художник на икониThere are currently two churches in China: the official, known as the Three Self Church (TSC) and the unofficial, known as the House Church.  From the smallest to the largest churches in the country, the Lord’s humbling presence and love for the Chinese people is unmistakable. Throughout the country, the deep need for faith is being proclaimed.

Best of all, children’s ministry is very much alive in China today, and we mean, right now! You may have heard about the restrictions related to sharing God’s Word with children in China but, Pastors and Sunday School teachers are speaking openly about their children’s programs and the spiritual growth that is resulting from them.

In the large, official, churches children’s ministry is becoming enough of a priority that they are even constructing new buildings specifically for their children. House Church leaders share similar enthusiasm, although with fewer resources. No matter the size of the church, both the TSC and House Church have asked us, albeit separately, for a homegrown, culturally relevant children’s Bible study and teacher resources. They know this next generation could not only change China’s future, they could be the world changers to finish the job in the 10/40 window.

A well-established House Church leader we met recently estimates about 8% of the population, or roughly 100 million people are now Christian yet he went on to say, “85% of Beijing has never even heard the name of Jesus.” The buzz should not be about the 2008 Olympics but what the Lord is doing in China!

This is still a work in progress for Gospel Light Worldwide, the churches and the children. As you watch the videos of these young believers, please bear in mind that they are just beginning to learn about a relationship with Jesus.

Please pray with us for China and this next generation. This is such a pivotal time.

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We have been in Indiana all week recuperating with our children. This evening we arrived home in Ventura. What follows is part of a post I meant to post on Monday but couldn’t find the energy to finish and a bit of summing up.We landed in Indianapolis late last Sunday night. Our flight was delayed. Not funny. The layover in Abu Dhabi and the flight home was a bit of a stretch. The Abu Dhabi airport was filled with smoke and I got nauseous. And then on the flight I just couldn’t really sleep and continued to feel nauseated off and on. But we landed safely at JFK and that’s what counts. After visiting all the other countries we had visited I felt very blessed to be standing in the US PASSPORT HOLDERS ONLY line. I wondered how many people in the FOREIGN PASSPORT HOLDERS line wished they were in my line. The US isn’t perfect and we have our share of problems, but I am GRATEFUL this is where my citizenship lies. (Show me more…)