GOD HAS A PLAN

My Dad and I were standing in line at the airport in Taiwan waiting to board our plane to Burma. An airline manager approached us and said that we did not have the proper paperwork to enter the country. We were stuck. Our team stateside went to work trying to get our visas approved so we could get to Burma. Meanwhile we had no choice but to pray and wait. We don’t always understand why God does what He does and why He allows certain things to happen. But we do know that we serve a God who is in complete control of all things and He has a plan and a purpose. So when we don’t exactly know what God is doing we trust Him.

Screen Shot 2015-01-08 at 11.05.59 AMDad and I were sitting there in the hotel just looking at each other. One of us said, “Well, what do we do now? We don’t know anyone and we don’t speak Chinese.” If you know my dad at all you know that nothing is going to stop him from sharing the message of Jesus to anyone, anywhere, anyhow. So we found a website that would translate the Gospel message into Chinese. We then found a nearby shop that was willing to make some copies for us and we were ready to go. We went out on the streets of Taiwan and were able to distribute those Gospel tracts.

Screen Shot 2015-01-08 at 11.06.06 AMWhile we were out walking around, we ended up meeting some believers that were a part of a small community church. They invited us to come with them as they went around the city to share the Gospel. So in a city of nearly half a million people, where we didn’t know a single person and we didn’t speak the language, God directed us to some fellow believers who then let us partner with them to share the Gospel around the city. It’s so amazing how God works! Several days later we were issued our visas and continued our journey to Burma.

BURMA AT LAST

Screen Shot 2015-01-08 at 11.06.17 AMOur time in Burma was short but extremely encouraging. We arrived in just enough time to join Pastor Ling for their Sunday morning worship service. As we spent the day with their ministry team, our hearts were instantly united with theirs and their mission. We held a two-day conference for about 100 pastors, church leaders, and young bible college students.

Screen Shot 2015-01-08 at 11.06.24 AMIt was incredible to see their eagerness to learn and a passion to reach their country. By far, one of the highlights of the conference was just simply listening to them as they worshiped and sang praises to our King. It is such a beautiful thing to see other brothers and sisters from around the world pour out their hearts before the same God that we serve! We will post a video of the worship service on our website for you to see and experience as well.

TEMPLE OF BUDDHA

Last month, we wrote about Adoniram Judson and how God used him to pioneer foreign missions in America and to take the Gospel to the people of Burma. After our first day of pastors training, Pastor Ling took us to the oldest Buddhist temple in the country. It was the same temple where Adoniram Judson declared, “A voice mightier than mine, a still small voice, will ere long sweep away every vestige of thy dominion. The churches of Jesus Christ will soon supplant these idolatrous monuments and the chanting devotees of Buddha will die away before the Christian’s hymns of praise.” Dad and I got to stand before this temple 200 years later and proclaim these same words. God is truly doing a great work in Burma and we are excited about the opportunity to be a part of it.

FUTURE PARNTERSHIP

Screen Shot 2015-01-08 at 11.06.33 AMWe are looking forward to a long-term partnership with Pastor Ling and his family as they seek to reach their Buddhist country. Ling’s home serves as the church building and an orphanage for 28 children. Their family single-handedly takes care of every child with little to no outside funding or support. This is an exciting new partnership for us. They are a young house church and are in the process of planting their second church. They have a passion for Jesus and a mission to reach their people with the gospel. They just need some help. They need partners. We are thankful that God has brought us together. Pray with us as we consider what this partnership looks like and as we plan for next year. Prayerfully we will take a small team of seasoned mission travelers to serve alongside Ling and his church. We are excited to see what the Lord will do!

– Jared