Wait!

That was not quite what I expected when I started to pray over the food! Our new friend, Chen, had just started reading the Bible with the story of Matthew, and I had just helped her understand it, and also review her English paper. To say thanks, she treated me out to lunch. We had just sat down and she was about to dig in. I never ask preChristians to pray, but sometimes I do pray aloud with them. So I mentioned something about giving thanks.

With a heart of gratitude she began to thank me before the meal! I quickly stopped her.

“No, I mean, let’s give thanks to God.”
“How” she wondered.

“Thank you God for this wonderful food and our time together learning about Jesus. Amen”

When I looked up I saw that she was still looking down; so I added something like “I’m done now.”

“OK,” she responded. “Can I give thanks too?”

Surprised, I said yes and she bowed her head like I had done and she started her own prayer. It was longer than mine and oh so sincere and fresh.

I was completely blessed by it.

And a big THANK YOU to you for letting me a part of it. We depend on the prayers and finances of our supporters in order to have time to love these people. Without finances, we would have no quality time, because quality time requires quantity time. And without prayers, we would not be effective.

May God Bless You!

“During your year in the USA, what has been the biggest or most important thing you have learned about Jesus or Christianity?”

Our friend was returning to China and her answer surprised us.

“Your love is the biggest thing I learned about Christianity.” She continued that I had given up my computer programmer salary, but she was really thanking YOU, our financial and prayer supporters, that make it possible for us to be here. Without you, we would not have the time to be with students nearly every day.

Another student wrote similarly

Dear Mary Kay,

Thank you for being such a dear friend and for taking me so many times to be in company of your wonderful family. Thank you for the in-depth Bible studies and the immense kindness with me as an international (lost!) student.

You and  your family have the beauty of thox upon whom the light of God shines.

Love and Peace

So we pass the thanks on to you!!

How do you explain Luke 14:13 when Jesus says not to invite your friends to dinner!!

Christians value hospitality, the Chinese value hospitality. We invite our friends over all the time!

I am studying the parables of Jesus with several Chinese friends (who have been to our house for dinner by the way). We had just read the parable of the rich fool, who wanted to build bigger barns so that he could rest and enjoy his life. My friend understood the error of selfishly living for yourself, but what should you do with your goods? So I turned to Luke 14.

After some help from the Holy Spirit, I think we finally understood that while it is good to invite friends to dinner, it is not really noble if we are likely to be repaid. And God is not so interested in “good” things that we do, but in “noble” things that we do. Selfless giving. “Wow” he finally said, “That is powerful.” And I was impacted too.

So, are there any internationals that you can get to know, someone who cannot invite you back to dinner? Oh how blessed it is to give!

“… and you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”

“What did you think of the movie, “Amish Grace”  that we watched last Sat.?

Oh how that opened up an entire discussion!  I (Mary Kay) forgot the English teaching time and my student told me how she had shared the story of the movie with her husband and several other Chinese friends.  Each of them were left awestruck , mouths open wide as they heard how people chose to forgive rather than take revenge.

She told me about an incident in China that had hit the news last week.  There had been a very angry driver that had punched a lady that had cut him off.  She told me that many Chinese people were discussing how they did not understand how the Chinese had become like this.  “People don’t seem to have any moral values.  Young girls are becoming prostitutes in order to have more money and there is no law against it.

My friend explained how science has been so important to her culture.  There has been no room for a belief in God.  Growing up she was told that God and ghosts do not exist because you can’t touch them and that the Bible is just a fairy tale, especially the story of the resurrection.  But when she came to America she saw professors believing in God and the culture here taking Christianity very seriously.  It didn’t seem like a fairy tale.

It has made her wonder if what she was taught was wrong because her culture is spinning out of control.  Her comment was that “people have no “heart of love.”  But since they don’t have any faith/religion in  their society it is very empty and chaotic right now.  She is a very intelligent person and studied law.  In China she told me that the law constantly changes as they don’t really have anything to base it on.  So instead they just keep copying from other nations.

Oh how her heart is sooo open right now and she is searching.  She is just a representation of so many students that are on the same journey.  Thanks for your heart to intercede and love these people to Jesus!!

(PS This woman was just interested in learning English from Mary Kay, but now she wants to study the resurrection!)

We are taking about 15 students to Lancaster, PA over spring break! We will see Hershey Chocolate World (simulated factory), plus an Amish meal and an Amish tour with a Mennonite pastor that can explain the faith, and the musical Sight-n-Sound (“Moses”). A highlight last year was visiting a Christian Chinese bookstore that gave away lots of books and DVDs about the Christian faith. Almost none of the students are Christians, but most are interested. Do pray for a spiritually good trip!