“They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” Lamentations 3:23 ESV
The faithfulness of God has been extremely evident this year as we have relied on His wisdom in supplying Bibles, Scripture portions, commentaries and Study Bibles in China. The fact that we have been able to develop relationships there over the past years has made it possible for us to continue our mission in spite of the changes taking place. Without the presence of foreigners in the churches, we have a deeper touch and new opportunities have been opening for us that we had not experienced in the past. What a blessing it is to realize again and again that God has a plan and is in control.
Only God knows how many come to Christ as a result of receiving a Bible in China. Our Chinese representative tells of returning to an area where we had distributed Bibles for the last three years. On a Sunday morning she observed a young lady leading the congregation in sign language during the singing of hymns and she shared her story following the service. The young lady was heartbroken when her aunt passed away and although she had never been there, she went to church to find peace and comfort. They gave her a Bible as a gift and encouraged her to read the gospel of John. As a result she began attending church every Sunday and a Bible Study every week. She was baptized and had a desire to serve in the church that had many senior Christians. She learned sign language and began her ministry of leading the songs with sign language. As a result of her newly found faith she was also able to attract more young people to Christ and the church!
As a result of the tremendous growth of the church in China, there is a great need for leaders. God has been calling many young men and women to serve where God sends them. One young man was called to serve when he was 17, went to a training center when he was 19 and he and his wife served in their church together. Because of the need for more full time workers he was sent to Seminary for their four year program. As a graduation gift, BiblesforChina gave him a set of commentaries and he was overjoyed. He is a soldier and needs equipment to fight for the Lord! Our team showed up at the time to prepare him for his mission.
We praise God for leading us to use modern technology us as a tremendous source of providing access to thousands of Christians around the world who share our passion to provide Bibles in China. As a result we have received donations from 45 different countries as well as 49 states. Our virtual office also enables us to save funds that are needed for Bibles by allowing us to have staff meetings, board meetings and ministry partner dialogue without the expense of travel. We are also able to keep closely connected with those who work with us in China in this manner. Receiving a large portion of our funds online from businesses, churches and individuals is tremendously helpful and appreciated.
We continue to find that there are many who are not aware that it is possible to provide Bibles to the churches in rural China where Bibles are not available. Thanks for helping share the mandate and passion we have in order for us to spread the word about the opportunities that we have there.