Three months earlier, a couple was working in a brick kiln when it collapsed on them. Their sons tried to rescue them, digging out the burning hot bricks with their bare hands – the younger one holding the heavy bricks against his body. In shock, they barely felt their skin burning and jumped into the river to cool off as they attempted to save their parents. Sadly, both the mother and father passed away, leaving a young daughter, recently married with a newborn, responsible for four younger brothers, two with significant burns from the accident.

During our visit we had the opportunity to pray with the family. As we prayed, the daughter broke down crying and held onto us. I told the boy how brave he was and how much his Heavenly Father loved him. I emptied out my pockets to help them with medical supplies and to hire someone to work the rice fields for the older son so he could recover without risking more infection. I wished that I could have done more. We took pictures of the burns to show some foreign doctors here in K-town. They will hopefully operate pro bono to restore use of the boy’s hand and legs. Please keep this family in your prayers. May the Lord’s name be glorified in the mountains because of this miracle and outpouring of God’s love.

This experience had a profound impact on my heart. It confirmed what the Lord has spoken to me about His plans for my life in gaining medical training to reach remote areas with His love. The Miao minority have had a special place on my heart since I studied this people group in college. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to visit beautiful rural China before returning to the States. While there, we had the vision of arranging trips like this one for Chinese students to visit the unreached people groups of China. How incredible would it be to watch as they too understand God’s call to reach the nations!

We only have a couple of weeks left, but even now a number of our friends have been experiencing God in new ways. It’s really exciting! More to come soon!

Sydney

A few weeks later we met to baptize Jenny in our friend’s bathtub. Before the dunking, I went over a few things with her, and asked her how she’d been doing. “Every day before I go to bed I talk to God and read a little of my Bible.” Then I asked her what He’d shown her and my eyes began to fill with tears as she shared. “The verse that meant the most to me is the one about the big harvest but only a few workers. I think it means that there are a lot of people that need to hear about Jesus but not enough people to tell them. This is so important! If I tell my friends about Him and they become Christians like me, can I baptize them?”

“Absolutely!” Cozy and I responded in unison. God had been so faithful to reveal things to Jenny by His Spirit – things that we had never taught her. It was so encouraging to see how her passion for the Lord has continued to grow this past month. I’m praying for the day when I see this same fire in the rest of our friends! Each week we’ve watched our friends grow closer to making a decision. Pray that any obstacles that are holding them back from choosing Jesus would be removed and that they would have powerful encounters with the King of Kings!

Sydney

We’ve seen such an increase in openness and hunger these last couple of weeks. Friends who I had thought were set in their beliefs are getting touched by testimonies and truth. Two different friends have said, “Before I never thought it possible, but I’m starting to think God might be real!” Michael, a friend the guys on my team are working with, took my friend Angela to a church to buy a Bible because he thought it would help her with her struggles. She’s been reading it regularly and meeting with us every week! I’ve been meeting with Kelly, our dear, faithful sister, and encouraging her. Last week she shared with the girls how God had healed her eyesight before an exam when the doctors thought a cure was impossible.

Next weekend is Easter and we will be sharing The Passion of the Christ with Chinese subtitles to a few friends that we’re specially inviting to experience His death and resurrection. Pray for favor, conviction and understanding!

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers!

Sydney

The next day 8 girls came to our book club! Filled with a fresh boldness and clarity from our powerful winter session training meetings, I presented the Gospel as a big love letter from God to us. I talked about His plan to free us from sin using the Romans Road. Every girl was engaged and a dynamic discussion ensued. These girls had so many questions – it was great to see some of them finally opening up! Two of our friends, already in the family, shared confidently about their faith and answered questions in Chinese. Another girl, Jenny, told us that during Spring Festival, she passed by a church in a Yi minority village and heard God speak to her and encourage her. Lastly Angela, one of our dear friend that has struggled with so many different temptations this year was nearly in tears as she asked how she could buy a Bible. “I know that I need to learn more about this.” Pray that the business of the school semester would not keep these girls from pursuing truth that brings new life!

The following day, as we gathered with the other teams in the city, I led us in worship to “God of this City.” My heart was beating with incredible expectation as we sang the words “greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city” and tears formed in my eyes with the realization that God has answered my prayers for increasing my compassion. I love Chinese people. I know that the Lord does – he made so many of them!

We’ve been praying for the ability to really love and care for our friends the way God does, so that His love can be demonstrated through us. It’s happening! When we met with our friend Summer today, she told us “I love spending time with you. With other people I am so quite and introverted. But with you, I feel like I can really open up and share what is on my heart because I know you love me!”

Our city leader Buttercup shared with us at our leaders’ meeting, “It’s not about urgency, but expectancy.” Let’s expect big things to happen in these last few months. He will be faithful to finish what He started!

Sydney

* Pray for our friend Michael. He’s been meeting regularly with the guys and is very close to making a decision for Jesus! We believe it’s going to happen in the next few weeks.

* We had a “light drizzle” of rain today! We need more! Some of our friends’ families are farmers and may not have an income this year if we don’t have more rain in the next couple of weeks. In some places a 16-oz. bottle of water costs $15 – it should cost 15 cents!

* God is bringing new friends into our lives even now. May He give us wisdom on which friends to pursue.

* Thanks for your prayers during my decision-making time. It seems pretty clear where the Lord is leading me – more to share next time!

My time at the annual Thailand conference was a refreshing week of showers from above. The Lord spoke to me in timely and incredible ways. He showed me thoughts and attitudes in my life that needed to change. He also poured out His love on me and I felt His presence so strongly. On a trip to see waterfalls I was so awestruck by God’s power and His majesty that I couldn’t help but share it with the guide – who turned out to be the owner of the entire outdoor adventure company! Our entire team was provoked to return with the heart of living out God’s kingdom here on earth.

Our Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) trip was unforgettable as we got to experience the most important holiday of the year with two different friends and their families. One of our friends, Summer, took us to her grandmother’s village where the older women have bound feet! Her HUGE family welcomed us with remarkable warmth and each individual family (8 families all together) insisted on taking a picture with us!

We have one more week before our friends return for the new semester. We have some special guests (one of whom is my own pastor!) that have traveled halfway around the world to speak to us about life-changing topics that relate to our work. Pray that we emerge from this time even more encouraged and ready to see God do amazing things in the next three months!

His Kingdom is coming!

Sydney

* I have some big decisions to make about next year and perhaps the long-term future in the next week or so. Please pray that the Lord would make His will clear to me!

God worked out the circumstances perfectly for Eagle with another friend of mine, Becky. I had kept trying to see Becky’s father, because he treats people with back pain. However, somehow the only time that worked out was when Eagle was here, and she accompanied me to the appointment. Becky took us to her home afterwards and shared her exciting news – she’d been accepted to a 5-year graduate program in Singapore – Eagle’s home country! As they exchanged contact information, I suggested that Becky visit Eagle’s church with her in the summer when she arrived. That led to the discovery that Becky was actually a Christian – but had never even told her parents. I believe that Father had planned for these two girls to meet! It’s so great to know that after Becky leaves Asia, she will be connected with a solid church and other friends her age who can strengthen and encourage her in her faith.

These were divine appointments. There’s no doubt about it!

Sydney

*Praise God for breakthroughs with our friends these past couple of weeks! Please pray that the seeds that have been planted from our new book club and meetings with friends will continue to grow while they are away from us during the next month. As we begin the second half of our time here, pray that God will grow the vision in our hearts to see a party planted on our campus, and that He will move away any obstacles that would come against us.

*Also, my parents are coming to visit me in these next two weeks before I head off to Thailand for a retreat/conference. Pray for traveling safety and an easy adjustment with jet-lag for them.

*Thanks for your prayers for my back – it’s doing a lot better!

“Your weakness is the very thing that qualifies you.” He was calling me to intercession – it was how He wanted to use me, and I wouldn’t have been available for such an important role if I’d stayed on the front lines. The next 24 hours were a blur as I also had a strange, feverish flu-like sickness. During that time God revealed to me the words I would speak in my message to the city team two days later – a message about rejoicing in weakness.

Despite the physical challenges I’ve faced this month, we’ve hosted four Christmas parties and still have one more to go! Each party is an opportunity to share the real meaning of Christmas personally with our friends. For many of them, it’s the first time they’ve ever heard it, and for others it’s the first time they’ve heard it as truth and not a legend. For two girls, it is particularly special, for it is their first time celebrating the birth of the King who they so recently invited to rule in their hearts.

Hearing the Christmas story has created and interest and curiosity in the Bible – and so we are hoping to get a Book club started with a group of girls as early as next week! Please pray for open hearts that are willing to take time away from preparing for their exams to study the Word.

May you have the merriest of Christmases this year as you remember… HE is WITH us!

Sydney

*I am thankful for your continued prayers for healing for my back. I may have had to spend some time on the sidelines recently, but I’m not out of the game!

Thankfully, we did NOT run out of apple crisp or cider, which were a big hit to our friends that have never tried traditional American fall foods. I played the part of Squanto in a funny skit and we all shared what we were thankful to God for in our lives. At different points, each member of my team had a meaningful conversation about God with someone in the room! This warmed my heart much more than heat and hot food!

It’s exciting to continue deepening our relationships with our friends as we head into the busy Christmas season, where opportunities abound to share the Good News! After spending Thanksgiving this Thursday with our city team here, fifteen of us will head to an small old city not too far away for a few to relax and spend time out in nature. I’m looking forward to this chance to recharge – ask God that I would be able to do so even while being in charge of the trip.

I’ll be thanking my Father for YOU this Thanksgiving! Eat some extra turkey for me!

Love,

Sydney

Yesterday I met a girl named Hairy. After helping Hairy choose a different English name – Hailee – we tried to connect over a game of cards. Due to what seemed to be a language difficulty, we resigned ourselves to basic “Where are you from?” questions and just having fun playing together. Suddenly, mid-hand, Hailee turned to me and asked “Do you believe in God?” Stunned, I simply said, “Yes, do you?” Her response: “I just became a Christian a few days ago!”

It gets better. A half-hour later, Hailee introduced us to Echo, her Asian “sister” who led her into the family.  Echo just moved here a few months ago after graduating from college.  When not working at her translation job (she’s fluent in English!) she spends her time sharing the gospel with students. I asked her how she came to know God and she said, “My freshman year of college I met a girl at an English corner who invited me to a Christmas party where I first heard the good news. I didn’t believe it at first, but later as I was searching for purpose in my life, I read some books and felt that I should call that girl I had met. Jesus came into my heart and changed me!” It’s true – four years later she couldn’t stop talking about Him – every day, all the time! It’s mind-blowing to think of the impact Echo is now having on this nation. I know God led us to her – I’m excited to partner with this amazing girl!

Angela is a testimony waiting to happen – I just met her for the first time tonight and she kept asking us to tell her about Jesus and how she could become a Christian. I nearly cried as my teammate Cozy got to share the gospel for the first time with an Asian friend! Please keep Angela in your thoughts as she thinks on everything we shared with her.

Then there’s Amy… well, she’s also miracle in the making! I’ll tell you more about her another time, but for now, ask God to bless the English corner she’s helping us start on our main campus! May He lead the right people to us as we gather for the first time this week.

I hope you’re having a fantastic fall!

Sydney

P.S. Last time I mentioned some changes were taking place on our team. One of my teammates, Duke, is now back in the States for a season. While continuing to help lead the team, I’ve switched apartments to be more of a partner to Cozy. We’ve all sensed a peace from God as we continue to figure out the best way to work together. It’s been an intense few weeks (we’ve also been battling illness), and with the holiday season coming up, we really need your prayers. Thanks so much for lifting us up!

Last month as I was making my plans to visit, I tried one last time to contact her but received no response. I asked God that by some miracle I would run into her on the street while I was there, knowing that this would probably be my last chance ever to see her. While I was there, Knight was organizing a fellowship meeting and felt prodded to try one last time to invite Sophie. She responded with excitement and also apologies for her disappearance, and she made plans to see us in a few hours!

Sophie explained that because she had faced some very difficult situations last year she felt she could not hide her weaknesses and did not want me to see her that way. Although I was confused by this aspect that is so common in this culture, it was an opportunity to show God’s love to her – the kind of love that only increases when we are weak – the kind that strengthens us when we share our burdens with others. As our time together came to a close, we told Sophie once again how much as missed her and we are so happy she’s back. Knight asked Sophie to never disappear on us again.

“I promise!” she exclaimed with a big smile on her beautiful face!

Please lift me and my team up! We are facing some difficult challenges. I had an incredible, but intense time and came back feeling emotionally drained. There’s likely to be some changes in store for me and I need God’s heart and strength to endure.

On a positive note, I’ve found a great Asian teacher and am very hungry to learn more of the language. It’s exciting to be able to communicate better every day! Also, I had the best birthday ever last week – it lasted three days! God is opening up some new connections with great English speakers on our campus, and we’re hoping to even start our own English corner to meet more friends in the next couple of weeks.

Sydney