The Easter holiday gave us a couple cool opportunities to share with our friends. For Good Friday, we invited 10 people over to our apartment to watch The Passion of the Christ. Unfortunately, only 2 of them came. Still, we trust that it was beneficial, and our friend Chloe said that she was “moved.” On Easter Sunday, we had a bigger party with many of our friends, where we got to share with them the full story of the Gospel. Sonata, Summer, and Hurley did a very cool skit called “The Puppet Master” which was quite powerful. We ended up answering questions for about 45 minutes afterwards. While no one got saved that night, it was still encouraging to see how interested some people were. We’re trusting God that he will use those seeds that were planted in our friends.

On a personal note, I’ve been using some of my free time to try and play small shows here and practice music. I had one of my first real concerts here! It wasn’t too big, but there were about 100-150 people there. I was a little nervous, but it went well. I played 4 songs—two originals and two covers. Response was really good, and quite encouraging. 

Please keep my friends Killian and Jason in your prayers. We want to start meeting and doing a Bible study, but they are very busy and have a hard time freeing up their schedule. Also, my finances have been a little tight lately, so please continue lifting that up to Him. Thanks!

Tank

While the New Year isn’t exactly the same over here, we still celebrate on December 31st. All of us workers in the city got together for dinner and a party to ring in the new year.

Earlier this week, I got to hang out with a friend that most of you probably haven’t heard about yet. He doesn’t have an English name, so I’ll just call him “Killian” because that’s an awesome-sounding name. Let me preface this by explaining to you who Killian is. He  plays guitar in a punk rock band, studies jazz guitar, has 2 eyebrow piercings, several tattoos, but is a really nice guy. We’ve been friends for a few months now, but most any time I get to hang out with him, usually his band is around too, or at least his girlfriend. This night was different because everyone else was out studying for their exams, so we were able to go out to dinner and have a good conversation.

Because we’re both so into music, the conversation naturally started with us bashing MTV and how fake popular music is. When our food came, I prayed for us, which got him asking some questions. When he asked if I ever forgot to pray for my food, I got to explain to him how Christianity isn’t about following strict rules, but about relationship with God. He told me that he was searching for a “buddy” in his life, which I didn’t totally understand because of his limited English. I told him about our Bible study, and he said he would definitely be interested to learn more! Also, he invited me to his hometown for Spring Festival, so I’m excited to be able to talk to him more about God during that time! Please keep Killian in your prayers!

Tank

In fact, just the other day, we got to have a small get-together with some of our closest friends here, where we sang Christmas carols, watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, and decorated cookies. Of course, we also got a chance to talk about the true meaning of Christmas. I’m sometimes surprised how little they know about Christmas, other than Santa and company. While nothing especially profound happened that night, it seemed like our friends really felt loved, and we were able to connect with them on a new level.

Before our last Bible study, we were waiting to meet friends beforehand, and only one guy, Blake, showed up. At first it was a little discouraging, but it ended up working out quite nicely! Blake is a guy who has tons of questions, and Aidan and I were really able to help answer them. He is a very smart guy who seems interested in the Gospel, but it’s hard to get a full understanding of where he’s at. Please keep him in your prayers!

It’s great to see how God can use any situation, even when it seems like something’s going wrong. Be blessed during this season! If I don’t get a chance to tell you later…MERRY CHRISTMAS!

-Tank

While we were talking about the application process for CMU, Jason mentioned really hoping everything would go smoothly. I told him that if it was God’s will for him to go, then he would go. He told me he believed that to be true, which was cool. We went on to talk a little bit more about God’s plan for our lives and things of that nature. It’s great to see how open he is to these types of things.

 One of the best parts about being here isn’t that I get to preach to random people on the street (I don’t). It’s that I get to build a friendship with someone, and through that tell them the good news. This makes it all the more special when they make the choice, because it’s really like they’re becoming part of my family. I hope you’ll join me in praying for Jason, because he’s a great friend, and I’m excited about the prospect of his salvation. Thanks for all your love and support!

Tank

That is the type of situation we assumed we were being invited to when we were asked to attend the “Little Angel English Corner.” However, when we showed up, we saw a stage and lots of seating. We then signed a guest list and were escorted to the front of the seating area, in the VIP section. It turned out that it wasn’t your run-of-the-mill English corner, but a beginning celebration of the English club—and we were guests of honor!

Although I was very surprised by all of it, I had a great time. There were many acts, with everything from comedy routines to human beat-boxing. The organizers had us stay involved throughout, by participating in games and even drawing names for the raffle at the end. We all felt like celebrities. After the show was over, I spent about 20 minutes taking pictures with people. Despite being the gala occasion that it was, I was able to make some new friends and connect with some cool people.

On a side note, our Bible study will be starting in just a couple days! If you could keep that specifically in your prayers that would be a huge blessing. We’re expecting to have a  relatively small group; maybe just 4 or 5 people. Please ask that Dad would bless us as we try to gauge how interested our friends are!

The next day was Thanksgiving, and we had a big dinner party with all of us in the city. Each of us brought something to contribute; I made my father’s famous noodles! We actually were able to talk hands-free on the phone while we were making noodles on opposite sides of the globe! It was a great time, and they ended up being extremely delicious. All the traditional Thanksgiving fixings were there, even turkey! It felt like an authentic meal straight from the American heartland.

After Thanksgiving, we had a short 2-day vacation to a nearby city. I got to visit a hot spring! If you don’t know what hot springs are, let me explain: they are like natural hot tubs! The place we went had 60 pools with varying temperatures. The temperatures ranged from 95F to upwards of 140F! All in all, it was very relaxing. It was nice to have a little time off between the craziness of Thanksgiving, before beginning the insanity that is the Christmas season.

The Christmas season is a very important time for us here, because it gives us a perfect opportunity to share with friends. When is a better time to share than right after they ask what Christmas is about? It’s all about Him! In the upcoming weeks, we will have several small Christmas get-togethers and decorating parties. Please keep these things in your prayers! This season is clutch!

Tank

It never ceases to amaze me how God will oftentimes start using our friends to influence others before they even make the decision to become Christians. I find it so encouraging how excited our friends get about the prospect of learning about the Bible. God is consistently giving us great friends who are interested in hearing. It’s such a relief to have Him setting up who I meet rather than me blindly choosing who to become friends with.

Also, last night a friend invited us to see an international concert at the music school here. It was extremely impressive! There were acts from Denmark, Sweden, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, and Russia. Most of it was dancing and singing, but almost all of it was traditionally styled from their respective home countries. It was really cool to see all these different cultures represented in one place.

 Be blessed! 

Tank

The great thing about studying the Bible with people who’ve never heard is that they give you a fresh take on stories you’ve known for a long time. We asked our friends what Jesus’ first miracle showed us about people, and Peter responded that it meant people needed help. While this isn’t some kind of marvelous revelation, it did make us think about the situation in a different way. It also showed us a little of where Peter’s heart was at.

The study turned out to be a success, which was very exciting. Another exciting thing: my birthday! Thanks to all of you who wished me a happy birthday! I’m now a full 22 years old. Me and my team celebrated by going to sing karaoke which is quite different here. It is usually called KTV, and there are entire hotel-sized establishments catering to the demand for off-key singing. Each group can reserve a room of varying sizes, fitting anywhere from 2-50 people. In my opinion, this makes it more fun since you’re only singing in front of your friends, and not a bunch of strangers.

As sort-of a birthday-part-two, a couple girls here cooked all of us chili! It was an amazing time; I felt like I was back home eating delicious homemade chili. All in all, it was a great birthday experience, softening the blow of time’s relentless march.

Blessings,

Tank

Jason is a friend Aidan and I met while visiting the Music Conservatory and just hanging out in the practice room building. We found out he and his friend Tim were both saxophone players, and they invited us into their practice room, which was cool—literally air conditioned—and a rescue from the hot heat. We ended up hanging out with them for a while, and again the week after.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon. We met up with Jason and his good friend Andy and talked for a while in their practice rooms (and got to hear some of their friends play some traditional instruments with amazing proficiency). On the way to dinner, Andy asked Jason how we had met him. Jokingly he said, “We met here in the practice rooms. God wanted us to be friends.” I believe he was more right than he could know.

At dinner, like usual, we asked if it would be okay to pray for our food. After we finished the prayer he asked what he should say, so I told him what “Amen” meant. He then told me about his grandma who is a Christian and has two Bibles. When I asked him if he’d ever read the Bible, he explained that he’d tried to, but never could understand. Here was the chance we’d been waiting for! We want to start a Bible study at our house, and were looking to see if people would be interested, so I asked. He said that he was interested and went on to say that he “would be very grateful to learn more about the Bible.” With hidden excitement, I told him that I would let him know.

Praise God for His hand in situations, and being the one who guides our steps!

Another awesome connection I made was with an electric guitarist named Samdy that I met on the street last year. He owns a guitar store, and was able to bless Aidan and I with guitars for very cheap. We got a great sounding acoustic guitar for less than $30!

Just the other day, Samdy invited me to come see a concert that he was playing for the holiday, along with his friend who is a singer. Unfortunately, when I arrived, the schedule had been rearranged and I missed the show. I got to meet his friend who goes by the English name Michael who invited me out to dinner. It turns out he is actually a pretty famous popstar here, has been on TV multiple times, and plays concerts with 10,000+ people.

While we were hanging out, I played a song on the guitar, and Michael said I should learn the language here so we can do music together. He also invited me to come to his studio and do some recording! I thank God for the connections he makes for me, and I pray that he would use these connections to further our sphere of influence for His kingdom.