Have you ever watched a field of dandelions in the wind? Each seed caught up in the current, drifting far afield, small yet packed with life, ready to grow wherever it lands. That is what we hope each Asian college student who graduates will be like, not graduating away but being sent out with purpose, ready to make an impact for the Kingdom in their workplace, in the lives of a new friends they meet, and that before long small new churches will start springing up, in breakrooms, living rooms, tea shops and cafes, and as they mature they will send out their own seedlings.  In fact as the leaders of the church network have begun to talk about their identity and mission, they have so grabbed hold of this heart that they have decided to call themselves the Dandelion Church, where every person is a living seed. . . .

Over this past semester we have had the privilege of walking with three of our first seedlings (all working as middle school or high school teachers). Each of them has faced difficulties, job pressure, long days that often start at 6 am and continue to till 9 or 10 pm, persecution, their own struggle to maintain a real relationship with God where they are often the only Christian they know. The challenges are real. In many ways they walked into our network’s annual winter retreat this month feeling the weight of them, but as they were together with fellow believers worshiping, being poured into, they said things like, “Only after being here have I come back to life,” and “After being here I like feel I have been charged up, filled with Faith again.”

As we huddled in a small room together with our returning “Dandelion Seedlings” to debrief the last semester and pray and plan for the next, they opened up about the difficulties they faced and the disappointment with how this last semester had gone. When I asked them if this is still something they want to pursue, they strongly responded, “Yes! It may be harder than we thought, but we are committed.” During that time they committed to return to the foundation of spending extended daily time with the Lord and regular intercession. They additionally decided to have a weekly online small group to encourage each other and grow, and to start interceding for a partner (either an existing believer, or someone who says yes to God soon) who would also catch the heart to make a Kingdom impact and raise up churches.