Dana Hawkes Teaches Crown College Course

After a restful and peaceful sleep I awakened filled with an incredible sense of joy!  I must confess, I was not prepared for what a wonderful, inspiring, uplifting and satisfying experience it was to meet the delightful young people of the class and have the honor of leading them.  I am sure that I was the one most blessed.  I sensed the power of the Spirit of God in their lifes, in the room and in the deliberations of the evening.  The spirit of the room and the discussions were powerful and electric.

The words that came to my mind as I awakened were those of Isaiah 40 "They who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings as eagles, they will run and not be weary and they will walk and not faint."  I feel like I am flying with the eagles this morning.  (That is pretty good coming from a Hawk!)

Jerry and Hope and your team, thanks so much for the capable way you made the preparations, did the translations, printed the beautiful handouts and made me feel welcome, supported and cared for.  It is a delight to know you and to be working with you.  I await with eager anticipation the delights of the coming days here.

Ian thanks for your confidence in inviting me to come.  I am powerfully aware that God is at work here.  I understand more fully His calling to you and GPiH.  I understand more why I feel God led me to come.  I know that it is His power that is at work far in excess of our feeble efforts.  I trust I will be able to step aside enough to let HIM do His work.  I am honored and grateful to be a part of your team.

Looking forward to seeing the Great Wall with you Ian, but I know that my impressions there will be dwarfed by my experience in the class last night.

Dana

We have had our second team training. We are all very excited about going to China. We do have a few prayer request:
1. The Lord will give unity, openness, and like mindedness to each member of
our women's team.
2. God would provide for the financial needs of each member going to Beijing.
3. The Lord will help us remember additional names to add to our prayer
support list.
4. The Lord will multiple our time and energy as we write our first outline & talk.
5. We would rely on the guidance & power of the Holy Spirit as we write our
talks.

Fall 2011 Women's Team Formed

Back: Loraine Doud, Carol Uhler, Mary Waring

Front: Diane Hamlett, Gayle Sharp, Angela Smith

A women's team of six will be going to Beijing October 19 to November 1st.  Leaders Gayle Sharp and Mary Waring are excited about returning to China and seeing the dear friends we have made there.


Team training will begin on June 16th and continue until we depart.  It will be a joy getting to know the extraordinary women God has called to serve Him in October.

Planning Teams for 2011

The new ministry at EFCC, Connecting With China, decided this week that it would send a women’s team to Beijing in Fall 2011. It is hoped that the Lord will provide 4-6 women to participate in this team.

The focus of the women’s team will be to teach Christian leadership principles to women leaders in Beijing churches. That sounds simple but will entail so much more. There will be opportunities to counsel and mentor one-on-one with these dear women and develop relationships with them. Many Chinese Christians are new believers, even the pastors. We will concentrate on women leaders because then our teaching has the potential to reach hundreds more when they take back what they learn to their churches.

Other Connecting With China team trips planned for 2011 will be a mixed or couples team also in the Fall and a pastor’s team in October.

It is an exciting privilege to be a small part of what God is doing in China. Let me know if you are interested in joining a future trip to China.

To Him be the glory!
Mary

EFCC – GPiH Partnership Signed!

On January 19, 2011 an agreement was signed between Emmanuel Faith Community Church - EFCC and Global Partners in Escondido, California. GPiH is the organization that hosted the EFCC September 2010 team in Beijing. This agreement is great cause for celebration and praise to our Lord. Through the influence of highly placed government officials, GPiH has a unique ‘front door’ opportunity to reach metropolitan Chinese people using the aspects of harmony and unity prevalent in the Christian faith. We are very excited about how God is working through Global Partners in Hope to reach and teach the Chinese people.

This new ministry at EFCC will be called “Connecting With China.”

The purpose of the EFCC September team was to teach, encourage, and counsel mostly new Christians living in an atheistic society. These baby believers do not have parents or grandparents to mentor them and show them how to live like Jesus. The people we worked with had hungry hearts to learn what we had to teach them about our loving God and how He wants us to live. It was stunning to watch how God used us. Our small team of just six had access to over 600 Chinese Christians in 15 separate sessions. This was way beyond our expectations!

GPiH has just opened another avenue to support the Chinese Christian movement. Countless new house churches are being formed in the 20 to 40 age groups, the fastest growing Christian segment in urban China. Many pastors of these churches have little or no seminary training. GPiH is starting new college-level training courses conducted by Crown College for house church pastors.

It will be very exciting to watch how our Lord uses this new agreement between Emmanuel Faith Community Church and Global Partners in Hope. Visit this blog again for the continuing story.

Blessings,

Mary

Final Reflections of September 2010 Team

We're back having returned home one week ago today.  We saw all the tourist attractions: the Wall, Olympic stadium, the Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, the Summer Palace (home of 5 emperors).  Something that stands out is the number of people.  Beijing is a huge city with a population of over 22 million.  People live in huge tall apartment buildings. Most do not have cars and use public transportation or walk everywhere. Cars, trucks, bikes, motorbikes and taxis give you a challenge when crossing at intersections.  Vehicles have the right of way.

The Chinese people are very endearing. They work 60-80 hours a week. Many have two jobs.

I was surprised that the underground churches are in the apartment buildings.

We met one incredible young woman who did most of our translating. She learned English in school and is the youngest of 6 children. Hope lives in an apartment with 7 other people. Her face lights up with her love for the Lord when you see her.

Nate the Great, as we fondly called him, was originally from Omaha, Nebraska. He is assisting groups as they arrive in Beijing. He speaks French and Mandarin. He hasn't started college yet. He may come to the US to do his undergrad work. He is also the one who ordered most of our food for us. After dinner, he would get this little smile on his face and we would say, "Okay, let's hear what you ordered." The food in China is delicious.  Lots of new vegetables graced our plates including eggplant. We agreed to eat some new foods we had not tried before. Something that was actually good was donkey. 

We were privileged to visit four underground churches where the people were so hungry to hear what we had to teach. The fact we had all been married for 40 years plus and been Christians for 30 years were all the credentials we needed to have their attention. Most team members spoke about 4 or 5 different times; spent time praying with and for people; shared ideas about ministry for women and singles, and developed friendships with many who are in ministry there.

John Waring was our main speaker. A very talented guy who spoke on Conflict Resolution and Spiritual Listening. We opened the floor with Q and A after the speakers and we would sit for hours answering questions.

God is doing amazing things in China. He is claiming China for Himself. They are saying that China will be the largest Christian nation in the world. We are thankful to have been a part of something so pivotal. We were a pioneer group sent to see if we could make a difference. We hope to be sending a group as often as possible. I want to be part of the training process for others to go.  Thank you for your many prayers. They had a significant impact on make this mission a huge succes!.

Blessings with Love,

China September Team
Larry and Gayle Sharp,
Barbara Pillsbury,
Nancy Sloan,
John and Mary Waring

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

As we pack our clothes and other belongings to leave this beautiful country, you can be assured that part of our hearts will stay here among the wonderful people we have come to know and love in the Lord.

Our memories will include the heartfelt questions of situations they face daily; coming together in prayer; singing Alleluia in one united voice; healthy delicious food; our Chinese friends not knowing about Chinese fortune cookies : ) as it is an American tradition; climbing the Great Wall on a most beautiful day...and many more. Our memories will be specifically individual and collective in nature. We will have stories to tell and prayers to pray.

What each of us take away from China will make an impact on us and we will never be the same. We have grown spiritually and been stretched physically and emotionally...but we give all the glory to God. May He be honored in our lives. We will endeavor to share the spiritual passion that is present here.

We say to our friends here, Mizpah...may the Lord watch between me and thee while we are absent one from another.

With Love and Gratitude for your faithful prayers,

Your Chinese Team

Update from China Team

Today we spoke and visited with university students. The meeting room was located in a traditional syle Hutong.  It was very interesting to have the opportunity to see the traditional way of living.  The children are very beautiful. We began speaking at 3:00, there was Q and A. We left at at 7:00 p.m.. I left the room to go with Mary to take pictures.  The children were beautiful.  We can tell every moment that we are prayed for. People are so hungry for J. and it is a great privilege to be here sharing Him with these dear people.

Update From Beijing

Please pray for us. We are speaking at the university today and speaking at a church tomorrow

Blessings,
Nancy

Dear Family and Friends

Do you remember the song Who Could Ask For Anything More? That song and thought has resonated with us during our visit. So many requests have been answered that we find ourselves with that thought in our minds. Lamentations 3:22,23 says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion's never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."  And we say Amen!

The meetings, the weather, the venues, the sightseeing, (okay and shopping) excursions are only a prelude to saying...when can we come back to this beautiful country and it's dear people.

You may want to start asking God if He would like you to be the next visitors to come here. When our stories are told, it will ignite a flame of desire in you to be a part of the opportunities taking place here. If we could package the passion and the hunger along with their desire to live a life worthy of the One who died for them...the package would explode in praise!

Please continue in prayer for us as we have made many, many new friends who want to come into the family.

Blessings from the China team.

Ne how

Dearest friends and family we have been s o o o o o busy. We have not been neglectful to keep you informed, but we have not had any down time...except the time we use to sleep! Our "schedule" changes from day to day and we may prepare for one thing and then a message will come to change our clothes and go to a new agenda...but we are ever ready to do what we came to do. The team is meeting so many new friends and we welcome them into our family. Our new friends (and we meet many a day) are so hungry for the food we have and keep asking for more food after our meeting is over! So, "if a child asks for bread, would we give him a stone?" The harvest is so ripe here.

We have been to the Temple of Heaven, The Forbidden City, The Great Wall and today we are going to the Olympic Village and then a very big meeting tonight. The weather has been very cooperative...we are grateful. The traffic in Beijing is extremely, extremely chaotic and does take a great amount of patience and time to get from place to place, but we have a very capable driver.

It's time to rock and roll.

Blessings from China.

WE HAVE ARRIVED!

We left LA at 12:10AM on 1 September, eager for our amazing adventure to begin. Dinner was served at 4:30 AM San Diego time, then lights out.


Our flight accommodations were terrific and comfortable even in a full flight. At 4:30 AM Thursday we landed in a TYPHOON in Seoul. It was raining so hard with winds at hurricane force.  Surprisingly, our flight to Beijing was only delayed by one half hour!   After a beautiful landing in Beijing we were welcomed by a booming voice with arms outstretched saying "Welcome to Beijing!" It was dear Shaun Bao. He was as eager to welcome us as we were eager to see him and his team.

We know our Lord is with us and is watching over us, guiding and directing our ways in all we do. Your prayers are so important to us and every step in our journey, we can feel them.

Please continue in prayer for our health;

For our presentations to be fruitful;

For Shaun and his team to continue to make significant inroads to the unsaved.

More to come soon.


The China Team

As We Depart For China

Dear Family and Friends,


The plans have been made; reservations are confirmed; clothes and essentials are packed. We have checked our lists more than twice.


As we embark on this amazing, wonderful trip to China we are asking for your continued prayers. Thank you for the support and encouragement you have shown us.


Would you please pray:

 For us to have an abiding knowledge of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power at all times.


 For safety and health as we travel and to have fruitful meetings with our Chinese friends.


 To prepare the hearts of the Chinese people.


 For a willing attitude to do whatever is expected of us…with joy.


 For many people to experience and receive the love of Christ through our words and actions.


 For our families at home, health, safety and well being.


The next time you read the blog, it will be about the day to day activities of our trip; the wonderful people and special places we will visit...stay tuned!

May God richly bless you. With love in Christ, the China Team.


John and Mary Waring, Larry and Gayle Sharp, Nancy Sloan and Barbara Pillsbury

Prayer Requests and Thanksgiving

Prayer requests for John and Mary;

God will be honored and glorified in everything we say and do.


* We hear and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit not only in our teaching but in everything we do.

* We will embrace the adventure and adapt easily into the unfamiliar Chinese culture.

* We will be sensitive to the people we meet so that they see God's light in each of us.

* Final training, packing, and details will be efficient.

* Preparations and arrangements in China will go smoothly.

* God will provide effective Divine appointments for us so that our work there will be fruitful.

* Good health for the team and our families before departure and during our time in China. God will give us lots of energy and stamina.

Thank you all for your faithfulness in praying.



Prayer Requests for Gayle and Larry:

-Quality time to finish writing our second talks this week.

-Quiet time with the Lord and each other to focus on our China trip.

-God would protect the health of my parents before and while we are in China.

-Our son and his wife would desire to go to Dennis' class on Christian Parenting this fall.

Prayer Requests for Nancy;

1. That God would protect our mind and keep it focused as we prepare.

2. That his will be done in all that we say and do.

3. Julie is coming on Thursday night with her four and Val's boys will be here all weekend as well. That is 7.

4. Turning in my final copy of the Val testimony

5, Chris is traveling all week and the nanny and Richard and I have the full responsibility of the boys.

6.. Praising God that as I spoke in church this morning about the testimony of Val in China that the women in front

Prayer requests for Barbara;

1. My son Patrick's home was damaged by an electrical fire on Monday. Please pray for quick repairs.

2. I have a fractured front tooth that I need to see the dentist for before I leave...hopefully it can be treated "temporarily" and then permanently repaired upon return.

3. Bind Satan from continuing to influence older Chinese folks with age old traditions of having a "items" in their homes to appease or ward off the spirits...that their hearts would be open to receive the message of the Gospel.

4. For comfort and relief of the thousands of Chinese who are affected by the floods and mudslides and for the loved ones of those who have died as a result of these disasters.

5. For safety in travelling to Tijuana on the 21st to the Purple Palace orphanage to deliver school supplies.

The effective fervent prayer of a righteous person is effective and powerful. James 5:17b

Excitement Grows

As you may know, the presentation by Global Partners in Hope had an impressive attendance. We hope you found the presentation by Ian Vickers and Shaun Bao informative and interesting. It never ceases to amaze me to hear about the stunning changes that God is orchestrating in the hearts of high Communist government officials to move them to welcome Christianity into China. It is truly a privilege to be a small part of what our Lord is doing there.



Many were touched by some of the details of Shaun Bao’s personal story regarding his life and family.


GPiH has just opened another avenue to support the Chinese Christian movement. Countless new house churches are being formed in the 20 to 40 age groups, the fastest growing Christian segment in urban China. Many pastors of these churches have little or nor seminary training. As you heard Thursday evening, GPiH is starting a new college-level training course conducted by Crown College for House Church pastors. The cost is just $875 to train one pastor.


If you are interested in more information about Global Partners in Hope or would like to make a donation to them, go to their website http://globalpartnersinhope.com



Please pray for our EFCC – GPiH mission team going to Beijing September 1-14. Team members are: John and Mary Waring, Larry and Gayle Sharp, Barbara Pillsbury, and Nancy Sloan.

 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:11,12

Thank you for your prayers!

God Bless you.

Excitement Grows

Shaun Bao, CEO Global Partners in Hope

Excitement Grows

What an inspirational meeting we had with Shaun Bao and Ian Vickers last week. These two men of God are looking (along with this team) to the amazing things God will do in China and is doing even now.

Shaun Bao's testimony was moving and dramatic as he detailed his journey of faith to the captive audience. 

Ian Vickers, CEO of Global Partners in Hope spoke of his desire to come along side of Shaun Bao in an effort to expand on growth of spreading the Gospel in China. Shaun is the
There is excitement growing each day within our team as the time draws closer.

Shaun Bao - What An Exciting Story - Join Us August 5th to Hear More!

Finding Life’s Purpose - Shaun Bao




He left China as a member of the royal family. He returned as ambassador for the King of Kings.


He was born into the royal family of China—a 300-yearold dynasty. But the Chinese Communist Cultural Revolution in 1966 changed everything.


As a young man Shaun was selected by Mao Tse-tung’s wife to become a film star. He starred in the first movie to be shown in China after the revolution. His father was unaware Shaun had been selected and saw a poster on the street with Shaun’s photo on it. He was furious and told Shaun that members of the royal family were not to become actors


Shaun starred in 13 movies in eight years. He had fame, position, money and girls. But despite all this, he says, he “always felt very thirsty and hollow.” He eventually prayed, “Jesus if you are the way, show me. I have no other way to go.” He confessed his wrongdoing.


He says, “Then the world was so beautiful. Instead of feeling like a nobody, I felt like somebody.”


After his baptism, he started conducting mission trips, taking Bibles to China. People in China were so excited to have their own Bible. He moved back to China and started a house church. One of his early converts, Sarah, became his wife.


When his house church grew to more than 200 people, he realized they would have to expand. He now has 12 house churches and people from these house churches are going to other countries around the world as missionaries.


In China, it is still illegal to buy a Bible, so Shaun has discovered a way to overcome this obstacle. Shaun has published a biography on Jesus Christ: The Life of Jesus. He says that there are biographies for sale on many other famous people. At first, publishers refused to publish the book, telling him it was too dangerous to do so. But Shaun was persistent and finally found a publisher.


His book has now been endorsed by the Chinese government and is legal to sell and distribute. Shaun says “Please pray for us. . . . I believe China will be the biggest Christian nation in the world; we already have 100 million Christians.”


Pastor Shaun Bao is now the Executive Director of the China Harmony & Unity Center in Beijing.

China Reception

There is great interest and excitement about learning what fantastic things God is doing in China today! What started out as a small gathering has blossomed into a presentation reception that has outgrown our home. The Global Partners in Hope presentation will be moved to the lovely new Holy Grounds Cafe at EFCC, this Thursday, August 5 at 7:00 p.m.




Ian Vickers of Global Partners in Hope, and Shaun and Sarah Bao from Beijing will talk about the strategic importance of GPiH's work being done in China. God has moved the hearts of high level Chinese government officials to invite GPiH to openly teach about Christianity in community centers in China. It was a privilege to be a small part of this teaching last March and John and I will be going back to Beijing in September with a team from EFCC.



You will have an opportunity to hear Shaun Bao relate his fascinating story about his royal family and their persecution by the Communists. He will tell us about his life as a movie star and of leaving China as a member of the royal family and returning as ambassador for the King of Kings. Shaun is a dynamic servant of the Lord.



Feel free to invite anyone you think might be interested in hearing more about Christianity in China. A freewill offering to support GPiH will be taken.



Please let us know if you are coming so that there will be plenty of delicious desserts for you and your guests.



Mary and John Waring

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. John 15: 4

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting...this hymn, written by an Irish woman named Jean Sophia Pigott, became the favorite hymn of J. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China. Often, taking a break from his crushing load of work, Hudson would sit at his little reed organ and sing this hymn. It perfectly expressed his greatest life lesson.
Hudson had envisioned a missionary task greater than any since the days of Paul - the evangelization of China. He had established the China Inland Mission in 1865, but it almost proved his undoing. Overwhelmed by worry, work and responsibility, he was near a breakdown when he received a letter from a fellow missionary, John McCarthy. In it, McCarthy spoke from John 15 about abiding in Christ. "Abiding, not striving or struggling," wrote McCarthy, "looking off unto Him; trusting Him for present power...this is not new, and yet 'tis new to me...Christ literally all seems to me now the power, the only power for service; the only ground for unchanging joy."
As Hudson read this letter at his mission station in Chin-kiang on Saturday, September 4, 1869, his eyes were opened. "As I read," he recalled, "I saw it all, I looked to Jesus, and when I saw, oh how the joy flowed!"
Writing to his sister in England, he said: "As to work, mine was never so plentiful, so responsible, or so difficult; but the weight and strain are all gone. The last or more has been perhaps the happiest of my life, and I long to tell you a little of what the Lord has done for my soul. When the agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before."
McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before I did, wrote: "But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith but by resting on the Faithful One."
"As I read, I saw it all!...As I thought of the Vine and the branches, what light the blessed Spirit poured into my soul!"

The main method of witness in China today is the personal lifestyle and behavior of Christians, accompanied by their proclamations of the Gospel, often at great personal risk.