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| "How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.' " |
In case you're just tuning in, here’s the story so far:
?-2004
Why was I born into a family with so many connections to South East Asia? .. And why have I always felt so drawn to China? ..
2005
I arrive in Canada for training in linguistics, and soon find myself naturally bonding with Cantonese speakers .. I love the language and culture ..
2012
Many more connections with Cantonese / Hong Kong Chinese later, and now I’m ministering locally in Vancouver and living in a predominately Chinese area. The church I’m a part of includes a lot of Cantonese congregants as well, some of us start to meet together with a vision and heart for Hong Kong and China.
2013
Our church has the privilege of being part of the first missions team allowed into mainland China, with the full permission of the Chinese government, to evangelize, including public open-air ministry! The testimonies that come back are amazing! This isn’t simply praying with people on the street, this is transformative stuff, blessing leaders, businessmen, even government officials, and seeing many come to Christ.
Now I'm focused on the area where the team had gone, regularly praying over it and envisioning a move of God there. As I see more missions teams flowing into the same area where ours broke ground, I can’t help but ask: Where do we go from here? Where has this momentum taken us, and where will it take us next?
2014
I sit down with a group of friends and we begin to pool together our connections with churches in Hong Kong. I connect with one church and am told they might have an opening for me there. Not seriously considering leaving my home in Vancouver or joining another church, I feel called to minister to the people in the predominately Chinese area where I live, to me that is my “China”.
2015
I take steps to commit to this area of Vancouver as home, buying a car, settling into a career ..
2016
Having passed all my exams I am now fully committed to the career of financial planner. The very day that I decide to commit to it, God cuts in: “This is not it. Go. Now.” This comes as quite a surprise! Actually at first I have no idea where he’s asking me to go! .. Eventually it dawns on me .. I fire up the connection with the church in Hong Kong from two years prior .. and there is a position still open waiting for me there.
2017
I’ve been fully sponsored by a local church to lead several ministries (detailed in previous posts).
Every week the testimonies keep rolling in, salvations, people getting healed, relationships being restored! But then .. the testimonies start coming out of mainland China.
2018
Now I finally get a chance to see, and be a part of, the results of my prayers since 2013. The first comes from our ministry school, as students from mainland China begin to enroll! .. Yes, word has spread into the mainland to the point where we have students joining from there! This shift comes as a result of one of our students passing on some of our training materials to a pastor in China. That pastor is so inspired by what he reads, and begins moving powerfully in the Spirit. Signs and wonders follow his preaching and the Spirit breaks out in several churches around his area.
I reconnect with the group that led our 2013 trip, through their branch in Hong Kong: we hold a conference attended by 500 pastors and leaders from mainland China! Even aboriginal church leaders are represented! The time is full of glorious worship, heartfelt intercession, training, equipping, and empowerment. Well known ministers from North America, who have traveled extensively in China and seen both the underground and Three Self churches are present in these meetings. They share a prophetic vision God had placed on them for China, and declare that this is the season for Hong Kong as a gate to China. One church network from mainland China, after receiving training with this group, launches their own missionary initiative into Russia! Pretty wild to think of mainland Chinese sending out international missions teams, but it’s happening! This is a movement that goes beyond borders and can’t be stopped!
Now I discover that the group which led our 2013 trip has already been making inroads into China for years! They hold a smaller conference which is also attended mostly by mainland Chinese, about 60 are present. During this conference one of our team members gets a chance to mentor a leader of a church network in China with over 1 million people under his care! God is moving so fast at times it seems hard to keep up!
Sensing the time and season of harvest we’re in, I begin seeking God about sowing into some church plants here in Hong Kong. Two groups form. One is mainly composed of mature Christians with a hunger for intimate worship and intercession. There are about 20 in this group. The other group is made up of 8 newer Christians with more desperate prayer needs (coming out of demonic oppression, some new believers, and some still wrestling with their faith).
Excited by the fruit coming out of these involvements, I am now considering refocusing my efforts into a more active role in church planting and discipleship .. but to do this I first have to free up some time in my schedule to rest and seek direction from God. Praise God I was able to take this period of rest and was able to connect more directly with some of my heroes in bringing the gospel into China. One such hero was Dennis Balcombe. He had a calling placed on his life for China even at a young age, was one of the first to get into China when its doors opened in 1976, and has been involved in birthing successful ministries here ever since. The ministry he is closest connected with is Revival Chinese Ministries International (RCMI). An English version of their website is here: http://revivalchinese.wixsite.
To my amazement he invited me to meet with him and do some vision casting on my role here. He sees a place for me to disciple, and help to plant / grow churches here, but before that can take place I have to wait for his team to work out all the legal details. Please pray with me about this process.
I’ve also been connecting more with Jackie Pullinger and her group (see previous posts for more details or check out her website here: http://www.ststephenssociety.com/)
There’s sure a lot to do here, especially with the groups above I just mentioned, along with progressing further in my Cantonese, and my evangelist heart throbs every day for the lost in my city. But at this point I’m at sort of a crossroads, I believe God has more of a hands-on role for me now, but in the next few months I’m not sure which doors will open and which will shut. In some sense it’s a waiting game, for church boards and missions boards and other such things, but I believe in what God is doing here so much that I’m continuing the work anyway, relying on savings and the support of friends until the dust settles (and praying it does soon)!
I’ll post again soon to let you know which sponsoring organization I'm partnered with, or whether I’m kicked out of the country! Oh the suspense! 😆
All the best in Him! More to come!
Nathan
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