Wow! we had another Great Sunday worship!
Last week we had 30 people in our apartment for worship. Jeff and Cathy were visiting and they brought some of their students/friends with them. Also, Bob was here and he brought someone with him (as well as his son Michael). This is an answer to a prayer. We had been praying that Bob would come back to worship with us. He did and brought a visitor! They came back this Sunday too.
Nalis was one of Jon's students and she studied the Bible with Jeff and Cathy. She came last week because they were here, but she also came back this week. We were happy.
Cecilia came back this week and brought her boyfriend with her. He enjoyed it. I saw her helping him find verses in the Bible and explaining some things to him.
Bev Magee (who used to live in HZ) was here visiting and she brought an American friend Meg, and Chinese sister Lin li. Lin li will live in HZ next year and hopefully worship with us.
Benjamin was here and he brought a friend named Eric. Eric ate lunch with us too. He is a real nice guy.
Shane was here and he led singing. He did a great job! He was a little nervous at first, but once he got going I think he really liked it. I think that Shane has the kind of personality that he could be a leader.
We had a full house and it was wonderful! There were 20 present here today. It was our last Sunday before we return to the US for the summer.
Bob asked where they would meet next week. (we are excited that he asked) Unfortunately, there is not a clear plan for next week. Pray that they will meet every week while we are gone this summer. I plan to e-mail everyone weekly this summer.
I am thankful we had such a great Sunday. It is nice to end the year on a high note! It makes me even more excited about coming back here in August!
It is really amazing the way that God provided for us by showing us the nearby town of Shao Xing. We had never thought much of it. It was so close we easily could have missed it. And we would have, if it weren't for God's nudges of guidance here and there. I look back on it, and I am bowled over by the abundance of His provision. As you may recall, our group was asked to discontinue meeting, and many students warned and discouraged, way back last November. Since we Clarks had decided to focus quite a bit of energy on students in our ministry, when all of this happened, we decided to begin praying and searching to see if there was another place God would like to call us to. We kept up all of the work we normally do, and studied with old contacts as well as cultivating new ones, but in addition to that, we also began a daily regimen of systematically searching for another place to go within China. We read and looked into every viable place within The Lonely Planet China guidebook. We searched the Internet. We talked to people, all kinds of people, from China placement workers to friends and students who might know a bit of information about some random place. With everything we do every day, plus this, it was one of the busiest times of our lives so far. There were calls, phone interviews, applications, resumes, survey trips, sleepless nights, and research. And then, an invitation. Arily invited us to her hometown. To spend some time. To relax. To try to have an influence on her family, who had some serious doubts about her reading the Bible. To see if meeting us might help them open their minds about Christianity in general. Hmmm mm......out of our comfort zone, this, but we said yes. Weren't sure if it was wise to take time out of the job search during the crucial peak hiring season, but we said yes. Thank God we said yes. We had a wonderful time with Arily that Qing Ming Festival in Shao Xing. Her family showed us the history and culture which the people are so proud of and love so much. And in the process they introduced us to our new home. We gradually began to really fall for this town, and with a lot of prayer and patience it has worked out for us to move there with some dear friends, Dale and Lisa Taylor and their kids, Seth and Caleb, and begin ministering there in August. To God be the glory. He guided us His way. We will still be close to, and be an integral part of the long term China team as well. Shao Xing is less than an hour away from Hangzhou! So grateful to have this opportunity to open a new field while staying in contact with our team and other friends. So now, we would like to introduce you to our new home, Shao Xing, in these photos we took during that very first visit with Arily and her family. By the way, after the weekend with them, Arily says her mom now agrees that she can study the Bible! Success!
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