Last chance. Be bold. Day eight.

The dream team :)

This was the final day of English camp and our last day with the students.

During our morning session we talked about the very end of the book Jane Eyre. It closes with the story Jane's cousin named (St. John) who is a missionary that gave his life to spread the Word in India, and that life is coming to an end. He says he knows that he has followed the path that God laid out for him and he is not afraid to die. Rather, he is eager. These students have never thought about their own deaths, much less eternity. It was an amazing experience to see them begin to think of their lives in a new light. I asked them at the very end of the session, what if all of this is true? What if there is a heaven and a hell? What if there is a God and an Eternity? I pray that many of them will continue to ponder these questions and that God will do what only He can do. Please Lord help them to believe.

We went out to our last lunch with the students. There are 2 girls that I have had a chance to get pretty close to this week and I really wanted to have a quiet lunch with just the 2 of them and have some bold Gospel centered conversations, but we ended up with a big group of about 15! However, God worked it out (as only he can) that I was seated next to a couple of guys who I really hadn’t had a chance to talk to much, but who had a lot of good questions.Hopefully some new seeds were planted there.

We finished up our business projects in the afternoon, and then we did a little more dancing! Who would have thought that Chinese college students would love the To De Ta (and the Hokey Pokey and the Cotton Eyed Joe and the Electric Slide) as much as African kids?!?! In addition to that, these people who aren't supposed to be loud, aren't supposed to be outgoing, aren't supposed to be touching people of the opposite sex, were all dancing, singing, and hugging everyone they could get their hands on!

The team with most of the students

We said our goodbyes to the students and then we all headed out for one last dinner with the group. A couple of other Americans and their son (who were commissioned from Brook Hills) flew over for a couple of days to be with us. We had a great dinner and then headed back to the apartment. We had an amazing time with our WHOLE group in the Word and worshiping together. We were able to pray for all the ones who will stay behind when we are gone to continue this great work. We sang, we prayed, we cried. It was truly and amazing time of worship in a tiny apartment in the middle of nowhere.

We traveled back to our hotel, with the same thought on all of our minds. We pray that God will keep all of His believers here safe. That He will grow the seeds that have been planted as only He can do. That His church will truly rise up and spread in this city and all over China.

The last two paragraphs of the novel Jane Eyre:

St. John is unmarried: he never will marry now. Himself has hitherto sufficed to the toil, and the toil draws near its close: his glorious sun hastens to its setting. The last letter I received from him drew from my eyes human tears, and yet filled my heart with divine joy: he anticipated his sure reward, his incorruptible crown. I know that a strangers hand will write to me next, to say that the good and faithful servant has been called at length into the joy of his Lord. And why weep for this? No fear of death will darken St. John's last hour: his mind will be unclouded, his heart will be undaunted, his hope will be sure, his faith steadfast. His own words are a pledge of this-

"My Master," he says, "has forewarned me. Daily He announces more distinctly,-'Surely I am coming quickly!' and hourly I more eagerly respond,- 'Amen; even so come, Lord Jesus!'"

The last two verses of the Bible:

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. 
Revelation 22: 20-21


We had the students read out loud in literature class. In all three sessions we had today, I was overcome with emotion and had chills simply hearing the words "Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus" come out of the mouths of these students who have previously believed in nothing. I have no doubt that God's Word is powerful enough to transform hearts simply by being spoken aloud by the most unbelieving of unbelievers.

May it be so in our lives, and Lord let it be so in thiers.

China

-The people here do a lot of stuff that looks like worship, but it's not.

 

-They randomly do fireworks here. In the middle of the day. Not like the go up in the sky and make a boom type but the light them and run away and they pop on the sidewalk sounding like a machine gun type. This is good information to know BEFORE you experience it lest you wet your pants thinking you have been shot.

-The cucumbers in this country are freakishly large.

-No eggrolls. No fortune cookies either. Who knew!?

-They don't brew tea. They put tea leaves in a cup and pour hot water over the top. Then you wait til the leaves sink and drink up. An undisclosed member of our team (name rhymes with......Malph) got his cup of leaves and said "Am I supposed to drink this or smoke it? HA!