"Jonny Hoagland, Leslie Fry (North Davis COC) and I just returned home from Beijing, China where we were blessed to have worked with the Jinsong Church and the local missionaries Andrew and Jaime Hill for two weeks. God brought us 33 readers and we spent a total of 115 hours reading with them during those two weeks. Most of our readers were reading the stories of Jesus for the first time. They were so eager to learn more about the Bible that many nights we had to read with two readers at a time.
During the two weeks we were there, we deeply felt the need for more workers. We were also very encouraged by the work the local missionaries are doing. The conversations with our readers were always enlightening. Many of their questions revealed that they were trying to reconcile Jesus’ teachings with the lessons that they have heard from the world. One reader said, “I don’t have much faith, but I think it is a good thing, how can I get it?” After we read the parable of the soil, another student said, “I am not a good soil yet, but I want to be.” One student asked, “Can you teach me how to pray?” Another said, “What does the Bible say about disciplining your child?”
After we came back to the States, one reader emailed us “Thank you very much for your Bible teaching. Although only two-week reading with you, it is a real improvement for me in both knowledge, learning and communication. And one of my colleagues, who previously attended many ceremonies of Christianity in Canada, is also interested in Bible reading and I am now trying to introduce her to Jaime and Andrew.”
One highlight of the trip was a party we hosted so that our readers could meet and connect with the local church members. Eight of our readers attended the party! On our two days off we took some time to visit with Gary and Danita Jackson and we visited The Great Wall, The Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, The Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square.
Two weeks is a short time. But we praise God for a truly memorable and productive time of working in his service..."
The first day when they got there, they registered 15 readers. The next day after the English corner, 8 more signed up. Of course, more readers joined later. One of them was a hotel employee. David just read with him at the hotel lounge area. When they did the registration, a policeman came to ask people what they were doing. The readers told the policeman something that David didn't understand. Afterwards the policeman gave them two thumbs up and a big smile before he walked away. David had such a busy schedule that he normally didn't go back to the hotel until 10:30pm. But he totally enjoyed every minute of it.
Here are a few pictures of David with his readers. David can tell you good stories of each of them:
This is the party they had with some of the readers. Johnny was explaining the rules for a game they played.
This is the Sunday service that the local new church had at a restaurant:
In this picture, a crippled girl was writing her experience on the street so that she could get some donation from the people walking by. She then wiped out clean after she finished writing and moved on ...
David, Leslie and Johnny at the Summer Palace
At the Great Wall
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