“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” Matthew 9:36-38.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and your generous gifts to place Bibles into rural China. Since 1949 China has been closed to Western Christian missionaries but, by the grace of God, there is a major Christian revival happening in China
today. There are estimates that 20,000 to 30,000 people are becoming Christians each day. This has not gone unnoticed by Satan and with the tremendous shortage of Bibles in economically depressed areas of rural China these new believers are vulnerable to false teachers and false teaching. You can help in two ways:

• • Sponsor Bibles – God’s Word is the source of all truth. The Holy Spirit will use the Bibles to
    protect these new babes in Christ.

• • Pray for individuals that will receive the Bibles you send

It has been my personal observation that at times North American Christians can be somewhat casual when they say “I will pray for you.” I have observed that is quite different in China. On my last trip to  China I told a man receiving a Bible that the Christians in my church were praying for him and immediately tears filled his eyes. The thought of anyone praying for him deeply touched his heart and he understood and embraced the power of prayer.

One of the frequently asked questions we receive from people considering sponsoring Bibles is “Are the people in the more remote areas of rural China able to read?” Not all the believers are able to read but virtually everyone 50 years of age and under can read and a surprising number of older Christians are literate. One thing our teams have observed is that when Christians live in these economically depressed rural areas they tend to help each other. This is true even when it comes to reading the Bible. One of our team members snapped this photo of two older ladies that tells the
whole story.

Another frequently asked question is, “What is a church service like in China and do the believers pray in public?” At a rural church in a province south of Beijing as Bibles were being prepared to be passed out, the host pastor asked the believers to pray and thank God for providing them Bibles. The church was filled wall to wall and as the believers stood and prayed, some out loud and some silently, it was humbling for our team to see the puddles of tears forming on the concrete floor as the believers wept before the Lord.

A few suggestions as you pray for the Chinese believers:

• • Pray the Holy Spirit guides each person into the truths of God’s Word and the application of
    these truths.
  • Pray these believers will share their Bible with other believers who do not have a Bible.
  • Pray for God’s protection in a country where being an atheist is  a prerequisite for serving in the government or getting any public job.
  • Pray for them to share the gospel message and to bear much fruit.
  • Pray for the Christian revival in China to continue.

Philippians1:3-5 expresses how I feel about each person reading this story, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” This is God’s ministry and as God provides the Bibles through your gifts and protects them through your prayers the Bibles for China team seeks to faithfully oversee and verify delivery. Thank you. God is using each of you mightily in this partnership of placing Bibles into rural China.Please be as generous as God will allow to provide more Bibles for our Chinese brothers and sisters.