It all began with pumpkin carving back in October. (We don’t really do Halloween.) I spied a student that needed a partner and oh I am so glad that the relationship began….  Later on I (Mary Kay) learned that Fran was going through some very difficult times and she really needed someone to talk to.  So we began meeting together on a weekly basis to talk, and to later study the Bible.   She came to Bible study one day and said, “I want to be a Christian as I finally understand

the difference between Buddhism and Christianity.

In Buddhism we have to do good things so that maybe we will get good things back but in Christianity it is all the opposite.  God gives us the good things through Jesus freely.”

Then for Easter we watched the Matthew Visual Bible and read the last words of Jesus about the great commission and it spoke of baptism.  So we did a study on that next.  In the middle of that week she texted me and said she wanted to see if we could get together another time that week but she didn’t say why.  Here she wanted to express to me that she wanted to get baptized!  So what a joyous time we had last Sunday, celebrating with her in the decision to follow Jesus!

And it all began with carving a pumpkin, and then listening. Oh may we listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to reach out and be bold!

“I don’t think there are Christians in China”

that was the comment made by one of my Chinese students. But another student that is a believer chimed in and said , “Oh yes, in my family’s village there are many Christians and in fact my cousins have a stationary store and they use it to be able to sell Christian items and to connect with people.” This is the kind of interaction that we long to see and hope will happen all the more as we have invited all of our Bible class students over for a Thanksgiving meal and want them to connect and be encouraged by the faith of each other.

Last night after our Thanksgiving Squanto movie a student came up to me (MK) and told me that another student had invited her to church. We desire that these students catch the vision to share their faith. And another student signed up to study the Bible for the first time, with Fred.

A newly married Taiwanese couple opened their place to us to have our monthly married couples meeting. We bring extra chairs and a table but it is beautiful to see them be willing to extend hospitality. Another young mother offered to host the mama’s group in her small apartment and she invited her other friends to come. It becomes their’s instead of our meeting!

It is up and down at times with who shows up for various activities. I was encouraged to remain faithful to the still small voice of the Lord. That one meeting was one of the best and as the 4 of us sat around the table, tears were shed and prayers went up to the Lord. He who calls us is Faithful!

These new international students need you, so keep doing your work.

Our friend said this to MK at the new international student yard sale, the place where we started the 2013 season 3 years ago. We met her soon afterwards in an English class, and our church friends took her to a local festival, and then to our church. I later discipled her husband until he became a Christian, about two years later. Recently her husband and her were baptized. She wrote:

For the last three years we continued to receive so many blessings from you. The very best one is your guidance for us to God.

Those were three years that you, our supporters made possible, by allowing us to work full time with so many students. We usually only see part of the process, as students leave so quickly. But this was a great blessing of encouragement as we add new students to our existing Bible studies.

Thank you for ‘being there’ in prayers and gifts for these beautiful new Children of God from China!

We just finished with a short Saturday trip to a recreated Indian village in Virginia, a real novelty for internationals who have heard so much of their culture. (Actually we had Indians who invaded a deserted Native American village!)

One Korean wrote afterwards:

I really enjoyed the trip today. 
And I want to say thank you for you and Mary Kay 
for this wonderful trip!
I feel lucky to meet such a great teacher like you and Mary Kay. 
Thank you again! And have a wonderful weekend! 

We know that she is not lucky, but God is working through us to give her something she doesn’t even know she needs.

Please keep us in your prayers!

May the seeds blossom…

At the last minute our motel reservations had to be switched  to a new place and the rooming situation had to be rearranged. It meant that Fred and I would not be together but we roomed with the students.  I was with a girl from Hong Kong and a girl from Iran.  As we got ready for bed the Iranian girl pulled out her prayer rug and compass to make sure she was praying in the right direction. After she prayed, she hopped up on the bed to chat with me asking me questions of whether Christians pray.  I was able to tell her that yes, yes, we pray and not just at special times but all day long… that it is a relationship with God and I speak to Him often.  She was so open and eager to understand.  Later on after hearing of the death of a grandfather of a student, she asked me if Christians believe in the after -life.  I was able to share with her how I did not have a fear of death as Jesus has given me a hope and assurance of heaven because of Jesus.

On the other side of me was my new friend from Hong Kong.  She has been attending a Bible study and was so excited about all that she was learning about God.  She openly told me of challenges that she was having.  Her friend back home had told her about how God can answer prayer and she was so amazed by that.  We ended our night be praying together wanting them to see how real God can be.

We have come to love these students and desire that they would love our Lord and know of His depth of love for them.  Pray that these seeds will not be snatched away… but blossom .  May Spring time remind you to pray for them.

Arranging a spring break trip for nearly 30 people is hard enough, but then the hotel CANCELS on us four days before! Due to renovations!!

How great that God DOES NOT CANCEL on us, and heaven needs no renovation!

Please pray for our spring break outreach trip this week. I could say pray for safety, good conversations, and a good time, but let me defer to Acts 4, what the first Christians prayed for in a time of persecution:

Lord, help us be courageous in boldly speaking the word!

Pray for the 8 adult leaders and the lone two Christian students. Pray that we might go deeper in our friendships, and start Bible studies, and that souls will be thirsty.

To see the trip details, see  www.fredandmarykay.org, look on the bottom left side for Events, then select the Spring Break Charleston SC trip.

You can even see who is going and pick someone to pray for! Send us an email, and we can give more specific details. We want to carry you there in our hearts!

As well as our presence being in your prayers.

Together with Christ,

Fred and Mary Kay

PS: We did find an even better hotel, after much prayer!

At our Christmas party we trained nonChristians in how to sing Christmas Carols, and then we sent them out next door. If there aren’t enough Christians singing His praises, then let’s train the nonChristians!

We had to stop on the second song. “Let every heart prepare him room.” “WHO is the person it is talking about?” came the question. After sharing more about what it means to have Jesus in your heart, we continued. We all really enjoyed the songs, the Christmas story video, and the reason for the season. 

Want to listen to us? Maybe not a good idea.

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”