never thought about myself in the context of overseas missions.
My decision to go was based completely on my faith in my God to use me, one of the foolish things of this world, and to equip me to be useful to Him. That step took me to the other side of the world for the most blessed and exciting decade of my adult life.
Hello again! Today’s brave story is a beautiful account of God building up a family. Suzanne and her husband Adam have two adopted children and one on the way from China! I hope this story excites you to step out in faith!
Stories from San Antonio (and China!)
Waters crashed beneath his feet, but in that moment of trust, Peter didn’t even notice. His eyes were bravely fixed on the one who calms our fears and carries our burdens. Suddenly, distractions over came him, and his eyes were drawn away from Jesus, down to the waves. Fear enveloped him, and he was sinking.
Have you ever felt like Peter? Boldly stepping out in faith, only to momentarily lose sight of Him and scream out, “Wait! What was I thinking? Lord, save me!” as you realize you are standing on water with no boat or support. The hand of Jesus reaches out to catch you, as He says, “‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?'” (Matthew 14:31b, NIV)
How quickly we sometimes step out in faith but just as easily forget about Him.
Adoption is an amazing journey of faith and trust. There are moments that are easy because you clearly see the hand of God, but at the same time, there are decisions to be made that are incredibly difficult or scary. And then are moments in the journey when fear, disappointment, or doubt can creep in and pull your focus away from the Lord. You begin to sink, only to realize you must cry out to Him for help.
Choosing to follow God’s call to adoption was easy in theory. We said, “Yes, Lord! Adoption will be our plan A.” Our hearts leaped with excitement at the thought. We pushed forward, but as the country paperwork phase began, mounds of documents started collecting on my desk, and I began to feel as it I would never get finished. I can honestly say that now, on our third adoption, it doesn’t get any easier.
With each new adoption we step out into uncharted waters, initially excited at what God has in store, but inevitably, at some point, I let the crashing waves distract me and pull focus momentarily away from the One who asked us to water on water in the first place. Questions and impatience creep in trying to pull my focus from Jesus. How do we pick achild? Is this my child? What if God asks you do something CRAZY that you never thought you would do like adopt an 8 year old boy?!
The good news is that even when we let things pull our focus in the wrong direction, God is there ready to grab hold of us and pull us out of the water. Even though we doubt at times and our faith may waiver, He will forgive us and help us to bravely push on. Hopefully, we gain a little more faith before the next wave hits us. With each adoption, while I have been distracted at times, I can look back and remember how His timing is always perfect and His plan far exceeds my finite imagination.
So when God asks us to travel into uncharted waters for Him, step out bravely in faith knowing and remembering all that He has done for us and how everything we do should bring glory to His name. He is faithful. He will not forsake you and will be there to carry you.
“’For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,’
‘As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.'”
declares the Lord.
(Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)
After struggling with infertility for 5 years, God led Suzanne and her husband Adam to His Plan A for their lives—adoption! Their daughter came into their lives in 2011 from the Fujian Province, China. Their son joined their family in January of 2013 from Shanghai, and another little girl will be joining their family in 2015 from the Hunan Province. After a career in politics, Suzanne is thankful for God’s provision in their lives that now allows her to work part time as a Pilates instructor while home schooling their children. You can follow their adoption journey and life on their blog, Surpassing Greatness.
Mom's Going to Madagascar 