Recently one of our team members shared the following reflection on the experience of delivering Bibles to rural China:
It was a Sunday and my nerves were going crazy. I was anxious, nervous, excited, worried, eager, and stressed. To put it lightly, I was a mess. A friend from church saw this and approached me, asking me to come with him to pray. The words that he spoke rang true throughout the trip:
“Be still. The God who is with you here is the same God in China. The God who has called you to join this trip to China is the same God who is preparing the hearts of the thousands of believers you will meet. You are not taking God to China. He is taking you.” Boy was he right!
While in China we witnessed incredible wealth and extreme poverty. I also saw a hope so strong, a faith so deep, that it could truly move mountains. The believers we met in rural China live on less than we expect to earn in a week. Their homes are block structures smaller than most American garages. Their villages are so remote that they rarely travel outside of their local communities. Even if transportation were available, it would not be affordable.
What Satan had intended to use as shackles, however, God used for inspiration and for hope. The faith I witnessed among rural Chinese believers was so strong, their hope so deep, so inspiring, that it sent shockwaves through me, changing my expectations, realigning my priorities and redefining my relationships.
Did their faith move mountains? Well, yes! In a land of 1.5 billion people, in which approximately only 100 million are true believers, I saw doors opened that can only be explained as “acts of God.” I witnessed a spiritual battle with such ferocious intensity that it was indescribable. Our team experienced delays, roadblocks, modifications to our plans — so many attempts by Satan to distract and derail us. But through it all, God prevailed and the Bibles were delivered to their new owners.
The experience changed my life forever. Thank you to those who served with me. Thank you to those who provided funds for my travel. And thank you to those who prayed. Together, by the grace of God, we have made a difference by providing His word to believers in rural China who had no Bible. Please, be prayerful for China. The battle wages on.
Please Pray
Thank you on behalf of the thousands of rural Chinese Christians who have received a Bible because of your prayers and donations. Please pray for the upcoming January team as preparations are made for them to verify the distribution of more Bibles. Thank you in advance for your prayers.