So, the team we worked with from Texas was amazing! They were also specially chosen by God to impact this nation. Although we only had a day-and-a-half with them, they felt like old friends and family, with a spontaneous and sweet time of fellowship Monday happening night where the worship was deep and many powerful words spoken. Highlights of our time together were:

*2 female students on our new campus received life!!

**Four of us got to share about Jesus with a class of 50 students! This happened after a divine appointment where our two girls were lead to share with the teacher who was eating alone in the cafeteria. She said, “My class needs to hear this…”

***Many others heard about True Love for the first time and the team members’ lives were impacted greatly – at least one girl has a calling to come serve in Asia!

Glory to God!

Now, a bit about what’s up ahead for me ~

When Jesus said, “Follow me.” to his disciples, He didn’t tell them many details, huh?! Not where they were to go, who else was going, how to prepare, or ANYTHING really! He simply asked them to follow in faith. I always find this challenging and inspiring…

As you know, He has led me to change cities once again. It has been on my heart to go for years now, but His timing has always been for right now. In so many ways, He has prepared the way for us to go and take the one Top 100 U in the city. We’re believing for a HUGE harvest there! I will move there in a month or so to join a young couple already living there who will be on my team, and the rest of the team will join us in late August. Please ask for wisdom in where the team will live and study.

***I am thinking about starting a business – more on this soon!

**The short-term teams to arrive tonight and tomorrow night – please be praying for this.

*Please also be praying for Brave, who has vision to start a church on his campus! We will be partnering with him in this…

Love you all and am giving thanks for you. May He give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowledge of Christ (Eph 1).

This week, first of all, I’m trying to get over jet lag. To those of you who gave me coffee as a goodbye present, I cannot thank you enough! I’m trying to be very strict and only allow myself to take one 20-minute nap in the afternoon, when I am the most tired. Let me tell you, It is HARD! I may or may not have accidentally fallen asleep on the couch yesterday and took a long nap. Oops! I was so sleepy that every time I blinked, I would instantly be asleep. It is really really hard to not blink when you feel like you have 10lb sand bags sitting on your eyelids! I have made the executive decision to only sit on the hard wooden chairs now, since they are much less conducive to impromptu nap time. I am avoiding that couch like the plague! This afternoon, I am attending an Asian fellowship that is conducted all in their language. It is hard enough to stay awake when you are jet lagging and you do not understand the language. This is going to be quite an interesting afternoon!

I will be starting full time language study next week and speaking no English the week after that. I’m going to be studying with a tutor for the summer months and starting classes at university in September. While the next few months will be difficult, I am super excited to start the process of becoming fluent! It is so exciting!

There are several things you can be praying for. First, please pray that I could find an apartment within my price range that is still in a decent area of the city. Second, pray that I get over jet lag quickly. I need to be fully functional in the next few weeks as I start the language learning process.

Asia or Bust!
In less than 4 days I’m heading back home to Asia for a one-month mission trip! I am so excited to be going back! I am thrilled to be returning to one of the campuses that I helped start a house church on five years ago. Ling, one of the girls I had the privilege of discipling, is going to join us as we share the gospel on her campus! I am so excited to be able to partner with her in that way! I still need a significant portion of money to be able to pay for this trip. If you are interested in partnering with me financially, feel free to e-mail me or message me on Facebook!

Prayer Request
Please be praying for our 10-member team as we venture into Asia. Please ask Jesus for divine appointments. Pray for me as I go up to Xi’an as well to scout out possibly moving there for language study in the future.

Love you guys! Thank you for partnering with me to see Asia serve Jesus!!

***Wisdom, energy, unity, and love for team leaders (including me)

***God’s grace on the team for travel, health, and “Yes” spirits

***Protection from all the enemy’s plans and attacks

Then, when I get back in a few days, we have two more short-term teams coming in from the states! This is awesome as this nation still needs so many more workers. Thank you for partnering with us in all this through prayer, giving, and encouraging words. We couldn’t do this without you!

Our training camp that we had 3 weeks ago went amazing! Twenty-somethings from Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia came to Lima for 4 days of training to kick off their summer of support raising. We talk a lot about what Campus Target believes in, our mission, our values and why we want to reach Asia. The 101′s of CT. Then we take time to help them write support letters and more importantly how to meet face to face with people to ask those people to partner in finances and prayer as they go to Asia in August.

One of the guys that is going to go with us is named John. He is just graduating from Liberty University with a major in global studies and a minor in New Testament theology. But John is not some normal college graduate. He was adopted by a Christian family at the age of 12 from Asia . A few years after he was adopted he put his faith in Christ and ever since has been working towards doing missions back in Asia . He has a huge heart for discipling Asian Christians and eventually wants to work with state orphanages because he know that those kids and the workers never have a chance to hear the good news.

Next up is that the recruiting team is going to be working with the recruits going to Asia in August throughout the summer to help them have all their details in order (passports, visas, email accounts, etc.). We also will be coaching them as they raise their support team this summer. Raising a support team for a whole year trip or long term service is a lot more intense and difficult than the standard 2 week trip, so we are there to encourage them, troubleshoot problems and make sure they are on the right track to get on a plane in August. It’s a lot of phone calls this summer but its helping world changers to hit campuses in Asia next year and turn it upside down with the gospel. Couldn’t be any better.

So as you are thinking of Hero and me, here are a few things you can be praying for.

• God would continue to give us the grace to raise Levi. He is growing so fast!
• Just this last week I became the director of recruiting. The past recruiting director, Cherie, had been running recruiting for the last 3 years and felt like it was time to move on. So our executive leaders asked me if I would take over and I said yes. I’m really excited about what is next for the recruiting team and can’t wait to see all the people we get to send out.

“Z Yang, is the best disciple I have found in 8 years here. We feel he is better off being trained by you and being a part of your church.”

I could hardly believe my ears! The middle-aged Korean man talked as his wife sat by silently, all three of us on little stone stools in a park area of our U’s medical campus. Z Yang, who I named Brave after our first meeting, was lead to us by divine appointment as he obeyed God, going “fishing” down at the new campus. He ran into one of our attenders, who told him about us. He came to our group that Saturday, about a month ago, liked what he saw, and told us that day that he wanted to “make disciples” and for the Lord to “build His church on me like He did with Peter.” Yeah, this is a true story. Can anyone say Super Disciple?!?!

Brave is a gifted young man working on his master’s, and he has become our good friend and brother. Last night I went out with him, his roommate, our bro Stephen, and shared with two of their classmates. This was an unusual feeling, as it is usually one or two of us sharing with several unbelievers. Even as we approached the table in the nearly empty cafeteria, we passed a table with 3 or 4 other students, and Stephen gave one of them a little nudge and said, motioning towards us, “They’re Chr1stians.” I get the sense that the tide is turning here, especially among the younger generation. The things they say as you share with them are not the same as they were even a few years ago. . . . our work, and the work of many others, is impacting this nation!

The harvest is indeed ripe, and we will continue to reap as He allows.

PRAISE

***I finally got to do worship art at HY’s party – it was amazing! The picture God gave me about Hebrews 4:12 he also gave the pastor’s wife that day! They will be a model for many churches here. . .

PRAYERS

*Please keep asking for more workers, especially Asin partners. We have 19 new laborers signed up for the coming year. . . . we’re believing for 30 or so.

*For Brave and Lion to grow in their relationship with Christ, and their leadership capabilities.

*For our GSP (good soil peeps) meeting on the 18th. This should be off the hook! These are the best of the best from this years new believers.

*Our first-year workers are headed home tomorrow! We will miss them, but they all are moving on to amazing things – several are coming back with CT!!!

Immediately after our earthquake, a lot of the college students didn’t feel safe sleeping in their dorms. They bought tents and slept on the soccer fields. This lasted for the first couple of nights following the quake. We saw this as a perfect opportunity to go share the truth and love to Jesus, as “perfect love casts out all fear.”

During our church meeting with our Asian friends, we spent a great deal of time casting vision that God can and will use each and every one of us to be a light and testify of His Truth to those hurting and living in fear. Because people were so shaken up, we encouraged our friends to go and talk to shopkeepers, students, classmates, strangers. Then, we chose to go out and share together, as a church!!!!

That night, we had a beautiful time talking with broken and hurting people at the tents. My Asian friend, Luna, shared the complete Gospel twice that night alone! I was able to share with a girl, who was shaking and sobbing because she was so upset. As I was talking to her, she said that she felt the presence of God and now knows that He is real. This girl was having an incredible encounter with the King of Kings. As we talked, she expressed how she 100% believes in what Jesus did for us on the cross. She said she felt God in a powerful way. It was incredible. As the night ended, she didn’t choose to accept Jesus (she says she has tried so hard to succeed in the past and needs to continue to believe in herself above Jesus). Can you pray for her? I don’t even remember her name. She needs another touch from Jesus.

That day, our friend Tina joined our family, right in the middle of our church meeting. The next day, our friend CaoRui joined as well! Since then, CaoRui has gone out and shared the Gospel on our campus! Tonight, at one of our churches, 6 brothers and sisters were baptized!!!!!! It’s been so amazing to see the Lord work through our church and our precious Chinese brothers and sisters!!!!!!

Thanks so much for praying for us as a team and for all those that were affected by the earthquake. Through it all, Jesus’ name was made famous!

Some Prayer Requests:

*My friend Ryan’s 16 year old little sister is in the hospital. She has a mass of cysts on her ovaries and a lump near her stomach that may be cancerous. She’s pretty scared. Please pray for complete healing for her. Her name is Megan.

*Our team of 1st year workers are heading back to the States on May 17th! They have given 100% of themselves this year! I couldn’t be more proud! Pray for them as they transition home and for their Chinese friends who will continue to be discipled and raised up by us.

*I’ll be returning home on May 21st to spend 2 months with my family. I’ll be spending a lot of time with my sister and her family, as there have been a lot of medical issues with her fiancé. I will fly back to Asia in late July, just in time for the next team of 1st year workers to arrive!

*I’ll be spending some of my time home raising support so that I’ll be back at full budget. Please continue to pray for me, as I know God’s heart for me is to be fully funded.

Thank you for your prayers – I had an amazing trip and all that was on my heart was accomplished and then some! I love the fact that wherever we believers may go, there is always family there who will welcome you, love on you, who you can share laughs and meals with, and feel so close because we have all been baptized into One Body, One Spirit, One Hope, One Lord, One Faith, One God (Eph. 4:5). I have been blessed to experience this fellowship in many different countries and cultures, but this past week was a highlight with a team from America & England, staying as a guest at a South African couple’s house, and coming together with some Dai people. Every tribe, tongue and nation!!!

Speaking of baptism, we will have 4 or 5 friends going swimming for new life this Friday – please be lifting them and this event up! (Pandy, Fergie, Lingling, YQing)

Praise God who is giving us good soil people who are becoming leaders in our groups! (Brave, Lion, Tonya, Luna, Dora, Anna, Maddie, Alex, P Rui, and more )

So much more to tell. . . . I’ll write again soon.

For many, the quake brought back memories of the 2008 7.9 earthquake where tens of thousands were killed and untold damage done. Even as I type this, I am weeping for the one student from the new campus where we work who was so gripped with fear that he jumped out of his dorm building and died from the fall. All I can think is, “I hope he had heard about Jesus.”

On a more positive note, we were able to address it with our group, and several students DID hear about the Way, the Truth, and the Life for the first time yesterday.

Also, our Asian sister Helen, who is our first Asian CTer and with whom I’ve been working to train up recently, immediately after the quake grabbed her Bible and headed outside, where there was much frantic activity. Remember, at this point, no one knows if it’s over or not. With God’s love and grace, Helen was able to work in the midst of the situation and lead a women to Christ. The awesome thing is, this was the mother of a two-year old girl that another of our sisters who lives in the building had been burdened for ever since moving here last August! Yet she knew she would never be able to personally communicate the gospel to this young girl – but in God’s mysterious and glorious ways, now she will be raised by a believing mother (kind of like Alex, who recently “found his home” in our fellowship!).

We made it to K-town and connected with a couple who will be on my team next year, and we are looking forward to a few days of worship and prayer before I fly down to another city for a couple days.

In a city close to here, reports show death tolls rising and approximately one thousand people injured. Please be lifting them up at this time.