Little steps don’t usually impress people.  Sometimes, when I look back on my week, it feels littered with minor details; a good comment, an encouraging moment, an interesting situation. Sometimes, I wish I could write and tell you something that seems big: a miracle, a salvation, an area of personal triumph.

It’s easy to forget the significance of little things. Two days ago I had to renew my visa. It’s always a long trip and I didn’t get home until midnight. As my friend and I were walking up to our apartment, I heard these little tiny cries coming out of a trash can. I thought it might be rats. Deciding to have a look anyway, we peeled away the top layer of garbage and found a bag with three puppies inside it.  After overcoming the initial shock of the thing, we took them to the guards who manage the complex. With the language barrier and absence of protection for animals here, there wasn’t much advice. “No solution” they said.  One idea: “Eat them.”

We decided against it. We snuggled them together in a towel under a heat fan. We bottle fed them for two days, and even got an interview with the foreign tv station! Who knew abandoned puppies could be such big news?  

Maybe small things aren’t very impressive. But the little act of looking through the garbage that night saved three puppies lives. Yes, they’re just puppies – and maybe they will still die, but not that way. In fact, because of the interview, we got several calls about the puppies, and all of them now have adopted parents!

It’s a good reminder to me that what we do as believers is no small thing at all. Every time we share with someone about Jesus, every time we love someone for his glory, we impact someone’s life in a big way.  In my life right now, there are a lot of small instances where I felt like I saw major growth in my friends. At our Friday night study, Li Wei Ran said, “We have to love people, because Jesus is the Son of God!” And Yu Ting said, “Of course there’s a God, even science points to it!” And Yvonne said, “I’m pretty much ready to become a Christian. “

These girls have a real chance at salvation. Please pray for them that during this Christmas season, they will see how special is it to have a relationship with Jesus and that they will make the final choice to give their lives to him. Recently, Li Wei Ran even told us that she asked her Dad if she could become a Christian – he not only said yes, he also said that he wants to become one too! Please ask God to seal that in her and her family’s hearts.

                Thank you all!

Praising Him,

Autumn