June 2003

ARIZONA WAS EXCEPTIONAL

For the past five months we have been experiencing a touch of heaven in Arizona where we were serving as interim pastor of Tri-City Alliance Church. We don't have words to describe the awesome presence of the Lord in that church as God came among us and did some mighty miracles. Many, many thanks for your prayers for us during this period. I just wish all of you could have been there to experience what God did as the people responded to the call to prayer. Our ministry will be forever changed through this mighty demonstration of God's power unleashed on a praying church. Hopefully, you will all experience this in your churches and for China.

One of the gravest health situations exists in Asia particularly as well as many other places in the world in the form of the SARS epidemic. (Severe acute respiratory syndrome). Hong Kong and the southern province of Guangdong have been cleared for travel, but Beijing, the capitol of China is still off limits. Reports from several people in Taiwan state that it has been severely hit as well. As many as 667 probable cases have been reported in the past few weeks. More than 1,000 people are in quarantine, 400 are hospitalized and 81 have died. Plead with the Lord to stop this plague and to use it to bring people to Him.

The consequences of this epidemic have caused all summer programs by visitors to China to be cancelled. That means badly needed training classes for pastors, elders and other lay leaders will be postponed for many months and possibly a whole year. Visitors from Hong Kong and Taiwan who normally travel into China are also being restricted because of the epidemic. However, one good result of the epidemic is that many people are seeking the Lord because of the fear that has gripped their hearts. Believers are busy helping people find peace in the midst of fear and death. Asia Harvest estimates that several thousand people are coming to Christ every day as the result of the epidemic. Chinese Christians have already published a tract entitled "Jesus, The Great Doctor."

CHINA'S ONE CHILD PER FAMILY LAW

"The Church Around the World" reports that officials in Guangdong Province in South China have increased the fines to eight times a family's annual income if they violate Beijing's "one child per family" policy. Communist authorities want to restrict the nation's population to 1.6 billion people by 2050. The current population is 1.3 billion. Officials say that in the past two decades alone, 330 million births have been "prevented." Since 97% of all abortions are of girls, there are now 120 million more boys under the age of 15 than girls. This policy has caused tremendous grief in China where large families have been traditional for centuries. This stringent law that is changing the face of China's family particularly troubles Christians and is another cause of persecution and punishment.

The April issue of a newsletter from Alliance Radio in Hong Kong calls on Christians everywhere to pray for the use of radio to reach China with the gospel. As it has been largely responsible for keeping the Christian message alive during the worst years of the Communist rule, so now it is being used to strengthen the church through programs of Bible instruction and inspiration. They request that prayer continue for believers as they seek to live out their role in the new China as "salt and light". The nurture programs are helping believers mature and grow in their faith and that in turn enables them to become stronger witnesses in difficult circumstances. They request prayer for two new people who have joined the broadcasting staff in spite of the budget crunch during this time of difficult economic times. At present they are running about $32,000 behind budget. Should the Lord prompt you to help keep the Word going into China, send your gift for "Alliance Radio" to the C&MA, Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500.

A young professional in Chongqing found Christ as her Savior while reading a borrowed New Testament. She believes God sought her, changed her and is guiding her to a strategic role for His use. She is an outstanding product of China's educational system, and now she has been chosen for a job in international economics. She was recently baptized and sees God's purpose in her salvation and promotion. Pray for her as she moves to her new post where she desires to be a witness for Jesus.

In what once was considered a most difficult region of China for the spread of the gospel, new churches are being erected in Wenfeng, Weiyang and two churches in the city of Jia Yu Guan. Funds from interested people are making possible the continued work on these buildings where the Word of God will be spread to the surrounding neighborhoods. Pray that many new believers will be added to the church, and pray that these buildings will be greatly used as training centers for lay people and the building up of the church. Gifts may be sent to me made out to First Alliance Orlando. Every penny will be transmitted to the Gansu projects.

Alliance Life, March 2003, ran an article on Richard Chen who grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution of the '60s and '70s. Although he was taught that there is no God, for some reason at the age of 23, he purchased an English Bible, but soon laid it aside after reading Genesis. Later he accepted a job as manager of a garment factory in Guatemala. One day at a grocery store, the proprietor, a Chinese man from the Guatemala Chinese Alliance Church gave him a Christian magazine to read. It started him thinking about God and the Bible. Soon after that, Rev. Joseph Lee, the pastor of the church came to visit him and led him to the Lord. Five months after receiving Christ, he was completely freed of a 20 year smoking habit, and had completed read the entire Bible in 75 days. Now Richard and his wife Reina live wholly for the Lord and seek to lead their acquaintances to Him. Pray for this family and the church in Guatemala

In 1998, Ambassadors for Christ began distributing the Chinese version of "Song of a Wanderer, Beckoned by Eternity." This apologetic book, written by Feng Bing-Cheng (pen name Li Cheng) has sold more than 170,000 copies. It is now available in English from Ambassadors for Christ and may be ordered by calling 717-687-8564, Ext. 228. Mr. Feng is a graduate of Beijing University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He lives in the United States and has excellent credentials as a medical researcher. Before trusting in Christ, he studied the evidences of Christianity thoroughly and, after many struggles, became convinced that the Bible and the Christian message are true. He understands the mind of Chinese scholars and wrote this book to help answer their questions of truth and faith in Jesus Christ. This is an excellent book to use when contacting Chinese scholars here in the USA.

As you prayed for us while we were in Arizona, now we ask that you will pray for our son Jonathan and his family. He is the Associate Pastor of Harvest Chapel, a very successful church plant in Virginia, but due to the fact that the senior pastor has resigned, he must also terminate his ministry at this church. He needs direction from God in this unexpected situation and a place to minister. He has served as Youth Pastor in two large churches, one over 800 people, for a total of 18 years, church administrator, chaplain of Dalat Missionary School in Malaysia and presently in the church plant in Virginia. He is seeking a ministry as Pastor of Missions, or Family Nurture and/or small groups. He and his wife, Julia, need much encouragement at this time when they don't understand what God is leading them into. They may be contacted by e-mail at pjbollback@megapipe.net

As many of you are introducing China Clippings to your churches and friends, the mailing list continues to grow. That means more prayer and support is reaching China, land of one fourth of the world's population. Today, the door is opening, but no one knows how long it will remain open. Let's make every day count for eternity. This newsletter is sent on request when e-mail addresses are provided. Thanks and God bless you.