“. . . able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think . . . .”
(Ephesians 3:20)
I will apologize in advance for the length of this letter. The Lord has blessed in so many amazing ways in the last few weeks that I cannot help but share them.
First of all, I’d like to tell you about the situation in China. China is a place of turmoil at the moment. The ability to return to China seems to be dependent on where you go, by what means you are planning on staying, and whether or not the man reviewing your paperwork has had his coffee yet. We have heard that the turmoil could possibly be due to an internal power struggle in the CCP. The current lockdowns are probably unnecessary, but to back away from these stringent rules would be like saying they were wrong. The leaders will not allow themselves to lose face like that. They will endure to show they were right in their decisions, no matter the cost, even to the economy. Some believe that things will possibly settle down after the Communist Party Congress meets in October. We are praying that we will be able to apply for our visas at that time.
At the end of May, I was asked if I would go with a group of men to Poland. We were to deliver several hundred Ukrainian Bibles. While there, we were able to distribute almost 200 Bibles to Ukrainian refugees waiting at a UN refugee center. What a blessing it was to see the people smile as they realized that it was the Word of God in their language! Many stood reading and receiving spiritual aid while they waited in line to get their humanitarian aid.
The Lord gave us a wonderful day at the park a couple of weeks ago. All of our regular individual soul-winning opportunities had been canceled, and we were stuck with each other. So, we piled in the car and headed to the park. My wife and P___ were able to lead two people to Christ. R___ and I also saw two saved. T___ went by himself and was able to lead four souls to Christ! The Lord really blessed, and we left full of joy.
The following week, the Lord brought R___ into my path. P___ P___ my friend M___, and I were soul winning in Chicago. None of us were aware that R___ had been watching and was seeking help and relief from his burden. Bro. P____ was able to hand him a tract as he passed by us. He walked a little farther and stopped by a building to look at his phone, or so it seemed. He waited until we headed for the car door to approach us again. He had a question for me about “this,” pointing at the tract. He then very softly asked, “Can a gay man be saved?” Wow! My mind raced as I tried to think clearly of the best way to start to answer him. The Holy Spirit prompted me just to jump right into the tract. I read Point 1, “We are ALL sinners. The Bible clearly tells us that sodomy is sin.” I made it clear that this was not an attack on him alone, but rather it is just fact. All sin is evil in God’s sight, from the most innocent lie to the most heinous murder. We all deserve Hell. Then I was able to tell him about the glorious love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, how He suffered for our sins and paid the price for all mankind! So, to sum it up for R___, I said, “If you understand and admit that being gay is a sin and turn from it, believe that Jesus paid for your sins, and ask Him for forgiveness, then, yes, a gay man can get saved.” He could hardly believe that he hadn’t been beat down or verbally abused for asking this question. I followed up by asking if I could pray for him. He happily agreed, so I did. When finished, I asked R___ if he would like to accept Christ. He said, “Yes,” and I led him in a prayer. As I was not quite sure of how blunt I should be, I used the normal words I use to help anyone when they aren’t sure how to pray for forgiveness. However, as R___ repeated, he added clear and direct words of repentance from his specific sin as he prayed for forgiveness. Praise the Lord for SIMPLE SALVATION and the Holy Spirit’s drawing in sinful hearts! The Lord is still working in this world! Never quit!
How amazing it was to see God working so powerfully in the last month. We are still looking to have several more meetings in the fall to try to finish off raising the last part of our support before we initiate our return to China. We are praying, with the Lord’s direction and blessing, we will be back on the field by the end of this year. Thank you for your faithfulness in prayers and financial support.
Bound to His service,
Missionary #6004