“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。”
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:
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