The one thing is based on Paul’s words in Phillipians 4:11-13. (“ And I am not saying this because I feel neglected, for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little. I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.”) God took us through diverse experiences, from living in remote places to big cities, eating on a budget of R6 per person per day to being blessed with 3 meals a day in restaurants, living in poor
conditions to luxury hotel rooms, washing clothes by hand to begin blessed with having our laundry done, and the list goes on. In all of this I’ve learned to be content in whatever situation I’m in and that God gives me everything I need to face whatever situation He takes me to.
I’ve also been exposed to another way of interacting with people in spreading the gospel. It’s called “the way of the Master” (see www.thewayofthemaster.com ) It’s not one of those prosperity teachings that urge you to accept Jesus, and everything will be all right and will go well with you. Neither is it a fire and brimstone teaching that says turn or burn and result in people giving their lives to God only because they fear hell. It’s a way of speaking to people and allowing the Holy Spirit to convict them and make them aware of their need for a Saviour. It leads to repentance of sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ as their only Saviour. Jesus himself said that if you we don’t repent, we will likewise perish (Luke 13:5).
God also confronted me with that which is probably one of the biggest lies I believe. He did this in each and every class I faced during our week at the school, the biggest being 200 students. I had to sing a song in each class (the Chinese love karaoke and singing). If you believe you cannot sing and that every note coming from you mouth is false, this presents a problem. And knowing that I did sing in the school choir long ago does not help at all. And even though I still do not believe I can sing and I know this keeps me from worshipping God as I should, I did sing to each and every class – solo! And even though I know that when we sing to God, it’s not about what others hear or what they think, there is still a big difference between what I know and what I practice. I pray that God will come and show me the truth and set me free from any lies I still believe regarding this.
Experiencing God as the Creator and being able to see the diversity of His creation was a blessing. Knowing that it is the same God who created the different cultures and seasons and that He blessed me in experiencing some of this. Seeing the snow, the huge mountains and everything He created, makes me stand in awe of Him.
Another thing that stood out about our time in China, is prayer. We’ve prayed everywhere we went and I just realize more and more the need for prayer and the power in prayer. And the more I pray, the more there is to pray about! It so easy to say to someone you’ll pray for them, but how often do we actually do that. Even though we may not always see the result of our prayers immediately, I know that our Father in heaven hears every one of them and that it has more significance in the spiritual realm than what we are aware of. Thank you for each and everyone who is praying for me and for us as GCX’08 team. Please keep on doing this.
Prayer requests from my side:
- for the next country we’re going to (flying to Malaysia tomorrow) and God’s strategy for the time there
- safe journey to Hong Kong and Malaysia
- that my relationship with God will become so intimate that I will be walking “in tune” with the Holy Spirit 24/7
- for a continued attitude of humbleness, servant
hood, unity and love in myself and in the team
- for Macau (especially against the gambling, human trafficking and idol worship)
- that the seed that was sown during this time into peoples lives will fall on good soil and that God will make it grow.
- Thank God for the way He provided in all our needs in China, for all the additional funds and people He send to help us.
I can once again just testify about our awesome God and His ways in our time here in Macau. We’ve been camping next to the beach since Tuesday evening. The conditions were ideal for camping, but on Friday the weather took a turn. A nr.1 typhoon warning was send out, which only means we might experience some wind. Later the warning was raised to a number 3. Then some of our team members met a guy who just started moving in to a apartment close to the campsite and he told us that we are more than welcome to come and stay there if we run into trouble.& nbsp; On Saturday morning we broke down camp and moved over to their apartment (which had enough space for us, because there’s no furniture moved in yet and it had just what we needed – stove, fridge, washing machine, tumble dryer, internet and a bathroom). By the afternoon the typhoon warning was raised to a number 8 and it was heading straight for Macau. The wind was blowing and it was pouring. We had a great time of fellowship with these to servants of the Lord and spent the past two days at their place. Again this was just another of God’s divine appointments. What is even a greater miracle is that the typhoon took a 90 degree turn before hitting Macau! We really serve an awesome God!
Blessings
Marisa
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