“You’ve all seen a dandelion, right?” In simple language I began to describe the weed flower that blankets most of the fields in upstate NY. “When it’s young, it’s yellow, but as it grows older, it turns white. Then one day something happens. A breeze comes.” I picked up an imaginary flower and blew on it. “All the seeds fly away. And you are like that flower. You are getting ready to fly to new places. And God is going to use you there.” As I said this, Xiao Zhu leaned her head on Grace’s shoulder. It was an emotional moment. For the last almost 4 years, we’ve all been together. We’ve grown together. We’ve cried together. We’ve loved and suffered together. And our time together is drawing to a close. This year’s senior class is getting ready to graduate and move to new cities. I’m getting ready to fly home to get married. After so much time together, the exciting but also tender and sad process of saying goodbye has
I picked up an imaginary flower and blew on it. “All the seeds fly away. And you are like that flower. You are getting ready to fly to new places. And God is going to use you there.”As I said this, Xiao Zhu leaned her head on Grace’s shoulder. It was an emotional moment. For the last almost 4 years, we’ve all been together. We’ve grown together. We’ve cried together. We’ve loved and suffered together. And our time together is drawing to a close.
This year’s senior class is getting ready to graduate and move to new cities. I’m getting ready to fly home to get married. After so much time together, the exciting but also tender and sad process of saying goodbye has arrived.
But before that happened, Sonny and I knew that we needed to do something significant to equip these young leaders. For the last four weeks, I’ve been leading a class every Wednesday night where I have been pouring out everything I know about how to start a new church.
Setting up a prayer team, intercession, fasting, how to share the good news, how to lead a training group, how to lead a study group for seekers; different plans I’d used, different scriptures that meant a lot to me and captured my Father’s heart for the lost…. I gave everything I had.
Then this past weekend, we invited two brothers from another city to come and join us for our Launch Weekend, where we went even deeper. We also gave them a chance to develop their own ch3rch planting plan and lay hands on them as we sent them out into everything God has for them.
“A month ago, I thought I was just a regular Christian,” my friend Weldon said. “But now everything has changed.”
He went on to say that he believes that God has chosen him and wants to use him to start a new church in the new province he is moving to. He even believes that he will be bringing new brothers to our winter retreat this year!
The weekend and the class were a major win for us and for the Kingdom of God! Thank you for standing with me and investing in the move of the Holy Spirit here in Asia!
As most of you know by now, I am getting married this summer! I’m marrying an amazing man, who I completely trust and adore with my entire heart. I will be flying home one week from today to prepare for the wedding! Although we aren’t able to invite all of the amazing people who have invested in and loved us, we are so grateful for your friendship and investment in our lives! Adriel and I will be home for six to eight months for furlough and support raising and we hope that we have the chance to meet up with all of you over the course of that time!