•
•• For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants ••.
n
(II Cor 4:5),
OCTOBER 1987 Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hongkong,
1987. China, 1997. The Gospel needs to be preached with greater urgency.
I was with a team that went to visit "The Banner of the Lord", a group ·of Chinese men and women who are committed to reaching out to other young Chinese with the Gospel. Sound familiar? They really are of kindred Spirit with us, and we have experienced God calling us to greater unity with one another. We spent two days in Guangzhou (Canton) praying, talking to the people, and opening our hearts to what God might want for China. The Lord blessed our trip. We were able to find cheap accomodations, tour the city by bicycle, attend a Latin mass at the Patriotic Church Cathedral, and share with the priest there about his many struggles and successes. The Lord also.had a "divine appointment" waiting for us. On the mini-bus fide back to Macau, we met a young man who could speak a little English and who was interested in knowing more about Christianity. Over the three-hour trip we went through the Gospel of Mark together. We discussed Jesus' miracles, his teachings, his love, his death and resurrection, his promise to return. I shared with him while the other brothers in the seat behind us prayed and interceded.
As he drew nearer to his stop, I asked him what he thought of Jesus. "He's a great man," he said. "Would you like to know him, since he's risen and alive? " I ventured. "Yes, very much," he answered. We then talked about praying to Jesus everyday, which he said he would po. I gave him my Bible. "Thank you, thank you very much," he said, over and over again, smiling broadly. There are many places today where Jesus' words ring true: "The harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few." (Mt 9:37) Look around you. You don't have to wait to go to China. There may be hungry and open hearts right at home, in school, on the bus, at your job, at a party. Ask God to open your eyes and give you the words to speak. Let the love of God and his love for (Continued
p, 2)