NEWSLETTER :: December 2020 :: Sharing the Reason for the Hope We Have

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

— John 1:5 (NIV)

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”

— 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Christmas greetings to you from our apartment here in Asia!

(…it’s still so fun to be able to say that…)

We can’t say it enough: massive gratitude to each of you who has encouraged us during this crazy year with your partnership and with your prayers, both for our family and for the families here in Asia whom He has called us to return to. If we are connected on Facebook, you may have seen the updates and know that we have been back home in our city since November 12. Upon arrival, we were required to complete a strict 14-day quarantine in one of the city’s designated hotels, as well as negative COVID tests on arrival at the airport, and again on the 12th day of quarantine. And don’t forget the nucleic acid and antibody tests required two days before our flight from San Francisco!

During the hotel quarantine, we were separated into two rooms – Sophie with Coco; John with Josh (quick summary: lots of Zoom; lots of LEGO!). At no point during our stay were we allowed to exit our rooms, while hotel and medical personnel in full protective gear delivered all our meals and came around twice per day to collect our temperatures. Finally, in an interesting twist, we were released from quarantine and arrived back home at our apartment on none other than Thanksgiving Day.

Wow! So much to be thankful for. A memorable, stressful, and surprisingly fun experience to cap off a year we won’t soon forget.

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Eating lunch ‘together’ during hotel quarantine

Up and Running

Since exiting quarantine, we have hit the ground running, both figuratively and literally. The weekend after Thanksgiving, we were blessed to be able to reconnect with dear friends from both our current and previous small groups for Thanksgiving feasts. At one of these events, the group members made an intentional choice to invite friends from our circles outside the Church, while Coco and another brother were invited to share their stories of faith. Coco gave a powerful testimony of the Hope and Peace we have in JC regardless of circumstances, and she was able to share from our family’s experience this year of deepening our own understanding and appreciation for this truth in the midst of chaos and instability. Then, our brother D* shared his truly amazing story of how JC first made himself known to him, and also his wife, in separate dreams on the same night. Wow!

One evening a few days later, Coco got very excited checking WeChat (the super-app we use for nearly everything here) – “Look at this!” It was a post by some friends we had met last school year – parents of John’s classmate. You might remember in an earlier newsletter that I recounted my conversation with J* – the dad – just a few short weeks before the pandemic started to break out in Wuhan. Unbeknownst to us, the Spirit has been at work in their family. Both John’s classmate and her dad have received the gift of faith. Before bed one night recently, this little girl boldly asked her mom: “I believe in JC. Do you?” Wow!

“…Aslan is on the move…”

(pardon the nerdy Narnia quote)

Christmas story video shared with John’s class

Of course, the Christmas season also brings with it special opportunities to share about the One who came into the world as a baby to be God-With-Us. One example from this month: all the families in John’s class were given an opportunity to share a Christmas tradition, and since current COVID precautions preclude parents from visiting the classroom, Josh was able to contribute a short video sharing our family tradition of reading the story of Jesus’ birth from Luke 2 before opening presents on Christmas Eve.

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In addition to all of this, Josh has been able to dive back into his work with the team at CWEF. It is exciting to finally be in the same time zone with everyone and to be able to reconnect, plan for 2021, and pray about what comes next. The Advent season and the end of the calendar year is also “Giving Season” in non-profit land, so Josh has been engaged in connecting with current and future financial partners who empower the health and education work in rural Asia through CWEF. This year, we have put together a campaign called HEALTH + HOPE 2020 with a two-fold goal:

1. Raise funds to power CWEF’s ongoing health education and COVID prevention work with children and families in rural communities

2. Spread some much-needed health and hope within our own networks by encouraging each other toward healthy habits and sharing the hope we have in JC, particularly during this difficult season of life.

‘HEALTH + HOPE 2020’ campaign invitation video

Prayer Requests

• Thanksgiving to God for bringing us safely back home to Asia.

• Continue to pray for the gift of faith for Coco’s family, and especially for her mom. She plans to come stay with us for a few days at the end of the year.

• For our friends D*, J*, S*, L*, Y* and others we know who are learning more about JC, or are growing in their relationship with Him.

• It seems John brought home an unwelcome Christmas cold from school just before the holiday, and the rest of us have also caught the bug. Pray for quick healing, so we can safely gather with friends and participate in Christmas events.

• Ask God to give faith and courage to our CWEF team members - Li Ying, Maggie, Jenny, Kanhchana, Panhary, Buntha, & Renee.

• Finally, for Coco and I – pray for an abundance of faith, hope, and love from the Lord.

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Thank you for walking with us as we walk with Him on this adventure of faith. We are so grateful to be your partners in sharing Him and seeing the expansion of His kingdom in Asia.

Thank you for your prayers and support!
In His Love,
-Josh, Coco, John and Sophie

Actually Not Yet!

Hi team! Massive thanks to everyone who responded with prayers, words of encouragement, and financial support after our update the other day. I was so looking forward to sharing a follow-up post here with a photo of us in our quarantine hotel or back home at our apartment.

Unfortunately, that's not how yesterday went, and we ran into another ADVENTURE 2020 curve in the road. The Air Canada agents at SFO had serious issues at check-in (both user error related to our kids' travel docs and unexplained system tech issues related to Coco's ticket), and so we got stuck at the check-in counter for more than 1.5 hours and missed our flight. They weren't able to hold it, and with our short layover time in Vancouver, there weren't any other options for a later flight. As you can imagine, this is still pretty hard to take right now, but we are going to make the best of it.

The good news is we are scheduled for another flight on November 20 (sooner than I would’ve thought, honestly!), and we're also looking into other flight options. God is so good and has blessed us with loving and generous family and friends here in the Bay Area, who are helping to coordinate what we need right now, like a place to stay and a car to drive. John and Sophie are definitely not upset about this development, as it means bonus cousin time. :)

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Bonus time with Aunt Christa and the boys in California now.

In the past 24 hours, God has spoken His words to us from various directions - a text from my dad, the song we've been using to help John fall asleep, morning psalm time at my sister's house, my daily devotion from the BiOY app. ALL of these have been the most important 'lifeline' words from the Lord to us throughout various stages of this year, and He graciously brought ALL of them back to our ears, minds, and hearts in the past 24 hours.

Isn't He amazing?

• Romans 8 (the whole chapter, it's so powerful - go read it)

• Psalm 46 (a link to this psalm has been in my work email signature for the past few months ; God even arranged that our son John's turn to read was verse 10 - "He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.')

• Philippians 4:4-13 - "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

Hanging on the wall at my sister's house. Appropriate, no?

Thank you for walking with us as we walk with Him on this adventure of faith. He has used you in a wonderful way to bless the people CWEF works with, and to sustain us as we serve. We are so grateful for your partnership in the Gospel, and for your many prayers and gifts through the years.

Thank you for your prayers and support!
In His Love,
-Josh, Coco, John and Sophie

NEWSLETTER :: October 2020 :: Headed Back to Asia!

“ADVENTURE 2020” - This is the term we’ve been using to sum up our family’s journey this year. Adventures bring with them a range of experiences and emotions that might seem contradictory – exciting and scary, awesome and awful, joyful and depressing, exhausting and deeply restful, surprising, bewildering, and sometimes – not what we expected but just what we needed. This ‘corona-season’ has been all of these things for us -- ADVENTURE 2020!

You can probably identify with the adventure metaphor. Perhaps, though, you are struggling to put a positive spin on your experiences this year. Struggling to summon up hope for the future. I think we’ve all been there this year.

Jesus has a message for us:

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

— Isaiah 43:1-3 (NIV)

These words from the Lord have been a source of comfort and peace ever since I watched The Chosen during the height of lockdown season. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a truly excellent crowd-funded series about Jesus and his first followers. If you have seen it, you might remember the first part of this passage from Isaiah 43, which Jesus quoted when He first met Mary Magdalene (as re-imagined by The Chosen creators in the first episode). These words from the Lord brought me to tears back then, and I have made a regular habit of reciting them to John and Sophie before they fall asleep. These are much-needed words for all of us – perhaps more this year than at any time in our lives. Although they might all be beneficial, what we need most right now is not the right person to win an election, nor the right pandemic response, nor a solution for lost income, nor a vaccine. What we need most is a Savior, our Redeemer, who comes to us with confidence and love, and says:

“Fear not…you are mine.”

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With MCN team members in Concordia, MO for mutual encouragement and training in July.

HEADED BACK TO ASIA!

As mentioned briefly at the beginning, our family is now making final preparations to return home to Asia, departing from San Francisco early Sunday morning, October 18 (tomorrow)! We could not be more excited to return home and to continue the work God has for us there, after these 8 long months in the U.S. The past two months in particular have been quite ‘eventful’, with surprising twists and turns. Here is a quick summary since you last heard from us:

June: *Continued virus spread in the U.S.. *We began to realize our hope of returning to Asia by the end of Summer was unlikely. *Began to pray about a home purchase/rental in the States.

July: *Safely gathered with fellow mission partners and U.S.-based team members of Mission of Christ Network (MCN). *Visited Josh’s home church in Jefferson City, MO. *Began working with a coach to guide us through a process to re-focus our family’s vision/mission and to strengthen our team of partners. *US-China relations fell to new low with Hong Kong security law and consulate closures in Houston and Chengdu. *Began process to purchase a home near my brother’s family in Edwardsville, IL.

August: *China’s entry restrictions loosen for certain people with special approval, but still not for families in our particular situation. *Josh’s sister-in-law Tami, who we’d been living with since March, contracted COVID. We quickly moved out to an Airbnb in the area.

September: *After quarantine, treatment, monitoring, and testing, we and all other exposed family members avoided infection and Tami fully recovered, praise God! *One week prior to closing on our new house, there was a major leak and water damage at the house, after which we decided not to go forward with the purchase. *Felt a strong message from the Lord that our time in the U.S. was ending, and that it was time to return to Asia ASAP. *Set out for Austin, TX to spend time with Josh’s parents until we were able to return to Asia. During long road trip South, China announced relaxation of entry restrictions for families in our situation. We immediately bought plane tickets, which would soon become much harder to come by.

October: *Spent several slightly more stable weeks in Austin working, spending time with Grandma & Grandpa Lange, and preparing for our return to Asia.

A time of mutual encouragement with Shanghai small group friends and supporters who now live in Texas.

And now tomorrow is the day! We are excited, exhausted, anxious, and grateful. We’ve done all the packing, received all the negative COVID tests, and completed the other logistical steps. How can we possible express how grateful we are for the many people here in the States who have blessed us and encouraged us during this ‘ADVENTURE 2020’ season? It’s been truly amazing.

As a part of the sustainable partnership development process mentioned earlier, we have been reconnecting with some of you by phone or Zoom call, and we plan to continue that process even after our arrival back home in Asia. So, expect to hear from us! And if you’d like to beat us to it, please reach out by email or text at 314-669-5745. It would be great to hear from you! Coco and I would love to get on a call with you to share more about what God has been putting on our hearts this year and to invite you to join us in partnership, as God leads us.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Thanksgiving to God for clearing the obstacles and making it possible for us to return to Asia earlier than expected.

• Pray that we would be spared any infection or sickness during our travels in the coming days, and that we would be approved for home quarantine in our apartment, rather than at one of our city’s designated quarantine hotels.

• Pray for our son John. All the changes over the past few months have been difficult for his little heart, and He has been showing more signs of fear and anxiety. Please pray for God’s Peace and Courage for him.

• Pray for our CWEF team, as we continue to make plans for 2021 for work in China and Cambodia. In particular, we have been praying about a greater emphasis on mental health in our health programs. Pray for wisdom and clear direction for these ideas.

• Ask God to give faith and courage to our team members - Li Ying, Maggie, Jenny, Kanhchana, Panhary, Buntha, & Renee.

• Finally, for Coco and I – pray for an abundance of faith, hope, and love from the Lord.

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Thank you for walking with us as we walk with Him on this adventure of faith. He has used you in a wonderful way to bless the people CWEF works with, and to sustain us as we serve. We are so grateful for your partnership in the Gospel, and for your many prayers and gifts through the years.

Thank you for your prayers and support!
In His Love,
-Josh, Coco, John and Sophie

NEWSLETTER :: May 2020 :: Praying, Preparing, Waiting

Thank you for your prayers for our family during a very unique season of life. We know we are not alone in this sense of upheaval. Surely, many of you have experienced loss – of family members, of employment, of income, of a sense of security. Many of you need prayer, so please write back to share your prayer requests. We do have some extra time and space to pray during this season, and we would love to pray for you.

In the midst of it all, we thank God for your desire to show and tell about the light, love, hope, and peace of Jesus Christ to a world that is hurting.

HELPING COMMUNITIES PROTECT THEMSELVES

In light of COVID-19 and all the changes it has brought, I (Josh) have been spending a lot of time working with our CWEF team in Asia to consider how we should pivot and where to place our focus in the coming year. We have concluded that one thing we can do now is to re-commit ourselves to health-related work popularly known as WASH (standing for “water, sanitation, and hygiene”). We have been doing this type of work with rural communities for many years, and it is even more crucial for people living in underserved communities now.

To that end, we have adjusted our plans for the coming year to prioritize WASH activities, and we ran an online fundraising campaign called “WASH Week” at the beginning of May. By the grace of God, we were able to reach our goal of raising over $10,000 to complete funding for three WASH projects in China and Cambodia. As part of the campaign, I shared more about these projects on a Facebook Live video, which you can watch here. You can also watch a ‘thank you’ video with images from WASH activities during the month of May here.

We won't stop there. We want to show and share the love of Christ by doing everything we can to help children and families know how to protect themselves from virus and disease. In Cambodia, we are doing this in direct partnership with the local church. Thank you for joining the communities we serve in this important work.

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CWEF colleague Panhary shares about critical hygiene behavior for protection against COVID-19 during a food relief distribution at a Lutheran church in rural Cambodia.

PRAYING, PREPARING, WAITING

Our family of four is still here at our temporary ‘shelter’ in Edwardsville, IL (just outside of St. Louis) with my brother and family. We expect to be in the U.S. for at least a few more months. China continues to restrict entry to nearly all non-Chinese. With their Chinese travel documents, Coco and the kids would be able to enter the country, but it is not possible for me right now. In addition to this barrier, we are still working to re-build our family’s network of financial partners after the recent transition to MCN (Mission of Christ Network). 

At the beginning of May, we were thankful to make a ‘virtual visit’ with a congregation in Missouri. They sent us a recording of our presentation, which we would love to share with you. Some of the stories are sensitive relative to where we live and serve, so if you would like to see the presentation, please send an email to Joshua.Lange@missionofchrist.org, and I will be more than happy to give you access.

We would love to do more of these visits! 

Please contact us to set up a time to visit with your congregation or family, either online or in person. We have a lot of availability between now and the end of August, on Sunday mornings and also on weekdays for Bible studies, LWML group meetings, etc. You can contact us by email at Joshua.Lange@missionofchrist.org or call/text 314-669-5745.

Sharing about God’s mission in Asia through CWEF during a ‘virtual visit’ with Campus Lutheran in Columbia, MO via Zoom.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Pray for God to send just the right partners at the right time to provide the prayer and financial support needed for us to return and continue serving in Asia.

• Pray for a miraculous reduction in coronavirus spread and improvement in U.S.–China relations, so that we might be allowed to return home.

• Pray for our CWEF team, as we continue to adjust strategies and plans for the coming year. 

• Pray for the light, love, justice, mercy, and peace of Christ to reign in our hearts, families, and communities here in the U.S. and in the places where CWEF serves in Asia.

• Remember our CWEF team members as you pray: Li Ying, Maggie, Jenny, Kanhchana, Panhary, Buntha, Adam & Renee. Ask God to grant them faith, courage and wisdom.

• Finally, for an extra measure of faith, hope, and love from the Lord, for our marriage and our vocation as parents to John and Sophie. 

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CWEF colleague Jenny with a student she is helping to train to be a local health advocate at his school in Yunnan province.

REFLECTION: Enemy Love

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

— Romans 5:6-11

I’ll never forget Doctor Steve, another student in the same cohort during the first year of my master’s degree program. We met at a small Christian university in the countryside outside of Cap Haitian in rural northern Haiti, the site of that year’s classroom session for our program and the place where Steve and his family had invested the better part of their lives to serve and witness to the people of Haiti. Doctor Steve was way ahead of me in life experience and wisdom, so I listened when he spoke. He had a beautiful, winsome way of speaking about the Christian faith. When he talked about Jesus, he kept repeating a phrase that has stuck with me ever since: “Enemy Love.”

What about us? As the Body of Christ in this world, are we a people that loves our enemies? Or are we a people that loves to make enemies? This crazy year of 2020 seems to be a perfectly designed test of this question. Trade war, coronavirus, lockdown, economic collapse, George Floyd, protests, riots, election, what’s next?

As Christians, how are we to respond during such times? 

Let us remember how Jesus responded to his enemies, to sinners, to us. Enemy Love. Let us follow Paul’s encouragement to the Christians in Rome:

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse…
If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink…
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

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Sophie reminds us of The Most Important Thing: "He Has Risen!"

Thank you for walking together with us as we walk with Him on this journey of faith. He has used you in a wonderful way to bless the people CWEF works with, and to sustain us as we serve. We are so grateful for your partnership in the Gospel, and for your many prayers and gifts through the years.

Thank you for your prayers and support!
In His Love,
-Josh, Coco, John and Sophie

NEWSLETTER :: March 2020 :: A Stable Instability

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
愿颂赞归于我们主耶稣基督的父上帝！祂有无穷的怜悯，借着耶稣基督从死里复活使我们获得重生，有活泼的盼望，可以承受那不会朽坏、没有污点、不会衰残、为你们存留在天上的产业。你们这些因信而蒙上帝用大能保守的人，必能得到那已经预备好、在末世要显明的救恩。为此，即使现今你们必须暂时在百般试炼中忍受痛苦，也要满怀喜乐。这样，你们的信心经过试验便显明是真实的，比那经过火炼仍会坏掉的金子更加宝贵，使你们可以在耶稣基督显现时得到称赞、荣耀和尊贵。”

— 1 Peter 1:3-7 (NIV & CCB)

I (Josh) have been reflecting on a conversation I had with a new friend back in December. I was getting to know Joe* over a piece of spaceship cake at our son John’s 5th birthday party. We had met a few times before, but this was our first real conversation. He is the father of one of John’s friends, has a great corporate job, and is working on an MBA program at a prestigious Hong Kong university. When he learned about the work I do, he was curious and started to ask questions. I did my best to ‘season with salt’ (Colossians 4:6) as I shared, and I was thankful when Joe also opened up a bit and shared some of his own thoughts on the Christian faith:

“When I was studying in the U.S., there were a few Christians who were very kind to me, and I went to church with them a few times, but…I don’t know…it never really ‘stuck’ for me. I’ve noticed that my friends who have become Christians…they were going through some big problems in their life.”

An indirect (very Chinese) way of expressing a common view of Christianity and religion in general. It’s a tool that people can use for comfort during times of suffering or pain – Marx’s well-known ‘opium of the masses’ concept.

“Hey, that’s great if it’s helpful for them, but it’s not for me.”

I started by sharing with Joe that, yes – all throughout the Bible, God shows himself to be very concerned and near to people who are struggling, in pain, living in poverty, or on the margins of society (Psalm 34:18, Proverbs 31:8, Isaiah 58:5-10, Matthew 25:31-46, etc.). That’s exactly why we are doing the work we are doing through CWEF.

But I also gently challenged him:

“Don’t we do a great job of trying to fool ourselves that we don’t really need help most of the time? We tell ourselves we’re doing pretty well, that we’re in control of our lives. But, man – isn’t that flimsy? What would happen if we lost our jobs? Or if we found out our kid has cancer?”

About 10 days after my conversation with Joe, we started hearing the first news reports about a mysterious new virus outbreak in Wuhan. One month after our conversation, health officials confirmed human-to-human transmission, Wuhan went into full lockdown, and the entire country of China – nearly all 1.4 billion people – began social isolation measures. Now, three months later, ALL of us have fully entered this reality that still seems so unreal. Many of us feel the rug has been ripped out from under our feet. The veil has been removed.

And now Joe’s questions – and our answers as Christians – are so relevant.

I’m reminded of the example of our faithful Christian friends in rural southwest China where, together with local Christian leaders, CWEF has helped facilitate clean water and health education programs over the years. When we visit, the village elders share stories of intense persecution during the early years of Party rule, when they had to bury their Bibles and worship in caves. Friends and family members were sent to prison, and some even lost their lives on account of their faith.

We ask:

“How did they survive that time? Where did they get their courage?”

They answer:

“The Hope of the Resurrection.”

Like them, in Christ we have a precious gift to share with the world during these strange and uncertain times.

We have a living hope.

We have an inheritance that will never perish, spoil, or fade.

We have true stability in the midst of instability.

*not his real name

Updates & Prayer Requests

For new beginnings like these, prayer is the best place to start. Coco and I ask that you join us in prayer for the following:

• Check out these recent updates from CWEF’s work in Asia:

  • Building Healthy Lives in Rural Yunnan

  • Clean Water with Clear Impact for Chanthy

  • Yongjin's Education - Blessing and Responsibility

• If we are connected on Facebook, you might already know that in early February, Coco and I, with guidance from our MCN field lead, decided to make a trip back to the United States. At the time, with school closures in Asia having just been announced and with no clear end in sight, we had thought it would be a good opportunity to reconnect with supporters in the States, and hopefully be able to use the extra time wisely. Obviously, the situation here has changed in a way we had not predicted. With in-person church services canceled for the foreseeable future, and China having recently suspended entry to almost all foreigners, we are now in the same boat as many of you – our idea for how things would go this year has been proven wrong (again), we are settling in at our temporary home with family in the St. Louis area, and I am adjusting to the new reality of fully-remote, opposite-time-zone work with our CWEF team in Asia. Please pray for wisdom about how to move forward and plan for the future during this time. Since we now know most of us will stay home through the end of April (at least), we are curious about setting up ‘virtual visits’ or live streaming events with your congregation or family. Please let us know if you are interested!

• Now for the positives! Last month, by God’s grace, we were able to coordinate a small relief effort to support our neighbors in China risking their lives to save others during the most intense period of the coronavirus outbreak there. We were able to send 10,000 surgical masks, 1500 plastic face shields, 500 thermometers, and 300 medical protective suits to support health care workers and their patients at three hospitals in Hubei and Yunnan provinces.

• In our last update, we shared a request to pray for barriers to be removed related to new government requirements and delayed approvals for CWEF’s projects in China. I am very thankful to report that as of last week, our team has now cleared those hurdles, and we have received final approval for our 2020 activity plan. Thank God and thank you for your prayers!

• We have been so thankful to be able to keep up with weekly online devotions with our team members in Asia to encourage each other in the Word and with much-needed prayer together. Our devotion theme right now is FAITH!

• Pray for the Spirit’s leading for Coco and I as we seek deeper connections and opportunities to share with new friends like ‘Joe’, along with other fellow parents of John’s classmates.

• Remember our CWEF team members as you pray: Li Ying, Maggie, Jenny, Kanhchana, Panhary, Buntha, Adam & Renee. Ask Him to grant them faith, courage, and wisdom.

• Finally, for faith, hope, and love from Him, for our marriage and our vocation as parents to John and Sophie.

Thank you for walking together with us as we walk with Him on this journey. He has used you in a wonderful way to bless the people CWEF works with, and to sustain us as we serve. We are grateful for your partnership in the Gospel, and for your many prayers and gifts through the years.

In His Love,

Josh & Coco, John & Sophie