Mission Harmony to China, 1/6-18, 2009

By God’s grace, the mission harmony to China team of 14 brothers and sisters from 6 churches,

was invited by Shan Xi province on official business to lead an elementary student English winter camp in worshiping God twice daily, outreach the city with EV concerts nightly in Taiyuan from 1/12-16.

And meanwhile, during the handbook time, I was able to share the Book of Revelation with 16 pastors and teachers from the official church of 35,000 members at a week long retreat in the same hotel we stayed.

Praise the Lord, God has blessed us with perfect health needed for this very intensive task and empowered us with His Spirit to praise His name and witness Him in sowing those seeds of His kingdom into hearts of kids and people there. Also, thank God for giving us 8-10 degree warmer weather in 40s’, this dropped to teens after we left.

We have witnessed God’s moving hands. The provincial religious department head had welcomed me with a nice dinner, accompanied by the official church’s pastors! He welcomed us to bring in more camps, training programs and preaching as well. He approved us to hold camp presentation night in the church, so that we were able to sing hymns and share message to worship God in front of so many non-believing parents. It’s quite an event; even for the head pastor to see this (she and others thought we are to sing secular songs). I felt God’s glory filling the sanctuary.

Our camp kids had been singing “Jesus Loves little children” in the mall ALL THE TIME, while they were had program there.  I’m still surprised when thinking of those kids singing hymns (8 to 10 songs) by memorizing all their lyrics in complete versions, not the shortened ones. It has to be God in making this happen, since we praise Him.

While over there, the head of the private school system of 60,000 students over 55 major cities discussed with me on expanding this English camp program for the long run. I still can never comprehend how God is going to lead this special mission for the next few years to come.

The 35,000-member-church has been training their ministers thru a two-year program in a seminary established by the church. 30-40 students, retired and young, live together in the campus studying from dawn till dark in a spiritual environment, a truly 3-self model!

After more sharing from the pastors, I started to realize a bit how those pastors willing to be criticized by outsiders on one hand, and persecuted by the government on the other hand, just for submitting to God’s calling to minister His people: “to sharper in where the sheep are”. I admire those pastors’ courage to bear so much misunderstanding from outside and have godly wisdom to minister under such a censored environment. And live by faith, without financial support from government to cover their basic living expenses. No wonder that God bless this church when first opened in 1980 with merely 6 people to today’s 35000 members and 700+ new believers baptized each year. And God has shown them with all kinds of miracles like healings and even resurrection from death. They are today’s Philadelphia church in Smyrna and Pergamum.

The church in Taiyuan has suffered from an image for the poor and the weak only and being backward regarded by most, such that the newly well-to-do people will not come. I felt a mission to help the church to present a new image to be modern and attractive to the upper class, since the rich will need Christ even more. We can help with English camps for kids and in the mean time holding various faith life seminars for their parents. The same mission program can be planned for both of the church and the school, the difference is that the school will cover all camp expenses in a resort, while the church will need us to cover all extra camp expenses and stayed in her facility. Maybe we will have more brothers and sisters from American churches going to the school camp, while more of us Chinese Americans going to the church camp.

From my personal encounter for the past couple years, God has been showing His mercy over Taiwan and China by using me to organizing three missions, 12-member team to Tainan in Sept, 2007, 20-member team to Ligang in July, 2008 and 14-member team to Taiyuan in Jan, 2009.

Who am I? I’m just a little brother. God has His will of goodness and might to have it done through His people. That’s exactly what Amy and I witnessed from a Chinese Indonesia couple living in Shanghai last week, who was called to minister people there for the past four years after graduating from Trinity Seminar in Singapore. By submitting to God’s calling, they gave up business at home, and went to a place never though of and were scared of. In return, God empower them with healing gift, not just ministering people in the local official church, including the pastor’s wife, but also in other cities in China to glorify Him. There are similar stories like this occurring to Taiwan; God currently has special favor in Taiwan and China. PTL!

With the winter mission just completed, I started to pray about the summer mission. It seems that God wants us to go for missions in Ligang, Taiwan and Taiyuan, China. It was impossible to do both missions in sequel not long ago, now direct flights from Taiwan to China make this possible. Additionally, God has moved our brothers and sisters to make significant offerings to pave the way to mission Taiwan already. PTL!

With that I’d like you to pray about summer missions to Taiwan and/or China in the summer, possibly from 7/5-19, on VBS camp for kids and faith life seminars for adults in sequel or at the same time, and additional teaching opportunities in the church’s seminary. Like previous mission trips, you will be assured to work extremely hard by God’s might to leave a significant impact in extending God’s kingdom there, and afterwards have great fun of fellowship in side trips.

2009冬季太原短宣見證

溫正祥

三年前我未曾想過去台灣短宣，今年也沒想過會到中國山西太原傳福音。神的作為豈是小信的我可以料想得到的！

在2006年的聖誕節下午，我特意到Gaylord Resort向一群從哈爾濱來的冰雕師們傳福音。在分享時，突然聽到一個聲音: “到台灣傳福音”。記得當時感到非常的驚訝，何以在這群離台灣有十萬八千里遠的人面前，會聽到如此清晰的聲音。接著在我日後的禱告中，一幕幕的異象向我顯明神的旨意。神的信實廣大是值得我們信靠的。我們夫婦便在2007年夏天, 因著神的帶領組成了台宣的中美團隊，其中有美國教會的敬拜團參加，又有許多弟兄姊妹犧牲的奉獻和擺上的禱告。「台宣」首次出隊十一人, 去了台南的長榮大學帶領新生營。接著在2008年夏天, 有FCBC華人教會, 孫牧師一家人和 Li 偉珍傳道的參與, 一行二十人到屏東里港的兩間小學帶暑期聖經營。在這兩次的短宣裡，體驗了神的大作為。

去年七月中從台宣回來後，便於禱告中尋求神指引2009年的短宣事工。在一次的早禱中，我看在高原上一座很古老的城。這城對我是完全陌生的，它不在海邊，也不在草原上，而在一個黃土的高原上。我沒有進一步追問這是什麼地方，倒是注意到從城門口彎曲下來一條路下到山腳，到我腳前，且鋪得很好，像是要我馬上就走上那座城去。可是我心想其中必有詐，便裹足不前。隨後果真有輪番的攻擊阻撓我上那城去。雖然眼前充滿了恐嚇，但我心中卻充滿了平安，深知我主耶穌在保守。

隨後經由石璐姊妹聯繫上太原的一間少兒英文學校。校方對Youtube放映的台灣短宣唱遊影片頗感興趣，期盼也能在該校教唱。我便給了他們在里港短宣的整套聖經教材，還加強了敬拜的詩歌三、四倍之多，為了透過敬拜來加深信息的傳講。於是，校方和山西省政府便以文化交流的名義，正式邀請我們才剛成立的「和諧事工中心」組團前往帶領今年1月12日到16日太原市的“美國村少兒英文冬令營”。這全是神的恩典。

我們一行有十四位弟兄姊妹，除了我們夫婦來自ACC，其他十二位美國人分別來自五間教會，其中有六位來自兩間教會的敬拜團成員。可是，在籌劃時，卻面臨了國際金融風暴，加上太原的冬天很冷，小信的我便一直想拖延。然而每次禱告時，都沒有得到神的答覆，心中也沒有平安。神還透過孫師母叫我不可隨便放棄神給的異象。心中一再躊躇不前時。突然，收到該校校長的一封信，講到他瞭解現在美國經濟有極大的困難，但他相信“神會幫助我們成功的。”他是個不信神的人, 卻講出了怎麼有信心的話, 頓時，我知曉了這是神給我禱告的答覆。

兩天後，我便決定買了五人的機票，因校長說他這次營會只要有三個人成行就好了。心想這已經達到了名額的要求, 趕緊買下還算低的機票，就此成行吧! 但是心中卻淒然，因為此行將沒有敬拜團了。在過去的短宣裡，我們都以敬拜神為首要，不但在白天帶領學生敬拜神，晚上還舉行音樂佈道會。有一個專業的敬拜團一直是我們短宣隊的特色。因為當我們敬拜神的時候，神的名被高舉，祂的作為被彰顯後，祂的大能便會觸動人心，向人顯明祂自己，這時我們便容易領人信主了。過去我們都見證了神的大能，然而這回卻沒有敬拜團來打這場屬靈的爭戰了。

就在當天下午在我開車回家的路上，面對著前面的高速公路時，我突然看到我們在帶領一群孩子們敬拜神，耶穌從後門進來, 說：「我很滿意！」當時，我感動得眼眶都濕了。但是, 我忘了這次我們並沒有敬拜團。

雖然那時還沒有要去的敬拜團，當晚卻趕緊上網尋找便宜的機票，準備給萬一有敬拜團成行來使用。翌日早上也抽空查了一下，但票價早已高漲。中午時，突有奇想，打電話問旅行社的余小姐是否還有便宜機票。回話當然是：「不可能！」就在談話中，她也一面查票價。忽然間，她說中國國際航空正推出大減價，馬上向我要名單定位。正在焦急時，我的電話中傳進有人來電的嘟嘟聲，接上後，竟是敬拜團一行九人決定要去了。感謝、讚美主！祂的信實何其廣大！！神有全知全能來完成祂的旨意，不因人的小信有所變更。當初只想達到最低名額三人就滿足了，神卻有祂至高的意念，預備了敬拜團，也帶領我們一行十四人所有的行程，連我怕的太原寒冷冬天, 也升暖了十度, 保守我們完成了這次的中國短宣。感謝主！  

敬拜團每天在早上和下午課之前帶領孩子們敬拜神，邊唱邊講解神的信息，在孩子心中種下美好的福音種子。也因神的幫助，孩子們在營會的成果發表晚會上，在眾多不信主的父母前，用所教的英文詩歌大聲頌讚我們的神。那種情景真是不可思議! 願榮耀全歸於父神。

每晚我們在當地的三自教會舉辦音樂敬拜晚會。吸引了許多太原市民前來參加，並與我們一起熱忱地頌讚神，高舉主名。期盼日後他們都能來教會，繼續領受神的光和愛，早早接受救恩。值得順便一提的, 在我們分享、感謝主的復活時, 會眾都大聲的讚美神！

之前, 因著敬拜團演出場地的需要，我勇敢地聯繫了三自教會的主任牧師。本來以為不可能的事，加上自己對三自教會已有的偏見，便一直向神禱告盼能借到三自教會的主堂來敬拜祂(這個禱告聽起來, 是很奇怪!)。在我一人獨講了半小時的電話後，她便答應了我一切借教會主堂的請求，更出人意料地反問我，可否給他們做一些培訓？因我先前曾譯著、出版「從震怒到榮耀」一書，便一口答應，願意分享啟示錄。隨後我便郵寄了一些書稿供她參考。她看後，就進一步的邀請我帶領他們教牧的退修會。原來，他們有十六位牧師要牧養約35,000人。同工們最近才盼望主任牧師給他們辦個退修會，可以互相切磋，學習神的話語，從神話語的供養中重新得力。想不到因著向神禱告祈求敬拜場地的關係，我可以在許多祂所重用的僕人中分享啟示錄，闡揚天國福音裡的盼望, 和神所預定要賜給人的榮耀。  

就在「中宣」出發前，我搜索了網站來認識「太原」這個城市，首先映入眼簾的就是這個敘述:「太原的意思就是指座落在高原上的一座城市」。原來，神早在異象中向我顯明了這短宣的地點, 而我卻一直以為「太原」是大平原的意思。既是出於祂的旨意，祂便供應和保守了我們的短宣，因為祂的信實是何等廣大，遠超乎人所求所想的，叫我不得不禁讚嘆神奇妙的作為！

神的憐憫近來特別臨到海峽兩岸的華人，從我個人的領受和其他許多海內外神僕人的分享中，祂不斷的在呼召工人去兩地傳揚天國的福音。在我們這次短宣的隊員中，便有一位才十六歲的高中生，聽到「中宣」後，就一直要參加。她父親告訴我，在過去四年來她一直夢到去中國的孤兒院裡,照顧孤兒。我不知道神為什麼這麼鍾愛中國人？祂正在經由各種渠道, 賜下救恩給海峽兩岸的中國人, 在華人中擴展祂的國度。 感謝主！